Once upon a time, InfinityLessThree meant to write. And then InfinityLessThree got distracted. But then Teddy'sTwin wrote! And InfinityLessThree was inspired, and she posted new things.
Also, I wrote in a previous chapter about pointe shoe ribbons... and hoped that no one would know that you have to stitch them on yourself. Obviously, you are all cleverer than that. So just forgive me, and suspend your disbelief. Also, enjoy this chapter. :)
Asa had planned on taking another shift the next day, but she had forgotten about the rehearsal dinner. When Stephanie reminded her over breakfast, she scrabbled for a phone, forgetting that she still didn't have one, but Tasha forestalled her.
"I already arranged it," she informed her as she handed out plates of pancakes. "You don't work again until Monday." Asa thanked her profusely; she was not entirely sure that it was all for rearranging her work schedule.
Stephanie and Clint had collaborated, and the result was a pile of the most delicious pancakes Asa had ever had, maplecream syrup, and fresh fruit salad. Pepper stabbed at hers in between sentences; she had been on the phone every time Asa had seen her the previous day, too. This time, it seemed to be about the linens.
"No, absolutely not. Well, the contract you signed says eggshell, Timothy. Yes. Yes, thank you."
No sooner had ended the call and taken a bite than it started vibrating again, and she barely waited long enough to finish swallowing before she answered.
"Pepper Potts. Yes, I am. What seems to be the problem with them? Yes. Yes, I can see how that would be difficult. Is there… No. It's a little late for that, don't you think. Yes. What's the difference? I see. I put my faith in your artistic opinion. Yes, the half-straw is fine. Yes, thanks for letting me know." She set the phone down and picked up a fork. "The lights," she informed Natasha, who had been asking a silent question. "Something about having to shift the color slightly, because an order didn't come in? Anyway, he said it shouldn't make a difference, so I decided a compromise was in order."
That was the pattern for the rest of the day. Pepper wandered around, answering questions and taking phone calls. Natasha had taken over decorating for the rehearsal dinner, and sternly refused admittance to the large, open floor of Stark Tower that was being converted for the purpose. When Asa and Stephanie offered to help, she thanked them politely and sent them off to get ready. It seemed a little early for that- still three hours before the rehearsal dinner, but when Natasha told a girl to do something, she did it. After some discussion, Stephanie fetched her things from her room and brought them to Asa's room, where they had a whole bathroom all to themselves, and an excellent sound system. JARVIS turned out to be a wonderful D.J.
Nearly an hour later, Stephanie was still dissatisfied with her makeup, and Asa was at a complete loss about her hair. Asa was starting to wonder if Natasha hadn't timed things right after all, as she straightened her hair, then curled it, then decided with a sigh to re-wet it and start all over. Stephanie kept having to re-do her eyeliner, which meant removing and reapplying everything from the base up.
Natasha appeared in the bathroom doorway.
"I was hoping to get a pair of hands to help move some tables, but I can see I have bigger problems."
Asa looked up sheepishly from the tub faucet, where she had been trying to rinse her hair without getting the rest of her wet. Natasha eyed them both up and down, pursed her lips, then nodded suddenly.
"Both of you, bring your things and come with me." She waited for them to gather up their dresses, shoes, and sundry accessories, then led them to her room, two doors down from Asa's. Asa was surprised to see how small it was, even though she knew that both Natasha and Clint divided their time between Stark Tower and… wherever else it was they went. There was a single couch, a wall-mounted screen that likely served both as TV and computer, a bed built into the wall, a walk-in closet, and a spacious bathroom that she obviously shared with Clint, judging by the razor and aftershave left on the sink. Belatedly, Asa also noticed that the bathroom had another door, besides the one they had come in, which led to Clint's room.
Natasha had them lay out their dresses in her room, then practically shoved Asa towards the shower.
"Use the green bottles on your hair, the clear for your skin, and the blue to wash off your face. And for heaven's sakes, use a proper razor to shave. There's one in the drawer." She waved Asa away, then turned to Stephanie.
"At least you have some sense, but what have you put in your hair?" As Asa retreated into the shower, tucked behind a convenient extra wall to hide it from the rest of the bathroom, Natasha was taking the pins from Stephanie's blonde hair and shaking it out. Asa showered quickly, trying to remember which colors had been for what. There was a variety of bottles on the built-in shelves, and none of them were in any language resembling English. She was sure she'd got it right though, and so stepped out and toweled herself off confidently. She smelled wonderful, and she was pretty sure her hair and skin were already glowing. She didn't know what products Natasha used, but they were probably expensive.
Natasha spared a glance for her as she re-emerged in a robe, glancing up only for a moment from Stephanie's makeup, which she had taken off entirely and was now re-applying. Asa had to admit that Natasha was a genius. Normally pretty, Natasha's style choices elevated her to unquestionably stunning. Her hair was done in a mess of half-tucked-up curls, and whatever Natasha was doing on her eyelids was making her positively sparkle. Asa wolf-whistled, and Stephanie blushed.
"Isn't she good?" asked Stephanie. Asa nodded vigorously, and Natasha shrugged.
"It's useful, knowing how to look your best. Men aren't always at their brightest when confronted with a pretty face and a pair of boobs." Both Asa and Stephanie burst out into giggles. Clint walked in and eyed them suspiciously, which only made them laugh harder. Natasha, too, seemed to be having a hard time keeping a straight face as Clint asked her if she knew what had happened to his cologne.
"Which one, the Old Spice? I threw it away. I got you a new one though." She nodded toward the medicine cupboard. He glared at her, but fetched the new cologne and took it with him, muttering blackly. As soon as he shut the door behind him, they all dissolved into laughter again. Soon enough, Natasha had finished with Stephanie and sent her to put on her dress. Then she started in on Asa, not bothering to turn her towards a mirror.
She worked quickly, working something into her hair, then pinning it precisely onto her head, and possibly braiding small pieces of it, from the feel of it.
"You normally keep your hair short." Asa moved to nod, then stopped herself.
"Yeah, I'm at a loss when it's long."
"There's a stylist coming for Pepper in the morning. If you want, she can cut your hair, if there's time." Asa grinned. How wonderful it would be, to have her hair the proper length.
"Yeah, that would great." Natasha continued her work. When she was satisfied, she started in on her makeup, somehow using less than Asa had, but ten times as effectively. She had her close her eyes, then open them, then turn her head this way, then that. Finally, she took step back and nodded in satisfaction.
"You'll do. Go get dressed, we don't have a lot of time."
Asa was careful pulling on her dress, letting the cream satin slide over her arms past her hair, which felt precarious at best. The shoes were next, then a pair of gold earrings specially bought to match the gold detail work on the dress. Only when she was finished, and had helped Stephanie zip up her blue cocktail number, did Natasha allow them in front of her full-length mirror.
Asa gasped. She looked nothing like herself, and exactly like herself at the same time. Her hair, all done in delicate curls that seemed to be escaping from the tiny braids Natasha had set, hung perfectly around her face and tickled her bare shoulders. It made her eyes seem bigger, brighter than usual. And she'd been right, her skin was practically glowing, and her smile didn't look silly as it usually did, but charming. Experimentally, she fluttered her eyelashes, and almost dissolved into a fit of delighted giggles. Stephanie's reaction was the same, and for all the same reasons. Her eyes were bluer than Asa had ever seen, and her smile was brilliant.
"Now, if you've both finished, I need Asa downstairs. Stephanie, you can wait here if you'd like; the dinner doesn't start for a few minutes yet."
Obediently, Asa followed Natasha out of the room and into the elevator.
"JARVIS?" asked Natasha.
"Yes, Agent Romanoff?"
"Could you please let Dr. Banner know that Stephanie is in my rooms, and that I would appreciate it if he would escort her to dinner?"
"Of course, Agent Romanoff."
Asa tried to hide her grin by asking hastily, "What did you need me for?"
Natasha shrugged. "Nothing. I just wanted to get use both out of there before Dr. Banner gets there."
This time Asa had to bite her lip. Then the elevator opened onto the rehearsal dinner, and she forgot all about Natasha's match-making.
It was a fairytale. An expensive, elegant, tasteful fairytale, but magical nonetheless. Pepper and Natasha had used the Stark Tower aesthetic to their advantage. Draperies in cream and gold accentuated long, curved lines and high ceilings. Delicate flowers, covering the entire range of color from white to goldenrod, were artfully arranged against the draperies, and there was light everywhere. Asa tried to identify the errant half-straw lights, but couldn't; nothing was out of place. The floor was filled with three tables, all draped in cream clothes and set with a startling array of dinnerware and cutlery. Embossed name cards stood on each plate. Even the chairs were gorgeous; some kind of modern Hepplewhite with beautifully embroidered cushions. Natasha shook her head at Asa's enjoyment of it all, and stalked down the stairs to bully some caterers. Asa descended more slowly, trying to look at everything at once. A flash and a click made her start, and nearly fall down the stairs. A hand caught her elbow, awkwardly, from the stair below. She blinked into Peter's face, for once level with her own.
"Sorry, I've been testing the flash and the lighting levels. I didn't think you would, ah, I mean…" He hastily helped her right herself.
"Didn't think I would fall all the way down the stairs and break my neck at the bottom?" she supplied tartly. He grinned, either missing her sarcasm or choosing to ignore it.
"Exactly!"
She shook her head, exasperated, then stopped when she remembered how few pins Natasha had used. Besides, it was hard to stay annoyed with that wide of a grin for long.
"This is really…" she gestured around the room, looking for a big, sophisticated, gorgeous enough word to describe it.
"Beautiful?" he suggested softly.
She considered the word, then shook her head. "No. Not the right word. It's more than that- complete, whole, illuminating- something that really means all of that. I'll find it," she promised, off-handedly. Peter shook his head ruefully, as though he had been trying to teach her something and she didn't understand.
"What?" she asked.
He just half-grinned and ducked his head. "Nothing. But we're blocking the staircase, come on." He offered her his elbow, but he was at such an awkward angle that she declined, picking the rest of the way down the staircase, holding the railing just in case her heels proved too much. Peter saw her safely to the bottom, then lifted his camera.
"Well, I'd better go take some pretty. Pictures. Pretty pictures. Because I'm a photographer. That… takes pretty pictures." And with that he was gone, snapping hasty photos of anything remotely interesting. Asa felt her heart sink a little, but she told it sternly to behave and wandered over to one of the tables, looking idly for her name.
Pepper was already there, of course, greeting people graciously as they came in, standing to chat for a few moments with one guest before moving smoothly to the next. She looked as beautiful as Asa had ever seen her, and only more so for her perfect, smiling courtesy. Tony, of course, was no where to be seen, but other than that, the room was filling up quickly. Asa, of course, knew hardly anyone.
Siezed by a sudden fit of shyness, not uncommon at parties, she abandoned the search for her place setting and wandered over instead to the bar.
"Can I get you anything?" offered the bartender.
Asa hesitated. She didn't really want anything, but perhaps having a drink in her hand would make her feel less awkward.
"Uh, yes please. Could I just get… oh, something that looks like a martini but isn't." She smiled apologetically. "I'm a serious light-weight." The bartender caught her smile and returned it, not unkindly.
"No problem. I'll mix you up something special." He turned his back on her and started mixing something, and Asa turned to survey the room, hoping perhaps that Stephanie had appeared, or Steve, or anyone that she could count on to save her from her perpetual wall-flower-ness.
The bartender handed her a drink, something light-colored and fizzy. She thanked him. Another woman appeared at her elbow, and he asked what he could get her. The woman, a brunette, eyed Asa's drink, then said, "I'll have one of that." Asa's eyes widened, and she cleared her throat.
"Um, actually, it's not as much of a drink as… just a drink. I mean, there's no alcohol in it," she explained. People were often disappointed or skeptical when they discovered she didn't drink. The woman sighed gratefully.
"Oh, even better." The bartender started mixing the drink, and Asa relaxed a little. The truth was, it wasn't just being a light-weight that stopped her drinking. Aside from the taste, of which she was not always a fan, Asa had worked in the E.R. long enough to avoid anything but the very lightest of drinking.
"I'm Jane Foster." The woman held out a hand, which Asa shook firmly. It was good to meet someone here who actually shook hands, instead of curtsying, or nodding, or whatever it was rich people did.
"Asalynn Liretto."
"So which do you know, bride or groom?"
Asa shrugged. "Both. Neither very well, though. I'm kind of here on sufferance."
Jane nodded. "Me as well. I'm his plus one." She indicated a large, golden-haired man in the crowd, and Asa was startled to recognize Thor.
"Oh! I didn't realize he uh, dated." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Asa bit her lip, and cursed her stupidity.
Jane laughed, though, and it wasn't a mean laugh. "Sometimes, I don't think he realizes it, either." But Thor, who was talking to Stephanie and Bruce, who had just appeared, glanced their way, and when he saw Jane, his eyes lit up. "Actually, I'd better head over there, before he forgets he brought me." Her smile said that she wasn't really concerned, that it was just a polite way of excusing herself so she could be with him. "It was nice to meet you, Asa."
"You too." Asa watched her go, feeling slightly heartened. She took a sip of her drink, which was fizzy and fruity and a little something else she couldn't name, and thankfully completely alcohol free. She nodded her thanks to the bartender, and started a slow circuit of the room, pausing to talk with Clint for a moment, who was looking very dapper, and smelling very nice. She mentioned it, and he scowled at her, but his heart didn't seem to be in it. He was pretty clearly observed in watching Natasha, though, so she left him in peace and continued walking, and caught Pepper in just in time to see her sneak a glass of champagne in one gulp.
"Nervous?" she asked.
Pepper replaced the glass sheepishly on the tray. "A little. Tony's not here. I've got a speech prepared, though, in case we can't find him. Something along the lines of 'Pardon me, is everybody there? Because if everybody's there I'd like to thank you all for coming to the wedding, I'd appreciate you going even more. I mean you must have lots of better things to do…'" She said this all very fast, and trailed off at the end of it, as if realizing what she'd said. "I'm a little nervous."
Asa laid a comforting hand on Pepper's.
"He'll be here. We may have to go find him, but he'll be somewhere that he can be easily on found. On purpose. He might be nervous, but I think he wants to be here just as much as you want him to be." Pepper smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Asa. I'm going to see if I can find him." With that, she set off, enlisting Bruce, Clint, and a man in military uniform Asa didn't know in her search. Tempted to hide behind the staircase, Asa only allowed herself a few moments rest before moving on, nearly running into Peter.
"Hi."
"Hi!" His reply was enthusiastic, but then he couldn't seem to think of anything else to say. They stood in awkward silence for a moment, and Peter shuffled his feet. "So, uh, the party is really… You know, it's really beautiful."
"We talked about this," she teased gently. "Beautiful isn't the right word."
"Yeah. True. Did you ever find that other word?"
She considered. It had been tickling at the back of her mind all evening.
"I'm not sure. Resplendent, maybe? Picturesque? Ethereal, maybe. That's pretty close."
Peter nodded. "Yeah, it is, isn't it?"
Just then, Tony entered with his usual theatrics, and Asa winced.
"I'm here- I'm here!" he announced, and the only thing that could have cast his sobriety into further question was an actual liquor bottle. "Now the party can start!" He stumbled down the stairs and over to the table where he sat with Pepper. Asa waved quickly at Peter and wove her way over to the empty seat next to Stephanie, which thankfully had her name card on the plate.
"Oh, Pepper," Stephanie breathed. "Should I-?" She moved as if to stand up, but Asa placed a hand on her shoulder. Pepper could handle this on her own, and any help would probably just be a hindrance.
"No, honey, wait for a second." If Tony got any worse, though, Asa would let Stephanie run to Pepper's aid, and social grace be damned. She slid into her seat. Tony stood up again.
"Welcome, everybody." He'd managed to get another drink in his hand, and it was actually slopping out the sides. Asa wanted to hide under the table.
"Oh, heavens," whispered Stephanie next to her, and she knew she was not the only one.
"To my wedding rehearsal… dinner… thing," Tony fumbled. "I mean, our. Our, sorry, Pepper, d-darling." His speech was slurred, a little difficult to understand.
"We don't make the speeches yet, Tony," Pepper reminded him lightly. The only thing that ruined the effect was her expression.
"Oh, that's right. That's later," Tony seemed to wait for her to nod before nodding himself. "But- I already started."
"Tony-"
"Sorry everyone! Enjoy your dinner!"
At that moment, perhaps encouraged by Natasha's glare, the waiters began to bring the appetizers around, and some of the attention was deflected from the head table.
"Pepper handled that so well," Stephanie whispered in admiration. Asa nodded in agreement, then ignored the rest of the conversation for a while as she tried to dig delicately into the bruschetta that had been placed on her plate.
"Oh, come on guys, he wasn't that bad," Beth told the others encouragingly. Asa shook her head. He'd been awful, and there was no escaping it. Tony usually held his liquor much better than that.
"You're a saint," she informed Beth, and meant it. While she'd been wincing, Beth had actually been trying to smooth things over.
"No, I've just been to rehearsal dinners where it ended up a lot worse."
"The night is still young," countered Bruce. Asa noticed that she wasn't the only one drinking water, or punch, and was grateful.
"Don't jinx this." Natasha, apparently finished with bullying the staff, took her place across from Clint. "It's bad enough already." Asa followed her gaze to the head table. Tony was trying to convince Pepper to try the champagne.
"I think you've drunk enough for both of us." Pepper's tone was calm, but her frustration was obvious. Asa made a mental note to make sure that Tony got plenty of water. It would serve him right to be hungover in the morning, but Pepper deserved better. The salad course arrived, and conversation moved on. Everyone kept an eye on Tony, but Pepper kept him well in check. Asa's heart ached a little for her, but there was nothing to be done except eat and talk and pretend that all was well.
The conversation flowed around her, and Asa followed it with interest, inserting only the occasional comment. The lobster arrived, and Asa was delighted that at the coincidence that it was exactly what had been served at the gala, so for a wonder, she knew how to eat it. It was delicious, too, though she was glad there wasn't much of it. Just as things were starting to really go well, the toasts began.
Pepper's parents started, and Asa was shocked at their oblique rudeness. Insulting Tony, at this point, was the same as insulting their daughter's good judgement. Asa felt like snarling, and it only got worse after that. One unbelievably callous person after another, no one seeming to notice how Pepper was clutching her hands in her lap, forcing herself to watch each toast and smile, and Asa was ready to stand up and stop the whole business, when one nasty man with a bald spot went too far and Pepper quietly excused herself. Asa hesitated, wondering if she should follow, but Stephanie was already gone. So when the man sat down, Asa stood firmly and waited for everyone to stop their chattering before she spoke.
"Well, there have been a lot of opinions in tonight's toasts," she glared at a few specific people, not caring that she was being rude, "but there are a few things that haven't been said that I would like to. For one thing, I would like to thank Tony and Pepper for this wonderful dinner. It's a monument, I think, to Pepper's skill, though of course we all know how wonderful she is. It seems that she can never do anything wrong, and her good sense and beauty are unparalleled." She paused for a moment to let that sink in, keeping her voice as light and calm as possible. "And of course, none of this would be possible without Tony, who is the most generous of hosts, and obviously has the good sense to see what a wonderful woman Pepper is. Otherwise, he wouldn't be marrying her." There were a few titters, and Asa smiled inside, a Chesire cat kind of smile. "So to Tony and Pepper," she lifted her glass, "May their lives together be as happy as they deserve, and may they be surrounded by people who love and support them." She took a sip and sat, and everyone around her was forced to do the same. Clint nodded approvingly, and everyone at the table grinned or smiled a little, though some tried to hide it. None of the Avengers, nor their friends, had found it easy to stand by and watch Tony and Pepper be ridiculed.
As Pepper and Stephanie were not yet back, Rhodey stood next and gave a marvelous speech. Asa kept an eye on the door, as he did, and he kept talking until they finally reappeared, then a bit longer for good measure. It was full of all the things everyone else should've been saying, but much kinder and less pointed than Asa's speech had been. When he concluded the toast, Asa actually reached over and took a sip of Clint's champagne as well. Tony stood.
"I guess I'll go next. I know, that my reputation isn't the best." Either some of the alcohol had worn off, or this was very important, because his speech was clear, if deliberate. "And I deserve it, because let's face it, I wasn't the most reputable. I wasn't. It's actually one of the reasons I hired Pepper on. She wouldn't sleep with me." A lady directly in Asa's line of sight opened her mouth as if to catcall, but caught Asa's glare, and closed it again quickly.
"She kept it very professional, which, honestly, threw me for a loop, because let's face it, who can resist me? I mean come on." There were honest laughs. "I hired her, and I've never regretted it. She's kept me in line, she's kept me from… deteriorating into something no one would ever be able to fix, except for her.
"And you know what's really been the best part of all this? I mean, Pepper, of course, but getting to know someone that wasn't me, that… wasn't just another selfish person trying to get what they wanted out of me- she actually cared about me, which is hard, I know. I live with me, so I know. When I finally wrapped my brain around the fact that I cared about her, I…" he trailed off, then a glance at Pepper set him speaking again.
"I didn't know how to react. But of course, by then, I'd almost lost her. Thanks to Vanko, because I think without explosives things might never have worked out again. It was odd, I admit, after dating her for more than, I don't know, a day, to have her still there. By then I had a routine- and she broke it. I mean, she kept coming back. And if she hadn't been Pepper, I don't think she would have. She stayed with me, even though she knows, I'm, not the best guy to stay with.
"She stayed with me. For almost, what is it, five years now? Aren't most Hollywood couple remarried twice by then? She stayed with me for five years, waiting patiently until I could finally move my ass and realize what a great thing I had- I have. And hopefully will have, if she'll have me after tonight.
"She is the best thing I have, the one thing I really care about." He raised his glass, and everything else seemed to disappear for him except Pepper.
"Here's to my always, the one true constant in my life, Pepper Potts."
Asa cheered as loud as anyone else, and took another sip of Clint's champagne, and a good gulp of her water. The tension in the room had been broken, and the rest of the dinner- dessert, cheese, and then a good deal of talking over empty plates, went wonderfully. Stephanie, having finished her champagne, ordered another, and Asa eyed her askance.
"Here, sweetheart, have a glass of water while you're waiting for it to come." Stephanie sipped it, and Asa shook her head sternly.
"No, all of it."
So it went for the rest of the night. As Pepper plied Tony with water, Asa kept Stephanie's ratios right. She would not be pleased to wake up with a headache. When Bruce stood to escort her out, he mouthed a silent thank you to Asa. She nodded, pleased. People began trickling away, and when Asa asked Natasha if she needed help, she shook her head.
"Get some sleep. There's not much to be done here. And forget about training for tonight; we have more important things to worry about. I could use a hand in the morning, say ten?" Asa nodded to show her agreement, then made her way out, pausing once to smile at Peter, and wonder why she wasn't mad at him anymore?
A nice long one! What did you think? Let me know! And don't forget to keep up on Teddy'sTwin's story, Hope Rising.