A/N. Hey. What's up? So one thing: updates may not be as quick as in July, but they should still be often :) At least 2x a week. The bi-weekly ABOSLUTELY NO LATER THAN is still in effect. I'm sorry if this chapter seems all over the place (wow, first chapter and I might be messing it up...) but nothing really happens. it's just the wedding XD So I thought it would be a good way to draw people in and hook them - like in a movie I would imagine this as the first scene. I will also post the trailer script for this story on my profile later tonight so go check it out! Please? Last thing: I accidentally titled the story Sharing Coffee With Steve Rogers when it was actually supposed to be Sharing Coffee with CAPTAIN Rogers, so my apologies, it has been fixed. Without further ado, I welcome you to my story. Enjoy the ride :D

Disclaimer - I do NOT own the Avengers or any of their separate movies. This is also something I should have mentioned earlier but THIS STORY WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR IRON MAN 3! If you didn't get that from the previous chapter already. Anyway, continue.

CHAPTER I

Tania smoothed out the ruffles in Betty's wedding dress hastily. Pepper, Jane, and Natasha also fussed over Betty's veil, dress, bouquet, hair, and makeup. The bride was a bundle of frayed nerves. The poor thing was jittering so hard that her teeth chattering could be felt through the vibrations of her dress. Tony had compared her to a bunch of wires that had been cut with a serrated knife and was sparking before having several bouquets of flowers thrown at him in order to shoo him away.

"Betty, hun, deep breaths," Pepper encouraged, grabbing the brunette's arms firmly and staring into her eyes. The two of them inhaled and exhaled together. "In with the love for Bruce, out with the cold feet."

Betty laughed breathily. "That doesn't even make any sense."

Pepper smiled. "But it's working."

"Something borrowed?" Tania checked. As one of the bridesmaids and practically the unofficial wedding planner, the Captain's girlfriend had taken it upon herself to organize things. She liked things organized. Messes bugged her to no end. It was the same with Pepper (and the complete opposite with Jane who practically lived in clutter in New Mexico) so the business women had co-planned the wedding practically single-handedly. Everyone had been impressed with how they'd both handled the situation with the utmost professionalism and organization – but no one had been surprised.

Betty patted the beautiful arrangement of flowers in her hands that mixed orchids with daffodils. "I 'borrowed' them from my friend's garden."
Tania's lips quirked but she continued on with her checklist. "Something blue?"

She gestured to the necklace around her neck with a sapphire pendant. "Of course."

She nodded again. "Something old?"

"My fiancé." That got every one of the girls to chuckle. "But in all honesty, this dress was my mother's. It's… pretty old."

Tania hummed in acknowledgement. She softened at the sadness buried in Betty's eyes, hiding beneath the excitement for what was to happen a few short minutes.

"Something new?"

"This veil is brand new."

"Good. Are the petals ready?"

"Good to go," Pepper confirmed with the universal sign for "A-okay" and a wink.

"Is everyone in position?"

"To our knowledge."

"Are the guests seated and ready?"

"Yes."

"Is the pianist ready?"

"Yes."

"Is Parker ready?"

"So he says."

"Perfect. Tell the pianist to start the march."

Pepper nodded and pressed a finger to her Bluetooth and began speaking into it rapidly. Tania threw away her clipboard, imagining the sound of a cat meowing in protest for fun before grabbing the single stem from which twisted both a daffodil and an orchid (something Bruce, Betty, Tony, and Jane had all worked up in the lab. Just what they needed. Science Sisters to accompany the Science Bros).

She stood in front of the large, wooden, double doors and fingered the flowers in her hands with delicate fingers. She took deep breaths as the music started. She was to go first, where Steve would join her and they'd walk the rest of the aisle together, arm in arm.

She looked down at herself. She wore a pale yellow bridesmaids dress that fell to the floor and was made of shiny satin. It hugged her body nicely and had been fitted specifically for her. The collar was rounded with folds beneath the throat and low enough to reveal her pocket watch, which she wore around her neck. Her hair had been tied in an intricate bun and curled so that one curl rested against the ride side of her head. Her nails had been painted with a French manicure and her make-up was pale but accentuating. She resisted the urge to smirk as she remembered the cowboy boots she wore beneath her dress. She didn't want to risk tripping up on the aisle in heels despite not being the bride herself – it kind of felt like it.

The other bridesmaids looked extremely similar to herself – same hairstyle, dress, make-up palette, nails, flowers, and smiles. It would go Tania, Pepper, Natasha, Jane, and then Betty, who would all be joined by their respective partners except for the bride, who would join hers at the altar.

Tania inhaled again as she waited for her cue. She wondered what Steve would think of her in this dress. It didn't exactly match her complexion but she supposed she should feel grateful – pale yellow didn't clash with the brown of her hair like it did to the red heads behind her. She had no idea why Betty had wanted a yellow and white pattern throughout the wedding but she hadn't argued. It wasn't her wedding after all.

She wondered what Steve looked like. He had yet to see her dress and she had yet to see his tux. She prayed that Tony wouldn't put him in something horrendous and convince him that "that's what people wear nowadays". She grimaced at the thought.

Suddenly the doors were opening and she found the smile on her face widening with it as if they pulled at her cheeks involuntarily. She stepped forward with a confidance she wasn't sure whether or not she felt – her heart was beating too loudly to tell. The first thing she saw was a bright flash of light. When it cleared, she spotted Peter kneeling in front of the aisle with his camera in front of his face. He gave her a thumbs up without removing the device from his eye.

Above him, on the steps beneath a vine covered archway, stood Bruce in a stark white tux with his hands folded in front of him. He looked nervous enough to Hulk out but when he saw her she couldn't help but smile reassuringly at him. She needed to remain calm if not for herself than for those who relied on those who seemed calm in situations like these.

She continued on and looked to her right. Sure enough, Steve was there, grinning at her. His shoulders relaxed slightly as soon as her right arm slipped into his left like it fit there from the start. His touch, even through his suit jacket, sent sparks alight inside of her. She ignored them for the time being as they walked to the beat of the piano towards the altar.

Steve was wearing a classic black tuxedo that was unbuttoned for a more casual look to it. He also wore a nice brown bow-tie (only she knew that it was to match her boots) and his hair was combed over to the side. She honestly didn't like it with that much gel in it but she kept her mouth shut. His handsome face more than made up for it. Before long, they separated and she went left to stand by where Betty would be when she got there and Steve stood a little to the side and behind Bruce.

As soon as Tania turned to face the small crowd (no more than twenty-five people tops), Pepper was already holding up her dress to walk up the steps and join her. Despite the class with her hair, she looked gorgeous. From the blush on her face, Tania could tell that Tony had whispered something along those lines into her ear on the way here. The man himself look totally at home in the Dolce suit of his – also black. His tie (obviously done by someone else) was silver, to match Pepper's clutch, which she would carry later. The fact that his arc reactor was no longer there, no longer shining through his clothes, had been a shock to all the Avengers. But they'd all been happy for him. Of course, now if the world needed Iron Man, he would either need to borrow Iron Patriot or War Machine or make a non-arc reactor powered suit. Still. He was happier than they'd seen him in a long time.

Natasha and Clint were next, smiling with closed mouths. They were spies. Spies didn't do attention. Peter snapped another picture and Natasha barely restrained a grimace. They split up and went to their positions.

Jane and Thor were the last before the bride. He was grinning madly and waving to the humans who were staring at him as if he were a King walking amongst his people. It wasn't that far off. Jane smiled shyly and nearly walked behind her boyfriend to avoid the eyes that bored into her petite frame. She managed not to remain hidden the entire walk down and smile for the camera slightly. She stood behind Natasha as Betty finally came into view.

The bride was wearing a stunning white wedding dress that had a V-neck collar that stretched so that it cut off halfway down her shoulders. It had long sleeves made of lace that clung to her arms with silk fabric beneath it. The dress hugged her figure until her hips, where it branched out a little with lace that matched her arms over top of more silk and more frilly things that made it somewhat poofy. She was wearing glass slippers like Cinderella (a childhood dream of hers) and a thin veil that covered her face and traveled down to her lower back. Her hair was down but curled beautifully beneath the veil, clipped to her head by a white orchid behind her right ear. She looked up from the red yellow carpet she had been walking and smiled at Bruce – finally relaxing.

Their eyes met and it was like lightning had struck between them. There was something magnetic that drew her to him and Tania swore she saw him lean forward. She slowly, torturously slowly, climbed the steps until she stood opposite her husband-to-be under the archway on the balcony of Stark Tower.

It was just before sunset of the last day of two-thousand-and-twelve. And what a way to go. It was New Year's Eve, and that was the way they had wanted it. Four months wasn't that long to plan the average wedding, but with Pepper, probably the CEO who had the most on her plate in the world, and Tania, bordering on OCD, working together, it was almost guaranteed to go off without a hitch.

Everyone had made sure to keep the entire thing on the DL. They only invited important people (Nick Fury, Maria Hill, a few of Betty's closest friends and family, Graham, some of Pepper's family, Rhodey, Happy, etc). They had invited General Ross on Betty's insistence (without giving him the time or place of the wedding, just that it was going to be going on and how to contact them) but no RSVP had been sent and the chair reserved for him in the front row was empty. He wouldn't even walk his own daughter down the aisle because of the Hulk.

Betty had tried to tell everyone that it didn't bother her, but it didn't take two master assassins to tell that she wasn't telling the truth. However, she had assured them that being with the Avengers and Bruce had definitely made her life happier and that it might just be worth it. In the present, the priest was saying the things he normally did with these kinds of things. Tania had never been to a wedding and was atheist so she didn't really know what they entailed, but she listened in anyway, somewhat curious.

She realized that several things were missing from this wedding: a flower girl, a ring bearer, a maid of honour, the fathers, the mothers (there was not a single parent in attendance… of anyone. How sad was that?), etc. But Betty had said that that was the way her life was. Why try to make it something it wasn't? Despite not having a Maid of Honour, Bruce had chosen Tony to be his Best Man. I mean come on, Science Bros!
That was why Tania had been surprised when Jane had not been chosen as the MOH. The bride had said that although she had been living with the Avengers for four months now, she didn't think that she was close enough with them just yet to get that role – no offense to them of course. It made sense, even if Bruce had only known Tony three or four months longer than her. Gosh, the Avengers hadn't even met each other a year ago and they'd already become such a close-knit family.

Next thing you know, Jane was going to move in. Which wasn't an unlikely possibility with the way her relationship with Thor was going. But they were taking it slow apparently, because what happened pre-Chitauri was not enough to actually count as being in a relationship according to Jane. Sure, she loved him. But she wanted to date, try things out, teach him the human way of doing things in a way she comfortable with. Thor was more than happy to give her what she wanted. He could wait forever.

It was time for the vows. Bruce went first. "Betty, I knew from the moment I saw you that you were different. I knew I had to talk to you, to get to know you. And then you became so much more than different – you became special. Irreplaceable. You became mine. And I loved that. I loved you then and I still love you now, several years later, at the altar. I left to protect you, but I came back because I think I was slowly dying without you. It may have taken years and years but I think it would have happened eventually. You are the sun to my Earth. I need you to live. And I promise that if you stay with me, help me live, I will protect you with every fiber of my being. And so will he."

Betty cracked a nervous smile and cleared her throat. "Bruce, you have been my rock for so long that I think I might have molded my soul to the shape of yours. Our period of separation left me feeling like there was something missing. But now that we're together," she laced her fingers with his, "I can feel myself shifting back to the way it was. Molded together with yours for eternity. It feels like it's stuck to yours like glue, like we aren't just being put together, but we're joining – mixing – melding – forging – not just in matrimony but in heart, soul, and mind. I love you Bruce Banner. I promise that when we marry, I will look after you for the rest of my life. I will trust you and be there for you for every rock life throws at you – even if it's an avalanche of boulders I'll be there with you. Until the end. You and me. Together forever."
Bruce's smile grew wider with word she spoke until it felt like his face might split in half. He tightened his hand around hers. There was some more talking before the priest said something Tania had witnessed in movies. "You may now kiss the bride."

Their lips collided before he had even finished the sentence, causing light laughter to echo throughout the audience and Peter, Clint, Graham, and Tony to wolf-whistle and cat call. Tania, Natasha, Steve, and Pepper all rolled their eyes as Bruce flipped them the finger – which Peter caught on camera. Nice.

Almost immediately after, Betty was ready to throw her bouquet from the altar. Tania was ushered into the group of girls along with Natasha (who was frowning) to catch the flowers even if she didn't care much for the tradition. There was no way something like that could predict anything real.

Betty threw the bouquet. It soared through the air. It landed in the waiting arms of Pepper Potts, who was now blushing yet again. Tony was apparently clueless as to the meaning behind the tradition, which was then explained to him by Steve of all people, leaning in to whisper in his ear. The billionaire visibly paled and coughed into a fist before adjusting his tie nervously.

Pepper laughed at him and shoved the bouquet in his hands. He looked mildly shocked and she kissed his cheek just as Peter snapped another picture. He himself was accompanied by his girlfriend Gwen Stacy – a gorgeous, smart, blonde who made good impressions.

Peter eventually got group shots, individual shots, and couple shots. For theirs, Tania had jumped onto Steve's back and smiled for the camera. Peter had gotten a picture of Steve looking shocked and confused with Tania's legs blurry, but after a couple more tries, he had the perfect one. She was riding him piggy-back style and he was leaning forward so that he was almost bent at a forty-five degree angle. They were both smiling and he was holding her thighs so that she wouldn't fall. Her cowboy boots were perfectly visible now, not that either cared. She rested her head against the left side of his and grinned for the camera. Normal was boring anyway.

Pepper and Tony's were actually pretty uncharacteristic – they had both pulled funny faces before bursting out laughing. The two of them were a lot happier after the events at Christmas. Everything was still so raw, so new, but Tony's arc reactor was gone, he had finally proven to Pepper JUST how much he adored her, SI didn't make weapons anymore (though had happened quite a while ago), Killian was dead, Happy was okay, the Avengers were together again, and it was all just pure bliss. Sure, Maya was also dead and the mansion that had originally been Howard's was now in the ocean and hours, days, WEEKS of hard labour in the lab on Tony's part were now nothing but fireworks in the past. But they were together and happy and that was all that mattered.

Clint and Natasha had also surprised everyone by kissing for their photo. Despite knowing that the two of them were together since last August, they had never seen much PDA from the two of them until that moment. It only displayed how much the assassins had come to trust their friends – no, their family, within the last few months.

Jane and Thor both stood awkwardly for theirs, with her arms around his waist and his around her shoulders. He was so much taller than her you'd think he was on stilts. But then Thor made her laugh with something he'd said and Peter had caught it perfectly.

Bruce and Betty's were obviously the most important. Bruce was carrying his wife bridal style (what else?) and she had her arms thrown in the air and the veil pulled away from her face (by Bruce earlier in the ceremony) and her legs kicking in the air as she posed for the picture. Bruce, being the shy, quiet, man that he was, simply smiled and tilted his head. She was kind of straining on his muscles – but there was no way in hell he'd ever tell her that.

After the ceremony came the reception. More people had been invited for that (namely the press and extended friends or acquaintances). It was to be held in the aquarium floor of the Tower (because it's Tony and he though, "why the hell not?"). The layout was like a maze and the fish tanks were the walls. It was expansive and very, very large. It was easy to get lost in. It was perfect for privacy – in a way.

There was blaring music that rippled through the waters but somehow didn't disturb the fish. Tony claimed they were all wearing ear plugs but Bruce explained that the kinds of fish they had brought in weren't easily startled. Tony had also wanted sharks and dolphins and whales but Betty had drawn the line at Koi. No bigger than that.

So Tania and Steve wandered around, dancing when they both recognized a song (which was more often than you might think now that Steve has had a sufficient amount of time to adjust to the pop culture references and such. The technology and history he was still working on). She moved as gracefully as they could but they both knew that despite knowing the steps she had taught him, he wasn't fluid. The only flow he possessed was in fighting, when he didn't know what to expect and just went with his gut. This was completely different.

Even so, he had a lot of fun. It was also an excuse to get closer to Tania physically. He craved her touch and to touch her with everything he had. Since that first night in September when he'd given himself to her completely, they had done so on more than one occasion, but had both deemed it too special to do too often. They remained content kissing and touching and just all around being together.

After going back in time, the two of them had only grown closer. What had originally tore them apart had sewn them back together tighter than ever before. Steve had gotten his good-byes (mostly) and actually moved on. He smiled a lot more and he stopped painting horrific scenes of death and war and instead painted good memories of those he loved.

Tania now had complete faith that he loved her more than she ever thought he could. Their bond was stronger than she had anticipated when she got herself entangled in his life. They had started out as friends with someone more lurking in the shadows, but now that something had overshadowed their lives and intertwined them without their noticing. She knew now that she couldn't leave him willingly. It was physically impossible. She also knew that he felt the same. When he went after her – when he chose her, instead of Peggy – she knew. The love making that followed only served to nail it in; seal the deal, if you will.

The two of them were practically inseparable now. They were rarely seen without the other, much like Clint and Natasha except on solo missions. It was true that Steve went on the occasional mission and that Tania went on small business trips here and there, but they were in constant communication.

Tony and Bruce had created an invisible and incredible tiny comms unit that was inserted into the ear and could not be washed out. It was practically permanent. It was a device so small that no one was supposed to notice its existence. Every Avenger (honorary included as well as girlfriends) had a comm in their ear. They were never removed and could be activated at any time. They would have taken the place of the Stark phone had he not explicitly stated that the comms were for emergencies only – the power that was in such a miniscule device was massive, but if used and discovered, its removal would be incredibly painful, even if the insertion felt like dust settling in one's ear.

So despite the comms units, Stania often contacted by phone or video call (aka Skype) once she'd shown him how to use both with all their functions. JARVIS was also a good messenger when they couldn't get through to each other, as he was uplinked into the comms as well, although he wasn't anywhere near as capable as when in the Tower.

After the dancing, everyone gathered for a late dinner in the dining hall. It was pain getting to the other floor, seeing as there were only two elevators and one flight of stairs. Twenty excruciating minutes later, everyone was more or less in the position to eat and Tony started tapping his glass and stood. He unfortunately shattered the wine glass but it got the attention he'd wanted. He shrugged and dropped the utensil and glass back onto the table.

"As the Best Man, because I am the best man of all of you here, I am inclined," he coughed, "forced," he coughed again, "to give a speech. I'm no good at that sort of thing so I just thought I'd wing it.

"When I first met Bruce, the first I said to him was something having to do with thermo-nuclear astrophysics that I don't remember because I'm a little buzzed." The crowd laughed a little. He smiled. This was just one of his many elements. "I told him his work was unparalleled and that I admired how he turned into an angry green rage monster. You know what he said? 'Thanks'. That right there got me to thinking, 'Hm… this guy seems kind of broody. Broody and I don't mix.' But then shit happened and it turns out we were meant for each other. Together, we've accomplished so many scientific endeavers I'm not even sure Pepper, who used to be an accountant, can calculate how many. I can't even begin to explain how many things we've blown up in the process or why. It's just fun.

"But anyway, I noticed that Bruce was mostly broody whenever his past BEFORE the Hulk came up. I got to thinking. What was BEFORE the Hulk that could possibly make him so miserable? Turns out, he'd broken the heart of an ex-girlfriend and was now living with the consequences."

"Tony…" Pepper warned. She didn't like where this was going. He brushed her off and continued.

"But now that they're together, I don't think I've ever seen Bruce so happy. He's never flipped me the bird before. That's a new one. I think that with his new wife by his side, we'll see a whole new side of Bruce we've never known – and I look forward to meeting him, just as I looked forward to his greener side. Here's to it." He raised his glass and downed it before everyone at the table copied him. He slammed the new glass on the table, shattering it again, before shouting, "ANOTHER!"

Thor's booming laughter was louder than any of the others. Whether that was because it was just the way he is or because he was one of the few people who actually understood the joke was debateable.

Betty had changed into a gorgeous green dress (yes, it was Hulk-coloured) with a long slit up the side and had straightened her hair. Bruce (who had still refused alcohol but had been given some unsuspectingly by Tony anyway) was now somewhat buzzed and had completely discarded his jacket before accompanying his wife on the dance floor. The other Avengers followed and had a merry old time.

That night, it was only them left as they gathered on the balcony once again. There were pink rose petals everywhere from having fallen after Bruce and Betty's exit to the reception hall and the sun had long set. It was almost midnight. From their spot on the Tower, they had a perfect view of the ball dropping. The couples all stood together by some unspoken rule (which Tania thought was ridiculous but didn't actually protest seeing as Steve was warm and the night was cold). It was snowing lightly, but JARVIS kept the floor heated so that the flakes melted upon contact. All the snow was piled on the ground below, not that they cared at the moment.

Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… Tania looked up and observed the starry night sky. There weren't many starts to see with all the lights of New York City, but there were no clouds either. It was still pretty. She looked back to the ball drop. Five… four… three… two… one…

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The team shouted, throwing their gathered piles of petals into the air to join the snowflakes as they drifted to the ground. Steve quickly turned and pressed his lips to hers. It was unexpected but immediately Tania melted into his embrace, caressing his defined jaw with one hand and running her fingers through his hair with the other. The gel kind of ruined it but she again ignored it in favour of pressing her lips harder against his. His mouth opened and hers followed immediately.

They were practically experts of each other's mouths now that it was rhythmic and smooth and just THAT much better. She grasped at the hairs at the nape of his neck and brought him closer, feeding the fire that was her love for him. In that moment, she knew this year had started with an explosion from which embers danced behind her eyelids. They might as well have been fireworks.