Melanie drove slowly down the long country road. Steve was in the passenger seat, talking nonstop about how he had discovered how his new TV worked. Tony had gotten it for him months ago, but he had never built up the courage to try and learn how to use it. Now that he had, he felt the need to tell everyone around him. He didn't like being the one who was always behind everyone else, but he had sort of gotten used to it over the years.
"You can even push a button and whatever is on TV will record and you can watch it later!" he exclaimed excitedly.
Melanie laughed. She thoroughly enjoyed his childlike behavior. It reminded her of her younger self. So excited and open to new things. Now that she was older, she didn't have the energy to really get excited. Plus, she was always worried. Worried that Jame would get really sick again, worried that bad things would happen, worried that bad people would come, worried that SHEILD would need her again. And now to add to that, a very new and very sickening threat against her. Someone was looking for her, and not just to stop by and say hello.
"Melanie."
She looked over at him, realizing she hadn't been listening.
"You haven't said a word this whole ride," Steve said, looking at her uneasily.
"I said 'hello, how are you doing, Steve?' when you got in my car," she replies lamely, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
He frowns. "Ok, besides that."
"Well you have been talking this whole time. I've been listening."
"You're worried aren't you?"
She sighs, gripping the steering wheeler tighter. "Just a little."
"Jame is going to be fine. Your friend from the restaurant is very nice and seems very responsible."
"It's not really about Jame. It's more the fact that this is first time in a long time I've been out in public...like, really busy public."
"You mean the threat?"
She pulls her mouth in a straight line.
"It's going to be ok, Leah, alright? You are going to be so obvious, they aren't going to see you. What's that phrase? So overt, you're covert?"
She smiles. "I suppose you're right. But what if something does happen?"
"Well, you can't stay hidden forever."
"I can try."
"Yeah, but you gotta get out sometime. Just this one time won't hurt."
"Sometimes one time is enough to do the job."
He sighs. "We can argue about this all day, but we're already driving there, so, it's been decided."
She chuckles.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"No, tell me."
She looks over at him. "I just think you're cute."
He straightens in his seat. "Like...handsome sort of cute? Or, 'such a grand gentlemen' sort of cute?"
"How about little kid cute?"
He scoffs. "Of course."
They drive up to the outskirts of the city and then take the subway all the way to the skyscraper, which is in the heart of downtown New York. They are greeted by a properly dressed male attendant who checks their reservation and then directs them to a nearby gold-platted elevator. Melanie hooks her arm in his, taking in the surroundings. There were other couples that elegantly walked onto the elevator with them. They would smile and give a slight head nod upon entering. It took Melanie all she had not to laugh.
When the elevator doors opened at the top there was a man who greeted them. His mustache was combed perfectly and the ends were twisted to point straight up.
"May I take you to your designated table Mr. Rogers and his lovely companion?" the man asks with a thick french accent.
"Yes, thank you."
The french man leads them through many circular tables. The decor was so beautiful and extravagant Melanie had trouble keeping her mouth from falling all the way open. She used to go to places like these. Olympic athletes got special invitations to go to fancy places all the time. It had been a very long time since she had last been to one. She had forgotten how gorgeous everything was. Of course, over the years, things had gotten even fancier.
Steve leans over so his lips are right against her ear. "Do you like it?"
She smiles. "Yes, very much so."
He leads them to a small table near the back. There's a group of people sitting a few tables behind them, but other than that, they are almost secluded.
"Thomas will be taking care of the lovely couple tonight. Enjoy your meal, bon appetite."
A young man with blonde hair walks over to their table, a bottle of champagne grasped firmly in his white gloves.
"Good evening, may I start you out with some champagne? It is the house special."
Melanie looks up at the man as she sits. He's a very handsome young man, and something about him makes her stare at him for a second more. His eyes flicker to hers but very quickly look away. She smiles politely.
"That would be wonderful, thank you."
He proceeds to pour the drink into both glasses, only filling them half full. He avoids eye contact with her completely. She watches him closely.
"I will come back to collect your orders in a short moment."
He turns sharply on his heel and leaves.
"So," Steve starts, taking a sip of his drink, "I'm assuming you've been to places like this before. What's what?"
"Well, fancy places like these only have a select number of dishes on their menu. You only have four main meals to chose from. You have the fish, which is the first one. Tonight it looks like a specialty catch of Salmon. Next is chicken, grilled of course, then your red meats, which tonight is beef, and last is your vegetarian, which is usually just a fancy salad."
"What are you going to get?"
"I've always enjoyed chicken, so I'll probably get that."
"Hmm, I might get the beef. I don't understand any of the details here, but I'm sure it will be delicious."
Thomas came back shortly after and took their orders. Everything seemed to make her uneasy. Steve told her that the mayor was sitting with the group of people behind them and that that's why they were secluded from everyone else. This really was a very high-class restaurant. Her dress was pretty but it was no name brand, uber-expensive one. She was sure Steve had borrowed a suit from Tony. They had become good friends now. Tony helped Steve adjust to things, maybe because he wanted to, or maybe because Pepper would constantly insist. Either way, it was kind of him, and she respected him for that.
"Melanie," Steve says as if he was calling out to her.
"Sorry," she says quickly, focusing on him again.
"You zoned out again."
"I know, I was just thinking about how under dressed I feel."
"Don't, you look absolutely beautiful tonight."
She blushes slightly. "Thank you."
"Melanie, I've actually been meaning to talk to you about something."
"Sure, what's up?"
He seems suddenly nervous. "I know, after everything that's happened, you've just kind of needed a friend, and I wanted to be there for you. I had only really heard of you in rumor and when I met you, I just, I don't know, there was something about you that I really liked. I've waited for a long time, for you to, you know, maybe move on from... him, and if you still haven't, that's ok, there's no rush, I just-"
She cuts him off with a short laugh. "Steve just get it out."
The waiter walks over to their table, beginning to take away their dishes.
"Thing is Melanie, I really like you, and I was wondering if you wanted to be-"
The waiter suddenly drops the still full glass of champagne right onto Steve's lap, causing the liquid to go everywhere and the glass to shatter into pieces on the ground. Both Steve and Thomas gasp at the same time.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Thomas exclaims, immediately falling to the floor to clean it up.
Steve looks down at his stained shirt, his hands up in the air.
"It's fine, it's fine," he says quickly, but she could tell it was forced.
Melanie puts her napkin over her mouth to hide her laughter.
"I'm so terribly sorry, sir," the waiter says again, frantically cleaning up the mess.
Steve sees Melanie's eyes crinkled with laughter and chuckles softly.
"Well, I'll see if I can get some of this off in the bathroom."
"Do you want me to help you with that?" she asks Thomas, starting to get out of her chair to help him.
"No, no, no, madam. It is no problem. You stay in your seat, I will clean it up."
The people at the other tables stare at her and the man on the floor. Some of them laugh quietly, others look displeased. She looks over at the mayor. He's staring back at her, a schmuck look spread across his face. She straightens herself and looks away.
Steve comes back, the wet spot on his shirt bigger. The waiter gets up and walks away, cursing himself.
"I planned for a lot of things, but not this," he laughs as he sits back down.
"The mayor certainly enjoyed the entertainment," she comments, putting her napkin on the table.
"Ha, well nobody really likes him anyways. He won't be reelected in the next election."
She laughs and they sit silently for a while, enjoying the peace.
"So anyways, what I was saying earlier."
He begins, but is yet again interrupted. His phone begins to ring violently from his pocket.
"Oh, shit, I'm sorry. I need to take this," he lowers his voice, "it's for emergencies only. And usually they're important."
He stands quickly. "I'm sorry, Melanie, I really am. This was unexpected."
"Unplanned. I get it. It's ok, go take it."
He nods and quickly walks away. The waiter comes back with two fresh glasses of champagne.
"Is everything alright, madam?"
She nods, taking the glass and taking a long sip. "Everything's fine."
He leaves just as fast as he comes.
Her eyes scan the room, looking at each of the couples and watching their animated faces as they spoke. She had missed this, in a way. Steve was right. She couldn't hide forever. Sooner or later she would just have to suck it up and face it. But she was terrified. She hadn't been able to find her powers since Loki had healed her all those years ago. The voice in her head was gone and she felt like her powers had completely left her. HYDRA had taken her necklace on the worst night. Something told her, however, that this power wasn't done yet.
All of the sudden Steve bursts into the room, walking quickly with a determined look on his face. He doesn't come to her table though, he goes straight to the mayor. The bodyguards stand up immediately, blocking him. Steve mutters a few quick words and they let him through. Melanie watches with intrigue. Something wasn't right.
Steve grabs the mayor's arm and begins to pull him out of his chair. The mayor looks shocked and confused but he willingly stands up and follows Steve's orders. His bodyguards surround him and they quickly exit the back of the room. Steve runs over to their table.
"What's wrong?"
"The Mayor's in danger. They're coming for him - stay hidden," he says in a rush, touching her hand before spinning on his heel and running to catch up with the mayor.
She stares after him, silent. She can feel the eyes of the other couples trained on her. She slowly grabs her napkin from her lap, wipes her face, and then places it onto the table. The people slowly go back to talking. The waiter is staring at her from across the room. She can feel his eyes searching her face. He must have heard the whole thing.
In a loud burst of noise and confusion, the elevator door dings and several men, armed with machine guns, burst into the open room. They wildly fire their guns into the ceiling. People scream and jump up out of their seats. The men scatter about the room, herding the people like sheep into the middle, shouting and screaming. A tall man, unarmed, follows them out of the elevator, a smug expression on his face as he walks into the center of the crowd.
Melanie stands at the back of the crowd, watching the men pick through the people with their guns. A waiter drops his tray, causing several to jump in fear.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the tall man starts, raising his hands in the air, "we come in peace."
Several women murmur in terror.
"There's no need to fear," he coos to a young women standing near the front, a hand placed over her mouth.
He strokes back her hair.
"I'm just looking for a friend of mine, and he doesn't seem to want to show his face," he continues, walking past her and onto the other people.
He claps another man on the shoulder. "Have you seen the Mayor? I believe he was eating here tonight, and I want to visit with him. Just a little chat. Can you tell me where to find him?"
Nobody answers. The air is stiff with fear. He reaches another young women. He grabs her by the arm and yanks her toward him. She cries out.
"I want you to tell me," his voice lowers into a threat.
She gasps with tears.
"That's enough," a strong voice says from the crowd.
The tall man turns to see Melanie step out from the crowd, her arms crossed over her chest. He smiles.
"He's obviously not here, so you can leave," she says, locking eyes with him to try and hide her fear.
He walks slowly towards her until he stands inches from her face. She strains her neck away from him as he leans in close to her and inhales deeply.
"Hmmm, you think you are very brave?" he asks softly, leaning back.
She doesn't answer as she stares at him.
He flashes his nasty smile. His teeth, black around the edges, like they were rotting away in his mouth.
"You know, beautiful girls like you should not put themselves in harms way," he continues, circling her as he looks her up and down.
She holds herself, turning so he never leaves her sight.
"And you are, in fact, very beautiful," he says.
He tries to take her chin in his hand but she turns her head away, fighting his grasp.
"No, no, don't fight, look at me. I want you to look at me," he says.
She doesn't stop fighting. He suddenly turns angry.
"Look at me!" he roars, grabbing her chin hard. She doesn't fight it, but her eyes fall to the floor.
He laughs. "You are a stubborn one, aren't you?"
She tries to slow her breathing.
"You wanna know a secret?" he whispers, pulling out a knife from his pocket and holding it up in the air so the lights would dance off it's shiny blade.
"Melanie Walker," he says so quietly only she can hear.
She immediately looks up at him, frozen.
He smiles darkly. "Yes, I know who you are."
Her eyes fill with fear as he lowers the knife and places it on her lips.
"You're quite famous, Melanie Walker. All of the nine realms knows your name. The mortal girl that defeated the God of Mischief. Not many people can claim that title. Do you think he still loves you? Do you think as he sits and wastes away in Asgard prison, he dreams about coming back to you?"
He moves the knife from her lips to her cheeks, stroking her face with the flat end of the knife.
"I can see why he fancied you so much. You are quite beautiful for a human. Why don't we send him a little gift? Shall we? How do you think he will feel when he sees you? When he opens his package and sees you, sliced into a million pieces?"
He turns the knife so it's point is pressed against her cheek. His eyes turn black and his human face begins to fade into something horrid.
"Or maybe we should take your son instead."
She suddenly jams a fist into his gut and then shoves him backwards, away from her. He grunts and holds his stomach, smiling.
"Tough girl," but the humor in his voice is almost gone, and it is now replaced with anger.
He moves forward to attack her just as someone flies towards him and tackles him to the ground. And all hell breaks loose. People scream and run. The armed men begin to shoot into the air as they get trampled to the ground. Melanie is knocked backwards onto the floor. She scrambles to get up as people pile onto the elevator and crowd the doors to the stairs.
"Melanie! Run!" a voice cries from behind her. It's not Steve's voice.
Her eyes search the crowd as she is pushed toward the exit. Thomas, their waiter, stands by the window, his emerald green eyes staring back her. The man grabs him suddenly and they begin fighting again. She's pulled back under into the crowd as they push and shove down the stairs.
Police and fireman meet them almost halfway down the sixty flights of stairs. Some stay with them, leading them to the bottom, while other keep racing their way to the top. Firetrucks, ambulances, and police cars line the streets outside the building. The people are guided out of the lobby and onto the sidewalk.
"Melanie! Melanie!" Steve's voice erupts from the crowd.
She searches for him, trying to find the source of the voice. Someone grabs her arm and she whips around, startled. It was Steve.
"Melanie, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" he asks quickly, pulling her away from the crowd and to a nearby ambulance.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she says quickly, wrapping her arms around herself to try and block the cold.
Steve sees this and quickly pulls off his suit jacket to put around her shoulders.
"I should never have left you up there. It was stupid of me, I'm sorry."
She shakes her head. "No, Steve, I told you, I'm fine. And it's ok, it all happened so fast you couldn't think rationally about anything."
"Did he touch you? Did he hurt you?" he asks, gently taking her face in his hands.
"No, everything's alright. But our waiter, Thomas, I have to find him. He saved my life, he saved all of our lives." She turns away from him searching the crowd.
"We have to go back up there and find him," she says, panic in her voice.
"Melanie, chances are he didn't make it. But I think it's best if we leave now, remember Jame is still at home."
She sighs, still looking into the crowd. "But I can't just... leave."
Steve puts an arm around her shoulder. "Come on, let's go home, drink something warm and relax."
She resists for one last minute before finally giving in and following Steve to the subway.
They leave before the body of the tall man is wheeled out and placed in an ambulance. Thomas the waiter is no where to be found.
I based this scene off of one of my favorite scenes in The Dark Knight, perhaps you saw the similarity... :) haha but anyways, review!