Previously

"I will see you later Maria." he said.

"Bye Steve." I said. He gave a little nervous wave as he opened the door and left to get ready for his new clubbing experience.

Now...where's that blue dress?

I brought my bag up onto the bed and opened it. I brought out my weapons and placed them on the wall with lots of hooks, designed to keep my guns hung in place. I put most of the clothes in my wardrobe, except for the blue backless dress that I said I was going to wear.

I held it up against me and examined myself in the mirror that was on the inside of the wardrobe door. "Please still fit me." This dress was first worn last year when I had a seduction mission in Texas. Lets just say it worked well.

I got changed into it and, to my surprise, it still seemed to fit me perfectly. Brilliant.

After brushing my hair quickly, I went out the door and headed for the living room. When I arrived, at 6:55, Pepper was there on the couch, reading a magazine. I glanced at it over her shoulder and the title read 'Pepper Potts married to Iron Man?'

"God, if they are going to start gossip about you, they could have at least thought of a better headline." I said, resting my hands on the couch and pushing myself up.

I walked around and sat next to her as she replied "Well, that's all it is gossip. Just because they saw a ring on my finger, they think I'm engaged. And it wasn't even my wedding finger." She slammed the paper down on the table that had three glass and a bottle of red wine. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to last very long. I could get very drunk. Regardless of knowing this, I took a sip.

"Don't even spend your time thinking about it Pep. There's no point. Just enjoy tonight." I said, smiling. It seemed to liven her spirits and we got into a conversation about the bores of working with Tony Stark and drank more wine, which I know I will regret later.

"Hey Hill. Nice dress." I heard Natasha call from behind me. I turned around and saw her in a black mini dress with matching black heels that would probably make Barton drool. She sat down next to me.

"You too, Romanoff." I replied.

"Why do you call each other by your last name?"

"Working with S.H.I.E.L.D has it's habits." I said. At S.H.I.E.L.D, you didn't really call people by first name.

"Oh, I heard some S.H.I.E.L.D gossip the other day..." Pepper started and we spent the next ten minutes talking about Grant Ward, who apparently has been sleeping with the Cavalry.

"That's rubbish. May would never be so reckless." I argued.

"You never know." Pepper said, taking a sip of red wine.

The lift dinged and none other than the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark came strolling out.

"Stark." I greeted him.

"Ice Queen." he replied, earning him an eye-roll from me.

"Am I allowed to say that you all look smoking hot gorgeous tonight?" he asked. No. You are not. Unless you want to get killed. Pepper's death glare was sufficient.

"I'm guessing not. You all look very beautiful tonight. Better?" he asked Pepper, as if her agreement was enough to get him off the hook for his attempts at flirting. If he even was flirting. No one new his mind, except him. Maybe that's what makes Tony Stark, Tony Stark. He went over and kissed her.

"And you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever met." he said and kissed her again. Why can't I have that with Cap? I mean with...anyone?

This was getting a bit too passionate, so I broke them up with a cough. "What happened to girls night, Pep?" I asked and they pulled away from each other.

"You're right, but we can't gossip about all the guys until they leave, so I am going to get food." Pepper replied and went to the kitchen, along with Stark who drooled behind her. Pathetic.

"So..." Natasha said, with a small smirk rising on her face. "I heard that it's all going down with you and a certain Captain America."

"Nothing is 'going down' with me and Mr. Rogers." I replied, denying it. However, I could feel the red creeping up on my cheeks.

"Your tomato coloured face says otherwise." she said. Why is she so annoying sometimes? I sighed in defeat.

"Fine. I will tell you all that has happened, if anything really. So we were in the lift earlier today and the elevator stopped working and got stuck between floors. I was trapped in there with Steve." Oh god. I internally shivered at the thought.

Natasha raised her eyebrows at me. "He's Steve now?"

"Shut up Romanoff. Anyway, I was asking JARVIS how long we would have to wait and he said half an hour, so really not that long. We fell into conversations really easily about his war days and Stark being an idiot. An hour later, when the lift finally decided to be normal, Cap said goodbye to me, but he..um...kissed my cheek as he left." I blurted out, mostly to do with the alcohol.

"So, you...like him?" she asked, a mischievous smirk gracing her face. I knew fully well what she was implying.

"No. Definitely not. He was just saying goodbye to me." I said, but I knew I was trying to convince myself of it, which annoyed me even more.

"Maria...answer me truthfully." she said to me, like I was one of her interrogations. After a few minutes, her truth forcing stare finally broke me.

"...Okay, I guess I like him a tiny bit, but you cannot tell Stark. And you cannot tell Rogers." I said, sounding truly desperate. "If he finds out, he will flip, because I don't think he likes me." I said, now sounding truly depressed.

"How do you know? He kissed you on the cheek. That is a sign." she argued. Well..that could be true.

I felt a smile grace my lips. "You really think so?" I asked.

"Yeah." she replied. "You never know what he could be feeling for you."

"Thanks Natasha." I said, using her first name for probably the only time in my life. Only Barton, Coulson and Fury get that privilege.

"That's okay...Maria." she replied, as Pepper came back with 2 bowls of popcorn and is that...

"What?" she asked befuddled by our questioning looks.

I began to laugh, but managed to say "You have something on your face." She put the bowls down, walked over to the mirror and saw the red lipstick smudged around her lips.

"Sorry, me and Tony may have got a bit carried away."

"Yeah. We noticed." Natasha said.

She sat down next to us as the boys came passed. Steve was dressed in a casual blue jeans, white shirt and a brown leather jacket. He may look good in a suit, but in 21st century clothes he looks gorgeous.

His eyes were on Barton and Romanoff who were having some kind of secret conversation with each other. "What?" Natasha asked.

"You two and your secret conversations." Stark said. "Right, Captain. Ready to hit the clubs?"

"Do I really have to?" Steve asked wearily. His eyes flickered to me for a second and the back to Stark. "Can't we just stay here and chill. I mean Barton isn't even meant to be out of the tower anyway." Barton and Romanoff weren't allowed out of the tower. Fury's orders. They were sorting out how to contain the news reports of them. If they can, then their identities will remain hidden, but if they can't, their identities will be revealed.

"What Fury doesn't know won't hurt him and Clint is wearing a hoodie that makes him look like he lives under a bridge. Deep cover mission."

"Thanks." Clint said.

"No problem. Now let's go." I saw Cap look sheepishly at me. I flashed him a little smile before he was pushed out the door with the others.

I think it is the wine that is making me want to run up to him and hold him in my arms like he did this morning. I missed him.

Okay I told myself, as soon as the boys left, be happy.

"Yes. Freedom." I shouted. Natasha phone bleeped and she went to look at it. What is she looking at? Whatever it is, it seems to be distracting her a lot.

I sneaked up behind her and asked "Who are you texting?" which made her jump.