11.
One evening Pepper came home, all nervous and announced that they were having an impromptu dinner party.
"It's a buisness thing!" She answered when they started asking questions.
All of a sudden, the Tower was upside down. The preparations were being taken care of by hired men and the Avengers just stood there, not knowing wether they should stay or leave.
Suddenly, Anne felt someone take her by the hand. It was Natasha.
"Well, if we have to go to a dinner party, we might as well go find some kind of fancy pants dress. Come on, we're going shopping."
"But... I don't have any money!"
Natasha pulled out a credit card with Stark written all over it.
Anne just smiled and followed Nat out the door.
First they went to Prada, then Gucci and at last Burberry.
Anne didn't feel right spending Tony's money, but Nat assured her that she had asked before taking it, something she seriously doubted.
Nonetheless, she didn't want to spend much on the dress.
Unfortunately, the only dress she found that she liked was Burberry.
A short pale pink dress that she just fell in love with, but refused to buy since it cost over a thousand dollars. But Nat had decided to buy it for her anyway and pulled out her own credit card.
"Nat! Please, don't! It's really too much money! I couldn't wear a dress that cost that much!"
"Oh, stop your whining... Come on, we're going to get make overs."
It was time. Anne felt so strange. She looked in the mirror, but she couldn't see the girl she once was. She was looking at a stranger. Her hair was slightly curled, her lips a deep red, her eyes opened with eyeliner, her cheeks rosy... For the first time in her life she was wearing high heels. No, she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a woman. But she still couldn't believe that was her.
"See, you look great! It just takes a little makeup..."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" She asked a bit shaky.
"Come on! We're women! Dresses are part of are nature!"
Under her breath, Anne whispered: "Well, they're not part of mine."
Steve was talking to the others when she came out behind Nat. Natasha was wearing a black tube dress with layers. She was the first to distract, especially Bruce, but then Anne came out.
If eyes had dropped on Romanoff a few seconds, they lingered for ten minutes on the other girl.
Steve's mouth dropped when he saw her.
He hardly even recognized her. She was taller with the heels and the dress and the makeup made her look older. For once, she didn't look like a kid, but like a grown woman.
"Don't drool." Whispered Barton from behind him, but even he was very surprised.
The girl walked right up to them without even thinking and would have fallen if Steve hadn't caught her.
"Sorry... It's these heels! I've never worn heels before..."
Her face had turned beat red. But Steve was still speechless until he finally said: "Don't mention it."
He just kept staring at her though. After a while, she started to feel more embarrassed then before.
"Hey, why don't you two dance!" Exclaimed Natasha from behind. She was dancing with Barton.
At the same time they both said: "I don't know how." And looked at each other.
"Huh! You two might have more in common than you think!"
And she went back to dancing.
"We could give it a try..."
Steve tried to seem as calm as possible.
"Yeah, I guess."
He took her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.
For a while they slow danced, trying to coordinate their movements, but after a while, they just let go, staring into each others eyes.
"Do you think we're doing alright?" Anne asked giggling.
"Well, no one's pointing or laughing so far, so I'd say we're doing fine."
She laughed again and looked back up at him.
Steve smiled. He liked it when she laughed. All of a sudden, he started to lean in. Anne's heart starting beating fast.
"Am I interrupting something very romantic?"
Tony showed up out of no where.
"You know, he's a little old for you."
Anne and Steve separated. And that evening they didn't talk to each other any more.