It doesn't take us long to get to the district that's full of shops. Tony takes my hand in his the minute we're out of the car and begins dragging me from store to store. He buys me shirts, shorts, pants, scarves, gloves, shoes, even some heels to which I protested greatly. We're on an escalator on the way to another store and I'm trying to get Tony to stop, or at the very least slow down. He's making me feel guilty by buying all of these things for me when I have nothing to give him in return.

"Tony, this is amazing and I'm thankful, I truly am, but I don't need all of this. I certainly don't need anything more! You won't even tell me where we're going now!" I protest to which Tony grins down at me.

"You don't have everything you need yet. You need something to wear for your date." Tony chides and earns an eye roll from me.

"You already bought me that old-fashioned dress, Tony. Three, actually! That's what I'm wearing on my date. Have you forgotten everything you've bought me already, gramps?" I remind him, then tease him a bit. He gives me a half smile then pulls me along to the right of the escalator. Bright pink catches my eye and I immediately start to drag my feet. "No, no, no. Absolutely not. Tony Stark!" I yell at him and finally plant my feet, making him come to a crashing halt. He turns towards me with a mischievous smile and shrugs.

"First, are you telling me that you have more than enough underwear and bras?" Tony inquires. I feel myself blush scarlet, a rare occurrence, but shake my head.

"No, but I'm more than capable of shopping for those by myself. You don't-" Tony cuts me off as I endeavor to implore him not to do this.

"Come on, Queen. This isn't a big deal. We'll get you what you need, and I'll even help you pick out something for your date tomorrow. Look, I even invited your favorite." Tony adds with a wink. I look to where he's pointing and see Natasha standing there with a couple things draped over her arm. I wave back. Tony starts walking again and reluctantly, I let him drag me over.

"This is so weird. Are you realizing that? Do you know how weird you are?" I ramble on to diffuse the tension in my chest, but Tony doesn't seem to be fazed a bit. Not even by the occasional girl that comes along to stare and giggle at him. I hear Nat snickering behind me, but she doesn't say anything. I'm too nervous to look around so I just stand there as Tony shoves random things in my arms. After I can hardly see over the pile, Tony ushers me to the dressing rooms and sits down just outside the door.

"Show us the ones that you like and we'll tell you if they're any good." Nat says just outside the door and I lean my forehead against the wall in frustration.

"Really? You really want me to showcase this stuff? To you and Tony?" I ask quietly and hear Tony chuckle from the other side of the door.

"Yes, Queen." Tony replies simply. I start to change clothes, not really paying attention to what I'm putting on, but continue to protest.

"Lord Melbourne, this may not be how my body actually looks, but I'm still relatively self-conscious." I recall the name of Queen Victoria's advisor and use it as a nickname for Tony. Finally, I've finished changing and I look in the mirror. "Tony, you are so full of shit." I open the door and stand in front of him with my hands on my hips. Tony bursts out laughing and I can't keep my poker face up. I smile and laugh lightly too. Nat even cracks a smile and raises her hand to hide it. "This is a joke, right?" I gesture to what I'm wearing and Tony falls over on his side laughing. I put my hands back on my bare hips and shake my head. I'm wearing an all-American outfit for sure. A strapless fitted bustier is on my top half, but leaves the skin from my belly button down to my bottoms bare. Half of it is covered in navy blue with white stars while the other half is covered in red and white stripes. The cheeky bottoms are the same and barely cover my ass. Nat clears her throat and I look at her. She looks like she's trying to compose herself again.

"I think Cap would love that." She says in a teasing tone. I shake my head at both of them. Tony's still on the ground when I go back into the dressing room. I'm about to shut the door when I hear Tony protest.

"Hold on, hold on." He says. I stick my head out the door again and wait for him to tell me whatever he wants. "If you aren't you, then none of this stuff is going to fit you." My eyes narrow at him.

"I don't understand." I tell him and he stands and walks to the door.

"If you and Cap ever, you know, do it, then you should look like you. He'd want you to look like you, okay? So, even if you don't change your face, you could change your body so that you fit the stuff." Tony suggests. I stare at his shoes and consider what he said.

"Agreed." Natasha speaks up behind him. I glance at her and nod.

"Fine." I flick my eyes up to meet Tony's face once again. "But I'm not wearing this stupid outfit." I tell him and he cracks a smile before I shut the door in his face. I hear him shuffle away and sit on the floor once again. I strip and toss the stuff out the door at Tony to hang. Judging by his grunts, I think I hit him in the face at least once. Every once and a while I hear Nat snigger, further affirming my suspicions. I stare into the mirror at my naked body and take a breath before shifting to my original body. I increase in height just a tad, I never really change my height anyways. My skin gets paler, my thigh gap disappears, my shoulders get a bit broader, my hips get wider, and my breasts go from a B cup to a C. I even let my hair change to its original chocolate brown and give in to its natural tendency to curl. I look in the mirror and press my lips together to prevent myself from smiling. This is more me than I've been in a long time. I leave my face disguised though. I'm not quite ready for that yet. Since Tony didn't know what size I was I have many of multiple sizes, so I only hang up the ones that are my size, so I know what to try on. The next few I try on are simple. Just cute lacy bras and underwear that I don't feel the need to show Tony, but when I hear him growing restless I decide to throw him a bone. I choose a blueish silver bustier with black lace and matching underwear, it even has garters along with garter straps. I put it on and peek my head out of the dressing room at Tony. He immediately perks up and his gaze goes to my hair. He grins.

"Is that your real hair?" He points and asks. Curls fall over my shoulder as I nod. Natasha nods slowly as she looks at me. She's probably one of the rare people who also understand what it's like to constantly change how you look.

"This is all me, okay? Except for my face. So, no making fun or pointing out stupid stuff. Deal?" I request. Tony nods with soft eyes and a happy smile. I wonder if today is just as much for him than for me. I open the door all the way and resist crossing my arms in front of me. Instead, I hold my arms out a bit and turn in a circle, thanking whoever made this for not making it sheer. When I face Tony and Nat again I shrug. "So, thoughts?" He's smiling ear to ear, so I take that as a compliment. "Good? Thumbs up? Please say something so I don't keep feeling this awkward." I plead and he laughs while Nat smiles.

"You look great, Queen. You'd blow anyone away in that. Especially since it's the real you. Love the hair, by the way." Tony compliments me multiple times, bringing the smallest tint of pink to my cheeks.

"Since I don't think Cap has seen any lingerie in the recent decades, I think he'll really appreciate any outfit you have on." Natasha teases, then her face gets more serious. "But I think it's the person underneath that really matters." I meet her eyes for a moment and nod. I understand what she's saying. She's telling me to be myself, and to not hurt one of her boys.

"Thanks, Tony. Thanks, Nat. I have a few more, but this is the only one I'm going to show you." Tony pouts but I hold out a hand. "This was more fun than I thought, I admit it, but I think I can make it from here on out. I'll show you the ones I like afterwards." I leave no room for argument and shut the door. I wait for a moment in case Tony starts to argue, but I only hear him sigh in acceptance. A slight slapping sound makes me think that Nat hit his shoulder, but I leave them to argue for themselves. I choose at least a dozen lace and silk bras with matching underwear, but only choose five sets of fancy lingerie, including the set I showed Tony and Nat. I walk out, finally done, and Tony jumps up to see what else I chose. Natasha is more content to just walk by me. After Tony approves heartily of everything I chose, we check out and somehow manage to fit even more bags into the little black car we drove here. Nat gets on a motorcycle she must have ridden here and leaves before us. We follow right after. At last, we head back to the tower. Tony even calls some of his robots down from the tower to carry all the bags up to my room. Still in Nat's outfit, I head in with Tony's ever-present arm around my shoulders. Tony seems to be attached to my hip because he comes up with me to my room to so-called, 'help me unpack'. I rolled my eyes at that one, but allow him to tag along. I enjoy his company anyway. But, we're both in for a surprise when we open the door to my room. "Steve?" I ask. His form is familiar, although he's facing away from the door. He spins around and smiles at me, although I don't miss how his gaze lands on Tony's arm first.

"I'll give you two some alone time." Tony says loud enough for the both of us to hear. He gives me a quick kiss on my forehead, whispering, "Misbehave, Victoria." I glare at him as he walks away, but he only laughs. "Later, my Queen!" He says dramatically, making me roll my eyes. I look back at Steve and smile, shutting the door behind me as I enter my room. The robots have left all my bags in front of my dresser, and of course, the bag that is front and center is Victoria's Secret.

"Hey." I say quietly, remembering the events earlier today. I assume he's here wondering why I conceded the fight. I walk forward so that we're only a few feet apart.

"Hi. I see you and Stark did a bit of shopping?" Steve notices and gestures with his head to all the bags, thankfully, he doesn't look at them. I nod. I see Steve take note of my hair and my different figure, although he's a gentleman so he doesn't comment on it.

"Yeah. I needed some actual clothes. I can't just keep borrowing from Natasha all the time." I point to her suit that I'm still wearing. I walk over to the bags and block the bright pink and red bag from his sight. "Would you mind, actually?" I ask and gesture with my finger for him to turn around. He watches my finger, but glances back at my face, confused. The corner of my mouth twitches as I fight a smile and walk over to him. I set my hands lightly on his shoulders as he stares at me, startled. Gently, I move him so that he's facing the other way. "Now, don't turn around." I tell him and walk behind him, unzipping the suit as I go. I watch Steve and have to press my lips together to stop my laugh. His shoulders immediately tense when he hears the zipper to the suit. I shake my head at him. What a sweetheart. "I figure you're here because of what happened earlier today?" I ask as I step out of the suit and boots and reach into the Victoria's Secret bag for a pair of bra and underwear. Grabbing a white, lace pair, I slip them on as Steve struggles to talk to me.

"I, uh, yeah," He clears his throat, "I wanted to check if you were alright. You seemed a bit off when you left." Steve says, his voice a bit nervous. I rifle through some of the other bags and grab some dark jeans and a white t-shirt. Slipping them on, I respond.

"Yeah, I just-" Tony's voice comes back to me from earlier, telling me I have to tell Cap. I look at Cap's fidgeting figure and purse my lips. "Some old memories came up and I needed some time alone to handle it." I do my best to be honest. Finally, I'm finished changing. I go over to Steve and lay a hand on his shoulder, telling him it's okay to turn around. He jumps a bit at my hand and I laugh. "Steve, I'm done." I go around in front of him so he sees that it's safe. He breathes a sigh of relief and I find myself giggling at him. I sit down on the chest at the end of the bed and pat the spot next to me so he knows he can sit down. Hesitantly, he sits next to me and I turn to face him.

"Old memories, huh? I know a thing or two about those. Do you want to talk about it?" He asks kindly, blue eyes shining. I curl and uncurl my toes nervously. This isn't like it is with Tony. Looking into his eyes, the way my heart feels, the way my stomach feels, it seems to matter more. I take a deep breath and decide to tell him, at least the basics. He should know who he's going out with tomorrow anyway. If he still wants to go after hearing this.

"From the age of five until I was eighteen, I was kept in a sort of facility. The people there made me this way, they gave me the abilities I have, but don't get the wrong idea. They were not kind people." I explain quietly. "The memory that came up today was me in a cage, people standing just outside, waiting and watching." Realization dawns on his face. I know he remembers how bothered I was when I saw the others watching us. He opens his mouth to speak but I hold up a hand to stop him. "I'm not finished." I tell him and he quiets. "I was kept in a glass cage a lot of the time. The whole thing made out of two-way mirrors so they could see me and I couldn't see them. But I could feel their eyes." I shiver slightly. "Then, there was the metal cage. The only reason I was put in that cage was to fight in human form, then kill...whoever I had fought." I pause, waiting for it to sink in for Steve. His face hardens as he looks at me.

"You killed them?" He repeats, even his voice is hard. I nod slowly.

"Yes. After each fight, I would be ordered to end their life and I would do so." I continue, almost flinching at my own words. "Before you ask, I don't know how many. I lost count over the years." Steve stands and walks away from me. I sigh quietly, trying to keep my emotions under wraps. Of course, he wouldn't just take in stride, Victoria. I scold myself. "I understand how...how upsetting this is for you-"

"Upsetting?" Steve exclaims and turns back around to face me. I shut my mouth and look up at his troubled face. "This makes me a little bit more than upset." Steve huffs.

"You don't think I hate myself for this?" I say in a hushed tone. "Every day, I wish that I had chosen death over murdering those people. Every day. But I was a kid and I-" I try to explain myself a little further, but Steve interrupts me.

"Wait. Chosen death?" Steve reiterates. I stare at his blue eyes, waiting for him to ask his question. "I don't understand." I take a deep breath and, for the second time that day, show my burns. I've seen Cap narrow his eyes at my slightly shiny fingers before, but when he sees my toes are the same he still doesn't comment. What a tower of a gentlemen. I slip off my left sock and hear Steve's quiet gasp as he looks at the sole of my foot. He kneels in front of me to look closer, then looks up at me, at a loss for words.

"I didn't want to kill those people, Steve. If I refused, if I asked any questions, they'd run electricity through the metal cage until I eventually complied." I sniff and push the sadness down that's rising in my chest. "I'm sorry, Steve." I apologize and shut my eyes to stop the tears. After a few calming breaths, I open my eyes and look back into Steve's without the danger of crying. The hardness that was present earlier has vanished, leaving nothing but the soft Steve I know. I slip my sock back on and put my foot back on the floor as silence washes over us both. Cap still kneels there, seemingly deep in thought. I look down at the floor between us and mutter, "I understand if you no longer want to go out tomorrow. I just put a lot on you." I glance back up at him, but he's still motionless. Suddenly, his hands are on either side of my face and he's much closer than before.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything, I just..." He stutters a bit, looking for the right words. "I'm glad you're here with all of us." Steve whispers and I can see the honesty shining in his eyes. "I'm glad you're here with me." He says, even quieter. I blink, surprise flooding me.

"Me too." I whisper back, swallowing. I reach up and remove his hands from my face, instead just holding them in my lap. I shift my face into my real face, the one I was born with. The structure of my face changes first, becoming round instead of oval shaped. My lips change from being thin to being slightly uneven, my bottom lip thickening so it's a bit bigger than my top lip. My nose shortens, converting to a button nose that turns up just a little at the tip. My eyebrows become less manicured and just have a soft arch to them. I change my eyes last. The shape changes to a downturned almond and the color shifts from the startling blue I favor, to green with light brown surrounding the pupil. Finally, a smattering of freckles dot my face and I hold my breath, waiting for Steve's reaction. He watches me with awe and fascination, making me feel even better about my decision. "I think you've earned it, Steve." I speak in my normal voice. Silvery, and slightly higher than the voice I chose for raven-hair. He smiles a bit.

"What about a name?" He asks, his eyebrows popping up in a cute way. I half smile and shake my head slightly.

"Victoria Elaine...Redhallow." I hesitate before telling him my last name. I know what he can look up from that last name.

"Victoria Elaine Redhallow." Steve repeats, but unlike Tony, he doesn't say it in a whisper. He pronounces it. Like the beginning of a speech or announcement. The volume almost makes me jump. Steve smiles and nods. "That's why Tony calls you Queen, because of Queen Victoria." I chuckle and nod.

"Yes, that's the nickname he has decided to call me." I confirm. Steve stands and I release his hands, forgetting that I was even holding them. He sits down beside me once again and I turn to face him, crossing my legs beneath me.

"Victoria," He grins a bit while saying it, "I would still very much like to take you out tomorrow. If you still want to go." Steve tells me in his gentlemanly way. I smile and nod.

"Of course, I'd still like to go." I say. He nods and walks towards the door. "Uh, wait, Steve. What should I wear?" I ask self-consciously.

"Oh. A dress would be fine." He tells me and I'msuddenly very glad I asked. I never would have guessed to wear that. He opensthe door after I nod, but pauses in the doorway. He turns sideways and looksback at me. "You're uh, you're really beautiful, by the way." I smile brightly,genuinely, and happily at the compliment. No one has ever said that meaning me,the real me, is beautiful. No one. Steve nods and scratches the back of hisneck as he leaves. Slowly, the door closes behind him, leaving me alone in myroom.    

A/N

I couldn't freaking resist making this chapter. Hope it made you laugh. ;) Please vote and comment!