AN: "Bad author. Bad, bad, bad author!" I know, I know guys. This has taken literally forever. I've been ignoring this story for weeks, but this chapter has been so damn difficult and I've had literally no time to deal with it. I've got a bit more free time and it's starting to pull me along again so I'm hoping to get everything out soon. As a reward for sticking through it, here is the longest chapter I have ever written. Lots of Avengers, lots of feels, and a little bit of smut. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my completely irrational obsession with Chris Evans. Damn that man is one sexy beast.
The elevator doors swung open to reveal a large, spacious penthouse suite, decorated all in neutrals, steel and glass. The New York cityscape stretched out through floor to ceiling windows, the sun beginning to set in the distance. On one side of the room was a full kitchen with top of the line appliances, all in stainless steel. A large bar came off from the kitchen, the opening to a long hallway set between the two. A large round glass table sat in the far right corner, surrounded by screens and high tech devices. Off to the left sat a large entertainment area, complete with conversation pit decked out couches and pillows all different shades of gray. A strawberry blonde woman who could only be Pepper Potts, new CEO of Stark Industries, sat on the couch, long legs covered in well worn jeans stretched out in front of her, a small, clear tablet on her lap. She looked up as we entered and smiled broadly, rising from her seat.
"Hi guys! About time you all show up," she dropped the laptop on the counter, as thin as a piece of paper and came over to us, hands settling on her narrow hips. She was tall, lean, and beautiful, everything I had wanted to be before I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to shoot up 5 inches at age 25. She exuded confidence, elegance and poise and I couldn't help but feel a bit like an ugly duckling. This woman had access to some of the most powerful technology in the world, and somehow managed to wrangle one of the most eccentric and powerful billionaires of our generation, but all I could sense from her was a relaxed ease of being I immediately envied.
"Tony, Steve and Thor went to grab some more supplies. We've got pizza coming and snacks on the table. Make yourselves at home, please," the crowd dispersed, leaving me and Pepper standing there together. I smiled shyly and Pepper grinned.
"You must be Charlotte," she extended her hand and I shook it gently.
"Yeah, you must be Pepper?" I asked and she chuckled softly.
"Yes, I am. Its nice to finally get to meet you in person. Steve's managed to be pretty tight lipped about you but I've managed to get an earful from Tony," I blushed straight to my hairline and chuckled nervously.
"Oh, I'm sure," I muttered and Pepper smiled apologetically.
"Your name also sounded familiar. I'm sorry if this seems kind of creepy, but you went to Culver right?" she motioned over to the couches in the corner and we sat, Pepper curling her legs next to her comfortably.
"Uh, yeah, I did. I graduated with my Physics degree from there,"
"At 19, right?" she asked. My brows shot up in surprise.
"Yeah, but not many people know about that," I answered warily.
"I know, I have you file," she explained quickly.
"You have my file? What file? From who?" Alarm bells went off in my head. Had she been digging into my past? Had Tony? Had Steve? I began internally panicking at the idea of any of those people looking at any kind of file on me. The beginnings of a headache pricked at my right temple annoyingly.
"Your academic file. We got it from Culver when we were looking at recruits for that year," she soothed, placing a long hand on my leg softly. I breathed a small sigh of relief, the headache beginning to throb less painfully now. "I didn't mean to upset you, she finished, looking at me in concern.
"No, its fine, don't worry about it," I reassured her before doing a mental double take. "Wait. Looking for recruits?" I asked.
"Sure. Every year Stark Industries looks at top graduates in certain fields and tries to recruit some of them to the SI team. We started courting you, but we didn't receive any responses back. Then we found out you were going on to get your Masters, and then your Ph.D. We tried again when you were finished, but we still couldn't get your attention," she finished.
"I had no idea. I got a bunch of stuff in the mail when I graduated but I just ignored it. I didn't really want to work for any of the tech companies after any of my degrees." Pepper frowned slightly.
"That's unfortunate. We wanted you pretty badly."
"What?' I asked, shocked.
"Especially after the Ph.D. We were just about willing to pay off your loans as a signing bonus if you joined the team," she added. My eyes widened and the grand total of my student loans flashed in my mind like a beacon.
"I didn't even realize. Though, to be completely honest, I was pretty burned out after the Ph.D. I didn't really want to have anything to do with math or science after grad school"
"Well, if you ever get the itch again, let me know. I'm sure we'd be happy to have you in the labs." Bruce joined us, sitting on the couch opposite.
"We could definitely use her. She just corrected three different algorithms with a cursory glance." Pepper's brows shot up and looked at me approvingly. I blushed bright pink again.
"Well then, we definitely still want you. Come talk to me sometime if you ever change your mind," she patted my leg gently and rose."Tony, finally!"
I pivoted to see Tony and Steve walk through the door. My eyes focused on Steve and suddenly the room didn't have enough air in it, but my anxiety had disappeared. The noise and activity around me faded out slightly and I smiled. He caught my eyes and grinned, his smile stealing my breath. He strode across the room to hug me briefly and kiss the top of my head.
"Sorry for abandoning you back there, he murmured into my hair before pulling back slightly to look at me.
"No, that's alright. I still ended up meeting everyone. I even managed to yell at Bruce accidentally." I admitted sheepishly. Steve's brows shot up in surprise. Not my finest moment. Bruce chuckled softly.
"It really wasn't that big of a deal Charlotte. Sometimes its nice not to have people tiptoe around you all the time," he admitted.
"Half-pint!" came Tony's voice from across the room. He strode over to us, all swagger and confidence. "Heard you poked the giant green rage monster in my lab," he said sternly before offering me a fist bump. I answered it cautiously, "Good job. Gotta poke him every once in a while. Keeps the good Doctor on his toes, gotta keep him humble, like myself." he finished. I smirked, unable to stop myself.
"Oh really? Is that why I found one of your equations with a mistake a 9th grader could make?" I asked. Tony did a double take.
"What? My math is perfect. Haven't you heard? Genius?" he finished, pointing to himself.
"She's right. Your math on some of the reactor energy calculations was off and she caught it at a glance," Bruce insisted.
"What are you two talking about? My calculations are perfect. JARVIS, run the equations I was working on Friday, lab 1, cubicle 26 and get me the results," he requested.
"They're wrong Tony, I'm sorry but it was obvious. Maybe if you didn't always rely on a computer to do your math for you." I replied cheekily and Steve chuckled. Clint laughed from behind me and plopped on to one of the couches.
"Oh, burn," he muttered and Tony glared at him, the archer completely unfazed.
"Sir?" came JARVIS's voice, sounding unusually wary.
"Yes?"
"I was unable to properly analyze the equations. There are some fundamental mathematical flaws." he finished. Tony's jaw dropped and I couldn't help but grin. Tony was constantly belittling (literally) me and everyone else and I couldn't help but feel a smug pride that I had managed to put him in his place, if only for a moment.
Steve hugged close to his side and snuggled me proudly. I grinned, happy to please, unable to remember a time when I guy I was with was comfortable with me pulling a weird girl-genius move like that.
"Wait, what exactly was off? What it one of the factorials? Come on, we'll take a quick look at it. It'll just take a second," Tony nudged me out of Steve's arms and pulled me toward the elevator before Pepper cut us off.
"Nuh-uh. No work tonight. We are relaxing," she said, handing Tony a snifter of scotch and a glass of red wine to me.
"Fine," Tony conceded, "Are you sure you don't want to work for me? Pepper enlightened me on some of your file. Physics, psychology, biochemistry and mathematics. Pretty eclectic mix." he remarked.
"I know, But I'm pretty happy where I'm at," I answered.
"Where are you now? Government contract? GE? Please don't tell me you're at Hammer." Tony asked. I smiled happily.
"No. I work at a small craft shop on the lower east side." I responded and then walked back over to Steve, leaving Tony sputtering for the second time that night. I pulled Steve close and kissed him lightly.
"Having fun?" he asked.
"Why, yes. Yes I am," I answered happily.
"Have you met Thor yet?" he asked motioning back to the couches. I looked over and my brows shot up. In all of the activity when Steve came in, I had somehow missed a gigantic blonde man coming into the room. He was seated now on a couch next to Jane, dwarfing her small frame, talking animatedly with Darcy. Even sitting I could tell he was huge, thick arms and broad shoulders barely contained in an open flannel shirt. He had long, kind of scraggly blonde hair, his eyes bluer even than Steve's. Steve motioned me over and he looked up as we joined the group, focusing on me and standing.
"Ah, Captain, so this is the maiden who has been distracting you."
"Thor, this is Charlotte Samuels," Steve blushed to his ears as he answered, refusing to acknowledge what Thor had just said. I extended my hand to him and he grasped it tightly in what had to be the largest hand I had ever seen.
"A fair maiden to be sure Captain, but she is so small! Are most Midgardian woman Lady Darcy's size?" he asked. Darcy smirked.
"No, just the awesome ones," she replied, reaching around Thor's bulk to give me a high five. I laughed out loud and returned the high five gladly.
"That's right! What we lack in size we make up for in spunk," I smiled up at him and he grinned and laughed uproariously, slapping a hand on my shoulder, making me buckle slightly.
"A fine maiden indeed, Captain," he smiled over at Steve and then looked over my head to the door.
"Ah! Food!" he began ushering me over the pizzas that now sat on the counter, "Have you ever had this delicacy? This pizza?" I laughed.
"Yes, I've had pizza before. Many times." I assured him.
"Such a fantastic food, yes? We have nothing like it on Asgard." he grinned at me and picked up two full pizzas, bringing them back to the couches in the entertainment area. Steve can over to me, grabbing another pizza and a stack of plates.
"Whaddya think?" He asked as we walked back over together.
"I just talked pizza with a God." I replied, slightly bewildered. Steve chuckled.
"I don't know about a God, but Thor is definitely a character. Don't worry, you'll get used to it," he assured me. We sat next to Thor and Jane and everyone else gathered around, grabbing pizza and getting comfortable. Clint and Natasha sat together, talking quietly with Steve. Darcy and Bruce sat speaking animatedly, Darcy managing to make Bruce laugh every once in a while. Tony stood, fiddling with wall controls, Pepper trying to convince him to come back and eat. I smiled, the realization that at their core, they had all become just a group of friends. A bunch of extraordinary individuals, yes, but friends, a family even from how they interacted with each other. I smiled softly, watching Steve fully engaged in his conversation with Clint and Natasha. A sting of jealousy worked through me but I stifled it quickly. I envied how many people he had who genuinely cared for him,but knew that if anyone deserved some friends and companionship, it was him. I sat back, watching everyone eat and grabbed myself a piece, slowly working my way to actually believing that this was reality.
Once everyone had filled up on pizza, we sat around talking, recounting few details from Stockholm; Jane, Tony and Thor growing serious until Clint or Darcy said something to lighten the mood. They all danced around the darker stuff, still saying what needed to be said, but holding back as well, keeping the mood light. It was a strange way to hold a debrief, I thought, but then again, it's not like I'd been involved in many debriefs before. I nudged Steve softly when things seemed to be dying down.
"Is this how the debriefs always go?" I asked.
"Not always," Steve began, "It started as some kind of team building activity I guess. I'd read some information on team building that SHIELD sent me after the New York Invasion. Stuff psychological studies had put together to avoid PTSD, build trust-"
"Make us all into wimps," Tony cut in. Steve rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, that's kind of what it looked like to me too. But I didn't know any better. I figured this was how people did it now. It's what those papers and google said."
"Yeah, Captain Google over here was a little obsessed with the internet his first month out of the ice." Barton interrupted, grinning. Steve blushed but smiled.
"Why not? All that information at your fingertips? Its no wonder people nowadays spend half their lives on the internet."
"But, the team building?" I cut in, bringing the conversation back to the original point.
"Right. I organized a team building activity that quickly derailed into nonsense. The team might be good on the field, but they're hell at following directions."
"What can we say? We're Avengers, not soldiers," Tony answered, dropping down to the couch, a glass of scotch in his hand.
"More like unruly college students," Pepper retorted, holding her martini elegantly and effortlessly, not spilling a drop even when Tony plunked down next to her.
"Anyway-" Bruce cut in, "the team building didn't go over so well."
"Understatement of the century. Half an hour in, the big guy made an appearance, Tony was suited up and someone had thrown Clint out a window." Natasha finished up with a pointed glare at Bruce who shrugged apologetically. My eyes widened and I looked over at Steve. He just shook his head helplessly.
"Not our finest hour. After that we decided to keep debriefings loose and relaxed. So far its worked pretty well. Movie night or video games, food and alcohol seems to keep us occupied."
"Like I said, college students," Pepper cut in. Tony rolled his eyes.
"And my Tower doesn't usually need serious repairs afterwards. All in all a win-win." he continued.
"How you have all managed to not destroy Midgard in my absence is truly a wonder," Thor cut in, reaching toward the middle to grab yet another piece of pizza. He took a large bite and smiled, "Though I did miss Midgardian fare greatly while I was gone." Jane smiled and rolled her eyes.
"That reminds me Tony, we're going to need to stock more poptarts. Thor's already gone through two boxes since he's been here."
"Got that JARVIS?" Tony announced.
"Yes sir. Dr. Foster's apartment will be restocked by tomorrow morning." JARVIS replied. I shook my head, unable to stifle a chuckle. This was all incredibly surreal, sitting in Tony Stark's penthouse apartment in Avengers Tower, surrounded by the Avengers themselves. It was too insane to be believed.
"So what is our movie choice tonight?" Clint asked, slinging a boot onto the sleek black coffee table. Pepper raised one strawberry blonde eyebrow and Clint took his boot off the table immediately, sitting up as sheepish as I could imagine the secret agent being.
"Star Wars." Tony announced grandly, humming the opening notes to The Imperial March. Assorted "yes"'s or groans popped up all over the room, with Darcy, Jane's intern, doing a quick fist pump in excitement.
"Which ones, Tony?" she asked, "If you say episodes 1, 2, or 3 I might have to kill you." Tony scoffed.
"Please, what do you take me for? A moron? No, we'll be watching 4,5, and 6 and in that order. That is how George Lucas intended it, and that it how it shall be done. JARVIS." Tony finished, and a large projector screen came down from a seam in the ceiling, the beginning credits beginning to play.
"Star Wars?" Thor asked curiously, "A battle between the stars would be dull to watch. Not to mention catastrophic to any civilization. Surely you cannot take pleasure from such a display."
"Totally not the idea Point Break. Just watch and enjoy," Tony answered. Thor still looked puzzled, but Jane soothed him quietly as the lights dimmed. I cuddled reflexively closer to Steve and he rubbed my arm reassuringly, his attention caught by the action on the screen. I smiled, watching the very familiar opening lines scroll up, ready for the roller coaster ride that would be Steve's first experience with the Star Wars trilogy.
"But, but it was his sister," Steve exclaimed as the credits for Return of the Jedi rolled.
"Yep," Tony replied gleefully.
"And his father-" Steve cut in
"Yep!" Tony continued in glee.
"Why did he abandon them though? What happened to their mother? Who was their mother?" he continued, completely bewildered.
"For that, you'll have to watch the first three movies," I reminded him.
"First three? There are more!?" he asked. I chuckled and explained.
"In the early 2000's they released the prequels to the original trilogy. Those movies explain Darth Vader's origins, Luke and Leia's mother, Obi Wan, et cetera."
"Then we have not seen the entire story. We must watch these other films!" Thor responded. The rest of the room groaned and stretched sore muscles from sitting for over 6 hours. Tony shook his head sternly.
"No. No way. You are not watching those movies in my Tower. We do not even acknowledge that those films exist!" he replied adamantly.
"Oh come on Tony, I know Attack of the Clones is complete shit, but two and three really aren't that bad." Tony shuddered.
"No, they're all terrible. A complete disappointment."
"Uh-oh, looks like someone got his hopes crushed in 2001," Darcy teased, "Got a little too excited for the new movies to come out?"
"We have to remember, he was a teenager when the originals premiered back in the seventies. You know, 30 years ago," I joined in. Tony grimaced slightly.
"Yes, I was there when the originals came out, but that just means I've got the experience to back this up. The new ones were complete trash. And don't even start on my age half-pint. Gramps over here is pushing a century," he said, motioning to Steve. Blue Eyes just smiled, completely unfazed by the situation.
"Ha! A single century! A blink of the eye for an Asgardian. Children!" Thor added and the room fell silent, no one quite sure how to respond to that.
"Well, that certainly takes robbing the cradle to a whole new level, " Clint remarked and Darcy snorted, unable to stifle her laughter and sending the rest of us into giggles. Jane blushed and joined in, while Thor sat looking appropriately bewildered.
"And with that, its time for bed. Everyone out!" Tony announced to the room, standing and stretching. Everyone rose, stretching and congregating in groups near the elevator. Steve helped me to my feet and we walked sleepily over to join everyone before Pepper intercepted us.
"Charlotte, are you sure you don't want to join us over here? We honestly could really use you in the labs."
"If you can manage to find something wrong in one of my equations, I can only imagine what you could do with the rest of the idiots down there," Tony added from the bar, pouring himself another drink and joining us.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not really interested in a full time job. I'm more than happy to come in a help out with stuff here and there. Like, I don't mind helping you fix that equation in my spare time this week," I replied.
"Really? You're sure? Is it the money? Cuz I can pay you. Say a number, and Pepper'll get the checkbook," Pepper rolled her eyes.
"Tony," she said warningly. He threw up his hands and stepped away.
"Fine, fine!"
"Sorry about that, he gets that way when he can't get what he wants. If you ever change your mind though, just let me know," she smiled as we walked over to the elevator.
" I'm sorry I can't help you guys out more, I really had a good time here tonight. It was wonderful to meet everyone"
"I'm so glad you said that. Are you coming to the Christmas party with Steve next week?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, I think so." My mind flashed back to my closet and my distinct lack of proper formal wear.
"Great! All of us girls are going dress shopping in Wednesday evening. if you don't have a dress yet you can come with us. Its going to be a fun night, shopping, drinks, dinner, just us girls," she offered, smiling and showing off a row of perfect white teeth. Nerves twisted in my stomach as I thought about spending the evening alone in the company of these amazing women; CEO's, astrophysicists, assassins. How in the hell would I be able to keep up?
"Um, well," I began, ready to decline before Pepper grabbed my hands and smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, it'll be a fun night. Very relaxed, very laid back, I promise," she said. She sounded so sure, so nice, so welcoming, and I felt the words coming out of my mouth before I even processed them.
"Sure, I'd love to."
"Fantastic," Pepper grinned, "We'll pick you up at 5. I'll get your address-"
"From my file," I finished, slightly bemused. Pepper chuckled bashfully and nodded.
"Exactly. I'll see you on Wednesday. Have a good night you guys."
We stepped into the elevator and I sighed heavily as the doors finally closed, releasing the tension that had been building in my body the entire evening. Steve looked over at me, puzzled.
"Are you alright?" he asked. I smiled tiredly.
"Yeah, I'm fine" I answered, leaning against the back wall of the elevator, "Just tired."
"It was a long night," he offered.
"It really was," I returned as the doors opened.
"I'm sorry I abandoned you in the middle of all of that. I went up to get you clearance and Tony pulled me into half dozen other things."
"No, no. It was fine," I reassured him, rubbing absentmindedly at a headache blooming near my right temple. Meeting new people had always been difficult for me. I had a very small circle of friends and it was that way for a reason. After nights like tonight I was always left feeling drained and exhausted. Steve looked on at me in concern.
"Charlotte, are you sure you're okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine, honestly. Just a little bit of headache. I used to get them all the time in college," I told him, mentally shaking it off. "I just need to distract myself," I finished, drawing him closer and pressing my body against him. Steve looked down at me, brows raised, blue eyes surprised.
"You sure you're feel up to it?" he asked. I smiled mischievously and pulled him closer.
"Positive. This is exactly what I need." We kissed softly and stumbled over to the bedroom. The kisses stayed soft and tame, even after we fell onto the bed together. For now, no matter how much I wanted to go fast, race to the finish, clear my mind of anything and everything, he wouldn't let me. Steve kissed me with such concentrated sweetness, I had no choice but to melt underneath him. He moved from my lips to my cheeks, to my neck, pressing heat against those sensitive spaces underneath my chin, my collarbone and the valley between my breasts.
He peeled my sweater and dress from my body, removing each piece of clothing tenderly and slowly, completely concentrated on each piece of skin he was revealing. He shed me of every layer, leaving me naked and exposed. I fought the urge to squirm and cover myself up as his eyes raked over me, his hands tenderly touching the curve of my hip, the full weight of my breast, the dip of my waist, each touch lighter than the last. I was about to ask him what he was doing when his blue eyes met mine, brimming with an emotion I couldn't exactly pinpoint, strong enough to have the words drying up in my mouth.
"You are so beautiful Charlotte, just let me take care of you," he finished, his voice low and husky, just barely loud enough for me to hear. I laid back as he did just what he had promised, driving my body slowly and relentlessly to its breathless peak before slipping inside of me. For a few blissful moments he and I were the only ones on the planet, the only ones who existed in this little world of ours. He made love to me like he was worshiping some kind of deity, lavishing me in the kind of attention I never knew I could want or need from someone else.
He said 'I love you' over and over that night with his body, with his touch, but the words never left his mouth. We both tumbled over the edge together, falling in unison from ecstasy and as he held me close and drifted off to sleep I felt my heart fall as well. Suddenly I knew with absolute certainty that for the first time in my life, I had fallen completely and totally head over heels in love. And I had no idea what in the hell I was going to do about it.
AN: That's it! Just how freaked out with Charlotte get by this realization? We'll just have to wait and see... Review please!