a/n: So I just wanted to clear one thing up: I poke fun at the British in this chapter a little, but I don't do it out of actual hate. I actually love the English. Gwen's words aren't a reflection of my true feelings.

Please enjoy!

July 4, 2013

If you asked Gwen about her political opinions, she would tell you that she didn't care. She thought that all politicians were corrupt and that the two party system was going to drive their country into the ground. She didn't care for the republicans or the democrats.

She did, however, get fully into Independence Day celebrations.

What was not to like? There were barbecues, parades with free candy, and explosions at the end of it (she was a closeted pyromaniac). Every aspect of the day appealed to her.

So, even though Gwen didn't particularly like parties, she heartily agreed to go to Tony's Fourth of July one, mostly for three reasons. For one thing, there was going to be unlimited amounts of food available. Her father was also going to be there, and she really wanted to see him again. It also happened to be Steve's birthday, and she just knew that Sam would be roasting the shit out of him for his age, and Gwen wanted to be there for that.

That morning, the blonde dressed in a red, white, and blue shirt that she had bought specifically for Independence Day celebrations. She also wore short jean shorts with it. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a blue scrunchie.

She ate breakfast with Paige that morning. They had started to see more of each other than they used to ever since Gwen had helped Paige with her broken knuckles. They had also started to talk a bit more. It was usually just short little conversations, but it was progress.

"Are you going to Tony's party tonight?" Gwen asked the other girl as she mopped up the ketchup on her plate with her hash browns.

Paige shook her head right away. "No. I see no point in celebrating something like this."

Gwen thought about it and nodded. She supposed she could sort of see her point, but still. They wouldn't be America if they weren't extra. "I guess. But it is an excuse to eat a bunch of food. Plus, it's fun to tell Britain to suck it," she added.

Paige rarely smiled. Gwen couldn't think of a single instance in which she had done so. So it was a shock to see her give a ghost of a smile at her joke. Gwen almost thought that she might have imagined it, it came and went so quickly. Her smile made Gwen smile. She had finally broken her.

"I'd better take Loki his breakfast," Gwen said and she hopped off her barstool, grabbing his plate and glass of orange juice on the way.

Loki was rereading The Kite Runner yet again when she came in. She was pretty sure that all Loki did was read. It must've been pretty boring inside that cage. Gwen couldn't imagine being in such a confined space for an entire year.

She placed the plate and drink in the slot for him. "How's the book?" she asked casually.

Loki merely shrugged. "Fine," he said simply. He put in his bookmark and busied himself with his food.

"Just fine?" Gwen echoed, surprised. The Kite Runner was quite possibly one of her favorite books. "Your opinions suck," she informed him bluntly.

"And your mind and views are limited," he retorted calmly.

"Whatever," muttered the girl, not used to being insulted in such a way. Most people would say that she had quite an extensive view on the world. Of course Loki, who had seen multiple worlds and realms, would think differently. "By the way, Tony said to inform you that you're welcome at his Fourth of July party tonight, if you want."

Loki scoffed softly to himself. The day he willingly spent time with the Avengers was the day he died. He only went to movie night because Thor had forced him too. But Thor wasn't here anymore. He had gone back to Asgard. And good riddance, Loki thought bitterly. The less he saw his brother, the happier he was. "No, I don't think I will," he told the girl before taking the last bite of his hash browns. He washed them down with the last swing of orange juice then placed the dirty dishes in the slot.

"Don't you get bored, being stuck in that cage?" Gwen asked in disbelief. "It has to be painful being stuck in there, day and night, with nothing to do."

"It is," said Loki shortly. "And thank you kindly for reminding me of my situation," he added bitterly as he picked up his book and buried his nose in it.

Gwen hadn't been meaning to rub his imprisonment in his face. She was just wondering why he didn't take any chance he got to leave his cell. Sure, hanging around the people that defeated you probably wasn't a picnic, but he could avoid them easily tonight. Tony had invited half of New York, it seemed. Maybe he, like Gwen, just didn't like parties.

"Do you want to get out?" she asked him curiously.

Loki masked his anger at her persistent talking behind a cool smirk. He put down his book. "Why?" he asked. "Are you going to transfer me to somewhere with a beach? Somewhere I can take walks and read all the books I want?" Gwen looked at him, shocked by his sudden bitterness. He shook his head, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "Oh, Little Starling, you can't fool me so easily."

The blonde's gaze hardened. Here she had been trying to offer him a chance to leave his cage and all he did was insult her and taunt her. She stood up, trying to keep her cool. "Then rot in the cell for all I care," she told him coldly. "Let me know if you change your mind."

The god of mischief watched her retreating form with interest. She was such an odd girl. From their short conversations, he had been able to gather that she was someone who was determined to be independent, someone who prided herself on her knowledge and who got easily offended when her intelligence was insulted. She, like him, didn't appear to have many friends or close acquaintances. She kept to herself, keeping up a wall to push others back.

He couldn't help but wonder just what it would take to get her to push that wall down. To get to know who she really was behind the mask she used. That would be interesting to find out.


The party started at seven o'clock sharp, and Gwen showed up on time, as she always did. Most people (other than the Avengers) hadn't arrived yet.

"Happy birthday, Steve," Gwen said to the super soldier, who was standing towards the back of the room with Sam.

"Thanks," he nodded.

"The man is ninety-five today," Sam announced, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Steve briefly smiled good-naturedly. "A true senior citizen. He's gonna need a walker and everything." Gwen grinned. This was exactly what she had come here for.

Steve was shaking his head. "You both laugh, but I can run laps around you two any day," he joked back.

"Yes, we know, grandpa," Gwen replied, feigning impatience. "Back in your day, you were the fastest kid on the playground." Sam laughed aloud. "Can you tell he peaked in high school?" she continued while Sam roared.

"Very funny," Steve muttered. "You're doing extra laps tomorrow just for that."

Gwen swore at that. "Language," the captain lectured her, as he always did. He didn't really care much when Sam or Nat swore, only when Gwen did. He probably did it just to mess with her.

"You know, it's because of things like this that I mock you," she told him pointedly. "You may not look like an old man, but you sure act like one."

"Then maybe you should learn to respect your elders," he replied.

Gwen shrugged. "Maybe, but it's more fun to do this," she answered. Steve shook his head yet again. She was impossible.

"Hey Clarice, your pops is here!"

Gwen's eyebrows immediately knitted into a scowl at the nickname, but she looked in the direction Tony was pointing. Her father had just arrived, dressed in casual clothes, his eyes searching the room for his daughter.

Her scowl disappeared and was replaced with a smile. She lifted a hand to wave to him. "Dad!"

He looked over and smiled as well. "Hi, Gwen," he replied, wrapping his arms around her. Gwen returned his embrace. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good," she said, nodding. It was true. She was feeling really good about her decision to take this job. Sure, Loki was annoying, but other than that, it was actually pretty fun. The Avengers were generally pretty nice and she found that she actually enjoyed the company of most of them. "Really good, actually. I think the Ancient One was right. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. How are you? How's everything going in the Sanctum?"

"Good," he answered simply. He was a little surprised (and maybe just a teensy bit upset) to hear how easily Gwen was adjusting to her new life. He had missed her quite a bit. His day felt quite empty without his little girl there with him. Of course, he always knew that this day would come, he just didn't expect it to come so soon. "Yeah, it's good. Pretty quiet. There's really only Wong and I there, which can get pretty boring at times, but otherwise, it's fine."

"I'm sorry I'm not there to liven things up," Gwen said and Stephen gave a small chuckle. "What about Christine? Are you still seeing her?"

He nodded. "I am, yeah. Are you ok with that?"

The girl nodded her head vigorously. "More than ok with it. I've always thought that dumping her was the stupidest thing you ever did." Again, her father laughed, but he knew that wasn't true. The stupidest thing he'd ever done was let Jessie go. "Oh! Did you bring my sling ring like I asked?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." He reached in his pocket and found the ring. "There you go. Now you might visit me more often."

She nodded absently as she tucked the sling ring safely in her own pocket. "So, do you want to meet the rest of the Avengers?"

He shrugged. "Sure." More people were starting to pour into the party now, giving them the perfect opportunity to move around and meet the others.

They rejoined Steve and Sam, who hadn't moved from their spot. Steve nodded respectfully when he saw them. "Hello again, doctor."

"Captain," Stephen returned.

"Dad, this is Sam Wilson, the Falcon," Gwen introduces him. "Sam, this is my father, Stephen Strange."

Sam and Stephen shook hands. "Nice to meet you," Sam said. He looked between the father and daughter pair. "It's easy to see where Gwen gets her good looks from," he joked.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Hilarious, Wilson."

"We all know you think so, Strange," he shot back with a grin.

"Don't make me change my mind," she threatened. She took her dad's hand again. "There's Bruce. He's cool. Let's go talk to him." She pulled him away from Sam.

Stephen watched her in shock. Every parent-teacher conference he had gone to, the teachers always told him the same thing: Gwen was a good and incredibly intelligent student, but she seemed to lack social skills. She didn't talk much to the other kids. During recess, she kept to herself. She would speak if spoken to, but other than that, she kept silent. This was a trend Stephen had seen his daughter carry on through middle school and high school. So it surprised him to see Gwen willingly interacting and joking amicably with the other Avengers.

Whether or not he liked it, taking this job had been very good for his daughter.

She introduced him to Bruce next, and they started talking about boring, scientific crap. Gwen couldn't seem to pull her father away from Bruce, so she decided to let them talk. She retreated to the snack bar and found the Dr. Pepper.

"Where's your little shadow?" Tony asked, joining her at the bar. He ordered a scotch and leaned on the counter while he waited.

"I wasn't aware I had a shadow," Gwen replied without looking up.

"I'm talking about Kill Bill," he explained. "Couldn't convince her or Hannibal to join us for the night?"

"Surprisingly, no," Gwen answered with a touch of sarcasm. "Are you shocked? They hate us, you know. Especially Loki."

"Kill Bill doesn't seem to hate you," Tony countered.

"Maybe it's because I call her by her actual name," said Gwen. "She just doesn't see the point of celebrations and things. Plus, I'm guessing that hearing explosions is somewhat triggering for her."

"Well, I was literally bombed, but I can handle a few fireworks," grumbled Tony.

"Touché," nodded Gwen, not wanting to argue with him on that point. Paige had been through far worse than Tony had, but Tony wasn't entirely wrong. Besides, Gwen had a feeling that Tony mostly just really wanted her at the party. He pretended to be uncaring and detached from everyone else, but it was obvious that deep down, he had a soft spot for some people. Gwen and Paige were included in that. That was why he teased them all the time. It was his way of showing affection.

"Besides, that's gonna make the party pretty dull for you," Tony continued. "I can't imagine that you like hanging around a bunch of old people. Excluding me, of course, because we all know I'm a delight to be around." Gwen snorted, but said nothing. Tony turned and tapped the bar. "Get me a whiskey," he told the waiter. He nodded and poured the drink quickly before turning to handle other customers. Tony picked up the drink and handed it to Gwen. "Drink up."

Gwen looked from the drink to the billionaire with suspicion. "I'm only nineteen," she reminded him.

Tony rolled his eyes. "So what? Everyone does it. One drink won't kill you, Copperfield. Just make sure to limit your intake. I don't want to have to deal with your father on this." He picked up his own drink and walked away.

Gwen looked down at the dark liquid and debated with herself in her head. Tony was probably right, one drink wouldn't kill her, but still. It was illegal. And if her father found out, he would have her head for it. At the same time, she had never had alcohol before and she was curious.

Making sure no one was looking, she drained the glass in one swallow and slammed the cup down on the bar. The liquid burned like fire in her throat, but she kind of liked that. It didn't taste like much, but she knew that hardly anyone drank for the taste.

Feeling strangely confident, she stood from the bar and moved out into the gathering of party goers.

"Attention everyone!" Tony called out. Silence fell over the party, the terrible music dimmed, everyone turned to face Tony. "Thank you. As many of you know, it's someone's birthday today." A spotlight sort of thing shone on Steve. There was a loud round of applause and cheering. Steve acknowledged the cheers with a good natured smile and nod. "The man who's been serving this country since the 40s, except the time he spent as a Capsicle." Most of the guests laughed loudly, even though the joke wasn't that funny. Gwen knew that they were just sucking up to Stark so they could keep getting invites to his parties.

"Can I get everyone to sing to him while the cake is brought out?"

Slowly, a loud chorus of the birthday song rang out from the crowd. A large cart was wheeled out and through the crowd. It held a ginormous cake, with red, white, and blue frosting. Written in blue lettering were the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AMERICA'S ASS!"

More laughter sounded after they finished singing. Steve was shaking his head at Tony, but he thanked the others that came up to congratulate him and wish him a happy birthday.

Gwen slowly maneuvered her way through the crowd to get herself a slice of cake. "America's Ass?" Gwen read when she got close enough for Steve to hear her. "What's that about?"

Sam laughed. "Tony made a very good point about how his suit does nothing for his ass, but at least it's America's ass."

Gwen laughed along with Sam while Steve just shook his head in disappointment. "I will take a slice of America's ass then," Gwen said, holding out her plate for the server to give it over.

"Should I give you two a moment then?" Sam asked, making Gwen roll her eyes. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Shut up, Sam," she grumbled. She took a large bite of cake to avoid the conversation.

Steve cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Maybe you should take a slice or two down to Paige and Loki," he suggested to Gwen.

The blonde snorted and shook her head. "I've had enough of the bastard today," she told him bluntly. "You try to sympathize with the guy," she added under her breath while shaking her head in disgust.

"What?"

Gwen just shook her head.

Steve shrugged. "I'll take them some," he said. "Can you create a diversion?" he asked the other two. There was still a long line of people wanting to talk with the Captain.

Gwen nodded emphatically. Without warning, she took the next slice of cake and threw it at Sam's face. The guests nearby gasped and laughed, turning their attention away from Steve. "Sorry Sam," Gwen said with a grin. "I forgot this wasn't a wedding."

"You're such an asshole, Strange," he muttered as he wiped the cake off his face.

Steve heard their retorts and roasts continue until he got in the elevator.


During her 18 years in Hydra, Scarlet didn't celebrate holidays. And now that she was free, she still didn't. She didn't understand them either. That's why she planned to enjoy her time alone while all the other Avengers went to the roof to go blow junk up, get wasted, and celebrate Rogers' birthday.

The apartment was quiet and she liked that. She sat on the couch, closing her eyes, focussing on her breathing. It was nice to get away from Romanoff and Stark. Romanoff was really starting to get on her nerves. Romanoff wanted to know everything about her, wedge herself into Scarlet's mind and understand it, but she wouldn't let Romanoff in. Meanwhile Stark was so careless and wild. She hated when he called her "Kill Bill." They wanted her to feel normal, but she didn't get how she could be so normal if everyone kept calling her different names and reminding her who she used to be. Who a part of her still was.

The elevator doors slid open and she opened her eyes quickly. She turned her head, her body tensing up. It was Rogers. She let herself relax as he walked in. In his hands were two small plates with something on them that she was curious about. "There you are." He smiled as soon as his eyes laid on her. He strided over to her, setting the plates down on the coffee table. "I figured you like some cake. And a slice if you wanna give it to Loki but if you eat it, I won't tell anyone." He gave her a wink. "If you need anything, everyone is on the roof but you also got Jarvis." He smiled but she just stared at him blankly. "Have a good night, kid," he told her as he began to walk to the elevator.

He never addressed her by "Paige" or "Scarlet" or even "Kill Bill." He called her "kid" a lot, which she didn't mind. "Rogers?" she said right as the doors slid open. He glanced back at her. "Happy birthday," she told him and he smiled a little wider at that. He stepped back in the elevator and the doors slid closed, leaving her alone again.

Scarlet looked at two plates with slices of cake on them. Both chocolate with blue buttercream frosting. She inspected the slices before accepting they were safe to eat. She grabbed forks from the kitchen and took the slices to Loki's containment. He was reading, like he always was, when she came in. He didn't even look up to acknowledge her. "Well, hello Guinevere."

"I'm not Guinevere," she corrected him. He looked up from his book and seemed actually surprised that it was her. But then his face turned to its usual scowl.

"Well, what is it? Why are you here?" he questioned her.

"It's Rogers' birthday. He delivered some cake," she said. He looked her up and down, wondering if he could trust her. "It's chocolate with buttercream frosting," she added.

"Alright fine, I'll take it," he admitted. She slid one slice through the slot and he took it. Scarlet sat on the floor with hers by the glass. "You can go," he said but she shook her head. "Fine then. Be stubborn," he said. Loki wouldn't admit that he did want someone to talk too. He too, sat on the floor close to the glass as they silently ate their cake. "Are you not a party person?" he asked.

Scarlet shrugged. "Pointless," she muttered. "I could care less for them. Sooner than later, I'll be gone," Scarlet said. Loki smiled as she said that.

"You're planning to run away, aren't you?" he said pointing at her with his fork. Again she shrugged. "I can help you with that. All you have to do is let me out, get me my powers, and will leave this place." He smiled at her. She boredly looked at him. "What do you say? Come on Scarlet, they'll get off your back and you can find your friend." he told her.

"What's the catch?" she said as she took another bite of her cake. It was so good, she wanted ten more slices but she controlled herself. Maybe she should have just eaten Loki's slice after all.

"Catch? No catch at all. All you do is let me out, and we're free," he gave her a smile. Scarlet looked at him as a smile crossed her face and she began to laugh. "That's what I'm talking about!" he said excitedly. Her laughing stopped abruptly as she gave him the same bored look from before.

"No," she told him bluntly. Loki's face turned sour as he glared at her. They finished their cake and he slid the plate through the slot for Scarlet to collect. "Thirsty?" she asked and he nodded his head. She left his room and went back to the kitchen. She found the cabinet where Stark hid the alcohol. She pulled down a wine with a French name that was a deep red. She poured it into two wine glasses and walked back to Loki. He seemed a little surprised when he saw the glasses. "You had better not be joking," he said.

"I don't joke," she replied, sliding the glass through the slot for him. Loki took the glass in his hand. He gave it a soft swirl and smelled it before deciding it would have to do for him. Scarlet took a sip of hers and it was pretty good.

"Aren't you underage?" Loki questioned.

"I was designed with a strong tolerance to alcohol. It will take a few gallons before I even get tipsy," she explained to him and he gave a small laugh in reply.

"You're not as mortal as you seem. I mean your hearing and vision are incredible I heard. I can only imagine how good you are in a fight," he added. Scarlet hated talking about what she could do. It only reminded her how unnatural she was; reminded her of the weapon she was designed to be.

"I'm a weapon," she told him, finishing up her glass with a single gulp. "I was born with a purpose. To kill. I'm sure the Avengers will use me to their advantage, until one day I snap." Scarlet hadn't realized how tight she was holding the empty glass and snapped the stem of it. "And when I do, they'll stick me in a cage like yours and treat me like the monster I am," she said, a bitterness to her tone. She stared at the broken wine glass in her hands. She had to get out of this place. "Good night," she said blandly, standing up and swiftly turning on her heel and left, locking him in his room.