"No, gosh dang it! Where on Earth--?" I scramble through my small jewelry box, having high hopes of finding those tiny, pearl studs earrings. Today is the day, after all, of the famous celebration party held upon by Mr. Tony Stark that celebrates our victory in the Battle of New York. Which was like about a week ago, or something like that. "Hah!" I exclaim once my fingers reached at the bottom corner of the box, trailing upon the smooth pearls.
Then someone knocked at the door, "Amy?"
"Yeah?" I reply, struggling to quickly insert the earrings to my ears. Blue just watched along whilst sitting on his cat bed.
"I'm almost late for my date. How about yours?" Abbey teased from the other side of the door.
I scoff as I apply the lipstick, "It's a party. Not a date." Neutral lipstick seems suiting.
"Yeah, but your date's attending it too. It's 5:54." I then grab my purse as I raced towards the door, swinging it open dashingly which startled my best friend. Blue leaped from his kitty bed, trailing behind as my heels clicked across my room's hardwood floor.
Taking a good look at our night-out outfits, Abbey smirked. I smirk back. "Well lookie here, mi amiga, but we look fine a-f tonight."
Rolling my eyes, I close the door behind me. "Oh yeah, we are."
She giggles, additionally reminding me, "seriously. You got your ring? Your my ride tonight."
Referring to my ring, I show it to her. It's pink gem glistens in the light as it always does. "Where are you guys eating anyway?"
Abby starts smoothening the skirt of her lilac, floral dress, similar to mine's. "This real fancy place downtown, and oh-whoa is Scott wearing a tux while I'm--"
I give a look as soon as I notice her secretly panicking. "Hey, just shut it and once his eyes lay on the beautiful Abbey Myers, Angels will pick his ass up to heaven." Grinning with the upmost modesty, it hopefully represents that tonight is where my best friend and I are beautiful. Plus were gonna have a good time. I gotta good feeling about it. "We're gonna shine tonight, baby!"
She laughs at my perky jazz hands, our excitement ultimately ending ourselves late for the occasion. Taking a glance at the clock, literally, Abbey keeps fixing her hair, her dress. We stood before the elevator, its doors acting as a mirror as we lastly perform last modifications on our looks. "Come on, you ready?"
"Yep, let's go!" We held each other's hands, our purses in the other.
And we're off, violet mists floating around the air once we vanished.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scott smiled with the gleam Abbey deserves tonight, and so much more radiance. After all, she is stunning.
Her brown curly locks are swept to one side elegantly, her earrings dangling with silvery gleams. The dress was a simple pastel blue, with the similar floral lace design. It's skirt loosely falls right about above her knees. Finishing the breezy look were nude wedges. Scott wore a lavish suit, the collar and white button-down completed with the classic skinny black tie. His blazer jacket were mainly black, along with matte black lapels. The rest contains dress pants and fancy dress shoes.
He quickly pushed his "blind" glasses further up the bridge of his nose, along with him trying to hide his flushed cheeks. Quickly giving her a soft peck on the lips, he handed her a simple, elegant rose that was hidden inside his blazer.
Abbey couldn't help but become flattered, and accepted the flower. Scott offered his arm, where she accepted and began their walk into the lavish restaurant downtown. Their laughter echoes in the street night, sending the date off to a lovely start.
So, enough stalking at the perfect blossoming of the perfect relationship, because I have to make my way to Stark's famous party.
One last glance from Abbey I caught, I smirk as a response, then I was gone. Once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And once again, I appeared in a, shockingly, a dark alleyway.
Yeah, I know, typical. I need to seek more interesting reappearing landing sites, or else teleporting would get too boring, eh? But, it hasn't become boring yet, I'm just starting to get used to it once again. Last time was I recall about, eight years ago.
I exit the alleyway, as always, and I faced to my right. Looking across the street is the famous Stark Tower, being overridden by, paparazzi?!
Oh no, they can't see me!! Or else conspiracies with start popping everywhere! Theories about the "girl in the hood" cannot resume just because of the attendance of friggin' Amelia Vale at a Stark party! That's right, there are such things! I guess that's what I get when I disappear from a wealthy family's mansion.... And everything that happened before and after recently! You know, nudge, nudge.
I retreated back inside the alleyway, panting and panicking as my back rests behind to a brick wall. "What the fuck am I supposed to do?! I can't just teleport back again in the roof! Why the fuck should there be helicopters..." Sorry, it happens that I have to talk to myself physically in order to battle against my subconscious. After all, there really happens to be helicopters flying around the freaking roof of the tower!
Then my phone rang. "Great, who could it be now?" I muttered to myself.
Reading the caller ID, it happens to be Dr. Bruce Banner. "Thank God!" I exclaim in a loud whisper. "Bruce! I can't seem to go through--"
"Amelia, I think you have a situation..." He began speaking, and as he was stating the obvious, I immediately stop him there. "Yeah, I see people. Lots of people with blinding lights and cameras and a freaking helicopter scanning around the freaking roof!" My turn to state the obvious.
"Can you not teleport?" He asks. He's kidding, right?
I mentally face palm, frustrated on how the beginning of a party has begun. "Can't. I'm in an alleyway and almost around the clock where most of the area with surveillance that can probably spot the violet mists, or even myself once I disappear. I need to be very careful, even for the sake of hiding my identity. I never thought it'd be this difficult!"
He sighed irritably, as I frown deeply and kept scanning the crowded street across within the shadows. Why did I have to reappear in such of a narrow and short alleyway?! This is my only stop.
"Fine. Captain America is on his way to fetch you. I repeat, Captain America's coming his way." He states as if he were a programmed robot with specific instructions.
My eyes widened, "what?! Steve can't come, or else those paparazzis will start chasing him too! Or worse, even--"
"Fangirls, yeah... That kinda happened to me too." He paused for a moment. "Don't ask. I swear to God, they probably almost ripped off my hair! Or even my precious glasses! God damn, they are everywhere! The other guy would've popped out and destroyed the whole block!"
I groan, "I guess I won't be able to make it." Doubtfully.
"No." Then he inhaled deeply, "actually, um, Captain America really is on his way to that, isn't it the um, narrow and short alleyway? Yeah, he brought two long trench coats for concealment. He'll know what to do."
"What?! Steve?!"
"Hey, Amelia!" I heard a loud whisper behind me, which completely startled me. I could've sworn I almost dropped the phone.
"Ah!" Turning around, startled, Steve stood there in a trench coat with a hood covering half his face, and one more trench coat in his other hand. "Bruce, the Captain's in the alleyway." I report.
"Roger that. Oh hey, see what I did ther--" then I ended the call, because I heard what he terribly did there. Sorry Bruce.
Steve jogged up to me, getting himself further into the shadows. "Glad you could make it!" He said in the most sarcastically, cheerful tone.
"Oh god, thanks so much." Handing me the trench coat, I slip it. Carefully covering my whole body with the hood covering my whole face. Again, deja vu much? "How'd you get out?"
"You'll find out," he replies with a small smirk.
We escaped the shadows, avoiding from bumping into as many people as possible. Quietly. Without one word from one another, I just followed him to where ever the heck he's leading me. Crossing the pedestrian then traveling to one side of the tower, the flashing lights that used to blind us eluded from our eyes thanks to the large and suspicious hoods that covers most our faces.
The tower was that large, even though I've been inside of it before but not completely. One side was beside another alleyway (ha), where we sneaked into. "Okay. Tony sent Bruce and I instructions to our phones, because we arrived at the party actually late."
"Shocking." I remark, pulling my hood out of my face a little farther from my forehead, just enough to see his face.
"That's what I thought. Anyways," then he scanned the wall at the end of the alleyway with his hand, searching for a specific spot as it looks like it. Steve continued, "the brick wall at the end of this alleyway attaches to the tower, allowing Stark to build the tower's only secret entrance. The others? Not so secret."
Perplexed as he finally placed his hand flat on the 'specific spot', he added pressure. "This, Amelia, is actually a spot where JARVIS gets to scan your partial palm print to check if you have authorization to enter the tower. Everyone allowed this entrance is recorded, even you. Secretive as you can see."
Then the brick sunk deeper into the wall, making me gasp. "Whoa."
"Place your hand on the secret spot in this super secret alleyway, brick scans palm, allows authorization to enter the tower through--" Steel doors that has nano-masking technology looses the look of brick wall, it flashes to a look of simple metal. Those doors slid apart from each other, leading to a set of stairs.
My mouth gaped open, "whoa." But I pursed my lips at the sight of stairs, all of my excitement fading away. Because seriously? Stairs? "Hold up, Tony was able to make sliding doors with nano-masking technology and brick palm scanner, but was able to make stairs? Same old, same old, stairs?"
Cap just chuckled at my unimpressed reaction. "They're just five flights of stairs that lead to another set of concealed doors with the same style, as Bruce told me. Those doors lead to an elevator."
Oh. Realization struck me. "Ah, so Tony was basically being careful. Now I'm really impressed."
"I feel the same. Even I don't really still understand the nano-technology and..."
"The palm scanner?" I finish for him, sending him a small smile at his confusion.
"That." He then held out his hand , displaying another of those smiles worth swooning for. "Ma'am? May I escort you through Stark Tower's very special and only super-secret entrance?"
I held onto his hand, accepting his gentlemanly offer. "You may, Captain Rogers."
"Look! There they are!"
Our heads whipped towards the direction of the sudden waves of voices, learning that the paparazzi had finally discovered our whereabouts. "Oh my God, its Captain America!" They kept screaming Steve's name, as he was the only person that they can currently recognize.
Steve sent me a terrified look that technically yells, "RUN."
I immediately pulled my hood farther down my face as we dashed through the entrance and through the stairs. "JARVIS! Shut the doors!" Steve yells at the AI as we entered the not-so-secret-now entrance. Part one.
Flashing lights, cameras mainly, and more paparazzi yells and screams immediately chase after us. But they failed thanks to JARVIS' immediate reaction.
Still holding onto his hand, we practically ran up the stairs, myself having a hard time because apparently Captain America over here is faster.
We finally arrived at the second and last actually-super-secret-entrance, myself panting from sprinting through five flights of stairs. In heels. And in a very heavy trench coat.
The environment was humid and moist, including a very dark setting, making both of us strip off the trench coat. "Need to catch your breath?" Steve mockingly asks, as I playfully slap his arm.
"Hey, thank the God above you for that serum, Captain." I then lit one of hands on fire, providing some lighting. "Where is it?"
Flames in my hands lit up the whole level, giving me a view of Steve's lavish, everything. His face, his clothes, it made me bite my lip, my eyes couldn't stop scanning on how handsome he really looked. My mouth slightly gaped at the sight of the handsome captain, him chuckling as he scratched his neck. Surprisingly, his cheeks flushed. "Wow, you look, really, really beautiful..."
"Um, same to you... too." Then I completely lost it to fucking stuttering. "Uh, I- I mean, not beautiful, you know? Obviously like, like handsome, and-and," I cleared my throat, resumed my straight posture and took a deep breath. "You look handsome tonight, Steve. And thank you."
"Thanks to you too, Amelia."
That grin on his face grew wider. Our eyes just locked together in a gaze, until our minds where overthrown by the thought that there's a party we should get going to.
"Uh, here," Steve led me to the right wall. I raised my hand up to provide him lighting as his hands searched for the second and last scanner that provides the key for the last entrance. The same process follows, and we finally enter the secret elevator.
The elevator led us up to the designated Stark floor for the famous Stark party, commemorating the Avengers' victory in the Battle of New York.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Captain Rogers, Dr. Vale, welcome to Stark Tower. I believe you are attending the current commemoration party?" JARVIS asks both of us in the elevator, startling both Steve and I.
I yelped, "gosh, JARVIS, please take a less-straighforward-ish approach next time, will you?"
"But I wasn't that startling, Dr. Vale." The AI retorted back, Steve lightly chuckling aside. "Besides, I am leading you both to a private floor only permitted for invited SHIELD personnel and members of the Avengers Initiative. Mr. Stark thought about having a much calmer and private environment, especially for Agent Romanoff, Agent Barton and Dr. Banner's sake, than it is on the main party floor for you all." Of course, they are protecting their identities and are trying to maintain minimal stress, you know.
"Very thoughtful of you guys, thank you." I announce back at the AI with a complimentary smile, even though he really can't see that.
"You are welcome. Now please--" the elevator doors slid open as we made to our final stop. "Enjoy the small party both of you."
"Thanks." Steve calls out. Turning to me, he slipped his hand to mine. "You ready?"
I quickly sneak a small kiss on his cheek, "come on, its a party!" Red flushed everywhere on his face, making me giggle. Him giggling awkwardly and shaking his head, embarrassed, along as well.
We stepped out of the elevator, Steve and I's arms linked to each other. The whole floor? Let's just describe it as brief as possible. Grand and fancy. Huge. Don't forget that.
Everyone, familiar faces, seemed to be gathered around the grand, fancy, and huge living room of the floor. I caught Natasha's gaze fall upon our arrival, her face beaming. Every other person did the same, some turning around with big smiles.
My clutch at Steve's arm became a little tighter, but his hand resting on it eased lots of things up a little.
All of the invited to the "VIP" floor approached us with laughs and welcoming smiles, mainly happiness couldn't stop crossing their faces at the sight of us. "Finally! There she is." I hear Tony exclaim, with Clint following, "welcome to the party, kiddo."
"Hopefully you were able to escape the wrath of the trespassing and disrespectful visitors with flashing lights, Lady Amelia!" Thor cries out with his bellowing voice.
"How were the secret entrances?" Bruce asks with a smirk, and everyone agreeing with his question.
"Let's just say good thing I was able to make it." I say in a low voice, enjoying their welcoming environment which made me miss the gang even more from a few days ago, when Loki was sent to Asgard.
Everyone just laughed in response and everyone started exchanging hugs from each other. I guess I wasn't that late...
I spotted others such as Maria, Nick, Dr. Kate, and even Director Weaver. And a familiar red-headed whom I shook hands with, whose name she introduced as Pepper Potts. The famous woman who stole Tony Stark's heart, the woman whom he's swoon for. And is the current CEO of the famous Stark Industries.
Once it was Nick's turn for my hug, I ask, "visited yet?"
He knew I was referring to mom's fresh burial, slightly frowning at the thought of it. Fury sighs, returning our light hug. "Amelia, I have and gave her flowers. She-- she deserved it."
I smile sadly, "hey, sorry for ruining the mood." Drooping my shoulders, he rests a sympathetic hand on one of them.
"Don't worry, Amy. I can't believe I still made it to a fucking party when I have an organization to run."
Just laughing at his comment, I retort, "oh come on, at least you're giving your agents a break."
"They owe me more work hours then. Even you." My expression dropped.
"No need to remind me. When do I start?"
"I'll send you the info. In the meantime, let's just enjoy this party. I swear, any mention of SHIELD or death can be the death of me."
"Hilarious." I remark as he head towards the others, suddenly louder music blasting through the tower.
We're just getting started, right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"WHOOOAAA, we're halfway the-ere. WHOOOAA-OH! LIVIN' ON A PRAYER! Take my hand, and we'll make it I swear, WHOOAA-OH! LIVIN' ON A PRAYER!"
Clint sang the chorus, well, screamed, the whole chorus out of tuned and ear-screeching. I couldn't help but at least try stifling my gags of laughter, Steve smiling sheepishly beside me with his arm wrapped around my waist while we sat on the couch. Bruce kept shutting his eyes closed, bearing the horrible singing and I can tell is one the verge of covering his ears with his hands. No offense, Barton.
Thor kept laughing, trying his best from not choking or spewing while he take swigs of his beer. Natasha pursed her lips as her partner-in-crime kept hitting those notes. Sarcasm intended.
Dr. Kate and Maria kept giggling between each other. Nick crossed his arms, shook his head, and sunk even deeper in his seat while watching one of his best agents scream some Bon Jovi. Weaver watched with eagerly intent from her eyes to throw probably tomatoes, or anything near her really, at the master marksman.
Tony and Pepper are nowhere to be found, even though he assured us that he will tend to craziness the other party in the other floor is handling. But once Clint volunteered to sing 'Livin' on a Prayer' on karaoke, he asked JARVIS to record the whole thing for his own purpose of amusement later. Also, he welcomed for anybody who wants to be in the main floor is welcome.
Meanwhile, the song's infamous solo was playing, Clint pretended he had a guitar and strummed as it was his moment. Which it really was. Let's just say he was really into it.
We cheered, our chants fueling Clint Barton on singing the last refrain, and especially the chorus with all the glory he can withstand.
"Oooh, we've got to hold on, ready or not. You live for the fight when it's ALL THAT YOU'VE GOT. WHOOOAAAAAAA, we're halfway there. WHOOOOAAA-OOH! LIVIN' ON A PRAYER! Take my hand, and we'll make it I swear. WHOOOOAAA-OH! LIVIN' ON A PRAYER! WHOOOOAAAA, WE'RE HALFWAY THERE. WHOOOOAAA-OH! LIVIN' ON A PRAYER! TAKE MY HAND AND WE'LL MAKE IT I SWEAR. WHOOAAAA-OH! LIVIN' ON A PRAAAAYEERRRR!" OH GOD MY EARS!
His finale got all of us crazy in both laughter and cheer that it became the first time in my life where Natasha wiped some tears of joy from her eyes and Nick Fury just guffawed in like what, years?
Over all, we were crazy. A loud applause held on for like longer than what a normal applause's duration should've been. Clint bowed and clutched his chest, acting to cry as he had truly nailed the performance. Which he really didn't due to having his voice too flat, too much projection and all, but it was fun. Keep it that way. He mouthed 'thank you's and 'I love you all's to his 'fans', all of us standing out of our seats and cheering.
"Ugh, I am so honored to perform in front of you incredible people, serenading you all with my voice is I mean--"
"Horrendous?" Nick interrupted, him erupting in more laughter, "Agent Barton, I think that mic's dead because of you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Steve's POV~
Boredom will and can overtake anybody. But not myself, really. Even from a man out of time, I actually can find other things that occupies myself. Such as wandering through the tower, which was newly-repaired and even furnished that erased all the damage it took during the alien invasion.
I guess celebration was another one of Stark's perks. Celebrating happiness and victory.
But did we not just win a battle? How about other battles with even many others out there?
Are we even in a war? A war that keeps creeping behind the shadows and just leaps out suddenly out of opportunity once something or someone messes it all up?
Three years and I still couldn't figured it out. I guess being frozen for decades and being stuck with such haunting thoughts couldn't help but still force me to contemplate.
Basically, everything that I could think of just makes me over think. Not really pleasant. Really anxious and nervous does all of this contemplating and pondering make me.
The dark navy sky on the other side of the massive window glass dimmed out, leaving all the lights and other unknown celestial bodies just shine as it is suppose to be. I sat on leather, a leather seat that is partnered with a black grand piano.
How did I end up here? Wandering mostly. After a bathroom break. It made me lost through those thoughts and I was pathetic enough to not realize on where I am ultimately heading. The music room, perhaps indicated because of the guitar and the set of peculiar drums and- and all of that stood still in other parts of the room, seemed to have captivated me. Therefore I decided to stay for a while.
Music is amazing. The voice, the notes, the lyrics and even rhythms always changes. I like that trait. When you are something or someone constantly refuse to stay "same old".
Like her. You know her. She changes, even in a few days time, it amazes me. Some people change. Most of them do.
"Steve?" I heard a small voice from the all the other side of the grand music room. Almost like a mumble. But I heard and turned around to the direction anyway. "What'chu doing?" The second set of word that escaped her mouth was a little more cheery once I heard her heels enter the room. Mouth slightly gaped. Hungry eyes were caught by the sight of the particular sets of musical instruments. After all, Amelia did just sing Whitney.
A small light shined over the piano, giving it a much spotlight effect. The room is dim, probably most likely that Tony doesn't even use this room. Sadly. And honestly, why not let the grandest instrument shine the brightest tonight?
"You play?" Amelia asked out as she kept walking around the room, her fingers slowly strumming a nearby guitar that sat on its stand.
I shrug, smiling a little, "never learned, Amy."
She scowled jokingly, finally climbing the steps that led up to the podium where the grand piano, and where I currently am sitting at, stand. "Don't call me that, Stevie Wonder." Then she let out a small laugh as she noticed the irony. I laughed along her silver bells too. Then, she suggests as she side along beside me. "Want me to teach you?"
"I won't mind." I replied as we both faced the piano, nodding as she scanned the keys with her eyes. I watched her.
"All right. I hope you are familiar with the terms 'scales' and 'arpeggios' here. Do you?" She took one glance at me, whilst I slowly shook my head. She sent a solemn smile, "good. Because now you will." Fingers rested on an ivory key, and up to my knowledge, wonder which octave? Which, note? But she clarifies to me thankfully anyways. "Let's begin with... The note C."
The note rang its small melody throughout the room.
"Then, D. The next note correspoding in the scale." She hit the next key. I'd rather see her play...
Just in the middle of the small lesson on 'scales and arpeggios', her small, slender fingers halted. Instead, three fingers rested on multiple of ivory keys. I rose an eyebrow, "wha--"
Almost all at once, they all played notes. I can sense her lips curling slightly upon her playing. But it faded too soon.
"Sorry, its just--" Shaking her head, I just laughed. "Why are you laughing?"
I sighed, "I guess I'd rather see you play than just teaching me on where the notes landed."
"Too boring, eh?"
"What? No, no, I mean like--"
"I'm just messing with you, Rogers. Don't worry, I'm getting bored on some of my own lessons as--" her other hand rested its little slender fingers on other keys-- "well." She soothed my panic as if I thought I made a rude remark. Which gratefully I didn't. Lastly, she asks, "may I?" Her eyes turned to face me with proper permission.
And from that last question, I knew she couldn't perform enough of the singing. "Go for it, Amelia."
"Excellent." I then scootched to the edge of the leather piano seat as she centered herself upon a different set of keys for this song.
She began announcing, "This song, well, its first called Skinny Love, and I am going to perform a cover from the lovely Birdy. Lastly, I don't usually sing a lot in front of everybody anymore but recently I have. But for this special one," hazel eyes caught my gaze, "this is personally a performance for the amazing, lovely, courageous, and handsome Steve Rogers. For he has stood out of the crowd and stayed. Enjoy." I grinned ever so radiantly.
My heart soared into a cloud once a few notes began taking its course. Then another set... A set... Another set...
Until a few words escaped her mouth in an immediate intimate serenade, "come on, skinny love just last the year...
Pour a little salt, we were never here.
My my my, my my my, my my...
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer."
My smile melted into solemness.
"Tell my love to wreck it all.
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall.
My my my, my my my, my my...
Right in the moment this order's tall.
And I told you to be patient,
And I told you to be fine,
And I told you to be balanced,
And I told you to be kind.
And in the morning I'll be with you,
But it'll be a different.
Cause I'll be holding all the tickets,
And you'll be owning all the fines..."
This will probably be last thing I'll remember this night. Because I loved it...
THE END.
Or is it?