Her Mind's Keeper {MCU//Steve Rogers}

Chapter 2. Elevators

Pedro was purring at my feet. I shook out of the trance Tony had left me in and stalked down the hall to my room. There was one important piece of business to take care of.

The cat followed me and hopped into the tatty bedspread. The whole room was embarrassingly outdated. Wherever the wallpaper wasn't peeling, there was remnants of crayon drawings on the walls. Smeared and faded where Sarah tried to scrub them out.

I delved into my wardrobe, shooed Pedro off the bed and laid out the only remotely viable options for a party at Stark Tower. 1) A black pencil skirt dress I'd worn to great aunt Nora's funeral last year. It was plain, and made me look about thirty-five. 2) An all-sequin number that came up to my thighs... 2 years ago.

I fell back onto the bed and groaned. Tony's voice swarmed around my mind. 'I wasn't kidding' he said again and again, smiling.

Why was I freaking out about a dress? Tony just told me I was joining the team. The Avengers. I was going to be an Avenger.

How though?

I had no idea. I certainly wasn't qualified. I didn't have any superhuman abilities. I was doing pretty well at school, but I was no Bruce Banner. I hadn't even had college scholarship offers.

What was Tony thinking?

I bolted upright, beginning to sweat. The air wasn't getting into my lungs fast enough.

Seriously. What was he thinking?

Was it some kind of trick? Was he punishing me for impersonating Spider-Man?

'Don't ask too many questions right now,' I heard Tony repeat in my head.

But I have so many!

His ethereal face floated across my minds eye, 'No questions, Anna.'

I released a breath and sunk back onto the mattress. Pedro was purring somewhere near my feet. If I could just focus...

And then - a moment of genius. Sarah, although rarely seen out of scrubs, had gone to a black tie fundraiser for the hospital last year. 'This is the most expensive dress I've ever bought' she'd announced on her return from Macy's. I'd watched her unbox it in her room, pouring over the silky fabric and the tiny embellishments.

I bolted across the hall and threw open mom's wardrobe. I spotted the familiar blue instantly. It was a knee length, navy cocktail dress with delicate lace sleeves and a low back that drooped just past the waist.

Could I do that? Would Sarah be mad?

I held it up to the mirror and for just a second, saw myself striding into the tower. A professional. I'd shake hands with the Avengers and crack a joke and they'd all laugh. They'd tell me what a great addition I could be to the team. I'd look qualified for the job.

"Screw it."

I yanked the dress off the hanger.

Hours later, I was out on the bustling street waiting for a cab. My heels felt precariously high as I leaned into the road with my hand outstretched. They all continued to speed past me.

Two different men complimented my dress, and I knew I'd made the right choice. For the first time ever, people were looking at me like I was going somewhere.

There was a chill in the air now that the sun had set, but finding a suitably smart coat had proven an even harder task than finding the dress.

Just as I was considering giving up on cabs and heading to the subway, a blacked out Mercedes pulled up in front of me.