Loving America

2

"You cannot find peace by avoiding life."

- Virginia Woolf

The two hours before the party were exactly what I needed. I'd extended my nap by half an hour, leaving me with 90 minutes to actually get ready. 30 minutes of a shower left me with an hour to dress up and fully get ready.

It was peaceful, and turns out that the bathroom and the bedroom have built in Bluetooth speakers, helpful for getting ready with music. "Left Hand Free" by Alt-J was currently playing through the speakers as I finished my hair, pulling it back with a clip Tony had laid out for me.

I was surprised at the length of the dress Tony had laid out. He usually didn't like me wearing shorter stuff. I usually didn't regardless of his opinion, preferring longer dresses and more comfortable clothes to tight club dresses. However, this one was free and flown and comfortable. It covered enough and I felt confident.

"Elizabeth! Come join the party!" My door opened to Tony, grinning, and dressed in one of his darker suits. "I see you're mimicking the Iron Man thing." I laughed, pointing out the red suit with black accents. He opened his arms in a display, shrugging. "It's a party, why not have a little fun?" That was definitely Tony. Always up for a party. "Come on, come meet everyone." He motioned out the door, and I followed, making sure my dress was tucked down in the back. 

Tony led me out of the building, opening the door to a car for me. "It's off the compound. Figured you'd be spending your entire break here so I decided to go off-grounds for the venue." He joked.

The car ride wasn't long, maybe 10 to 15 minutes at most. The car pulled up in front of a gorgeous, glass building, with gold exterior accents. 

We entered the building and Tony took us to a lounge, with classical music playing and several other people in the room. "I uh- tried to invite Diane but she declined and with your parents-" Tony started, but I put a hand on his bicep. "It's okay, Tony. Thank you" I smiled. 

Diane was my best friend before I left for college, and we'd tried to stay in touch but something had changed over the past year. She had started screening my calls, ignoring my texts, didn't even answer the door when I went to check on her at her apartment. My family, meanwhile, well - it was complicated. 

I recognized several of the people in the room as the Avengers, but the rest were friends of Tony's that I as well was close with. A banner hung from the far wall, the words "Welcome Home Elizabeth" scrawled across in gold paint. There were no streamers or balloons, but the room was beautiful. People were serving at the miniature bar to the left, one or two servers present to make drinks and serve snacks. 

"I tried to convince him to get some better entertainment, but I suppose you're just stuck with us, Elizabeth." A woman with red hair approached me, a playful smirk on her face. "Natasha Romanoff" She held out her hand and I shook it, trying to smile politely, despite the fact that my nerves were growing. "Oh- of course, you're the Black Widow." I nodded. "You can call me Nat. Any friend of Tony's is a friend of mine." Her smile was warm and it definitely made me feel more comfortable. 

I knew deep down this was a situation that should terrify me. I was in a room full of unfamiliar people who could kill me if I so much as looked at them the wrong way. Especially the woman in front of me. But these were good people, and I trusted Tony's opinion of them. 

"I heard someone's home!" A bright cheer voice called, and I jumped as someone wrapping their arms around me from behind. It took me a moment before I jerked to turn around. "Pepper!" I threw my arms around her, smiling. "It's been so long!" She laughed, reaching to tuck some of my hair away from my face.