Dancing in the dark
Ivy never thought she would end up in an underground bunker in London again. But apparently the fact that she helped Captain America destroy a Hydra base and free the captured soldiers changed her status and brought her recognition. Still, not all men were thrilled that she, as a woman, was capable of such a thing. It was only a small part of her real potential.
"The fourth one was in Poland, here," Steve mumbled as he drew the Hydra bases in Europe on a map. He had memorized the locations of the six Hydra bases during the rescue mission, knowledge that could change the war. Peggy and Ivy watched Steve plot the locations. He was finally a part of the military, someone who was respected. He wore a formal suit that defenitely looked better on him than his Captain America costume. Ivy wouldn't tell him that, though. She herself was dressed formally. She wore a white blouse that rested elegantly against her torso. A brown skirt that formally went down to her knees and a brown leather jacket that was open. With it she wore brown boots that had a small heel and went down to her ankles.
"-not far from the Baltic..." Peggy watched Steve closely as he drew the coordinates perfectly on the map. Ivy really wondered if there was something Steve wasn't good at. Maybe it was the flirting. It was definitely the flirting.
"And the last one was outside of
Strasbourg, say thirty, forty miles west of the Maginot line" he finished speaking, looking up modestly.
"I only go a quick look."
Ivy suppressed a sarcastic snort. Steve and Peggy probably wouldn't have noticed anyway, though. They were far too busy staring at each other. Ivy didn't know how anyone could be so unaware and not notice that they had a crush on each other. It was more than obvious.
"Nobody's perfect," Peggy replied teasingly. It was more than obvious that she was impressed. An aide picked up the map and carried it across the room. Ivy looked after the map and spotted her brother approaching them with a blue Hydra cartridge in his hand.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be picking up a medal right about now?" he asked, looking at Steve and his little sister in confusion. Both of them were supposed to have gotten a Medall of Honor today, but decided not to show up. Ivy hated attention. She had freed the soldiers to do the right thing and get Bucky back, and not to become someone famous. Howard was the one who enjoyed attention, not Ivy.
"I'm off the publicity circuit," Steve said as Ivy folded her arms in front of her chest.
"I hate unnecessary human contact."
Just then, Phillips approaches from across the room.
"Rogers, female Stark, you just embarrassed a senior senator in front of a dozen reporters and ten members of Parliament" Phillips told them as he entered the room. He handed Steve and Ivy their medals. Ivy looked at the medal in her hand ignorantly and looked questioningly at those around her. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with the unnecessary piece of metal. She handed it to Howard, who accepted it with wide eyes and probably wouldn't give it back.
"You should get a medal just for that," Phillips said, surprising Ivy. She had expected getting into trouble for it.
"You figure out what this is, yet?" asked Phillips as he caught sight of the Hydra cartridge in Howard's hand.
"If you believe Rogers," Howard began, looking at Steve rather skeptically. He was still a little pissed that he had let Ivy jump out of an attacked plane with him. "-it's
apparently the most powerful
explosive known to man."
"If?" asked Steve. He didn't understand all that much about technology. Neither did Ivy. Still, she would have liked to take a few steps back from her brother and put a safe distance between her and the Hydra Cartridge.
"Well, either you're wrong or
Schmidt's damn near rewritten the laws of physics" Howard replied. He found it hard as a man of science to explain how such a thing was possible. But his little sister could make a snowman without any snow, so nothing was really impossible.
He moved off toward his lab.
"And I'm rather fond of the laws of physics..." he added as he made his way toward the lab. He winked at Ivy, whereupon she looked at him unenthusiastically.
Phillips moved toward the room-sized map table.
"These are all of Hydra's factories," Phillips said as he moved toward the room-sized map table. Ivy and the rest followed him, eyeing the map as well.
"The ones we know about. But Sergeant Barnes said Hydra shipped all the bombs to another facility. And that... wasn't on the map," Steve explained. Ivy's heart beat a little faster at the mention of Bucky. She pulled herself together, however, and tried to ignore these strange and misplaced feelings.
Phillips eyed the map closely and then headed toward his office.
"Agent Carter, coordinate with MI6. I want every Allied eyeball looking for that main Hydra base" he ordered. Peggy nodded and looked at him questioningly.
"What about us?"
Ivy would like to know that, too. She certainly hadn't come here to just stand around doing nothing.
"We're going to light a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass" Phillips replied, turning to Steve. "What do you say, Rogers? It's your map. Think you can wipe Hydra off it?" he asked expectantly. Ivy looked at him proudly. He had had an arduous journey, but he had finally arrived where he belonged. Ivy couldn't be prouder.
"I'm going to need a team," Steve replied, glancing unobtrusively over at Ivy. He already knew exactly who he was going to ask.
"We've already started lining up the best men-" began Phillips, but Steve interrupted him.
"Sir...so have I... Plus a woman" Steve said, which was clearly too much for Phillips. He looked at Steve stunned, glanced at Ivy with the exact same expression, and then at Peggy to make sure he hadn't misheard him.
"None of you three follow any rules around here anyway" he sighed, glancing over at Ivy for a moment. "At least she's not as annoying as her brother" he muttered before disappearing into his office.
"You two have a lot to talk about" Peggy said before slipping away as well. Ivy looked at Steve in surprise and shock.
"You want me on your team?" she asked in shock, pointing her index finger uncertainly at herself.
"I should have asked or warned you about this.... But will you help me?" Steve asked uncertainly with that face that made him look like a puppy in Ivy's eyes.
"Why me?" Ivy asked still shocked. She wasn't a super soldier, a regular soldier, not even an agent or particularly smart. Ivy was an unstable ice storm who had no control over her own actions.
"You came to Austria with me.... Managed to infiltrate the base on your own.... To pick off soldiers... To free our men... I can't think of anyone else" Steve justified his choice. Ivy felt bad. Steve knew so little about Austria and had the wrong image of her. Ivy was not strong or good. She didn't always make the right decisions or did the right thing. She did what was necessary and lived with the consequences.
"You don't have to say yes," Steve said when he noticed her silence. "No one is forcing you to... And I would understand..."
"I'll do it" Ivy said so suddenly that she was surprised herself. Steve looked at her with wide eyes while she didn't know what she was actually doing. "Under one condition."
"We're setting conditions now?" Steve teased with a small smile. Ivy tried to smile back, but it looked a little forced.
"Please don't ask me to use my powers."
Ivy wanted to be better. She wanted to help. She wanted to be more than this icy monster. She wanted to be good. And she could only do that by being Ivy. Not Nivia.
~°~
Ivy never really went to parties or out with friends in general. Perhaps that was largely because she had never had friends before and had no reason to party. But her life had changed. She had friends, she was somebody, and she had more than one reason to enjoy her life. Yet, unfortunately, she still had a problem. She had no idea how to dress for these things.
"Maybe I should just stay home. It certainly doesn't-" Ivy's nervous chatter was interrupted by a shoe flying toward her. Ivy ducked in time and and looked at Peggy in horror. Peggy didn't seem to mind her actions, though, and looked sternly at Ivy.
"Stop driving yourself crazy and change your clothes!"
This was exactly why Peggy was here. She knew Ivy needed a gentle kick in the ass to go out tonight. She herself had already changed in her apartment. She wore a red dress that elegantly clung to her body and went down to her knees. Her red shoes and red lipstick matched the dress perfectly. It was clear that a certain someone wouldn't be able to take his eyes off her today.
"I don't know what though" Ivy admitted in frustration, dropping onto her bed with her face first. Peggy didn't seem to accept that answer and went to Ivy's closet to rummage through it.
"Well look at that" she muttered with a small smile and threw the chosen dress at Ivy. Ivy then sat up and looked skeptically at the dress in her lap.
"What are you waiting for? Get changed!" Peggy urged excitedly, pulling Ivy up from the bed. It wasn't long before Ivy was standing in the bathroom of her hotel room, looking at herself in the mirror.
"And hurry up!" added Peggy. Ivy slipped out of her pijamas with a roll of her eyes and carefully put on the silver dress. The material was soft and clung perfectly to her skin. Small sparkling stones were scattered all over the dress, making it sparkle in the light. The dress had only thin spaghetti straps and did not reach Ivy's knees. It wasn't too tight on her body, but still slightly accentuated her curves. Ivy felt insecure in this dress and stared back at her reflection with wide eyes. Her blue eyes were especially accentuated and seemed bluer than they actually were because of the silver dress and her white hair.
"Wow, Bucky will definitely not be able to keep his eyes off you" Peggy marveled with a proud smile. Ivy turned to her friend in surprise.
"I can't go out like that! And what do you mean by that?"
Peggy rolled her eyes and pulled Ivy back to her room. She pushed her down onto a chair and started doing her makeup.
"You bet you can. You look great! Have a little more confidence in yourself and don't let anyone tell you otherwise" Peggy said as she did her makeup. Normally Ivy didn't wear makeup. To be honest she didn't really have a talent for it. Peggy, however, seemed to enjoy drawing around on her friend's face with a pencil.
"And Bucky and I are just friends" Ivy denied much too late. Peggy hummed sarcastically and looked at Ivy with one eyebrow raised.
"Of course. Because friends look at each other the way -"
"We don't look at each other!" interrupted Ivy, and Peggy giggled.
"So were you talking to each other with your eyes closed?"
"No, that's not what I meant!" groaned Ivy, while Peggy was still grinning to herself.
"We're just friends," Ivy said softly. Peggy looked at her questioningly.
"But that doesn't mean you see him like a friend" she said softly.
"It doesn't matter how I see him. He just sees me as a friend" Ivy replied softly, to which Peggy shook her head laughing.
"That's not funny!" Ivy said half offended.
"Ivy, he definitely doesn't see you as just a friend, trust me" Peggy said. She finished the light makeup and pulled Ivy to the mirror to show her her masterpiece. Ivy's lips were pinker than usual, her cheeks had more color, her eyelashes looked darker and fuller, while her eyelids had a silver shadow. She looked different, but not in a bad way.
"And after tonight, I guarantee you'll see it too."
~°~
Ivy was not used to being stared at. Ever since she could remember, she had always tried to be invisible to everyone, not to attract attention. If people paid more attention, they would start asking questions. Why do you have such cold skin? Don't you ever get cold? What just happened to your eyes? Was that ice? Ivy didn't have answers to all the questions herself. She couldn't explain why she was different. She wished she wasn't. She wished she was normal and could handle the looks of others as well as Peggy could.
Ivy had put on a white coat over her dress and, to be honest, didn't dare take it off. Peggy went and took off her coat and entered the small bar in her red dress. Invaders sang, but stopped when the two women entered the room. Ivy felt sick. She was ready to run away from the bar and forget about this evening. That's probably why Peggy had their arms linked, so Ivy couldn't run away without dragging Peggy with her. Ivy's eyes wandered around the room until they found what they were looking for. Bucky Barnes was standing at the bar with Steve, looking at Ivy with wide eyes. His gaze scrutinized her from head to toe and he couldn't look away.
"Captain," Peggy greeted Steve. She was apparently the only one able to speak normally. Steve was too busy staring at Peggy, while Bucky and Ivy couldn't take their eyes off each other.
"Agent Carter," Steve finally found his voice again and greeted back. "Ivy."
"Hi," Ivy replied with a nervous smile.
"Hi," Bucky greeted back. It was hard to tell who was more nervous about whom.
"Howard's got some equipment for you to try. Tomorrow morning?" directed Ivy at her brother's request. She was happy Howard wasn't there when she got ready with Peggy. He would never have let her leave the hotel like that.
"That sounds fine" Steve said, but his concentration was on Peggy alone. Something that made Bucky and Ivy grin slightly. The Invaders started singing again. Whether it could be called singing, however, was another question.
Bucky held out his hand to Ivy and winked at her. She understood what he was trying to do and took his hand with a smile. Both left Steve alone with Peggy. What Ivy didn't expect was that Bucky would pull her to the dance floor.
"Bucky! Wait, I can't dance!" Ivy cried in a whisper, but Bucky just grinned at her.
"I remember it differently" he replied and put a hand on her back. Ivy automatically put her free hand on his shoulder. The hand Bucky held burned with warmth. The place he touched tingled and Ivy had to pull herself together not to blush. Her body was far too close to Bucky, yet not close enough. She looked down at her shoes, but felt his gaze on her face.
"You look beautiful" he whispered. His warm breath tickled her ear and the skin around it. She lifted her head and looked directly into his blue eyes. Their faces were so close that their noses touched lightly and their breathing mingled.
"Thanks. You look very handsome too" Ivy whispered back shyly. Bucky's face brightened up when he heard her say that.
"You think I look handsome?" he asked with a smile, suddenly spinning her around. Ivy swung around once until she landed back in Bucky's arms. Her eyes were wide with surprise and her cheeks a little pink from Bucky's question.
"What if I do?" she asked. Both bodies moved perfectly to the music and seemed as one. Both blue eyes gazed into the ocean of the other. Bucky leaned forward again and almost touched her ear with his lips.
"I'd probably be the happiest man alive," he whispered. Ivy's neck hair stood up and a shiver ran down her spine. Bucky leaned back again and smirked at her in satisfaction. He knew what he was doing and for some reason he was enjoying Ivy's reaction way too much.
"The happiest man? Aren't you exaggerating a little?" Ivy asked with a small smile. Bucky spun her around again, but this time she was prepared. She smiled as her hair swung behind her and she landed safely back in his arms.
"Not a bit" he replied with a small smile as he looked down at her. He loved her smile. It could light up a dark room. He loved the way her eyes sparkled and her cheeks took on a slight pink glow. He especially loved that he was the reason for her smile.
"Bucky,"
"Partner swap!" screeched a woman far too enthusiastically. Ivy was practically yanked away from Bucky and pushed aside, leaving a blonde woman to assume her position. Bucky looked around in confusion, looking quite uncomfortable. He decided not to leave the blonde woman standing out of politeness. Ivy, however, had no intention of dancing with the strange man.
"'Scuse me," she mumbled as she left him standing and slipped away. Her head turned in Bucky's direction as she did so. He smiled politely at the lady while she talked all over him. Ivy's stomach tightened when she saw him dancing with someone else.
She hadn't even noticed that her feet had carried her outside. She stood in front of the bar and hugged her coat closer. Streetlights illuminated the street. The moon was still the brightest thing in the night. Ivy leaned against a wall and looked up at the glorious night sky.
"Why are you out all alone?" asked Bucky as he came to stand beside her. He had seen her go outside and had immediately gone after her. After all, it was far too dangerous in the dark. Besides, he couldn't stand the blonde woman any longer.
"Bucky? What are you doing here?" Ivy asked in shock. She had been sure he would still have been dancing.
"Finishing what we started" he said with a small smile and held out his hand to her. Ivy looked at him in confusion. She didn't understand how to respond or what Bucky was up to.
"But there's no music here and it's dark" countered Ivy when she finally understood what Bucky was going for.
"We don't need music. And we have the stars" replied Bucky with a smile and took her hands. The streets were empty and Bucky and Ivy were in the middle of them. He started twirling her around, dancing with her all the way down the street. Ivy had a big grin on her face and was laughing in between. Her laughter was like music to Bucky's ears and was contagious. Both were lost in their own world where each other's smiles were brighter than any star and there was no real rhythm to the dance. They danced into the night and Ivy realized she could no longer keep her promise.