Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

A half hour later, Kitty left her room, ready for the herculean task of dress shopping. "Come on, 'Cap." She called to Steve. He sitting next to Tony, who silently held out a blue credit card. Kitty snatched it from his hands and slid it in her back pocket. He didn't even bother giving her a limit on what she could spend.

"Ms. Vixen!" Dopinder greeted as Kitty and Steve climbed into the cab.

"Hey, Dopinder." Kitty tried to smile. The taxi ride felt tense and uncomfortable and Steve attempted to break the silence.

"You know," He began. "Most women love dresses." Steve was rewarded with a glare from Kitty, obvious even through the sunglasses. "Tony doesn't want to do this either."

Kitty sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just...I don't get why this guy's fixated on me. I'm not even that interesting."

"I think you're interesting." Steve said, frowning slightly.

"I do, too." Dopinder chimed in.

"Thanks, guys." Kitty smiled softly as the car stopped. She got out while Steve paid the cabbie and joined her on the sidewalk in front of the store. "Let's get this over with." Kitty scowled at the dress shop as if it had personally offended her. Steve opened the door for her and immediately, a salesman attacked.

"Hi! How can I help you two?" He said cheerfully. Short and lean, the man had dark hair that was artistically combed into a fashionable style.

"She needs a dress for tonight." Steve answered. The man looked at Kitty from head to toe, scrutinizing her every curve.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" He asked Kitty, lightly caressing her golden hair.

"Um…I don't really know." She shrugged, uncomfortable at the man touching her hair.

"Something...tight," The man said, nodding at Steve. "Don't you think your wife would look stunning in something that hugs her curves?" The man slid closer to Steve, who now looked as unnerved as Kitty.

Kitty laughed at Steve's terrified face. "We're not together. We're just friends and I needed a man's opinion."

The salesman's eyes lit up. "Well, why don't we get you something to try on. And you," He turned to Steve, "Can go sit by the dressing rooms."

The first dress could only be described as awful. It was a bright, lime green color with white ruffles in odd places. Kitty tried it on and shuddered at her reflection. She stuck her head out from the curtain and informed Steve and the salesman that she would not be coming out in that.

The next dress was a deep blue fabric with silver sparkles scattered around. It was floor length with a slit up the left side that went up to the middle of her thigh. The dress looked like the night sky with twinkling stars and Kitty fell in love instantly. It even fit perfectly, giving her a beautiful hourglass figure. She stepped out of the dressing room to where Steve and the man sat waiting. The salesman stood up immediately to fawn over Kitty.

"Doesn't she look great?" He asked Steve, who had stood up as well.

"You look beautiful, Kitty." Steve smiled as Kitty twirled in the gown.

"I love it." She said, looking in the mirror again.

"Good. We'll take it." Steve told the man, who looked slightly disappointed.

"But I have other dresses she should see! She's like a perfect Barbie doll!" The man whined. Kitty rolled her eyes and went to change out of the gown. She could hear the salesman fishing on Steve's relationship status and moved faster to try to help him escape.

The salesman brought over matching silver stilettos, much to the chagrin of Kitty. They were slightly higher than the ones last night and Kitty could feel the foot pain just by looking at them. She hurried to tie her boots knowing that the sooner they paid for everything, the sooner they could leave.

The man then insisted that they get her some jewelry, leading them to a large counter full of sparkling jewels and stones.

Steve picked out the jewelry. The set was silver ivy with a dark blue sapphire flower pendant. The ring that went with it was simple, a silver twisted band with a sapphire stone set in it. Kitty instantly fell in love with the set but then shuddered at the price.

She turned and whispered to Steve, "Okay, I'm upset at Tony, but not enough for him to have to pay for this."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you it's your birthday present?" Steve asked before telling the salesman to wrap up the jewelry set.

Kitty stared at Steve, her mouth gaping slightly. "How...How did you know?" She stuttered.

"Tony and I...We found your original birth certificate." Steve explained, looking down at the ground like a kicked puppy.

"You found or you looked?

"We looked."

Kitty bit her lip. "...Did you look up my family?" She asked quietly. Kitty handed Tony's credit card to the man, her eyes still locked on Steve.

"No, just your birth certificate. We figured that if you wanted us to know about your family, you'd tell us when you were ready." Steve took the bags that the salesman gave him and opened the door for Kitty.

They sat in the taxi in silence for several minutes before Kitty finally spoke.

"My mother owned a flower shop." She whispered.

"What?" Steve asked, bewildered.

"You asked earlier how I knew so much about flowers." Kitty looked out the window of the taxi and watched the city fly by. "My mother owned a small flower shop. It was real popular for weddings."

"Oh." Steve didn't know what to say. She rarely ever offered information about her birth family that Steve didn't really know what to say whenever she did.

"Sometimes, I wonder if she's still got it."

"I can have Tony check-"

"No!" Kitty interrupted. When she saw Steve's face, she felt a twinge of guilt. "I don't, uh, I don't think I could...I just can't."

Steve nodded. "It's okay, I just wanted to help." The cab stopped in front of Stark Tower and Kitty let herself out, waiting for Steve.

"Thank you, Steve. I'm sorry I'm so weird...It's just, with my birthday, then this Ashley LeRoux thing..." Kitty apologized in the elevator. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"I know your real family wasn't a very good one, but you mean a lot to us. All of us think of you as family." Steve explained as they crossed through the flower covered kitchen to the private elevators.

"You guys are my real family." Kitty corrected as she entered the code to take them up to her room. Steve set the dress box and the bags on her bed before hugging Kitty. "I think I'm going to go find Tony and apologize for earlier. It's not his fault I've gotten a creep's attention."

"I'll send him in." Steve told her gently. He left her room and went to find Tony.

Tony sat in front of one of his many computers, typing away madly. He didn't even turn away from it when Steve came into their room. The blonde wrapped his arms around his partner's chest and set his chin on Tony's shoulder.

"Whatcha doing?" He asked, trying to decipher the numbers on the computer screen.

"One of the pieces of coding is wrong, and JARVIS doesn't know why-" He stopped to rub his eyes tiredly, then turned to Steve. "It's nothing that can't wait. How'd it go?"

Steve pulled out the other chair and sat in it. "She wants to talk to you."

Tony sighed. "Let's get this over with." He got up from his chair and stretched so his body was long and lean, catching Steve's attention.

"She said she wanted to apologize." Steve explained, still watching Tony with interest.

"Oh," Tony marveled. "She's not mad?" His eyes brightened when Steve shook his head. Tony kissed Steve before leaving to go talk to Kitty.

Kitty took the dress out of it's bag and hung it on the closet door, admiring it. She didn't even notice Tony standing in the doorway.

"It's pretty." Tony announced loudly. Kitty jumped slightly and drew her gun to point at the door. Tony raised his hands non threateningly. "It's just me, calm down." He stepped further in the room and shut the door.

Kitty took a deep breath and slowly lowered her weapon. "Sorry. Force of habit, I guess." She set her gun on her bedside table and brushed a piece of hair out of her face.

"Rough year?" Tony asked with a nod to the weapon. It had been a while since she had drawn a gun on him, after she had finally started trusting the Avengers. It worried Tony that she might be back in the incredibly dangerous, unstable mindset.

"Little bit…" Kitty sighed.

"I don't remember you having a scar there," Tony nodded at a circular shaped scar on her forearm that suspiciously looked like a bullet hole.

A heavy, awkward silence fell over the room. "Tony, I wanted to apologize. This LeRoux thing isn't your fault. I was just already on edge because of my birthday, then those damn flowers…" She sat on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest. "I was outta line and I'm sorry."

"I know, kiddo." He sat on her bed next to her. "We'll go to this meeting tonight, and hopefully never have to deal with this LeRoux guy again." Kitty smiled weakly. Tony opened up the jewelry bag and took out the box.

"Steve picked it out." She explained as Tony lifted the necklace up to the light to inspect it. He unhooked the clasp as Kitty lifted up her hair so Tony could fasten it around her neck.

"He's got good taste." Tony commented. "It matches your eyes."

"There's a ring, too." Kitty rummaged through the bags until she found the small, square box to hand to Tony. "I figured, I can't wear the necklace everyday, but the ring…" She shrugged, smiling. "Plus, could you imagine the damage this baby would leave on someone's cheekbone?"

Tony laughed as he moved off her bed. "I'll let you get ready. Oh, and," He looked over his shoulder. "Happy birthday."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Thanks, dad." She said with a smirk as Tony left her room.

Several hours later, Kitty emerged from her room. She wore half of her hair pulled up in a bun held together by chopsticks, while the rest flowed wavy down her back. The makeup on her pale face was natural and flattering. She figured that the jewelry and dress was flashy enough without heavy makeup. A pair of silvery satin gloves ran up to her elbows. Kitty stepped out of her room and took the lift to the family room where Tony, Steve, and (most surprisingly) Logan sat.

"Hey, Logan," Kitty called with a smile. "What are you doin' here?"

Logan stared at her, mouth slightly agape, until Steve cleared his throat loudly. He stood up fast, as did Steve and Tony. "Uh, just came to check up on you. From last night." He clarified, still refusing to take his eyes off her.

She slowly turned in a circle. "Whatcha think, guys?"

"Beautiful, as always." Tony told her as Steve leaned over to fix his partner's jacket.

"You, uh, look okay." Logan said lamely. "How's your wrist?"

"Fine. Just sore." She turned to Tony, glad her gloves hid the wound. "Are you ready?"

"Are you armed?" Tony asked Kitty pointedly. She sighed, rolling her eyes. Kitty raised the hem of her dress and revealed a gun hooked to her right leg on a garter. Steve looked mildly horrified as she unhooked the weapon and deposited it on the table.

She slid the garter off, which also had an extra clip somehow hooked in. Next, Kitty unclipped the strap on her shoes and slid them off to reveal a knife tucked away in each one. Then, she reached up to the black chopsticks in her hair and pulled them out, letting her hair fall down onto her shoulders in waves. She yanked apart the chopsticks to reveal that they were thin (but long) blades that slid into a case to appear innocent.

She had on two rings over her gloves; The one Steve had bought her and an oval one with a cherry red stone set into it. Kitty shucked it off and set it down on the table.

"It's a poison ring," Kitty explained. "You open up the top and it holds poison that you can slip into someone's food or drink."

"Is that it?" Logan nodded to the weapons on the table. Kitty glared at him as she reached down the front of her gown and produced a medium-sized knife. She put it in Logan's outstretched hand, trying to ignore the disappointment written on Tony's face. Logan pressed the button on the handle and the blade automatically flew out.

"You know, switchblades are illegal in New York." Tony reminded Kitty, giving her a look that they unanimously named "The Dad Look".

Kitty sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "They're illegal everywhere." Tony and Steve were still staring at her.

She rolled her eyes and slid off her gloves to reveal several razor blades pressed against her skin. Kitty threw the gloves down with the razors and replaced the ring Steve got her. She tried to hide her purple wrist from Logan, but she saw his eyes take in the sight.

"That's it, I swear." Kitty confirmed, looking Logan smugly in the eyes. He was honestly impressed as he closed the knife and slid it into his pocket. She pointed her pale finger at Logan and said, "And that's mine and I will want it back."

"Okay, let's go or we'll be late." Tony declared, locking arms with Kitty.

"Oh no," Kitty said sarcastically. "We wouldn't want to be late." She could hear Logan laughing as she and Tony left the Tower.