The Bucket List

The Saddest Dinner Party

1 month later

"Bella, we don't have to do this." Chris said holding onto her waist, the silky red dress was soft under his fingers.

"It's been a month Chris, I need to tell them something." Bella's fists rested on his chest. "I can't keep secrets any longer."

"Okay," Chris said with a reluctant sigh. "I'll help you set the table. You look ravishing." He kissed her forehead and headed off to do his job.

The guests arrived just as Bella pulled the meal out of the oven. Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, and Tom Hiddleston.

"Hello darling." Tom pecked Bella on the cheek as he gave her a hug. "How have you been, it seems like it's been ages since Chris first brought you to the set. We need to see each other more often."

Bella smiled "Hello Tom, maybe we can set up a coffee date and catch up a bit."

"Sounds lovely." He smiled and went off to greet other guests.

Mark and Jeremy hugged her exclaiming that she was surviving well with Chris as her boyfriend.

"Just shooting with him was brutal. But you, you see him like every day! What a trooper." Jeremy laughed.

Robert and Scarlett said their hellos and mingled with the rest of the group. Chris Hemsworth being last.

"Hello dear." The tall Australian smiled down at her. "Are you okay?" He had been best friends with Chris since The Avengers and frequented the Evans and Edwards homes often. Chris had become like a brother to Bella and always knew when something was wrong. Many times she had come to him when she was feeling down and just needed someone to talk to.

"Never better Chris." She smiled back at him.

"Ahh, that's my girl." He laughed hugging her side and rubbing her arms.

"Hey! Chris! You come hug my girl but ignore me? What's up with that man?!" The two Chris' laugh.

"Alright! Time for dinner!" Bella called out.

"And what lovely concoction have you made up this time Bella?" Tom asked sliding into his chair which was between Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett. Across from him was a trio of grinning men, Robert, Mark, and Jeremy.

"I made my mom's Cajun shrimp casserole. Hopefully it'll be as good as hers." She laughed nervously setting the hot dish onto the table. Chris followed her with two bottles of wine.

"Who wants a glass?"

"Is that even a question Evans?" Scarlett asked pushing her glass towards him.

"Touché." Chris answered.

Their conversation carried through the night, everyone laughing at stories from the different sets, and some from rather wild parties after shooting. The laughter died down after a while, everyone pushing away their dessert plates.

"I must congratulate you Chris on having a chef for a girlfriend." Robert announced holding his wine glass up.

"That was awesome. Especially that cake. I could live off of that cake." Jeremy said taking a long sip of wine.

"Thank you," Bella blushed at the praise coming from around the table. She glanced at Chris at the opposite side of the table from her. He nodded and cleared the plates.

"Uh, Bella and I have some news for you all. This is the reason why we held the dinner party and everyone that needs to know this isn't here, but we thought we would get the closest to family together first." Chris swallowed hard. The room was deafeningly silent, the hearts of everyone in the room beating a little faster than normal as the intensity of the situation became more apparent. "Would you like to tell them Bella?" All eyes went to her.

"Um, sure," she breathed deep, her hands shaking. She felt Chris's hand envelop hers encouragingly and she glanced to the blonde man.

The man who was the brother she never had. The man who she was about to shatter with the sledge hammer of reality. This man and everyone else at this table. Even herself, it was as if someone took their own sledge hammer and pounded her a few times before she did the same to anyone else.

"I went to the doctor's office back in March, not too long after you guys started filming. At this point even Chris didn't know about what was going on. I didn't want to tell anyone, not yet." She sighed again, her stomach flopping like a fish on land.

Bella felt her hands shake more and she squeezed her eyes shut willing them to stop. Sharp, salty tears made their way out of her tightly shut eyes and trickled down her face with an air of success. Here came the sledge hammer to slam into her again.

"A week before I had found a, a certain lump. On my chest. I refused to believe what my brain was telling me at the moment, but I did agree to going to the doctor's." Bella's blue eyes scanned the table. Each face was different. Chris Hemsworth was staring at their hands that were gripped together tightly, Tom stared off into space with his hands steepled under his chin resting his elbows on the table, Scarlett found her hands in her lap very interesting at the moment. Chris' eyes were trained on her, encouraging her. Mark looked at the table, his fingers running over the smooth wine glass stem, Robert crossed his arms on the table and looked at her. Jeremy was watching her shaking hand that was nearest to him.

"I have stage 3 breast cancer, it's 5 centimeters and we found out that there are smaller lumps in both breasts. I'll have to do chemo and then surgery. Hopefully that'll get it all." She wiped away her tears with the heel of her hand.

"I am so sorry darling." Tom said crouching in front of her and giving her a hug. The rest of the guests soon joined in, everyone misty eyed and sad now.

This could easily be called the saddest dinner party of the year. Very easily.