A/N: Hey y'all! So I got fed up with fanfiction for not allowing me to post any links on my profile so you could at least see a couple pictures of places and things I reference. So instead, I set up my Tumblr to do just that. The blog is under beautifulendings21. I reference a couple of things that haven't happened yet ;) so enjoy the sneak peek! And I borrow a character from a great TV show that ended way too soon. Finder by Fox was amazing and I wished it could go on, but it was ended suddenly by the death of Michael Clarke Duncan. Check out the one season!
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, Disney, ABC, FOX or the Avengers.
Song used in this chapter is Sun Daze by Florida Georgia Line.
The following three weeks went by too fast, as soon we got the word to get to Peggy's side as soon as possible. It was a rainy English day when she drifted off in her sleep, holding Steve's hand sweetly. It was hard for him and he wanted to be alone for a few hours afterwards, but came back to accept our comfort. Sharon and I arranged the funeral, inviting previous Heads of State that worked with and knew Peggy, as well as her family, and Daniel's niece's and nephews, and extended family. It was a somber affair, with Steve, Bucky, my father and Phil being a few of her pallbearers, but the clouds parted as we laid her to rest in London.
It was only fitting that she would give us a ray of hope on such a dreary day. And it was on that dreary day that I received good news. The implantation had worked and I was officially pregnant. Natasha and Bruce were ecstatic but toned their excitement down due to the day's events. Peggy never did anything halfway, and entrusted her home in Winchester to SHIELD, to convert to a safe house for overseas missions.
Been out of the field of espionage for 20 years and she still was looking out for her team.
As the weekend in London ended, the suspense grew for the ladies. They still had no idea where we were going for the bachelorette week, and Wanda was trying her hardest not to attempt to read mine or Nat's minds to get her answer. It wouldn't have mattered, because I had other things on my mind too. I was so close to coming up with enough evidence to convict Ross, and Daisy was hacking servers that I didn't know even existed.
As I packed my bags for the week away, I got a call from the Secretary General of the United Nations, saying that the UN had accepted my new position as liaison between the UN, SHIELD and the Avengers. I would be part of the First Committee, that deals with disarmament, global challenges and threats to peace that affect the international community and seeks out solutions to the challenges in the international security regime.
Now, some would say that it was perfect, but I was basically an over glorified PR manager, making sure that the UN and the world understood why we did things a certain way. Transparency was key.
And, I was meant to be in the assembly 75% of the time. Meaning, I was moving to Vienna. Steve and Bucky weren't all too thrilled, and neither was I. I was already missing so much of the kids first year, but I was determined to give them the greatest Christmas. In the mean time, my Dad found me the perfect apartment in Berlin, and promised that he would drag Bucky and Steve with the kids to visit every weekend, or he'd come get me himself for a weekend home.
Wanda was blindfolded for the duration of the flight, because she would just guess whenever we mentioned a direction. It was driving me crazy, so I told her to simply sit back and enjoy, or I'd strangle her.
Everyone chalked it up to pregnancy hormones, but I wasn't kidding.
As we landed about 5 km from our destination, I cloaked the Quinjet and helped the girls unload our bags into our rides.
"Is this going to be like our weekend in New York?" Wanda asked.
"Well, this time you don't get a phone. We can't let the guys know where we are, or what shenanigans we are up to. Brock told me to make sure you have fun and that we bring you back to him in one piece. It's what I intend to do." I said guiding her to the cars I had waiting for us.
"It's morning," Darcy said, upset, "I can't tell where we are in the world."
"That was kind of the point," Natasha said as Jane and her got behind the wheels of the cars they were driving.
"Follow me, and drive safe," I smirked.
"Where are we?" Daisy asked, sounding frustrated.
"All in good time," I soothed as I drove away from the Quinjet. The sun was blazing overhead as we drove, and the girls were in awe, whispering about where we could be. Wanda was groaning about being the only one not seeing anything, when I flicked her shoulder to get her to stop.
"You're whining is making me feel bad. I spent quite some time putting this together for you. Behave or we turn around."
"I'm sorry. I'm just feeling left out."
"Don't. They think they know the destination, but they are all sadly mistaken." I smirked. Her moaning stopped, and she enjoyed the music of the morning markets. The local vendors were traveling into town, waved at us as we passed by them on the road. I really missed this island.
Pulling into a stall next to the harbor, I guided Wanda out as a familiar face came to greet me. The Bahamian man was starting to show signs of aging, with his salt and pepper beard and tufts of hair sticking out, from underneath his straw fedora.
"Miss Stark, welcome home," Jamal said, giving my hand a quick shake.
"Thank you Jamal. How's your family?" I asked, as he and two others helped us unload our luggage
"Enjoying the wonderful weather in town. They asked me to give you this as a welcome home gift." He smiled, showing me a picture of an orchid on the kitchen counter.
"It's beautiful. I can't wait to see the kids and my new plant. Oh, Jamal, this is Wanda, Jane, Darcy, Bobby, Jemma, Natasha, Sharon, Daisy, Maria, Audrey and May. And you remember Pepper," I said, gesturing to each of the ladies.
"Pleasure to meet you all. Mrs. Stark, pleasure to see you again. How is Mr. Stark?"
"He is well Jamal. I hope you and your family have been as well since we spoke last," Pepper said, greeting him warmly.
"So where is our hotel?" Jane asked, confused as to where the two men were taking our luggage.
"First, we need to have a drink. Well, some of us can," I said, winking at Natasha. She was not drinking, to make it easier on me. If I couldn't get smashed, neither could she.
"Jamal, to the End's of the Earth." I announced with a hand flourish.
"Of course Miss Stark. This way please." He said, directing our group to the country club on the wharf, whose pristine white walls and thatched roof reminded me of simpler times.
"Walter!" I yelled across the room to the bartender.
"Sera, what brings you back to the End's of the Earth?" The handsome Ex-Marine asked, sending me his signature smirk.
"Bachelorette party. I would introduce you to the bride, but she can't see our surroundings until we arrive at our destination. Plus I think you would flirt with her too much, and my cousin wouldn't be happy to hear about that." I said, gesturing to the group of ladies that Jamal had found a table for.
"Yeah, I'm not fighting Brock for anything. Let me guess, you're married, two kids, InHuman and an Avenger."
"I thought you hated tabloids and gossip."
"I still watch TV, I'm not dead." He joked, counting my group.
"Just 10 out of 12 are drinking this morning. Work your magic on my drink as long as it's non-alcoholic. I'm driving." I smirked.
"Do they know my methods?"
"Nope, but I don't think they will mind," I said, ruffling his hair and saying, "I'll be here all weekend."
"No, you'll be in Paradise," He smiled, getting started on our drinks. I laughed, "Yeah, but we still need to enjoy the nightlife."
"I'll be over in a minute." He replied, getting busy. I waltzed back over to the girls and said, "So, who likes it so far?"
"Is there a reason my phone isn't picking up location?" Darcy asked, putting her device down on the table in frustration.
"I put a temporary blocker on your phones. It will disable as soon as we arrive at our destination." I shrugged and they all looked a little ticked.
"You keep saying that like we are still traveling to it. Why can't I take it off yet?" Wanda said, gesturing to her blindfold.
"Because it's fun for us. And because I want you to have the full affect when we get there. I promise you, it will be worth it." I stressed to her, as a familiar voice sounded next to me.
"Ladies, pleasure to meet you, I'm Walter. And these are your drinks," He said setting down a different substance in front of each lady.
"But we didn't order anything yet," Maria asked, confused.
"Oh, you don't order here. Walter makes you a drink, and trust me, every time, he knows exactly what you want, before you even tell him."
"And two fruit infused waters, one for the lovely Sera, and for the mother of the baby she is carrying," Walter said, smirking at Natasha.
"Nicely deduced asshat." I chuckled at Natasha's frozen form.
"You still drink at least one of my magic margarita's even when you are driving, and she hovers too close to your stomach. Eyes keep flickering down to check if its still there, and she's glowing, and so are you." He said, as I looked back at Natasha, who sent him a cold glare and replied before I could, "You're still an asshole."
"I try. Now, enjoy." He winked to the group before leaving. The girls were covertly trying to ogle him, and I smirked to Pepper, who was smiling into her margarita glass.
"Your bartender friend, is…" Jane said, clearly loosing her train of thought.
"Hot," Daisy and Darcy supplied.
"You never tapped that?" Natasha said, watching him flex his muscles as he cleaned glasses and put them away.
"Walter and I never quite got past flirting. Good thing too, because I would have never met Bucky. Plus I have two hunky men at home, who could easily crush him at an arm wrestling contest."
"So, after these drinks, we get to continue travelling?" Jemma asked, sounding unenthusiastic.
"I'll think you'll enjoy our next part of the trip," I smirked to myself, "Plus, I'll be the only one driving, so you all can enjoy the views."
The girls finished their drinks quickly, excited about reaching our destination. I tossed Walter a $100 bill and said, "See you tomorrow handsome."
"Later gorgeous." He smiled, pouring another drink for the customer at the bar.
As the group got up and Natasha started leading Wanda, Jamal handed me the keys and my music remote and asked if he should bring the girls anything.
"Set out some snacks and water. We've got a big schedule this week, and they are going to be somewhat in another place as we get to the house."
"I can imagine. You were the same way when you father first brought you here," He laughed.
"Okay, ladies," I said, getting their attention. They stopped confused as to why we were on the wharf. Stepping up to Wanda, I unraveled the knot behind her head and moved aside to show her our ride.
"Welcome to the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas girls," I said, showing the girls my pride and joy. They say that old men have boats they love more than their wives. Well, I had a small yacht that brought me a little more joy than my car. Less joy than my husbands and children though.
The Annalise was cleaned right before our arrival and glistened in the Bahamian sun. The girls started freaking out, thinking that we were boating for the whole week. Pepper and I watched as they all were guided on, totally squealing about how beautiful it was and the views. Giving her a side hug, I sighed.
"You know that squealing isn't going to stop for another few hours?" She said, as we boarded the gangplank.
"Yeah, but at least I'll be in a small cabin, steering us towards Paradise." I laughed, as I turned on the stereo with the remote.
Alright
Make you wanna dance don't it baby
I'm gonna wear my flip-flops and
I'm gonna play some flip-cup and
Rock a little bit of hip-hop and Haggard and Jagger
And throw a 20 on a cornhole game
If I'm lucky yeah I might get laid
The way that it's goin, that keg gonna be floatin'
All I wanna do today is wear my favorite shades and get stoned
Work a little less, play a little more
That's what this day is for
And all I wanna do is lace my J's and lay some Jack in my Coke
Work on my lay back, ain't nothin' wrong with
Gettin' my sun daze on, gettin' my sun daze on
I walked up the spiral staircase to the captain cabin, I smiled to myself. The engine purred to life and I caressed the wheel, saying, "Missed you."
As I pulled away from the wharf, I could hear the girls still gushing over the yacht and the knowledge that we were in the Bahamas for the party.
Girl you know you're the life of my party
You can stay and keep sippin' Bacardi
Stir it up as we turn on some Marley
If you want you can pet on my Harley
I'll sit you up on the kitchen sink
And stick the pink umbrella in your drink
The way that we're feelin we gone by this evenin
But all I wanna do today is wear my favorite shades and get stoned
Work a little less, play a little more
That's what this day is for
And all I wanna do is lace my J's and lay some Jack in my Coke
Work on my lay back, ain't nothin' wrong with
Gettin' my sun daze on, gettin' my sun daze on
I watched as the girls danced on the deck, enjoying the sunshine as I blasted the rest of the song. Slowly, Paradise came into view and took a deep breath of that tropical air.
Take em out to the sticks, boys c'mon
All I wanna do today is wear my favorite shades and get stoned
Work a little less, play a little more
That's what this day is for
And all I wanna do is lace my J's and lay some Jack in my Coke
Work on my lay back, ain't nothin' wrong with
Gettin' my sun daze on, gettin' my sun daze on, gettin' my sun daze on
It was only another half hour after we set sailing, that we nearly reached our final destination.
"Ladies, if you'll direct your gaze to the approaching island, I'll introduce you to Paradise." I said over the sound system and I heard Darcy's, "Well shit!"
In the distance sat my father's Bahamian mansion, perched on the hilltop of the private island, surrounded on all sides by crystal blue water. The wave breaker parted for the boat to enter the dock, but I first had to turn the boat around and back her in. I watched them ogle the scenery, the bird sanctuary that my Dad built for me a little ways down the beach, and the over the top mansion, that reminded me of his old Malibu mansion.
As I neared the dock, I shut off the engine and went down to do the rest by hand. Mooring the boat to the dock, and letting Jamal lower the gangplank, I gestured for everyone to hop off. Wanda went first; amazed at the staircase leading up to the house, made entirely from sunbaked mud. It was quite a contrast between my father's futuristic styled mansion of windows and metal.
"Carlos, Tianna, come back here!" I heard a voice yell, recognizing Rosalind's voice as we entered the house.
"Sera!" A mass of giggles said, crashing into my side.
"Tianna, you grew again. I said to stop that!" I laughed, kneeling to her height.
"We brought you a welcome home gift!" Carlos said, coming up to hug me as well.
"I saw a picture of it from your grandfather. I will go see them as soon as I can. I hear your mother, so go run and do your chores quickly."
"How did you know we forgot our chores?" Carlos asked.
"I was little once too. I know that tone. Now, go, before I run after you myself," I chuckled, as they ran out of sight.
"Oh Miss Stark, Mrs. Stark, it is so nice to see you again," A younger feminine version of Jamal came around the corner, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Oh Rosalind, I missed you and I've told you before-" I said, hugging her, but she cut me off.
"Yes, yes, call you Sera. I can't help it," She joked as Pepper came to hug her as well, both women talking about how life had been. Turning to the group, I noticed a far off look in everyone's eyes as they took in the views from the glass wall of the living room.
"Welcome to Paradise. Dad bought this island a few years before he became Iron Man, and the yacht was a recent purchase of mine. She's more for island hopping, so I couldn't exactly lug her to every new base, and we needed a way to get to the island since Dad blew up the last boat."
"Blew it up?" Sharon asked, confused.
"The idjit saw a movie where they blew up a boat using the gas lines and a smoking cigar. He lost his eyebrows and I got a boat. Fair trade. Plus I got to name her. I always wanted my own boat. Well, another one," I joked to myself.
"How can we forget? You reminded everyone that just because Fury was Director, didn't mean that the Hellicarrier belonged to him, or SHIELD." Maria said dryly.
"She's my baby. My first," I sighed, moving to point out major rooms, and showing the girls where they were staying.
"I call the room on the west end!" Jemma announced, dragging Daisy along.
"No fair!"
"Everyone is bunking with someone this weekend," I yelled as Rosalind started showing other where their rooms would be. Pepper had the master suite to herself, as it was only fair to the lady of the house, and Natasha and I were sharing my room, as it also had the second best view in the whole house. Ascending the stairs to the top, I showed Nat the view and she whistled.
"Is this where you came on that sudden vacation after Russia?"
"To get back to basics. I was not in a good place when I got back." I replied, "And then I took my husbands here after we got married. They were really jealous that I got to come here without them."
I heard the girls all laughing downstairs, so I dropped my bag and took one last look at the horizon.
"Back to basics," I chuckled to myself.
