Chapter 13

"Where are we going now, Steve?"

We had been waking and seeing the sights for hours and I was tired and hungry. He wasn't kidding about doing this all day. His excitement was infectious but that was only carrying me so far. 

"A museum. I want to show you something special."

I suppressed a groan. I had enough of seeing the sites to last me a lifetime. We got to the museum and I was surprised at how small it was. I had thought Steve was taking me to a large museum. It was an old home that had been converted to preserve history. We went up the stairs and went through the antique wooden doors. The inside was dim after having been outside, but it was a welcome change from the heat of the sun. 

"What did you want to show me?"

"It's this way."

He went up the staircase to the upper floor and led me down a hallway. At the end was a room and we went in. It was all about World War II. It was surprising how similar this realm was to mine. We went to a display that held photos from that time. They were black and white and showed scenes from different stations. Steve was staring at one in particular. I could tell he came here often. I leaned over to see what he was staring at. It was a picture of a thin young man standing next to a beautiful girl. Both were dressed as soldiers. 

"Who is that in the picture, Steve?'

He was silent for a moment. "That's me before the serum. I told you I was a runt." His voice dropped and softened. "Her name was Peggy."

He stared for a few more minutes and I took the time to study him. He obviously had feelings for the girl in the photo. The question then was where was she. I knew now was not the time to ask so I filed it away for a future conversation, especially since he was acting like he was interested in me.

Steve felt me looking at him and looked over at me. He just looked for a moment then smiled and took my hand. "I promised you lunch. Are you ready?"

"Yes! Hopefully, it's not too far a walk."

"Nope. Just around the corner actually. The best pizza place in Manhattan."

"Oh my god, did you just say pizza!? What are we waiting for? Let's go. Lead the way, Grandpa."

Steve laughed and since he still had my hand, he pulled me out the door. 

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The pizza was every bit as good as Steve claimed. I moaned as the taste of cheese, tomato, and pepperoni exploded in my mouth. I was always a sucker for good food. I was on my fourth piece and each one was as good as the last.

"You really love your food don't you."

I looked at him while I chewed and swallowed. "Well, when you miss more meals than you eat, yeah. You really learn to appreciate the food you do eat. Tastes and textures. Because you never know when the next time things slow down enough to eat again." I bit into my next slice of pizza. "Plus, you learn to eat all you can when you have the chance. Although I don't think I could ever eat as much as Thor. Where does he put it all? That man has no body fat anywhere. Not that I'm complaining. It's a nice view."

Steve laughed. "Yeah, he can definitely eat. If Tony wasn't so rich he would have eaten us out of house and home long ago." His face grew serious. "Eat all you want. I like watching you eat. You are too skinny Ariane and I worry about you."

I glared at him. "Well, there isn't anything to worry about. My weight is just fine, thank you."

Why couldn't people just accept me as I was? There was always something about me that guys wanted to change. It's why I never really dated. 

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound as if I was criticizing or anything. I knew you hadn't eaten much before you came here and I know you are still recovering from your injuries. That's all. I promise."

I rubbed my forehead, all desire for food now gone. "No, I'm sorry. It's a sore topic. And a conversation I've had more times than I can count. It's not your fault, you didn't know." I looked at my watch. "Can we go back to the Tower? We did a lot of walking, and I would like to get a short nap if that's ok."

"Sure. I got too excited and I forgot until a moment ago you were recovering. I should have had us take a cab. I will get one to take us back so you don't have to walk anymore."

Steve made a quick call and in a few minutes a car pulled up in front of the pizza place. It was a sexy car. Audi R8. That's when I saw who was behind the wheel. 

"Tony! Is this really your car? She's amazing!" 

He grinned and motioned us to get in. Steve held open the passenger door for me.

"Are you sure you don't want the front? Your legs are longer than mine."

Steve smiled. "I'm sure. This is your first ride and it's the best from the front. Don't worry. There is more room in the back than what it looks like."

I nodded and slid into the passenger seat. I wasn't going to argue. The leather was butter soft and felt amazing. Tony spared no expense with his car. It had all the bells and whistles. It was beautiful.

Tony reached over me and grabbed my seatbelt and buckled it. "Buckle up Kid and hold on."

"Tony! Don't drive like a maniac. You are gonna get us killed one of these days!" Steve's voice ran out from the back seat.

"Keep your tights on Capsicle. I wasn't going to go too crazy. But I think our girl here doesn't mind a little danger."

With a wink, Tony threw the car into gear and peeled away from the curb. We flew down the street. I heard Steve yelling from the back, but I was too caught up in the ride to care. It was exhilarating to go so fast. I laughed at the feeling of freedom that speed brings. Before I knew it the ride was over, and Tony was slowing down to pull up in front of the tower. 

I grinned at Tony. "That was awesome! I'm a little sad the ride's over so soon."

We got out of the car and headed up the stairs to the front door. As we entered the living room Tony said "We can go for a longer ride another day if you want, Kid. In the meantime, I have to get back to the lab and get back to work. You kids have fun." 

He turned and went down a set of stairs I hadn't noticed before. I really needed someone to give me a full tour. I had no idea what or where all the rooms were here.

Steve walked me to my door. 

"Thanks for taking me out today, Steve. And thank you for lunch. It was really great."

He gave me a wry smile. "Yeah until I opened my big mouth and ruined your appetite. Anytime you want to go again just let me know. Now go take a nap. I will see you later."

He turned and walked away. I went into my room and laid down on the bed. It had been a long morning and I really did need a nap before my date with Loki. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.