"I can't get over the size of this place. This place is massive." She giggled, letting excitement flood her veins instead of the constant caution always flowing through them.

"What do you think the inside looks like? Modern? Antique? Like a castle?" Steve pulled his hand out of his pocket along with a set of keys. "I'm thinking old-fashioned. Old antiques cluttered a million tiny rooms with rugs hanging on the walls like paintings. We'll barely have room to move around. I bet we'll have to move furniture to the upstairs apartments."

He unlocked the front door and handed Ava the keys. "The brass one opens the front door, the silver one is for our place."

Her heart melted slightly when he referred to the apartment as "our place". She knew he didn't mean it in the way she thought it, but it didn't stop her body from reacting. He held the door for her.

The hallway had been painted a soft yellow color that seemed to absorb the sun shining in from the windows. A vintage, tall bench with hooks and an umbrella holder on each side, stood on the one side, near their door. Ava glanced back at Steve who winked at her. "Told you," he mouthed.

She fingered the silver key before using it to unlock the door. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, jaw-dropping as she took it all in.

The ceiling was a painted mural of clouds with gold crown moulding and enamel painted detail along the edges. There were oval-painted portrait pictures in each corner of the ceiling. Rembrandt himself must have painted them or taught someone how to. It was breathtaking.

The walls had been painted a beige color with white edges framing each part of the walls. The bright setting sun filtered in through the windows giving it a warm glow. The main room was enormous, with three couches, reading chairs by the windows, and two fireplaces. The furniture and lights were all modern, with simple, warm colors and gold pillows matching the detail on the ceilings.

This room alone could entertain the queen or a prince and soon-to-be princess. It looked like a picture out of one of the books that showed royal weddings and Buckingham Palace. She slipped off her runners and leaned around Steve to set them in the hallway. They did not belong in a place like this. "Feeling underdressed?" Steve laughed quietly.

He moved around her and tossed his bag onto the brown leather couch facing a bookcase. "I'm starving. Let's go see what the kitchen looks like."

Ava followed, her feet padding softly on the granite floor and expensive carpets. The enormous kitchen had counters running around with stainless steel appliances in between. An island in the middle had a stovetop with a venting system above it. Barstool chairs sat at one end, and a vast wine rack behind it.

Steve went straight for the fridge, barely bothering to glance around. "Good. It's stocked." He disappeared behind the door, appearing a moment later with everything needed to make a gourmet sandwich. He slammed the door closed with his foot. "Find some plates, will you?"

Ava did as he asked, mainly because she wanted to see what was inside each closed cabinet. The fourth cupboard she opened had the dinner settings. She slid two plates across the island toward Steve, who was busy cutting up cucumbers. Ava continued going through the drawers, finding another dinner setting much fancier than the first, along with wine glasses and crystal.

He sat down and finished his sandwich before Ava was halfway through hers. He got up and made another one and sat down beside her again.

Ava wanted to see the rest of their place. A thought crossed her mind. "How many bedrooms does this place have?" Steve shrugged and stole a chip from her plate. "No idea."

Ava jumped off her chair and strode to the other side of the living room. A long hallway with the same high vaulted ceilings as the living room offered three doors. The first was a bathroom, not simple by any means. The second door opened to a large office with a desk and fireplace. The door on the far side opened to a closet. From the size of the bathroom, she figured the closet was most likely a walk-in one.

The last door was a bedroom with a massive canopy bed and ornate gold furniture that matched the living room ceiling. Two opened doors showed massive walk-in closets, each with a few pieces of clothes that hung in them.

Steve walked into the room a few minutes later. He glanced around quickly and then checked the men's closet. "There's barely anything,"

Ava commented absently from her frozen spot beside a tall full-length mirror. One bedroom? She couldn't get past that one thought. "Maybe it's coming in tomorrow. There's enough for a couple of days."

Steve didn't appear worried. "There's only one bedroom."

He shrugged. "It's fine. Th..."

"We are so NOT fine! I'm not sharing this bed!" Her voice rose.

"It's fine!" He used his hands in a patting motion as if to calm her down. "The office has a bed. It's hidden so no one would notice. It's in the office closet. It's fine." He gave her a half-smile. "Even has a small en suite bathroom. Tiny in comparison to the rest of this place, but it's good for me."

A relieved Ava plopped onto her bed, enjoying its perfect firmness. She waited as he typed and scrolled through emails or whatever else he was reading. He slipped the phone into his back pocket and moved to sit in one of the expensive leather reading chairs across from the window. He swung his feet over the tall side arms and leaned back.

"Bucky messaged. Clothes are upstairs; Peter is going to fit us tomorrow." "Good."

She was beginning to think this mission wasn't going to be as bad as she had initially thought. Then she remembered her manners. "Thanks."

"Looks like we are going to have some company." "What?"

She slid off the bed. "You're kidding!"

"I'm afraid not. Peter just received the message and contacted us."

"Who is it?"

Ava glanced at the closet. There wasn't much selection, and she had no idea if any of it fits. It was stupid to leave without taking a suitcase of clothes. Why she had never even considered, it was beyond senseless.

"It's the Prince of Wales' fiancé."

"You're jokin'?! She's coming here? How soon? Crap! I need to shower!" She wasn't sure if her heart or her mouth were moving faster.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She hurried down the hall, she heard Steve clear his throat and open the door. She was dressed in a floral tea-length dress.

Ava was in the living room, her elbow resting against the white marble fireplace before Steve opened the door all the way. She ran her fingers through her hair, hoping her runaway curls weren't flying.

Inside the doorframe stood a very large, muscular man in a dark suit. "Steve Rogers" "Yes, sir." Steve held out his hand.

The man ignored it and lifted his arm, so he spoke into his wrist. "Hallway clear. Will confirm the flat is clear, then you can bring her in." He spoke quietly. As he stepped inside, his gaze darted everywhere. "Can I see some identification?" "Sure." Steve patted the back of his pants before removing and showing his passport.

A beautifully stunning blonde girl, about the same age and height as Ava, stepped into the room. The girl strode into the room with an air of confidence in her walk that Ava knew she would never possess. "Sarah." The words slipped out of Ava's mouth before she realized she had said them out loud.

The soon-to-be princess calmly turned her attention to Ava as another man in a suit stepped inside the apartment and closed the door. He stood beside it, his feet shoulder-width apart, and his hands crossed perfectly over each other as he stood guard.

"Rosie?" Sarah smiled warmly at her and walked over to Ava like they were long-lost friends. "Rosie! You look gorgeous, petal. Pregnancy suits you."

"Princess Sarah," she said as she tried to curtsey. "It's a pleasure." The soon-to-be princess waved her hand. "Please, Rosie. Drop the formalities. I was Sarah growing up and your friend Sarah long before the future princess got added to my name. Besides, I'm not a princess yet."

Her bodyguards checked the place and said it was clear.

The princess sent them out. They put up a fight but who would ignore the next princess's decision. Sarah sighed. "I apologize. They seem wound a bit too tight these days."

"It's okay. They're just focused on protecting the future queen." Steve's face looked like he agreed with them completely. He walked over and held his hand out. "Not sure if I'm supposed to do this or if your men would frown upon it. But I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Steve Rogers. This is Rose." He nodded toward Ava. "The rest of our team will be staying in Joist Hall also."

"Sarah." She shook his hand. "Just, Sarah. Unless we are in public, and it calls for something else, but I prefer Sarah." She strode to the couch facing the window and sat down, perfectly poised; her legs crossed at the ankles, and her hands folded neatly on her lap.

She glanced a moment at the door. "We have about two minutes before Alfred returns. He won't leave my side if Philip isn't with me."

Steve came over to Ava and gently nudged her toward the couch. She blinked and quickly moved to sit across from the soon-to-be princess.

Sarah smiled. "No sense in wasting time, right?" She tilted her head slightly. "So what are your powers, Rosie?"

"I can manipulate water and fire. What is your ability, Sarah?"

Sarah said, "Nothing as cool as yours. I can speak, read and write any language known to man."

Ava exclaimed, "That's so cool, especially for a soon-to-be princess. In a room full of foreign delegates."

Sarah smiled. "Philip thinks I'm brilliant. I hate keeping the truth from him."

"Does it help protect him?" Ava asked. It wasn't hard to tell Sarah loved Philip. She smiled at his name and the sadness in her eyes as she spoke about hiding her ability was obvious to Ava. "It has, several times," Sarah replied.

"Then you're doing the right thing," Steve said. "It's not always the easiest choice, but in the end, it's the right thing to do." He glanced at Ava.

Sarah stopped when Steve opened the door for Alfie and Lenny. She then continued as if nothing surprising had happened. "I am gonna be the godmother right?" Ava grinned and held her hand, "Of course love. My Sarah is gonna have a princess godmother." They both smiled

"Philip enjoys traveling as well. It is a shame we will not be leaving the country until after the Masquerade Ball, but until this," she gestured with her hand, "mess is cleaned up, we must be on high alert."

"We—I agree. I can't believe someone would be after you!" Ava tried to play the part of a concerned friend. "I'm so glad you came to visit." Sarah leaned forward. "I wouldn't have asked you to come and help me organize the Royal Tea Masquerade if your boyfriend didn't work for the SHEILD. I hear they are one of the best ."

Sarah was playing her part better than Ava. Alfie stopped scouting the room and turned his full attention to Steve. "You work for the SHIELD?" There was a teeny ounce of respect in his voice. "I do." "Captain Rogers, Sorry I didn't recognize you. Are you on duty now?"

Steve crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll do anything to protect Rose. She wants to help Sarah, then I'm part of the package."

Alfie grunted. "Good." He moved strategically by the window but stopped searching the room. "See Alfie?" Sarah beamed at him. "I told you there was nothing to worry about!" He did not comment back to the soon-to-be princess.

Sarah clapped her hands. "We only have two weeks till the Masquerade! I have a massive list for the two of us to get through. Why don't you and Steve come by tomorrow? You can meet Philip. There's a small luncheon, come to it and then we can get to work for the afternoon. At the palace, we will have more time to catch up and go over everything."

"We would love to." Ava hoped their wardrobe would be in on time.

"Wonderful. Why don't I have a driver come by and pick you two up around eleven?" Sarah checked her watch and stood. "I apologize for having to jet, but there are a group of children waiting to hear a story read by me. It's a mini tea party. Royal Tea with royalty." She giggled. "Everyone gets to be a soon-to-be princess. Big and small kids.

"It sounds like fun." "It is. I'm enjoying it." She began walking to the door where Alfie stood holding it open, and Lenny had probably already left to have the car ready. Sarah spun around and hurried back to Ava. She hugged her tight. "Thanks for coming here. It means the world." She straightened and smiled at Steve. "See you tomorrow, Steve."

~After dinner~

Warm arms picked her up. Steve shifted and set her on her bed. She was exhausted and the baby didn't make things easy. Ava leaned back against her pillow and let her eyes close for just a moment. Soft lips pressed against her forehead. "Night, Rose." Another kiss on her small bump. "Night Sarah Natalia" When she opened her eyes, Steve had already disappeared out of the room and closed the door.