The following night...
"What's taking them so long? PEPPER! HEI! Let's go!" Tony yells up at the stairwell. "So how is it that you got an invitation too?" Steve asks. "I pulled some strings," Tony answers. "More like I pulled some strings," Pepper says as she and Heidi walk down the stairs. "My dress got snagged and we had to fix it," she adds. The guys couldn't help but stare as the girls descended the steps. Pepper wore a simple slim black dress with a diamond necklace hanging low to her cleavage. Heidi wore her navy blue dress with exposed back and low cut front. Her blond hair was curled and hung over her shoulders on one side. No jewelry except large glittering sapphire drops. "So we're carpooling in Stark's limo, right?" Heidi asks with a mischievous grin. Tony brought out the keys. "Let's do this!" He and Pepper went ahead. Wanda came up and smiled at Heidi. "Oh I wish I could go. You look amazing Heidi." "Thank you Wanda. I'll bring you something back," she responds with a wink. She turns to her dates. Cap is dressed in a tux with a navy blue tie and Bucky wore black on black tux and clean shaven. He looked so different it blew her away. "You guys look great!" she exclaims. "And you are...glowing, Heidi," Cap responds. Bucky just stood there blushing. "Thank you. Let's go before we're late." She takes both guys by the arms and they joined the Starks in the limo.
Within 45 minutes, the Avengers arrived at the White House. Cameras were flashing like crazy. People were all over the place. Heidi felt a little nervous all of a sudden. Being in the middle of a large group of people tends to make her uneasy; with her sensitive senses it can be too much at once. As the limo stop, Tony and Pepper came out first. Steve came out next and held out his hand for her. She takes a breath and exhales. She reaches out and holds his hand as she maneuvers around with the dress. They lock eyes for a moment. His eyebrows arch, questioning if she's okay. She gives the slightest nod in response. She feels Bucky coming out behind her. She takes his arm with her other hand. Cameras went crazy with them. Heidi put on her 'political mask' on and smiles at the cameras.
Once they entered the main atrium, they immediately spotted a familiar face. "Your Highness! It's a pleasure to see you again!" Heidi exclaims and reaches to give T'Challa an air kiss. "A pleasure as always Duchess! How is your cousin?"
"He's under the weather so I'm stepping in for him at this time. He's sorry he couldn't be here to see you," Heidi answers with a wink.
The King of Wakanda laughs. "You look beautiful this evening, Heidi. The color suits you. You certainly look like royalty," he remarks. Heidi couldn't help but blush despite that she can feel the tension behind her from one of her dates.
"You know who else looks like royalty?" She asks as she whisks out her cell phone. After tapping it a couple of times she shows him the screen of the snow leopard. The cat was sitting on Heidi's bed with his head raised up proudly, almost looking like he was smiling. T'Challa smiles. "He certainly does!" "You look regal like proud lion yourself." It was the King's turn to blush. Before he could say anything, a gentleman with a long mustache, curled at the ends, approached them excitedly. "Duchess! I was hoping you would be here! Before the festivities begin, could we discuss the contract details?" "Ambassador Ramirez! Yes, I've been meaning to contact you." Heidi turns to the guys, "Would you give us a moment?" "I'll get you a drink," Cap says reassuringly. Heidi nods and she walks away with the interrupting ambassador for a moment. T'Challa watches them. "It seems the Avengers' newest member is doing well," he remarks. "She is. We're lucky to have her," Cap answers, "And you?" "Busy, but all is well." He and Cap clasp arms. "Always know that the Black Panther is an ally to the Avengers. All you have to do is ask," T'Challa says more quietly to him. "Thank you." With that T'Challa leaves to converse with another diplomat. Steve turns to Bucky.
"You good?" Bucky was still watching T'Challa.
"Buck."
"Hmm." his head snaps to his friend.
"What's up?" "Nothing...I don't like the way he looks at her." "You just don't like him because he kicked your ass from before." Bucky rolled his eyes. "He did not."
Dinner was announced and everyone met in the dining room. A few speeches were made and toasts before dinner commenced. At that time Heidi was starting to feel unwell. With her sensitive ears, being in a large room full of people talking and glasses clinking and plates scraping was starting to grate on her. A headache was forming on her forehead. "Duchess?" "Hmm? Oh I'm sorry Colonel I'm feeling a bit…warm. What was the question?" "I was asking about your association with the Avengers. I assume because you brought Rogers and Barnes that you work with them?" "Yes, the King of Austria has asked favors of them a few times so I've become close friends with the two." The colonel didn't seem satisfied with the answer but he didn't press. "I see. I've heard you retired in the armed forces of Austria many years ago. Why was that? From your records you had four years left in your contract."
Tracker. Flashbacks of his limp body on the table...at Hydra's hideout... Heidi could feel the sting of tears starting to form in her eyes but she blinked them away. "Well, I felt that it was...simply time, Sir. Because of what I was able to accomplish during my service I was given honorable discharge." She felt Bucky's left hand reach for hers under the table and she clenched on it hard. "Understandable. I hope you don't mind me saying so but really the front lines are no place for women. I've seen enough in my times and, well, I don't see how our women can handle that sort of stress." Heidi was trying real hard not to punch this man in the face. He has no idea what she has gone through. She could bet he wouldn't make five minutes in a Hydra bunker. Ignorant fool. All she could do was nod. "You might be on to something Colonel," she says with a fake smile. Her hand still clings to Buck's throughout the dinner. With Bucky reaching out to her reminded her to focus on one thing at a time and not the entire symphony of the senses. Within a few minutes, her headache dulled and she released him from her grip.
After dinner and everyone was excused to roam until more speeches. Heidi went straight outside. The cool air was a balm to her headache. It even smells like it will rain. She loves it when it rains. "Are you alright Heidi?" T'Challa's voice growls. Heidi gasps. She didn't even hear him approach. "Forgive me for startling you. You looked distressed so I came to check on you." "I'm fine. Just need a little air," she responds with a smile. T'Challa nods knowingly. "When it becomes too much, like when I feel the room closing in on me, I mentally take myself to a happy place. I picture the times when my mother was alive; she used to tell me old fairy tales to put me to bed. Just listening to her voice soothed me." T'Challa looks off in the distance, distracted by past memories. "She sounds like an amazing person. I'm sorry I never got to meet her." She reaches for his arm and gave it a light squeeze. "Thank you T'Challa. I'll remember to try that next time." His dark chocolate eyes drilled into her. She can practically hear his heart pumping faster. It made her nervous all of a sudden. "Shall we?" she gestures back into the atrium. Without skipping a beat, T'Challa led her back inside. A diplomat catches him into a conversation he couldn't get out of, leaving Heidi to search for the guys on her own. She found Pepper and Tony instead. "Have you seen them?" she asks. Pepper nods her head behind her. "Cap's talking to the President while Bucky is brooding over there." She points in Bucky's general direction. "Thanks." Heidi approaches her date. He leans against a wall while his arms were folded up, people watching "Ready to go?" she asks. His blue eyes pierce her. "Are you?" he growls. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's up?" "Nothing…can't stand these people." Heidi gave him an encouraging smile and touches his left arm. "Come on. Once I'm done talking to the President then we can leave." He straightens up and walks with her to meet with Steve.
After the team thanked the President for inviting them, they left for the night. A storm began to rage on their way home. "Saw that T'Challa came to the party," Tony said nonchalantly. "Yes, it was good to see familiar faces," the blond added. "The King is quite the admirer isn't he?" Pepper asks with a mischievous grin. Heidi grins. "Yeah…well my cousin and King T'Chaka worked out a business treaty about five years ago and I've been their middleman the entirety of those five years. T'Challa and I became good friends during that time but, yes, you can say he does like me…" Everyone gave her knowing looks "The fact that he gave you a snow leopard as a birthday present is a dead giveaway," Tony adds. Heidi rolls her eyes but she smiled.
Once they arrived home everyone retires to their own living quarters. Heidi was in the middle of unzipping her dress when she saw Bucky walk past her room. "Hey Buck, could you help me?" She turns her back to him, showing the zipper she can't reach. He steps up and drops his jacket on her bed before pulling the zipper down but he didn't leave. Heidi turns back to him, with her arms crossing to keep the dress up. "Thank you." He simply nods. He still doesn't make a move to leave. "Are you sure you're ok?" she asks. Bucky shifts his eyes down at the ground before looking back at her. "I'm…I'm not sure…" He says as he clears his throat. He steps toward her, making her take a step back. "But what I do know…" He presses forward again, she slips out of her shoes and her bare back is pressed against the glass wall that shows the view of the city. "…is that I didn't like the way they looked at you…" He slams his left hand against the wall, next to her face. Heidi doesn't flinch but her breath staggers, "…in that dress." With his other hand, he pulls the dress down and his lips crashes on hers. Her hands touch his chest, instinctively to stop him, but his hand wraps around her waist. She can't escape him. So she slips her hands down to the buttons on his shirt and tears it off. She pulls him toward the bed and they fall, with him on top of her. The storm muffles their sounds throughout the night.
Heidi wakes up at five on the dot as always. She felt sore but stretched at the same time. Tired but energetic. It's still dark outside but the clouds are lightening up from deep purples to pinks. She turns to her side to see Bucky sleeping soundly. Heidi smiles. Gently she pulls some tresses out of his face. She slowly slips out of bed but was pulled back on bed when a metal arm wraps around her stomach. She heard him grumble incoherently to her. "Good morning," she whispers and twists around to face him. His eyes are still closed but he responds, "Morning…" "Go back to sleep. I'll make breakfast when you wake," Heidi says quietly. "Stay," he commands. "I'm too awake to sit still." Bucky smiles, eyes still closed. "You're insane, woman." She presses her lips to his before attempting to escape the bed again. This time, he let's go and falls back asleep. Heidi grabs a shirt and shorts to put on before heading out for her routine jog.