So this is a very long chapter (definitely the longest) and it's more or less on time. It's also set up a little differently, in that you'll notice there is no memory at the beginning. That's because I set this chapter up to switch back and forth between Steve and Nicole's POV (separated by the break IOI). This is the last chapter down in Georgia, and with the exception of the next chapter, our nerds will get into some action as I build up for the main conflict of the story. Like I said, this story is only going to be going to about thirty chapters, so we're just about 2/3 of the way done.
Next chapter is probably going to be pretty short, so it should be up pretty soon.
Other than that, chapter 20 probably won't be uploaded until after the US Age of Ultron premiere. There will be an author's note attached to the end of that chapter that's going to discuss where I plan to take this story, and ultimately the series that I have planned for it, and how it's all going to tie in with Age of Ultron. I'm going to warn you guys now though, from what I've seen of teasers and trailers, the odds are that my sequels are going to make a diversion from MCU cannon. Nothing too major, but I'll explain more after I see the movie.
Wrapping this wordy mess up, enjoy this very long chapter, and BIG thank you to everyone who is favoriting/following/reviewing this story.
But you guys, more reviews plz?
Adara. (Also I own no recognizable characters, and Clint Barton is a pickle loving dork)
Chapter Eighteen:
"It's so early." Nicole couldn't help but whine as they all piled into the SUV, nursing her coffee cup as though it was her first born child. "Why does it always have to be early?"
"Because we've got a busy day ahead of us darling." Emily answered with a laugh, nudging her daughter in the side as she practically melted against the door. "Besides, this is a treat from Pepper and Tony, so you shouldn't complain."
The redhead lifted her forehead from the cool window, taking a sip of her coffee. "I'm not complaining, I'm just tired."
"Should have thought of that," Ellen smirked, "before you decided to stay up half the night on the internet."
Nicole stuck her tongue out at her aunt, rubbing a hand down her face. She didn't want to admit it, but Ellen was, technically, right. Not that it would have changed anything, Nicole had been up chatting with Trip, who was on some sort of top secret SHIELD mission that he couldn't divulge details on. She had also needed to get caught up on paperwork and finance reports from their trip to DC as well as insurance reports from the apartment that still needed looked over, and the debrief of what had happened at the Department of Defense.
She hated paperwork, hated it with a passion, but Coulson was a lot more effective at getting her to fill it out in a timely manner. Nicole wasn't exactly sure how her new SO managed to do it, but she supposed he must have experience from working with Strike Team: Delta. Barton was just as bad–if not worse–than her when it came to paperwork.
Nicole was honestly just glad for the fact that she didn't have to deal with Sitwell popping up anymore. He was a stickler when it came to details, and it was honestly the most frustrating thing in the world.
Katie was looking over at her worriedly though, concern in her cousin's eyes. "Are you sure you're going to be okay to drive?"
Nicole looked down at the steering wheel before twisting back in her seat to smile at the women in the back seat. When Pepper had first pulled up in the large vehicle, Nicole had immediately volunteered to drive. It wasn't that she didn't trust Pepper's driving, she really did, but… Nicole could admit that she was a bit of a control freak, especially when her family was involved. She didn't expect anything questionable to happen, but she felt better behind the wheel knowing that if there were to be some sort of awkward occurrence she could successfully navigate her way out of it.
Taking the defensive driving course had been a lot of fun for her, and if she ever got tired of her government job she could easily be a getaway driver.
"I'm fine. I'm not too tired, just whining about it more than I should." She answered honestly, starting the car. "Just hand me one of those pop tarts?"
"Pop tarts for breakfast?" Emily frowned at her daughter, watching as the pastry was passed forward. "That doesn't even count…"
"Well, we're getting brunch afterwards." Pepper smiled, nibbling on a slice of apple that she had included in her morning snacks for everyone. "I figured some light snacks should be good, considering the fact that we'll be in a steam room and the like."
"Excellent thinking my sultry business lady." Nicole smirked at her friend, putting the car in reverse to back out of the driveway. "And the address is already programmed into the GPS! Whatever would we do without you, Pepper?"
The ginger haired woman rolled her eyes, unable to keep from chuckling. "Thank you, but I'm curious; did you get your flirting skills from Tony, or was it vice versa?"
"He learned from me." Nicole answered immediately. "Let's be honest, Stark had crap game until I gave him some pointers."
"Oh yeah, considering he was getting laid while you were still in elementary school?" Katie smirked back, snorting as she ate the other pop tart from the package. "Yeah, you really gave him some great lines."
"Well," Emily offered, "After she turned sixteen she did start spending a couple weeks during the summers interning at the chemistry department of Stark Industries. You never know, Nicole could have taught him how to be a people person during that time."
"Tony Stark." The redhead sniffed, driving on the familiar streets of her home city and only half paying attention to the GPS, "Does not need to be taught how to be a people person. He is one of the very few people I know who can be simultaneously charming and infuriating."
"She is not wrong." Pepper took a sip of water, leaning back against the car seat. "I've lost track of how many women he's brought back who had claimed to hate him."
"I'm surprised that you're so calm about that." Ellen noted, "I only met one of Mark's ex -girlfriends and I wanted to slap her across the mouth."
Pepper just smiled serenely, looking out at the sleepy city they were navigating through. "I don't think most of the women he's slept with could be considered girlfriends, they very seldom lasted for more than a night."
"Some have been quite rude of course, they seemed to think that just because they slept with him they could boss me around to their hearts content." Her smile turned sharp, slightly predatory. "I'll admit I have wanted to slap a few of them, but you know why worry about it? At the end of the day they would be gone and I'd still have my job. And to be honest, I don't even worry about Tony… he's eccentric, especially with his suits, but it's still basically the same old routine."
"But with fringe benefits." Nicole offered with a smirk, merging onto the highway.
Pepper just laughed at that, a slight bloom of color dusting her cheeks. "Yes, with fringe benefits. He's a sweetheart in his own way though, and while I sometimes want to beat him over the head I know that he means well."
"He better." Emily snorted. "I watched that boy grow up, and I know he ain't stupid enough to mess up the good thing he has going with you sweetie."
Nicole couldn't help but smile at that; her mom had been well into her teenage years when Howard had finally announced that he was going to be a father. That was during the time that both he and her grandfather had been working at SHIELD, and so Emily had spent a lot of time watching as Tony grew up. Unlike most people who were star struck by the billionaire, she was less than impressed. But that was how her mom was with everybody, she dealt with them on a personal level not based on their reputation. And she had never been afraid to call the engineer out on his bullshit.
Like it or not Tony Stark was a part of their family, and that meant that he would always be Anthony Edward Stark before he was Iron Man.
"He always speaks highly of your family, Emily." Pepper smiled. "He actually was the one to remind me of the party, which should indicate just how important it was to him."
"That's because he knows better to annoy me." The older woman reached out to squeeze her hand. "I have far too many embarrassing stories of when he was a kid to tell."
"You're gonna tell some of them, right aunt Em?" Katie asked excitedly, "Please tell me you're going to tell them."
Nicole laughed as they cruised down the highway, keeping her eye out for their exit. "If not, I have a few I can tell myself."
"Oh I'm telling them. Pepper should know exactly what she's getting herself into." Emily promised. The ride itself was remarkably short, especially for Nicole who was accustomed to New York traffic where it could take an hour to move a quarter mile. By the time they finally pulled up to the spa, she felt much more awake and her coffee was gone.
"So I booked a brunch special, and basically you can pick whatever package you want, and we'll meet up afterwards for some food before we head out to the hair salon." The ginger haired woman explained as they climbed out of the SUV and grabbed the wardrobe bags that held the clothes they were going to change into for the party. There was someone waiting immediately to take the keys, ushering them inside as their vehicle was parked.
"You really pulled out all the stops, Pep." Nicole noted, shoving her hands in the pockets of her shorts.
"Thank you again, sweetheart. You didn't have to go through all this trouble." Though they might live well off now that she had gotten married, Emily had grown up in a more financially conservative household and was still a little uncomfortable with people spending large sums of money on her.
"But I wanted to." Pepper smiled, "Plus you know how Tony is, he wouldn't have let me do something small for your anniversary. Just be lucky that I talked him out of sending you two on a cruise."
"Ugh." Emily shook her head with a bemused expression on her face. "I am glad. I get horribly sea sick."
"It's true." Nicole nodded. "We went to Tybee Island for spring break one year, I think it was the year just before you got married, and Jack took us out to go diving. Mom was green the entire time we were on the boat."
The older woman rolled her eyes, bumping into her daughter with her shoulder. "Thank you for that."
"No problem-o, mama." Nicole grinned, "It's what I'm here for."
"Hi, welcome to Mind and Body! My name is Amelia and I'm gonna walk you through the process of what's gonna happen before, during and after your massages." A cheerful middle aged woman beamed at them from across the counter. "Y'all must be the nine o'clock. Ms. Potts?"
"That would be me!" Pepper stepped up, reaching into her bag to pull out her wallet and pass over a shiny credit card. "We booked the morning, for the brunch special?"
"Absolutely Ms. Potts, we've got everything set up for you. All you ladies need to do is pick out the packages you'd like." The woman nodded, pulling out a small booklet and setting it down on the counter. "We offer several different packages that include a massage, mani-pedi, and facial. It all depends on what you want out of the experience."
"Alright, well, let's see what we've got here." Pepper tucked a loose strand of hair out of her face as she flipped through the book. "I think… oh, I'll go for the Tranquility package. That sounds wonderful."
"Tranquility? That's one of my absolute favorites. The steam is so nice." Amelia told her, tapping something into her computer. She looked up with her dark blue eyes, taking in the four women wearing different combinations of shorts and light clothes, as well as Emily who was wearing longer clothes. "You ladies are absolutely crazy, it's so chilly outside!"
"They're all from out of town, up north." Emily explained, shaking her head. "It's like extended summer for them here."
"Oh? Where from up North?" Amelia asked, watching as the older woman began flipping through the spa packages.
"We're from New York," Pepper answered, gesturing to herself and Nicole.
"And my daughter and I are from Montana." Ellen finished, smiling. "Though I grew up down in Texas."
"Mmm, no kidding. Yeah, I guess this weather must be warm for you ladies." Amy laughed, reaching up to rub her arms. "Still, I can't wait until it starts warming up again!"
"You and me both, dear." Emily laughed, "Can I do the body melt? With just the Swedish massage?"
"Just the Swedish? Absolutely. And you, dear?" Katie ended up picking the Energy package, Ellen went for the Peace, and suddenly Nicole was the last one to pick.
Honestly, all of the packages looked fantastic, but she knew that her body responded best to deep tissue massages. "Let me go ahead and do the Escape."
"Oh, you'll love that one. It's one of our most popular choices." Amy finished entering in their information, smiling up at them. "Alrighty, so here's what we're going to do now! You ladies can feel free to enjoy some of our other facilities while we get everything ready for your massages. We have a steam room, sauna, and some different types of tubs. Just make sure if you do get in one of the tubs you go ahead and shower before your massage to rinse the chlorine off. Whenever you're ready, just head on down and take a seat in our tranquility room and your masseuse will pick you up."
They all nodded, attentively listening as Amy came around the edge of the counter. "Now I'll show you to the locker room where you can get a complimentary robe and towel. If you ladies could fill out these medical questionnaires beforehand? It'll let our masseuses know if there's anything we need to worry about, off limits zones and the like."
Nicole took the clipboard and pen that were offered to her, attention drifting as her eyes swept down all of the questions. She scribbled her answers quickly, it didn't take a lot of time considering the fact that she was the picture of health and very comfortable with her body. It wasn't until they got to the part where it listed comfortable and uncomfortable places on the body. For the most part the redhead was adaptable, and she had gotten massages before; so long as the person administering the massage behaved appropriately and professionally, she didn't really care. Except… she wrote in neck, in the red zone.
She couldn't stand people touching her neck, grabbing her throat, anything like that. Whenever it happened, whether in a threat or not, her brain shut down and she went on full auto-pilot. Nicole didn't distinguish between friend and foe, and she removed the threat as brutally and efficiently as possible. The one time it had happened in a sparring match between herself and Natasha and she'd completely freaked out and dislocated the Black Widow's shoulder.
Nat had been impressed, she had been terrified, and Fury had stuck her in therapy so fast it wasn't funny.
"You ready to go, honey?" Emily asked gently, smiling at her daughter. "We're gonna hit the locker room and then check out the hot tub."
Nicole gave herself a shake to clear her thoughts, handing the clipboard back to Amy as she forced the tension out of her posture. Now wasn't the time for her to get caught up in bad memories; they were here to be pampered and celebrate her mother's marriage. "Yeah! Let's go enjoy ourselves while the boys deal with all of the crappy technical stuff."
"Absolutely ladies!" Amy grinned, leading them to the locker room. "We'll send someone to find you when it's time, and then when you're all done we'll show you where brunch is! There's plenty of water available, you want to make sure that you stay nice and hydrated."
As Nicole ran her fingers over the fluffy robe that was given to her, she couldn't help but smile in excitement. This was going to be absolutely fantastic.
IOI
Steve was starting to think that he may be in over his head with this one. The girls had left not even an hour before the catering company had shown up and the backyard had been turned into a mess of wires, tables and people.
Chauncey had been locked up in Nicole's room to keep the dog out from under all of the feet, and the house had become a highway for traffic as people went in and out with smaller objects as the larger things were moved in and out of the gate. That by itself wasn't so bad, it really wasn't. For the most part the caterers knew what they were doing and everything progressed smoothly.
Except that people seemed to think that he was some sort of authority in where everything should go when, in all honesty, Steve had no idea how Emily wanted everything set up.
"Do you know where we're setting up the sound system?" A man asked curiously, carrying a heavy speaker.
How had it come to this? He had been put in charge of answering the phone to deal with very simple questions.
"I, um, I think that they want it by the shed in the back yard? There should be a structure set up for it?" He answered, looking around for someone–anyone–who could help. Jack had left, apparently there had been some sort of emergency meeting that he'd been called to about half an hour ago, and the big man had rushed out of the house apologizing and promising that he would be back as soon as he could.
Dum Dum and Mark had gone out to make sure everything was progressing smoothly out back; Dum Dum was getting everything set up in the right places so that there would be plenty of room for everyone to move around and socialize as well as dancing, the games they'd set up and tables to sit and eat. The menu was supposed to be a Cajun-barbeque type mix, and he had to admit that even in the early stages of food preparation everything smelled delicious. Then, of course, there was the bar set up and keeping track of lighting, tables and entertainment that Mark was in charge of.
Steve was just manning the fort and keeping an eye on Simon who had–oh hell, where had the four year old gotten off to?
"Darn it." He growled, grabbing the cordless phone in one hand as he went on a hunt through the house for the child. "Simon, where are you?"
He received only a muffled giggle in response, and Steve let out a low breath as he realized at least that the child was hiding somewhere in the basement. "Really, buddy? You're gonna try and hide from Captain America?"
Steve resisted the urge to laugh, setting the phone down on the closest stand as he scanned the room. It wasn't exactly hard for him to find the hiding four year old–the giggling coming from the pile of boxes in the corner was a huge clue–but it wouldn't be any fun if he just zeroed in on Simon's location. He felt a little guilty, he'd been sitting in the living room watching cartoons with Simon while both Dum Dum and Mark picked up the slack after Jack had left.
He felt like there was more that he could do to help, but his friend had just shrugged a shoulder and told him that they'd call if they needed something. There hadn't been too many phone calls this early in the morning, but Steve knew that once it got closer to the start of the party the phone would likely start ringing off the hook. The down time had given him the opportunity to apply the finishing touches to the anniversary gift he was planning on giving Emily and Jack; a series of sketches of their family from the past week. It wasn't much, but for such short notice he felt like they'd appreciate it.
"Hmm…" He hummed, making a show of looking under the couch, "Where could you be hiding Simon?"
He received another muffled giggle in response, and this time Steve couldn't help but grin. Ever since the child had discovered that Steve was, in fact, Captain America, he'd been practically glued to his side with questions during their vacation. At times it could get a little overwhelming, and the first few days had been mentally draining, but Steve had to admit he was having a great time. Any initial hesitation he'd felt dealing with the child was gone by now, and he found himself actually enjoying the fascination and being used as a playground. It was a nice change from people looking at his body as a threat or weapon.
"Could you be behind the door?" He asked, slightly louder than necessary, checking quickly. "No? Darn Simon, you're a great artist and a great hider!"
Steve was having a great time, and it was nice to not have to worry about SHIELD, or catching up on the things he'd missed over the past seventy years. He knew that there was a reason they kept throwing all of the information at him, he understood the importance of it, but sometimes it was nice to just… exist. In the past week he'd learned a lot of information that pertained not only to the past, but his past. It was good to talk to Dum Dum, and the overnight trip he'd taken on Wednesday to stay at Gabe's was just as great, and there was still the sensation of loss, of grief from all of the years and experiences he'd lost but it was different now.
At some point it had shifted from an overwhelming pit to… to something a little more manageable, something cleaner.
There was still a long road ahead of him, but right now he was getting the chance to slow down and absorb the fact that he didn't have the whole world bearing down on his shoulders whether real or imagined. It was… it was a relief.
"Well, I've looked everywhere in the basement except–no, it's impossible–well, maybe." He inched over to the stack of boxes, smirking at the glow of light up sneakers as Simon shifted. "Unless you're hiding behind the box!"
"Boo!" Simon jumped out at him, tiny arms latching onto his legs as the four year old abandoned his hiding spot.
"I've been caught!" He announced dramatically, "Whatever shall I do? Is this the end for me?"
Simon was giggling manically, squeezing tighter to Steve's legs as he balanced on each foot. The blonde looked down at the child in astonishment, throwing one hand over his eyes before letting his lips twitch into a thoughtful smile.
"Unless… there's one last thing I can do." And he reached down, digging his fingers gently into Simon's ribs as he tickled the four year old.
"Steve noooo!" Simon shrieked, trying to escape. He reached down to grab the child easily in one arm, hefting him up as he continued to tickle him.
"I've discovered your weakness!" He grinned, dodging the flying limbs of the squirming child. They continued to wrestle playfully until a chirp from his cellphone made the blonde pause. Simon collapsed into the couch with a breath of exhaustion, scrambling up onto his knees when Steve dropped down next to him.
"Looks like a message from Nicole. Wonder how she's enjoying her trip to the spa?" He mused, swiping to unlock the screen and bring up the message.
It was a picture of Nicole from the shoulders up, her hair wrapped up in a towel and her face covered in what looked like a bunch of green goop. There was one cucumber slice over her left eye, the other held in her hand as she arched an eyebrow and stuck her tongue out at the camera. She looked a little ridiculous, but more so was the caption that followed.
Being pampered like an ultimate goddess. Wish you were here, Rogers?:P
"Ah!" Simon yelped, peering at the picture. "What's wrong with her face?"
Steve chuckled at the child, reaching out to rustle his hair. "They went to a spa, and that stuff on her face is some sort of cream to make her skin look prettier. It's called a facial."
Simon looked confused, chewing on his lower lip. "But her skin is already pretty? It has a bunch of really cool spots on it, like a cheetah!"
He laughed harder at that, nodding his head at the kid. "This is true, but sometimes girls like doing stuff like that, it makes them feel nice."
"Oh…" The child dropped into Steve side, little feet dangling over the edge of the couch. "Can boys go to spas and get facials too?"
"I don't see why not." The blonde shrugged, "If they want to, there's nothing wrong with that. There's a lot more to do at a spa than just a facial though. There's massages, and pools, and mud baths."
"Whoa! Man, my mom gets mad when I play in the mud…" There was a look of utter betrayal on Simon's face then, and Steve knew that he was going to bring that up to his parents as soon as he could.
The blonde could already picture the less than amused look Ellen would level at him in response.
"Here, why don't we send her a picture back, to show her that we're having fun here too?" It took a second for him to recall how to find the camera app–he didn't use it very often–but in that time Simon had smooshed himself into Steve's side so that they could both fit into the frame. "Make a silly face at her!"
Simon had his fingers hooked in his mouth, stretching it while he stuck his tongue out at her while Steve just screwed his face up as weirdly as he could manage. He sent it to her with its own message attached.
Joke's on you, Dugan; we're having plenty of fun without you!
The response was almost instantaneous.
Dorks. :D
"Why don't we go back upstairs? I'll whip up some quick lunch and we can go back to that show you were watching." It was a weird show, kind of dumb in his opinion, about a sponge living in the ocean but it seemed to entertain Simon.
"Will you make pb and j?" Simon asked, jumping back to his feet with a seemingly unending wave of enthusiasm.
"I'll make pb and j." He promised. When he was that age, Steve had a pretty severe peanut allergy, another thing that had been swept away when he'd received the serum. He hadn't realized until about halfway through the war, when he'd grabbed a sandwich that was essentially two cuts of bread with peanut butter slathered between them. There had been the initial panic that he was about to swell up and go into anaphylactic shock, but when nothing happened–and Peggy later explained that his allergies were gone–he had eaten two more of the sandwiches.
He really enjoyed peanuts now that he could eat them.
Just as he was about to climb to his feet and follow Simon up the stairs the phone rang, and he reached out to answer it.
"Go ahead, I'll meet you upstairs." He urged the child, pressing the receiver into his palm. Simon nodded and his footfalls were heard on the stairs as Steve placed the phone to his ear.
"Walker residence." He answered, reaching down to adjust where his watch had slipped on his wrist to check the time. His eyebrows lifted when he realized that it was almost noon; he hadn't realized that he and Simon had been playing in the basement for that long.
"Hey, it's–who is this?" A feminine voice drawled, her words low and slow in a turned up version of Nicole's drawl.
"I'm Steve, I'm a friend of Nicole's and I'm helping out while she and her mom are out." He answered easily, taking the steps two at a time as he maneuvered his way back to the kitchen and the note pad where he'd scribbled down all of the important messages.
"Ah," There was something almost gleeful in the woman's words—she sounded a little young, he would suspect around his and Nicole's age—and he arched an eyebrow as he clicked open his pen. "I'm Jack's niece Adelaide. I was just calling to let them know that my parents, Christa and Sid, and I will be a little late to the party."
"Okay." He wrote down the note right under the one where Kenzie was sick so she wouldn't be coming. "I'll let them know as soon as they get back."
"Where are they anyway?" Adelaide asked sweetly, "Hard to imagine they'd just leave you all alone to man the phones."
There was something about the woman's overly friendly tones that made Steve uncomfortable, though he couldn't quite put his thumb on it.
"Well, Jack got called in for an emergency meeting and he should be back soon I think." He answered politely, glancing around the corner of the room to see Simon settled back on the couch with a drawing pad and some colored pencils. "Emily, Nicole, Ellen and Katie are out with a friend getting their hair done, and Dum Dum and Mark are helping out the caterers."
"Dum Dum?" Was that the sound of popping gum? "Oh, you mean Tim. Not a lot of people call him that anymore, other than a few of his old friends. How do you know Nicky anyway? She doesn't bring friends home often."
"We, uh, we met through work." He answered, chewing on the end of the pen. "Known each other for a while now."
Which could be construed as true, depending on one's definition of a while.
"I see… so you work at the labs with her." Adelaide murmured, "And she brought you back to meet the family. That's just fascinating. Whelp sweetie, I've already taken up enough of your time so I'm gonna scurry on off and let you get back to work."
"It was no problem." He assured the woman, shifting slightly and internalizing his sigh of relief. There was something weird about that conversation, something in the woman's tone of voice that just rubbed him the wrong way.
"You're such a darling, putting up with my nosiness. I look forward to seeing you at the party tonight, Steve." The line went dead after that, and Steve couldn't help but shake his head.
One thing was for certain, he wasn't going anywhere near that woman without Nicole there to back him up.
IOI
"Pepper," Nicole purred, sitting perfectly still as her hair was twisted into a series of braids. "You are a goddess."
"Ah, it is so nice to be complimented." The ginger haired woman grinned as her naturally straight hair was settled in hair curlers. "I certainly try. Do you want to look at this magazine?"
Nicole took the offered magazine, glancing to the side where her mom and Ellen were chatting with their hair dressers. Katie had been done relatively quickly; her hair was cut short in a stylish bob that was remarkably easy to work with. She was now in a different seat having makeup applied to her lovely face.
"Thanks." The magazine itself was titled Messages; it was a multifaceted magazine that was based out of New York, and it ran all sorts of stories and—her personal favorite—photo series ranging from conservation, to human interest, science, history and even a small celebrity and fashion area. Nicole picked one up every now and again when the cover caught her eye, but Messages didn't quite make the list of subscriptions she had which included Time, National Geographic and several chemistry related magazines.
"We're still having our girl's day when you come back to the city, though?" Pepper asked curiously, crossing one leg over the other as she pulled out her phone. "Because this has been fun, but it doesn't quite beat a day spent at Aire."
Nicole let out a cough of surprise, thankful that she hadn't been drinking anything because it would have been sprayed across her lap. Her sudden jerk in movement caused her stylist to accidentally tug at her hair, and the woman murmured a quick apology.
"It's no problem." The redhead wheezed, glancing up at where Pepper was watching her in amusement. "You did not just say what I think you just said. Pepper, there is no way I could let you take me to Aire. That place is way too expensive."
It was one of the most luxurious spas where, for the right price, a person could literally soak in a tub full of imported red wine!
"It's not a problem, Nicole." Pepper laughed. "Being promoted to CEO came with a huge increase in pay, so it's not like I'm exactly pinched for money."
"Nope." The redhead decided. "Definitely not there. I'm all for a girls day, maybe not immediately after we get back to the city, but not somewhere that expensive. We could, instead, just hang out at the Tower, or go get fro-yo and catch a movie or something?"
Pepper rolled her eyes, chuckling slightly as she responded to a text message. "I spend too much time at the Tower as it is right now. It's becoming work, trying to make the switch to clean energy and all. How about we compromise?"
"Compromise?" Nicole flicked through to the table of contents, frowning thoughtfully. "What do you mean, compromise?"
"I take us to get our nails done or something, and then you can cover lunch and a movie?" Pepper offered.
"Okay, deal. I'm not doing much at work, so you pick the day and I'll clear my schedule." They both agreed at that, and Nicole felt her head being tilted downwards as her stylist began pinning the braids and curls up out of her face with sparkling pins. It gave her the opportunity to focus entirely on the magazine, and Nicole focused on the article covering the royal wedding.
It was an older issue of the magazine, the May release from right after the wedding, and she saw that there was also an article about the Harlem incident and Malibu as well.
One of Messages' very own photographers got in to snap some exclusive shots with the bride to be! Senior photojournalist, Anika Sigrid (right) poses with Kate Middleton (left) in a sneak peak of her wedding dress. Nobody is quite sure how Anika managed to get into the royal dressing room, but it looks like she hit it off with Kate!
The picture was of the now Duchess of Cambridge in her wedding gown, smiling and chatting at a blonde woman dressed in a lovely navy and silver dress with a large camera in her hands. Nicole narrowed her eyes on the picture of the blonde who, with the way her face was tilted, had a scar cutting across her lips. It was, in fact, a woman that Nicole had seen before.
"That's who that is!" She yelped, closing the magazine and whacking her knee with it. "I knew I recognized her from somewhere!"
"Recognized who?" Emily asked curiously, turning to face her daughter as though she'd grown two heads.
"That woman that was leaving as Lawrence came to grab us for our meeting." Nicole flipped back to the page, pointing at the picture of the woman in question. "Anika Sigrid, I saw her at Homeland Security and I thought she looked familiar. It's been bothering me for the past two weeks, I swear!"
Pepper peered over in passing as she was moved back into the chair. "Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about now. She's one of the big name photographers, and has been since before the royal wedding. I think she's the general's goddaughter."
"I'm not crazy!" The redhead cheered, pumping her fist in the air much to the entertainment of her hair stylist.
"I don't know about crazy, but you're definitely all done." The woman smirked, handing her a small mirror before turning her in the chair. "What do you think?"
Nicole tilted the mirror so that she could get a good look at the back of her head, smiling brightly at the updo. Most of her hair had been bound back into braids, wrapped up and knotted against her neck while her bangs and a few curls had been pinned back with sparkling pins.
"Oh this is gorgeous! I don't relish the thought of taking it out, but it's beautiful." She breathed, gracing her fingers over the texture of the braids. "Thank you so much."
"Not a problem. If you want to hop on down to where your cousin is, we'll get your make up done too. Is that the dress you're going to wear to the party?" Nicole looked down at her green sundress; it had a sweetheart neckline and straps, as well as a gathered waistline and flowing skirts that stopped right at her knees. She had picked it up especially for the party, and to her it was a good mix of formal and casual.
"It is indeed." She answered, brushing out the imaginary wrinkles as she moved down to the seat at the vanity table.
"It's a lovely dress too. Looks like everyone else is just about done as well, so we're gonna go ahead and put on your makeup and paint your nails and get you girls out of here." Nicole allowed herself to be leaned back, loving the feeling of total relaxation that had washed over her body. The massage had left her feeling like a boneless fish and she absolutely loved it, and her skin felt well-scrubbed and clean.
At the moment Nicole felt very feminine, and it was positively thrilling.
"We're almost done." The stylist promised, "Just gotta apply the mascara, and some lip pigment."
"Oh!" Pepper grinned, leaning over as her curls fell around her shoulder. "Use that shade, it's absolutely gorgeous on her."
Nicole cracked one eye open cautiously, trying very hard not to flinch at the close proximity of the stylist with the mascara wand. Put her in the field and someone inching in close with a knife and she was cool under pressure but the moment someone came at her with a make-up brush she turned into a twitchy mess.
"Gonna wow quite a lot of folks. You have such lovely lips!" The stylist chattered, "And your eyes are such a dark shade of brown!"
"Thanks?" She offered, the words coming out slightly muffled as her lips were brushed with an application of color.
Nicole received compliments all the time, whether it was from people she was tasked with getting close to, or just drunk people at bars, but they seldom actually paid any attention to the color of her eyes. Unless those people were unfortunate enough to see the way they changed when she was using her powers, but those people weren't exactly in the complimenting mood.
"All done!" Nicole was whirled around to face the mirror, and her eyes widened in surprise.
Her eyes were lightly lined, the mascara and shadow making them look dark and smoky, and the shimmer accented her cheek bones. She looked… damn, she looked banging and Nicole was starting to think that she should wear makeup more often because damn.
"Baby, you look phenomenal." Emily grinned, looking a little more sedate in a pair of grey dress pants and a floral blouse with a jacket over top. Her makeup made her look mature, and her short hair was curled around her face. "You've become such a beautiful woman."
"Um." Nicole hedged, easing out of her chair and stiffening slightly as her mother pulled her into a tight hug. "Please don't start crying."
Brown eyes looked over her mother's head for help, falling on her aunt Ellen who was barely restraining her laughter at the horrified expression on the tall woman's face. Nicole wasn't exactly the best at dealing with emotions anymore; there had been a time when she had been very open and upfront about exactly how she felt, exactly what she wanted but…
"Loki, please. Say something… anything!"
"Darling, what can I say that you haven't already? Maybe that's the problem; you're young, you're mortal and you're so… it was innocent and fun."
"So that's it then? We can't discuss this like adults?"
"You don't even need to say anything, it's all already out there for me to see love. You're an open book, you wear your heart on your sleeve and it might have been refreshing at first, but now I just find myself wondering… where's the mystery?"
"I'm not going to start crying." Emily huffed, jolting Nicole out of the memory with a twitch as she held her daughter at arm's length. "I just wanted a hug."
"Heh." Nicole scraped her nails down her chin to alleviate the itch, pulling her phone out of the pocket of her dress–and dress pockets were awesome–to check the time. "Well this has been nice, but it's going on two-thirty mom. We'd better get back to the house and go enjoy the party we spent countless hours and dollars on."
"Tony has been blowing up my phone wondering when I'm going to have the vehicle back to pick him up." Pepper added innocently. "So we probably should get back."
"Right, alright ladies lets pay and get back into the car." Ellen decided, taking charge of the situation like a pro. Of course twenty plus years as a nurse and half of that spent working the ICU and ER had toughened Ellen up and taught her how to be the boss.
Nicole nodded, kissing her mom on the cheek as she pulled the keys out of her pocket and headed for the door. "I'll drive the getaway car."
She checked her phone again as she unlocked the door of the SUV, wondering to herself what exactly it was with people and black vehicles. All of SHIELD's were black, Tony's rental was black, why didn't people enjoy a festively colored means of transportation? Her own vehicle was a Prius that was a bright shade of green and she loved it.
Starting the car, Nicole looked at her phone to see the new messages. There were five of them, all within the last forty-five minutes and all of them from Steve.
From: Steeb Robbers
Hey, just wondering when you guys were going to get back? People are starting to show up.
That had been the first one, sent just when they'd started twisting up her hair.
From: Steeb Robbers
Nicole, please tell me you're going to be back soon. People have started taking notice of me and they're asking a lot of questions.
From: Steeb Robbers
Hey, you'll never guess who showed up! Also, I've been cornered by your aunts and your cousins. Help.
From: Steeb Robbers
This isn't funny, I regret coming with you. Save me. :(
From: Steeb Robbers
:( :( :( :( :(
She laughed, placing the phone to her ear as it started ringing.
IOI
"Where are you?" Steve hissed, his voice low from where he had hidden in Nicole's bedroom. "You're thirty minutes late."
His ears were perked, listening as people went in and out of the house and chatted amongst themselves. So long as nobody got too close to the bedroom door, or decided to poke their head in, he should be safe.
"Sorry, we took a little longer than expected and–Steve are you whispering?" Nicole answered on the other end, "Why are you whispering?"
"Why did I agree to come with you?" It had begun at about one, when Jack had finally returned with several vehicles in tow. The first person to get out was a wrinkled old woman who he automatically placed as Jack's mother. Her white hair was wrapped up in a bright scarf, and she looked like the years hadn't held her back in any way. She gripped a polished black cane, favoring her left leg as she walked, and as soon as her eyes landed on him the woman's smile brightened.
"So you're the young man that my Nika brought home with her?" She took a few determined steps into the house, sizing him up with analytical hazel eyes. "What's your name, son?"
"Steve, ma'am, Steve Rogers." He answered nervously, offering his hand. The way this woman was watching him, it was intimidating even if she was half his size and over three times his biological age. She carried herself with stiff shoulders and a straight spine, her sun beaten skin and sharp eyes telling a story of years that instantly made him respect her.
"Steve Rogers…" The woman looked at her son in amusement before turning back to grasp his hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "My name is Josephine Walker, but I suppose you can call me Mama Josie like everyone else does. Now, son, I don't know how you know my cher, but I expect you to be on your best behavior around her. Otherwise you'll find yourself fertilizing my vegetable garden."
And he believed her.
But as far as that introductions had gone, that one had been the most painless. As soon as her aunts had seen him, they'd latched on with questions about how they'd met, whether they were dating… when they weren't trying to set him up with Nicole, they were trying to introduce him to all of their daughters. Steve had just barely managed to escape by pleading a need for the bathroom, and he'd disappeared into Nicole's room practically barring the door.
"I take it you've met my aunts." Nicole laughed, "And you're hiding in my room?"
"Are you on your way? Because honestly, Dum Dum, Gabe and Mark have thrown me to the vultures." He demanded, paling when he heard his name being called. "Please hurry."
"We're on our way now blondie, don't worry." Nicole promised, the sound of muffled voices coming from the other end of the line. "You have to hold on for about fifteen more minutes."
"Steeeeve!" A high pitched voice called. "Where are you sugar?"
The blonde groaned at the noise, pressing his back into the wall as he inched towards the bathroom door. He'd only met her for a few seconds, but he was already dreading the sound of Adelaide's voice. She looked at him as though he were a piece of meat, and he'd caught her biting her lip quite a lot when she had been grilling him with questions.
"Hurry." He growled, voice dropping in volume as he tried to silence his breathing.
"Take it you've met Adelaide?" Nicole on the other hand was more than content in being conversational, not even bothering to regulate her voice. "Has she tried to corner you in the bedroom yet? Don't let her get you alone, whatever you do."
"Thanks for that, because I hadn't realized." He huffed, listening as footsteps drew closer. "What is her deal?"
"A hyper-competitive drive, coupled with a very active libido. Believe me when I say she wants to latch onto you and stick like a lamprey." His friend answered, pausing to snort at something that Katie said. "My advice? Get back out into the open; she's much less likely to come onto you too strongly if there are other people watching."
"Steve? You're missing the party sweetheart." He pushed his spine into the wall of the bathroom as the bedroom door opened just a crack. "Steve?"
Don't come in any farther. Please don't come in any farther. He pleaded silently, watching from the small crack in the frame. Don't come into the bathroom.
Adelaide took a few tentative steps into Nicole's bedroom, flipping her light brown hair over one shoulder as her grey-green eyes scanned the messy dresser. There was a half-smile on her face from what he could see as she lifted a bottle of nail-polish, setting it down before inspecting something that was hidden by a small basket.
Adelaide let out a huff of laughter, tossing whatever it was back on the ground before she turned and left the room, flipping off the light. Steve waited until he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore before he dared to leave the bathroom, placing the phone back to his ear. "Your family is horrifying."
"Was she in my room?" Nicole questioned, annoyance in the edge of her voice. "Ew."
"Don't worry." Steve looked curiously at the dresser, absentmindedly returning the well-loved Bucky Bear to its proper spot. "She wasn't snooping or anything. Do you not like her?"
"It's not so much that; over-competitive drive was a bit of hell when we were growing up. Especially considering that we went to the same high-school together. Addie's not a bad girl, she's very comfortable with her body and I can't judge her for that. Other than the one time she flirted shamelessly with a boy that I kind of liked, we get along pretty good." Steve poked his head around the door, scanning down both ends of the hallway.
"SHIELD let you go to a public school?" He asked, hurrying out of the room and towards the patio. "I thought they'd have their own private education system."
"We were insistent. Plus, they had put me on the index and I had control of my powers." She answered, "It was a lengthy debate, but eventually the then-director gave me the all clear with the stipulation that I do daily check-ins at the Quarry. Oh, we're almost at the house."
"Thank God." He sighed, stepping onto the stone patio and absently running a hand down his slacks. Steve hadn't been entirely sure what to wear for the party; he'd been assured that it was a casual event, but at the same time… ten years of marriage was a big thing to celebrate and he wanted to dress a little nicely. Especially considering all of the stops that they'd pulled out for the party, including the catering. He'd ended up settling on a pair of tan slacks and a white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It seemed to fit with what the rest of the guys were wearing, and he felt neither over-dressed in the company of the rest of the men who were dressed along the same lines, or under-dressed in the company of the women who were wearing anything ranging from sundresses to jeans and a nice blouse.
"That the girls?" Jack asked, separating himself from a small group of children.
"Yeah. They should be here soon." Steve answered with a nod. "Wanna talk to them?"
The big man shook his head, reaching up to scratch his beard. "Naw, 's fine. They'll be showing up any minute now."
"Turning onto the street as we speak actually." Nicole offered. "Goodness, there are a lot of people here. Is that Robbie and Lindsey behind us? Oh I think it is! Everybody wave!"
"See you in a bit." Steve chuckled, hanging up the phone.
For all of the chaos of this morning, the back yard looked fantastic. Lights had been strung up in the trees, along the supports of the porch and carefully looped around the torches that Nicole had set up a few days ago as a perimeter. There were enough tables set up with light blue clothes and tall glass centerpieces filled with blue glass beads and seashells. For the most part the guests were enjoying socializing with one another, chatting happily and catching up as they shared small snacks or different drinks.
The kids were chasing one another across the yard, a few had even jumped into the pool and were splashing happily at one another. Steve watched in amusement as a rather intense game of volleyball broke out among some of the older kids, a rather short girl with bright blue hair jumping impressively to slam the ball with her hand. It landed with a sharp bounce in the grass, followed by a series of catcalls and whistles as the girl smirked at her family.
He had been introduced to a lot of people in the past forty-five minutes, and more kept showing up to the point where the names were getting all blurred in his head. He had thought Nicole had been exaggerating when she'd said that Jack had a big family, but… he was in the middle of six siblings, and almost all of them were married with kids of their own… a few were even grandparents. Even with only a fraction of the list showing up for the party, the back yard was filling up quickly.
"There you are, darling." Adelaide beamed, coming up to him in a swish of skirts and bouncing brown curls. "We were wondering where you'd gotten off to!"
Steve smiled nervously, trying to keep his body from stiffening when she wound her arms around his own. "Sorry, just needed to use the bathroom."
It had been his excuse when he had first slipped away from the pack of women that were fawning over him, and now Steve regretted that he couldn't use it again without sounding suspicious. His eyes scanned the yard, looking for someone to get him away from the pack of Nicole's aunts and cousins that seemed to be obsessed with him, but everyone else seemed equally engaged.
"Not a problem, sweetie." Adelaide patted his bicep, dragging him back to the small table where several women were sitting, including Josie. "You were just about to tell us where you're from and how you met our dearest Nicole."
"Oh yes!" Janice grinned, snuggling the baby in her arms. "How did you meet Nicky? She never mentioned you."
"I—" There was a loud cheer followed by applause that interrupted his words, and Steve turned to the source to find Emily walking in with the rest of the ladies. Pepper wasn't with them he noticed, though he suspected that was because she went to pick up Tony. "Why don't we ask her? She tells the story much better than me."
"There you are cher!" Jack grinned, sweeping his wife into his arms with a kiss to her forehead. "We were starting to think you were gonna miss your own party!"
"I would never!" Emily laughed, her hair shining copper as it caught in the bright sun. "Sorry that we took so long though everyone! Lost track of the time, I'm afraid."
She looked elegant in her outfit, especially when she smiled and reached out to hug the person nearest to her, whom Steve believed to be Nicole's Uncle Kenny if he recalled correctly. Ellen followed directly behind, locating her husband as she and Katie were drawn into conversation with a group of friends.
Nicole was the last to come through, brushing out her dress as she carried the carefully wrapped box that he knew contained the silver bracelet she'd bought her mother over to the gift table. Almost as soon as she stepped onto the back porch though, Dum Dum reached out to pull her into a bear hug and murmur something in her ear. Steve knew that he was staring, he couldn't help it though; this was a side of his friend that he hadn't actually seen before.
He was used to seeing her in jeans and a t-shirt, very casual wear, or black training clothes a few days a week whenever she dropped him off at the Bank. The dress she had worn when they'd gone out on Tuesday to celebrate had been nice, and she had certainly looked amazing but this… this was something different. She looked stunning, her hair was pinned back in a simple twisted braid, bangs falling down across smoky eyes and bright red lips as she laughed at whatever her grandfather said to her. Steve felt himself pushing out of his seat, preparing to go say hello when Nicole turned her head and looked over to his left.
Nicole's entire face lit up into a huge smile, and she quickly detached herself from the conversation as she hurried across the yard. "I can't believe you're here! I thought you were in Korea!"
The redhead launched herself into Trips arms, laughing as the tall man physically lifted her off the ground and spun her in a circle. "I was, but we wrapped up early and I wanted to surprise your mom."
"You still could have told me!" She growled playfully, glaring up at him.
"Sorry, sugar, it was level 10 classified." Trip shrugged innocently, "Ow! C'mon girl!"
Nicole snorted as she punched him in the shoulder, rolling her eyes.
"Coo-wee," Josie whistled from her seat beside him, a strange look on her face. "Look at how that peeshwank grew up. She's such a sweetheart, my Nika; always helpful and smiling."
"I remember when Jack first introduced her to the family," Janice continued, switching the baby to her other arm. "Nicky was so quiet and shy at first. Didn't even say more than ten words to us in three hours, we thought there was something wrong with her."
"Nicole?" His eyebrows raised in surprise. "She's so friendly with new people."
Josie shook her head slightly at that, a smile lifting her feature. "Nika was as shy as a baby bird at first, just stuck to her mama's side like glue. Opened right up when we started cooking though; she's a curious girl by nature and she loved learning new things."
"Why don't you go get her, Steve?" Adelaide pouted at that suggestion, her large lips twisting as she seemed to tighten her hold on his arm.
"Nicky can get herself over here in good time." The brunette argued, "Ain't no need to make a fuss."
Steve tried to open his mouth, but the women talked right over him and he was left answering all sorts of questions ranging from what he did for a living—which he didn't answer entirely honestly—to what he thought about politics, history, art, and of course the ever revolving questions of what he thought about each single, adult age girl at the party.
About half way through an uncomfortable response regarding his feelings towards Alice's bright blue hair, his savior came in the form of Tony's arrival. The billionaire and his girlfriend had finally shown up, and while he was dressed remarkably low-key in a pair of nice jeans and a t-shirt covered by a blazer, the presence of an actual celebrity seemed to take the attention off of him. Steve slipped away from the table, making his way over to where the drinks were being served so that he could get himself a glass of water.
"You look like you've been having the time of your life, Rogers." Katie laughed, pouring a can of soda into a cup filled with ice. "You finally got free of the pack?"
"It's something else." He answered neutrally. "Most of the older women are trying to hook me up with their daughters, and with the exception of a few, none of them are interested and it's obvious. I don't know whether I should be relieved or insulted."
The dark haired woman let out a laugh, swirling her ice with a straw. "Have you looked at yourself in a mirror lately, amigo? You're prime hunk material and most of the ladies are trying to nab that up for their daughters since they can't get it for themselves."
"I figured that out early on." He answered, remembering all of the looks that had been thrown at him from women young and old alike. "I don't know why I agreed to come to this party."
Katie shrugged at that, shoving her spare hand in the pocket of her shorts. "I don't know why you told them you were single."
In retrospect, now that he thought about it Katie had a point… it would have been a lot simpler if he'd made some ambiguous reference to a significant other early on in the night. Steve had foolishly thought that it would have made matters more complicated however, and had just told the truth.
"Here, we've still got a bit of sunlight left, and I challenged Tony to a game of corn hole. I need a teammate to help me kick Mr. Science's ass and you need to be busy." She offered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You game?"
"I don't know that I've ever played." He took a drink of water, draining the rest of the bottle and tossing it in the trash can. "But I'm down."
"Oh thank goodness." Katie grinned, "With you on my team I at least stand a chance."
"Alright then, let's play." He laughed, bumping her gently in the shoulder. "You'll have to brush me up on the rules though."
"Not a problem, Steve." Pulling him to the area where the boards were set up. Tony was chatting a mile a minute at Mark, tossing a corn-bag back and forth in his hands.
"It's all about the physics man, simple as the right angle at the right velocity." The billionaire grinned, knocking the bag in the air with his elbow before catching it again. "And I am an expert at physics. I'm an expert at most things, actually."
"So, how do we play?" The blonde asked curiously, forcing an innocent look onto his face. He imagined that the game itself must be simple, but a fissure of mischievousness went through him as he watched Stark bluster.
"It's simple, Rogers." Tony grinned, motioning for Steve to switch places with Mark at his side. "You take turns tossing the bags at the board; one point for each one that lands on the face, three points for each one in the hole, no points for anywhere else."
He nodded absently at that, lifting one of the bags and testing its weight. Steve could feel the individual grains beneath the dusty blue cover as he tried to familiarize himself with the dynamics of it.
"Don't feel bad if you guys lose the first round; it's all in the science of it." Tony grinned arrogantly, tossing his first bag. It landed right on the board, just on the edge of tumbling through the hole.
"I'm sure you'll go easy on a beginner." Adjusting the bag in his hand, Steve tossed his own bag, making sure that it fell just short of the board.
He'd done it before, long before the war had started, and Bucky used to swear that it was giving him grey hairs… Pretend to be new to a game, play the first few rounds poorly until the other guys thought it was a sure win and lull them into a false sense of security. And then they started betting money, stupid amounts of money, and he'd show them how good he really was.
Steve had had some close calls with guys twice his size, and Bucky had gone mottled red the first time he'd seen it, but after he'd helped pay their first month's rent his friend had stopped bitching.
Katie let out a groan, dropping her face into the palm of her hand. "Great, we're gonna get creamed."
Steve just leaned back on his heels, watching as Tony tossed another bag. The game was young still, he wanted to tell her, just watch and see.
The game was young.
IOI
"Honey, you just look darling today." Nicole reached down to fold her Mémère into her arms, enjoying the comforting scent of her perfume mixed with familiar spices that the older woman never managed to quite get rid of.
"Thanks Mama Josie." The redhead murmured, feeling the older woman's bony arms wrap around her frame. She had heard the same compliment many times over the course of the past few hours, more than a few times from her grandmother even, but Nicole couldn't help the smile that found her face nonetheless. She had done a lot of smiling today, which was nice considering the fact that so far her mom's party was going much better than she had been expecting.
Normally when it came to family gatherings… well, it was not incomparable to a circus.
"You know when your mama is going to open up her gifts?" Mama Josie asked, settling back down in her chair. "Because it's getting a little long in the day."
They had just finished eating, the last of the dessert–a delicious variety of cheesecakes–cleared away as the venue subtly started shifting towards a more adult audience. The bar had opened up and people were starting to enjoy the flowing alcohol as others began packing up their children to return them to the hotel rooms or begin the trip home. Others were chatting happily, some breaking off into small groups to create more intimate settings as they all caught up.
Her mother was leaning against Jack, her head on his shoulder as they both laughed at one of her uncle Charlie's stories. Whatever it was, Nicole imagined it had to be hilarious as his hands were waving in the air and they were barely containing their amusement.
"I'm not entirely sure, Mémère. Soon I'd say, but I can go ask if you'd like?" She offered, reaching out to grasp her grandmother's cool hand. It was warm out by her standards, but Nicole knew that with old age came poor circulation and the snowy haired woman let out a sigh.
"You're hands are always so warm, cher." Josie smiled, "but don't you rush your mama. I've got a nice room for the night, so long as there's someone to take me back to the hotel, I'll be fine."
"You know you could have stayed here, Mémère." Nicole offered; her grandmother had ridden down with her uncle Kenny, which unfortunately meant that she was stuck in a six plus hour car ride back to New Orleans with Darla. "But Steve and I can take you back to the hotel."
She hadn't been drinking much, and Steve couldn't get drunk, which meant that they would probably end up being in charge of calling taxis when necessary and dealing with drunk family.
"Oh you hush, cher. I'm quite fine; I've got my own room and it's absolutely lovely." A sly look entered those brown eyes then, and her grandmother patted her leg. "That Steve though, he's a fine boy. Very polite. I think he was scared stiff when your papa first introduced us."
"I don't doubt it." She laughed, remembering the flighty look on his face when she'd seen him sitting with Adelaide wrapped around his arm. Nicole loved her cousin, she really did, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for both her and Steve; when the brunette set her eyes on someone, she was relentless in her pursuit.
"He is a good friend though, I'm really glad that I met him." And she was. Nicole wondered what her life would have been like if director Fury had chosen any other agent to help Steve assimilate into the 20th century. She imagined it wouldn't have been much different than before; she would get sent off on missions and continue trying to live her life while hiding the secret of her powers. It was a relief to have someone–someone outside of a small circle and her immediate family–know about her abilities. Steve hadn't asked much even though she knew that he was curious, and Nicole resolved to take him back to one of the rooms at the Bank so that she could show him first hand some of the things that she could do.
"I am too." Nicole looked over curiously at her grandmother, surprised to find the woman watching her with a somber expression. "You seem a lot happier Nika, you've been smiling more than I've seen in years and it's a relief. Not since you were still in college anyway; no matter what your relationship with that boy is–and it ain't none of my business–he makes you happy and that's enough for me."
A swell of emotion filled the redhead then, and her eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on where Steve was sitting with her grandfather, Gabe and Trip. She pondered those words, mulling them over in her head as she tried to match them up to the past three months. Had she been happier? Nicole couldn't exactly say for certain, as it wasn't something she had consciously thought about. She'd been frustrated a lot; she had made a lot of leaps and bounds in getting to know Steve, reading his character and being his friend, but their personalities clashed sometimes. Sometimes it was her fault, sometimes it was his, and sometimes it left her wanting to rip her hair out.
But there was something exponentially wonderful about having a roommate, having a friend that she got to see on a daily basis, that she had missed in her years at SHIELD. Agents were encouraged to keep their secrets, to keep their weaknesses to themselves because they didn't know who all could learn them, and she had been taught to compartmentalize herself more than most. But no matter what, every day in the past three months, she'd come home and Steve had been there, and it was something she had taken for granted in a way.
Maybe she was happier, maybe it was because of Steve Rogers, she couldn't say because she honestly just took each day at a time. Either way, she knew that she would do what she could to make sure that it stayed that way.
"Hey everyone! We're gonna go ahead and open gifts now; I know it's getting late and some of you are looking to turn in for the night." Her mom stood up from her seat, having changed her blazer for a sweater just before they'd eaten, and turned towards the table that was piled with gifts.
The gifts themselves were all lovely, and very diverse. There were the expected picture frames, a set of matching wine glasses, some towels and jewelry. Her grandpa's gift was, so far, her favorite; it was nana's engagement and wedding ring, as well as the sapphire necklace he'd saved up to buy her when they'd discovered that she was pregnant. And then there were the more unique gifts, and some of them were thoughtful and beautiful–like the topography map of the lake where Jack had asked her mom to marry him from Uncle Charlie–and others were a little weird but still pretty like the topiary that she'd gotten from Mama Josie.
And a couple jars of homemade pickles.
"I've got a box of jars for you to take back to New York with you, Nika." Her grandmother whispered after the oohs and aahs had died down. "I know how much you love them."
Which was definitely true, but not quite to the extent that it warranted so many jars. But Nicole couldn't bring herself to tell her grandmother that; Barton would be more than thrilled to take whatever she didn't finish.
"Okay, mom, looks like there are only two left. And the box is from me." She smiled, watching as her mother took the small package that held her bracelet.
"You didn't have to get me anything baby; just having you here has been enough." Emily smiled, dabbing at her eyes.
Nicole grinned, pulling both of her parents into a tight hug. She loved them both so much; her mom had always been her number one fan, the one person who had believed in her no matter what, and at first Nicole had been worried when Jack had entered the picture. She'd had the typical worries about him taking her mom away, but then there had been the fear of him figuring out about her abilities. And she needn't have worried; Jack had treated her like his own daughter even though Nicole knew that she had been more than a little problematic at times.
"I know that the time for toasts has already passed, and I've already said my spiel, but I just wanted to say again how happy I am for the both of you." Nicole began, "Mom I love you, and I know that raising me on your own has been difficult. But I just want to tell you how grateful I am for you, because right from the start I've never had to want for anything."
She turned to Jack then, the corner of her mouth lifting as she took a sip of champagne. "And Jack… God, what can I say that I haven't already told you? You're the absolute best; you came into our life and right from the start you made sure that I knew you weren't trying to take my mom away. Not only that, but you made me feel loved and safe even though I was at a very, well, let's say difficult, point in my life. I never knew my biological father, but it never really mattered to me because you're all the dad I've ever needed."
There were happy tears streaming down her mom's face, and even though Nicole felt more than a little awkward she allowed both of them to hug her to the point where she thought she wouldn't be able to breathe. There was a loud chorus of applause after that, and her mom pulled back sniffling as she looked down at the striped wrapping paper.
"Look at you, making me cry and messing up my makeup." Emily laughed, "Even worse than dad did with his gift."
"What can I say," Nicole laughed. "I want to be a tough act to follow, so I feel bad for whoever that last gift is from."
It was a tube, wrapped up in brown paper and tied off at the ends with twine, and Nicole had no idea who it was from… she was more than a little curious.
"You've always been a tough act to follow, why do you think you don't have any siblings?" Her mother carefully removed the wrapping paper, opening up the box.
It was a delight to watch the curiosity fade to astonishment and utter adoration as she lifted the diamond and silver bracelet.
"Oh baby, it's beautiful!" And for the umpteenth time that night, Nicole was being squeezed by her mom and could find no complaint in it. "Look at how gorgeous this is, Jack!"
"Coo-wee bebette that is one nice bracelet." The big man grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Her mom had promptly started showing the bracelet off, earning a series of coos from the ladies.
"There's one last gift darling," Jack chuckled, "And you can do the honors."
"Such a sweetheart." Emily rolled her eyes, grabbing the tube and twisting it in her hands. "And this one… has no card on it?"
"It's from me." Nicole looked over in surprise at Steve's croak; his face was slightly flushed and his hand was on the back of his neck again. "It was a little short notice, so some of them might look rushed, but I hope you like them."
"Steve," Emily smiled warmly at him, as warmly as she'd smiled at Nicole. "Honey you are such a darling. I cannot thank you enough for all the help you've been around here. And you got us something too?"
She pulled one of the ties off of the packaging, sliding out a series of rolled up pieces of paper. Nicole couldn't help her curiosity as she inched closer to the table, watching as her mom unrolled the stack. Jack peered over her shoulder, his eyes widening in surprise as he reached out to take the first page.
"Steve these drawings are wonderful! Did you do them all yourself?" The older woman breathed in surprise, flipping through each one. There was one of Jack's Cadillac, one of her parents the first night they'd been at the house, and several more of the family taken at various moments while they'd been on vacation. Some were in excruciatingly colorful detail, while others were hastily scribbled black and white sketches.
They stopped on the largest piece of paper, and Nicole recognized the scene instantly; it had been from last night, all of them sitting on the patio while they waited for Jack to get back from the game and enjoying their pizza. Her mom was leaning against her grandfather, Mark and Ellen were snuggled up against one another, Katie was showing something to Pepper, who was sitting on Tony's lap while he talked to her. And Nicole was leaning back in her chair with Simon sleeping in her lap and Chauncey curled up on her feet.
And she did look happy.
"It's not much, the least I could do for you letting me stay." Steve shrugged, stiffening in surprise when her mother practically threw herself at him and pulled him into a tight hug.
The blonde looked confused and terrified for all of two seconds before returning the gesture, a small smile on his face as his eyes drifted closed.
"Steve, you are welcome at my house any time you want. You're one of the family now." Emily promised, the happy tears streaming down her face in earnest as she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Nicole had to hide her own grin behind her hand at the hopeful look on his face, settling to wink at her friend. She was glad her mother had actually said it to him, because it had been what Nicole had been thinking for the past couple of days. She might have only met Steve three months ago, but he'd been a part of their lives for a lot longer. It was only fitting that they make it official now.
After the gifts were given out people started taking their cue to leave. The party was winding down a little bit, and Nicole was personally celebrating the success of a family gathering with minimal drama as she went over to where Steve was talking with her mom, who was still completely fascinated with the drawings.
"Hey there blondie." She grinned, enjoying the thump of music as some of her cousins were happily dancing over on the patio. "Way to be a strong finish."
Steve gave her a small smile, reaching over to shove her gently. "You were a pretty tough act to follow."
Nicole rolled her eyes, offering her spare glass of water to him. Steve took it gratefully, looking up as Katie strolled by dragging Adelaide and Trip to go dancing with her. A strange look crossed his features as his blue eyes followed them to the dancing, and Nicole wondered at the bitterness of it.
"Do you want to dance?" She asked curiously, her words jerking him back from whatever thoughts were going around in his head.
Steve gave a small shake of his head, an almost rueful look on his face. "No thanks, I never exactly learned and… well, I don't think I'm any good at it."
"You can't be any worse than Tony." She offered helpfully, thinking back to the footage from his own birthday where he'd been dancing drunkenly in his Iron Man suit. It was much better than the later footage of him fighting against War Machine.
"I'll have you know!" The billionaire scoffed, "That I am a fantastic dancer, and I have several models who can back that up."
"Tony, those models were willing to say anything to sleep with you." Pepper added patiently, following her boyfriend as he came up to where they were standing. "We wanted to find you before we left."
"You guys are leaving?" Emily looked genuinely upset; she had known Tony before his own ego had gotten too big to make him insufferable, and he was actually enjoyable to hang out with when he wasn't too full of himself.
"Not while the booze is still flowing." Tony promised with a roguish grin. "But before we enjoyed the grown-up partying too much to forget, I wanted to tell you two something. We're leaving some time tomorrow, probably in the afternoon to evening, and were going to offer you guys a ride back to New York in the jet. Figured you could skip all of the annoying airline security crap and ride in style."
"Oh!" She hadn't even thought about the flight back home. Their flight wasn't until Monday, but it was early morning Monday and she supposed they wouldn't be missing much if they went home a day early. Not to mention the fact that it would allow Nicole to move past the pesky pet issue, as well as dealing with all of the pickles.
"I mean, if you don't mind." She shrugged, before looking questioningly up at Steve.
"It's kind of you to offer, Mr. Stark." The blonde responded, "And it would be nice to not have such an early flight."
"Great!" Tony clapped. "Then it's settled. It's settled. I'll call you or whatever tomorrow Freckles, we can hammer out the details after I get over the hangover. And right now, I'm off to enjoy the free alcohol."
"Just let me know when you're ready to leave tomorrow, guys." Pepper smiled, an exasperated look on her face as Tony left. "And we'll get everything settled. We're in no rush."
"Thanks Pep." Nicole called to the retreating woman's back, earning a wave in response. "Seriously, Tony has no idea how lucky he is."
"I think he knows." Steve offered with a small smile. "But I think he's got the right idea; we should enjoy the party while we can. Why don't we go see what your grandpa and Gabe are up to?"
"Laissez les bons temps rouler." Nicole agreed, linking her arm around his.
IOI
Translation: (French)
Laissez les bons temps rouler. Let the good times roll.
