"I see an exit at your six," YN whispered as she scoped out the room she and Bucky were trapped in.

Bucky slowly looked over his shoulder so he could see what she was seeing, but he immediately began to shake his head. "No good – that exit's been compromised."

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath. "Do you have eyes on Rogers and Romanoff."

"Affirmative. They've breached the entrance, but they're currently engaged with two hostiles. They're no good to us now."

YN framed Bucky's face in her hands and she stared deeply into his eyes. "This may be the end of the line. . ."

"You can't think like that, doll. After everything we've been through, I refuse to believe that this is how our story ends."

"Bucky, if we don't make it out of this room in the next five minutes. . ."

"I love you. You know that, don't you?"

"I love you more than anything in the world," YN said as she gazed into Bucky's eyes.

"I liked you two a whole lot better when you weren't dating," Sam muttered under his breath as he made his way toward YN and Bucky.

"You hate me just as much now as you did when we first met in Vienna," Bucky reminded him.

"True," Sam admitted. "But I used to like YN."

"YN is standing right here and can hear every word you're saying," she said as she gave him a lethal stare.

"I don't know what you two are complaining about," Sam said, completely ignoring YN's comment like he normally did. "The servers are starting to bring around the hors d'oeuvres and it looks like the bartenders are just about done setting up the open bar."

"Ooh, the bar's open?" YN asked as she craned her neck over the crowd of people between her and the promise of copious amounts of alcohol.

"I can't get drunk, doll," Bucky reminded her. "Within an hour, you'll be able to dull your senses, but I'll still be painfully away of where we are."

"I've heard that Thor was planning to sneak in some Asgardian liquor Loki was able to squirrel away before they destroyed the place," Steve whispered as he and Nat joined the group of superheroes standing in the corner off to themselves.

"Is it powerful enough to overcome the serum?" Bucky asked.

Sam clapped Steve on the back as he began to laugh. "Only time I've ever seen Cap drunk was at one of Stark's parties where Thor brought that stuff. Some of the old WWII vets tried some of it and they had to be carried out of the Tower."

"I remember that night," Nat said with her signature smirk. "You were wearing that blue shirt. . ."

"You remember what I was wearing?" Steve asked with a confused look on his face.

Nat tried to play it off with a shrug. "I'm an assassin, Steve, it's my job to pay attention to details. Besides, it brought out your eyes."

YN and Bucky shared a knowing look. They'd been subtly trying to get Steve and Nat to act on their feelings for the past few months, but so far they'd been unsuccessful. They'd hoped the festive atmosphere of the wedding would help them along, and now with the promise of Thor's special brew they were sure they could finally get the two to admit they were in love with one another.

"Pepper will kill you all if she finds out Thor brought his own alcohol to her wedding," Sam warned with a wide-eyed look. "I don't know about y'all, but I'm not about to piss that woman off today."

"Has anyone seen Thor since the ceremony?" Steve asked as he looked around the reception hall.

YN shook her head. "He said something about an Asgadian wedding tradition he needed to get ready for Tony and Pepper."

Nat's eyes grew large as her smile began to fade. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

The group all gave one another worried looks before they collectively shook their heads and let out a sigh. YN noticed a mischievous glint in Bucky's eye and deduced that he knew what Thor was planning which wasn't good news for the newlywed couple. She leaned over and gave Bucky a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing Nat's arm and leading her toward the bar on the other side of the room.

"I don't know about you, but I need a drink," YN told her as they began weaving their way through the hoard of guests. "Have I told you how glad I am that I never have to bartend ever again?"

Nat laughed as she thread her arm through YN's. "You don't have to pretend with me, you know."

YN glanced at her friend with a confused look before focusing her attention back to where they were headed. "What do you mean?"

"I know you and Bucky have been joking all day about horrible this wedding is. . ."

"We're just messing around."

"Are you, though?"

YN stopped and turned to face her friend. "If this were a year ago, I'd be a wreck. Hell, I probably wouldn't even be here right now." She took a deep breath as she glanced back at the man who'd changed everything for her and a smile began to form on her face. "I'm happy for Tony and Pepper, I really am, but even you have to admit that it's awkward for me and Bucky to be here."

"Tony is really trying to put the past behind him and move forward," Nat said as her eyes grew wide. "I'm not sure how you and Bucky changed the timeline to bring about this surprising turn of events. . ."

"Maybe Tony experienced some personal growth all by himself," YN argued.

Nat gave her a disbelieving look. "Right."

YN rolled her eyes and flashed a smile at the man standing in front of her in the line to the open bar. Just as she'd hoped, he stepped aside and let her skip in front of him.

Once she and Nat had ordered their drinks and started back toward the group, the blonde nudged YN with her hip and gave her a little smirk. "I liked that move back there. Nice one."

"It's easy to feel sexy when you have a man that practically worships the ground you walk on tell you you're the sexiest woman in the world on a daily basis."

"I never thought the two of you would get together."

"Why not?"

Nat shrugged one shoulder as she took a sip of her drink. "You may not want to hear this, but you are not the same woman you were before you and Bucky took a little trip back in time."

"I'm not," YN agreed without hesitation. "That experience changed my entire life. The years we were on the run got me away from Tony physically, but my time in 1942 forced me into a reality where he literally didn't exist."

"It also didn't hurt that you had two versions of Bucky Barnes vying for your attention."

YN let out a self-satisfied sigh. "You have no idea."

"You don't talk much about the younger version of Bucky," Nat said, hinting at the fact that she'd like to learn more about the man who'd trained her in the Red Room before he'd become HYDRA's puppet.

"Remember in Prague when you told me that one day I'd meet someone better than Tony?"

Nat nodded her head. "I remember."

YN looked back toward Bucky who was laughing at something Steve had said. "I'd like to think that I would've seen how amazing he was as he is right now, but meeting him before HYDRA got their claws into him helped me to see past the sad hobo persona he liked to hide behind."

"You would have seen it eventually," Nat assured her. "You have good instincts about people."

"Speaking of which," YN said with a sly smile. "You slipped up a bit back there with the mention of a certain blue shirt."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Nat denied as she tried to change the subject. "What do you think Thor is up to?"

"Uh-uh," YN said with a noice of disapproval. "We're at a wedding – everyone's love life is up for discussion tonight."

"I don't have a love life."

"My point exactly." YN gave her friend a knowing grin. "But if you wanted one, I'm about ninety-nine point nine percent positive that you could end up wearing that the previously-mentioned blue shirt by tomorrow morning."

"Steve is not. . ."

"In love with you?" YN asked, interrupting Nat. "I thought assassins were supposed to be observant."

Nat let out a huff and started to walk off, but YN grabbed her arm and forced her to stop. She waited until the blonde was looking her in the eye before she began to speak again.

"What are you so scared of, Nat?"

"Who says I'm scared? Maybe I'm just not interested in him like that?"

"Give me one good reason why not?"

"He's too much of a goody two-shoes."

YN let out a peal of laughter. "Oh, honey, you have no idea. You should have come back in time with me and met him before he took the serum. I can't believe you of all people can't get past the Captain America mantle to see the man he really is."

"That's not true. . ."

"You know the truth, Nat, you just don't want to admit it because then you'll have to admit that you have feelings for him."

"He's one of my best friends."

"He's one of my best friends, too, but I can't tell you what color shirt he wore to a party five years ago."

"It was six years ago," Nat said before she could stop herself. She saw the look of triumph in YN's eyes and realized that she'd been busted. "Okay, so I pay more attention to him than I do the others. I'm just not sure he can keep up with me. . .if you know what I mean."

A knowing smile spread across YN's face as she began to chuckle. "What are you wearing under that dress?"

One of Nat's eyebrows shot straight up. "Geez, YN, at least buy me a drink first."

"Seriously. Are you wearing a garter with your stockings?"

"Okay, I'll bite," Nat said with a wary look in her eye. "You know I prefer a garter."

"Then give Steve a reason to get his hand up your dress," YN said with a wink. "I promise you won't be disappointed."

"Wait," Nat said as YN started to walk off. "What are you saying?"

"Bucky was the one who gave Steve the talk about the birds and the bees," YN explained in a whisper as she glanced around to make sure no one was listening in. "There's a really good reason why I don't wear anything but garters anymore."

Without waiting for a response, YN turned around and headed toward the group of men. She knew she'd piqued Nat's interest and she just hoped the other woman would be curious enough to make a move later tonight.

By the time the two women made their way back to the group, Thor had joined them. The tall blond god had a self-satisfied look on his face, so YN assumed he'd been able to set up his surprise with no complications. He winked at her which only focused her attention on his two different colored eyes – she wasn't sure she would ever get used to seeing him with one blue and one brown eye.

Bucky wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. As he leaned over to give her a kiss, she could smell the strong scent of alcohol on his breath. Thor must have indeed sneaked a flask of his Asgardian liquor into the reception, and from the slightly glazed look in Steve and Bucky's eyes, they'd already taken a few shots while she and Nat had been at the bar.

Talk within the group quickly turned to old battle stories and, as always, each person had a different recollection of how certain events played. The version that was told depended on which of the Avengers was telling the story, but there were always groans of frustration from at least two or three people that refused to accept that they had been the one who'd needed rescuing, or had been the one that had almost botched the entire mission.

Sam was in the middle of telling one such story, and of course, he went out of his way to paint Bucky in the worst light. Everyone knew that it was all in jest, but the way Sam and Bucky taunted and teased one another was a highlight of any gathering, so most everyone did their best to encourage the friendly bickering.

"That is not the way that happened, Wilson," Bucky argued as his words began to slur.

"You're going to deny that it was you that. . ." Sam began.

"Yes, I'm going to deny it," Bucky interrupted. "It was your stupid toy that came swooping in, and. . ."

"Red Wing is not a toy," Sam interjected before Bucky could finish.

Bucky and Sam continued to argue back and forth, but a movement out of the corner of YN's eye caught her attention. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Tony's little protégé, Peter, frantically waving his arms in their direction.

"As much as I hate to break up the party," YN said, effectively shutting both men up at the same time. "It looks like the wedding party is being summoned."

Most of the group began filing out of the reception hall leaving YN and Bucky behind. A small string quartet had set up in the back corner, so once they were alone again, Bucky pulled her into his arms and began to dance.

"No one else is dancing," she told him as she wrapped her arms around their neck.

"They don't have the most beautiful woman in the world as their date."

"Oh, I see," she said with a smirk. "This is just a ploy to get me in your arms so you can seduce me."

"Absolutely," he admitted with a smile. "Is it working?"

His smile still managed to charm her, and the way his fingers lazily skimmed over her lower back through the thin swath of silk she wore had desire starting to awaken within her. The sexy smiles and soft touches always evoked a reaction within her, but just his presence alone was enough to have her senses reeling. Since that first night, he'd held her heart in the palm of his hand and all he had to do was exist to make her want him.

"I bought some new lingerie just for tonight," she whispered in his ear. "If you're a bad boy, I might let you see it."

"I thought only good boys got treats at the end of the night?"

She buried her fingers in the long, dark strands of hair that she'd insisted he wear loose and flowing as she brought her lips back to his ear. She started to whisper something risqué and she could feel the heat from his blush radiating off of him.

He leaned back to look into her eyes. There was a glint of something dangerous in those beautiful depths, but instead of scaring him, it only heightened his own desire for her. The soft candlelight made it hard to see for most people, but his vision was better than most due to the serum so he was able to make out the patterns of color he'd first discovered on a train almost eighty years ago. Whenever he needed to ground himself, he always sought solace in her eyes. He knew that no matter what happened he would always find love and understanding reflected back at him, and sometimes that love was tinged with desire like it was tonight. He might have been at another man's wedding, but he knew that he was the luckiest man in the room.

Bucky was about to whisper something just as naughty into her ear, but the string quartet finished playing and the band leader stepped up to the mic to announce the wedding party. He settled for a quick kiss before spinning her around so that her back was flush against his chest as his arms looped lazily around her waist.

As each groomsman and bridesmaid were introduced and made their grand entrance into the packed hall, the crowd around them began to applaud. Pepper has chosen some of the female Avengers like Nat, Wanda, and Maria to be bridesmaids, but she'd also asked a few of her closest friends as well. YN and Bucky had been making fun of the poor girls' expressions all night as they tried to contain their excitement at being paired up with some of the most handsome men in the universe. Thankfully, Pepper had also noticed the tension between Steve and Nat and had conveniently arranged the wedding party so those two would be together all night.

When Tony and Pepper were finally announced, YN didn't feel anything. She'd been scared that there would be some lingering feelings still left for the man that had occupied her every waking thought – and some of her non-waking thoughts – for more than a decade, but her heart was too full of love for Bucky to allow even a smidgen of doubt to surface. She leaned back into Bucky's arms and tilted her head so that she could place a kiss on his bearded cheek.

"I love you," she told him as his eyes shifted to meet hers.

"I love you, too."

She started to say something, but something caught her attention. "Did you hear that?"

He shook his head. "I didn't hear a thing, doll."

"Hmph. I could've sworn I heard. . ." She paused as she heard the unidentifiable sound again. "There it was again. Are you sure you didn't hear that?"

Bucky started to deny hearing anything, but she caught the look in his eye. Twisting around, she grabbed his chin in her hand and forced him to look at her. "What did you and Thor do?"

"Nothing," he said, hoping she would let the subject drop.

"You're lying to me, James Buchanan Barnes."

"It was all Thor's idea."

"But you helped."

He let out a sigh and dropped his head slightly so that he was peering at her through his lashes. He knew she couldn't stay mad at him for too long once he pulled out the puppy dog eyes.

"I may have put him in touch with someone who could help him," he hedged.

She heard the sound again and she placed a finger over Bucky's mouth to keep him quiet. Tilting her head, she closed her eyes and tried to identify where she'd heard the sound before. When realization dawned, her eyes shot open and she looked at Bucky disbelievingly.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is."

"It's an old Norse wedding tradition," Bucky answered with a shrug.

Before she could ask him what he meant, Thor had grabbed the mic from the band leader and with a momentary screech of feedback, he effectively drew all the attention to himself.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I am Thor, rightful king of Asgard, son of Odin."

Tony rushed over to where Thor stood and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, buddy, why don't we stick to the script here and. . ."

"I thought you liked surprises, Stark," Thor said with a wink before waving toward someone at the glass doors leading out the garden.

Everyone's attention turned to the door and one collective gasp could be heard throughout the room as Peter began leading a goat into the reception hall.

"It's an old tradition on Asgard that when a man and woman are wed, a goat is sacrificed to the god's of fertility," Thor explained as he took the goat's leash from Peter with a beaming smile.

"We are not sacrificing a goat at our wedding, Tony," Pepper said as her eyes continued to grow larger and larger.

The goat decided to let out a loud bleat, startling most of the wedding guests, but YN saw T'Challa standing off in the corner with his new bride, Nakia. The royal couple's faces were contorted with the effort not to start laughing and YN immediately knew how Bucky had been involved in this whole fiasco.

Thor seemed undaunted as he continued to smile. "I said it was an old tradition. In the past few hundred years we've chosen not to actually sacrifice the animal but instead to gift it to the newlywed couple as a sacred reminder of their love." Thor held out the leash toward Tony and waited for the billionaire to accept his gift.

YN could feel Bucky desperately trying not laugh behind her and in that moment all her suspicions were confirmed. "Bucky Barnes, I can't believe you did this."