Awakening Quake
By Misha

Disclaimer and Notes in Chapter One.

Chapter Sixteen: Girl Time

"I don't know why I'm freaking out." Skye complained to Natasha later that afternoon. "It's just a movie in the Tower."

"I could tell you exactly why you're freaking out, but I don't think you want to hear it." The redhead said with a grin. "What's the problem?"

"I have nothing to wear." Skye complained. "I mean, my wardrobe has always been pretty basic, after all I lived in my van and then with S.H.I.E.L.D, traveling light was a requirement. But I don't have a lot of date clothes. Not that this is a date. I mean, is it?"

"Of course it's a date." Natasha told her, rolling her eyes. "JARVIS can you alert Pepper and see if she's free to go shopping with us?"

"I don't need to go shopping." Skye protested.

"You just said you don't have anything to wear," Natasha reminded her, "so we'll go shopping and fix that problem. You still have a couple hours before your date."

Skye sighed, not sure why she had confided her problem in Natasha, except for the fact that she had grown to be a very close friend. "It feels weird having Tony pay for my clothes." She pointed out.

"I know." Natasha agreed. "But it's not any different than taking a pay cheque from S.H.I.E.L.D. Just consider it part of your Avengers 'pay cheque'."

"Like the secret bank account in my name that I'm not supposed to know about?" Skye asked dryly.

Natasha smirked. "I told Tony you'd discover it. He set them up for all of us—in case we get hurt and can't do this anymore or we want to walk away, we have the option and the means to start over. It makes him feel better, doing this for us. He has more money than he could ever spend and he likes feeling like he's providing for us—Tony shows his affection by spending money."

Skye nodded, the whole set-up still made her a little uncomfortable, she'd never been one for depending on others, but she couldn't fault Tony's generosity.

"Miss Potts will meet you in the lobby in ten minutes." JARVIS informed them. "Miss Lewis and Dr. Foster will also be joining you."

Skye groaned, knowing that she was going to have to answer lots of questions about why she suddenly needed a new outfit.

Natasha just smiled. "Thank you JARVIS." She turned to Skye. "We'll find you the perfect outfit and a few spares, so we don't have to go through this again." Natasha looked at the small pile of clothes on Skye's bed. "There's no need for you to keep packing light, Skye, you don't have to go anywhere ever again if you don't want to."

Skye wanted to believe that. She wanted to believe that this place could become her home, that she could really be a part of the Avengers family and that there would be a time when she felt at ease living off of Tony Stark, but that day still felt so far away. Right now, she still felt as if it could all slip away from her any moment, just like it had every other time she started to feel like she might belong.

"Blue jeans are not date material." Darcy argued.

"I disagree, jeans with a cute top can be great for a causal date." Pepper told her. "Besides, they look really good on you, Skye. Those are definitely a keeper."

Skye had lost track of how many 'keeper' items the other woman had decided on. She'd come to terms with picking up a few things, but she wasn't sure how she felt about getting a whole new wardrobe.

"I think skirts are best for dates." Darcy countered. "Show off your legs."

"You can show off your legs in a pair of jeans," Jane pointed out. "I think Skye should decide what's she most comfortable with, but I'm with Pepper—I like the jeans."

"I feel like this is too much." Skye protested, referring to the pile of clothes in the keep pile and the amount of stuff in various shopping bags. "I'm sure that something we've already bought will be fine for tonight."

"Just try on the skirt Darcy picked out," Pepper urged, "and we can compare and then we'll head back to the Tower."

"After we stop for a drink," Natasha corrected. "We might as well take advantage of being away from the men and go have a nice cocktail."

The women all laughed and agreed and Skye returned to the dressing room. She slipped on the right black skirt Darcy had picked out and the red top that she had suggested should go with it.

"Hot!" Darcy cried out as soon as she saw her. "I told you that skirt was perfect."

"You look great." Jane agreed.

Skye looked at herself in the mirror and liked what she saw. "I think it's a little much for a simple movie date." She pointed out.

"I agree." Pepper said, giving Darcy a pointed look. "The jeans and that nice purple top are much better choice, but that outfit does look great on you. Get them both." When Skye was about to protest, Pepper laughed. "I swear Tony won't mind, in fact, I'm under orders to make sure that you buy yourself lots of pretty things. It's Tony's way of trying to welcome you to the team."

Skye knew that Pepper was telling the truth and she knew Tony well enough to understand that it really was how he showed affection. So, she nodded before returning to the dressing room. Besides, if things didn't work out, she could always leave the clothes at the Tower and just move on with the stuff she had brought with her.

"So now we're going to get drinks?" She asked when she emerged. "Any particular place?"

"There's this bar a few blocks from here that Tash loves." Darcy said with a grin. "It's full of corporate types and she loves shooting them down when they hit on her."

Natasha shrugged. "Everyone needs a hobby and those guys always think they're Gods gifts to women, they need a reality check and I'm happy to give it to them."

Skye laughed as they all headed towards the car. "Sounds like fun to me."