Okay ya'll, this is the big chapter, it's the longest chapter I've written, and that's because I just couldn't break it up. This is the payoff, and I hope I didn't get too OOC. Also, I posted a link to a picture of Minnie's dress on my profile. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!


A few hours later, after dinner the band was playing, people were talking, speeches had been made, and most of all, everyone was drinking.

"Your vodka cranberry." Dallas said as he handed me a drink.

"Mm, thank you." I said and took it from him. I sipped my second drink and he stood there next to me for a moment, watching as Pepper and Tony danced.

"So where's your boyfriend?"

"You're standing right next to me."

"Oh honey, as much as I love you, I'll never love you like that." he shook his head.

"Oh darn, and here I thought I stood a chance." I snapped my fingers.

"Sorry, but you know who would be a good replacement?"

"Who?"

"Dr. Banter."

"It's Banner." I corrected him and he nodded.

"Yeah, he's right over there and closing in fast." Dallas said and smiled. "Right here love bug!" he called and I hit his arm.

"Dallas, you wonder why I don't date?" I hissed and he grinned as Dr. Banner walked over.

"Oookay, well, I'm going to go find my life partner, I know he's in here somewhere, you two have fun." he winked at me and I smiled as he walked away.

"I'm sorry, he hit his head when he was young." I said.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, and hasn't stopped hitting it since then. He's damaged." I nodded and he chuckled.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked after a moments pause.

"Yes." I looked at him and he smiled. I laughed lightly and put my drink down. "Way to be discreet Minnie." I muttered to myself. We stepped out to the dance floor and he put one hand on my waist, and took the other in his. I smiled as we danced, this was too much.

"I like your dress." he said softly.

"Thank you, it uh, it was a gift." I said. I felt his hand move from my waist slightly until his fingers lightly brushed the bare skin on my back as he pulled me closer to him. I took in an involuntary breath and looked up at him. He acted like he wasn't doing anything, but his lips were curling slightly. "Do you do this with every girl you dance with Dr. Banner?" I asked and his smiled widened slightly.

"Only the ones who wear a dress like this." he said softly. I smiled as he ran his thumb down my spine. I gasped softly and moved in closer to him, my body brushed up against his. He seemed to tense up slightly at the contact, but then relaxed. I was about to say something when his eyes left mine and he frowned lightly. "Is that... Roxy Jameson?"

"What?" I asked and turned around to see Roxy Jameson, the Senator's daughter walking through the door. "Oh boy." I muttered when she stumbled slightly and one of the security guys caught her. "Excuse me Bruce." I said and walked over. "Roxy, how was your party?"

"Boring." she scoffed, I could smell the alcohol from three feet away. "And the food sucked, Daddy only wanted to have a party tonight because he wanted to one up Tony." she sighed. "Can I have a drink please?" she asked a waiter. He looked at me and I shook my head.

"Sorry sweetie, I think you've had enough." I said softly, trying to take care of the matter as discreetly as possible. I saw Dallas walking casually over to me, my clutch stuck under his arm. He handed me my phone and helped me lead Roxy out of the ballroom, to the hallway. "Go tell Pepper what's going on." I said softly to Dallas who nodded. He rushed back to the ballroom while I dialed a number.

"Who are you- Are you calling Tony?" she asked as she leaned on the wall.

"No sweetheart, I'm calling your Daddy."

"I don't wanna talk to him, he's boring!" she said loudly. She looked behind me and grinned flirtily. Well, drunkly, but what I'm sure she assumed it was flirtily. "Hey baby. Wanna have fun?" she asked as she walked towards whoever was approaching us. I turned around as she wrapped her arms around Bruce's neck and pressed herself against him. "Do you wanna dance with me?"

"Ignore her, she's drunk and has daddy issues." I said as he took her arms from around him.

"I think you've had enough fun." he said.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Senator Jameson please. This is Ms. Strong from Stark Industries."

"Is this important Ms. Strong?"

"It's very important."

"What is this regarding?"

"It's regarding his daughter."

"One moment please."

"They put me on hold." I whispered to Bruce who nodded.

"Hello Ms. Strong, calling to ask to join the party?"

"Oh hello Senator, actually, no, I'm just seeing how the caterer worked out for you."

"Ah, well they worked out just fine sweetheart, and I truly do recommend them. Say, did you find a caterer on such short notice?"

"Actually I did. Funny story too, turns out Louise Parker from the New York times is here, from the Society pages, she's dying to do a piece on Mr. Adair and his marvelous crab cakes, he does those mini ones Mr. Stark likes and the rest of the food was just marvelous. Oh, hey, how is Roxy enjoying the party?"

"Oh she's just having a real ball." he said with a laugh. "I, uh- I can see her dancing with the DA's son, and I'd really hate to break those two up, but I can tell her you said Happy Birthday." he said.

"Oh I'd love that, oh, uh, Senator, I have someone here who'd like to say hi." I handed the phone to Roxy who took it with a small scowl, then held it to her ear.

"Hi Daddy!" she slurred, stepping away from Bruce. I sighed as I stood next to him.

"What's going to happen with her?"

"Oh, I'll probably end up taking her back to her party." I shrugged. "I'd just put her in a cab, but knowing her, she'd go to a club, hook up with a guy and the Senator would call me at five in the morning demanding to know why he hasn't seen hide nor hair of his daughter." I said.

"I take it this has happened before."

"You've got no idea." I shook my head. She walked back over and handed me the phone with a pout. "Hello Senator."

"Now listen here Ms. Strong-"

"Actually Senator, I think it's your turn to listen." I said quickly. "I know the next thing to come out of your mouth will be a request- no actually, a demand that I bring her back to you safe and sound, which I will, even though at this point in the game I have no obligation to do so. I'll do you that favor. And in return for doing so, you're going to do a favor for me. Remember those very charming comments you made about Mr. Stark and the Avengers?" I asked. "Those are going to be retracted."

"Now listen here Ms. Strong."

"It's a fairly cheap price to pay to ensure your daughter has a babysitter while she gets back to you safely, otherwise I can put her in a cab and let the cabbie take her wherever she wants to go." I said. He was silent. "Do we have a deal Senator?"

"God damn it."

"I'll see you in half an hour Senator." I said with a triumphant smile. I hung up the phone and put it into my clutch, before I took Roxy by the arm, supporting her as she walked. "Come on Roxy, time to go see your daddy."

"But he's so boooring!" she whined.

"I know, they usually are." I said as I helped her along the hallway.

"Here, let me help." Bruce said as he walked on the other side of Roxy. He wrapped his arm around her waist and supported her as she walked. I went ahead of them to the elevator and hit the button, the doors opened and we walked in.

"Bruce, you don't have to leave the party, I can handle her on my own." I said and he looked over at me.

"I don't mind." he said and I smiled lightly. We got downstairs and I hailed a cab, we got her into the back and I looked at him.

"So, goodnight?" I asked looking up at him. He looked into the back of the cab and then back to me.

"You might still need help with her." he said and smiled. I smiled at him, and nodded.

"Okay." I said and slid into the cab, Roxy sat in the middle so Bruce walked around to the other side and got into the car. I told the driver where to go. When we got there the Senator's assistant paid the driver while Bruce and I coaxed her out of the back of the cab. We took her up the stairs to the doorway where the Senator and a few other people were waiting. "I believe this belongs to you." I said. He sighed and I stuck my hand out. "Have a good night Senator." I said. He shook my hand and I looked back at Bruce. I walked over to him and smiled.

"So what now?" he asked.

"Well, uh, the party is pretty much over..." I said as I looked at the texts Dallas and Pepper had sent me. "I can get a cab to drive you home?" I asked.

"And what about you?"

"Well I actually don't live too far from here." I said as I looked at the street signs. "I can walk it from here."

"Can I walk you?" he asked and I looked up at him, I smiled lightly and nodded.

"If you want to." I said as I looked into his dark eyes. He smiled and I pointed in the direction of my apartment building. "That way." I said. We started to walk, about a block away there was a group of people outside of a club, smoking or talking and waiting.

"Hey Baby, nice dress!" one guy shouted at me. "Why don't you lose the rest of it on my floor?"

"Do those shitty pickup lines work... Ever?" I asked him and he smirked.

"You tell me sweetheart." he said, stepping closer to me. I felt Bruce slip his hand into mine, and pull me away. "Aw come on, don't you just leave me like that!" he called as we walked away. We got a little ways down the street before Bruce took his suit jacket off and handed it to me.

"What's this for?"

"To avoid another scene like that." he nodded his head toward the club.

"Thanks." I smiled. I slipped it on, and we started to walk again, his jacket smelled like him making my heart race.

"So does that happen often?"

"What, with Roxy?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, every now and then." I shrugged. "She's barely twenty two, she hates her parents, she's trying to break free, and she sees Tony as this sort of twisted role model really." I shook my head. "I've warned him about it, so he knows."

"Right." he said and then smiled lightly. "Tony as a role model."

"I know right." I laughed. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Tony, and some of the things he does are great, Iron Man, stopping Stark Industries from developing weapons, his breakthroughs in green energy. But I don't think should be someone to look up to when it comes to how... Eccentric he can be."

"Yeah." he agreed.

"What kind of work are you doing?"

"I'm sorry?"

"The work you've been doing, what are you doing?" I paused. "Can I ask?"

"Uh, it's a type of genetic experiment..." he said after a small pause.

"Oh, the blood." I said and he nodded.

"Yeah, that." he nodded. "You sure you're not traumatized by that?" he asked and I smiled.

"I work for Tony Stark, and I have three siblings. It takes a lot more than that to traumatize me."

"I'll keep that in mind." he said and I laughed.


I don't know when it happened exactly, but by the time we got to my apartment building he and I were hold hand, our fingers lightly laced together.

"Well, this is me." I said as I looked up at my building. "I had a nice time tonight."

"So did I." he smiled.

"Even with everything that happened with Roxy?" I asked and he nodded.

"Even with that." he said and I smiled with a small flush across my cheeks.

He lightly ran his thumb across my cheekbone, before cupping my face. I bit my bottom lip lightly as I met his gaze, then leaned forward and allowed him to catch my lips between his. I felt his other hand wrap around my waist, put his hand right against my back and pull me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and ran my fingers on my right hand through his hair. When we broke apart I smiled as I looked up at him.

"I should go..." I said before I leaned in and lightly pecked his lips again.

"Me too." he said, doing the same.

"Good night." I said softly, my lips lightly brushed his again. He tightened his grip around my waist for a moment, before he lightly let go.

I moved away from him and went to my door, the doorman held the door open for me as I looked back at Bruce. I smiled and waved before I walked inside.

I can proudly say, I waited until I was safe inside the elevator before I let out the loud squeal I had been holding in.