THE BALLROOM WAS SPLENDID. Dazzling chandeliers reflected on pristine marble columns. The floor bustled with men in polished tuxedos and women in elegant gowns. A band was playing classical music in the background of the humming of conversations and champagne glasses clicking together.
For a second, it reminded Angie of the banquets she used to attend in Asgard. The crucial difference being that she didn't have to entertain uninteresting conversations with complete strangers back then. For the past hour, it was pretty much what she had been doing, although, to be fair, Tony was taking on most of the work.
People — physicists, engineers, the elite of Earth's researchers, apparently — swarmed around him like bees, and around her, by proxy. Much to her surprise, no one had second-guessed her credentials or questioned her identity, just like Tony assured.
They were both playing a part for the night, that much was clear in their heads. Tony was the brilliant but eccentric billionaire people were used to seeing — the part he had basically played most of his life. Angie, on the other hand, was the sophisticated Biotech scientist whose range of skills didn't really fit in an Astrophysics summit, but was mostly there as Tony's plus one.
So far, they hadn't dug up anything very interesting, nothing that hinted at an impending Alien invasion. By some miracle, they found themselves left alone for the first time of the night and took it as an opportunity to retreat to the bar where they could have some peace.
A waiter passed by with a tray of champagne flutes. Angie grabbed one on the fly and emptied it in a few gulps.
"Slow down, we just got here. That's what the after-party's for," Tony told her, amused.
"You forget my alcohol tolerance is much higher than you, humans," Angie remarked "I couldn't get drunk on champagne if I wanted to."
He chuckled "Relax. You're doing great so far. Just pretend you're in your element."
She cocked an eyebrow "I've never been further away from my element in my entire existence."
This made Tony snort rather loudly, making a few eyes turn their way.
"Great. Now everyone's looking at us," Angie grumbled.
He smirked again, leaning against the counter of the bar "Hate to break it to you Angie, but they've all been looking at you since we got here."
Angie immediately stiffened "What? Why?"
"First, because you're with me."
She rolled her eyes. If they hadn't been in public she would've probably punched his arm "Okay, wow..."
"But mostly," Tony quickly added "Because you clean up nice."
Angie's eyes narrowed "What does that even mean?"
"It means you look stunning, Angie."
"Oh heavens, no, don't start."
It was Tony's turn to roll his eyes "God forbid you ever accept a compliment."
She smiled a little sheepishly "Sorry, it's not that. I'm here for one thing only. I just want to get the job done."
He shrugged and grabbed a champagne flute "As much as I would've preferred showing up in a band t-shirt, we do have to blend in, Angela Dean."
"Don't pretend you're not enjoying this," her eyes narrowed.
Tony laughed humorlessly "I guess it used to be my world once upon a time..." he shrugged again "Kinda outgrew the pompous parade, you know?"
"Oh really?" she smirked "You fit right in though."
Tony chuckled and downed the remainder of his champagne "That's it," he set the glass on the bar counter "Angela Dean, you owe me a dance."
At first she thought he was joking. It wasn't until he grabbed her hand and led the way to the dance floor that Angie's eyes widened in horror, realizing he was dead serious. By then they were already in people's field of view which meant she couldn't make a run for it.
"You have got to be kidding me, Tony what the hell...?!"
"What?" he shrugged innocently "I told you we needed to play the part."
By that point it was no use arguing. The band had already begun playing a slower, more intimate melody and other couples were forming around them.
Tony dropped his eyes momentarily before looking back at her, his head tilted to one side and a hopeful smile played on his lips. This, too, was the furthest thing from Angie's comfort zone, but in that moment, with Tony's earnest look under the dim lights and the gentle song that drowned out the noise around them; Angie realised that perhaps, she didn't want to run after all.
She took the hand he was offering, the touch of his skin burning into hers. He wove his other hand around her waist, pulling her body closer. The space between them turned warm, each touch picking her nerves in the best way.
Suddenly, there was no plan anymore, there was no Alien invasion, no Avengers and no years of absence. There was only the two of them, swaying to the gentle music, alone in a crowded room.
His gaze locked on hers and a smile drew itself unto his lips. It was serene and wistful at the same time and Angie's heart suddenly felt heavy inside her chest.
There was a time, when she thought being appointed as the Guardian of the Chitauri Scepter would be the greatest honor of her life. She thought nothing would ever top that feeling.
But this... being here with Tony and every moment she's had with him, it topped that, each and every time.
She wished this moment could last longer and something about that made her ashamed. This isn't what they were here for. And maybe she was getting carried away, thinking that it could be.
The melody faded out and the band returned to the slightly faster tempo that gave rhythm to this whole gala. Tony's arm slipped from her waist and they detached from each other, a sheepish smile on both their faces.
"I think we should separate," Tony said.
"Huh...?"
"I mean talk to people separately, cover more grounds, you know?"
"Oh, uh, right. Yeah. Absolutely."
Clearly, he was more focused on the task at hand than she was. This sobered her up quickly. She definitely needed the call back to reality.
After dispersing, just like they had agreed, Angie headed to the bar before anything else. She needed a drink, something much stronger than champagne.
A few sips and a short brooding session later, she felt a marked presence at her side. Expecting to engage in another infinitely boring conversation with some clingy physicist, Angie twirled around, about to flash her most convincing smile... and she almost chocked on her liquor.
He was a physicist alright. Just the last one she expected to see.
"Doctor Selvig?!"
He seemed equally shocked to see her there "Angrb—"
"Shhhh..." she exclaimed looking around nervously. She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to a quieter corner where they could talk freely.
"It's Angela now," she told him before a short pause "Actually... just call me Angie."
His eyes were round as marbles "Wh-what are you... you're back on Earth?!... Since when?!"
The last time she saw Dr. Erik Selvig was four years ago on the rooftop of the Stark Tower. Much like everyone else, he knew nothing of her whereabouts since the Battle of New York. Selvig was the last person she expected to run into, but perhaps he was exactly the person she needed. There was hardly anyone better suited to answer her questions.
"I came back recently," she told him "No one here knows who I really am, so please let it stay that way."
He nodded although still seemed a bit disoriented "But why... I mean, what are you doing here? Is Thor with you?"
She shook her head "I haven't seen Thor in years. I'm here with Tony. We are sort of... well, undercover."
"Undercover?"
She shrugged "Well, I am at least... Listen, Doctor, I think you might be able to help us. We have serious suspicions that Earth is about to experience another alien invasion."
"Again?!"
She heaved a sigh "I know... but this time, we want to nip it in the bud. We came here to find out if there have been abnormal wavelengths, any signals, or anything at all that could hint at an unknown spaceship."
Selvig listened to her quietly. He stayed quiet long after she had stopped talking. His face had melted into a pensive and worried expression which immediately set Angie on edge.
"I think I know what you're talking about," he finally let out after a long silence.
Selvig tilted his head toward a door behind the bar counter; it gave into the kitchens.
"Come with me. I can't show you in public."
⁂
Every waiter that passed by were sending them odd looks. Not that you could blame them. Two guests in full formalwear, clumped in a corner of the kitchen must've been quite a sight.
Considering how high-profile the guest list was, no one thought of telling Angie and Selvig they weren't exactly allowed in the kitchens.
Erik had pulled out an interface device that he carried around at all times. It was a little bigger than the average cellphone. Angie took a single look at the numbers and charts on the small screen before her face scrunched a little. She was way out of her league again.
"This is a detector for static force fields generated by hyperspace transits," he showed the little device.
"Meaning...?"
"Meaning it can sense abnormal radiations emitted by non-identified vehicles in Earth's atmosphere. Essentially: if it's not Earth's technology it will give me abnormal numbers."
"Oh," she let out, coming to terms with what it all meant "And you have been getting abnormal numbers?"
He nodded "Sort of. You don't really notice it unless you're looking for it. It's been fluctuating for the last few weeks. The wavelengths get crazy at times and then they go back to normal. It's like the force fields are appearing and disappearing constantly. I thought the detector was just acting up but with what you're telling me, we might be dealing with something else."
Angie felt the rush of adrenaline as soon as the last few words left his mouth "That's... that's what I was waiting to hear. Thank you Doctor."
"Wait," Selvig stopped her "It's not that simple. I haven't detected anything in days. My last readings indicated somewhere over Brazil but now it's all blank."
Angie's breath got caught in her throat. Her brain was pondering his last few sentences and she could only come to one conclusion. It was obvious enough to her, she didn't know why Selvig hadn't clicked yet.
"Erik... Don't you know what this means?"
His brows furrowed, shaking his head negatively "What?"
"It means they've already landed."
⁂
Angie walked back into the ballroom like a fury. She searched for Tony in the crowd and finally spotted him entertaining a conversation with five or six other people who were probably only hunting for his money. She pushed through the crowd, straight to him. He saw her arriving but didn't seem to notice the deeply distraught look on her face.
"Ah, there she is," he told the small group "My charming right hand, Angela Dean."
For a few minutes more, Angie tried as best as she could to keep up the charade. She smiled, and told them it was nice to meet them when each introduced themselves to her, even though she wouldn't remember any of their faces in the next hour. She even faked a laugh when it was appropriate and pretended to take interest in whatever they were saying.
At one point though, Angie had more than enough.
She made up a bullshit excuse that included Tony, excused herself and practically dragged him away to a quiet corner.
"Hey, what's with you?! I was getting to something good!" he whispered-exclaimed once they were out of earshot "I just needed to butter them up for a few more minutes and—"
"Tony, shut up. The Hellhound is already here."
He was about to argue when the magnitude of her words registered in his mind. Whatever he meant to say was swallowed right back.
"W-what...?" he finally let out.
She shook her head "I'll explain everything in details once we're on the plane."
"Where are we going?"
"Brazil."
___________________________
Sooo our favorite power couple is heading off to South America!!
Thoughts on the chapter as a whole? Any prediction/suggestion? Leave your comments and please don't forget to vote!
-L