Summary: Natasha and Maria take a girl's night with Tony's new girlfriend Pepper and things go worse than you'd expect.

Trigger Warning: mentions of date rape drugs/drugging.

Steve was sitting in the living room, reading George Orwell's book 1984, waiting for Natasha and Maria to get back when his phone rang. All the others had gone to bed, but Steve wanted to wait up and make sure the girls made it back safely. He hadn't actually thought they'd need him, but when he heard his phone ring at midnight, he knew something was wrong. Seeing Natasha's caller ID on his phone caused him to panic suddenly and not because he was excited to talk to her. She would only be calling if something bad had happened.

"Nat? What's wrong?" he asked, already halfway to the door as he slipped on some sandals. "Where are you?"

"I-I don't know," she replied. He heard her mumble something to Maria and Pepper before returning to him. "We were at this club and then these guys offered to take us to a secret club they could get us into, but it all went wrong and I'm pretty sure we ended up in some ghost town."

"What? Send me your location," he demanded, slamming the door behind him and not caring if he woke up the others.

She was quiet for a moment then his phone dinged sharply. He tapped on the location she'd sent him and Google Maps opened with the fastest route to her.

"You're in Salem?" he exclaimed.

"Oh, that explains why there's a haunted tour across the street," Natasha muttered.

Steve sucked in a breath as he climbed into his car and started in her direction.

"How about you tell me exactly what happened?" Steve suggested, putting his phone on speaker so he could drive and listen to her.

* * * * *

Natasha, Pepper, and Maria walked into the newest club in town only to be immediately overwhelmed by the flashing lights and loud music. Maria grinned and pulled both of them further into the club and over to the bar. Pepper didn't have a chance to say anything before Maria had ordered for both of them.

"How'd you know what I liked?" Pepper asked.  She had talked with Maria and Natasha briefly before, but this was the first time they'd hung out.

"Tony talks a lot," Maria said with a shrug.

The bartender handed them their drinks and Maria thanked him as she passed out the drinks. They talked at a small table as they sipped at their drinks, telling Pepper stories about Tony in high school and asking about her. By the time they'd finished their drinks, Pepper felt like she'd made two new friends. One of which seemed very intent on the idea of dancing with strangers, something Pepper wasn't completely comfortable with.

"We won't tell Tony," Natasha promised, pulling her onto the dance floor. "You don't even have to dance with someone, just dance with us!"

"Fine," Pepper agreed.

She took cues from Natasha who was much more talented at dancing than Pepper could have ever guessed.  While Pepper tried to get into the music, Natasha looked completely at home, arms above her head as she moved on the dance floor. Maria looked much less professional, though just as comfortable leaning against Natasha and dancing with her. Pepper laughed when Natasha hip-checked Maria and she stumbled.

"Oh, you wanna play?" Maria teased, bumping Natasha back. They both laughed then pulled Pepper over to dance with them.

It was the third song they were dancing to when two guys came up and joined them. At first, they were just dancing nearby, then one was with Natasha and the other quickly moved to join Maria. Maria raised an eyebrow at him but didn't push him off. He wasn't handsy and she could take him if he was, so she let him enjoy himself. One song later and they headed back to their table for a break. The two guys followed and they started talking.

"No way!" Pepper exclaimed. One of them knew Tony. "Tony's my boyfriend."

"Really? I bet that's interesting," Guy One mused.  Pepper snorted and nodded in agreement. It could be pretty interesting, that's for sure. "Did he ever tell you about this secret bar he found one night?"

"No," Pepper frowned.

Guy One and Guy Two lit up, telling the girls all about a secret bar that was run by Harvard students.

"Technically, only Harvard kids are allowed in, but if you can get the password, they'll let you in," Guy Two said. The place sounded like a riot based on what Guy One and Two had said.

"My brother goes to Harvard," Guy One told them casually. "He could give me the password if I asked. You girls want to check it out?"

"Hell yeah!" Maria exclaimed.

Guy One grinned and pulled out his phone, sending off a quick text while Maria asked Guy Two where the bar was at.

"It's way out of town," Guy Two said, further explaining that the Harvard students wanted to make sure it wasn't easy for faculty to find, so it was a few towns over. "Even if it's a long drive, the place is definitely worth the trouble."

"Alright, ladies," Guy One announced, proudly holding up his phone. "I've got the password. Let's hit the road!"

* * * * *

"So you just got in their car?" Steve asked skeptically. Natasha wasn't usually one to go along with things if she didn't know the people involved.

"To be fair, we're all pretty tipsy and might be a little drugged," Natasha replied.

Steve sucked in a breath. Clearly, she had been drugged if she had bothered to mention it at all.

"Do you know what they drugged you with?"

"Dunno," Natasha mumbled.

He heard shuffling followed by a thud.  A few seconds later, Natasha came back on the line.

"Sorry, dropped the phone. I think they drugged us with vodka."

"They bought you drinks?" Steve groaned. This was getting worse and worse as she continued to tell him what happened. At this rate, he wasn't too sure he wanted her to continue.

"Yeah! Real nice guys," Natasha told him. Steve took a deep breath and told her to continue. "Alright. So we got in the backseat and these guys got in the front."

* * * * *

About fifteen minutes into the drive, Natasha began to realise something was wrong. Guy One and Guy Two were still talking excitedly about this secret bar, but she was struggling to think straight. Her mind felt fuzzy even though she knew she hadn't had enough to drink to be drunk. She'd only had the vodka Maria had gotten her and a few sips of that drink the two guys had bought her. It was too sweet and tasted funny to her, so she hadn't finished it. Maria and Pepper, on the other hand, seemed fine talking to the guys.

"Hey, where are we going?" Natasha asked.

They were now thirty minutes into the drive and Maria and Pepper were acting funny. She'd seen Maria drunk and this wasn't it. Of course, she'd never been around drunk Pepper so she couldn't be sure about her, but everything about this situation felt off.

"Salem," Guy One answered.

Natasha frowned.

"Is that where the bar is?" Maria asked, leaning forward between the two front seats.

Guy One glanced at Guy Two then back at the three girls.

"About the bar," Guy One said, grinning back at them. "It doesn't exist."

"Where are we going then?" Pepper asked curiously.

Natasha's eyes widened and she felt her heart begin to race. Something was very, very wrong and she hadn't figured it out until they were nearly forty-five minutes away from the apartment and any help.

"We're going to have some fun together at my house," Guy Two said from the driver's seat.

That was enough for Natasha. She fought through the dizziness in her head and lunged for the front of the car. Before anyone realised she had moved, she pulled the emergency brake. She nearly flew through the window at the sudden stop, toppling into the front seats and landing in Guy One's lap. Her eyes widened as he groaned. Right as he turned to look at her, she grabbed his head and slammed it into the window, shoving him hard enough to shatter the window and knock him out.

"Nat, stop," Maria slurred, reaching forward weakly to stop her.

Natasha pushed her into the backseat, pausing as her head spun and her vision blurred for a moment. She was honestly a little surprised Maria and Pepper were still awake. Whatever drug they'd put in their drinks was pretty strong if only two sips were enough to make Natasha dizzy and slightly out of it.

"Not cool, sweetheart," Guy Two growled.

He climbed out of the car and ran around to the side Natasha was on. Pulling open the door, he grabbed her roughly and threw her on the ground. Natasha's head swam at the abrupt movement and she blinked to get her bearing. Guy Two was looming over her, snarling something she couldn't understand. She tried to get to her feet, but Guy Two kicked her harshly.  She heard Maria and Pepper scream from inside the car and a few seconds later, they were tumbling out and onto the ground.

"Get away!" Maria said, swaying slightly as she stood up.

Guy Two sneered at them and walked away from Natasha, moving towards Maria and Pepper. Natasha jumped to her feet despite the sharp pain that shot through her abdomen and jumped on Guy Two's back. He thrashed, trying to throw her off, but she refused to let go. Maria kicked his feet out from under him, falling to the ground herself as she lost her balance. Pepper kicked Guy Two, narrowly missing Natasha's face as she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.

"Stupid... bitch..." he growled, tugging on Natasha's arms.

She lost her grip and he threw her backward. As she skidded across the gravel on the side of the road, she felt rocks cut into her hands and arms. When she stopped sliding, she looked up to see Pepper trying to kick Guy Two again. Natasha lunged back at him when he tried to jump on Pepper and Guy Two stumbled forward, hitting the car. She grabbed his head roughly and slammed his head into the top of the car repeatedly until he slumped forward.  As he collapsed to the ground unconsciously, Natasha was still on his back, breathing heavily and looking around frantically. When she looked up at Maria and Pepper, they all let out a deep breath of relief.

"I think we're lost," Pepper mumbled.

There were only a few buildings nearby but they all looked closed and maybe a little haunted.

"I think we should call for help," Maria suggested, slumping against the car and sitting on the ground.

Pepper joined her and they both watched as Natasha pulled her phone out and tapped on Steve's contact.

* * * * *

Steve couldn't be sure if he was happy to hear they'd been able to defend themselves or a little unsettled that Natasha had been so quick to attack. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. He knew she'd taken martial arts as a young girl and only stopped when she turned twelve to continue ballet instead. The drugs may have hindered her some, but clearly she wasn't completely helpless if she'd been strong enough to smash a guy's head through a window.

"Well, I'm about fifteen minutes away," Steve told her, checking his GPS and speeding even more than he already was. "Are the two guys still unconscious?"

"Yeah," Natasha answered, "I had to knock them out again two more times, but they're out right now."

"Good," Steve said. According to her, Maria and Pepper were fast asleep on the ground, probably a side effect of the drug they'd been given. "Don't worry, Nat, I'll be there soon."

"I know," she replied, sounding a little hesitant. "Just, maybe don't hang up? There's no one else around and I think there's a ghost in the house across the street."

"Alright," Steve agreed. He wasn't going to hang up anyway. "Tell me about Pepper."

Natasha told him everything Pepper had told her and Maria about her family, her major, and her childhood. By the time she'd finished, Steve was pulling up behind the car and turning off his headlights. She hung up only after he stepped out of the car and nearly dropped her phone in relief.

He rushed to her side and gathered her in his arms, being careful as he remembered her telling him she'd been kicked in the stomach a couple of times.  There were visible scrapes on her arms from the gravel and at the sight of them, he frowned. She had clearly picked out the bigger rocks while talking to him as the scrapes looked pretty clean.

"Thank you for coming," Natasha said, shaking slightly in his arms.

Steve looked down at her as he felt something warm soak his shirt.

"Hey, hey," he said softly, cupping her face gently. "I'll always come for you. You can always count on me, alright?"

Natasha let out a soft cry as she nodded and Steve hugged her tightly. They stayed standing there until Natasha had calmed down a little. Once he was sure she would be okay for a little while, he walked her to the car and helped her fasten her seatbelt. He returned for Maria then Pepper, carrying them both to his car and setting them in the backseat, fastening their seatbelts as well.

As badly as Steve wanted to punch both of the guys for trying to attack the girls, they were both still unconscious and he knew it wouldn't do anything. With a sigh, he climbed into the driver's seat before turning on the car and silently pulling off the side of the road. Natasha grabbed his hand a few seconds into the drive and pulled it into her lap. When he glanced at her to make sure she was alright, she was staring down at their hands numbly. A few minutes later, she was asleep too and Steve was left to his own thoughts.

Since he didn't know where Pepper lived or if she was in the dorm at her own school, he took her back to their apartment. When he was five minutes away, he called Tony. It was nearly two in the morning, but Tony answered immediately.

"Where are you? What happened?" he demanded. When Steve didn't respond immediately, Tony said, "You woke us up with your door slamming and we've all been worried sick. Did someone die?"

"No, thank god," Steve breathed, trying not to think about what he would have done if he'd arrived to find Natasha's dead body on the side of the road.

"Then what happened?" Tony asked.

Steve didn't feel like recounting the story for him, Pepper could do that herself if she remembered it at all. If not, then maybe he'd briefly explain what Natasha had told him.

"The girls ran into some trouble," he sighed.

That inspired Tony to erupt into another volcano of questions, but Steve waited until he was finished to continue.

"I have all of them, they're all okay, but they're fast asleep and I can't carry all three upstairs at once."

"We'll come," Tony immediately volunteered. He heard someone else talking in the background then Tony said, "Thor and I can come down. Bruce is still asleep and Clint is weak."

"Thank you," Steve said, parking in his usual spot under the apartment complex.

As the car turned off and he hung up, Natasha woke up suddenly.

"Hey, it's just me, Nat," Steve said, raising his hands in surrender as she turned to him with wide eyes.

"Where are we?" she asked in a panic, looking around the parking garage.

"We're back at the apartment," Steve answered, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Tony and Thor are coming down to get Maria and Pepper. You're all okay now."

"Yeah," she whispered, nodding to herself.

As if speaking their names had brought them running, Thor and Tony walked through the door to the far right and came jogging toward the car. Steve got out first, telling Tony which side Pepper was on. Thor grabbed Maria and Tony grabbed Pepper while Steve stood beside Natasha, a comforting hand on her arm.

"You okay, Red?" Tony asked softly, nodding at Natasha. She nodded, letting Steve wrap an arm around her shoulders. "You look a little shaken up."

"I'm okay," she muttered, loosely draping an arm around Steve's waist.

Tony nodded but didn't drop his concerned look. Choosing not to say anything however, he followed Thor to the elevator. Steve and Natasha fell last in line.

The ride up to their floor and the walk to the apartment were both silent. When they stepped into the apartment, Clint greeted them at them at the door. He stayed quiet as Thor and Tony walked by him and went upstairs to lay Maria and Pepper in bed.

"Tasha," Clint murmured, looking at her as she walked in beside Steve. "What happened?"

"Bad club," she muttered, not letting go of Steve even though it was Clint in front of her.

He glanced at the scrapes on her arm and looked up at Steve.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Steve said quietly, nodding at Clint to let him know he'd explain later.

Clint nodded back, watching as Steve and Natasha walked upstairs and into the bathroom to wash the remaining gravel from the scrapes and cover them up.

"I'm sorry for waking you up," Natasha said, rubbing her newly bandaged arms as Steve washed his hands.

"I was awake," he told her. She still apologised, saying she didn't mean to bother him. "Nat, I'm glad you did. If you hadn't, I probably would have called in a few hours to check on you. Never feel bad about calling me when you need to."

Natasha nodded and Steve walked her to her room. She climbed into bed, glancing at Maria who was snoring softly from her own bed. From the doorway, Steve waited in the doorway until Natasha was settled in under her covers to turn to leave. He smiled at her and she smiled back softly.

"Good night, Nat," he whispered, slowly closing the door behind him.

"Good night," she murmured back.

He latched the door then walked back to his room, shutting off the hall lights on his way. He made a mental note to stop by the front office at the school tomorrow morning and tell them the girls were out sick for the day.