Shockwave's First Attempt (Open! Spice it up!)

[hawkeye]

[With Iron Man’s permission]

Barabara walked threw the door followed by two fully grown adult cheetah's one made its way over to where Gwen and Pepper had been sitting and laid down making her self at home while the other one followed Barabara over to the pool as she got into the water he laid down near the edge by Pepper and began licking its left paw as the tip of its long tail twitched above the water.

Barabara swam over to Tony who was watching Pepper he had spotted her when she made her way over to the diving board. "Have you told her yet?" She asked loud enough so only he could hear her. After waiting a few moments she elbowed him in the ribs to snap him out of it. "Huh? What?" He asked looking down at the red head "Have you told her yet?" she repeated looking up at him "I'm working on it." He said looking back at Pepper again. Barabara smacked him in the back of the head "You keep putting it off and someone else is going to beat you to it." She said fighting to keep her voice down. "You want me to tell her here in front of everyone?" he asked not keeping his voice down this time. "Will you stop being a chicken and do it before we lock you two in a room until you do." she said no longer keeping her voice down.

[Pepper]

[Imma assuming this is a big pool.....]

Pepper nearly vaulted out of the water in surprise when the giant cheetah laid down next to her. She also nearly hurled herself into the middle of the pool before she remembered that cheetahs could swim. She'd be no safer there than she was now. Officially unsure, she said: "Nice kitty," and carefully pushed away from the wall. She glided over to the one lane set up, and began to do slow laps just to calm down. Big....cheetah... That could only mean that Cheetah was here, because everyone else seemed too cool about it.

That was fine with her. Tame or not, wild animals always made her a little nervous. Of course, doing laps also brought her near Spider-Man - and she paused as he pulled off his mask. Now treading water, she smiled at him. "Well hello," she said. "Good to finally see your face. I was having a Halloween moment there not seeing you."

She added a smile and wave to the red-head he was talking to. "I'm Pepper. Nice to meet you."

Raised voices drew her eyes to Cheetah and Tony who were arguing somewhat forcefully about being locked in a room. Pepper scoffed and turned her back. Cheetah would be Tony's type. He generally liked to keep his women naked in a bed, but Cheetah was a forceful little thing. She'd give him a real fight and occasionally he probably needed that.

A sudden flush crossed her face as she realized she was actually considering the sex life of her boss. She dunked her head under the water and came up sputtering slightly. "Sorry," she apologized to the redhead and Spiderman. "The sun was warm."

[Spiderman]

Pete smiled as Pepper Potts came over to him and the red-head he was "talking to" Looking over to he he laughed a little "Yeah well, the mask was getting hard to see in"

Paddling in the water as pepper ducked his head "Yeah sun is getting a bit warm, guess thats why were in a pool right?' said Pete as he began to duck his head as well. Pulling the hair out his eyes he swum to the nearby side of the pool and used the wall to lean against "you know, spiders arnt really known for there swimming"

[Shockwave]

"No, Rae. Come on, have some fun." Gwen offered with a higher-pitched voice, smiling hopelessly. After a few moments, her eyebrows ascended into a concerned expression. Maybe Raven seriously didn't want to attend. It meant so much to Shockwave that she had shown up because of how much she looked up to Raven.

There was a silent moment before Gwen pulled up her ashen gaze into Raven's violet eyes. "Well, you don't have to come if you don't want to, She began, smiling weakly. "But I know that everyone wants you there. Including me!" Letting go of Raven's wrist, Gwen turned around and faced the house. "I have to get back to the party, but if you change the mind, I'll leave the door open." Smiling toothily, Gwen walked up slowly back to her entryway.

[whiteraven]

Raven stood alone in the parking lot watching Gwen enter the pool area again before she buried her hooded face in her hands. A ringing voice echoed in Sparky's head, saying

"You - so - owe me for this."

Three seconds later Raven walked inconspicously through the gate, immedietly she turned to a reclining beach chair and made herself comfortable. Applying suntan loation to her pale skin - Raven burned fast - she sat in a meditative position, but her eyes were open, watching what was going on.

[Iron Man]

[With Cheetah's permission]

"No just take her into the house some place where no one would butt in a tell her use that brain of yours for something other then building Iron Man suits." Barabara said as she gave Tony a shove over to where Pepper was. Tony looked back at Barabara who was giving him a death glare "Do it..." She said pointing over to the group of people who where busy talking. Tony sighed and made his way over to where the group was and spotted a cheetah behind Pepper licking its chops looking very hungry he turned and looked back at Barabara who just smiled and shrugged before making get going movement with her hand. "Pepper can we go some place and talk? I need to tell you something." he said half looking at her and half looking at the cheetah.

[Shockwave]

A veil of happiness flooded over Shockwave's features as her expression broke out into an overwhelmed smile as she saw Raven walk through the gate. Gwen considered giving her a spine-snapping hug, but she figured she better not push it. As she walked over to the pool, the girl nearly tripped over a fully grown Cheetah, sending Shockwave into a silent scream. "Okay, who brought the cheetahs??" She asked disbelievingly. This place is turning into a zoo! Shockwave sat cross-legged near the edge of the pool and heard a voice.

""Have you told her yet?""

Gwen quietly tuned in. Placing her chin in her palms, she pretended she was absently staring at the brick wall many yards away.

"I'm working on it."

Stark-- ah. That guy that Virginia is in love with. Gwen sighed and nearly pushed herself up to get a drink; however, she dropped herself to listen in a little longer.

""You keep putting it off and someone else is going to beat you to it."

Beat him to it? Telling who what? Pepper?? Gwen blinked with wide eyes. Virginia was always so flustered by the guy, and here he is, talking about how he wants to tell someone he loves her. It has to be Pepper, right?

"You want me to tell her here in front of everyone?"

Letting a small gulp crawl down her throat, Gwen found herself smiling. She covered her mouth with her hands, but continued to smile under them. Where is Virginia? She asked herself angrily as she spotted her on the other side of the pool, chatting up Spider-Man. Shockwave eagerly ran around the pool deck to where her cousin was. "Hey, hey! Maybe you should hang with Stark for a second." She felt like such a hypocrite. First off, she gets irritated when her friend is blushing whenever he's around, and now Gwen's telling Pepper to get her butt over to the guy. Gwen sighed. Suddenly, the man of the hour actually swam up to Pepper, and Gwen could only let a large grin escape.

"I'll be going now." She said excitedly as she hopped over to the drink coolers and chatted up some others who were chilling.

[Pepper]

Pepper blinked as she heard two different voices from two different people. Turning her head one way she saw her cousin, eyes wide and hopeful. And turning the other way she saw her boss treading water alongside of her. This wasn't the most awkward moment of her life, (nothing beat the time she'd walked in on Tony and....well it had been awkward). But she suddenly was feeling quite flustered and unsure of what to do.

Gwen suddenly swam away and Pepper turned back to Tony. "is there some sort of trouble, Mr. Stark?" she asked. She was doing all she could to keep her heart from fluttering. Something in his gaze, in his tone, something suggestive, and it made her very aware of herself, (in a bikini), and sent a little adrenaline chill down her body.

The look on his face was serious, however, and so she swam over to the side of the pool and climbed out. She walked quickly to her chaise and wrapped a towel around her body, feeling very shy and very nervous.

"Lead on," she said to Tony.

[Iron Man]

"I guess you...could say that..." Tony said as he watched Pepper get out and covered herself up he frowned slightly she looked better with out the towel he thought. Tony got out of the pool and wrapped a towel around his waist he didn't want Gwen killing him because he got everything wet in the house. Walking by the cheetah he petted it on the head before leading Pepper into the house and away from other people "There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now...I've fallen head over heels in love with a little strawberry blonde and I was hoping she felt the same way." Tony said looking at Pepper as he took her hand hoping she wouldn't shoot him down.

[Pepper]

Pepper's first instinct was to laugh.

Luckily, she didn't.

Because when Tony took her hand, the 'strawberry blonde' he'd been referring to came and knocked Pepper squarely on her head. He wasn't talking about some other woman as she'd suspected - he was talking about her.

She looked down at their intertwined hands and then back up at his face. A very sudden and very strong urge to touch his face overwhelmed her, but she kept her hands still and her face as impassive as it could be. Of course she couldn't hide the sparkle in her eyes or the flush in her cheeks.

If I were Iron Man I"d have this girlfriend who knew my true identity.

Pepper gulped, looked away, licked her lips because her mouth had suddenly dried completely up.

"You mean...me?"

Pepper Potts could not have hated herself more than she did at that moment. Of all the things to say, all the things she had practiced and plotted and whispered when he turned his back or when he lifted off into the skies. Of anything she could have said...all she could do was ask him to repeat what he was saying.

[hawkeye]

Barabara swam over to edge where the waiting cheetah was at who bent down to nuzzle her and purring "This close to locking them in a room." she said smirking as she watched Tony and Pepper walk into the house. "Maybe next time hmm?" She said talking to the cheetah as the other one came over to her "Why don't you go keep an eye on the love birds." she said the first one took off to go see what Tony and Pepper where up to. "The cheetah's are mine Gwen you should know that." She said looking over at the red head.

[Iron Man]

"Yes you and only you." Tony said looking at Pepper this was a first in all the time he's known her, he's never seen her act like this before. "I've had feelings like this for you for a while now I've just...had a hard time telling you but got a little help and some threating from Barabara." He said muttering the threating part hoping she didn't hear it he didn't want her getting mad at the red head for trying to help him with telling Pepper how he felt about her. That's when he spotted the cheetah in the tree outside but didn't think to much about it if he remembered right they liked being in trees that must be way it was there.

[beacon]

Mackenzie merely continued to laze about the pool, even after cheetahs and two newcomers appeared. As long as the cats recognized that she was in deed not food, she was fine with their presence.

Vaguely, she glanced over at the masked man and lifted a brow. It was rather strange that he would wear a mask in the pool, but she decided to shrug it off. Again.

"Mackenzie Stevens," she murmured as she floated around, enjoying the cool water.

One minute the other redhead, Pepper as she gathered, was in the pool, and the next she was out. With a shrug, she turned her attention to Peter and offered him a smile.

"Got an ugly mug under that thing or are you afraid all the ladies will jump you if you take it off?" she teased as she rolled over onto her stomach and floated in his direction.

[Pepper]

This was unreal. Pepper continued to stare at his brown eyes, and was perfectly aware that he was being completely honest. Which really made her all the more uncomfortable. Everyone knows who you are and how you are with girls. So what was the change? What had made Tony Stark look at her twice?

She shifted her weight and her towel slipped. Cheeks reddening, she grabbed at it with her free hand and held it in place. "Tony..." she said very softly, "I don't know what to say. I...you're my boss...and..." She looked up at him and caught her breath. "...and I don't know how we'll work through that. Because I love you too. I...do."

[beacon]

Afraid the masked man had taken her question a bit too seriously, Mack frowned and swam to the edge of the pool. With her back against the wall, she pressed her palms against the ledge and easily lifted herself out so that she was sitting on the edge with her feet dangling into the water.

Glancing over her shoulder, she offered Gwen a wry grin. "Hey, throw me something to drink, yeah?" That being said, she then let her gaze travel over the other party goers, pausing momentarily on a pale female that appeared to be meditating with her eyes open, all while sitting on one of the comfortable lounge chairs.

A brow lifted slightly in surprise, Mack opened her mouth to question the girl when she heard a stranging dinging sound. She scrunched up her face for a moment before grinning and glancing back over at Gwen. "Oy! Doorbell!"

More partygoers.

Hooray.