"Steve, I won't hold it against you if you don't want to go," Elaine said softly. "Really. I can just as easily go by myself this year, if you'd rather stay with the others. I'm sure it'll be less crowded at the tower."

"Less crowded but probably just as noisy and possibly even crazier." Steve shook his head. "I think I'd rather take my chances with your family. Besides, I'd like to meet them."

"If you're sure," Elaine said. "It's better that it's Thanksgiving this year, anyways." She smiled a bit, and it was only slightly wicked. "Next year is Christmas instead, and the Clan usually gets together for a week, from Christmas Eve to New Years."

"Maybe by then I'll be prepared," Steve joked. He didn't really expect to be invited again, so he was joking.

But if it happened, he wasn't complaining.

"Let's just say my cane goes from being my 'seeing things stick' to my 'hitting people stick' when the Clan gets together," Elaine said, grinning. "Doesn't matter what they're together for."

Steve snorted. "You mean you wield it against people other than Tony?" he asked with a grin. Because he was never going to let Tony live that down.

"All the time," Elaine replied, grinning. "How do you think I got so good at it?" And yes, she knew Tony would never live it down.

Steve had to laugh at that, shaking his head. Clearly this was what his life had become.

"Ready to head back?" he asked after a few more minutes. He was actually starting to feel a little tired now, to his surprise. He might yet get a few more hours of sleep.

Elaine nodded. She felt much better now.

"Thanks," she said. "For putting up with me tonight."

"I wasn't putting up with you, Elaine," Steve said quietly, getting up after paying for their treat. "It was my pleasure, really." He took her hand again.

Elaine let him pull her to her feet.

"If you're sure," she said. She squeezed his hand gently.

"I'm sure." Steve squeezed her hand carefully, gently, as he led the way back to the car, and then up to her suite.

"Good night, Elaine," he said quietly, leaning down to kiss her once briefly.

Elaine blushed when he kissed her, and she cautiously returned the kiss. She hadn't been sure if the kiss before, after the rooftop incident, had been genuine or just a result of him being relieved she was alright. He hadn't kissed her since, after all. Now it seemed like she had her answer.

"Good night, Steve," she said softly.

A few nights later, they were still staying in the Tower, and Kae was having nightmares again. She woke up with a gasp and scrambled around for a few moments, flipping on lights all over the place. Then she got out of bed and went to go find Tony, figuring that he would probably still be up and probably in his lab. So she went down there, having thrown on a sweatshirt over her pajamas, and started looking around.

She froze, though, when she saw Bruce in the lab, but no Tony.

Bruce glanced up from what he was working on.

"Kae," he said, a little surprised. She was clearly not having a good night, and he set down the little bit of machine he was fiddling with. "Is everything alright?" He paused. "Standard question."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kae said, waving away the question. "I was just looking for Tony. Thought he might still be up."

That didn't stop her from moving over next to him and plopping down in a chair, though.

"He's down in the garage," Bruce said, tilting his head towards the door leading down to the garage. He looked at her and quirked an eyebrow. "Though you're not exactly running to find him, I notice."

Kae shrugged and stretched out her leg with a little grimace. "Think there might be something wrong with the prosthetic. It kind of aches where it attaches." She tapped the appropriate spot on her leg.

"Well, that's Tony's area of expertise, not mine," Bruce agreed, going back to tinker with the little cluster of circuits and wires. He was quiet for a moment. "What has you awake so late? I was under the impression you like your sleep."

"Tony's rubbing off on me, I guess. Besides, coffee is tasty and I can sleep when I'm dead." Kae shrugged, easily brushing off his concerns.

"Ah yes," Bruce replied dryly, "coffee solves everything." He looked at her. "You look like coffee's been your best friend for a while now. A few days, at least. You know that's not healthy."

"Uh huh. And that's why you're down here tinkering with something at 2 in the morning?" Kae grinned. "My, my, doc. Not taking your own advice?"

"The... Other Guy isn't such a big fan of sleep," Bruce admitted after a moment. "I've got to be careful sometimes." He gave Kae a look that said she didn't have such an excuse.

Kae huffed. "So you're allowed to be an insomniac and I'm not?" She grinned, clearly teasing him, and tilted her chair back. "No wonder Tony likes you. You don't let him get away with anything, I bet."

"He won't admit that sometimes he needs to be looked after," Bruce said. He paused, and then went, "I gather it must be a family trait."