Unwritten

Tony got in contact with his dedicated engineering team from Stark Industries via old radio frequencies thanks to Jarvis. He and the nineteen other minds he employed and trusted worked alongside Jarvis to repair damage to the communication grid. If they could get it up and running even temporarily, it would be progress.

And if anyone could do it? It was Tony. 

During the last Stark Expo he’d met many incredible minds and had offered them funding for projects along with space to do their work. Tony Stark knew he was brilliant, there was no doubt of that. But he wasn’t so blinded by his own brilliance that he thought their wouldn’t be more capable minds than his. That was the beauty of being in his position. If he saw someone that he thought represented the future? He could fund them, nurture them, and help them along a path to do good. Something that he wished someone had done for him when he’d been a spoiled teenager, too smart for his own good and too rich to listen to anyone.

But now he could do better for others. He had the means and the know how. He’d carve a path for others to follow and branch off of to work together to make the world a better place. These people on the radio were the brightest minds of their generations and together they would remove whatever block MedCo or The Crown had put into place, disabling their communications systems.

It had been hours. He’d been prowling the loft, ignoring almost everything else with the exception of Scarlett, and he’d managed to include important people in the communications industry.

They’d figure it out. It would just take time. Time the wasn’t sure they had.

MedCo had used a virus, similar to the one that had infected the SHIELD systems he’d since discovered, to hijack satellite communications all across the country. Someone, somewhere, was in a room full of computers with people, making certain it stayed that way.

But, oh, it wouldn’t. 

Scarlett came over to Tony and gently massaged his shoulders and reminded him not to hunch too much. He stole a sloppy kiss on her cheek then kept working, feeling rejuvenated by her little pep talk. The group gathered on the radio line teased him and he told them they could tease him all they want, he was happy to brag about it. Then there was massive cheering.

They’d done it! 

They’d cut off connection from the signal to the satellites. Cell phones were buzzing and coming to life all around him. The television that hummed the news quietly in the background was reporting that there was a major breakthrough in the communications network in much better quality than before.

“I have to trust you guys got this.” Tony muted his end of the conversation and then leaned back. Scarlett offered him a cup of coffee. “You’re an angel.”

“Don’t get carried away.” Scarlett patted his shoulder and he rested his hand over hers then took a sip of his coffee. She remembered how he liked it. Was it weird how much he was into that? He’d only mentioned it once when she’d casually made them a cup during a late night working on the Mark XLII.

“Stark, did you really fix it?” Clint looked to Natasha who was already on the phone, chatting away with someone in a hushed tone.

“Did you ever doubt me?” Tony sipped the coffee and held his other hand behind his head, sighing confidently. “Hopefully it’ll hold long enough for us to make some progress.”

“Mr. Stark, sir, Pepper Potts is trying to reach you.” Jarvis announced from the computer.

“Shocked.” Tony stood and excused himself, retrieving his phone. It would take him ages to get caught up on messages. “Stark.”

“It’s my fault, Tony!” Pepper’s voice, in obvious distress cried with a mixture of relief and upset. “It’s all my fault!”

“Slow down.” Tony stole a look at the others and made eye contact with Scarlett who approached with her arms folded. “What do you mean?”

“I got a security alert from the office this morning and went to see what it was! Things were… they didn’t work. Like Jarvis wasn’t coming online and I couldn’t put in my code or anything. Then around back I saw… I saw all these men loading up your new converter onto a truck along with loads of other Stark Industries supplies. I tried to call you, I tried to call the police but I couldn’t call anyone. My phone wasn’t working!” Pepper was panicked and Tony could hear loud noises, like the engine of a truck in the background.

“Where are you?”

“I kept my phone dialing you and finally I got through. God, Tony are you okay?”

“Pepper, I’m fine. Where are you?” Tony repeated with more urgency and he did so loud enough that the others gathered in the loft would hear him. Natasha was no longer on the phone and Tony hurried back into the living room and sat down on the couch. He placed the phone down on the coffee table and put it on speaker.

“I couldn’t get through to anyone so I got into my car and followed the trucks.”

“I’m sorry, you did what?” Tony wiped his hand over his mouth and squinted his eyes shut tight. Scarlett sat next to him and it was an immediate comfort. Clint had already been seated nearby. Natasha stood on the other side of the coffee table with her arms folded over her chest, brow furrowed.

“I followed the truck and parked a bit behind. I’ve been outside listening to them.”

“What?” Tony shook his head. “Get out of there. Now, Pepper.”

“I’m going back to my car.” She instructed, obviously out of breath. “But, Tony, they’re working on the converter! They’re turning it into an amplifier.”

“They’re what? Why?” Scarlett furrowed her brow and Tony exchanged a look with her. To what end? What were they trying to amplify?

“They’re planning to use it for something else. I couldn’t understand, some of it was in Russian. A virus. They want to spread a virus throughout Los Angeles. They’re talking like it can infect millions of people using the converter. I don’t know how they’re going to do it. Tony, can the converter do that?”

“No, it can’t.” Tony looked to the others. “That’s not how toxins spread. They’re not energy. They must be using it some other way.”

“I’m scared, Tony. I’m terrified. I don’t know what to do! I-I’ve been following them for hours!” Pepper sounded haggard. He heard the sound of a car door, followed by the beeping of her keys in the ignition. The beeping stopped. “I’m exhausted.”

“And how is any of this your fault?”

“Because I hired this… this IT guy…”

“IT guy?” Tony was immediately affronted. He had a whole team of tech specialists to handle things. Why the hell had she hired an IT guy? They had IT guys! Stark Industries was built by an IT guy! Him! He was the IT guy.

“I know, I know! It was silly, I should have just talked to you.”

“Yes, you should have.”

“Tony…” Scarlett rested her hand on his forearm and he took a deep breath. One problem at a time, Scarlett was right. He could discuss this with Pepper later. Right now, they needed more information.

“I’m sorry, okay? My computer wasn’t working and I needed help! It happened a few times! He came by a couple weeks ago and I gave him my security access code so that he could get onto my computer.”

“You…” He stuttered and then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. That explained so much. “It’s okay. It’s alright, Pepper.”

Sensing his stress, Scarlett once again soothed him with a touch on his forearm. But even she was pretty annoyed that Pepper had done something so short sighted. Then again, it probably hadn’t seemed that way to Pepper. 

She didn’t do what they did.

“It’s not alright, Tony! He’s one of them!” Pepper’s guilt was obvious even through the phone line. The static was back and Tony exchanged glances with the others.

“Next time just talk to me. I know we weren’t getting along but, Christ, Potts, I designed everything.” Tony continued on. “We’ll figure it out, just tell me where you are.”

Silence. A slight sound in the background but little else.

“Potts?” He made to call to her again. Maybe they lost the signal.

“Quiet.” Scarlett urged so severely that he did, in fact, stay quiet. Scarlett took the laptop, tapped on the screen, and plugged it into Tony’s phone. They amplified the sounds. Slight sounds but he couldn’t make out what they were. Natasha and Scarlett exchanged looks and Tony looked from the two women to his phone. Clint was avoiding his eyes.

Scarlett couldn’t believe this was happening. Guilt tore at her stomach and she tried to find the words that Natasha and Clint already knew. That she already knew.

“What? What do you hear?”

The line went dead and Tony hung up with frustration and grunted.

“They found Pepper.” Scarlett spoke when no one else seemed eager to. The color drained from Tony’s face. He stood and Scarlett stood alongside him. “They took her quietly. I don’t know how they subdued her so quickly, but no gunshots, no shouts of pain. Just lots of footsteps and whispers.” Scarlett held her hand over his to try and keep him calm.

“Will they kill her?”

“No.” Natasha chimed in. “No, they know who she is. She’s too valuable a bargaining chip to them. Especially if they want something from you, Stark.” Natasha’s eyes darted to Scarlett.

“We have to do something. She’s not like us, she can’t… And we can’t let them spread whatever virus she’s talking about. That and whatever they’re planning with the converter.”

“Sir, there is a SHIELD Agent approaching the perimeter.” Jarvis interrupted. They all exchanged another glance. Scarlett went to the door and peered through the peep hole. Sure enough, Michelangela Pierce was standing on the other side of the door and hadn’t even knocked yet. She opened the door and Mickey walked inside. Scarlett closed the door behind her, cautious of anyone having followed her.

Mickey looked disheveled and like she hadn’t slept in a year.

“What the hell happened?”

“It’s a long story.” Mickey didn’t sound like her usual apprehensive self. No, she sounded angry.

“Are you okay?” Scarlett furrowed her brow and Mickey was affronted. Then she looked behind Scarlett and saw Tony, Clint, and Natasha watching them.

“I’m fine. Stole a jet to get here.”

“You stole a jet?” Natasha stood.

“I know something bad is about to happen and I want to help.”

Scarlett and Natasha again exchanged a look.

“You two do that a lot.” Tony pointed between them.

“I was just thinking that.” Clint agreed.

“Come on, we’ll fill you in.” Scarlett urged Mickey inside and offered her a cup of coffee. Tony looked down at his with a smile. Scarlett was like a little mother hen in the moment of chaos. He hadn’t quite expected it but it was very sweet to watch. She was making ceratin everyone was settled, even though she was pale and shaky.

He held his head in his hands while they filled Agent Pierce in on the situation. The seriousness weighed heavily on his shoulders as he used Scarlett’s laptop to try and back peddle to Pepper’s location. They wouldn’t let MedCo win. They couldn’t. If they could poison people half as badly as they’d poisoned Scarlett, Los Angeles would be fucked. 

They all would be.

Scarlett took Mickey aside after she was filled in and brought her into the kitchen. Mickey had only briefly touched on the explosion. She needed to understand what happened to her. What happened to her friend and assistant. Jinx. How many people were dead because of her mess? “Please tell me what happened. I know it has to be bad for you to gloss over it. You’re not exactly one for confrontation but I know you avoided telling me.”

“You don’t want to know.”

“I do. I heard there was an explosion at Refuge. Was Jinx there?” She shouldn’t have been. Jinx should have been in her bed and sleeping. Not working. This was why Scarlett was so adamant on the separation of work and personal lives. It was all coming apart at the seams. Refuge. Her friends. It would never be the same.

“No, no. I don’t know if they found anyone at Refuge. It was after hours. But I… I needed her help. She’s good at that computer stuff. So… she was with me in Manhattan.”

“At SHIELD?” Scarlett’s heart dropped. Mickey told her about the explosion and about being trapped beneath concrete. She knew Jinx was hurt so what were the details? “Are you sure you’re okay? Is she okay?” Scarlett’s heart was beating a mile a minute. 

Mickey averted her eyes and swallowed and that was enough to give Scarlett her answer. No. Jinx wasn’t okay. Scarlett turned away and wiped her hand over her mouth. Jinx wasn’t a field agent. She wasn’t built for explosives, car chases, and gunfights. She was built for sitting behind a computer and being damn good at her job. She was built for making predictions and gossip. Reading shitty novels and giggling about them at every opportunity. Jinx was built for writing fanfiction, for god’s sake.

“She’ll be okay. If that helps. The surgery went well.”

“Surgery?” Scarlett exhaled. 

Mickey didn’t explain further but nodded. Scarlett nodded too. She must have looked upset. She rested her hand on her stomach and took a deep breath. Her head was swimming and she felt terrible. She had the kind of fever where it felt like her eyes were boiling. That and she was pretty sure the steady pounding in her head was her blood pressure threatening to blow like a bursting pipe. It was a nightmare. All of it. This was all a bad dream. 

On top of what they already knew, Pepper was in trouble. And as much as she didn’t care for Pepper Potts, she didn’t deserve to be caught in MedCo’s trap. This was all her fault. The guilt. While she and Tony had sex, the world literally exploded. People died. And all she could think about in that moment was herself. It was selfish! Selfish!

She took another breath and then turned her attention to the others.

“We need a real plan to put a stop to this.” Scarlett tapped the couch. “MedCo has gotten away with too much. They think they’ve outsmarted us at every turn but we can’t let it go any further.” She was done pussyfooting around. She was done waiting for someone else to make a plan. Some of the most capable people on the planet were in this room with her. If they couldn’t put a stop to MedCo and The Crown then no one could. It was time they played a different game. One that was less carefully staged.

Stop MedCo and burn down all that remained of it. Even if that meant her end.

Mickey’s head was swimming as she stared at the faded tile of the hospital floor. She shuffled. The sound of her shoes scuffing was grating as hell. The ride to the hospital was a blur of panic. She’d done her best to keep Jinx calm and conscious but eventually she’d succumbed to blood loss and passed out. The paramedic reassured her that Julianna was doing well. It was perfectly natural for her to pass out after adrenaline wore off. He’d even tried to tell her that it was good for her to rest.

Mickey knew it wasn’t good! She’d had her own share of traumatic events in the past few years and this part was never good or easy. Her fiancé was dead, for one. He’d left her a good bit of money in his will which would seem like a blessing to some- but it wasn’t. He’d been an older man. She’d loved him. Their relationship had nothing to do with money. His ex-wife and kids didn’t agree. She’d been called a golddigger more than once. Since then she’d been stuck in litigation hell as his family contested the newest copy of his will.

The worst thing that had ever happened to her, surely.

Now as she checked the time again and saw that only five minutes had passed, she was certain of something else.

This was far worse than endless legal fees and rude accusations. She’d deal with litigation any day if it meant never seeing any of her friends impaled.

Jinx was rushed back for emergency surgery. Apparently the damage was that bad and now she was under the knife. Honestly, Mickey hadn’t heard anything after the words emergency and surgery. 

Jinx had to pull through. She just had to!

Time passed slowly. Agonizingly slowly. 

A nurse came to check on her at some point. Mickey nearly forgot she’d been crushed by a concrete slab. In fact, she felt stronger than ever. She’d gotten lucky and had been strong enough to pull Jinx from the rubble. The same nurse assured her that Jinx was doing well and out of surgery. She would be resting for some time and they were monitoring her while waiting on a room for her to recover in.

Mickey watched dozens of people enter and leave the building in between. Most were people from the scene of the explosion. The reception on the television in the waiting room was poor. It kept cutting in and out but Mickey caught enough to see that theirs was not the only facility attacked. Refuge, Stark Industries, and a few medical facilities had been struck too. No one had contacted her to let her know. There were zero messages on her phone.

Finally, she had the wherewithal to try and call someone at SHIELD. 

It was weird. She couldn’t get any signal. There were other ways to contact them. If she had to then she would find one of those. Right now, Jinx was more important. Mickey had so many questions for her superiors, for her peers, but all of them seemed incredibly unimportant in comparison to Jinx’s health. It didn’t keep them from buzzing around her head like annoying flies on a hot evening. 

Eventually, Mickey cleaned up. Her clothes were a mess but she would get to go home and change soon enough. She tried an ancient payphone in the lobby. Most had been torn down in the city. But there was no such luck. Even the landlines were dead. How was this possible? Mickey looked to the news and her stomach turned. The entire waiting room was enraptured by the images on the screen.

This was a nightmare.

Mickey slammed her index finger on the receiver over and over as if this would get her a connection. But nothing worked. Mickey would go home after she could see Jinx and try to get in touch with other SHIELD Agents using more primitive means. Funny how the more advanced the technology became, the easier it was to cripple. Sometimes simple and old was the way to go.

Just as she considered leaving to get a change of clothes and something to eat, Mickey spotted a pair of boots and the bottom of a trenchcoat she recognized.

Nick Fury, the head of SHIELD operations was standing in front of her. Mickey sat upright and scrambled to salute. He’d never visited her specifically before. 

“At ease, Pierce.” Nick Fury was casual for a man in charge of so many things that had been attacked in the last few hours. Mickey had always admired how he could say exactly what was on his mind without the worry of repercussions. That was something she’d never excelled at. Mickey struggled with anxiety. And living in the shadow of her SHIELD Agent father didn’t help with that either. It was like being teacher’s pet against her will.

“Is everyone okay? Have you heard from anyone else? What are you doing here?” Mickey didn’t relax. “What the hell is going on?” Nick threw her a look and she stuttered. That was no way to talk to her superior. “I mean, what the hell is going on, sir?”

“Wish I had answers for all those questions, Pierce. We’re still working on getting communications back online. I was in Manhattan this evening and stopped by the site of the disaster. Someone mentioned you were here along with many others. I heard Bennett isn’t doing so hot. Good thing you weren’t hurt too.” Nick was studying her. Mickey felt like she was beneath a microscope. She hesitated. Something about this filled her with dread. More than ever, she wished Jinx was there to boost her confidence. “I imagine you must have some questions for me.”

Mickey didn’t know where to begin. She’d already asked a ton of questions. Ones he hadn’t answered. He was looking for more. What more could there be? Her hands trembled and she looked away from the intimidating figure ahead of her.

Suddenly she knew exactly what to ask. She came out of that collapse unscathed. But she had memories of fire and pain.

“I should be dead.” Her eyes fluttered open and her vision was blurry with tears. She blinked them away. She couldn’t get upset in front of Nick Fury! This was the only question that stuck out amongst the same ones any other agent would ask. Much to her surprise, Nick Fury was completely unfazed. “Why aren’t I in surgery right now with the others? I keep replaying it in my head. I was trapped beneath a slab of concrete. I shouldn’t be fine. Why am I fine?” The words kept pouring out of her mouth before she could consider what the answers might be.

“I thought you’d start with something simpler.” Nick offered her a look. There was no smile but a glint of amusement behind his good eye.

“I already know what happened here. MedCo happened. And you ignored the other questions I asked.” Mickey brushed a shaky hand through her hair. “That drive Clint gave us. They knew they couldn’t stop a mole from taking information so they turned it into a trap. A modern Trojan Horse. At least the important files must have been designed to trigger something. It must have let in some kind of worm. They shut us down from the inside while we were deciphering files and then… boom.” Mickey furrowed her brow and her shoulders sunk. “Someone had to be helping them from within SHIELD.” She’d thought it for some time but it was difficult to narrow down a leak in such a huge organization. “Do you think any of it is still on the servers? Backed up? I thought I found information on something for Miss Damien and…”

“Slow down, Pierce.” Nick Fury sat one chair away from Mickey and turned toward her, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. “Figured it out on your own though. I’m impressed. Even our smartest guys took ages to narrow it down.”

“I watched it happen. So yeah.” Mickey sighed and furrowed her brow. “You didn’t answer my question, sir.”

Nick Fury didn’t respond.

“I saw them.” Mickey’s voice cracked. “People sitting right next to me. Dead. I saw them! Everyone walked out of there with at least a scratch. Many were… god.” She held her head in her hands. No amount of therapy was fixing this. “Everyone but me. I’m fine. A scrape here or there but even those… just disappeared.”

“I want you to think real hard about this.” Nick Fury looked to her seriously. She was puzzled. What the hell did that mean? “Do you really want to know the answer?”

“Yeah. I do.” Mickey didn’t hesitate. How could she not?

“You’re fine because you aren’t human.”

Mickey’s mouth hung open stupidly and she closed it after a moment, confused. Nick Fury was studying her, but he seemed extremely serious. He wasn’t exactly known for making jokes. Her brow furrowed and her head spun. He said that so casually! 

What the hell did that mean? Of course she was human. She had a boring human job, a dog, human problems. Was this some cruel joke? His way of thinking he could distract her from the terror that unfolded in the last twelve hours? She looked down at her hands. 

Extremely human.

“Then what am I?”

“As far as we can tell you’re from Asgard.”

“I’m sorry. What?” Mickey knew about Asgard. Of course she did. They all knew about Thor and Loki and the damage their appearance on Earth had done. Thor had been exiled there in recent years for disobeying his godly father’s orders but then regained his place amongst said Gods after proving he’d learned a lesson in humility. All while leaving a substantial amount of damage and chaos in his wake. What was Earth to the Gods but a place of little consequence?

This had to be a joke. A cruel joke. Nick Fury was fucking with her.

“You’re from Asgard. That’s what we were told.”

“I heard that part, I’m just not… that’s not true. You know it’s not true. You were friends with my father!”

“You said you wanted to know why you’re not hurt. I’d say you’ve earned it.”

“Just… what?” This couldn’t be real. She was going to throw up.

“Your mother was exiled here, with child. SHIELD took you, her daughter, and raised you. Your adopted father was a SHIELD Agent because you were left here in our care, not out of luck. Not by coincidence. Nothing that big is a coincidence, Pierce.” Nick Fury spoke so casually that it was driving her bonkers. How could he speak about something so normally when it would completely turn her world upside down?

Her father had only adopted her because she’d needed a SHIELD detail because she was from Asgard? What? The father she loved? Who had loved her? Every lesson her father had ever taught her, to have her follow in his footsteps… was that… just to keep her an obedient dog to SHIELD? She’d spent her whole life feeling out of place, suffering anxiety and insecurities only to find out that she never belonged in the first place!

Mickey had always done everything she’d been asked to do. Everything! She’d bent over backwards to please her father. Bent over backwards to please SHIELD. She did overtime, took every test so she could to get ahead and had never been even considered for a promotion. Was that because she was from Asgard too? Mickey was torn between wanting to throw up and scream. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been this mad before in her life! Not even when being called a golddigger by a woman twice her age all because she fell in love with an older man.

“All these years have been a… lie? All of it?” Mickey’s eyes flashed dangerously and Fury tilted his head curiously, as if on alert. “All this time? My dad? Was that all a lie? My only family? I… my whole identity is a lie? How could you not tell me sooner? Why…? It was… it was all a manipulation? Why tell me now?”

“It was to keep you safe. I can’t expect you to understand decisions that were made back then.”

“Keep me safe? Is that the excuse that makes it okay? What were you keeping me safe from exactly? If I’m from another…” She couldn’t even form the words. As she sat there in the moment she couldn’t think of a single sign that this was her reality.

Nick Fury didn’t say anything.

Mickey was seething. 

Everything she’d ever disagreed with was bubbling up! Every word she’d kept inside to be polite. “SHIELD really doesn’t care about us, do they? You decide what’s best for me? No, I’m supposed to do that. That’s not your choice! It wasn’t your choice! It wasn’t his either!” She meant her father. How could he keep such a terrible truth from her? “What gives SHIELD the right to decide what’s the best for me? For Anyone? For Scarlett? For Jinx!”

“Miss Pierce?” A nurse hesitantly interrupted and Mickey snapped her attention to her, eyes wide and furious.

“What?”

“You’re here waiting for Julianna Bennett, correct?”

Mickey’s heart was racing in her ears and she could hear ringing beneath every word. She wanted to pick something up and smash it. How strong was she? What else could she do? What else was hidden from her? How much of her life was a lie? Because right now it seemed like it all was!

“How’s Miss Bennett doing?” Nick Fury asked when Mickey stared in silence, her mouth shut tight in a thin, angry line.

“We’ve moved her into the ICU, not because she’s gotten worse, just to monitor her. Nothing to be worried about. She’s doing well after the surgery. She was lucky. The rebar missed her organs. She’ll be out of the ICU in a few hours.” The nurse smiled hopefully. “She’s going to be just fine.”

Mickey softened considerably. Her brain was still buzzing but there were a few things that weren’t a complete lie in her life. Jinx’s friendship was true and honest. She wouldn’t know anything about this.

“Thank you so much. Really, thank you. I’m so grateful.”

“I’m happy to deliver some good news.” The nurse was tired. This job was thankless on a night like tonight. Mickey’s anger wouldn’t be misplaced any longer. SHIELD earned her rage, not this nurse. Not Jinx.

“When can I see her?”

“Not for a few hours.”

“Could you let me know when I can?”

“Of course. Let me get your information.”

Mickey followed the nurse to a counter and filled out a form with her contact information to be put into Jinx’s file with a note to let her know when she was okay. Communication wasn’t working right now but it was a temporary problem. They’d be able to contact her eventually and if they couldn’t, Mickey would be back as soon as she could.

She’d made up her mind then and there. Mickey thanked the nurse again and the nurse left them with a nod to signal her goodbye. She turned back to Nick Fury who was now standing up and waiting for her.

“I’m glad Bennett will be okay.” Nick Fury was trying to be comforting? Really? SHIELD was barely any better than corporations like MedCo!

“I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to talk to you. How dare you talk to me like a friend after everything!”

Nick Fury didn’t fight her. He bowed his head and then walked away without another word. Mickey sat in the waiting room chair with an exasperated sigh. This couldn’t be happening. 

There she’d been worried about SHIELD and how they would come back from this!

SHIELD didn’t care about any of them! They were all just pawns to them.

But it didn’t mean Mickey didn’t care. The people she worked with weren’t working against her. And Jinx certainly hadn’t been. All those rides with Scarlett and all those opportunities to lie she’d turned down. Her thoughts were racing. 

She wouldn’t just sit around hoping. Jinx wouldn’t want her to. Jinx would tell her it was awesome that she was from Asgard! It was like something out of one of the books they gushed over because their lives were so damn boring. Jinx would tell her to go out there and kick some ass and help their friends.

So that was what Mickey would do. She didn’t know how she’d get in touch with the others in Malibu, but she would find a way. There was no way to know what she was capable of but she didn’t need to know. Every moment of her life had been spent obsessing on perfection. For once, she’d do what felt right- not what would look good.

For Jinx.

For a short time, Scarlett laid in bed and tried to sleep but hadn’t been able to rest. Their phones weren’t connecting to a network. Not even the landline would go through. There was a dial tone but when she tried to dial out there was nothing. The television worked but her internet connection was spotty at best. Every time she tried to reach someone the connection failed.

There was more going on than they were being told through the news. The nationwide outage was impacting everyone. After refusing sleep, Scarlett roamed the house, checking their defenses and trying to devise a method of communication. Then she’d changed her bandages and Tony joined her, setting up more concrete defenses.

The Mark XLII was brought inside the loft and setup in the living room. If anyone came within a set perimeter they would be alerted. Then they’d hooked up the Mark XLII to an internal network, monitoring all of Scarlett’s already established systems. Jarvis was integrated through the suit and was working tirelessly to try and establish connection for them.

They’d considered making their way back to Tony’s mansion but they were safe and anonymous in their current location. If anyone knew they were there, there was no sign of it. That and Tony’s Malibu mansion wasn’t exactly discreet. It was featured in magazines and articles and easily found. There was no reason to take the risk of moving and being followed, not yet.

Once certain they were safe, Tony fell asleep. Scarlett was relieved. He was still exhausted. Poor guy had barely slept in recent months as far as she knew.

Scarlett now sat in bed next to Tony, laptop atop her legs, trying to work with Jarvis to repair her connection to SHIELD. Together they’d managed to at least transmit a signal in Morse code. She’d sent a message that only Natasha would understand. For now, that was all she could really do without daring to go out into the world. If it hadn’t been for Tony that was exactly what she would have done. Hunting down MedCo blindly. The idea seemed silly now that she’d had time to think. She would have been captured or killed.

Scarlett had since calmed down and while she could feel the fever making her muscles ache, she also felt much better than she had earlier. They’d put off showering in favor of rest.

There was no more sleep for her though and she was okay with that. Watching Tony sleep turned out to be entertaining in itself. She’d only spent a very short amount of time doing it but he stirred occasionally and made cute little sounds as he got comfortable. Putting aside her laptop, Scarlett laid down, facing him. She smiled. An unfamiliar warmth spread through her core, her chest.

Was this fair? 

Was it truly fair? For her to feel such happiness? It was such a small thing in the grand scheme of things, this relationship with Tony. Yet it meant more to her than it probably should have. It seemed selfish to allow this, them, to happen. She had so much to lose suddenly when before she’d had nothing. But she had so much to live for now too.

The loud voice in her head kept screaming at her that Tony would be better off without her. But his voice countered that, reminding her that she’d helped him. How much she had helped him. How she’d pulled him out of a dark place. He wanted to help her out of her dark place too, one she was still stuck in. But was it really worth the risk to him? Scarlett just didn’t know.

But as she watched him she knew she couldn’t go back to how things were. No matter the doubt and fear she knew how she felt. These were feelings she was unfamiliar with, this kind of romance. Scarlett’s prior relationships were dysfunctional and superficial. She’d cared for her partners, sure, but nothing like this.

She dreamt of what it would be like to meet him under different circumstances. If she wasn’t this sick. If she’d never been betrayed by Scott or hunted by MedCo. Would things be different? Would she still feel this tremendous tug to him? This connection? Would he? The connection was so strong it felt beyond avoiding.

What a silly thought.

Yet part of her was sure she would always have this feeling for him. That she would choose this. Maybe there’d be a different kind of conflict for them to deal with, a deeper struggle to connect. The dance might be equally complex in a different way. She was certain though that she would feel this strongly for him. Scarlett didn’t really believe in fate. But the feelings she had for Tony and the desire to see his happiness? To see him thrive and do well? That was something she chose since their first meeting. It had been natural to choose it too.

She wondered that if they had the time, the chance, if even in this life, maybe Tony could love her. It was selfish. Yet she wanted the chance to know what it felt like to love someone that deeply. Desperately. Just as she closed her eyes, feeling the fever behind them, Scarlett heard a soft sound coming from the computer she’d setup in the other room attached to the Mark XLII. A soft beeping. If she’d been asleep she wouldn’t have heard it.

Scarlett made certain the laptop was closed before carefully climbing out from beneath the covers. Then she made her way to the living room. Jarvis was using cameras that Scarlett had installed when she’d first arrived to monitor the perimeter. It was working just fine on her local network since the internet was in and out. Scarlett could see on the camera just who was heading toward her door. She rushed to it.

They’d gotten her message!

Throwing open the door, she found Clint and Natasha waiting on the other side. Clint was bloodied and exhausted. Natasha was sullen but didn’t have a scratch on her. They were alive and Scarlett could have collapsed into tears. Clint smiled wearily and much to Scarlett’s surprise, he gave her a big bear hug. Scarlett returned the sentiment and closed her eyes to savor it. Then she pulled back, stepped inside to allow them entry, and cleared her throat.

“I’ve been trying to reach everyone for hours.” Scarlett closed the door quietly behind them and locked it tight. Jarvis would let her know if they were followed. “I thought about trying to find you but given the situation I thought it made more sense for me to stay right where I was and wait.” Glancing into the living room, Scarlett saw the mess of computer parts and wires. The Mark XLII made itself scarce. Fascinating.

“MedCo targeted our known facilities. Cell towers have been hacked all over the country. Then with the chaos, the towers remaining can’t handle the load. Our systems have been obliterated. Couldn’t call you if I tried. They were planning this for awhile. An attack of this magnitude isn’t planned overnight.” Natasha was strangely calm, hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. “Clint came to me. Someone tried to kill him at the hospital and then blew it up. After some discussion we decided to go against orders and find you. Mikhail and Scott will come to you at some point. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Broke about a thousand speed laws on the way here.”

“She drives likes she’s always on the run. Not surprised.”

“I’m glad it’s not just me.”

“We’re grateful to see that you’re okay. How are you feeling?” Natasha changed the subject.

“Surprised I haven’t been found yet. They must really not know where I am.” Scarlett folded her arms over her chest and deflected the question. There were more important things.

“We have worked hard to keep your location hidden.” Natasha narrowed her eyes knowingly.

“Have you heard from anyone else? Anything from SHIELD?”

“Not much. I touched base with Fury over some archaic radio. Told me to stay put. Couldn’t do that. Our medical facility is still intact so Fitz, Simmons, and Ganter should be okay. I didn’t want to risk contact. Everything’s offline. It’s like the dark ages. I just hope that they’re all as resourceful as Barton and I are.”

“Made my way to the nearest Agent after I got out of the hospital. Found Romanoff.” Clint leaned against the counter. He was likely still pained. Scarlett would let him rest on the couch if he needed it. There was no guest room in the loft but the couch pulled out. The game had suddenly changed. Drastically at that.

“I hadn’t heard anything until he showed up.” Natasha folded her arms over her chest. “I thought he was high on pain meds. Rambling about explosions and Erick Reno. I hadn’t heard about it.”

“What? Erick Reno?” Scarlett frowned. “Glasses?”

“Yeah, he paid me an unwelcome visit at the hospital.” Clint filled her in on the attempted attack before his timely escape. Scarlett went ashen gray and pinched the bridge of her nose. So that was two of the three leaders of MedCo officially gone. Marcia disintegrated and Erick rotted away by his own poison.

“You should sit down. You look gray.” Natasha warned her.

“I’m fine.” She took a breath. “You really hadn’t heard?”

“I don’t watch television.”

“What, no Instagram alerts telling you about the terrorist attacks?”

“You know I don’t use social media.”

“That was a joke, Nat.” Clint whispered and then walked to the couch with a grunt and sat down. “Excuse me while I take some weight off this thing.”

“You’ve been hanging out with Stark too long. The sarcasm is too much.” Natasha looked disapproving.

“I have always made jokes to break the tension but sure, blame him.” Scarlett rubbed the back of her neck and avoided their eyes. She was weary. Her limits were confusing to find. She didn’t know how to stop when she needed to. How long would it be before she just shut down when it became too much? There was no warning before the crash anymore.

“Our only source of connection is the television and only some networks are able to broadcast. The President spoke to try and keep people calm. It’s a huge mess.”

“I tried contacting everyone I could think of. No way to get through. I found a message on the encrypted networks to stay hidden and get to the safe zones but I don’t know anything more than that. I sent out a message for you in Morse but not sure if you got it.”

“I got it.”

“From what I’ve heard, the death toll isn’t as bad as it could be. Civilian locations have been attacked, including Refuge and Stark Industries. Sorry state of things. Glad you weren’t there though.” Clint winced. Scarlett tried not to show how sad it made her to find out about her building. It was gone? Her heart hurt. She couldn’t let it show.

“It’s a shame. I was starting to like that place.” Scarlett turned away and sighed. “Damn. I’m sorry.” It didn’t matter how much Tony told her she wasn’t to blame. It was hard to believe it. “I’m just so sorry.”

Without a word, Clint got up, took both of her hands and looked to Scarlett seriously with weary blue eyes.

“I’m not. And I don’t need you to be. This wasn’t on you. Especially not what happened to me.” Clint reassured her. “I’m not sorry. I made the choice to do this. For you. For everyone.” Clint was mostly a goof from what she knew, but he said all the right things in that moment. “I know this has to be difficult. Watching everyone you know… deal with this. But this was never a hard decision for me. It was easy, actually.”

Scarlett was surprised that he would absolve her from guilt so easily. She only knew him by association and he had zero hesitation in helping her. Of freeing her from her own guilt. Natasha avoided their eyes, folding her arms over her chest.

Scarlett was going to thank him, to explain what it meant, but instead there was a shuffling sound from the bedroom.

“I must have needed sleep more than I thought. That bed’s pretty nice for a rental.” Tony yawned, trudging out of the bedroom, completely naked. Messing up his short disheveled hair, he stretched. “I’ve been looking for a new one, you’ll have to hook me up with whoever makes that one. Was it custom? Felt custom.” Unaware they had company, Tony yawned. Silence fell. Scarlett practically swallowed her lips in amusement at the looks on Natasha and Clint’s faces.

Scarlett stepped away from Clint, scooping up a throw pillow from the couch on the way and then held it in front of Tony to cover his nudity.

“Are you suddenly shy? That’s a far cry from last night. Not sure why you’re…” Tony laughed and swatted the pillow away and it bounced on the floor and away. He then grabbed her arm playfully and tugged her close. “You’re trying not to laugh, I can tell…”

“You should… maybe just look over my shoulder for a moment. Just anywhere other than at me would do, though I appreciate the singular focus.” Scarlett whispered and then bit her lower lip. Her face was burning and pink and she was trying very hard not to laugh. This was a mixture of hilarious and mortifying.

“Why? You’re blushing, very unlike you, rather nice actually…”

“Tony…” Scarlett laughed, hand over her mouth and considered trying to push him back into the bedroom but he would most certainly fight back and she could not get in a naked wrestling match with Tony in front of Clint and Natasha. Her eyes darted downward curiously and she covered her mouth and tried not to laugh. She nearly snorted. Jesus, how did he ever get through the day with this behavior?

“What? What’s going on?” Tony was suddenly serious, then did as she requested and looked behind her and finally spotted the SHIELD Agents staring at them. “Ah, okay. That’s why. Got it.” Carefully, Tony urged Scarlett in front of him to block out his nudity. “Hello. Hi, nice to see you.” He waved and then cleared his throat. “Didn’t realize we had company. Thanks for the heads up, Jarvis. Super appreciate it. What good are you if not to let me know we weren’t alone before I sauntered out here?”

“I alerted Miss Damien of their arrival then remained quiet as earlier requested.” Jarvis’ voice came from both computers.

“This is your fault.”

“Perhaps you should be more aware of your surroundings. Or get dressed.” Jarvis’ charm only made it that much funnier. Scarlett was red.

“We’re going to need just a second if you don’t mind. Uh, be right back. Excuse us. Avert your eyes. Bleach under the sink if you need it!” Scarlett offered an awkward smile. “Make yourselves comfortable? Food is well… uh… we’ll be back.” Scarlett turned to face Tony and then started to back him up into the bedroom.  He watched her, amusement behind his eyes. Then she closed the door behind them, and sighed with relief. Briefly she made eye contact with Tony then burst into laughter.

The look on Natasha and Clint’s faces when he’d walked into the room was priceless. Aghast, confused, impressed? The whole situation was kind of mortifying but Scarlett was a lot of things and ashamed of her sexuality wasn’t one of them. Well, rarely at least. Burying her face against Tony’s bare chest, she devolved into a fit of giggles.

He was warm. Comforting.

“I’m not sure why you’re laughing so much.” Tony, regardless of any embarrassment he may have been experiencing, slipped his arms around her lazily. “There’s nothing funny about this, you know. Especially not my cock.”

“I mean, I’m not laughing at it, just… the whole thing. Very funny.” She coughed quietly into her palm. “The last few days, I swear. My life is a comedy of errors.”

Tony tilted her chin up from his chest and offered her a smile. Heart suddenly beating faster under that alluring gaze, Scarlett shook her head and closed her eyes. They couldn’t be like this right now. But Tony brushed his lips just against hers before kissing her softly. She shivered and savored the taste of them. She even got a little weak in the knees, hand on her chest to steady herself. She loathed that even after everything she still felt like a silly school girl with the most intense crush of her life. Tony made her weak in the worst way but it was also wonderful. Like a drug. Addictive. A feeling she longed for when his arms weren’t around her.

“...did you see the look on Barton’s face?” Tony whispered, a devilish grin on his face. “Something inside of him died just now.”

“Yeah, pretty sure that was judgment you saw.”

“Let them judge.”

“You… need to put on pants.” Scarlett whispered. “And shower. You stink like sex.”

“Can’t imagine why.”

“Do you need a recap? You know where the bathroom is. Just go in there and… un-stink.”

“Yes, I will do that but hear me out.”

“I’m listening.”

“Join me.”

Scarlett laughed. “Did you forget how to shower alone? Are you afraid of unfamiliar bathrooms?”

“Actually, yes, I have completely forgotten how to shower alone. Does the soap go on me or just all over the walls? I mean what if I drop it… could use someone down there to help me pick it up, all bent over and perfect.”

“I already cleaned up.”

“I would happily make you dirty again if that’s what you require.”

“Tony, you know we can’t do that right now.” Scarlett laughed under her breath. “Later.”

“No. No later. I’m not showering without you. I’ll smell like sex all day if I have to.”

“Natasha and Clint are waiting for us.”

“What? Are they going somewhere? Really? They just saw my junk. I’m pretty sure they’re going to be speechless for at least thirty minutes. We have some time. Less than I’d like, but time.” Tony waved them off. Scarlett buried her face against his chest again and laughed. Her face hurt from laughing. Tony held her close and closed his eyes, brushing his hand up her back and then tangling his hand in her locks. He knew they didn’t have time for it. But making her smile made his heart full. That and he could feel her nerves. Scarlett needed a good laugh.

“I’m pretty sure that you just scarred them for life.”

“They’re officially members of the very privileged few.”

“Few? You know that I know who you are, right? That’s a dirty, dirty lie.” Scarlett poked his reactor. 

“Okay, so it’s more like a stadium of people rather than a few but they are no less privileged.”

“Uh huh.” Scarlett placed her hand over his reactor. She was rather fond of it. “I’m like… the last in that line to see your junk as far as I know.”

“And it’s all yours now, Scarlett.”

“Wow, I’m honored.” Scarlett rolled her eyes but then stood on her toes and kissed Tony with a smile. She felt considerably better after talking to him. “Definitely later, okay? The shower thing.”

“I’m not going to forget.” Tony looked to her very seriously and stole another kiss.

“I promise. Now go shower.” Scarlett pulled from his arms and gave his butt a playful swat. “Don’t come back out with pants.” Tony grabbed her hand and tugged her back for one more kiss. Her lips were delightfully swollen all because of him. He felt her smile despite her objection.

“Fine. But they’re temporary.”

“Yes, whatever gets you to put pants on.” Scarlett bit her lip and watched him and then shoved his shoulder. “Okay. Go. Be an adult. We don’t have time for this, this is ridiculous.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Scarlett escaped Tony’s arms but he watched her go. She threw him a knowing look and snuck back out the bedroom door and leaned against it, resting her forehead against the wood as she made certain the doors were closed. Then with a sigh, she turned to face Clint and Natasha who were both watching her expectantly.

“So am I crazy out of the loop?” Clint cleared his throat. “I thought we were keeping Stark out of this.”

“Ah, yeah… he inserted himself.” Scarlett began but then pursed her lips as Clint had to turn away to hide his laughter. He held his side. “Not like that.”

“...sure looks like that.”

“Focus.” Scarlett smoothed out her skirt.

“He convinced her to get into business with him. Refuge really stepped all over his toes. Couldn’t help himself.” Natasha was trying not to hide her amusement too. Scarlett expected her to be mad so that was a pleasant surprise.

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days? Inserting themselves? Business?”

“You do realize that Jinx is going to hold this over your head.” Natasha gave into the smile.

“Oh, don’t start with that nonsense.” Scarlett scoffed. “She did not predict this. Look, it’s a complicated story. One I would be happy to share over some drinks when the world isn’t falling to shit.”

“I’d like that. But so that, that’s happening, right? Or does he just sleep dick out? Also, what’s this about Jinx?” Clint tilted his head curiously and returned to his seat on the couch.

“I don’t know. Scarlett, is that happening?” Natasha batted her eyelashes.

“What, are we in high school?”

“No.” Natasha leaned on the back of the couch and addressed Clint. “Jinx read Scarlett’s cards and they predicted that Scarlett was going to have a steamy affair with Stark before they’d even met. It’s been quite the gossip around the Manhattan SHIELD office.”

“That is an incredibly specific prediction, is she that good?”

“It said dark-haired stranger, do you know how many dark-haired people I…”

“Sleep with?” Natasha gestured to the door behind her. “I know two, specifically. I’m sure there’s more.”

“There are, but this is the only recent one.” Scarlett hadn’t allowed herself any of that in months. “Look, it isn’t like that.” She held up her hand as both Natasha and Clint laughed. “Before you go making assumptions, it’s a really long story that I tried to avoid. He and Pepper split before this happened.” Sighing, she leaned her head back. “And before you lecture me? I know this is irresponsible. I know I shouldn’t involve another person in my mess. I have zero right to drag another person in and complicate it with feelings. I didn’t mean to. I tried not to.” Scarlett knew she had to explain herself, explain that she filled him in. “You have no idea.”

“Just stop.” Natasha interrupted.

Scarlett silenced and leaned her back against the door. Guilt. A mountain of it. 

She was so tired.

“You should see the way he looks at you. Even in pictures.” Natasha shrugged. Scarlett furrowed her brow, confused. “He’s dopey-eyed for you. He cares about you. We all care about you.” Was that it? She expected to be scolded. To be told she was selfish.

“I…?” Scarlett was puzzled.

“Besides, it seems to me like you could use the extra help. I’m curious to see what he thinks of all this.” Natasha gestured to Scarlett who folded her arms over her chest to hide herself. She knew she didn’t look her best. She’d lost weight, she was pale. Sick. “It’s about time anyway. Watching you two avoid getting sweaty and naked was frustrating everyone. It was even a little pathetic to see you denying it the way you were.”

“Hey!”

“Clint, seriously, they were basically drooling all over each other they wanted it so bad. Staring longingly into each other’s eyes. Tony, for whatever reason wasn’t making a move and Scarlett felt so guilty that she denied herself any joy.”

“Oh, can’t imagine the reasons for that.”

“Wait, Stark didn’t just go for it? That doesn’t sound right.” Clint looked Scarlett over and she suddenly wished she had a cardigan. “No offense. Just look at her.”

“Was that a dig on me or him? Can’t tell.”

“Definitely him.” Natasha and Clint said together.

“He is a little bit of a notorious slut.”

“We were all waiting for it to happen.” Natasha smiled. “I know I gave you a hard time about it. For the wrong reasons. It was obvious you were drawn to each other. The whole world saw it before you allowed yourself to. It’s about time. That and he looked happy. Wished he had pants on because I can’t unsee that, but he looked happy.”

“...thanks, I guess?” Scarlett laughed a little and walked past them into the kitchen. “Coffee?”

“So much coffee.” Clint said. Scarlett set about getting the coffee maker going. She closed her eyes and leaned against the counter as she waited for the coffee maker to warm up. There was so much guilt for involving them. Yes, they’d made their choices, but it didn’t make her feel less guilty.

“Are you okay?” Natasha came to stand next to her.

“Fine.” Scarlett knew she wasn’t. However, she was better than she was last night. No more vomiting. Just dizziness and the fever. The miserable, eternal fever. “Clint, feel free to rest. I didn’t really even get to ask… are you guys both okay?”

“Clint will be just fine. I’ve already checked on his wounds. And I’m fine. Wasn’t anywhere near SHIELD when it went down. But we haven’t gotten word in hours. Honestly, if Stark wasn’t here, he would be my next move. Jarvis could be of some use.” 

“Getting in touch with SHIELD? How are we going to do that?” Scarlett let the coffee brew and then approached the computer on the dining table and took a seat. “Nothing’s transmitting. Networks are down. Not sure what to do.”

“All I know is that these assholes have been one step ahead of us the entire time. We have to catch up. This is not how we operate, Scarlett. It may be how SHIELD works but it’s not how we work.”

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear you talk like that.” Scarlett pushed her hair back. “I’m so tired of playing catch up. And I know you were… pissed at me for…”

“I had no right. I would have done the same thing. I was just worried. Didn’t know how to deal with that.”

“You had a pretty terrible way of showing it. So, let’s do this.”

“Do what?” Tony emerged from the bedroom, this time clothed. His clothes were bloody and messy but it wasn’t like he’d planned to stay over. Everyone turned to look at him and Scarlett smiled fondly. “What? Surprised I’m clothed? Look, I know you’re all curious and maybe a little jealous but if we could focus. That would be great. Right now? We need a plan. We’re running out of time from what I’m told.” Tony sat next to Scarlett and slipped his arm casually behind her on her chair.

For the first time in ages, Scarlett felt like they were working as a team. Maybe they’d actually make some headway like this. It wasn’t her against everything and everyone anymore. Clint joined them at the table and joked back and forth with Tony as he explained how he’d gotten involved. Scarlett admired them, not bothering to listen. Then she got up to pour them coffee while they continued.

It would take all they had to keep their heads above water.

Scarlett leapt upright with a gasp. Chest aching, sweat dripping down her forehead, the memory of some terror still lingering in the forefront of her mind. The world spun and she hunched forward and gripped her hair to try and shake it off. With a grunt, she grit her teeth at the familiar nausea in the back of her throat. She would not throw up again. 

She refused.

Yet, the nausea persisted and each time she dared look up, the spinning furniture made it worse. She took slow, deep, calming breaths until finally the world stopped spinning. She could focus and breathe. And while she found herself in the familiar loft by the beach, it didn’t calm the anxiety from her nightmare.

Another nightmare, not all too unfamiliar either. They were always the same these days. They had been for the last couple weeks. There’d been a time when her nightmares were all about her past. Now she dreamt about Tony. About Natasha. About Jinx. About her friends. About Clint. The dangers she dreamt of were no longer memories but her current reality. Tony had shown up bloodied at her door the night before. Natasha told her just where to lay the blame.

The guilt hung around her neck like the proverbial albatross. 

It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t live long enough to forgive herself of the horrors she brought upon the people she cared about. It didn’t matter what her intention was either. It was what she’d done. What was it they said? The road to hell was paved with good intentions?

Minutes passed and the nightmare was fleeting. She felt awful. She had kind of been hoping that the multiple orgasms would help a little bit, but no such luck. The fever made her ache, the wheeze that came with the cough was annoying.

All she wanted was to curl up in bed and sleep forever. A rare thing for her. She was usually eager to get up and get going. Every movement took twice the usual effort. She peered out the window. It was still dark behind the curtains. She could go back to sleep and she should have. In fact, there was a warm body of an attractive man lying next to her. She could curl up right at his side and snuggle her worries away. A temptation she’d never felt before.

But she didn’t give in.

Her nerves were tense. Scarlett reached lazily for the remote for the flat screen on the opposite wall. She flipped it on and tossed the remote aside. The screen was dimmed from a night she’d had it on as background noise. The sound was low and she turned on the subtitles in hopes of not waking Tony. She needed the distraction to keep her thoughts from wandering.

Before all this she’d never understood anxiety or depression. Before her capture in the middle east, she’d never had nightmares. Scarlett had experienced trauma before, sure, but nothing like this. She’d felt lost for a long time. It’d taken weeks to understand what was happening and only with help had she really identified it. It was how she recognized it in Tony. She saw herself alone in a stairwell, unable to breathe but he stood in her place.

They were both struggling and alone. But now they weren’t so alone anymore. His was different than hers. She was quiet. He had more of the classic symptoms she’d read about. But now she would be there for him for as long as she could be. And she knew he would be there for her too. 

She was trying to be positive.

In the face of insurmountable odds, there was only so much she could do. Scarlett was sick and she had to be realistic. It’d finally sunk in. The last few days made it very real. She finally felt as sick as the doctors said she was. And Tony wanted to be with her through this? Would he eventually panic and leave? 

She couldn’t think like this. It was too early.

Scarlett was going to die. 

She had very little time left and she didn’t want any of that time to be wasted feeling sad. If her time was short then she would use it wisely. No more screwing around. The time left would be spent with Tony and trying to solve the riddle of what was attacking her body.

Scott had stolen enough from her. 

She’d wasted enough energy on MedCo and exes. Grasping for her phone, Scarlett checked for messages but caught the words along the bottom of the television instead.

She turned up the volume.

“Over a hundred are thought to be trapped beneath the rubble. Dozens are presumed dead.” Scarlett set her phone aside. The sullen reporter looked simultaneously afraid and excited. An act of terror in Washington DC. A government building had been bombed. People were trapped inside. And that wasn’t the only attack. In Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, and Houston there had been attacks too. Scarlett knew those locations because she’d been to each of them. SHIELD locations. SHIELD buildings. All ones that she’d frequented in the last year.

Hundreds were dead. Buildings destroyed. Scarlett was frozen as she watched the story unfold. Witnesses described the scene. SHIELD officials tried to explain that they were getting the situation under control. News officials were speculating on who could be behind the coordinated attack. There was cellphone footage of some of the explosions.

Scarlett didn’t need to speculate. MedCo had finally struck. Or The Crown or whatever Mikhail was calling his damn organization now. He wanted to send a message. They’d moved from the shadows and into the light. The time was now. The story was unraveling. Scott had a hand in this. Scott and that Russian asshole. But why not take credit for their actions?

No, they were still up to something more. Scott would have wanted to take credit. She knew Mikhail well enough to know he would do the same.

Guilt. A wave of it that nearly knocked her back. Her lips went numb. She should have turned it off but instead she watched in horror as each scene unfolded. Video footage of buildings collapsing all over the country. Watched as victims were wheeled out on stretchers, as dozens limped away, as bystanders cried.

What had become of her friends at SHIELD? The doctors who helped her? Was the progress they’d made completely undone? Was it all lost? Were they lost? She couldn’t look away. Couldn’t pick up her phone and find out. She was transfixed.

Tony heard the television and woke up. He was exhausted and stiff. Weariness from the night before settled in his body beneath Scarlett’s silken sheets. Some of that weariness was from the disaster back at Stark Industries. But the rest was from the wild night he’d spent with Scarlett. That was enough to put him in a good mood.

Peeking one eye open, he spotted Scarlett upright, her bare back to him, holding the sheets over her chest. Even though she was pale and had lost a little weight since they met, she was so damn beautiful. With a yawn and a stretch, Tony propped himself up with one arm, crawled closer to her, and kissed over the back of her shoulder. He didn’t see why he couldn’t convince her to slip back into his arms one more time before the day started. If they had limited time together then he wanted to make the most of it.

He wasn’t giving up on the idea of more time. He would fight to save her with everything he had, but he wouldn’t waste time either. Every bit of it was precious. They’d spent so long dancing around each other, so long frozen with their trauma, that now that he’d broken through, he refused to stop.

Much to his surprise, and disappointment, Scarlett didn’t acknowledge his kisses. She didn’t even stiffen up or get the chills like he expected. No smile, no playful laugh, no flirtatious flip of her curly hair. No, something was wrong. He was charming. Adjusting in bed, he scooted next to her and saw the fear on her face.

“Scarlett? What is it?” Tony pushed her unruly hair back. She didn’t respond or turn away from the television that woke him. Resting her hand on his leg, Scarlett gave it a squeeze and then nodded to the screen. He finally paid attention to the news story and the color drained from his face in realization. He knew now why she was so distracted.

Tony had never filled her in on what happened the night before. When he’d flown to her after being attacked. He’d had every intention of doing so but he’d obviously found higher priorities after that. He didn’t regret it either.

Scarlett slipped out of bed, neglecting the sheet and he watched her curiously. With trembling hands, she searched the floor for her clothes and instead found his bloodied shirt in the doorway. She pulled it on and then started out of the room. Tony stumbled out of bed, foot caught in the sheets for a moment. He chased after her and grabbed her arm gently and tugged her to face him.

“Where are you going?”

“I have to do something.” Scarlett shoved his hand away but Tony grabbed it again and forced her to stop. “I have to. I can’t just sit here.”

“Look at me.” Tony held her securely and hoped he wasn’t about to be punched in the nose. Scarlett shook her head. “Please, Scarlett.” With a trembling sigh, she looked at him. Her blue eyes were full of guilt, misplaced guilt. “This? This is not your fault.”

Scarlett froze.

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. He was wrong. It was all her fault. It’d always been. Scott, her own misery, MedCo. This was all her.

No one had ever told her it wasn’t her fault before.

Because it was so obviously her fault! How could she not carry the blame? Everything that had followed her going to SHIELD was her fault. Everything that happened because of that was her fault. She’d accepted that. Here was Tony saying otherwise.

Tony could see it all hanging on her too. The weight that practically chained her to the floor. She felt like she hadn’t deserved to survive and now everything that happened because of her survival, was on her. He’d needed her that day in the stairwell. He’d needed her to shed light on what he was feeling, the things he didn’t understand and couldn’t wrap his mind around. She needed him now to do the same.

“It’s not your fault.” He repeated and for the first time, Tony was almost flustered out of speaking. This wasn’t exactly his area of expertise. Scarlett closed her eyes and shook her head. “Stop. Don’t do that.” She huffed and opened her eyes. “None of this is. You have to know that. You’re smart.”

Scarlett tilted her gaze away with a sigh and Tony tilted her back up forcefully. She didn’t run. She really was done running.

“That ex of yours? Shithead Steven or whatever.” Tony very well knew his name but if he could get a smile out of Scarlett then he would do whatever it took. “He made his own choices. That’s not on you. He chose to sell you out. He chose to hurt you. He chose to try and manipulate you. Look, yeah, you did things you regret. Haven’t we all? Maybe you weren’t the best girlfriend but maybe you only stuck around because he made you feel like you had no other choice. No matter what you did that he thought made you a shitty girlfriend? You didn’t deserve this. Or to be poisoned. Or held captive. Or hunted. You don’t deserve any of this.”

“Tony, you don’t have to do this.”

“Yeah, I do. I do actually because you need to hear it. Someone needs to tell you. Sometimes we make choices that we think are right or wrong because we’re misguided. With Pepper I thought I was protecting us. Protecting her. But I wasn’t. I was shutting myself away and quite honestly, being a dick. She thought she was doing the right thing by trying to push me. By giving me space. We both did the wrong thing but we thought we were right. I chose to do those things. She did too. She’s responsible for what she did. And so am I. And you are responsible for what you did. And you’re taking responsibility for that. But you are not responsible for the bullshit Stefano chose to do. And it is absolute bullshit, Scarlett.”

“No.” She shook her head just slightly but didn’t look away.

“What he did was monstrous, babe. I’m sure he tells himself that you’re at fault but Scarlett that’s… that’s crazy. You didn’t drive him to do those things! Do you know what people really do in bad relationships? What normal people do when they find out the person they’re dating doesn’t want the same life as them?”

Scarlett shook her head again.

“They break up and move on.” Tony scoffed. “Crazy, right? They don’t plot to have their girlfriend poisoned or experimented on. They don’t steal their ideas and pose them as their own and then sell them to some company. Scott made a choice to do those things. He chose to deceive you and hurt you. Yeah, you hurt him I’m sure but these two things are not equal.”

Scarlett’s eyes were sparkling with emotion and she hated it. Clenching her jaw, she did her best to focus on making it stop. She hated crying. Hated it. Like it was some display of weakness that she was immune to. Frail women cried, not Scarlett. But there she was, eyes brimming with tears like an idiot. Maybe she had the wrong idea after all.

“It’s not your fault,” Tony whispered. He rested his hand on her cheek and let his thumb brush against it. “You didn’t ask for this. You went to Natasha for help and she chose to help you. SHIELD chose to help you. I chose to help you. You haven’t wrestled anyone of us into this. I’m here because I want to be not because you dragged me into it. Quite the opposite, really. I chased you to hell and back.”

“Stop.” Scarlett leaned into his touch and inhaled with a shudder, trying to collect herself. “Please.”

“Just one more then I’ll stop. You’re not alone.” Tony assured her and much to his surprise, Scarlett closed her eyes tight and buried her face in her hands. She’d needed to hear it. Maybe no one had told her yet. The guilt was so obvious, he’d seen it from a mile away. She took slow, ragged breaths to calm down.

It was stupid. Why was she so upset? This was so stupid. The grip in her chest was different than the pain of her illness. Anxiety. Before she knew it, tears were escaping onto her palms and a heavy sob of shame caught in her chest. Tony slipped his arms around her as he saw her knees buckling. Carefully, he knelt down and helped her sit with him while she hid her face and her emotions. Then she pulled her hands from her face and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face against the side of his neck. Tony melted and brushed his hand up and down her back.

This wasn’t something he was good at. Comforting another person. But a beautiful woman who he deeply cared about in nothing but his shirt, with her arms wrapped around him, well, he couldn’t argue with that. He smiled and placed a kiss on the side of her head. 

He wanted this.

Scarlett’s tears only lasted a moment, but she was afraid to speak for a short time after lest they return. They sat on the floor for a long time. Tony had seen her at her worst. He’d seen her cry, something she hadn’t done in years. Even when she’d been dying, running to SHIELD, she hadn’t cried. It felt like a release of pressure. In all this time, she hadn’t allowed herself to breathe. Or to think it was anything other than her fault. It didn’t feel good but it did feel necessary.

She didn’t deserve his kindness. She knew that. But for the first time in years Scarlett thought maybe she could work on forgiving herself for some of it. She owed it to Tony to try. Finally she dared to lift away from his warm neck and look up at him. Her eyes were a little puffy from crying. She let her hands rest on his shoulders, and then slide onto his chest with a sigh.

“...did you call me babe?” She tilted her head curiously. He laughed and wiped his hand over his face and then rested that hand on the side of her neck.

“Am I not supposed to?”

“Just sort of fast. We haven’t really decided what we’re doing with this.”

“I think it’s an appropriate name.”

“Is it though?”

“Do you hate it? Would you prefer something else cute?”

“Scarlett’s a good one.”

“I don’t know, babe is pretty hot.”

“Seems a little fast, doesn’t it?”

“I’m naked right now.” He gestured down to himself and she laughed and rested her forehead against his. “So, babe?”

“Fine. If it makes you happy.”

“You like it.”

“I like you.” She considered.

“Pig can’t be my pet name. That’s not cute.”

“Who knows, maybe you’ll get a babe out of me here and there.”

“I like that.” He smiled, taking a deep breath. “You look damn good in my shirt.”

“I hate that it’s bloody.” She looked down at it and he shook his head.

“I’m fine.”

She closed her eyes. He brushed his hand up and down her back and let her sort out her thoughts. Tony was embracing the chaos.

“What am I supposed to do?” Scarlett looked heavy again. This thing with Tony was so much more than she expected it would be. If she’d told herself she’d end up here this time last year, she never would have believed it.

“We make sure that we’re still safe to stay here or if you’ve been found out. Then we get in contact with SHIELD and go from there. They’ll know more than mainstream media does.” Tony was relieved that he seemingly helped. He had no idea what he was doing. This was an uncharted part of this relationship thing for him.

Scarlett placed her hands on his cheeks and furrowed her brow. “You’re all scraped up.” She brushed her thumb over his lower lip. It was split, he had scrapes on his knuckles, and a wound on his side. The wounds weren’t bleeding anymore but he had nasty bruises forming here and there. “We never took care of you.”

“Oh, you most certainly took care of me, don’t you worry about that.” Tony grinned. Scarlett swatted his shoulder playfully. “Like… quite a few times, I might add.”

“How can you still joke so easily?” Scarlett gestured to the television behind her that continued reporting on the devastating tragedy that put the country into a state of emergency.

“You breathed life back into me.”

“Oh, stop.”

“No, I mean it. I was walking through life like a damn zombie before we met. You helped me find myself. I know I did the hard work to figure it out, but you… I wasn’t living. I was waiting. Then I was… I was suffering for a whole new reason.”

“What’s that?”

“I couldn’t have you. I wanted you so badly.”

She laughed and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop, you don’t have to be. I get why you pushed me away. I see the fucked up logic. As a master of the same kind of fucked up logic, I see it. And I… I’m not waiting anymore. This? This all sucks. But we’ll figure it out together. Two of the most brilliant minds of our generation are here together, naked. If anyone can figure it out, it’s us.” Tony brushed his hand up and down her back. “Well, you’re only semi-naked. Not a bad look. This shirt is just a little too short on you. Remind me to wear tighter shirts.”

“Tony.” Scarlett placed her hand over his lips but she could feel his smile beneath her fingers. She couldn’t help but smile too. “We should take care of your wounds.”

“But that will hurt.” Tony pouted. “And I have a much, much bigger problem that could use your attention if you would just adjust here in my lap a little…”

“You are such trouble.” She swatted his shoulder playfully.

“No hitting!” Tony laughed and Scarlett swatted him once more and he mouthed the words again and then stole a kiss. She then crawled out of his lap and he pouted. She walked to the bathroom and he admired her as she went. She gathered her bearings with her hand against the doorframe, reminded by her body that she couldn’t move that quickly. “In all seriousness, probably a good idea. I can feel my heartbeat in my side. It’s very uncomfortable without the distraction of your hips. Best painkiller a guy could ask for, just so you know.”

“It does look like someone socked you pretty good.” Scarlett grabbed the first aid kit and then walked back into the bedroom. She sat on the couch at the far end of the bedroom and patted the spot next to her. The television was right next to it.

“Jarvis, television.” Tony sighed when he remembered that wouldn’t work. “Damn. No Jarvis. Old fashioned way, I guess.” Standing, still completely naked, Tony grabbed the remote, searched the buttons with a grimace and then muted the television. “Outdated technology. You should really upgrade.”

“I’m renting this place, Tony. Under an alias, mind you.”

“And yet you deserve the very best.”

“So, who punched you in the face? I can think of a list of people who would love to but it probably wasn’t any of them…” Scarlett teased. “Could you… put that thing away or something? Your ass has been on so many surfaces of my rental.”

“No can do. Not sure what you did with my briefs.” Tony spread his legs purposely and leaned back on the couch. Scarlett curled up next to him and then gently wiped a cloth over the dried blood on his face. It took a second to wipe it away since it was so caked. She just wanted to be sure he really was okay. Nothing looked like it needed stitches. The wounds had closed on their own during the night.

Even so, she wouldn’t take any risks. The last time she’d half taken care of a wound she’d ended up nearly killing herself.

“I didn’t come here to just… lift you up and take you like that.”

“Could have fooled me.” Scarlett knew that because she’d felt his frustration. She’d seen it melt away.

“I had every intention of yelling at you.”

“Honestly, I expected that.”

“Was that why you were apologizing so much?”

“No. I deserved to be yelled at. I should have told you everything sooner. I tried to a dozen times. I was just… really scared.”

“It’s not always easy to do the things we know we should do.” Tony shrugged. “I get it. Tried to keep me from getting involved but I think you underestimated how much I have to have my hands in everything.”

“I wanted to tell you everything too. The one thing I wasn’t supposed to do.”

“Thank god for that. I thought it was just me for a bit there.”

“No, no. It was a real struggle.”

“I’ve been trying to figure out what you’ve been hiding for a damn long time.” Tony admired her as she cleaned his wounds and then leaned away and pouted. She tugged him back. “It stings.”

“It’s filthy.”

“You’re filthy.”

“Real mature, Tony.” 

“It didn’t matter how hard you tried, Scarlett. Just so you know. They were in my company. Probably have been for years. Probably since before…” He tapped the reactor in his chest.

“Really? That long?” Scarlett held the cloth against his flesh. Tony nodded. “Fuck, Tony.”

“Stealing my weapons. When Stane was no longer part of the company, I slowed down manufacturing. But I have contracts to fulfill with the military. We negotiated a fall off but…”

“It meant MedCo could still get your weapons. God knows who else Stane was in bed with.” Scarlett tossed the cloth aside.

“Exactly. Like an idiot, I thought I could trap the guy responsible and play his game. Thought I could set him up and get some information. Maybe something pertaining to you.”

“Tony, you could have been killed! Seriously?”

“I know.” Tony chuckled. “Hear me out.”

“I’m trying, but that was a pretty dumb idea.”

“Hey, careful now.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be smart?”

“Yeah, well sometimes I’m a little overconfident. I don’t know, I stop listening when people go on about that.”

“This will sting.” Scarlett warned.

“Do you have to?”

“Yes.” Scarlett gently cleaned the wound on his side and he whined in annoyance. 

“I better get a kiss, at least, for this.”

“I promise, you big baby.”

“Anyway, big Russian guy knew I was onto them and setup an ambush for me instead.” 

Scarlett stiffened up and turned her gaze back to Tony’s. He smiled knowingly.

“You know the guy, huh? He certainly knew you. Made that clear.”

“Yeah.” Scarlett narrowed her eyes. “Did a number on him the last time we met. That was… shortly before you got me out of jail.”

“That explains why he was all fucked up.”

“Would have done much worse to him if Barton hadn’t been bleeding.” Scarlett felt the guilt wash over her again and sighed. She hoped they were okay. All of them. She prayed they were. His gaze turned serious and he stopped her from putting a bandage over his wound and took her hand.

“I did something very stupid. He told me it was too late. I panicked.”

“What did you do?” Scarlett felt very small, just by the way his gaze cut into her. He had that power. He’d had that power from the very beginning. His eyes always made her melt. She’d struggled not to give into it.

“I tried to make a deal.”

“No point in making a deal with a man who holds all the cards.”

“Thought I had something he wanted, Scarlett. And he had something I wanted desperately.”

“Which was?”

“You.”

“Tony, it doesn’t work like that.” Scarlett wasn’t sure if she should be flattered or frightened that he was willing to go to such lengths.

“I know that now.” Tony squeezed her hand between his. “But all I knew was that you were afraid. He was after you. If I could bargain for your freedom I would do it in a heartbeat.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I would do it in a heartbeat.” He repeated. Scarlett sighed and then leaned her forehead against his shoulder, giving him a soft kiss there after a moment of resting.

“I don’t want you to do that. Ever.”

“I know,” Tony whispered. “But you would do it for me. You have done it for me time and again now.”

“That’s different.”

“It’s not.” Tony shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. He didn’t want to make a deal.”

“I guessed that by all the scrapes.”

“I’m Iron Man, babe. They weren’t getting rid of me that easily.” His eyes sparkled and he tilted Scarlett to look back up at him. “Don’t feel guilty. I made my choices.”

“I hate that you got hurt because of me. It’s not noble… it’s crushing.”

“I didn’t get hurt because of you. I got hurt because I didn’t think my plan through entirely and made a mistake. Me. Not you. You tried to keep me safe, remember? I… I got out of there as quickly as I could. They blew the warehouse to hell and back. Joke’s on them. I have a hefty insurance policy . Never liked that warehouse anyway.”

“Looks to me like they blew half the country to hell, Tony.” Scarlett didn’t feel any less guilty. She was trying, but she didn’t realize how deeply rooted it was in her. “I’m glad you’re safe. I’m so grateful you are.”

“I couldn’t get you out of my head. I just… kept thinking about what that Russian asshole said. That it was too late. I didn’t understand. I thought he might have already sent someone after you. That maybe you were already gone. I had to see you. You saved me. I don’t think you realize that.”

“It’s very sweet and you have… said it now a few times but it’s not true. You saved yourself, Tony.”

“No, the Mark XLII, Scarlett. It didn’t work the way I needed it to. I was stuck. Stuck in a loop where I kept creating to a point where I couldn’t see what was broken. I made sloppy mistakes. I’d lost my edge to anxiety. You showed up and reminded me what it was like to love what I did. You challenged me to do better.”

Scarlett was touched and rested her hand over her chest. She didn’t need to say anything.

“The suit came to save me just in time. Thanks to you.”

“Thanks to us both. We both worked on it. It was a collaborative effort.”

“I wouldn’t have done it without you.”

“You also wouldn’t have been ambushed by MedCo or whatever they’re calling themselves now.”

“Stop it. I’m safe. Because of you.”

“I know. I know. I have to stop beating myself up. It’s not easy. Not when it feels like… I’m dragging this all with me.” Scarlett furrowed her brow. “The path I’ve carved is paved with blood.”

“Including your own.” Tony gently touched her side where he knew those stitches were. It felt like a lifetime had passed since he’d helped her with it. It still haunted him. 

“Here…” Scarlett bandaged his side and his arm. Then she gently kissed the gauze on his arm and smiled. “All clean. You… need a shower though. You smell like fire. And sweat. And sex. I’ll clean it up again after you’re done.”

“Thanks.” Tony gently tilted her chin up and watched her blue eyes still full of guilt. Tony wasn’t sure how she didn’t collapse under that much weight. Without thinking, he caught her lips in a soft kiss. Brushing his lips against hers, he closed his eyes and engulfed her lips in a deeper, more passionate kiss. They felt swollen, just slightly, as though she hadn’t kissed anyone else in a long while. A good thing to know. She rested her hand over the arc reactor, the light obscured by her fingers, casting blue shadows of her delicate hands.

When he pulled back she was staring at him with half-lidded eyes, like he’d put her under a spell. Boy, that felt good. “Tony…”

“I know, I know. Shower.” He kissed her again. He could very much get used to this. “Let me get Jarvis in here to help us.” He caressed over her forearm. “See if he can figure out if we’ve been detected. Then we’ll contact SHIELD.” He didn’t move, didn’t get up to do as he said he would. Instead, he kissed her again. It felt selfish to stop for so many kisses, to stay lost in this precious moment, when there was so much going on that needed their attention. But how many moments would they have left? If their time was short, then they should cherish every single one. “You should rest.”

“I should.” Scarlett searched his brown eyes for more. Brushing her fingers over his scruff, Scarlett instead placed a small kiss right on his chin and closed her eyes. For the first time in a long time, Scarlett found comfort. As Tony wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, she couldn’t have been more grateful.

Sirens rang in the recesses of her mind so loudly that Michelangela Pierce wasn’t sure if they were real or not. Her head was pounding. She couldn’t quite remember what she’d been doing or when she’d fallen asleep. Maybe she’d had a few drinks. That could explain everything.

Almost everything.

There was a distant crackling of flames and she felt a sudden warmth on her cheek. Startled awake, Mickey couldn’t move. The world spun in a black and red hail of smoke and fire. Her stomach lurched. She took slow, calming breaths to shake off the sudden panic.

Something heavy was on top of her and through billowing smoke, she could see collapsed steel and twisted metal. That was right. There’d been an explosion at the office! With a groan she pushed at the large piece of concrete pinning her to the floor. Her desk was crushed, her computer shattered beneath her. The concrete didn’t budge.

Through the smoke she caught a glimpse of the night sky.

The sirens were louder now. People were shouting, searching for survivors. She could hear crying. The SHIELD office was devastated. She almost collapsed in panic. Mickey had to keep it together. She was still alive and she could feel and move her body! That had to count for something.

“Jinx? Jinx!” Mickey shouted but got no immediate response. It had likely only been minutes since the explosion. She wasn’t in pain. Why wasn’t she in pain? She should have been! Her body was being crushed by a huge piece of concrete! She should be dead.

Adrenaline, probably. After a few deep breaths, she calmed. The sirens were close, but not close enough to help her. If she yelled, it would waste her breath. Mickey grunted and pushed again at the concrete. It budged! What? It must have not been pinning her down entirely. Or maybe she’d just gotten lucky.

Jinx. 

She had to find her. They’d been together during the explosion. Why weren’t they still together? Maybe the force of the blow had sent them in different directions. Either that or she was…

Mickey didn’t finish the thought. She couldn’t. With another push, she managed to get the concrete to slide off of her. It landed with such a crash that dust filled the air. She sat up and crouched carefully. The building groaned and she covered her head with a mousy shriek. But the remains of the SHIELD building settled and she was left with the flames and rubble. Her pants were torn and the heel of her shoe was broken. She pulled the shoes off and threw them aside, along with her now tattered jacket.

With the way she was torn up, she expected at least a scrape or a broken bone. But no. There wasn’t even any blood. Well, there was, all over her hands, dripping from somewhere above. Fresh blood at that. Mickey looked up but saw nothing. Then she wiped at her nose and found the source of the blood, smeared now on the back of her hand.

“Oh!” Mickey covered her nose and grabbed the tattered jacket she’d discarded, holding it to stop the bleeding. None of it made sense. From what she knew about the crushing force of explosions and all this debris she should have been beyond saving! Instead, she was walking away with a mild headache and a bloody nose. 

One thing at a time. Right now she had to find Jinx.

Where was she? She couldn’t see anyone else from there. She hoped her friend was okay. Mickey almost walked out to try and find someone to help her but she wouldn’t leave without Jinx. She had to be close.

She dug in the remains of her jacket and found her cellphone. The screen was cracked but it still came to life when she touched the button on the side. No signal. Something had to be blocking it. She tried to dial out but got nothing. Then she tried to call Jinx but the call wouldn’t go through. 

This was The Crown’s doing. MedCo.

They’d known that Clint was undercover. Known he was a plant from SHIELD. And they knew that he’d stolen information and that it would be analyzed in their Manhattan office. Just as they finally found something seemingly important, the building went up in smoke.

It was a Trojan horse. The information kept them busy and inadvertently allowed a worm into their system. And now she couldn’t make calls. Their ability to communicate was stomped out. They were sitting ducks. Had they really become so dependent on technology?

It was only been a matter of time before MedCo made a big move, before their acts of terror were out in the open and on American soil but SHIELD simply wasn’t prepared for it to happen in their headquarters. They should have been more cautious. Scarlett had warned them time and again.

Slowly, she searched through the rubble and found a hole leading to the floor below. It was dark but she could hear something, something shifting, something moving. Then a quiet but familiar whimpering. Like someone just woke up from a bad trip.

“Jinx?” Without thinking, Mickey leapt into the hole, using her phone to light her way. She landed gracefully despite the long fall. It was strange, but of no importance. She had to find Jinx. “Jinx, please say something! Julianna? Please!”

Mickey hoped beyond hope that because she was that Jinx would be granted the same luck. A few steps forward and Mickey could see that Jinx definitely hadn’t. Jinx wasn’t crushed by concrete, though a desk was overturned on top of her.

There was so much blood. Placing her phone down she illuminated the room the best she could. Mickey rushed over to where Jinx laid and lifted the desk off of her. Jinx opened her haunting eyes and whimpered before closing them again. Her black hair clung to her face with sweat and her skin was sickly pale.

Crouching in front of her friend, Mickey stared in horror at the piece of rebar piercing straight through Jinx’s shoulder. Jinx was scraped up something terrible too. Crawling close, Mickey gave Jinx’s hand a reassuring squeeze. Much to Mickey’s surprise, Jinx returned the squeeze weakly.

“Hey, you’re okay.” Mickey reassured, but her voice sounded frail. Then her vision blurred with tears. Jinx shuddered with labored breaths.

“I’ve seen better days.” She really had spent too much time with Scarlett.

“I’d say.”

“How bad is it?” Jinx whispered, looking down at her shoulder as if she couldn’t see it properly.

“Not so bad.” Mickey lied. “I should have listened to your bad feeling. I’m sorry.”

“I say it too much. I can’t blame you for ignoring me.” Jinx coughed. “Are you okay? You look… like you got lucky.”

“Yeah.” Mickey had a thousand questions about that, but they were for later. “I must have.” She had to get her friend to a hospital before she passed out from blood loss. The sirens grew fainter.

“Floor came out under me.” Jinx shuddered again. “Didn’t pass out but couldn’t move. Figured… I shouldn’t until I could get out of here. No way I can climb up there.” Jinx looked up at the hole that Mickey had leapt from.

“I’m going to get you out of here.” Mickey swallowed her nerves, her fear. There was time to panic later. Right now she had work to do. “I don’t want you to bleed out. I don’t want to tear anything by pulling you off of this so… we have to bring help to you.” Mickey searched around Jinx. The rebar was sticking out of a piece of concrete. They could saw the rebar off. But there was barely enough space to get a tool in there. The rebar was likely stemming the bleeding too.

Mickey felt a surge of relief as her rational mind kicked in. That and she felt strong. She could do this.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I tried calling for you but I think you must have passed out.” Jinx furrowed her brow. “It’s amazing. You look… you look fine. Not even a scrape.” Jinx fluttered her eyes closed then fought to open them again. 

“Are you… still having that bad feeling?” Mickey whispered seriously. She’d never ignore one of her bad feelings ever again.

“Hard to tell right now. My brain is buzzing. Like there’s a foghorn full of bees in there.” Jinx hung her head.

Mickey opened her mouth to speak but she could hear something other than the groaning of the building and the sirens that had disappeared. There were footsteps, voices, and the sound of large machinery. Help had arrived!

“Help!” Mickey hurried back to the hole she’d descended through. Holding her hands to her mouth she yelled again. “Help! Down here! We need help!” Mickey almost leapt out of the hole. There was no way to make that jump on her own. She didn’t want to leave Jinx. She wouldn’t leave Jinx! No, she would wait for someone to come to them and bring her friend to safety. If she had to, she’d pull Jinx off the rebar and find a way to carry her out of there. Mickey had no idea how she’d do that but she felt like she could do just about anything. If she really was as strong as she felt, then she would use that strength to save Jinx.

No one responded. She shouted over and over.

“Dammit!” Mickey cursed and then paced. Jinx coughed, sweat dripping down her face. “I have to get you out of here.”

“Today is a very unlucky day.” Jinx muttered as though she hadn’t heard Mickey. Mickey watched her sadly. “Unlucky.”

“Okay.” Mickey took a deep breath and then made her decision. “We’ve got to go. I’m going to carry you out of here.” Jinx said nothing. “Hey, look at me.” Mickey forced her friend to look up at her. Jinx’s eyes were glazed over but she gave a slight nod of recognition. “This is going to hurt.”

“I know what it means now.” Jinx whispered and Mickey ignored her. Hands shaking, Mickey mentally repeated that she could do this. There were eight inches of rebar she had to lift Jinx off of. The pain would be awful. For all she knew, this could be the wrong decision. But Jinx was already fading. Something inside Mickey told her that she had to get Jinx help right now.

“Don’t fail me now.” Mickey rubbed her palms together then grabbed Jinx by her shoulder and her waist and slowly pulled. Jinx didn’t scream but opened her mouth in horror as her body slid over the rebar. The sound was something Mickey would never forget and she dry heaved as she pulled but didn’t stop. Jinx felt light in her arms, easy to move.

It took agonizingly long to free Jinx of the rebar. Mickey crouched down and helped Jinx into a sitting position against her knee. She pulled Jinx’s jacket off of her shoulders and wrapped it tightly around the wound. This time Jinx did cry out in pain and cursed up a storm. Mickey laughed in relief. That was more like it.

“Are you okay? Was that too much? Did I do the wrong thing?”

“No, no… I can feel it now though so I’m not sure how grateful I am.” Jinx’s words were slurred. 

“We have to keep going. We have to get out of here.”

“How?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I have to worry a little.”

“I’ve got this.”

“I’m going to treat you for lunch or something after this.”

“Twice, at the very least.” Mickey had never been more relieved to joke around. “Let me just… move some stuff. Build a little staircase to get out of here. I can’t jump that high.” Mickey felt like maybe she could jump that high but what if she couldn’t? She couldn’t take that risk while holding Jinx. She rushed around the destroyed office, picking up desks and shoving them into place.

Jinx watched her and Mickey felt her eyes upon her.

“I see what they meant now.” Jinx whispered as Mickey rushed over to her at last, lifting her into her arms. She wasn’t even winded. It was even kind of thrilling to move that quickly and to be that strong.

“What? See what?”

“The cards. I see what they meant. I didn’t understand them for so long.” Jinx sighed and stared ahead of her. Mickey carried her up the makeshift staircase and then navigated through the rubble. People were shouting. Flashlights beams were everywhere!

“Over here! Over here! My friend needs help!” Mickey could only hope they were rescue workers and not MedCo agents there to finish the job. Thankfully, a firefighter appeared through the rubble.

“I found someone! Over here!” He shouted to someone behind him. Mickey set Jinx down on one of the desks that hadn’t been completely destroyed and held her upright.

After that it all happened very quickly. Jinx kept muttering about her cards but no one understood or paid her any mind. Mickey helped the firefighters and rescue workers get her on a stretcher and out of the rubble. The devastation was horrific. Mickey had never seen anything so terrible and she’d witnessed some crazy shit working for SHIELD.

Once in the ambulance, Mickey climbed into the back of it alongside Jinx. The doors hung open while the paramedics discussed the next course of action with other officials. There were dozens of people there helping, pulling others from the rubble. Mickey was relieved to see there were many more survivors. She’d felt so alone for a minute there.

“The cards.” Jinx muttered persistently.

“What cards?” Mickey finally asked once the fog had lifted enough for her to focus.

“Scarlett’s cards.”

“What about them?”

“For months they… they predicted a collapse. That she’d be in a collapse.” Jinx whispered. “It wasn’t Scarlett. It was me. It was us. I read them wrong.” Jinx swallowed hard and then exhaled, looking relieved to have said it.

“Shit.” Mickey cursed. But what if it was more than that. What if they’d predicted a massive collapse that ended with Scarlett? The paramedics closed the door of the ambulance. Jinx suddenly grasped Mickey’s hand and looked to her seriously.

“You have to go. You have to find Scarlett.”

“No.”

“They were her cards, Mickey.” Jinx’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I read them wrong.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“Please, Mickey!”

“I’ll find her after I know that you’re okay.” Mickey spoke so finitely that Jinx didn’t argue. Scarlett could take care of herself, she was certain of that. Mickey checked her phone again. No reception. There had to be a way to communicate. A way she could send out a warning and get in touch with the rest of SHIELD. Jinx squeezed her hand. For now, Mickey would make sure Jinx was alright. Then she would find Natasha and Scarlett.

Her skin tingled and burned uncomfortably as she tossed and turned. Scarlett kicked the sheets off and rolled onto her side. Every movement of the fabric against skin felt like needles jabbing at her flesh. A freezing chill made her shiver with the sheets gone so she curled up and grunted in annoyance. The grogginess of sleep hung on her like a veil. The soreness in her muscles plagued her every move.

She was barely on the reaches of waking, desperate to sleep again, but beads of cold sweat dripped down her forehead, over her cheeks, tickling. Frustrated, Scarlett resigned to the fact that she wouldn’t be able to sleep any longer and stared into the darkness of her bedroom. The curtains were drawn and her eyes adjusted after a minute or two. As the room spun, she wished desperately for blurry vision instead.

Carefully, she pulled the sheets over her again and shivered from head to toe. Her fingertips were tingling painfully and felt foreign against the sheets. Then her stomach, as if aware of how uncomfortable she was, dropped. Nausea threatened the back of her throat, and she could taste the sick spit that preceded the inevitable.

Scarlett sat upright, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. Every move she made sent a deep ache through her muscles. Elbows against her knees, she held her head in her hands and took slow, deep breaths to try and knock out the nausea. It wouldn’t work, but wishful thinking anyway. Groping blindly on the nightstand, Scarlett found the tin of ginger candies and popped one in her mouth.

It was an immediate regret.

Rushing off of the bed with sudden urgency, Scarlett tugged the loose sheet and dragged it with her to the bathroom. The candy hit the back of her throat in exactly the wrong way and triggered her gag reflex. With the nausea so bad, it was too much. She was hunched over the toilet, sick for what felt like eternity but was only a few minutes.

Her sinuses plugged up, her body ached from head to toe, and she shivered with fever.

Coughing, she finally lifted away from the toilet and sat back with a sigh. Scarlett’s eyes were stinging and sweat dripped down her cheeks. Pushing her messy hair away, she grumbled and then flushed the toilet. Something about the way her stomach was turning warned her that she wasn’t done. Shivering, she wrapped the sheet around her body and scooted to the far end of the bathroom, leaning against the wall. It was cool against her sweaty forehead and for a brief moment it was a comfort before her churning stomach ruined it.

Pushing her hair away as it clung to her sweaty skin, she struggled to breathe. It was always worse in these moments, her lungs. As the medicine fought the poison destroying her body, her body fought back against them both and it made her feel dreadful. She could go from okay to miserable in moments and it took her longer and longer to recover these days. Each inhale made her wheeze and pain rattled through her lungs from front to back.

She crawled closer to the door and peeked into the bedroom. Tony was sprawled across the bed, half covered by her comforter, asleep. She smiled but it faded as quickly as it came. What the hell was she doing? Resting her head in her hands she cringed at how awkward her hair felt against her partially numbed fingers. Pain radiated through her joints and she ignored it.

Was this a huge mistake? The thing with Tony was trouble and she’d known it for a long time but she’d allowed it to happen too. Scarlett couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt like this. Not romance, that is, but allowing herself to be vulnerable the way she was with Tony. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been this way with anyone. And here she was. 

She fucked around and now she was going to find out.

What they were doing was entirely reckless. Incredible, but reckless. She’d avoided him on purpose in the beginning. Yet here he was, in her bed.

All she wanted was him. 

Scarlett was desperate to see him but also panicked to be in the same room. It wasn't until then that she realized how many of her actions were guided by fear. A different fear than she expected. Maybe she hadn’t only been protecting Tony from her but was also protecting herself. Up until now she had nothing to lose but her life. When this poison inevitably won the war inside her, shut her down, she would die and that would be that. She was sure that some people would mourn her but nothing catastrophic.

Not anymore.

She didn’t want to die. Not when she suddenly had so much more to live for. Scarlett was afraid of death before but not because of what she’d lose.

It was all so stupid.

“Hey…”

Scarlett made a surprised sound and nearly leapt out of her skin, knocking her head back against the wall with a whine, then she rubbed it with a pout. Tony stifled a quiet laugh. He stood in the doorway of the bathroom, sleepy eyed and naked. Scarlett wouldn’t deny that it was nice.

“You okay?” Tony tilted his head curiously and reached to flip on the light but then thought better of it. Scarlett was searching him, unsure of what to say. “Did you throw up? You’re really pale.”

Tony crouched next to her. Carefully he touched her forehead, pushing her curly hair away from her face. She was hot and while he had never been a good judge of fever before, it was obvious that she had one. “You’re burning up. Jeez.” Scarlett nodded after Tony pulled his hand away. “You’re sick?”

Scarlett nodded again, her usually brave voice escaped her and the knot in her throat nearly triggered her gag reflex again. Tony tilted her chin up like he had done so many times that night. Her blue eyes were gray and weary. She stunk of guilt for the secrets she kept.

“How long?” Tony wasn’t surprised. He’d known as much, he just didn’t know the details. He’d wanted it to be wrong but he had also accepted the truth.

“Months.” Scarlett managed, grateful when her voice wasn’t as frail as she felt.

“So, the secret meetings with SHIELD were medical in nature after all. Not just the whole thing with your ex.”

Scarlett nodded again. Tony was no idiot. He was the smartest man she’d ever met. He saw the truth. She should have known. “Some of it was my ex but yeah, SHIELD doctors.”

“What is it? Doesn’t seem like cancer.” Still crouched next to Scarlett, naked as the day he was born, Tony watched and waited, hopeful. 

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. How could she ever explain this? It wasn’t like it had a name. Ganter called it a toxic overdose at one point but it wasn’t like it was being flushed out of her system with time. No, it clung to her. At first she’d joked they should name it after her but that had gotten a little too real. After meeting Tony, it’d been much harder to accept. She didn’t want it to be the truth.

She wanted to say it. To tell him. But the words were jumbled. Where did she start?

Ruffling his messy hair, Tony sat next to her and leaned against the wall, tugging the sheet that was wrapped around her. She released some of it so he could drape it over his bottom half. For a few agonizing moments, there was silence. Scarlett waited for him to be angry. The silence was killing her.

“What happened with Scott then?” Tony decided that he would get her started. She was obviously overwhelmed. 

Scarlett cocked an eyebrow curiously. She supposed that Scott did start all of this but Tony couldn’t possibly know that. For a moment, she was proud of him for figuring out the name when she hadn’t given it.

“I…”

“I already know that’s his name, Scarlett. I know he’s your ex and I know that he’s at the root of this. You told me he betrayed you, that he was stealing from you. But I know that he’s also involved with MedCo. The Crown.” Tony saved her the effort of having to explain some of it, giving her a delicate doorway to the truth. She hesitated, shocked by just how much he knew. 

“Okay.” She took a breath, relieved her voice didn’t fail her again. Tony had always been so honest with her. He’d needed someone to lean on, someone to listen to him. Scarlett had done that for him. She hadn’t realized how badly she’d needed the same until the last few days. “He set me up.”

“Did he?”

“And I’m sure it’s obvious to you that whatever I did before this it wasn’t running a business.”

“Yeah, I’ve been in this industry a long time. It’s obvious.”

“I don’t know the right word for what I was. A gun for hire? Assassin sounds cold and most of what I did wasn’t hunting people. I hunted things. Information. If there was a job that needed doing that people were afraid to do… I did it.” Scarlett didn’t like this part. She didn’t like any part of it. It made her feel dirty. “Mercenary might be a better word. I’m sure you get the point.”

“I will, at some point, have more questions about that because it’s hot, but yeah, for the sake of this conversation, I get it.”

“I’m sorry, it’s hot?”

“Yeah, well, depending on what you were doing. Hot. And I have many follow up questions.”

“I’ll tell you everything.” Scarlett said and the relief it gave her was immense. She nearly cried, but took a deep breath to assure that didn’t happen. No more secrets. He deserved the truth and she deserved to tell it. “Scott was my long time boyfriend. We dated for years. He was a mechanical engineer when we met in Senegal. I was building. Like I did with you. I was 22, he was 24. He wasn’t my type. I have a bad habit of dating men who are bad for me. Troublemakers.”

“I’m okay with being thrown into that group. Sort of.”

“You would like being called a troublemaker, wouldn’t you?”

“Very much, actually.”

“Fine. Troublemaker.” She stole a glance at him and he smiled. “He chased me. Made me feel pretty. Made me feel special. Gave me gifts and showered me with affection until I finally gave him a shot. He was charming and smart. He was safe.” Scarlett’s smile fell. “And I’d never been safe with anyone before, really. So we dated. I left that company shortly after and started… doing what I was doing. I fell into it. Long story. He followed me. We had a home together. We moved a lot. I traveled a lot. Our relationship was boring. Humble. And I was okay with that for a bit.”

“For a bit?”

“Yeah, the lies got tough. So I had to tell him what I really did. No details, mind you. I don’t talk about clients. You’ll have to deal with that too.”

“I just want the sexy details, no worries there.”

Scarlett leaned her head against the wall and shivered, pulling her knees to her chest. Her body was so damn sore. “Scott hated my job. He had real reasons to, of course, but I dismissed him. It was my job and I loved it. I was good at it. I was finally not bored. I wouldn’t quit just because some guy told me to. He told me he loved me and he just wanted me to be safe. That what I did wasn’t safe.”

“He wasn’t into having a hot assassin girlfriend? Really?”

“Would you be, Tony?”

“Is that an offer? Because yeah, one hundred percent.”

“Tony…” She laughed, but that always made her cough these days. She rested her hand against her chest. It was so sore from coughing all the damn time. Tony gently rested his hand on her knee.

“So he wanted you to quit. You wouldn’t quit. Why stay with this guy?”

“Habit? I just… looking back on it, I feel really stupid. Like I never could explain it properly. I don’t think I realized the truth until I was talking to you about it. He was sweet. Innocent, I thought. He took me back when I fucked up. Which was nice because no one really did that for me before. He’d say that… no one else would. That he was the only one who would love me. And I guess I believed him. I didn’t think about it much. I was with him because I always was. I was the worst girlfriend a guy could ask for. I was never home. I was unfaithful. I could have gone to prison at any time. I wasn’t affectionate, I was… I was just the worst.”

“I think you’re being a little hard on yourself.”

“Tony, I consistently cheated on him for years. With the same guy, actually. A whole different mess than this.”

“...this guy one of the troublemakers? Like me?”

“Tony.”

“Just curious…”

“I know what Scott did was… manipulative. I see that now. Somehow I started believing that he was just the only one who would put up with me but it also doesn’t excuse what I did. I would come home bloody and drunk… agitated. He didn’t deserve that. I thought all he wanted was to love me and… I didn’t love him. I didn’t believe in that. And he uh… he just wanted everything, you know? A normal life. Family, kids, married, grow old together.” Scarlett sighed in frustration with herself. “I wasn’t ready for that. Not with him. Scott was never my speed but I kept coming back. I cheated on him because I hated myself. And I didn’t care what I did because I… what was the point? Don’t pity me, I did terrible things. I think about it all the time. When I can’t sleep? I just… I did this. It’s my fault.”

“Scarlett…”

“He wanted me to be the woman of his dreams. I wasn’t.”

“It takes two to fuck it up that bad.”

“Well, that and I guess I didn’t know him very well after all.” She nodded. Tony knew part of that, at least. “He got into his head that he could save me from myself. That if he did, I would become someone else. Shame on him for believing that. I told him that there was no changing me. That it was take me as I am or not at all and he would tell me that he stayed because no one else would tolerate it.” Scarlett leaned her head back. “About a year and a half ago, almost to the day now, I took a job in the Middle East. Not uncommon. It was simple. Data work. Get in, get out. But it ended up not being so simple. It was a setup. I was captured and it’s all kind of a blur from there. I was there for… a long time. But I escaped. Healed up. Went crawling back to Scott. I thought, for the first time, that maybe I was too old for this. Maybe I had to go straight.”

“Just like he wanted.”

“Yeah. And he reinforced the idea. I thought he was just happy to have me. But he didn’t like me, I think. We had nothing in common. He talked over me or pretended not to hear me. I just… It felt like no matter what I did, it was wrong. I was wrong. So, I tried to go straight. It wasn’t like I had a hard time finding legitimate work. I know what I am, Tony. But he… he had been working for this company. MedCo. Just seemed like a simple… project development thing. I interviewed which was awkward because I didn’t… like it. Everything felt wrong about it. The people who I interviewed with were, well… they rubbed me the wrong way. But I took it because it was with Scott and it was normal.”

“I imagine you didn’t interview much for the other stuff?”

“No, I had a handler. People sought me out. Not the other way around.”

“So more like freelance work, right?”

“Tony…”

“Keep going.”

“So, we were working together right? And I found some stuff out about MedCo that… didn’t sit right with me. Connections to organizations that… did some terrible things. I’m not… Tony, I’m… I’m not a good person. But I didn’t do terrible things for the sake of doing them. I had my own morals. I don’t do terror, Tony.”

“An assassin with a heart of gold?”

“Not so much, I’d say.” She continued. “I quit. They got real pissed and I walked out. I went home and… I started going through my closet to get rid of the stuff I bought to work there. And then… I found it. I found Scott’s journals. And inside were pages copied from my journals, Tony. And my journals weren’t like love letters or how my day was or whatever. It was ideas. Sketches. Plans. Machines, weapons, explosives. Designs.”

“That’s when you found out he was stealing your work.”

“Yes. But he wasn’t good at it either. He’d published my work to journals and had taken jobs because of it. I had no idea. And when he got home I was going to confront him but he got so mad at me for quitting. They’d apparently told him all about my attitude and he lost it. He just lost it, Tony. He became someone else. He told me that I had to change my mind. I told him no. And he flipped out. He said I had to because they… they wouldn’t keep him without me. And I asked why and he said they found out they were my ideas. Not his. They wanted my ideas. They wanted my brain. I told him no, and I confronted him about stealing from me.”

“He became someone else so quickly. I was mad. I went to storm out and he hit me.” Scarlett laughed in disbelief. “He hit me. And I was going to deck him, Tony. But he held a gun on me. I laughed because was he going to shoot me? He was very serious. He hit me in the head and I… I woke up chained up in the basement. I say basement but it was like a closet with our water heater in it. He asked me to change my mind when I woke up. I asked him why he would do this. What could be in it for him? He said they’d fix me. That MedCo worked with… genetic alteration and viral mutation and… poison and biology.” She furrowed her brow. “I said no and he lost it again. He kept me there for days.”

“Jesus.”

“Yeah. No food. Water though. He asked me again thinking I’d be desperate. He taunted me and told me that no one would love me after this and I’d never get work again. I don’t know if I have ever been that mad. I lashed out, I got the chain around him and nearly choked him to death. But he kept smashing my head and I eventually passed out.”

“Scarlett…”

“Yeah, it turns out I never really knew him. But the next time I woke up, he was sweet. He was himself and he said he was sorry and that he really needed me to do this for him. I told him no. I begged him to let me go. I’ve never begged for anything before, outside of like… you know, fun consensual sex stuff, but… he held a gun on me and said I’d do it whether I wanted to or not. I told him he’d have to kill me. And he had this syringe. And he just…” She tapped her chest where she still remembered it. “I panicked. It was so much of… something. I just… I kicked him off of me and he dropped the gun. I grabbed it and the needle and as he came at me with the knife, I stabbed him with the needle and pressed the plunger. If I was infected with something then he would be to. He came at me again and I shot him in the head.”

“Shit.” Tony went pale. What did this mean?

“Yeah. I grabbed a key off of his body, escaped. Packed up my things and ran. I got as far away as I could as fast as I could. I went to Thailand for awhile. I like it there. I had money so I wasn’t worried about that. It’s funny. I don’t think about this part as much.” It was true, she didn’t, and now that she did, it was all a blur of trauma and confusion. She shivered. “I got sick. Really fast. My lungs. I just… it was all so fast.” She looked to him seriously, almost afraid to see his eyes. Tony’s were filled with sorrow. “And then they were hunting me. I was attacked in a marketplace and… I was sick. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Scarlett…”

“The only thing I could think to do was call my friend. Tasha. Natasha. We were… allies once. Met on a job but she went straight ages ago. Works for SHIELD now.” 

“Not Natasha Romanoff?” Tony cocked a curious eyebrow. “I happen to know her.”

“I know you do. We always got along.” Scarlett scoffed. “Friends are rare in what I do. Or what I did. Life’s very different now.” She was still adjusting to that. The denial was still there and she didn’t quite realize it. Sometimes she expected to wake up on a job and for this to all be a dream. But it wasn’t. “She brought me to SHIELD. I knew she would. It was why I went to her and not to anyone else. MedCo wants me. They want to know why I’m not dead yet. So I cut a deal with SHIELD. Forgiven for my past transgressions if I cooperate and help them bring down MedCo. I made a deal with SHIELD. Some ideas I’d share. There are some I won’t ever sell. But I was being hunted and their big idea to keep me safe was to make it so I was… everywhere. Hiding in plain sight. I started Refuge and I didn’t realize how much I would love it. It worked for a time. It’s not working quite so well anymore.”

“So what is it then? Has SHIELD narrowed it down at all?”

“It’s complicated. I have been working on it myself but nothing helps. Whatever he gave me that day, it’s… eating me alive. Breaking me down from the inside out. It keeps shifting and changing. Parts of it are so… entwined with me now that I don’t… I don’t know if they can stop it without killing parts of me. It’ll start with my lungs.” Scarlett scoffed. “Scott told me that it would.”

“You shot him, yeah? Dead, yeah?”

“No. MedCo did something to him. Definitely not dead.” She shook her head and then closed her eyes. “And he… he had Barton. I had to save him. I just don’t know what’s in my body anymore. All I know is that these treatments sometimes do more harm than good even if they seem to buy me a little time.” It was a lot longer a story than that. Much longer. But that was the truth of it all. The hard truth.

“So, what does this mean then?”

“Tony…”

“You’re dying?” Tony hadn’t expected this. That this poison or whatever was so ingrained inside of her body that getting rid of it would kill her but leaving it would kill her too. It was overwhelming.

“If I’m lucky… which I haven’t been… I probably have a couple of months, maybe half a year before I’m… bedridden. Short of some miracle. I was lucky for awhile but it’s been bad the last couple weeks. I’m sorry. I didn’t know how to tell you.”

Tony wiped his hand over his mouth and held it there. His head was swimming. How was it that this vibrant woman next to him would be on her death bed in such a short time? He could see the change even from when they just met. It happened slowly, so he hadn’t noticed until they were talking about it. She’d lost weight. The aches and pains. The exhaustion. The coughing. He’d noticed some of it but putting it together was devastating.

“Tony.” Scarlett turned to face him. “I’m so sorry.”

“What?”

“I have tried everything I can think of. I know it’s a death sentence. I tried not to… do this.” She gestured between them. “I avoided relationships. I was buying SHIELD time and… waiting for the end.” With a sigh, she looked away. “Until you. It was why I didn’t give your emails the time of day. But then you literally broke into my office. Almost shot you that day, by the way.”

“Funny, thought you looked awfully defensive.” Tony joked but his playful tone was absent. He was rarely serious but she’d given him a lot to think about. There had never been a puzzle Tony couldn’t finish, no problem he couldn’t fix. There had to be something he could do.

“When you had to run off that first day? I didn’t realize that you’d… you’d needed someone. Not me specifically and in that moment I… I stepped into that role. I saw you. No one’s ever needed me like that before. Before I realized it…” She laughed at herself, feeling tremendously stupid. “I needed you too. God, I’m sorry. I’m just so sorry. I never should have gone to Tasha. I never should have done this. I should have just… let it be. Dead and forgotten. Now everyone around me is a target and I’m just… getting people hurt left and right.”

“No, no, don’t. Stop it.” Tony objected and while he sounded broken up, he got it together quickly. “I’m so glad you went to SHIELD. I’m so glad I met you. I’m happy you almost shot me that first day and… man, am I grateful you took care of me when I needed someone.” Tony was stern and determined, brown eyes serious but not as hurt as Scarlett expected. “I’m not backing down because of this. I won’t let you die.”

“Tony…” Scarlett felt her heart hurt. “You don’t have a choice. I don’t have a choice. I don’t. This is the truth, I’m sorry. After you left the other day, I collapsed. I’m… I know I’m okay right now but I just… I’m so sick. Even now? I’m half the strength I was even a week ago. It’s moving fast now. I thought it was the end, Tony. I’ve never had anything to lose before and now… I just… sometimes life isn’t fair.”

“I don’t care.” Tony shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll find a way. I’ll make a deal with SHIELD if I have to. I will assert myself. Like they can stop me. There has to be some way I can help. We’ll find a way. We have to. It’s not optional.”

“Oh, Tony.” Scarlett felt an ache in her chest. He was determined, desperate. “It’s not…”

“I just got you.” Tony took her hand. “I won’t let you go. Not now. I’ll take every moment we have and I will fight for you. We’ll fight together. When you can’t fight anymore? I’ll do the fighting. I’m not a quitter. I know you aren’t either. I was supposed to meet you that day. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Ever since I saw those baby blues behind those sunglasses on the news? I just knew. I had to meet you. You’re supposed to be with me.” Tony didn’t believe in fate, he believed in the fate he made. The fate he fought for.  “I know it.”

Scarlett couldn’t believe him sometimes. He spoke about her with such certainty. Not a shred of doubt. Shivering, she looked away. She was sure she’d done him a disservice by coming into his life. She was at a loss for words. Romance wasn’t really her thing. Scarlett had failed at every relationship she’d ever been in. When she was with Tony, it was natural. Like a piece of her that had failed everywhere else finally fit. If Tony wanted to fight for her, for them, then what right did she have to tell him not to? She’d hidden enough from him.

Scarlett owed it to Tony to fight for him too. So that’s what she would do.

“You’re just trying to sweet talk me, I think.” Scarlett got herself together. His devotion made her heart hurt. Tony wasn’t angry. He didn’t hate her after learning the truth. He hadn’t marched off. No, he’d poured his heart out and promised to save her. He’d never once tried to change her. He’d embraced who she was, even after learning the truth. He still wanted her, despite the mess she’d become, despite her inevitable death.

“Well, you’re already naked, what makes you think I’d have to sweet talk you?” Tony exhaled with relief. It felt like she’d given up there for a minute. There was more to this story. This wasn’t the end. He was sure of it.

“Because I’m naked you don’t have to work for it?”

“You have to admit, it makes it exponentially simpler to get what I want.”

“I’m pretty sure I could still freeze you out regardless of how naked I am.”

“What, are you going to put me in a headlock between your thighs because I’m… pretty sure that’s just giving me what I want. So, you know, if that’s your plan, touche.”

“You have no idea just how lethal these thighs can be.”

“Every time I’ve caught even a glimpse of those thighs they’ve just about killed me so, I have a pretty good idea.”

Scarlett laughed and was relieved he wasn’t suddenly treating her any different. No pity. A little sorrow, but that was to be expected. Yes, she was sick, but she had always been sick. Tony hadn’t even scolded her for lying to him for so long. Scarlett would give him the best of every minute she had left.

“Is that so? Because I very much remember you not being single for most of that.”

“And I was a very good boy and kept my hands to myself.”

“Sort of.” Scarlett laughed and Tony gently brushed his fingers over her jaw and tilted her toward him.

“I think you set a record for the longest I’ve gone without… having a woman I was desperate to nail. Do I not get any credit for my noble restraint?”

“I guess you can have a little credit but there’s like… one thing you’re not supposed to do when you’re with someone and that’s you know… not kiss someone else and I distinctly remember a few moments…”

“Is the self-proclaimed cheater over here lecturing me? You said there was a guy? A long term piece on the side? Should I be worried? Will I have to fight him at some point?”

“That was definitely just sex. And we should definitely not get into it.”

“You’re right. I’ll save it for a night where I would like to have really hot makeup sex.” Tony grinned. Scarlett rolled her eyes. Guilt still made her stomach churn but the very least she could do was make him happy with the little she still had. He’d made her happy in ways that she didn’t think she could be. Scarlett knew that with all the bad she was going through, she finally had a little good and that was worth fighting for.

Tony, despite it all, was grateful to know the truth. As terrifying as the truth was, it was better than leaving it to his imagination. Gently, he kissed her, lips lingering against hers afterward with a smile. He got the shivers, like a jolt of electricity ran through him. He’d spent so long waiting to kiss her and now that he could, he never wanted to stop.

Slipping his arms around her, Tony lifted her off the floor, sheet and all, and pulled her right into his lap. She held the sheet over her chest. He kissed her again when she went to speak and she shivered, hand resting on his chest.

“...gross, Tony. I was just puking.”

“Are you still nauseous?”

“No.”

“Then what’s gross about it?” Tony scooped her up into his arms, holding her and using the wall to get back to his feet with a grunt. With a laugh, she kissed him again. Who was she to argue? Tony tripped on the sheet as he carried her back into the bedroom, nearly falling and dropping her.

“Christ!” She laughed, clinging to him as he barely caught his balance. “Wow, thought you were supposed to be smooth or something.”

“I’m extremely suave.” Tony tugged the sheet away from her easily and dropped it to the ground, leaving her naked. “See? You’re already naked. Setting records.”

“God, you’re ridiculous.” She laughed as he leaned her back on the bed.

“Mmm… less teasing, more kissing.”

Even with her eyes closed, Pepper Potts could see the bright blue light blinking from her phone on repeat. Rolling away she tried to ignore it. She even pulled her pillow over her face to block out the light. Still, even through her pillow, Pepper knew the light was blinking.

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

Over and over.

Finally unable to tolerate the infernal blinking, Pepper grabbed her phone in a blind huff before dragging it into bed with her. Sitting up, she pushed her red hair away from her face and slumped against her pillows. The screen was too bright so she squinted in annoyance and waited for her eyes to focus on the text.

She’d expected a number of things. Tony updating her on what happened with Scarlett or Happy offering up his guest room for her until she found her own place. She wasn’t sure if Tony would text her about something personal but he didn’t have many people he trusted with his personal information, so she couldn’t rule it out.

Either way, she was planning on marking the message as read and then going back to sleep. That was if she could.

Mentally cursing whoever ruined her night, Pepper unlocked the phone and yawned. Sleep was a struggle ever since the fights with Tony. Even after she’d confessed and they’d broken up, she was still struggling with finding peace. The guilt would do that for awhile, she guessed. And when she laid awake, she pictured Tony doing the same, struggling with post traumatic stress while she slept soundly in his bed.

She flipped through the notifications on her phone and was surprised that it wasn’t either of her usual people.

It was a security alert from the office.

A security alert that had been authorized shortly after by someone using her security code.

With a yawn, Pepper threw her phone aside and slid back down beneath the covers. It was likely a stupid error or Tony screwing around from his office. Either that or something stupid she’d done during the week on her computer that hadn’t updated in the system until that night.

That happened, right?

She didn’t know. The technological part was Tony’s area of expertise, not hers.

Cozy and snuggled beneath the blankets, Pepper tried to drift to sleep, to allow the warmth of the covers to embrace her.

But what if it wasn’t a glitch? What if someone used her code and was inside Stark Industries right now and she did absolutely nothing about it? With another huff, she threw the covers off and rolled out of bed. There was no way she’d sleep with that hanging over her head. So Pepper got dressed, grabbed a cup of coffee at the 24 hour place around the corner and then drove to Stark Industries. All was quiet and her car was the only one in the parking lot. The odds of this being a serious security threat were slim to none.

Carefully, she approached the front doors and listened for anything out of the ordinary. Beneath her breath, Pepper whispered it was nothing. And it was likely nothing. Yet there was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t shake. Jarvis didn’t have glitches or make mistakes. But if it was serious, wouldn’t Tony be there?

Why alert Pepper but not Tony?

The only thing that could convince Pepper that this was a true threat was the fact that Tony wasn’t there. Someone had to have disabled Jarvis in that case. What were the odds though? Would anyone even know how to do that? Honestly, Pepper was ninety percent sure that the only one who knew where Jarvis was truly stored was Tony and even then Pepper had this strange mental image that even with all the hardware removed, Jarvis would still exist. He was more man than machine to her.

Pepper called Tony. It rang and rang but no answer. If he was asleep it might not wake him. Very little woke Tony when he was truly knocked out. Pepper knew that better than anyone. She was probably one of the only people who would dare to wake Tony when he was that out of it.

Voicemail again.

She hung up and dialed once more. Carefully she punched her code into the front door but it did nothing. No response. No lights. Not even a flash of red to tell her it didn’t work.

Something was definitely wrong. Pepper took a step back from the doorway and glanced up at the towering building overhead. It suddenly felt sinister. Why? She loved Stark Industries. A chill ran through her. She was overreacting, right? There was no problem. Nothing was obviously amiss other than the computers not working.

The lights in the parking lot were on so it wasn’t a power outage. That and Tony had the building rigged up so that it would still be powered in a blackout. Blinking and rubbing her eyes she considered calling Happy to check it out for her, but she felt bad waking him. Who she really needed right now was Tony. He would know what to do. It was likely Happy’s answer would be to break through the glass doors and if Jarvis was still working then they would need Tony and the police to sort out the mess that followed.

Pepper decided she would do a quick once around the building before going back to her hotel and then sort it out from there. She could do very little good in this situation on her own. Slowly, she crept around the side of the building, swiping a social networking alert on her phone before sending a text to Tony to ask where he was and if he was okay. Paranoia was likely the cause of the alarm bells going off in her mind. But after seeing Scarlett on the news the other day all bloodied up, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was happening.

As she approached the back of the building, she blocked the bright light shining from one of the loading docks with her hand. Then she ducked back behind the building and peeked around to see who was there. There was a large truck being loaded by men in black uniforms. They had a symbol on their sides but she couldn’t make out what it was.

They weren’t employees that she recognized but there was no way for her to know everyone who worked at Stark Industries either. It was one of the largest companies on the planet! Pepper went to yell and see why they were there so late. Maybe they were there to deal with the electrical issues! But then she saw a face she recognized.

The IT guy who had fixed her computer a few weeks ago. Pepper was going to ask him what was going on but then something else caught her eye. Something employees of Stark Industries did not carry.

A holster with a gun.

Pepper took deep breaths and listened. She didn’t think anyone had seen her brief moment of panic before she hid. They were too focused on whatever they were doing to notice her. It all made sense suddenly. The IT guy had fixed her computer issue and then used her pass code that she’d given to him in confidence!

Guilt again. Tony had warned her a thousand times not to do that. He was going to kill her if he found out that it was the exact reason that someone had broken into Stark Industries. Cursing under her breath, she dialed 911 with shaky fingers. 

As she hit the call button and waited for an operator to pick up, there was nothing. No static, just silence on her phone. She tried again but the same thing happened. Then she tried Tony. Still silence. Happy? Silence. Her phone wasn’t working. Something was blocking incoming and outgoing calls. Now that she checked, she had no signal. Zero! Cursing again, Pepper held the phone to her chest and decided she had to go. If they hadn’t noticed her yet then she could go get help and come back.

What were they stealing though?

She shouldn’t look. She shouldn’t question it. Pepper wasn’t a super hero and she didn’t want to be. She didn’t need super powers to live a fulfilling and happy life. She was a competent business woman! That was what Pepper was meant for, not fighting crime.

Yet she was still human and curious. She stole a peek and saw exactly what they were loading into the truck. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? It was massive! It must have taken them hours upon hours to obtain all the pieces and wiring that would be required to disassemble and reassemble it. It was a prototype that had been produced after a demonstration in Tony’s new lab.

The converter that Tony and Scarlett were testing. The one that they’d rejected after working on it nonstop for weeks straight. They were planning to produce an updated prototype and use it as a launching point for what could be the final product. Pepper felt that twinge of jealousy, a familiar sting. It wouldn’t fade as quickly as she wanted it too. She’d reevaluated her opinion on Scarlett in the last few days. There was something about her that she didn’t like, but she’d been too quick to judge.

Stealing another glance, she saw something odd about the prototype. Was it broken? Pepper crouched low and zoomed in on it with her phone so she could take a better look. No, it wasn’t broken but it was different than she remembered. The work that had been done on this prototype couldn’t have been done in the last hour. Whatever work was done had been going on for a long time. They were planning this, probably ever since Tony started working on the converter to begin with.

Immediately she wanted to blame Scarlett. Blame Refuge. But as the pieces fell into place, Pepper knew she only had herself to blame. She’d given these people her security codes, had ignored the various security threats, written them off as computer malfunctions. But that had all been a ploy. She’d hired the IT specialist after letting the last one go after a massive security breach in their east coast branch. It all felt planned.

These people preyed on the fact that she wasn’t Tony Stark. That she was the more trusting and less technically savvy Pepper Potts. Stark Industries was not the company she would choose to run if given the choice. Guilt washed over her in a wave and she looked away from the image on her phone and made a soft, sad sound.

A black car pulled up from the other side of the building, driving around the truck and closer to Pepper who held her breath, as if one wrong exhale could give her away. Holding her phone close to her chest, she discreetly dialed Tony again but it wouldn’t dial out and she was met with silence. Not even an error message.

The Stark Industries employee Pepper recognized from IT approached the black car and waited, hands behind his back. A stocky, older man with a worn coat, wearing a sling, and looking rather beaten up, stepped out of the car.

“Did you take care of the problem?” The once friendly IT guy made Pepper suddenly furious. She’d trusted him! And he’d betrayed her! They’d smiled, shared pleasantries. She’d even signed a birthday card for his daughter! It was all a ruse, a dangerous ruse to gain her trust and trick her into giving these monsters exactly what they wanted.

“No.” The newcomer was Russian and annoyed.

“Stark is alive then?”

Pepper’s blood ran cold. They’d tried to kill Tony?

“Of course he is. He’s Iron Man.” The Russian spoke in such a way that his lesser comrade didn’t dare respond. “He’s preoccupied. We will deal with him when the time calls for it. For now, we continue our work. He does not know what we are really up to.”

“Does that mean we have some more time here?”

“Not much. Move quickly.” Mikhail peered all around and Pepper darted out of view and held her breath. No one came. No one saw. Didn’t they notice her car in the parking lot? What was she supposed to do? She kept dialing Tony on repeat but her phone wasn’t working. This had to do with Tony being Iron Man. It just had to. She hated this super hero persona! It’d caused so much trouble and Tony was already trouble before all that! She understood why in the same breath, but it didn’t mean she had to like it.

“We only need a little more time but assembly will be complex.”

“I don’t care. Move quickly and do your job.” Mikhail spoke darkly and there were no follow up questions. Pepper stole a glance again and watched as the IT guy walked back toward the truck. Mikhail got back into the car and the lights turned on. Pepper crouched low against the side of the building and was relieved when the car drove back in the direction it came from.

“Pack up an roll out!” The former Stark Industries employee shouted and Pepper heard the truck doors slam closed. She tried dialing out again but nothing was working, not even the emergency shortcuts! Rhodey? Anyone? Nothing was ringing. Cursing, Pepper couldn’t just let them go! She couldn’t just copy their license plate and let them leave! The Russian had clearly tried to kill Tony that night and failed.

But what exactly could she do?

She wasn’t a superhero. She couldn’t stop a truck full of armed men. But she couldn’t sit idly by either. No, Pepper would do what she could and follow them from a distance. She would find out where they were bringing the converter and then she would get in touch with someone who could stop them.

Never had Tony Stark been more grateful for Scarlett than in the moments where he soared out of the fiery explosion that lit up the California night sky. If she hadn’t helped him with the Mark XLII then he never would have made it out of there alive.

Scarlett.

Tony knew he needed medical attention. He had to talk to SHIELD. He needed… something. He knew all of that very well.

But what he really needed was Scarlett.

Mikhail’s cryptic words repeated in his mind. By the time he understood it would be too late. What did that mean? There had been no time for reflection, not until he found himself piloting toward Scarlett’s loft near the beach without truly thinking. He needed to see her face. To touch her. To get the truth out of her. There was no more delaying it. This was the moment.

Nothing would make him leave her this time. Not even if she begged. A mixture of anger and sorrow flooded through him and made him tremble. He urged the Mark XLII through the sky, rocketing like a bullet, navigating skillfully as he did.

“I recommend charting a course to the hospital. You’ve taken quite a bit more damage than I initially calculated.”

“No.” Tony muttered. He would go if Scarlett made him but right now he needed to be wherever she was. Selfish. He knew it. But he’d wasted enough time. If she was running out of time then he wanted every second of that time left to be with him. “Not doing it. Not until I know she’s okay, Jarvis.”

“You are bleeding rather freely, sir.”

Tony felt blood dripping down his forehead and then guided the Mark XLII through the sky, the beach finally appearing on the horizon.

“Jarvis, you heard him. Russian guy said she’s already dead. I can’t let that be true.”

“Yes, Mr. Stark. I understand. I will monitor your health and unless it is required I will not push again.”

“Thank you.”

“Please make certain that Miss Damien is alright.” Jarvis spoke quietly and Tony couldn’t help but smile. With a slam, Tony landed, both fists on the ground in Scarlett’s driveway, cracking the concrete. Standing upright, he retracted the suit which opened around him. He stepped out of it gracefully then stumbled- his legs feeling like jelly. The impact of the explosion had shaken him more than he thought.

Walking up the driveway, questions raced through Tony’s mind. What was wrong with her? Why would someone from MedCo tell him she was dying? They wouldn’t even make a deal with him for her! What had she done to deserve this fate? It was time for honesty, no matter how brutal. He knew about MedCo, her ex, SHIELD.

Worse than all of this, Tony knew that something was wrong and it scared the hell out of him. He was scared for her. For himself. For them. The door opened before Tony got to it. Scarlett held a peculiar weapon in her right hand, a mechanical glove aimed at Tony. Upon seeing him, she lowered her hand and put the weapon aside on the table nearby.

“Tony?” She paled at the sight of him. “Oh my god, what happened to you?” She stepped barefoot out the door, grabbed his arm, and tilted his head from side to side with her other hand before wiping blood from his forehead. Her hands were trembling and she looked guilt ridden.

Tony grabbed her hand to stop her and she shooed him away. He had a million questions, all these complex thoughts, endlessly looping, but now that he was there, he couldn’t bring himself to ask. She was talking to him, worriedly, dragging him inside the house. Very slowly he followed along, but just barely.

“What happened to you? Oh, where do I even start…” Scarlett lifted his arm and grimaced as blood dripped over his bicep. “Tony?” She prayed he’d respond, his brown eyes hid all these emotions that broke her heart. She was silenced by them. Tony was scared. Scared and confused. He had no idea what was going on and she had dragged him into her mess without proper warning. How selfish she was. She’d thrown him right in the maw of the monster by getting close to him. How could she be so awful? Sometimes she was sure that she was the woman Natasha made her out to be.

“I’m so sorry, Tony.” She whispered, picking up both his hands.

Still, he just stared at her, thousands of questions on the tip of his tongue. But something was suddenly much more important.

Scarlett was just as scared as he was.

Scarlett let go of his hands and pushed her hair back as she then hurried through the living room and into the kitchen. She put the first aid kit back on the counter with trembling hands. Opening it, she dropped a few of the bottles within and cursed. Leaning over, she hurriedly picked them up but dropped them again.

“Fuck it.” Getting up, Scarlett grabbed a few bandages, a cloth, and an antiseptic then hurried back to where Tony stood in the doorway. “Just… just stay still, okay?” But Tony said nothing. He just watched her in amazement, in absolute awe of the panic in her voice. “I never should have…” Shaking her head, Scarlett took his hand and checked his bloodied knuckles. Staring up at him, the guilt hung off of her more visibly than ever.

Tony opened his mouth to speak but stopped as she dabbed at a wound on his forehead. She pulled away with nothing but blood and turned away from him. Why wasn’t he talking? She was so worried. She thought about calling Natasha. Clearing her throat, she turned back to him and started again at his forehead. She found the wound. It wasn’t deep. Just a scrape. No stitches. But judging by his behavior she was concerned that he had a concussion. This was the longest she had ever heard Tony Stark go without talking.

“I’m sorry.” With shaking hands, she wiped again at his forehead, reaching up with her free hand to push his hair away so she could take a better look. Standing up on her bare tip toes, she bit her lip and winced. “No stitches. Still, let me…”

Tony grabbed her wrist to stop her and gently urged her arm down but didn’t let go. Now was his chance. Just ask her. She was vulnerable. Guilty. But there was something even more important to him. Scarlett fluttered her eyelashes, and it wasn’t that it bewitched him, it was that she was doing it to bat away tears. All the frustration he had with her dishonesty, with her secrets, melted away.

She was worried because she cared so deeply for Tony that she was terrified something would happen to him. It wasn’t the same worry that Pepper had for him when she was scared about the trouble he’d get into as Iron Man. This was different. He couldn’t pinpoint what that something was, but it shook him.

After a moment spent watching his eyes, she decided he didn’t have a concussion and took a deep breath.

“Please, Tony…” Scarlett did not try to pull her hand back. Tony shifted his hand in hers and pulled it close against his arc reactor. “Please, let me take care of you. It’s the least I can do.”

It was like he snapped back into reality. She was okay. Alive. Letting go of her hand, he watched her try to take care of him but instead he grabbed her arm gruffly and pressed her against the wall next to the door. The table nearby shook and a set of keys fell to the ground.

Scarlett was stunned into silence and didn’t get to ask what was wrong before Tony’s hand rested on the side of her neck. He held her there for a moment before taking a step closer, only inches between them. His fingers, scraped from battle, brushed down her neck. He tilted his head to watch his hands before his gaze fell on her lips, then back to those deep blue eyes, grayed with whatever she hid.

Eyes fluttering closed, Scarlett leaned into the touch of his scarred hands over her neck, tilting her head back to offer him more to touch. His hands traveled the length of her jaw. His thumb traced over her lower lip to the corner of her mouth. A soft breath escaped her lips instead of the concern she meant to address. Opening her eyes, she tilted her head back down but Tony didn’t pull his hand away. 

Not for the first time in the last few weeks, Scarlett didn’t know what to do. Her gut was telling her to call for help and get Tony taken care of and then to tell him the truth. But his big brown eyes had a far different idea in mind.

As her lips parted to speak, Tony’s thumb silenced her and slipped past her lips. It tasted of dirt and blood. Her eyes fluttered closed as her lips closed around his thumb. Butterflies did flips in her stomach. Was this really happening?

Tony inhaled sharply as he watched her, not daring to blink in case he missed a moment of what those rosy red lips might do. Carefully, slowly, she bit his thumb and Tony’s insides lurched.

He felt invincible.

It didn’t matter that he was bleeding, that he’d been threatened or shot at. With Scarlett, Tony was invincible. Laying the rest of his fingers against her jaw one by one, he leaned her head back and slipped his thumb further into her mouth. Her fingers gripped his shirt at his stomach and he stepped closer, but was careful not to press against her. Not yet. So close. Yet still so far. Her fingers brushed over his sides, slowly up and then back down. His shirt was uncharacteristically filthy.

A tear in his shirt tickled her fingertips and she searched silently for a wound beneath it. Hands beneath his shirt, she found it. A messy splatter of dried blood spread over his side. Fresh blood still dripped from it. It had partially closed on its own but had nowhere near the care it required. Tony winced and pulled his thumb from her lips in response.

His eyes flickered to her hand over the wound, a wound he hadn’t noticed until she’d found it. Pain radiated through his side but Tony didn’t recoil. No, instead he let out a low groan and felt that already tense knot in his stomach pull tighter.

Gripping her jaw, Tony grabbed Scarlett and pulled her away from the wall, just far enough so that he could reach her lips without moving. His lips engulfed hers roughly and parted, ragged breaths between heated, passionate kisses.

Scarlett swore something inside of her broke. A desperate need she’d ignored for too long was roused. Her grip on his stomach tensed and she tilted her head to return that kiss, lips sore from the memory of kisses shared the day before. For a moment, they sat, lost in the kiss, lost in each other. They sat holding each other, as if time had stopped entirely for them to have a moment where nothing else mattered. Her heart ached in a way it never had before, lips nervously meeting his time and again.

Every moment Tony had with Scarlett, every second he had, was valuable. Tony wouldn’t waste a moment. Scarlett leaned up on her toes, her hand slipping onto his shoulder so she could kiss him deeper. Tony loved when she did that. When she made herself taller for him.

The part of Scarlett that convinced herself she didn’t deserve this was driven into hiding. His scruff brushed against her lips with each missed feverish kiss, but the scratch of that same scruff sent chills down her spine, made her chest rise and fall even faster. Then there were goose bumps. She shivered and couldn’t stop. Each kiss was like lightning through her body.

Her fingers numbed. She had to touch him. He was the only thing worth feeling anymore. Arms slipping around his shoulders, Scarlett stepped away from the wall and parted her lips, biting roughly on Tony’s lower lip. With a groan, Tony pushed Scarlett back hard against the wall. A soft sound of approval came from Scarlett as she tried to push back and Tony shoved at her again to keep her in place. His tongue caressed over her lower lip before begging for entry, which she granted, opening her mouth wider for him.

She pushed just enough away from the wall to antagonize him and his ploy for dominance.

Greedily, Tony’s hands grazed down her arms and then over her sides, the cloth of her soft shirt catching on his sore fingers. As she arched into his touch, Tony pressed her back against the wall again and then urged his fingers over her breasts, squeezing roughly even through the shirt. The deep, needful sound she made gave him the shivers. It might have been the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard. He couldn’t help but smirk against her lips.

Scarlett gripped at his hair, feeling the curve of his tantalizing lips as he grinned. Of course he would be delighted to know he turned her on. She adored that about him. She offered him another playful bite on his lower lip, then peppered small kisses over his lip, down his chin, and then kissed him deeply, a soft groan escaping beyond her control.

Tony grabbed a fistsful of her shirt and pulled it up, fingers slipping beneath on her stomach, and pushing until his fingertips found the lace of her bra. Something sexy, likely. For him, he hoped. Her fingers abandoned his hair, traveled down his neck, and then pulled at his shirt, just as he had done to her. Tony pulled from her lips, far enough from her body to grasp the bottom of his shirt and then pulled it over his head and threw it onto the floor.

Bloodied, sweaty, scraped up, and filthy, he was one hell of a sight to admire. Scarlett tilted her head to the side and bit her lower lip as she slowly took in the body of a man she’d dreamt of for far too long. She chuckled and was going to say something along the lines of asking if this was all for her, but stopped when she saw the wound on his side. The one her fingers had found through the tear in his shirt. It was a sore reddish tint. She was left with a very confusing mixture of guilt and attraction. On one hand he was incredibly sexy all war torn and beaten up. On the other hand he was in pain and it was likely her fault.

Tony saw the change in her eyes. From carnal to emotional. He rested his hands on either side of her against the wall. Her eyes turned away from his wound, and trailed over his chest, the reactor, and then they stopped on his big brown eyes.

They weren’t full of regret or anger. Just lust. For her. And it took her breath entirely away. In the best way.

Briefly he took her in, illuminated by the light of the arc reactor. The blue of her eyes was intensified. They practically sparkled, deep pools of emotion he could get lost in for days. Leaning close, he let his forehead rest against hers. While his breath was short in his chest, and his pants were uncomfortably tight, he just watched the waves of emotion pass through her eyes. Eyes that saw him. That truly saw him.

He bet she thought she was stone-faced. That she was certain no one could read her but Tony saw through the veil she wore to hide from the world. He saw how she felt loud and clear. She wanted him. More than fear, more than guilt, Scarlett wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

Tucking her messy, curly hair behind her ear, Tony rested his hand next to her on the wall and kissed her again. A slow, tender thing that deepened, heightened, then became intense and desperate. Scarlett returned the gesture. She placed her hand just so on his chest.

“Tony…” She began, her lips gently brushing against his as she spoke. She wanted to say the wound on his side needed tending. She wanted to make certain that he was okay. But Tony was having none of it. 

No more apologies, no more asking how he was. He didn’t even feel it. That was the last thing on his mind. Allowing his hands to brush down her sides, he grabbed her thighs and lifted her against the wall then urged her legs to wrap around him. She tightened them around him and gasped. 

“Tony!” She reiterated to get his attention but he pressed her against the wall and tilted her chin up with his curled index finger.

“Unless that’s accompanied by a moan of pleasure then it can wait, Scarlett.” He said quietly in a husky voice. For the first time in a long time, Tony saw Scarlett smile and it relieved him beyond words. She parted her lips to speak, presumably to make a snide remark, but Tony spoke over her. “What did I just say?” This time she laughed and leaned her head back against the wall, then her gaze softened and she offered a silent nod. A silent promise to drop it until a more appropriate time. Tony couldn’t hide his smile as he kissed her again, overwhelming her lips with his own. Messy, passionate, fiery. His hands caressed down her sides and around her body, grasping her backside and urging her to wrap her legs tighter around his middle. 

Scarlett pulled from his lips and kissed over his neck, purposely gripping his hair tighter to make him lean his head back. Her teeth playfully gnashed at the scruff over his neck and he groaned deeply.

His hands traced over the lining of the thick, dark leggings around her waist and crept beneath the comfortable fabric. The lace of her panties matched the lace of her bra and he urged his hands to cup her ass and each cheek fit perfectly in the palm of his hands, he swore. He pulled her closer, urging her hips to rock against his with a low, deep groan. She gasped at the feeling of him and encouraged the movement. “...Tony…” She muttered and he smirked. 

Much better.

Slowly, her lips traced along the side of his neck, down over his shoulder, leaving the occasional playful nip at his flesh. Then she made her way, leaving a trail of kisses down to the metal of the reactor in his chest, something she had longed to kiss for weeks. It was as much a part of him as anything else. It kept him alive. She pulled back just enough to catch his gaze and his mouth hung open in a groan, as she purposely placed a soft kiss against the brilliant blue light of the reactor.

Eagerly, his hands caressed over the backs of her shoulders, to the front of them where he urged her back against the wall again. She was taking small, quick breaths, all while admiring him hungrily and for once those blue eyes weren’t lost in a storm of thoughts, but were only fixed on him. He pushed at the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her breasts and with her help, off of her arms. Her messy hair cascaded in waves as he pulled it over her head and she blew a puff of air to get it out of her face, but he rather liked it like that.

Tossing the shirt aside, Tony greedily caressed her stomach, up to her chest, fingers admiring the lace pattern of bra. A cute black and red little thing, not exactly lingerie so maybe not purposely cute for him. He liked to think Scarlett always had something a little sexy under her clothes. “Finally,” he muttered, cupping her breasts and pressing them together to admire the cleavage they made. He kissed over her warm, delicate flesh, tongue tracing a line between the cleavage. With one hand, he pushed the strap of her bra from her shoulder, and the other danced down her side to the lining of her leggings. She grasped his hair, but didn’t pull him from his task. Her soft little breaths were accompanied by the sweetest sounds of excitement he may have ever heard.

He nearly recoiled as his hand brushed over something surprisingly prickly and sharp.

Stitches.

Tony reluctantly pulled away from her breasts, to catch her gaze. The wound he’d sewn up. A vivid thing that haunted him. But these were not the same stitches that she’d sewn that night. No, this wound was bigger, as though it had been reopened painfully, made worse, and then sewn back together. It was healing now, that was clear, but it was a far more miserable looking thing than he’d seen that night. His stomach twisted into knots with guilt.

Scarlett urged her hand to his cheek and shook her head just enough to admonish him for his guilt. She wasn’t stopping and he trusted her. Despite it all, he really did. They needed this. Hell, they deserved this. Even if everything collapsed afterward, they had earned this moment together. Her legs relaxed around him a little and she grabbed him gruffly by the shoulders and pulled his chest to press against hers. She was so warm. Slipping her hands down his back and then wrapping both arms around his shoulders, she held him close. She smiled against his lips and kissed him deeply. A reassurance. Confirmation that she was okay. Her fingers brushed just over the bottom of his hairline at the base of his neck, giving him goose bumps.

For a brief second, he was afraid to touch her. Nervous to hurt her. Where his hands once took her curves in greedily, they were now cautious and tender, brushing over her stomach, dipping into her navel, and caressing slowly up to the lace of her bra.

Scarlett wasn’t going to have his hesitation. No, not after they’d been so patient. With a soft coo of pleasure against his lips, she rocked her hips slowly and rhythmically against him, her fingernails tracing lines down his back. He arched into her touch and pressed her firmer against the wall. With her index finger, she traced lines over his lower back, over those magnificent dimples just above his backside, and then placed both of her hands firmly on his cute, little butt. Tony had a remarkable ass, and she had been caught staring more than once.

He grunted, one hand on the wall at her side, the other at her lower back to urge her to rock harder against him. Through tight jeans, she could feel his excitement, begging for freedom, practically burning a hole through denim to get to her.

With a low groan, Tony came to his senses. There would be plenty of time to be gentle and talk later. She hadn’t even flinched when he’d touched the stitches. Scarlett was fine. And she wanted him, which was a satisfying thing all in itself.

“Scarlett, fuck…” Tony grunted, urging his hips harder against hers, his hand tugging her thigh tighter against him, pressing his fingers harder against her as he moved. Kissing slowly down her neck, he made his way to the strap of her bra. With a bite and growl, he urged it down onto her shoulder, then kissed the flesh it revealed. Playfully, he brushed his tongue over her collar bone, pale, pristine, and perfect. Then he kissed back to where her bra strap had been and slowly sucked on her skin, brushing his tongue against it. He nibbled at the spot, hard enough that he would leave a mark. A mark that would make her think of him every time she felt that strap move.

Realizing what he was doing, Scarlett smacked his ass hard in retaliation. Moaning in surprise, Tony bucked his hips hard against hers and a gasp escaped her lips and she leaned her head back with a passionate sound as her hips twitched in response. She squirmed, surprised by just how sensitive she was because of him.

Smirking against her shoulder, Tony chuckled and left a wet trail of kisses along her neck. Then he braced himself and bucked his hips against her again, grinding against her, hand on her stomach to feel how she tensed, how she writhed in pleasure at the feel of him. With a soft cry, she grasped his stomach and then laughed, out of breath. “Trouble…”

“You have no idea…”

With a soft groan, Scarlett slid her fingers over his stomach, through his happy trail, and tugged on the button of his jeans. Tony stiffened up and gripped at her thighs, urging her to continuously rock against him. Nimble fingers unbuttoned his jeans, but Tony caressed slowly up her back, urging her to arch into his touch, leaning away from the wall. Leaning her head back again, Scarlett closed her eyes as Tony shifted her. Gripping at the denim of his jeans, Scarlett whimpered as Tony focused on that slow, purposeful grind against her hips, urging her to do the same, not that she needed any urging. She tightened her legs around him. 

Tony groaned as he kissed the other side of her neck, planning on giving her a matching mark.

“Fuck…” Scarlett murmured, shivering all over from the scratchiness of his goatee against her neck. She could feel each movement against her deep in her core, her entire body eager for more of him. His fingers brushed down her back and tugged at her pants. They pulled a little, but it wasn’t enough. He had to set her down to get them off. He cursed under his breath then made eye contact with her. She bit her lower lip and smiled, amused. It was far easier for her to hide how eager she was. “Need some help?”

Tony was delighted that she joked with him. That they taunted each other. It was everything he’d ever wanted. Her voice made his heart beat faster. That sultry, sweet voice, all for him, longing to feel him as much as he wanted to feel her. 

She gingerly placed her feet on the ground and let go of him. He kept his hands on her hips, just so, unable to stop touching her. She slipped her fingers in the lining of her comfortable pants and slipped them down, then stepped out of them in one graceful motion. Then she stood upright and placed her hand on his chest. 

Tony clicked his tongue and then gently pushed her to lean her back against the wall. He tucked her hair behind her ear and admired her. Of course the lace of her panties would match her bra. Black with red details, fitting her in all the right ways. She was practically torn out of the pages of a dirty magazine.

“Goddamn.” Tony admired her from head to toe. She had little scrapes and bruises here and there. But so did he. It was sexy. Damn. Then he stepped closer, tilting her chin up again, and slowly kissed her, kicking off his shoes in the process.

Scarlett could smell his cologne mixed with sweat and metal from his armor. For a second, they were still, just stealing a soft kiss, the kind of kiss that took her breath away. That made everything else disappear. None of it mattered. 

Just this.

If Scarlett had to pick one moment to stay in for the time she had left, one single moment from an extraordinary life, it would be this one. It was perfect. No worrying about anything else. Just Tony Stark kissing her like she was the most important thing in the world, and her hoping that she made him feel the same way. Hoping she could make him feel as important as he truly was to her.

The tender, soft kiss escalated into something passionate, fiery, and intense. Tony pulled her away from the wall, urging her chest against his, letting his hands greedily explore her back, aching to memorize the body he’d dreamt of so many times. Hands sliding down to her thighs, he made to lift her back up but she grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away from her thigh. Tony pulled back from her lips and cocked a curious eyebrow, glancing to her hand and then instead lingering on her nearly nude body.

“You have no idea how hot that is.” He nodded to her grasp on his wrist. Scarlett laughed under her breath. “Not funny, I’m extremely serious.”

“You’re ridiculous.” She laughed again and pulled his hand to her lips and kissed over his busted knuckles. She adored that he made her laugh in an intimate moment. It was sexy. She’d never felt comfortable enough with anyone to laugh like this. Releasing his wrist, she urged it back to her hip and then kissed his chest, and slowly next to his arc reactor. Her fingers brushed slowly over the definition of his bruised stomach, through his happy trail to the jeans she’d already unbuttoned.

Tony brushed her hair from her face, over her shoulders, admiring her as she tugged at the zipper of his jeans. Her lips left a warm, wet trail of kisses over his abdomen. Crouching slowly, her tongue brushed just below his belly button and then over the dip in his hip just above his jeans. Tony shuddered and groaned. At last, Scarlett pulled his jeans down. He kicked off his socks, along with the jeans that were now loose around his ankles. Settling onto her knees, Scarlett tugged roughly at his boxer briefs with a confident smirk. The elastic band caught against his length and he grunted in frustration.

“Tease…” He moaned with a soft laugh under his breath.

“Don’t know about that. Seems stuck.” Scarlett batted her eyelashes playfully. “Wonder why…” Tony tilted her chin up toward him and gave her a very serious look.

“You know why.”

“Maybe don’t wear such tight jeans or something.”

“Are you complaining?”

Scarlett considered this. Watching him walk away was one of her favorite things about working with him. “Not even a little.” She then carefully pulled the elastic of his boxers around him and then allowed them to drop around his ankles. Was she surprised he was well hung? No. Was she still delighted by the fact? Yes.

Tony inhaled sharply as her hands crept slowly over his sensitive inner thighs. Gripping her hair, Tony closed his eyes briefly as he felt her surprisingly delicate fingers wrap around his length. Then she traced her fingers over the full length of him, all the way back up and down. He grunted, a primal sounding thing. “Having fun?”

Scarlett bit her lip but instead admired his face as she stroked him, thumb brushing over the tip of his arousal. Leaning close, she kissed over his inner thigh, feeling the warmth radiating from him as she admired her work, making soft sounds of delight, just to egg him on.

Tony opened his eyes. He had to watch. This was finally really happening. Not just a figment of his vivid imagination in the shower or after falling asleep on the couch. Gripping tighter at her hair, Tony unconsciously pulled her up a bit, urging her lips closer to his length. Leaning away from his thighs, she adjusted herself on her knees and fingers still wrapped around his shaft, thumb pressing against him, she allowed her lips dangerously close. Pursing them, she blew playfully at his tip. Tony shivered and tightened his grip in her messy locks.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” Tony’s usually honey colored eyes were dark and hungry, pleased that after how long they waited for this, neither one of them rushed it. He knew Scarlett would be fun, but his imagination certainly didn’t do her justice.

“Patience…” She whispered and Tony grumbled something about how patient he’d been but all the words were drowned out by a deep groan of pleasure as her lips wrapped around the tip of him. She sucked on just that tip, tilting her head to the side, tongue swirling around the end of it before taking him in entirely. Tony’s eyes fluttered closed and his mouth hung open. The feel of her lips wrapped around him was almost too much to bear. It took every ounce of his energy not to move his hips with the way she pleasured him. At first, she took him in slowly, and it was tantalizing. Then as she moved faster, he relaxed his grip on her hair and muttered.

“Fuck, take it…” He’d been dying to see her on her knees from the first time he’d shared drinks with her. It’d be a lie to say he hadn’t thought about it happening right under that table. There’d barely been a pure thought in the bunch since then. With his eyes closed, he could hear nothing but the groans she made as she moved, feel the way her nails traced over his thighs and gave him chills all the way down his spine.

Eyes closed, he imagined her with her head leaned back in ecstasy, back arched with pleasure. Pleasure that he’d dreamt of giving her for so damn long. Scarlett pulled away and let her tongue brush over the length of him before stroking him between her fingers for a brief moment before taking him in her mouth again.

She could feel his body twitch, squirming at the thought as she brought him closer and closer to that height of pleasure. 

“God, that’s so fucking good…” Tony’s voice melted into a low groan and he watched her perfect red lips wrapped around him. Slowly he urged his hips to move. He couldn’t help it. Every part of him needed more. She was driving him absolutely crazy in the best way. “Fuck…” Each move of his hips, of her lips wrapped around him elicited a groan.

He was so close. Not much longer now.

“No. No, no, no.” Tony muttered and then cursed himself. He was crazy. Stopping one of the most beautiful women he’d ever met from giving him a blow job. “Stop, stop…” Tony gripped her hair and forced the lump in the back of his throat down and the grip of pleasure so tense in his core to lessen. Scarlett did as she was asked, pulling away from him, licking her lips and wiping her finger over her lower lip. Her fingers still brushed over his inner thighs and she watched him curiously.

Forcing slow deep breaths, Tony wiped his hand over his mouth and shook his head. Words were tremendously difficult. What a view! “Want more than that.” He muttered, stupidly.

Scarlett smiled, sitting back on her heels, though she was a little confused. He didn’t want her to finish him off? He’d more than earned a blow job at the very least. And she was happy to give it to him. 

“We’re coming back to that later.”

“Was that a fucking pun?” Scarlett stifled a laugh, her heart racing, and for once, not because she was sick. Finally, she was getting to have some fun. Tony tilted his head to the side and smirked.

“Not on purpose. Happy accident.” Taking her hand from his thigh, Tony tugged her to her feet and she obliged. He urged her hand to his chest, to rest over his reactor. Then he slipped his arm around her and kissed her deeply, despite where her lips had just been. He adored that she was willing to get on her knees for him, just to see his face in ecstasy, but he’d waited far too long to make this about him. It had always been a give and take with Scarlett. Tony was already guilty of taking more than he’d given. This was something he very confidently knew he could give.

That and he wanted to feel her in that moment of ecstasy. There was a long list of things that Tony had dreamt of since they’d met. He suddenly had new, lofty goals.

Pulling away from her lips, he grabbed her wrist again and spun her around, her chest against the wall. Brushing her hair over her shoulders, he kissed slowly over the back of her neck. She giggled, a sound that made him grin from ear to ear. His hands brushed over her sides, down to her hips, that he pulled away from the wall. He urged them to rock against him.

One hand against the wall, the other at her hips, he rocked against her slowly, already tremendously overstimulated. Gripping at the wall, Scarlett urged her hips back against his. They were so close to skin on skin. Tony could feel her warm and wet through her panties. Slipping his hand from around her waist, he urged his fingers to creep over her stomach, over her lacy little panties, between her thighs, and he urged his index and middle fingers over her concealed opening.

“As much as I love, love the idea of you on your knees? I’ve been dreaming you for way too long.” Tony’s lips brushed around the rim of her ear before giving her ear lobe a playful bite. “The sounds you’ll make… lips wrapped around my name…” His lips trailed down her neck and with a grunt he bucked his hips against hers from behind. Fingers slipping inside her panties, he brushed over her nimbly. 

She gasped and tensed up, the sensitive bundle of nerves making her legs weak, her body already aching with need. She arched her back and gripped the wall and reached behind her blindly to pull at his hair, to urge his lips back to her neck. Her other hand brushed over his forearm, grasping at him. He stroked over her, one finger against her clit, pressing just enough to elicit a soft sound from her. Gasping, she leaned her forehead against the wall with a laugh of disbelief as he slipped a finger inside of her.

She was practically throbbing with need. God, he was too good at that, he was playing her like a fiddle. Skillfully his fingers moved over her, against her, inside of her, pushing her body to the veritable edge before slowing down to bring her back down with it. He left sloppy kisses over her neck. “Having trouble, are we?”

Scarlett curled her toes against the floor, grasping at his wrist, his hair, senses alight with fire and desperation. She was so close and he was so nearly sending her, it was torture. The best kind of torture. “And I’m the tease?” She managed, barely.

Tony’s hot breath was filled with small grunts and groans as he continued to rock against her from behind while admiring the perfect sounds she made while at his mercy. Then he stopped as her nails dug at his wrist. He bucked his hips against hers and she cried out in pleasure. He couldn’t take it anymore. They’d had enough foreplay.

Tony needed her.

He pulled his hand away from her, out of her panties, and tugged them down by hooking his finger in the lining at their side. Then he dragged them down her thighs before allowing them to drop. She shimmied them off the remainder of the way. Just as she let go of his hair, Tony grasped her arm and turned her to face him. At once, he lifted her into his arms and urged her legs around him, pressing her back against the wall.

He wouldn’t wait. Wouldn’t ask if this was what she wanted, if she was sure. They both knew what they wanted. Reaching between them, he adjusted himself between her thighs, pressing just against her opening. Glancing up at her face again, he watched her expression change as he pushed inside her. Scarlett’s mouth hung open, and she grasped at his back. A soft coo of pleasure escaped her lips. It tickled Tony deep in his core to hear such a surprisingly sweet sound.

Her fingers slowly caressed up his neck, shaky, and into his hair as Tony continued that push until she’d taken him entirely, grunting quietly. He rested his hips against hers, pushing her hard against the wall and holding her there. It was everything he wanted, her body opening up to him, eager for him, swallowing him hole. Tilting her chin up, Tony watched as she took heavy, shaky breaths and he felt her body aching around him, adjusting to the feeling of him. Then he kissed her softly at first. A soft, fragile thing before kissing her deeper, with more passion. His heart was beating so hard in his chest that he swore his damn reactor was going to catch fire.

Scarlett pulled back from his lips, just barely, studying his face, seeing the way he shifted as he pulled back before setting a slow and steady rhythm inside of her. She could feel every bit of him, every movement, every detail, every motion magnified within her. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been this aroused in her life. Her fingers traced over his jaw, up over his cheekbones and to his forehead where blood trickled from the wound at his hairline. 

In her heart, she knew this wasn’t the reason he came to her that night. He hadn’t come to make love to her. He’d come for answers. Something terrible happened to him but instead of interrogating her, he’d picked her up, treated her with respect, care, and passion. She’d regretted not telling him the truth a thousand times but in this moment she didn’t regret a thing. If all that suffering and internal struggle led to this perfect moment then she couldn’t regret it. 

She admired his face twisting with pleasure, as he bit his lip and watched her in return, staring into her eyes. She wouldn’t waste a single moment with him. Never again. Tony Stark was more than any rumor she’d heard about him. He pushed into her in a slow rhythm and she rocked her hips with his. The air between them was so thick that neither one of them could properly breathe.

Tony urged his fingers to caress over her arm, over her shoulder, pushing the strap of her bra away as he leaned to kiss over her chest. Scarlett tilted her head back as she savored the feeling of his scruffy face purposely brushing against her, close to the lining of her bra. She tilted his chin up, urging his lips back to hers. Tony grabbed her hand away from his face as he kissed her, urging his fingers around her wrist and pressing it against the wall, above her head.

Pinning it in place, Tony bucked his hips against hers, a groan escaping his lips with every thrust. Keeping his hips steady against hers for a moment, Tony urged himself to make shorter, deeper motions. Scarlett hiked her thighs higher around him and whimpered, twisting her wrist to try and free it but he held it tighter.

“Fuck, Tony…” Scarlett’s voice broke as she pulled from his lips to try and catch her breath, an impossible task. Oxygen was in short supply and every bit of air she had was consumed by Tony. He was all she could breathe, all she could smell, hear, and taste. He kissed over her chin and beneath it, over her neck. “Tony…” Purposely she muttered his name, knowing it was what he wanted. He practically purred as he felt her voice reverberate through her throat.

Urging his hand between her breasts, down her stomach, and between her thighs, he could feel the way her stomach tensed, the way her thighs were twitching, so close to her elusive climax. She gripped at his wrist to stop his hand but he wouldn’t budge.

“Oh, you… you are…” She gasped as he ignored her grip. His hand slipped between them and brushed over her clit again. That was it. It was the end for Scarlett. Her body resisted for all but a second before she threw her head back against the wall and cried out in pleasure, surprised by herself.

“Oh, god! Oh…” She gasped and cooed, arching her back, her face red from the heat of pleasure as Tony touched her in all the right ways, continuing to urge himself inside of her all the while. He could feel how her insides twitched and ached with orgasm. She fell apart there, all because of him, letting out soft little cries beyond her will, face red, pleasure making her thighs tingle, toes curling, body hot and twitching with climax.

“That’s it, Scarlett… fuck…” Tony watched in delight, his own aching body so close to orgasm for so long that he swore he might explode then and there. But he didn’t. He bit his tongue. Held out. He continued brushing his fingers over her and just as he felt her body slowing down, her pleasure fading, he bucked his hips harder and faster against hers, capturing her lips with his. He pulled his hand away and rested it against the wall as he felt the proverbial dam break. “Scarlett, god…” His lips missed hers and he bit her bottom lip as he bucked hard against hers, overwhelmed by his own pleasure- a hot and messy end inside her and between them. His mouth hung open as he grunted with each deep thrust.

Scarlett brushed shaky fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to urge his lips back to hers, to trap him in a kiss. Tony rocked against her, her hips still shakily moving with his. His motions were quick and short. He slipped his arm around her, holding her body close against his as he thrust through his climax. They kissed between labored breaths. She urged her hips shakily and slowly against his as he continued, until she was certain they were both at their end. Then they sat there motionless, kissing for a long time.

Scarlett had to pull back from his lips to breathe, she had to. The air was too thick, her lungs were aching, and while she had been able to ignore it for their carnal desires, she no longer could, not without the world becoming hazy.

Tony pulled away carefully but then rested against her, leaning her still against the wall. His fingers brushed over her sweaty face, moving stray curly hairs aside. He had so much to say, more to say than he had ever had to say in his life. And that was saying something since Tony had never once been quiet.

Watching her strained breathing, he thought of how to begin. How to transition from what they’d just done.

Breathing shakily, Scarlett turned her attention back to him at least, able to ease the pain in her chest enough to function. Gently she placed her finger to his lips to stop him as he went to speak. He swallowed hard. Scarlett then kissed him again.

That same excitement bubbled inside of him as her lips tenderly engulfed his, guiding him in a kiss that they were still longing for. Even after they’d finally given in to their sexual tension, desire hung between them. For awhile they kissed, just holding each other, savoring the sweet moment as their sweat dried and their bodies calmed.

Tony brushed his hands over her sides, admiring her near nude body eagerly, memorizing every scar, every curve. Resting his hand against her hip, Tony finally pulled back from her lips. He didn’t let her go. He wouldn’t. Not for the rest of his life if he could help it. He may have been being dramatic, but in that moment, it felt right to be.

Scarlett leaned heavily against the wall and brushed her fingers around the wound on his forehead. She tilted her head curiously, trying to decide how bad these wounds were. If he needed more help than she could provide. Tony swatted her hand away but she pushed his hand away and continued. He grabbed her wrist and stopped her again.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. You’re bleeding.”

Tony grabbed her jaw and forced her to look up at him, to make direct eye contact with him. For a moment they sat in silence and she stared into his eyes. “See? I’m fine.” He spoke gently. “I’m really fine.” He at least hoped he was fine. If she hadn’t seen a blown pupil than he surely was. She nodded then turned her gaze away. She was pale. Scarlett’s skin was usually a lovely olive tone but today it was pale. He’d noticed her growing paler with time.

Her cheeks, however, were a lovely tint of pink and while the rosiness that spread over them during their lovemaking was fading, it was still endearing. “You’re beautiful.” It wasn’t what he’d meant to say but his brain was only just now switching back into gear.

“Tony…” Scarlett smiled softly. “You’re very sweet but you should… let me take care of you. Please.”

“No! No, I’m really fine.” Tony chuckled. “Trust me, I’m actually feeling way better than I’ve felt in a really long time. No joke. I was so sexually repressed between everything with Pepper and then… you existing just out of reach. You have no idea how great I feel after finally getting to… you know, land the plane.” Tony nodded to her. Scarlett laughed.

“I’m pretty sure I have a decent idea of how good it felt. Speaking of which, you’ve got to let a girl clean up.”

“I bet you do.” Tony smirked with a throaty chuckle. “Seriously though, I’m fine.” He touched over her side and then rested his hand flat against her chest, between her breasts and looked into now grayish blue, tired eyes. “I’m far more worried about you than I am about a few scrapes and bruises.”

Scarlett turned away, stiffening up, her lips pressed in a flat line. Gently he urged her to look back up at him. He wanted to finally ask her what was wrong. What had happened to her that led to this moment? Finally, he would ask for the whole truth. No more hiding, no more secrets. No matter how difficult it was, he wanted to be there with her as a team.

Instead, Tony kissed her and held her close.

“It doesn’t matter.” He whispered against her lips and he meant it. “Not right now.” Slipping his hands beneath her, Tony pulled Scarlett away from the wall and carried her through the living room and toward the bedroom at the back of the loft. It was dark but he didn’t bother with lights as he gently set her down on the messy bed. Pushing her gently back, he crawled over her and stared down at her sad blue eyes that sparkled even in the darkness. Her hair was wild around her and her breathing was labored but she was perfect to him in that moment.

His lips found hers again. Tony had waited this long for the truth. Had waited this long to be with her. Now that he had her, he wouldn’t waste a single moment of it. If there wasn’t much time left then he wasn’t going to waste a moment of what could be spent making love to her all night long. There would be time for the truth in the morning.

Mickey fought the weight of her eyelids as she scrolled through the data retrieved from the encryption. It was a miracle they managed to get anything off of the tiny memory stick considering all it had been through. Shoved into a gaping wound, hidden beneath bone, and then submerged in the ocean? Yeah, it was lucky it gave them anything at all.

As horrible a thought as it was, Clint’s wound had protected the device from the salt water. It had been hours since Mickey formed a team at SHIELD headquarters in Manhattan and set about decrypting the hundreds of files that Clint took with him. When they hit a brick wall, Mickey had flown Jinx down from Boston and set about having her crack the encryption. It’d been the boost she needed. Now they just had to sit, wait, and dig through files.

“Any luck?” Jinx appeared like a ninja behind Mickey who leapt nearly a mile.

“Nothing yet. It’s going to take a long time to go through all this. It’ll be a miracle if we find anything tonight.” Mickey yawned and stretched. “I’m glad I left Pluto with my neighbor. He’d be restless here.”

“Yeah, though I could use something more to do. Wrote the program and now no one seems to need me.” Jinx laughed. “Coffee? I could go get coffee? I’m good at that after working for Scarlett.”

“Don’t you usually have a smutty novel lined up for this sort of situation?” Mickey chuckled.

“I…” Jinx sighed and then avoided her eyes. “I’m worried. That’s all. Can’t focus on smut right now.”

“I know. I am too.” Mickey patted her friend on the shoulder. The last 48 hours had been a complete disaster. Jinx was attached to Scarlett after posing as her secretary. After things became so dire, Jinx was having a more difficult time than most of them.

“So, coffee?”

“Yeah, sure. I could use some coffee.”

“I noticed.” Jinx pointed to her mouth. “You’ve got just a little drool right there.” Mickey wiped her mouth with a laugh.

“Watching the numbers go by is like a lullaby.” Mickey watched Jinx disappear down the hall then furrowed her brow. She’d gone on and on about bad feelings but stopped mentioning it an hour prior. Jinx’s bad feelings made everyone nervous. Mickey was more worried that Jinx had stopped telling them about her bad feelings.

20 minutes later Jinx was back with coffee and pulled up a seat near Mickey’s desk. They chatted about every little thing. The weather, gossip, but nothing felt real or right. They were going through the motions to avoid the obvious.

“I have such a bad feeling.” Jinx grumbled and as the words slipped past her lips relief flooded through her. “God, I needed to say it.”

“I honestly missed you saying it. I know nothing’s going right. Feels weird to pretend.”

“Do you think anyone’s coming back from this? Clint was so hurt…”

“You warned him, Jinx. That isn’t on you.” Mickey assured her. Jinx pouted. “Really, you have to stop beating yourself up over it. You know how they can be sometimes. Natasha pulls that crap all the time. Heck, even Steve Rogers pulls that crap and he’s Captain Good Guy.”

“I know, I do. But I can’t help but think I didn’t push hard enough. Maybe Clint would have been spared. Maybe Scarlett wouldn’t have lapsed so much.”

“You can’t carry all that, Jinx. It’s not your fault. If Clint hadn’t gone back undercover then we never would have gotten all this information. I mean, what if this is the key to reversing all the damage done?  How cool would that be? Sometimes everything happens for a reason. The bad things can be just as important as the good.”

“I know.” Jinx pouted still. “It’s this feeling. It’s eating me alive. I can’t help but think that the worst is yet to come.” She looked to her friend and Mickey got the shivers.

“Oh, I don’t like that.”

“You told me to mention my bad feelings.”

“I do. You just freaked me out.” Mickey laughed nervously.

“You’re right. Let’s focus on the good. Maybe this stuff we’re decoding will have some of the answers.”

“Maybe.” Mickey looked through the files that were still piecing together and backing up to SHIELD servers just in case something went wrong. “Hey, hey… wait. Hold on.” Mickey stood and walked across the room to where there was a wall of monitors, each showing different files being decrypted.

“What is it? Anything good?” Jinx scooted the rolling desk chair across the room after Mickey.

“Just give me a second, I saw something.” Mickey waved her hand over a sensor on the desk nearby and a hologram screen spread the length of it. Wiping windows left and right she maneuvered the files and examined the formulas she spotted before it disappeared.

“What do you think it is?”

“Just let me find it before I jump to conclusions.” Mickey waved her hand at Jinx who spun in her chair nervously. “Where are you? Please tell me I wasn’t making it up…” Mickey muttered beneath her breath, twisting files aside at an alarming rate.

“There! Stop there!” Jinx leapt from her seat and then tripped and almost lost her balance. Mickey froze and Jinx crept under her arm and slid a file so it would fill the screen. It appeared in pieces on each of the larger monitors on the wall and two stared in awe as it unraveled. 

Part of it was still being decrypted but it was unmistakable.

Schematics for an explosive.

It wasn’t the bomb itself that alarmed them but rather what was inside the bomb. Toxins. A series of them, not just one. Some had been labeled as rejected, but the last one that was half encrypted was the one that caught Mickey’s eyes. She selected the text so it would be blown up on the screen. Every head in the room turned to read it and a hush fell over the already quiet room. It was like someone had sucked all the air out through the vents.

“That’s got to be it. Right?” Mickey whispered and swallowed the lump in her throat and turned back to Jinx who stared at the formula and walked around the desk to get closer.

“I have a bad feeling.” Jinx whispered, pale.

Mickey tapped away at the keyboard and forwarded the file to Jemma Simmons in hopes that they could confirm that this was at least partially what they were dealing with. Whatever Scarlett was infected with had been rejected by MedCo over three years ago and thrown away. Next to the formula were the words that had sucked the air out of the room.

Failure.

What did that mean? Was it fatal? Could it not be reversed? Maybe they could find the antidote for it somewhere in these files. Or maybe, they could find more details on how it had been manufactured so they could start on a cure of their own.

“Mickey? Mickey, look.” Jinx pointed to a file just beneath the one that had left them awestruck. Mickey highlighted it and brought it forward. There was a series of maps and memos. Points of interest all across the United States were highlighted.

One of those was their building in Manhattan.

“Shit, shit! Someone call Director Fury!” Mickey shouted but then the power flickered and the lights and computers all went dark. The air conditioners silenced and the ground shook. Silence fell and then an alarm warned them of something in the distance and the building shook.

“I have a bad feeling.” Jinx’s voice broke the tense silence.

Mickey grabbed Jinx just in time and pulled her beneath a desk. There was no sound, nothing, just a fiery explosion that lit up the room before the building collapsed on itself and there was nothing but darkness.

Dianne Hendricks approached the employee entrance of Refuge and stared at the door and the small keypad that would grant her entry. She’d thought about breaking into Refuge about ten thousand times to get answers but she never expected she’d actually end up there doing just that.

“I hope you’re as good at this stuff as you claim to be.” Dianne whispered as she stared down the small device Tony had given her before she’d left for the airport. He said something about Jarvis, like it was a person who would help her. Then he assured her there was no computer system he couldn’t crack. She sure hoped Jarvis wasn’t code for an explosive. That would be awful.

He said this would also get into Scarlett’s files. Maybe Jarvis was a program. He was Tony Stark after all. Searching the side of the keypad, she found nowhere to insert the device so she plugged it into the bottom of her phone on a hunch. Her system was completely taken over in a blink! She gasped in awe.

“Mrs. Hendricks?”

“Uh… yeah?”

Her phone was speaking with a delightful accent! “My name is Jarvis. If you would hold me close to the lock then I will get you inside.”

“You’re… Jarvis?”

“Just a Rather Very Intelligent System.”

“Cute.”

“I agree. Now if you would.”

“Oh, right.” Dianne held the phone close to the keypad and winced. “Is… is this good?”

“Perfect.”

The keypad lit without so much as a touch then it glowed red and blinked.

“Well, this is rather unexpected.” Jarvis spoke and Dianne turned the phone back to face her. “I cannot seem to hack through Miss Damien’s security to use her login. Is there another employee who would grant us access? A name would help but is not required.”

“Oh, she has this adorable receptionist. Julianna Bennett, I think. I remembered because it fit her. She has these wild eyes. I’ll never forget it. Reads romance novels. Recommended one to me on the way out after I went on a tour of the building with the other reporters. Real harlequin stuff.”

“Thank you for the helpful information, Mrs. Hendricks.” Jarvis silenced once again and the keypad glowed blue. For a moment it blinked red then chimed pleasantly and the door unlocked.

“Welcome Miss Bennett.” A soft female voice greeted her from seemingly everywhere. Dianne slowly pushed the doors open and stopped inside the building.

“I’ve elected to keep the lights off as I need a higher clearance to operate through most of security. Given that Miss Bennett is Miss Damien’s personal secretary it appears you can access an elevator to the highest level. You cannot, however, access Miss Damien’s office. I would require Mr. Stark’s assistance to break through the complex security measures she has constructed. He would be impressed.”

“Hell, I’m impressed. He seemed so confident that you could do it.”

“Don’t rub it in his face. He does not like that.” Jarvis scanned the building as they walked. “If you cannot find any information of value in Miss Bennett’s personal files then perhaps we can search for clues on how to access Miss Damien’s office. Even if you are able to remove her hard drive to transfer back to Mr. Stark we will make some headway.”

“This went from breaking and entering to stealing very quickly.”

“Do not worry. All the blame will rest upon Mr. Stark if you are caught. He is a man of his word. It will be between him and Miss Damien. I think she will be impressed.”

“You speak of her fondly. Like he does.”

“I am fond of Miss Damien.”

“I trust you, Jarvis.” Dianne stalled and was nervous as she looked through the maze-like corridors of Refuge. It felt wrong to break into the building behind Scarlett’s back like this. She didn’t think Tony Stark should be building a relationship with someone whose place he was willing to break into. But maybe this was some weird foreplay rich people did. Who was she to judge?

Besides, this was to help Miss Damien. Sometimes to beat the bad guys, rules had to be broken. Dianne knew that better than anyone. She was an advocate for peace and privacy but just because she wanted that didn’t mean everyone else felt the same way. She knew that Scarlett was, in no way, a woman of peace. From what she gathered, she thought Scarlett felt the same. Sometimes to do some good, some wicked must also be done.

“Mrs. Hendricks, do you have a family?” Jarvis asked as the elevator came to a stop on the top floor of the Refuge building.

“I do. Husband and two kids.” She smiled. “Both little girls and both trouble. I hope they grow up to be as much trouble as I am.”

“I hope that for you as well.”

“Why’d you ask, Jarvis?”

“I was merely curious. It is not often I speak with those in stable relationships.”

Dianne laughed and then walked around the desk at the end of the room near the double doors that led into Scarlett’s formidable office. She sat behind the secretary’s desk and adjusted the chair before searching for a computer to flip on. There was nothing!

“I’m at a loss, Jarvis…”

“Allow me.”

Dianne placed her phone on the desk and was amazed when a screen to the left came alive without her realizing there even was a screen there.

“The computers here are quite sophisticated.”

“Seeing as I don’t see a computer or understand how this is happening.”

“The hard drives are all locked away, accessed independently from each system through a secure network only accessible by Refuge employees.”

“Does that mean we can maybe get to Scarlett’s files from here?”

“It appears that she is the only employee who is not connected to the network.”

“What?”

“She has access to all of it but her files are not accessible via it. I have already scanned most information accessible to her. Why don’t you start going through Miss Bennett’s information while I see what I can do?”

“I can do that.” Dianne was out of her league. Jarvis knew it too. Her laptop only sometimes worked and her phone was six generations too old. She couldn’t even play Candy Crush properly on it most days. She was more of an old school computer girl. Or what was known as technologically challenged.

Prying through folders and files, Dianne was relieved when nothing else locked up on her. Whatever security had protected Miss Bennett’s files had already been broken thanks to Jarvis. It saved her from any further embarrassment.

“Wait a second. SHIELD?” Dianne leaned back in the chair. Tony had told her as much. And Dianne knew there was a connection, but she hadn’t expected this! “Miss Bennett is actually a SHIELD Agent who goes by the name Jinx? She exchanges a lot of silly emails with another SHIELD Agent. This is one of the ones I recognize too! She picks Scarlett up every few weeks. Agent Michelangela Pierce. I can’t piece together what their roles are but they’re friends.” Dianne hit a button in her pocket to record her thoughts to report to Tony later.

“Refuge’s files are very interesting but not in the way we were hoping. Miss Damien has a rather impressive future ahead of her.”

“Oh… oh, maybe not.” Dianne grimaced as she came across a series of files transported between another SHIELD Agent and Miss Bennett. “Oh no, Jarvis…”

“Allow me to take a look.” The screen was manipulated without Dianne’s help and the files spread over the screen, faster than Dianne could read through them. She caught a few words here and there.

“Oh no. She’s sick. I mean, I knew something was wrong.” Dianne placed her hand over her mouth as she read an email from Jinx to Mickey, expressing her concern with Scarlett’s rapid decline.

“From the information that I have gathered from these files alongside Miss Damien herself, I can confirm that her health is in decline. If it continues at this rate…”

“She’s dying.” Dianne whispered, her eyes watering. “I can’t stay here. This is awful. Gather what you can and then let’s get out of here. I’m going to be sick.” Dianne stood. Jarvis glowed a pleasant blue from her phone and then one by one the files on the screen disappeared.

“Alert.” Jarvis’ screen suddenly glowed red. “Intruder. You are not alone here, Mrs. Hendricks. Leave me and go. Take the path through the front doors. Break through the door and set off the alarms.”

Dianne wouldn’t leave Jarvis but didn’t waste a second either. She grabbed him and shoved him into her pocket. Over the last half an hour she’d gotten attached to the voice. Sirens rang suddenly overhead and the floor glowed red beneath Dianne’s feet and she crouched low in a panic.

“Files are being erased from Refuge’s internal harddrives. Something terrible is happening.”

“Jarvis, call the cops!” Dianne hushed and hurried down the stairs, afraid of getting trapped in the elevator if something went wrong. Sure enough, even the emergency lights that began to glow faded and silence fell. The floor shook but she could still make out Jarvis alerting the police of an incident at the Refuge building but it was the last thing that Dianne heard.

In a flash of fire and shrapnel, the Refuge building crumbled to the ground. Hundreds of tons of steel and stone collapsed on top of Dianne Hendricks.

The heart monitor was a comforting mantra in the back of Clint Barton’s mind and had been for the last 48 hours. He’d been in and out of consciousness for the last eight, listening for familiar sounds. For a while Natasha kept him company but they hadn’t spoken much. Someone had removed his breathing tube once it was clear he no longer needed it. He was grateful for that. His throat was still sore.

Clint had never been so thankful for modern medicine. He barely felt the pain in his side.  He knew he would, but for now he was blissfully numbed to a dull roar. Now, however, Clint was hungry. He probably wasn’t allowed to have the amount of pizza he longed for but he should be able to eat something, even if that something was hospital pudding. Maybe even coffee.

There was a sound outside his door and he slowly opened his eyes. Nothing. Just darkness and shadows passing in the hall. Maybe a nurse peeking in on him. Damn. He wanted  food. Where was his buzzer? Glancing left and right, he searched for the button that would summon a nurse. His body protested the movements.

Medicine helped the pain but there was no ignoring the stiffness and exhaustion. Food could wait. The nurses could wait. Clint closed his eyes again and allowed the sweet surrender of sleep to take him. He faded in and out of consciousness.

When he’d snuck away to warn SHIELD about the terrorist attack planned for Manhattan, his cover was blown. He’d been paranoid after going back under. The SHIELD Agent who had warned him not to go with her bad feelings had saved his life. Jinx. He’d have to thank her and Scarlett when he was up and about again. Without them, he would be in a body bag. Every breath he took, he was grateful for.

After a few days, he knew his cover was blown. Still, he took risks. Calculated risks to steal files. To break into offices he’d avoided going in to to keep his cover. When he finally managed to grab some valuable information, he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Clint was good at playing the fool. Sometimes he said stupid things because he wasn’t thinking. Just because he liked bad jokes didn’t mean he was stupid. Thankfully, in the situation of prisoner, of being beaten and tortured in exchange for information, playing the fool worked to his advantage. Time and again he fed MedCo false information. He’d even convinced them that he worked for the CIA.

Unfortunately, he was found out in the end but Clint knew that was inevitable. Using him against Scarlett ended up being the dumbest thing MedCo could have done. He was sure that if they thought he had no value, they would have left him for dead. Even though Scarlett had come alone, she’d still saved him. He’d heard stories about her and had trusted her entirely in those moments. He only hoped that she wasn’t set back because of him.

She’d refused to leave him there. That meant something. Scarlett Damien was good people as far as he was concerned. It didn’t much matter what else anyone thought on the matter. He only survived because she had seen to it. She’d kept her cool the entire time, used her skills to save them, and kept her composure. Then he’d nearly drowned and she’d had the decency to save him again.

Gratitude kept him resting peacefully, but he still was aware of the shadows passing the door and the beeping of his heart monitor.

Another shadow in front of his room but it didn’t disappear like the others. A tall man hunched over, covered by a long coat with his hat tilted low, stood in the doorway. He checked left, then right, then entered the room. Clint Barton did not stir the way he had earlier.

Erick Reno’s breathing was haggard despite his disguise. His presence rarely went unnoticed. Somehow he’d managed to sneak past security, into the hospital, and all the way to Barton’s room. Once a tall, skinny man with glasses and a conniving smile, Erick had changed drastically from the man Clint worked for. The drugs. Experiments. It changed him. He’d become a slave to the company he’d helped build.

The mutated monster of a man limped into the hospital room. Despite his mutations, he was silent with the exception of his breathing. From within his coat he removed a syringe full of sickly green liquid. Next to the bed he stood. He stood and swayed as if waiting for orders. Like a man being piloted like an RC car. 

He turned to the heart monitor and stared. Clint kept his breathing still and even then stole a glance at the man. He recognized the syringe. That was definitely poison. Not meant to mutate or make him sick like Scarlett. No, this was meant to kill him. To finish the job. They hadn’t expected Scarlett to both rescue him and get away. They’d referred to the SHIELD Agents protecting her as cockroaches. There he was, a roach- still alive.

He knew that Erick Reno had been experimented on, but he was shocked by the creature he’d become, struggling to comprehend and silence the machine attached to Clint’s body. Then in several swift motions as if someone pressed play on a video, Erick pressed buttons on the monitor and it silenced. Then he leaned over Clint Barton and placed the syringe close to his neck. Just as he was about to pierce his flesh, Clint grasped Erick’s wrist and his eyes snapped open.

Erick Reno had no chance to retaliate. Clint twisted his wrist and shoved the syringe into Erick’s own neck and pressed the plunger. Erick stumbled back in surprise but didn’t fall or try to remove the syringe. Instead, he stared at Clint and then a smile curled over his wicked, unnaturally elongated lips. He looked like a cartoon frog. When he spoke, his voice was strained.

“It’s pointless.” His laugh was smooth at first but became a horrible gurgle. Liquid collected in his throat as the poison took effect. “It’s already too late.” Erick choked on something in his throat before a terrible green foam passed over his lips and dripped onto the floor. Then he collapsed, dead.

Clint removed the heart monitor and pulled his IV free. Testing his strength, he stood and decided he’d be fine until he could get to safety. Whatever was happening, he had to move quickly. He now knew what became of Erick Reno. He’d have SHIELD come and clean up the mess.

There were fates worse than torture and death. The obedient monster that Erick became was more terrible than any wounds Clint suffered. Carefully, he walked around the bed and found the clothing Natasha left for him and changed quickly. He winced when buttoning up his pants. There was the pain, just like he remembered. The odds were likely that there was more planned for him, in case Erick didn’t work out.

Probably pretty high odds of that actually. He closed the door and dragged Reno’s body into the far corner of the room. Out of sight and out of mind. He patted down the man’s coat for radios or sensors that would alert anyone of his failure. Nothing of the like. Within the coat he found a silenced gun and a sheathed knife, both which Clint took. He slipped the hoodie on that Natasha left for him and pulled the hood low on his face. If the doctors spotted him he’d be dragged back to a room. 

There was no time to waste.

Pocketing the phone Natasha left for him, Clint braced himself for the pain of travel. He’d dealt with worse. It didn’t mean he was excited about it, just that he would survive.

Clint would act like he belonged. He walked past the first nurse’s station only to find there was a second. Security guards, nurses, doctors. Clint just acted like he belonged and no one gave him a second glance. He walked through the hospital and found a side entrance that led to a smoking area for visitors. Then he pulled the fire alarm. If something was going to happen inside, he wanted to give people a chance to evacuate. He would draw as little attention to himself as possible.

Making his way through the parking lot Clint ducked between a few cars, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Then he called Natasha. He had to warn them that MedCo had planned something big. That and Erick Reno’s body was rotting away in his hospital room. While he’d been undercover he’d been certain that someone from MedCo had infiltrated SHIELD. It was probably how his cover was blown in the first place.

Everyone was in danger. Someone knew where he was in the hospital and had managed to help Erick Reno sneak inside past security with both weapons and poison. Just as he heard the familiar ring in his ears, the world went suddenly dead quiet. He pulled the phone away from his ear and just as he was about to turn there was a tremendous crack.

Then he was thrown off of his feet and onto the asphalt with force. Rolling beneath the car next to him, Clint felt the heat of the fire and explosion that brought part of the hospital crumbling to the ground. He prayed that it wouldn’t get any worse before he could call for help.

The modern highrise loomed overhead with its glassy and intimidating reflection. Its unique, sleek design was something Tony was quite proud of. He hadn’t been to the main office of Stark Industries in a long time. The moment felt out of time. Surreal. His name atop the building, even though it needed no identifying. People knew it was his just by looking.

It’d changed drastically in the last few years.

No longer the same Stark Industries that Tony’s ex-partner and once mentor Obadiah Stane ran into the ground. No, this was completely rebuilt and represented the future. His legacy. He could take what his father created and build it beyond his wildest dreams. For his and his family’s future. 

He shivered.

Even a decade ago, Tony never considered his legacy. It was about money, fame, wealth, and filling the emotional void with drugs, sex, alcohol, and stuff. It was only now that he was realizing just how deeply his captivity in Afghanistan impacted him. It’d shattered the life he’d known into pieces. Pieces that would never fit back into the man he’d become. He’d made the mistake trying to do just that for too long. 

What else was he supposed to do besides rebuild himself?

But the pieces no longer fit because Tony had fundamentally changed. He could never be the man he was before the weapons demonstration that led to his capture. It was a mistake to even try. There was no way to erase that part of him, a part that had changed his mind, body, and soul. He knew he didn’t need the arc reactor in his chest to keep him alive. Medical advancements had come far enough to remove the shrapnel in his chest. But it was a part of him. For now, he’d keep it. 

One hurdle at a time. 

And the scars. There were so many scars. His chest. His back. His hands. They would always remind him of that trauma. A trauma that nearly took his life. And he learned the hard way that trauma would not and could not be ignored. Not by anyone. Not even Tony Stark. He’d ignored it for too long and it all came crashing down after Manhattan.

The betrayal of a man who had taken the place of his father. 

The heartbreak of the realization that he’d begun a romantic relationship with one of his best friends for all the wrong reasons. 

Becoming a super hero in an attempt to right insurmountable wrongs that he was responsible for.

Tony never felt like a super hero. He bragged about being Iron Man, sure. He was incredible- he knew that. But Tony never felt super human. In fact, it was the opposite. Tony had never felt more human. Before that moment where he’d faced one of his own weapons nearly ending his life, he’d felt invincible. 

He’d never coped with his mortality until then.

He’d built an army. Consumed by fear and anger, because that’s what it was. Fear. Fear that his life would again shatter beyond his control. Fear of the pain. Fear of having to face the traumas he’d suffered. To this day, he still had nightmares about waking up mid-surgery in a filthy prison in Afghanistan.

He’d never talked about it. 

Yinsen had saved his life, but it had been pain like Tony never felt before. There was a hole carved into his body to make room for a magnet powered by a car battery. Tony was still uncertain how he’d survived.

There were pieces of Tony that were so destroyed they’d been left as grains of sand in the desert. Those parts could never be rebuilt or replaced. And he didn’t want them to be. For Tony to move forward, for him to truly cope with the trauma from the past few years, he had to start from the beginning.

So much good came from that trauma. He thought he was coping. Stark Industries was changing the world. Other companies were following in his footsteps. He knew that not making weapons anymore wouldn’t change that the world was a violent and cruel place at times. But at least it wouldn’t be done under his name or with his help.

With his intellect and skill, Tony could do greater things than destroy. As Iron Man he could protect people from suffering the way he had. The way he still was and had never admitted to anyone. There was a good chance that he’d never recover. He’d just learn to live alongside that suffering.

Today, looking upon his legacy, Tony was okay with the harsh reality. He didn’t want to rebuild his past self anymore. Maybe this was how healing truly began. Scarlett had inadvertently helped him face demons that he didn’t realize were weighing him down. Had told him he wasn’t alone and he believed it for the first time in his life. 

Pepper was there. Happy was there. Rhodey was there. Even SHIELD was there. And now Scarlett.

Scarlett was not the first person to reach their hand out to Tony to teach him to start again. She was, however, the first person to see through his mask of arrogance. She’d become the metaphorical light in his darkness, darkness that Tony didn’t realize completely consumed him. It’d kept him up the entire night wondering if this deep attraction was simply because of that moment.

But he realized that wasn’t the case. He’d seen her light through a damn television screen in a bar where he couldn’t hear the report. He’d been so drawn to that light that he’d traveled across the country, a thing he thought he might never do again. And it was then that he convinced himself that she was a light that he would find even if he was too blind to see it. Their connection, whatever it was, was unshakeable. And it was a choice they both made. To be connected. Fate was an excuse. An excuse to justify a choice. His life was intertwined with hers. With Refuge- Because he wanted it to be.

It was comforting to know that no matter what hand he was dealt, she would be there waiting for him. Tony felt full for the first time in his life. When he finally managed to tell her, he was sure she would laugh. That she would say he was a drama queen. And he loved that. Tony didn’t mind sounding ridiculous with Scarlett.

Dark windows glared at him from the tall building. Tony hadn’t been inside the main office in so long now that it was almost daunting. There was no physical threat here. Tony’s metaphorical dragon had laid waste to the hillside and was inside that building.

But he would be brave. He walked through the front doors and waited for the lights to come on but they didn’t. For a moment, he wondered if Pepper overrode his security clearance then decided she wouldn’t know how.

“Interesting.” Tony shrugged it off and instead approached the keypad and manually punched in his entry code. It took the computer a little too long to process his information. Tony cocked a curious eyebrow. Very interesting. One by one the lights came on, the doors turned blue and he was granted entry. The glass doors reflected the date, time, weather, and a greeting.

“Welcome, Mr. Stark.” Jarvis’ comforting and familiar voice greeted him.

“Lights, Jarvis.”

There was no response.

“Jarvis?” Something wasn’t right. Tony spun in place but received no reply from any direction. Shrugging, Tony continued through the building, past security, and into the elevator that took him silently to the top floor. Then he walked through eerily quiet halls, footsteps echoing. It was nothing. It felt good to be there. This was all his. Tony walked with confidence through the double doors into his old office.

It was clean. Pristine. As though he’d never left. Pepper must not have used his office the way he told her she could. That was oddly endearing. For a time, he thought Pepper didn’t want him to get back to work. It seemed silly now. His anxiety tricked him into believing many things that weren’t true. The office had been kept waiting for him to return.

Tony sat behind the curved desk at the far end of his office and reclined in the comfortable chair. It creaked with disuse.

“Now. Why aren’t you working?” Tony turned on the computer and tapped at the screen and the desk around it. Leaning back, he wondered what could have happened to cause Jarvis’ absence. Pepper wouldn’t allow his systems to go without maintenance for that long, would she? Even just a month would set them back. Tony prided his company on their technology and here it was failing.

What the hell did he pay all these technicians for if not to maintain shit? Browsing through systems manually was tedious, no wonder he’d created Jarvis. He found that the system had been disabled. Maybe Pepper had grown tired of him. Tony doubted again that she’d figured out how to do that on her own. 

When Tony enabled Jarvis the process failed.

“Well, that’s just great.” Tony sighed and set his phone down nearby. He slid a few files in front of him and typed on the keyboard. “Hey, Jarvis. Can you fix your own mess, here?” The screen of the phone lit up.

“One moment, sir.” A hologram appeared and spun before Tony. Then it turned red and buzzed. “I require more direct access than is available. I am being blocked from here.”

“How’s that possible? It’s my system. I can’t be blocked.”

“Without access I cannot answer that.”

“It was more rhetorical than anything.”

“My apologies, Mr. Stark. I have always struggled with rhetoric.”

“You’ve gotten much better at it.” Tony tapped away at the keyboard. “Well, we’ll be spending quite a bit of time here in the foreseeable future apparently. I can’t believe how bad this mess is. I mean, things are not as I left them.”

“That is rather unfortunate.”

“Tell me about it. Can you get into the system at all, Jarvis?”

“I require a tangible link, sir.”

Tony plugged Jarvis into the port beneath his desk. Afterward, with Jarvis’ assistance making it go that much faster, Tony properly repaired his computer, disconnected it from the network at Stark Industries, then used Jarvis to disguise his connection so he could begin his anonymous search and find everything he could about Scarlett, Refuge, and SHIELD. 

An hour passed with no luck. Each time Tony thought he found something, it would mysteriously disappear or he’d have to bypass someone’s attempt to override his access. That would never happen, of course. Tony knew how to navigate the darker parts of the internet better than most. Yet every avenue he searched ended in failure.

“If you don’t mind my asking, sir: why are we doing this here and not at home?”

“It used to be that things were better here. Connection, servers, VPN, speed. All of that. Not the case anymore apparently.” Tony tapped his fingers nervously. “And it’s easier to explain why my computers at my business are breaking through secure firewalls than it would be from home. I don’t really need the CIA showing up at my door. Again.”

“Ah yes, the age old avoiding the authorities excuse.”

“Don’t get sassy with me.”

“My apologies.”

“Let’s try something else. The digital fingerprint is obviously being monitored.” Tony cracked his knuckles and spun in his chair before adjusting and sitting at the end of it. If he couldn’t directly find MedCo or The Crown to get information then he would find someone else who already knew all about these things. Someone he already knew how to manipulate.

After all, he knew Scarlett was heavily involved with SHIELD. The archer had more than solidified it and she’d confirmed it. Barton, right? Couldn’t remember real names sometimes. Always called him Legolas. Whatever information SHIELD had on MedCo would be better than the nothing Tony had. 

Tony had long ago hacked into the SHIELD servers. They’d tried to stop him on several occasions but at some point, Tony figured that they decided it was pointless. If they had anything that big to hide, Tony wouldn’t find it on their servers most likely. MedCo, he thought, was probably not too big to be hidden. SHIELD wasn’t exactly the benevolent benefactors they appeared to be from the inside out. But he couldn’t fight every battle in one night. 

One thing at a time.

Maybe when he was back on his feet then he and Scarlett could tackle those big threats together. It was comforting. To think he wouldn’t have to do it alone anymore.

The amount of information SHIELD had on MedCo was tremendously overwhelming. What Tony found was a huge web of connections to the company that had developed through the years. Tony reclined and watched the information unfold before him. The web grew endlessly. Rubbing his fingers against his temples he wondered where to begin. If MedCo had this lengthy a history and Scarlett was in there somewhere then how could he pinpoint where the two intersected?

Maybe start with a date of some significance. When had Refuge been founded again? Tony knew almost everything there was to know about it at this point. It was as good a place to start as any and with the wealth of information before him, Tony would be overwhelmed no matter where he began. May 20th, 2012. Only about a week after The Battle For New York. Interesting. 

“I don’t suppose anyone would deliver coffee to me at this hour.”

“Would you truly desire someone to show up with coffee during your illicit affairs, Mr. Stark?”

“Wouldn’t be the weirdest thing I’ve done while doing something illegal.” Tony smirked but caught something in the corner of his eye while skimming files. “Wait.” Tony scrolled back through and touched a folder with his name on it. What was he doing in there? He didn’t have to open any of the files to see what was within. Tony recognized them immediately by name.

Weapons.

A whole damn stockpile of weapons.

Weapons that he’d made.

Weapons that had been slowly faded out of manufacturing over the years. There were parts of his company that were wrapping up long term contracts. There wasn’t a way to stop cold turkey, not immediately. But that was coming to an end. Even so, the amount of weapons produced by Stark Industries was a mere fraction of what had once been his primary product. 

Tony searched for a report to date the photos and only found a dozen more photos. Worse than that, he found a database of weapons. Weapons that had been recovered from MedCo and their affiliates either from abandoned warehouses or from scenes of horrific violence. Tony’s weapons were at the very center of it.

They weren’t all dated from when Obadiah Stane had been making illicit deals with less than reputable people either. There were photos from just a few weeks ago. Where the hell were they getting his weapons from? Weapons that were barely produced and were being phased out! Once Tony had realized Stane’s betrayal, he had gone through the company with a fine tooth comb and had done away with anything remotely suspicious and handed over illicit information to the proper authorities.

Hell, Tony had even flown halfway around the world once in his armor and blew some of those terrorist cells out of existence single handedly. Going through the database, it appeared to him that there was a large gap in the use of his arms. The influx in the last year was tremendous. What did that mean?

“It wasn’t just Stane.” Tony leaned back in his chair. A chill ran down his spine. Fear gripped his chest. How many moles were lying in wait in his company, hoping he’d let his guard down? When he’d gone into hiding, they’d seized it as an opportunity. Pepper wouldn’t be looking for it and Tony wasn’t paying attention. 

Once Jarvis was disabled, it was easy.

In his absence, Stark Industries became a ticking time bomb. He never suspected that anyone other than Stane was behind that sick plot. Now he knew that was untrue and felt naive for ever thinking it.

With him gone Pepper was manipulated. She likely had no idea that their weapons were still being shipped to terrorist organizations. There was no way she was involved. She’d never allow something like that to happen. She barely even tolerated his tasteless jokes at times.

When Pepper found out what was happening beneath her nose she would feel terrible. And he already felt terrible. He could have put a stop to it if he’d just been able to crawl out of the hole he dug for himself.

His stomach felt sick and he turned in his chair. Were his weapons part of how Scarlett ended up in whatever mess she was in? Was he partially responsible? She would never blame him. He knew that. He copied the files to his phone and then closed the connection and leaned back in his chair. Even Jarvis had nothing to say. This was no laughing matter. It was time for another purge. Everyone would be investigated. His corporation would never be used this way ever again.

Why hadn’t SHIELD approached him? What reason would they have not to involve him when MedCo was using his weapons? That was a problem for later. Right now he had to solve the problem inside of his company. If there was someone manipulating things during his absence there would be a trail. Someone had to authorize shipments, alter files, paperwork, to make it all appear legitimate.

Thank goodness that they had only disabled Jarvis and not taken control of him. That was a terrifying thought that he had to make certain never happened. Things would be changing drastically at Stark Industries in the coming weeks.

Sure enough, as he continued the search through his company’s inner workings, he found that Pepper had her passcode changed over a dozen times in the last few months because someone else kept accessing her files. How was that possible?

The further he dug, the worse it got. It wasn’t just weapons being shipped off to these people but other projects Stark Industries was developing. Top secret plans, products, advancements that shouldn’t have been seen by anyone other than him. Tony was putting an end to this.

Within the bowels of Stark Industries files, Tony discovered communications between someone using Pepper’s identification and someone receiving weapons. They’d approved several shipments of weaponry in the past month alone. It had to be MedCo. Boiling with rage, Tony searched for any sign of Pepper actually receiving these communications. She hadn’t.

These messages were routed within company servers to avoid being traced. That night, Tony would be crashing the servers, but not before he caught someone with their pants down and made them suffer for what they’d done. They’d manipulated his misery for the worst reasons.

Without fully thinking through his plan, Tony created a dummy account, similar to the ones communicating with whoever was behind this. Then he planted a message in dire need of weapons. He would trap whoever it was and hopefully get some information out of them before turning them over to SHIELD. God, the mess they’d have to deal with the next few weeks would be overwhelming.

He got a response almost immediately. The contact gave him an asking price and awaited reply. Tony bargained a little to keep up appearances. Once they came to an agreement, Tony asked where to meet for delivery. It took awhile for the last response to come in and it nearly killed Tony to wait. He never did have much patience. He kept checking his phone in the meantime to see if Scarlett had messaged him but there was nothing. Hopefully she was getting some proper rest and feeling better. He sent her a message to tell her as much.

No response. Not from Scarlett, at least.

However, communication from the imposter Pepper Potts gave him an address. An address he knew. An old Stark Industries warehouse about fifty miles east of where he was. Tony waited, hesitated, and then responded that he’d be there in an hour to complete the transaction.

“Should I contact SHIELD about this, Mr. Stark?”

“Not yet.”

“You cannot be considering doing this on your own.”

“I’m Iron Man. Remember?”

“This is a dangerous person with a long history of dealing with terrorist organizations.”

Tony’s confidence waned.

“I know what they are, Jarvis. But I don’t think SHIELD will approve of what I’m planning to do.”

“If you do not plan on contacting the proper channels then perhaps you would consider contacting James Rhodes then? He is perhaps a man with a more level head than yours at the moment.”

“I don’t want Rhodey to get in trouble.”

“That is the precise reason that he should be helping you.”

“Either help me or shut up, Jarvis.” Tony made up his mind. He would tell SHIELD. He would tell Rhodey. But not until he was done. A few taps on his phone and Tony communicated with the Mark XLII and set it to standby in case he needed its help. Tony needed some leverage against MedCo. As of right now, he had nothing to help him in his quest to save Scarlett. Granted, he didn’t really know how deep she was in with them anyway or what was even wrong.

He wasn’t going to just dip his toes into it. No, Tony would dive headfirst into this mess. It was dangerous and probably foolish, but he didn’t care. Tony needed something to hold over MedCo so that if he had to bargain for Scarlett then he would have a chip in the game. She hadn’t asked for help. She wouldn’t. He knew that. But he was involved now. She didn’t get to decide how involved he was. Scarlett had taught him not to suffer alone. It was time she followed her own advice. 

When this man or woman showed up to try and sell him his own weapons, he’d lean on them for information instead.

The drive through the California desert was a blur of loud music drowned out by complex racing thoughts. Each time he played out what could happen it ended in violence. Tony had a surprising amount of pent up anger and nowhere to direct it. Now he did. He was inadvertently blaming this person for Scarlett’s struggle. 

For all he knew, she’d caused her own misery.

All he knew was that she was the woman who saved him. Who he had grown so close to. He knew that the woman she was now didn’t deserve this. If he could do anything to help her, then he would without a thought.

Once in the parking lot near the warehouse, Tony parked at the far end. He found it abandoned and dark. Hell, even a little rundown. Doubt crept through his mind as he sat in the Audi and contemplated his next move. What were the odds that this person knew it was him and not a real buyer? Tony sent another communication to verify the location of the meetup, expressing that he thought he was being followed.

His phone buzzed immediately afterward but to his surprise, it was Dianne Hendricks calling him. Tony answered.

“Tony? Tony Stark? Is that you?”

“Yes, Mrs. Hendricks, you’re calling the right number.” Tony hesitated. “Is everything okay?” Even just from her greeting he could tell she was rattled. Probably second thoughts about breaking the law.

“Have you discovered anything yet?” She spoke in an urgent whisper.

“Yes, but I’m waiting for a lead to pan out before I jump to conclusions.” Tony cleared his throat. “What about you? Have you found anything?”

“My flight was delayed but I’m finally back in Boston. I’m going to break into Refuge tonight. I don’t think I can hack through her systems on my own though. The only way I’m going to get direct access to her computer is by going inside. With this… this little thing you gave me, I should be able to get through security, right?”

“Don’t worry about it. Jarvis will take care of it.” Tony had no doubt that Scarlett’s defenses were impressive but he also knew he had the skills to break through them. “When you get there let me know what you find, okay? And be careful.”

“Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“You be safe too. I have a bad feeling in my gut about all this.” Dianne’s words didn’t sound like her own. Tony thought they sounded oddly familiar.

“You too, Mrs. Hendricks.” Tony ended the call and stepped out of his car. He received communication that the place was safe for a drop and that if he wanted the weapons then that was where they would meet. Tony checked the location of the Mark XLII. It was about ten minutes behind him. Maybe less. If he got into any trouble he had back up. Then he would contact Rhodey via the WarMachine. The US Military may not have been aware of it but Tony could hijack that thing whenever he wanted to.

Once inside the warehouse, Tony found it dark as anticipated. A large warehouse with rows upon rows of crates and shelving lined up in every direction. It was abandoned, like no one had maintained it properly in months. This was not the way Tony Stark ran his company. Guilt ripped apart his insides. His people had not pulled the slack while he was gone and now the people below them were suffering in these conditions. Never again. Tony couldn’t carry that weight right now. He would make it right.

Walking through a few rows of storage, Tony stared up at the catwalk on the second floor that lined the far edge of an open space. There were halls branching off to different shipping and packing areas. Tony wouldn’t bother. There was no one there. Someone was dicking with him. When he got back home he would report his findings to SHIELD and begin the overhaul of his company.

Tony wouldn’t rest until there were no more evil assholes inside Stark Industries. As he turned to make his way back to the large double doors leading to the parking lot, they slammed closed. Above him, lights flickered to life one set at a time from just overhead to the far end of the warehouse. Tony turned back to the doors to find a pair of soldiers armed with automatic weapons, wearing gas masks.

“Mr. Stark. I don’t believe we’ve formally met.”

Tony spun toward the Russian voice and in doing so caught sight of more soldiers spreading throughout the warehouse to cover other exits. The strange voice came from the catwalk. Stocky, with an angry brow, and a scowl on his face, the man stared at him. Worse than that, this stranger was covered in scrapes. He’d been injured and recently at that. He smiled, despite it all. 

A wicked, hollow smile.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mikhail Ivanov. The only coherent remaining founder of MedCo. Or, at least that’s what you’ve been calling it. Always thought it was silly.” He laughed. “But I digress.”

“I could have lived without the introduction.” Tony took a step toward where Mikhail stood above. The soldiers shifted behind him, guns at the ready. Tony held his hands up defensively and Mikhail waved toward his men with a chuckle. They lowered their guns.

“I know what you were hoping for this evening.”

“Do you?”

“Of course I do. We knew you’d find us eventually. Did you think your systems were so uncompromised that we would not see you worming around in them? Searching for us as we monitored you?”

Tony’s blood ran cold. Yeah, in the back of his mind he’d thought that perhaps they were watching, but he’d been so confident in the system he built and his own abilities that he’d ignored it.

“The lesson you learn tonight will be a difficult one.” Mikhail’s cold laughter echoed through the large warehouse. “Obadiah Stane knew the consequences of backing out of our arrangement. There is no backing out, Mr. Stark. Only removing obstacles in our way. You have something we need. Do you think we’re going to beg you for it?”

“You do seem more like the thieving type. Your deal was with Stane. Not with me. Regrettably, Stane is no longer with us.”

“By your hand. You are responsible for his debt, Mr. Stark.”

“I don’t know if anyone’s told you this but that’s not how it works. And I’m the least in debt guy on the planet.” Tony smirked but he was taking stock of the soldiers and his surroundings. He memorized places to take cover. There were too many soldiers in his line of sight. He couldn’t disarm them all without risking being shot in the damn head. If he could stall for time then his suit would arrive and he could make quick work of them. Unfortunately, Tony hadn’t fought much since the disaster in Manhattan. He hoped he fell back into it quickly.

The prospect of real danger was both terrifying and thrilling.

“That and threats don’t really do much for me. I’m uh… not into bargaining outside of the bedroom and no offense but you’re not really my type. I’ll offer you a consolation prize though. How about we cut a deal? You turn yourself in and I won’t kill you.”

“Has no one taught you not to bargain unless you have something worth bargaining for?” Mikhail laughed. “You will not be leaving here alive.” With a nod, several of the soldiers cautiously approached Tony.

“Fine. You’re right. I don’t have much ground to stand on right now? What if we make a deal in exchange for something I want? I doubt you really want to kill me. I’m the kind of guy that’s going to be missed.”

“What is it you could possibly want from us that you would be willing to make a deal with the devil for it?”

“That’s awfully cocky for a dude in a sling, but okay.” Tony pointed toward the soldiers. “Stop. Just cut it out. This is not a good look for any of you. All this drab black is bringing me down. Take a few steps back until this conversation is over.” The soldiers stopped in their tracks and looked for direction from Mikhail. He nodded and the soldiers each took a step back.

“So what is it that the man with everything wants?”

“Scarlett Damien.” Tony’s cocky smile faded. “I want her safe.”

“Interesting.” Mikhail smiled and rubbed his good hand against his jaw then chuckled quietly beneath his breath. “I didn’t see it at first. You’re dripping with desperation, Mr. Stark.”

“I mean, I’ve said that a few times to women but uh… no, today, you’re right. I’d trade anything for her.”

“Awfully noble of you. But there is nothing anyone can do on that front. It’s too late for her. She’s long since dug her own shallow grave. By the time you understand any of it, it’ll be too late.”

“That’s not helpful. Just cryptic. What’s that supposed to mean?” Tony confidently walked past one of the soldiers when Mikhail turned away. “By the time I understand? I’m a smart guy. If someone just told me, I’d understand perfectly. You seem awfully uninformed about what kind of a man I am for someone breaking into my company.”

“Farewell, Tony Stark.” Mikhail stopped walking but didn’t look back. “I have nothing you want.”

“The very least you could do is tell me what the hell is happening here! You can tell me what’s wrong with her!” Mikhail ignored him. Tony glanced at his phone. The Mark XLII was almost there. He hadn’t gotten anything though. He needed more. With any luck, Dianne Hendricks would do better than he did. “I’m only trying to understand.”

As Mikhail walked away, he waved his hand and the soldiers slowly approached Tony.

“I guess there’s no charming any of you, huh? I’m pretty rich.” Tony sighed when they kept approaching and took a deep breath. “Well, here we go then.” Much to the surprise of the soldiers, Tony held his arms out and waited. When they stopped their approach, he shrugged it off. “I’m unarmed and you guys are packing heat here. Was no one listening when I said I wasn’t stupid?”

Tony counted down the seconds in his head. One of the soldiers nodded and Tony checked behind him before twisting the closest unlucky soldier’s wrist and punching him hard in the jaw before pulling his back to his chest and grabbing his gun in one swift motion. Tony pointed the gun toward the others and backed up toward the wall where there were no soldiers waiting.

“Nobody move or I’ll…” Tony stumbled as one of the soldiers fired straight into the chest of the man he held as a human shield. The blow was absorbed by the soldier’s body armor but still sent a jolt of fear straight through Tony. He immediately ducked out of the way and threw the soldier away from him. Aiming low, Tony fired the gun at the feet of his attackers before leaping out of view.

A soldier ran after him and punched him right in the face. It immediately began to swell right by his eyebrow. Tony blocked another punch and threw one back. The soldier pulled out a knife and lunged at Tony who felt the sleeve of his shirt tear but didn’t feel the sting of the blade. Instead, he swiftly grabbed the guard’s wrist, twisted, and spun him around and then knocked the knife which clattered to the ground.

“Rusty, but doing pretty okay.” Tony whispered beneath his breath as he grabbed the knife and shoved it into his belt loop for later. “Any second now…”

Keeping low, Tony narrowly dodged as shots fired through the warehouse. They crashed against metal and shattered a lamp overhead in their ricochet, sending a spray of sparks raining down. Ducking behind some crates, Tony waited until he heard footsteps then clotheslined the soldier who approached at a run. Then he yelped as he was kicked to the ground.

Tony wrestled the gun out of the soldier’s hands and then rolled back and out of the way as another shot at him. He took to running between crates. Adrenaline pumped through his chest as he dared to check on the status of his suit. But he didn’t get to read the numbers. A soldier leapt at him and shoved him hard against the crates, knocking some of them over behind them.

Tony absorbed a punch to the stomach then punched the soldier hard in the face before ducking low and sweeping his legs out from beneath him. That was more like it! He was good at this! He nearly forgot. Tony took off at a run and then dove as another gunshot was fired toward him. Rolling onto his back he stopped as one of the soldiers loomed over him, gun aimed right at his chest.

Holding his hands up defensively, Tony caught his breath.

“Alright. You win.” Tony tossed the knife to the floor. “I’m all yours.”

With a horrible smashing of glass, something punched through the windows of the warehouse and then soared toward Tony like a bat out of hell. It slowed down just in time. In a flash, the gloves of the Mark XLII opened and wrapped around his fingers, his palms, his wrists until they crawled up his forearms, unfolding gracefully into the armored gloves he was so used to. Just as they did, the soldier fired. Tony deflected the shot with his armored forearm. Bruised, Tony leapt to his feet as the soldier aimed his gun again but was also backing up.

Clang!

The armor of the Mark XLII crashed through the warehouse walls and windows from every direction. Red and gold pieces flew and unfolded in front of him and Tony stepped into the boots before leaping high into the air with their thrusters and came slamming down on the ground, fist first into the man with the gun. The gun fell to the ground nearby harmlessly.

Turning swiftly to his right, Tony fired the repulsors and another soldier flew back into some crates. As another turned the corner, Tony leapt into the air, spun, and smashed the soldier hard in the face before grabbing him and using the thrust of his suit to send him sliding along the concrete floor.

Hearing the alert for the rest of the armor, Tony stood upright and held his arms out on either side of him. With accurate precision, the armor hugged his form, opening and spreading into larger pieces before surrounding his body. He soared into the air and braced himself for the final piece as it attached to the back of the armor and expanded to cover his face with a satisfying metallic snap.

Flipping through the air, he landed on the concrete on one knee, fist shattering the ground and sending a shockwave in every direction. As he scanned his surroundings for a body count through his helmet, gunfire rattled against his armor but Tony heard it more than he felt it and turned toward the soldier.

“Yeah. Still bulletproof.” Tony caught sight of six soldiers and then several more popped up on either side. MedCo set up an ambush. Mikhail had very much intended to kill him that night. “You got a lock on ‘em, Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir.”

With a soft hiss, metallic panels emerged from the shoulders of his armor and small missiles flew through the air, struck their targets, and sent a jolt through them so strong it would incapacitate them. The air smelled like burnt flesh.

“Was that timing heroic enough for you, Mr. Stark?”

“Maybe work on it. A little too close for comfort.”

“The damage done to you is superficial. I’d say we did perfectly well. What was it you said? Chicks dig scars?”

“Bullets are still pretty life threatening without armor.” Tony blasted his repulsors straight at the soldiers coming toward him.

“I’m sorry to report that they are regrouping, sir.”

“Good thing I have all this pent up aggression.” Tony clenched his fists and the backs of his gloves glowed blue and with a quick twist of his wrists, a beam of energy blasted straight in front of him. Rudimentary swords. Spinning through the air, he knocked back those who came for him which numbered at least half a dozen. With the use of the armor’s advanced guidance system, Tony ducked and spun, stabbed and slashed, held up his arm and watched as the glove fanned out into a small shield, then thrust the laser blade straight into one of the soldiers.

Tony watched and waited for more, waited for backup but instead heard a low and menacing rumble from somewhere in the distance, followed by shaking beneath his feet. “What the hell is that, Jarvis?”

“Uncertain.” Calculations ran across the screen and while he recognized them, Jarvis announced it anyway. “An explosion nearby, sir. Extremely nearby.”

“How extremely are we talking? Where? In here?” Tony found out soon enough because he was flung through the air by a blast of fire and debris. Crates flew through the explosion and the entire warehouse groaned. Another explosion to Tony’s left sent him flying into a stack of crates that crashed atop him, burying him beneath their rubble. With his repulsors he blasted the crates away and leapt into the air. “Definitely here.”

“I’d say so.”

“Time to bail, Jarvis.” Tony guided the Mark XLII into the air and wove through debris and flames. He swerved past more gunfire and then blew a hole through what remained of the roof before soaring into the night sky. Below him, what remained of the Stark Industries warehouse exploded in a brilliant display of blue and red. There were no more signals of life left in the building.

Tony wouldn’t hang around to see if backup would arrive.

He knew exactly where to go next.

Shuffling her feet along the concrete walkway to the front door of her loft, Scarlett stopped in front of it with a heavy sigh. Instead of opening it, she leaned her forehead against the wood and sat there for a long time. It was cool and comforting against her feverish forehead. The sky was overcast, much like her mood. Every part of her felt heavy from the previous day but at least she could walk.

Medicated.

A word she resented but it was also accurate. Grumbling a string of obscenities she fumbled with the key to the door. Every bit of her frustration was focused on the key, not the tremors in her hands that failed to complete the task. No, this was clearly the key’s fault. Wouldn’t fit in the damn lock. Sabotaging her attempt to escape the elements. Slowing down her progress toward a hot bath and a nap.

Finally, she successfully unlocked the door, opened it, and slammed it closed behind her. The first aid kit still sat atop her counter and her laptop was closed on the coffee table. Scarlett wanted to sleep the misery away. It wasn’t an option given the state of her life but it didn’t stop her from dreaming about it.

She should call Tony. 

But who could blame her for being hesitant to get into a conversation that started and ended with ‘hey, I know we want to fuck but I’m dying’?

With another grumble, Scarlett sat on the couch. She rested her head back and closed her eyes when there was a knock at the door. Probably her detail from SHIELD checking to make sure she made it in okay. She had no energy to deal with a babysitter. Yes, she was sick, but she was doing exactly as she was told. No more missions. All she wanted now was to be left to her own devices.

Scarlett had Refuge shit to catch up on.

“Go away!” Scarlett shouted when there was another knock on the door. There was silence then another knock. She grunted in annoyance and whined. Then she picked a pillow up from the couch, put it over her face, and yelled into it. Then the lock turned on the door and Scarlett sat upright, alarmed, and considered it was an intruder and not a SHIELD Agent. She thought she’d done a good job covering her tracks but who knew anymore. Then again, an intruder wouldn’t knock first. Nick Fury had alluded to SHIELD being compromised though and SHIELD definitely knew where she was.

Scarlett reached for a gun beneath the couch. 

But she put it back. It wasn’t an intruder.

It was Natasha.

“Ugh, go away.” Scarlett made an attempt to fix her hair but knew her face would be a mess too. There was no saving her appearance. She needed a shower. And a massage. And to not be sick. 

She’d like that.

“No.”

“I’m supposed to take it easy. I think that includes not fighting with you. Or being belittled by you. Neither sounds great.”

“I don’t care.” Natasha slipped her fingers between the door and the frame and removed the security chain. Then she shoved the tool she’d used to pick the lock into her pocket. “We need to talk.”

“You mean you need to talk. I’m perfectly content with silence.” Scarlett rested her head in her hands. “You don’t have the right to break into my place because you need to talk. I could have shot you.”

“You wouldn’t have. And like you wouldn’t break into my place were the tables turned.”

“If the tables were turned, none of this would be necessary.” Scarlett practically bit as she spoke. Scarlett never would have blamed Natasha for something like this. If Natasha had come to her for help and Scarlett offered that help, they would both be responsible. Natasha very much averted her eyes but didn’t back down. She closed the door behind her.

“I didn’t mean it.” Natasha took a step closer. These conversations sucked. Scarlett hated them. She could tell that Natasha hated them too. Why did the honest conversations feel so cathartic with Tony and so terrible with Natasha? Ugh. Feelings were so annoying. But they’d both had them in abundance lately.

“Oh?”

“What I said the other day. I didn’t mean it.”

“And then she lies because she feels bad. You meant it, Natasha.” Scarlett laughed in disbelief. She needed a drink. She got up and walked to the kitchen and was tempted by the half empty bottle of scotch on the counter. She reconsidered and grabbed a glass of water instead. Too much medicine in her system to risk scotch. Simmons told her not to drink. She promised to listen and she meant it. If she was going to function for what came next, she couldn’t be drunk and high on medicine.

“Scarlett.”

“No. You meant it.” Scarlett drank the water greedily. It helped the dry mouth but the cling from all the coughing seemed impossible to get rid of. It made her voice a little raspy, even. “And you were right. I went about this all wrong, Romanoff.”

“Don’t call me that.” Natasha was frustrated. The Black Widow wanted to fix it and move on. But wishing her dead was beyond the concept of friendship. They weren’t teenagers. It hadn’t been a dramatic overreaction. Natasha had meant every word she said.

“I’ll call you whatever I want to call you. I’m changing the game, Romanoff. Right now, I need SHIELD because I cannot function without them. But you were right. I never should have burdened you. Burdened them. I have put countless lives in danger. I don’t think I realized how seriously until yesterday. Involving you was an error in judgment.”

“Don’t be like this. You’re overtired.”

“Don’t tell me what I am and what I’m not.” Scarlett set the glass down. “You SHIELD assholes are good at that. If I hadn’t been terrified then I never would have involved you. The poison scared me. So sue me. I should have sucked it up and burned that bastard’s body. Gone off the grid and hunted them down one by one.”

“They would have killed you.”

“You forget how good I was at my job. I forgot for a bit too. You got in my head about it. Made me insecure.”

“You did the right thing coming to me. I’m your friend, Scarlett.”

“Oh, you see, that’s where you’re wrong.” Scarlett pointed to her. “We don’t make friends in this business. Just alliances. I should have gone to him if anyone. Not you. He’s a stronger alliance.”

“He would have gotten you killed. He can’t help you like SHIELD can.”

“Has SHIELD helped me?” Scarlett gestured to herself. She was fading. “And he would have gotten the job done even after I died. Without putting all of you in danger.” Scarlett sighed. Half of what she said she didn’t mean but she was cranky and tired. If it made Natasha leave her alone so she could nap, that’s what mattered. She just needed to be nasty which wasn’t hard. Scarlett had a way of getting under a person’s skin if she needed to. “I’m putting an end to this one way or another. And to be quite frank? I don’t want your help.”

“You would’ve been killed then and you’ll be killed now.” Natasha walked to the other side of the counter and glared.

“You don’t get it. I’m dying either way, Romanoff. At least this way no one else is caught in the crossfire. You focus on getting SHIELD clean because I know it’s compromised. I’ll do what I need to. It’s only Mikhail now and I did quite a number on him. Scott is of little consequence. Never had the knowledge to pull off anything big on his own. He’s a pawn. He needs Mikhail. He needs me. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know how to say that clearer, actually.”

“You’re not going to die either way, Scarlett.”

“You can’t tell me that you’re here to apologize because you feel like I deserve an apology. You showed up to apologize because you saw my updated chart. Or someone else made you feel like you should. Besides, you were there the other day. You knew it was coming before I did. Or did you forget that too?”

Natasha furrowed her brow and went pale. Scarlett walked around the counter and stood in front of Natasha, towering over her.

“They tripled my medication, Romanoff. If it keeps escalating like this? Then I’m done in a month. We both know that. That’s if I can keep using this medicine at all. Seems to me like my body is rejecting it.” Scarlett waited for a response but got none. The redhead just stood, glaring. “That gives me a good three or four weeks to fight. And I will fight until I can’t feel my fingers anymore. I’m not going to curl up and cry, Romanoff. If I go? I’m going down swinging.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It is. The only person I’m going to answer to anymore? Is Tony. He’s the only one who listens to me. And to be perfectly honest with you, I’m going to tell him everything and then ask him to go into hiding.” Scarlett knew Tony wouldn’t. Half of what she said was just a straight up lie. But most of it was the truth. Scarlett was angry with Natasha, angrier than she realized.

“It’s not about you needing to protect anyone, Scarlett. It’s not about you keeping us safe. I volunteered for this when you came to me. I made it about keeping us safe. I’m sorry.”

“You’re not.”

“If I can’t tell you what you are then you can’t tell me either.” Natasha pointed angrily at the proverbial line in the sand between them. “This is about how much I care about you. About everyone at SHIELD caring about you. Do you think we’re risking our necks because we feel obligated? No. Jinx, Mickey, Maria, Simmons, Fitz, Barton, Fury. Even Ganter cares. You have done everything you can to keep us safe. Even going against your better judgment. Even going on missions that I set you up for that end up being traps.”

“I didn’t ask for a pep talk.”

“You didn’t just come to me in a moment of panic, Scarlett.” Natasha sighed. “You don’t do that. You’re not a moment-of-panic person. You’re calculated.”

“I don’t think you know how afraid I was.”

“I do. Trust me, I do.”

“Why don’t you just get mad at me and leave? I know that’s what you want to do.”

“Because that’s what you want me to do. That’s why you’re being like this.”

“Yeah, so take a hint.”

“No.” Natasha shook her head. “You thought by coming to me that I’d arrest you. You didn’t care, Scarlett. You’re a criminal! Like… an international terrorist level criminal. You have been for years. Just like I was. You came to me because you knew I would have to bring you to justice. Then maybe someone would listen to you and just maybe… even if you couldn’t be saved, maybe you could save other people.”

It was Scarlett’s turn to stay quiet.

“I know you thought about going to him. He asked me why you didn’t. I told him I didn’t know but I lied.”

“Enough.”

“He’s a killer. And he’s not changing anytime soon, Scarlett. That’s his calling. It’s what he does. You knew that. I know that. It’s why I would have intervened even then.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that, Romanoff, because I have very little time left and I don’t want to waste it being this fucking pissed.”

“The only way any good comes out of what’s happened to you is if you came to me. And you knew that. Because I would bring you to SHIELD. You didn’t come in expecting to survive.” Natasha watched Scarlett who sat again on the couch. She put her head in her hands. The world was spinning. She didn’t want to deal with this. Why couldn’t Natasha just be like a normal person and get the fuck out of her face? She just wanted a bath, a nap, and to talk to Tony. 

“Just let me do this. Leave me alone and let me do this.”

“We have to work together. I don’t care about SHIELD. I care about you. We can do this. We can save you.”

“You just said it. I have never been trying to save me.” Scarlett felt suddenly exhausted. The rush of anger was fading and her hands trembled. Stupid medicine. Even now she could feel her stomach lurching. Coughing, she covered her mouth and avoided Natasha entirely. “I can’t watch anyone else die because of me. You keep everyone safe and I’ll do what needs to be done.”

“That’s suicide so no, I won’t do that.” Natasha sat next to her but gave her distance.

“I won’t watch anyone else get hurt, Natasha. I’d sooner turn myself over to them.”

“Do you think anyone is going to sit idly by and watch you stick your neck out for everyone else? Someone has to stick their neck out for you too. Do you really think I’m giving up on you? Or that Stark will give up on you? Or Mickey? Or Jinx? Simmons? Fitz? Ganter? Fury? I can keep going, if you like.”

“I can’t ask any of you to do that and I won’t. It was selfish of me to assume it would be safe for anyone to help. I’m selfish. You already know that.”

“Clint is going to be just fine.” Natasha sighed. “I lost it because I am too close to this whole thing. I feel guilty for not pulling him out of his cover when I should have. He insisted. I was desperate for information to save you.”

“Yeah, that was really fucking stupid.” Scarlett rested her chin in her hand. “I’m pretty pissed about that, by the way. If it were my team? Never would have happened.”

“It was a rare moment of me thinking with my heart and not my head. He insisted. It’s tough commanding people like us around. We’re all the same kind of stubborn.” Natasha smiled. Scarlett rolled her eyes. “Thanks to you, he’ll be fine. Still in the hospital for some time but he’s a fighter. Did you hear what he managed to do before he was caught?”

“No, we didn’t get to talk. Scott and Mikhail were trying to capture me and his intestines were falling out. I had time on the quarter mile swim with him on my back but there wasn’t much thinking except that I couldn’t stop just because I wasn’t well because then he would die too. Then after that it was mostly vomiting.” Scarlett looked deadpan back to Natasha. “That and everyone at SHIELD is terrified of me. So the only person who ever tells me anything is Jinx or Fury. And I have spoken to him in person once. Total. So no, I don’t know anything else.”

“Before they caught him he stole some valuable information. He shoved it in a memory stick in his wound to keep it hidden. It’s gross but we sent it to Mickey so we can take a look at it.”

“Didn’t the ocean fuck that up?”

“No, it was really in there. You don’t want to know.” Natasha grimaced. “Clint told me to thank you for getting him out of there. Said you did really good work even though you weren’t okay.”

“Yeah, well, I’m good at what I do so I’ll make sure he knows it’s just part of the job.”

“We’re a team, Scarlett. You can’t just abandon a team.”

“I was never abandoning the team.” Scarlett groaned in annoyance. “I just wanted you to go away.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Yeah, I see that. It’s very annoying.”

“If you don’t let us help then a lot of good people are going to die. Including you.”

“Oh, I’m not a good person.” Scarlett laughed but it became a cough again. She slammed her fist against her chest to try and clear it. “Never was. Not the type worth saving, Tasha.”

“You’re wrong.” Natasha smiled, with a relieved sigh. Scarlett didn’t see the point in continuing to be mad at her. “Everyone’s worth saving. Even as shitty a person as you.”

“Well, haven’t you become quite the optimist?”

“That used to be you but you’re really bringing me down right now.”

“Maybe because someone told me I should have died.”

“I’m never going to live this down, am I?”

“I’m putting it in my will that I want Clint to remind you of it at every spare moment after I’m gone.”

“That’s morbid.”

“Just because it makes you uncomfortable doesn’t mean it isn’t true.” Scarlett wouldn’t argue anymore with Natasha. The redhead leaned back on the couch, settling in. So much for being alone. “You really feel that strongly about the Hunter?”

“The moment he gave you that look.” Natasha said without hesitation. “The moment you gave it back.”

“He was really sexy.” Scarlett shrugged.

“Yeah, you two shacked up regardless of my warning. I kept expecting him to get you killed.”

“I think he cared about me in his own weird messed up possessive way. Can’t fuck me if I’m dead so, there’s that.”

“I figured that out too. Did you ever care about him?”

“In my own weird messed up way but not really… it was sex. And it was fun. The Hunter isn’t the type of guy you fall in love with.”

“Thank god for that, Scarlett.” Natasha took a deep breath.

“Back off my love life, will you?”

“So. I shouldn’t lecture Stark?”

“Please, never.”

Bang!

Bang bang bang!

Tony waited for a response from the other side of the motel door but there was nothing. He heard a faint click. A lamp being shut off. Someone was inside. He knocked again and waited.

Having a heart to heart with Pepper was just what Tony needed. The guilt of leaving Scarlett so sick was heavy but Pepper reassured him that Scarlett was smart and capable. If she needed a doctor and said she would see one then she would. Tony hadn’t been wrong to leave. Pepper had even said it was respectful of him to do as she asked. To trust her.

For the first time in a long time, Tony felt like the old Pepper Potts was back. It’d never occurred to him how long he’d been struggling with the stress of everything since Afghanistan. Not until Scarlett brought it up. There was no way for him to understand how anyone else coped with his struggles either. Tony understood that now.

He understood why Pepper acted the way she did. He didn’t agree with it, but he understood it a bit better. Tony had only seen the situation selfishly. How it had impacted him. But now he saw the waves the ripple left on everyone. The ripples that might have spread for the rest of his life. He might have dealt with it for just as long. But he understood how to deal with them now. How to ride out the waves they created. For the first time ever, Tony felt comfortable discussing it. 

He had Scarlett to thank for that.

That and removing the pressure of romance with Pepper had done wonders for them. Pepper, after listening to what Tony knew about Scarlett, suggested he take drastic action. She’d suggested finding the reporter that wrote those articles and asking what she knew. Tony knew Pepper was still bitter about Scarlett but he was still bitter about Happy so they were even. At least for now. 

This was how Tony wound up outside of a motel off the highway, banging on the door of a reporter.

“I know you’re in there!” Tony shouted but when no one answered, he tried to call her, send her an email, and text messages. Hell, he’d even spoken to her boss on the east coast to try and get her a message. “I’m not leaving!” Finally the door opened just a crack and from behind the chain, she peered at him.

“Leave me alone!” Dianne looked exhausted, her short dark hair half standing up in the back as though she’d been leaning against it in the same spot for quite some time. “I never meant for Miss Damien to be arrested like that, okay? Just leave me alone!”

“That’s not why I’m here!” Tony placed his hand on the door to keep her from slamming it closed just as she tried to. Dianne blinked her eyes closed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Then what? What could I possibly do for you, Mr. Stark?” Dianne was exasperated but less defensive.

“You’ve been writing about her for months.” Tony pulled his hand back from the door hesitantly. He never meant to appear threatening but he didn’t know how else to get a hold of her. “I need to know what you know.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mr. Stark.” Dianne sighed. Once he backed off she removed the security chain and kept it open so he could look through it comfortably. Behind her, Tony could see that her hotel bed was covered in files, paperwork, and photographs alongside an outdated laptop.

“Come on, I know you have good sources. You’re the only reporter who has any semblance of the truth in their stories. You’re the only one who connected the dots with SHIELD.” He smiled charmingly, hoping more and more that she would let him in and they could finally talk. Tony was getting answers and he was getting them now.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, but…”

“Please!” In frustration, he slammed his hand against the doorframe. Dianne stepped back in shock. “I need to know. Scarlett won’t tell me.” Taking a deep breath, Tony placed his hand to his forehead and stepped away from the door. “I need to know what I’m up against because she’s afraid to say it out loud. I need to know if she’s sick. And if she’s sick just how sick is she? There has to be something I can do. Before you… yell at me, it’s not about her needing saving. I just… it’s not like that. I don’t think she needs me to be her hero, but I do think she needs help. She doesn’t have to go through this alone. I want to help her. I need to help her.” Tony couldn’t believe he said it all as quickly as he had. He wasn’t sure if Dianne would even understand half of it.

It worked though. The once stoic woman smiled, scoffed in surprise, and opened the door wider. Tony was known for making a scene, he wasn’t sure why she looked so surprised that he’d done just that!

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Tony was suspicious. He hadn’t expected her to give in so easily. He’d been thinking about pulling out his checkbook to buy information. What charm couldn’t get him money usually could. “Just okay?”

“I’ll help.” Dianne gestured for him to come inside. “I didn’t realize that you loved her. I thought you were just flirting with danger. You know, like you do.”

Tony froze in front of the door.

That was not what he said. He hadn’t said anything about love. Had he? Had he thought that this could maybe be love? Maybe. But he hadn’t said that about anything other than food in years. He was going to correct her but no words came out.

“Are you coming in or what? You’re letting bugs in.”

“Uh, wait. What?” Tony meandered inside the room and closed the door behind him. It was the cheapest hotel he’d ever been in. “I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.” Dianne waved him off but didn’t think anything of it. Tony was trying to wrap his mind around it far too much. He was denying it now, of course. Love wasn’t like that. Love came with time. Love at first sight didn’t exist. Lust certainly did but not true love. He knew that. But it wasn’t like they’d just met.

It’d been quite a long time now and it wasn’t like he hadn’t lusted after Scarlett in the beginning. He definitely had. Was this the same thing though? Was this feeling love? The thought of losing her made him physically ill. He’d never felt that way before.

Maybe it was love. He wanted the chance to find out. Because through this chaos, emotions were difficult to decipher.

It was one hell of a weird day for Tony Stark.

“Sit down. Make yourself at home.”

“Yeah, that would take much more than sitting down could accomplish.” Tony pulled up a chair, careful to touch as little as possible.

“Sorry, I have to stick to a tight budget. The paper I work for isn’t big.”

“I noticed. Don’t worry. It’s fine. Fine.” Tony cleared his throat and forced a smile.

“Sorry about ignoring you too.” Dianne winced. “I thought you were pissed because I had your business partner arrested. I tried to get them to let her go. I was just worried. I tripped. None of that was on her.” 

“I know. I can tell by the way you write that you have a pretty high opinion of Scarlett.”

“I do. She threw me a bone more than once when no one else would. I know that I’ve been writing about her nonstop but… someone should be.” Dianne’s eyes sparkled with passion. “There are so many lies out there, so much speculation in the tabloids and online. I figured that someone should be publishing an ounce of the truth even as limited as that truth is.”

“What is the truth then?” Tony leaned forward curiously. Odds were that Dianne didn’t have much for him. But it was the only lead he had outside of waiting for Scarlett who was not responding to him. He’d checked with every hospital. He’d even left another message with Nick Fury. 

“I don’t know how helpful any of this is going to be to you, Mr. Stark.”

“Just call me Tony. Not a big fan of the formality unless it’s foreplay and even so I have to be in the right mood with the right person and…” Tony smirked. Dianne sighed heavily.

“Fine. Tony. So, I have to ask you to promise something before I start.”

“What’s that?”

“That you’re not going to tell anyone else about any of this.” She looked serious, handing over the file folder. Tony cocked an eyebrow curiously. She was probably just protecting her sources. He shrugged.

“Can’t promise that I won’t tell Scarlett. And maybe Pepper and Rhodey. Okay, so, I’m bad at secrets. I’ll probably tell everyone I know.” Tony chuckled. “I told people I was Iron Man …so fast.”

“I meant news outlets. That sort of thing. I don’t want this stuff getting out.”

“That I can agree to.”

“There’s a man. I thought he was just some engineer. At first glance, that’s what he appeared to be. I thought he was a dead end and ignored him for far too long. Then I brought up his name to Miss Damien and she told me to back off.”

“A man?” Tony grimaced. He couldn’t be jealous. He could absolutely not jump right to jealousy. Scarlett mentioned a prior boyfriend. That he was a problem. But how bad was this problem exactly?

“Scott. Scott Aaronson. Very generic name. I thought it was an alias at first but no, he’s just some guy from the midwest with a very boring name. By all accounts he’s dead.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“He was an engineer for small companies doing medical work in Africa. Wanted to make a difference. That’s what I could garner about from papers he published way back then. I think he and Scarlett worked together at some point. If that’s the case, it was under an alias because I cannot find record of her. I did some interviews and the closest I came to seeing anything about her was a drunk and disorderly charge against a woman who may have fit her description. I couldn’t publish any of that without more verification.”

“Yeah, speculation doesn’t count.”

“Right. I decided to follow Scott’s career since Scarlett doesn’t seem to exist. She’s hard to track down. Honestly, records wise? She didn’t exist until last year. Scott… sounds like a good guy from all accounts.”

“Then why do you sound so skeptical?” Tony knew this was the ex Scarlett talked about. The way she’d talked about him. That she thought he was a good man but he’d been keeping secrets. Sold her for a price.

“He was hired by this company. By all accounts the Medical Engineering Development Corporation, or MedCo for short, was a legitimate company hoping to develop more affordable medical devices. You know, like CT machines, X-Ray machines, that sort of stuff. A little further digging and found that they haven’t produced a single machine… ever. That’s just a cover for what they really do. MedCo is a terror organization committed to the idea of superiority through biological warfare.”

Tony’s stomach dropped. Was that the company she was working for when her ex had sold her? Shit.

“Their commitment to remaining a seemingly charitable organization has faltered in this last year. They’ve gone off the map. The timing is suspect.”

“Scarlett came into the limelight around the same time.”

“Exactly! But I don’t think she had anything to do with them. In fact, it was the opposite from what I understand. This Scott character was on their website as one of their engineers before the thing was wiped off of the internet. He was doing something for them. I don’t know his connection to Scarlett and I don’t know what he did for MedCo but I have learned that these types of coincidences are usually rare.”

“May I?” Tony pointed to the folder in front of her and Dianne held it out for him. “Just put it down, I have a thing.” Dianne did as requested.

“This is everything I have on Scott. He’s dead, by all reports. But there was a passport issued for the same name months ago. Then he fell off the map again. No signs of him since. There are traces of MedCo here and there but every time I find a hint it’s gone the next day or I’m stopped by something beyond my control.” Dianne sighed. There were a few old blurry pictures of Scott in the file. A dorky looking man, tall, thin, with glasses. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Tony immediately thought he was definitely not Scarlett’s type. 

He couldn’t look more different from Tony if he tried. Though he did have the same playful blue eyes that Nathan had. Maybe Tony was the anomaly and not the other way around. His irrational jealousy was valid, he decided. This man sold Scarlett out. He deserved to rot in hell.

“What does this have to do with Scarlett?”

“She’s hiding from MedCo. That much I’m sure about.”

“How? She’s on every newspaper, every blog, every news network.”

“I think that’s a SHIELD tactic. Keep her in plain sight. To keep MedCo from hunting her down. There have been incidences that I’m sure you noticed in the paper. Her passing out? That was one. I checked where it was reported and there were no records of her being admitted. However, I did find that Scarlett’s car got a parking ticket at a garage near the wharf in Boston that night. Once there I found signs of a struggle. A broken needle. A badge and inside it was this… crown looking thing.” Dianne tilted the folder Tony held and dug through the papers before pointing to the badge that was in a little bag. “That symbol doesn’t belong to MedCo but it does belong to another terror organization called The Crown. Very active in Russia a while back. Wasn’t covered much by our media.”

“Another terror organization?” Tony frowned and hoped that this didn’t mean Scarlett was, at some point, a terrorist. He liked to think that overall she was a woman with good intentions, even if she did some bad things in her past, which she admitted to. Tony was no saint. Who was he to judge?

“The Crown disappeared years ago and shortly after MedCo was founded. I think the mind behind The Crown found a new partner and expanded their operation. Work in Russia became too difficult so they moved the operation to the Middle East and then to Africa where they pretended to do good until they disappeared. So, in short…”

“MedCo is the one that put Scarlett in the hospital that night. They’re after her.” Tony sighed in disbelief. He never expected her story to be this much. Scarlett told him that her ex was in bed with a nasty corporation and they were trying to collect on the deal. But he never expected this.

“There’s more you should know that doesn’t get into the paper either. More she’s hiding.” Dianne whispered as Tony flipped through the files and then closed the folder in his lap. “She has these regular meetings with SHIELD.”

“That was the first thing I noticed about her.”

“Did you?”

“I mean, outside of the t and a.”

“Wow.”

“What, am I supposed to be dead inside? Have you seen her? That and she had SHIELD detail when I saw her on the news.”

“Did she? I didn’t notice.”

“Hard not to notice. When did you notice?”

“It’ll sound creepy when I explain it. But I started waiting and watching for agents who came in the same day as her.”

“Definitely creepy.”

“Either way. I would make note of who she’s talking to and I narrowed it down to who she might be meeting with. Doctors. They work for SHIELD. They’re listed as agents but they are most definitely doctors. One of them is strictly a medical doctor but hasn’t been present at the last few meetings so I can’t confirm.”

Tony already knew something was wrong with Scarlett. He’d watched it nearly take her from him. Dianne reported that she thought it was an underlying medical condition before in the paper, but Tony didn’t feel like those reporters were meant to sound grave until he heard the woman speak.

“I think she’s undergoing some serious medical treatments. I have no idea what though. It’s not a cancer treatment but it’s not… good either. She’s lost weight, color, energy. Whatever it is she’s being treated for is being handled by SHIELD, not normal medical staff, and is kept very quiet. You can see the difference after her visits to SHIELD. It’s very obvious when you put the pictures side by side. At first I thought it was just a juicy story, one that I came up with on my own, but now I know there’s truth to it.”

“Any idea what it could be?”

“Not a clue. I can’t get my hands on anything. Honestly, I’ve tried everything that’s available but SHIELD has it locked up tight.” Dianne sighed in frustration. “I thought there might be more about it in Refuge’s files but I can’t get into those either.”

“She’s good at computer stuff. Wouldn’t waste my time.” Tony waved it off. “So, if you know so much about Scarlett and her past then why haven’t I seen it in your articles? This is quite the story and would make your little paper very famous overnight.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not cashing in on the obvious.”

“Because there’s more to it than that. There was an attack in India that had MedCo written all over it. It was the same day that Scarlett was admitted to the hospital, supposedly. Then I found this small article about these founders of this textile company in London. Mr. and Mrs. Hurst. They were killed and Scarlett named the suspect for me. Erick Reno. He works for MedCo. He was reported dead a few weeks ago.”

“And?”

“I think Scarlett knew the Hurst family. I don’t know how, but I flew here to tell her they were dead. She played it off but she told me about Erick Reno and that he was the real story. That’s how I found all of this. The connection to MedCo, to The Crown, to Scott. I had information on Scott before that. I saw his name on a file she was carrying but… I never would have uncovered it if Scarlett hadn’t offered me the missing link.”

“You think she wanted you to know?”

“No. But I think she wanted me to understand.” Dianne nodded. “I always thought we had a little connection, you know? Because she always gives me a story. She respects what I do.”

“Yeah, she said you were the only one who asked real questions.”

“Did she?” Dianne smiled weakly and then closed her eyes. “You see, Mr. Stark. I mean, Tony. This isn’t just a story. There’s a trail of death behind Scarlett and she’s in serious trouble. Someone is killing people she knew to get to her. The whole thing with SHIELD? With Refuge? It’s a front. They know that MedCo, or whatever name they’re going by now, isn’t going to want Scarlett’s media attention. I just don’t know how long that they will wait because of that.”

“This is one hell of a claim.” Tony whispered but he believed her for the most part. What motive did she have to lie? If it was true then Dianne would make a fortune by reporting it. Yet, she hadn’t. Which made Tony only believe it more.

“This is a woman’s life, Tony. Not a story. Not at all. I can’t publish this. I won’t.”

Tony was surprised. He’d never experienced a reporter with this kind of integrity.

“I don’t want to be famous. I don’t want to be rich. I’m a damn good writer. A damn good reporter. If I wanted to work for the New York Times or do interviews on Sixty Minutes then I would. All I ever wanted was to bring an unbiased truth. People don’t get that enough.”

“A long forgotten art.”

“I have learned through this story that not all truths are meant to be shared. I struggled with that for a long time. Scarlett is as fascinating as she is smart. I have been cheering Refuge on from the get go but the more I did, the more frightening the truth became. Some things don’t need to be known. Not necessarily a secret but… I don’t think the world has the right to this story. I don’t think I even do. Not until she’s safe, that is. I think she told me to try and make me back off. So I would be safe.”

“You really believe that? You could get fired for this. If your boss knew you had this story and weren’t publishing it…”

“I don’t care. That’s a risk I’m happy to take. I want justice. I want to help when I can. Refuge is changing the world. I don’t know if Scarlett was always on this side of the law, but no one’s perfect and people can change. I don’t think she was ever involved with these organizations hunting her. Morality is what defines us and I know by talking to her that she wants to help people even when she can be… a real bitch.”

“That’s… yeah, I agree with that.” Tony chuckled but his face fell very quickly. The gravity of this truth was much heavier than he thought it would be. He knew the truth would be terrible but he never anticipated that a global terrorist organization would be involved. Nonetheless two of them. That and the ex. Was he alive or dead? And she was sick on top of that. At least some of the gaps were filled in.

“That’s why I won’t report on this. I want to help.”

Leaning forward in his chair, hands on his knees, he scrutinized Dianne Hendricks. She had done everything in her power to help from what Tony could tell. Her stories about Scarlett had toned down in the last few weeks. She’d mostly reported on Refuge. From what Tony could see in this file, Dianne had it for quite awhile.

At any time this woman could have published the wildest story of her life and Scarlett’s  life would be turned upside down.

But she hadn’t.

Dianne Hendricks was a good, smart, and noble woman.

Tony leaned back in his chair.

“What do you say we join forces and try to do just that? Get justice.”

“I… I… what?” Dianne was puzzled and it showed on her face. Her jaw dropped. “I’d need Refuge files and better yet, SHIELD information to get any further. It’s a road block and a half. Let me tell you.”

“I can help you get into those files.” Tony assured her as if it was nothing. “I’ll pay for the ticket back. Don’t worry. Just pack your things and go. Don’t stress the financial bit. Give me your information and I’ll give you the money you need.” Tony considered that this would put Dianne in danger. “I can get the files.”

“They can’t be accessed externally.” Dianne was hesitant.

“Right. Bad idea then. I don’t need you to be more involved than you are. Go home and just… report it for me when the time comes.”

“I’m not giving up. This is my story, Mr. Stark. I mean, Tony.”

“And I’m not asking you to…”

“I’m doing this. Let me go there. I can get into the office and…”

“Calm down, super spy.” Tony chuckled but Dianne looked determined, even slighted. Then he sighed. “Fine. I’ll help.”

“What should I look for?”

“Find out what’s wrong with her. Health wise. I think it’s the key to all of this. I’ll handle MedCo. We go from there.”

“Okay.” Dianne leaned back in her chair, stared vacantly for a moment, then exhaled. “Alright. Okay. Let’s do it. It would be an honor to work with you, Tony.” Standing up and smoothing out the bottom of her wrinkled shirt, she then extended her hand for Tony to shake.

“Thank you.” Tony shook her hand then clasped it with his other one. “Stay safe. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

When Mickey Pierce showed up at Scarlett’s loft she didn’t bother taking the keys out of her ignition. Leaving the car door open she ran up the drive in what felt like a couple steps, hurried through the unlocked door, and then stopped dead in the living room. There was nothing. No sound, no sign of a struggle. Scarlett’s laptop lay open on the coffee table, the encrypted SHIELD video service still running- connected to Mickey’s laptop.

Retching echoed throughout the loft and Mickey grimaced. She found Scarlett sick in the master bathroom, lying on the floor. About an hour prior she’d received a broken video call from Scarlett’s computer. After everything that happened over the last day Mickey didn’t waste a single second jumping to action.

It didn’t matter that Agent Pierce had a flight back to New York that evening or even that she had been in the middle of a very important meeting with Nick Fury. The moment she’d gotten the call she’d excused herself and driven as fast as the law would allow. Scarlett never asked for help so when she did, Mickey understood the need was urgent.

Scarlett couldn’t stand up without help and she barely spoke. The only words she managed were ‘help’ and ‘sorry’. Mickey had only seen her this sick once before and that was when the knife in her side had worsened her condition. She had no color. There were dark bags under her eyes, and her lips were ashen. For a while, Mickey contemplated how to get Scarlett into the car since she couldn’t walk and coughed terribly every time she tried. At one point, the coughing fit was so violent that Scarlett collapsed from her arms onto the floor and was dazed.

Seeing no other choice outside of calling an ambulance, Mickey slipped her arms beneath Scarlett’s knees and around her back. Expecting to struggle, she was surprised by the ease she managed to lift her with. Carrying Scarlett to the car, Mickey carefully rested her in the passenger’s seat. Scarlett buckled herself with some strain but she hadn’t given up. 

Not yet.

“You’re going to be okay, Scarlett. I promise.”

Scarlett nodded but everything about her body language said she felt otherwise. Mickey went back inside, found Scarlett’s house keys, signed her out of her computer, locked up the loft, and then ran back to the car.

Every minute sitting in that car was torture for Scarlett. The only reason she hadn’t given in and passed out on the floor was the thought of Tony. She had to find the strength to get better. For him. She had to have enough time to tell him the whole truth. To apologize. To express how deeply she cared for him. There had always been tension between them. From the moment they met, her body called to his. But it was so much more than that.

Scarlett had never felt this way about anyone. Her whole heart somehow belonged to Tony Stark and she rolled her eyes at herself. It was so damn cheesy. When had she become some sappy Taylor Swift song?

Mickey wouldn’t let her walk when they arrived at the SHIELD building and Scarlett didn’t argue. She was done fighting for the time being. Her strength faded at an alarming rate. She knew she’d overdone it earlier; she just hadn’t realized how badly she had.

Was this it? Was this really it? She should have told Tony when she had the chance. Selfishly, she wanted him to be there if that was the case. Being alone through it all was torture. A thing she wouldn’t openly admit. No one had ever held Scarlett’s hand. No one had asked what about her through it all. That was her own fault, of course. She didn’t need that. Scarlett was fine! She wrote it off time and again. She could handle whatever life threw at her. It was no big deal.

But it was a big deal and she was not strong enough to do it alone. 

The truth was that no one was that strong. Anyone else would have needed just as much help as Scarlett did, probably more. But no, she had to be strong, she had to be stubborn. It all seemed very stupid now. Scarlett hated the wheelchair Mickey forced her into.

She’d never been to this particular facility before, not even for a briefing. She’d never gotten the chance to go in for proper SHIELD meetings in Malibu. Everything had happened at a medical office closer to where she lived. Before that she’d flown back and forth for her treatments.

The SHIELD facility was just as nice, if not nicer than the ones she was used to in both Manhattan and Boston. Scarlett couldn’t take in much but everything was a dull, calming blue. The technology was newer here too. She wondered if they did business with Tony. SHIELD had technology nearly as impressive as Tony’s at times. Focusing on her surroundings she felt both calmed and grateful. A handful of agents stopped to ask if they needed help, but Mickey said they were meeting someone.

Then a swarm of agents followed. People were shouting, asking for help, calling for doctors. Scarlett didn’t understand.

“This way! This way.” Jemma Simmons came running through the crowd of agents. Scarlett hadn’t realized so many of them had been working on this. She assumed they hadn’t made it a priority. Turned out that SHIELD took her far more seriously than she thought. This was both troubling and a relief. MedCo, The Crown, whatever they were now, the poisons they were developing were no laughing matter. Whatever this poison was doing to her body, it was trying to alter her genetics. It was atrocious.

And it was killing her.

And she wouldn’t be the first or last it killed. She couldn’t let this get out into the world. SHIELD was taking it seriously. Maybe they could stop it after her failure to. Mickey carved a path through the crowd and someone else ordered everyone back to the tasks at hand. It was a voice Scarlett didn’t recognize. Didn’t matter since she didn’t really recognize anyone here.

The next twenty minutes were disorienting to the point where Scarlett found herself bent over the trash can once she was left alone. There wasn’t much left for her to vomit, so it was mostly uncomfortable heaving that left her coughing painfully. Every so often she saw spots in her vision, threatening unconsciousness. She refused. She fought with everything she had.

Mickey came into the hospital-like room every so often, bringing her water and forcing her to get fluids down since at this rate, she would become dehydrated. Then Mickey disappeared and Scarlett didn’t see her for hours. Jemma and Leo took turns coming in to observe her. Before that afternoon, Jemma helped her change into a hospital gown and got her into a bed with an IV before ordering a full workup. The SHIELD agent wouldn’t look Scarlett in the eye anymore. Fitz would but his eyes were full of sorrow. Pity.

Scarlett had nothing to say despite the questions asked. Her brain was buzzing. A team of Agents came to ask what happened to Clint Barton, to verify Mickey’s account. Scarlett was too exhausted and she didn’t have answers anymore. Everyone asked her intrusive, miserable questions and her head was spinning. 

Scarlett was out of answers.

She felt powerless.

She felt ignorant.

She had no idea how to fight something she couldn’t see, something that struck as her guard went down. She had no idea how Clint was going to survive his wounds. Or how she would ever face Natasha again. Natasha had wished her as good as dead and while she knew it was said in a moment of grief, the words had done damage. If she’d been able to say it so easily then it wasn’t the first time she’d thought it.

Scarlett was out of people in her corner. If SHIELD was going to pull their support then she had nothing left. She thought again of Paris. She could go there under a different name and wait for it all to end. But she couldn’t. She knew she couldn’t just walk away like that.

As Jemma drew vial after vial of blood, Scarlett knew she had to keep fighting. It didn’t matter how sick she was. They wouldn’t stop. Not even with her dead. MedCo would get what they wanted one way or another if she didn’t stop them. But Scarlett was coming to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t be part of the endgame.

When Agents Simmons and Fitz came back into the room after what Scarlett assumed had been hours, they were pale and shaken. Fitz held his head high but he was chewing his lip. Jemma was barely holding it together.

“We got the results of your blood work.” Leo spoke but that fear of Scarlett had never quite gone away. Scarlett sat up and wiped the sweat from her brow. Her will to fight had returned. It didn’t matter how bad it was. She would do everything in her power to remain poised. That was who she was. It wasn’t stubbornness. It was strength. Neither agent said anything and Jemma sniffled.

“That’s it? Are we just standing around until the results come in here and announce themselves?” Scarlett tried to prompt them but her voice was shaky and weak. She hadn’t spoken in hours.

“It’s not good.” Leo sounded rehearsed.

“You aren’t taking care of yourself, Scarlett.” Jemma pushed past Leo with tears in her eyes. She was upset. Scarlett shook her head and sighed. It wasn’t that she’d gone out of her way not to take care of herself but she hadn’t really been given the chance this time. It was difficult to act within limitations when being chased by a madman. By the time she felt the damage, it was too late.

Leaning back against the pillows, Scarlett stared at the ceiling. Simmons scolded her like she should feel embarrassed. But what came next? She couldn’t fight if she kept feeling like this. Would it rebound this time? She’d been here before. Sick as hell and sure it was the end. Then they would treat her and send her on her way and a day later she’d feel better.

Very briefly, she considered again handing herself over to Scott. Whatever was inside of her was toxic. It was killing her. If it would spare the people left at her defense, the people who were in harm’s way because of her, then maybe it was worth the sacrifice. Like Natasha said. It’d be painful but Scarlett had been in pain for months now.

She was exhausted.

It was the exhaustion making her thoughts this miserable. She shouldn’t have gone on a mission that morning. Not one that ended up requiring so much action. While she hadn’t failed, she felt like she did. But at least Clint was at the hospital. At least he had a chance instead of none.

“We have to change the medication drastically. You know that, right?” Simmons sat at the side of her bed, collecting herself. Leo stood dumbfounded behind her. Scarlett had ignored some of what they’d been saying, probably. Her brain was dragging, like someone was slowing her down.

“Yeah.” Scarlett felt stupid. Very rarely did she feel stupid.

“No more lone gunman.” Simmons leaned closer. Scarlett averted her eyes.

“Oh, come on.” Fitz finally joined Simmons, standing next to her. “Don’t be such a damn martyr, Scarlett! You can’t fix this all on your own. No one can! It’s much bigger than that and you damn… whatever you are, assassins, mercenaries. You all think you have to do everything alone for whatever damn reason. But you aren’t alone, Scarlett. Not here. We can’t help you if you don’t let us! I guarantee that if you keep this up? Then you are going to die.”

“Fitz!” Simmons scolded.

“What? You’re afraid to say it because she’s… well, she’s got a history of lashing out! But she’s sick. Someone had to say it.”

“Got a set on you today, Fitz.” Scarlett coughed, covering her mouth. Her eyes were burning and she was freezing. “I didn’t do this on purpose. It was supposed to be recon. I couldn’t leave Barton like that.”

“We know. We read the transcript.” Leo unclenched, taking a breath as he did. He seemed to think Scarlett would snap at him but Scarlett wasn’t snapping at anyone. She was too sick to object. Then again, she’d nearly slit Simmons throat with a scalpel the last time she was brought in.

“It’s not as simple as being stubborn.” Scarlett cleared her throat and drank some of the water they provided her with. “I spent years on my own. I think sometimes I forget what it’s like not to be.” It was true. Through all of this, Scarlett felt lonelier than she’d ever felt. She felt the need to be strong to keep up. The handful of agents she knew were there to help. She didn’t always agree with SHIELD and their methods. She didn’t like being told what to do. But it had never occurred to her that when she resisted it came off as alienating and stubborn.

Scarlett felt alone so she acted alone.

It was all very complicated. She had bigger fish to fry than her psyche. The fever making her nearly catatonic, for one. And her lungs and the numbness and nausea.

“I get it. To an extent.”

“I can’t imagine being alone for that long.” Simmons smiled weakly.

“I miss it sometimes.” Scarlett knew that part of her life was over. She wasn’t giving up on adventure and excitement. That was just who she was. She just knew that being alone and taking those dangerous illegal missions was no longer in the cards. If all she got to do was run Refuge and work with Tony then she would be lucky.

“The fever is worrying me. We have to do this treatment right now.” Simmons was far less panicked. The tension in the room was broken. No more pity. Thank god. “If I can’t get it down then we have to take more drastic measures.”

“How high is it? The highest I think I’ve ever had is 104. I passed the fuck out on that mission.” Scarlett laughed but it dissolved into a cough. And unfortunately, the cough didn’t let up. She grasped the side of the bed and leaned over it. Simmons ran to grab a trashcan and just in time because Scarlett couldn’t hold it back anymore. She vomited. It was a horrible sickly color that made Scarlett turn away and gag.

Simmons helped her lay back and pushed her curly hair from her face. Scarlett recoiled from the touch and Fitz placed a cold cloth against her forehead.

“104 is the magic number. If it gets that high then we’ll have to take action.” Simmons waited for Scarlett to stop coughing. “Right now we’re lingering around 103. I don’t like it.”

“When you give me something, that’ll help yeah?” Scarlett felt defeated and if she looked half as defeated as she felt then it would explain the looks on Fitz and Simmons’ faces.

“That’s the hope. But I need you to brace for the side effects. I know it’s not what I promised. The weeks ahead are going to be ugly.”

“I don’t care.” Scarlett cut her off as Simmons went to warn her for what she was about to feel. Right now she felt terrible. Yeah, she’d been in the gutter before but this was worse. Maybe it was their fear, but Scarlett didn’t have confidence that there were that many weeks left. “Do what you need to do. We’ll deal with the fallout one thing at a time. I’m not giving up. Do what you have to.”

“Okay.” Simmons looked more confident then turned to Fitz. “Can you get everything ready?”

Fitz nodded and left Simmons to prepare Scarlett for treatment. It was another blur after that. It wasn’t that the fever got worse, even though it stayed pretty miserable for some time. It was that Scarlett decided disassociating during these sessions was the only way to get through them. Even as Simmons set up an IV, Scarlett didn’t move or flinch. Simmons explained that she would check on her every half an hour to change medicine bags and check vitals.

She did, however, pay attention when Simmons insisted upon giving her an oxygen tube. She said it was just in case but Scarlett’s absence during coughing fits worried them. Scarlett felt very suddenly like a terminally ill patient. She didn’t want to insult people who went through such a horrid experience by comparing their suffering, but she saw how those lives ended. This felt just like that.

For a few hours she slept on and off, familiarizing herself with the sound of Simmons coming and going as the medicine, cold in her veins, continued. Someone turned the lights off for her so she could rest. And even as she did drift off here and there, she stirred at every sound. An old habit.

Heavier footsteps entered the room, ones beyond her recognizing. She peeked an eye open and much to her surprise the Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury, clad all in black was staring at her, hands in his pockets. She tilted her head to the side curiously. This was their first direct meeting. They’d only spoken over video chat. They sized each other up. After a long moment of silence, he spoke.

“You must be feeling pretty defeated right now.”

“Buzz off.” Scarlett rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was another condescending pain in her side. Yeah, she was sick and had a shitty day but she didn’t need Director Fury coming in there and rubbing her face in her shit. Natasha had done that enough for everyone.

He walked to the edge of her bed and picked up the chart that hung off of it on a metallic shelf. Flipping it open he clicked his tongue as he read it over.

“Pulmonary edema. That’s a new one.” He flipped the page and tapped his finger against it. “They do that ultrasound yet?”

“Nope. Everyone’s afraid to touch me.”

“Ulcers are bad. Internal bleeding isn’t great either.”

“No shit.”

“Localized numbness, no response to reflexive stimuli.”

“Are you just here to rub it in my face or do you have a point?”

“They more than tripled the dosage of your medication.” Fury closed the chart and hung it back in place. It had doubled in size the last few weeks.

“I know that. Thanks for the read along, Director Fury. How about Goodnight Moon next?”

“It’s going to be okay.” He slowly walked to the side of her bed and she rolled her eyes so hard she swore she could see the bullshit behind his words. “But you have got to get yourself together.”

“Don’t lecture me. Don’t you fucking lecture me.” Scarlett sat up, pulling the stupid oxygen tube away from her nose and letting it drape around her neck. “You do not get to talk to me like that and pretend you’re some bullshit father figure or something. I don’t need that. Not from you, not from anyone. I don’t need your fucking help.” With a huff, she leaned back against the pillows. “I don’t need yours or anyone’s help.”

“You’ve got it all wrong. You need help.” Nick Fury didn’t back down. “You can’t do this alone anymore.”

Scarlett knew that.

“There’s nothing I can do for this. Nothing anyone can do anymore. You read the chart. You people tiptoe around the truth but the fucking truth is right in that chart and it says plainly what’s happening.”

“So, that’s it then?” Nick walked around to the other side of the bed when she glared away from him. “You’re just throwing in the towel? Giving up?”

“No.” Scarlett sneered. “Does it look like I’ve given up? I don’t give up.”

“Atta? girl.” Nick commended.

“Right now I need enough of these stupid drugs so I can function. Forgive me if I’m not kissing everyone’s bent over asses in gratitude.” Scarlett carefully put the oxygen tube back where it belonged.

“I get it. Cool the assault.” Nick sat on the edge of the bed and Scarlett ignored him. Minutes passed and he didn’t leave. Why was he there? To make her feel better? Like she needed his crap right now. “You did good work today.”

Scarlett made a sound of disagreement.

“I spoke to Agent Romanoff.”

“Then you know exactly how good a job I did today.”

“I also spoke to Agent Pierce and listened to the play by play. You really did good work out there.”

“Yeah, well I was pretty good at what I did once.”

“You still are.”

“I shouldn’t have been out there. It was irresponsible. I pushed myself too far and now I’m back in here.”

“Yeah, but you saved Agent Barton’s life. If you hadn’t gone, if it had been anyone else, do you think it would have gone quite as well?”

“I’m not one of your agents. For the last fucking time.”

“You know what I mean.” Nick quieted. Had she done a good job? At the time she thought she had. It was a bad situation but she’d gotten them both out alive. She hadn’t thought it had gone poorly until Natasha ripped her a new one. She softened.

“Is Clint going to be okay?” Scarlett spoke with surprising clarity. The drugs were finally doing something, even if her limbs felt weighed down. 

“Prognosis is good. Surgery went well. They’re expecting a full recovery.”

“No poison?”

“No poison.” Fury assured her.

Scarlett exhaled. She relaxed. Nothing was less stressful but at least Clint would recover and be free of the web she wove.

“I thought you should know that Clint wasn’t the only intended casualty today.” Nick stood at long last. “Last night MedCo and the Crown took steps toward some endgame. There were attacks all across the country on my agents.”

“Shit.”

“Not public knowledge yet but we’re investigating our connections.” Nick looked serious. “I’ve instructed everyone to be on their guard. You should be too.”

Without another word, Nick Fury left the room and disappeared down the hall. Scarlett’s stomach twisted back into knots. That explained what brought him to action.

Thud, thud, thud.

Tony’s heart was pounding in his ears.

Jarvis spoke but his wisdom remained unheard.. Tony pressed his foot on the gas pedal and sped down the highway. He expected to see flashing lights in the rearview mirror. Must have gotten lucky. He didn’t need to see how fast he was going to know he was breaking about a hundred different speed laws. Adrenaline mixed with sexual tension made it difficult to focus.

But it wasn’t just that.

It was fear. And anger.

What the hell happened back there? What the hell happened that sent Scarlett to the hospital with Clint Barton? There were no answers but a million questions. Before he knew it, Tony was home, parked in the driveway, and storming through the front door. What possessed him to agree to leave Scarlett there alone? After a fit like that? He should have stayed! Why didn’t she let him help her? He could have helped her!

Right?

Tony stopped in the living room, confused. Much of the home was being renovated. Right. He’d forgotten. There were workers walking all around, so much so that his head was spinning. Tony could hear just fine- he simply didn’t want to listen. He didn’t want to talk either.

“Sir? Sir, I’m concerned. You haven’t responded.”

“Not now, Jarvis.” Tony finally snapped then waved his arm before gesturing to the door. “Take the day, people. I need this space. Gather your things and go. Pick it up tomorrow.”

The contractor in charge looked to Tony in awe, about to object, but something about his expression must have advised him against it.

“You heard the boss. Everyone pack up your things and go!”

After the workers had filed out, Tony stared at the mess that was his living room. Everything was changing. That was good. It was supposed to be at least. And it felt good before he left the house that day.

Tony no longer felt good.

On the contrary, he felt terrible.

“Jarvis, mute all incoming calls unless it’s Scarlett. Pick something loud and crank it up.” Tony pointed toward the ceiling and without further inquiry, Jarvis did as he was told. Black Sabbath blasted from the speakers through the house and Tony sighed with relief, letting his eyes drift closed. His shoulders had never been this tense. The last hour was a blur. A blur of passion, gratification, and fear.

All of this arousal on top of stress made his body very confused.

He finally got what he wanted! Done what he wanted to do since he first saw Scarlett! And it was torn away in a fit of coughing, of all things. In the back of his mind, he’d always known something was wrong. After the first article discussing her collapse, Tony knew. But he’d jumped to conclusions before and it had gotten him nothing but hurt.

Tony opened his eyes. With them closed, he could see her. Each time those romantic fantasies went from fire to a nightmare in a second. Scarlett’s pale face. The memory of her lying half dead on his desk when she’d nearly bled out.

Tony had to do something and the thing he wanted to do was impossible.

Well, it was possible, just not with the person he wanted it to be with. It would be nowhere near as satisfying on his own. He’d had enough of himself. No, Tony needed to burn off the energy that followed him home.

Even as his ears rang, he made his way to his gym. As he got changed and wrapped gauze around his hands to keep from breaking skin, Tony hadn’t decided what he was actually going to do. Honestly, he didn’t even remember hanging his punching bag or beating the hell out of it. This was not what Tony wanted to do today. Nowhere near it. He was pretty strict about exercise, but had zero intentions of beating his punching bag to the point where he was likely bruising his hands.

It was a means to an end, a way to work off the tension. As he closed his eyes, he could see her. He could feel her body pressed against his. She smelled like the ocean. It had been perfect. It’d felt perfect. More than he could have ever allowed his imagination to come up with and hell, he had definitely used his imagination many times when it came to Scarlett.

What could he say? Tony fucked his way through his feelings half the time. It was how he’d dealt with stress. Sex and liquor. The two most reliable things in his life. Now didn’t seem like a time for either and yet they were all he wanted. Closing his eyes again, Tony could see her, feel her long, curly hair tickling his arm, hear her laugh as they moved together. It’d been so natural. 

It’d been perfect.

But then he could hear the coughing too. Her struggle to breathe. He saw her blue eyes turn gray and she disappeared. She laid there and no amount of calling to her brought her back.

Enough of that! 

No more closing his eyes for now. An old familiar tightness gripped his chest. Not anxiety, not the kind he’d suffered from beyond his understanding for so long, but fear. What if she was as sick as Dianne Hendricks claimed she was? No one took the reporter seriously. No one but Tony Stark. He’d felt it since the beginning. Between the SHIELD detail, the reports, and the way he’d noticed the fatigue over the past few weeks? Then the coughing. And the bleeding. Couldn’t forget the bleeding.

That night when she’d bled on his desk would be something that haunted him for the rest of his life. He’d never seen anyone bleed like that, at least not anyone who was healthy. He’d dismissed it. No more dismissing things. He couldn’t ignore it anymore. 

But she’d promised the truth.

Scarlett never said she was healthy. In fact, he’d only ever asked her in jest what was wrong. He’d joked about her being pregnant to start a conversation and she’d dragged him out of the theater. How far they’d come since that day. She’d become Tony’s best friend. The best friend he’d ever had. His confidant. A companion who understood him at his most complex but also kept him on his toes. The idea of losing her to an illness beyond his control was devastating.

There was that anger again. Not anger at Scarlett but anger at the situation.

He beat the hell out of the punching bag, so much so that his fists tore the material. He kicked it and the whole thing flew off of the heavy chain and splattered on the ground in a torn up mess. His breathing was haggard and part of the rage dissipated.

 If Scarlett was sick then he had to help her.

Don’t suffer in silence.

He knew what that felt like but he hadn’t realized that he’d been doing it. Maybe that was why Scarlett offered him that advice. She was suffering silently too. It didn’t matter what happened now. Or how sick she was. He wasn’t giving up on her. Tony wouldn’t give up on what they had. For all he knew, he could be overreacting. Just as he opened his mouth to talk to Jarvis, to tell him he needed to have a conversation with Dianne Hendricks as soon as possible, a voice cut through the music blasting loudly through the speakers.

A voice he hadn’t expected to hear again for a long time.

“Tony?” Pepper Potts stood, holding her coat against her chest while staring at him sheepishly through the doorway. She looked to the punching bag torn in pieces on the floor then back to Tony who was visibly upset. She looked hesitant. Jarvis lowered the music.

“I am not in the mood.” Tony muttered and turned away from Pepper, running his gauzed hands through his sweaty hair. She didn’t say anything, didn’t argue. Instead, she watched him, watched him with sad eyes. He didn’t want to make eye contact. It was over. He had moved on. “What are you doing here?” He turned partially toward her. She looked nervous. “Are you gonna talk?”

“Tony…”

“If you’re going to start a fight then I’m not in the mood. Everything we’ve hashed through hasn’t changed and I don’t have energy to waste. I’ll give you whatever you want if you just go away.”

“I saw the news.” Pepper finally spoke, loudly because of the quiet music.

“Jarvis, mute.” Tony turned his attention at last to Pepper.

“I saw her. Covered in blood with a familiar face. They were at the hospital.” Pepper was careful with her words, like she didn’t want to fight. The way she held herself made it clear that she was on edge. Tony hadn’t meant to frighten her.

He sighed but didn’t say anything else. He was waiting for her to say she told him so. To remind him that Scarlett was nothing but trouble and he should have just worked it out with her instead. He turned his gaze and furrowed his brow, suddenly exhausted. He leaned against the edge of the boxing ring for support and closed his eyes.

“I thought you might need a friend.” Pepper hesitated. Tony made no attempt to hide his surprise. “If we can still be that. Friends, I mean.”

“Now is not a great time for this.” It really wasn’t. He wasn’t ready to talk it out and set new boundaries. There were three thousand things on his mind right now and Pepper wasn’t a single one of them. He looked away and walked to the broken punching bag. With a heave, he lifted it and threw it into the corner of the room. There was sand everywhere. “Jarvis, please tell me we have a backup.”

There was blood on the gauze. He hadn’t hit anything that hard in a long time.

“Yes, sir. In the closet. I’ll order another spare.” Jarvis was reserved. Even he understood that Tony was a ticking time bomb. Pepper didn’t move, didn’t back down, she just stood awkwardly in the doorway to the gym with her arms wrapped around her coat. 

Pepper knew he was upset about what was on the news. Or, she guessed it. She hadn’t come to rub it in his face. Not today. After some time removed from the situation she realized that the relationship had failed because of them both. Not because of him. And most certainly not because of Scarlett.

After some deep reflection, the change she saw in Tony after he began to work with Scarlett were good changes, at least for him. They were healthy changes. Tony had been more himself since he’d teamed up with Refuge than he’d been since they’d left Manhattan. When the dust began to settle, Pepper missed her friend but realized that she’d missed him for quite some time, even before the incident in Manhattan. So he had likely missed her just as much. She’d been too stubborn and frightened to see it. That and jealousy brought the worst out in her. Behavior she hadn’t thought she was capable of.

Tony found a genuine friend in Scarlett. Their friendship was different than hers had ever been with Tony. Pepper was extremely jealous of that. 

Tony hung the new punching bag with a grunt. If he had to yell to get her to leave then he would. He didn’t want to. His blood pressure was high enough.

“You must really care about her to be this upset.” Pepper spoke warily, shifting on her feet again. She exhaled softly.

It sounded rehearsed.

Tony punched the new bag but pain surged through his hands. It wasn’t broken in yet and the abrupt switch hadn’t been after enough stress had been relieved. Exhaustion was settling in. He had no time to rest. He grabbed the bag and stopped it from swinging back at him.

“You know what? I really do.” Tony felt guilty as he finally watched Pepper. No matter how many times Rhodey told him that she was likely afraid to lose their friendship, he’d never seen it. Not until then. 

It was written all over her. His friendship, his platonic companionship for short spurts, still meant something to her. She wanted it enough to come over knowing that he would still be angry with her and would be upset about what was on the news.

“More than I thought I could.” Tony said without thinking. Then he turned back to the bag, stepped back, and took another swing. Pepper nodded and took a cautious step closer. He’d managed to speak without a bite in his voice. Progress, he thought. Maybe. He struck again. And again.

“I think she cares about you too.” Pepper choked on the words. It was obvious that Scarlett cared. That was partly what drove her irrational fear through the roof. “Just as much. If not more.”

“Now isn’t the time, Pepper.” Tony scoffed and walked away from the punching bag, leaving it swinging. He retrieved a towel from the far end of the room and wiped his forehead of sweat. The shower was calling his name. He ran his fingers through his hair and the memory of her fingers tangling between his short locks with delight made him smile briefly.

“No! No, I mean it, Tony. I’m not trying to be cruel.”

Tony stared at her skeptically and then draped the towel around his shoulders, holding either end.

“I don’t think either of you realized it at the time when we were arguing but she fought for you. Scarlett fought me for you without hoping for anything in return. When I wasn’t there and you needed someone? She was there for you. And on top of all of that? She trusts you.”

“Don’t…”

“No, look. She does. I spent more time than I should have obsessing over how she behaved, searching for any reason to get her in trouble. All I found was that she put trust in you that I had long given up on.” Pepper batted her eyes, as if she were going to cry. Tony grumbled. He hated seeing her cry.

“I really don’t think we should be having this conversation right now.”

“I think we should be! You don’t want to see it because you were trying to ignore it. For me. It was… for me. I didn’t understand that. It took me way too long to realize that it was for me. Actually, Scarlett was the one who made me realize when she finally yelled at me. Which I deserved entirely, by the way. I said terrible things to her that I had no right to say. I threw things at her. I was scared and overly emotional.”

“Yeah, that sounds right.”

“Tony, when you walk into the room? She lights up. It’s not like that with anyone else. It shows even in pictures. That’s why the media lost their mind over the two of you. It is obvious to everyone but the both of you. It’s what made me so insecure and angry. Besides all the other obvious stuff.”

“Yeah, all the fighting gave you away.” Tony spoke and pondered on it. Did Scarlett light up when he walked in the room? Was Pepper just trying to butter him up? It wasn’t not working. Tony knew that Scarlett cared about him. She’d admitted as much, but it was nice to see that someone else noticed. It was easy to get in his head about it.

“I saw something else too.”

“You should stop while you’re ahead, Potts.” Tony sat on a bench against the wall.

“I saw fear.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“She’s scared. Maybe we can find out why.”

“Am I particularly scary, Pepper?”

“No. You wouldn’t hurt a fly if you didn’t have to.”

“That punching bag begs to differ.” Tony managed a joke and some of the tension from their constant arguing was released. Finally. She wasn’t there to rub his face in his failures. For the first time in a long time she was both talking to and listening to him. They’d needed a step back from their toxic relationship to be able to do that. The pressure of trying to keep up a dead romance had been too much.

“You… you two belong together.” It pained Pepper to say it. They’d both tried so hard to make the other happy that they had forgotten how to make themselves happy. 

“Yeah. I know.” Tony dabbed the sweat off of his face with the towel. “But you’re right. She is scared and I think there’s plenty of good reasons why.”

“Tony, it can’t be something you did. I’ve seen you two together. Even when I didn’t want to.”

“No, no. It’s not like that.” Tony scoffed because the reality was more absurd than Pepper’s assumptions. “She’s scared for me. She said as much. I don’t rightly know why. I mean, some of it I get. She’s got history. But with every close call we’ve had, and there were many that I pulled back from because of you, I figured out that it’s more than that. Her obstacle is bigger than mine.” He side glanced at Pepper who avoided his eyes. Then she took a seat on the other side of the bench, sitting about as far from him as she could. “I think she’s sick, Pepper.”

“Like… sick… sick? Or something mental or…?”

“I don’t really know. I mean, obviously it’s physical. I walked… I let her convince me to walk away, like an idiot. I shouldn’t have. But I did because I am an idiot.” Tony laughed but his smile faded quickly.

“You’re not an idiot. Well, not about this.”

“Thanks for that.”

“Sorry, old habits.”

“You do know that the only thing I wanted for you was happiness, right? I hid in the basement because… I thought I could keep you safe if I had the means to. But I also hid because I wasn’t making you happy. I knew I couldn’t keep you safe but I knew how to fix that. I didn’t know how to make you happy. So I did what I do when there’s a problem.”

“You tried to fix it.” Pepper sighed. It seemed she really did finally get it.

“I’m sorry I shut you out. I didn’t think you cared.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen. And that I shut you out too. I thought you were being selfish.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t end the relationship the moment I knew I should have.”

“I’m sorry I did the same.” Pepper smiled weakly. She picked up Tony’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before setting it back down. “I only wanted your happiness too, Tony. But I didn’t know how to give it to you. I think we both forgot how important it was to be happy.”

“Yeah. I think we did.” Tony exhaled deeply and leaned his head against the wall behind him. “Are we going to be okay?”

“We already are, I think.” Pepper smiled. “As long as we never date again.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that ever happening again.”

“Same here.” Pepper rolled her eyes and then they both laughed. Things were still tense, but they were recovering. One less thing for Tony to worry about.

“Might take time to be friends again.”

“I agree.” Pepper leaned her elbows on her knees. “But in the meantime, we have to do something about Scarlett.”

Unzipping his leather jacket, Tony shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked through the glass doors of the police station. Clearing his throat, he waited to be recognized then took off his sunglasses and hung them on his jacket pocket. Several folks whispered, others looked for police officers behind him, as though he’d been the one arrested.

It wouldn’t be the first time.

But no, Tony hadn’t been arrested. Not today at least.

“Mr. Stark? May I help you?” A detective walked up to Tony and held his hand out to shake. Tony took his hand, shook it, and then nodded in greeting.

“I’m looking for someone. Spoke to a friend of mine and they said she was here in lock up. Any chance you could help me out?” Tony smiled a charming smile but the gears were turning. He wanted these policemen to like him and very often people of authority did not. This particular detective, however, seemed curious. He glanced outside and saw Tony’s car parked out front.

“Is that a Maserati?”

“That old thing? Yeah.” Tony played it cool, as if everyone could afford the luxury car. He knew they weren’t often seen by the lay person but if he wanted to impress the man, he certainly would. It wasn’t the plan Tony formulated but if the detective was a car lover then he would run with it.

“You know your way around a car, Mr. Stark? Or is it all for show?”

“What? You think I let strangers touch my babies? Trust me, I get my hands dirty more than most.” Tony chuckled but then glanced behind the detective. A crowd had gathered to watch, hoping to be in on the joke. It was better than being glared at as if he had something to be ashamed of. Most police officers didn’t appreciate his sense of humor. They also very much did not like being flirted with. He discovered that the hard way. 

Today, however, he’d broken no laws and the employees at the police building were excited to meet him. He went to talk but someone behind him asked a question.

“Excuse me, Mr. Stark? Some of us were hoping we could get a picture with you. For the office.”

“Yeah, of course. Just tag me in it.” Tony grinned and when the police officer excitedly handed his phone off to a coworker, more like shoved it, he stood next to Tony and posed. His friend took a picture and then gave a thumbs up. “Don’t be shy. Everyone’s welcome.” Tony laughed. One by one, the officers and detectives let their guard down, came to shake hands, talk, and take pictures. They asked ridiculous questions. How much did his sunglasses cost? Does he have the Iron Man armor under his clothes? If the arc reactor ran hot or was itchy.

But Tony wasn’t there for a social call. Hell no. Tony made it a habit to stay out of police stations without good reason. Today he was there for personal reasons. He’d seen several alarming and interesting news stories that afternoon while overseeing the renovation of his Malibu home.

Scarlett had shown up suddenly at a nearby hospital bloody, soaked, and dazed. Then she’d assaulted a reporter and was arrested. After making a few phone calls, Tony contacted a friend he’d helped get into the academy a few years back and found out where she’d been brought.

No, despite Tony’s demeanor and finesse, he was deeply worried. He’d known for some time that things with Scarlett had gone haywire but had no idea just how bad they were. Still, someone had to be there for her. Several times he’d tried to call but she hadn’t answered and now he knew it was because she didn’t have her phone what with her being in lockup.

“Could I have a word? Privately?” Tony whispered to the detective he’d first spoken to.

“It’s Detective Gutierrez.” The detective smiled, brown eyes curious of Tony and drifting to the red car parked out front.

“I heard you’ve got Scarlett Damien here in lockup.” Several officers turned their heads at the name.

“Asked her for an autograph but got the silent treatment…” One of them spoke but the detective interrupted him.

“Everyone deserves their privacy, Astin.” He was stern. “Besides, she was out of sorts. And handcuffed.”

“What exactly happened? I mean, with Scarlett, not with the autograph, I can pretty much picture how that played out.” Tony joked easily.

“You know her, right? Working together or something, I read. Not big on the gossip mags but sometimes you can’t help but overhear it or… see it while trying to buy groceries. And she kind of draws the eye.”

“Yeah, we’re friends. Colleagues.” Tony wanted to say more, but didn’t. This was not the right audience for discussing his intense relationship with Scarlett Damien. “I saw something about her assaulting a reporter? I didn’t have much time to sit and listen. Not my thing. Used to have an assistant who briefed me on all that. It was chance I saw it at all.”

“I can see that you’re not one to be in one place for very long. But yes sir, that’s exactly what happened. Though, can’t say I blame her considering.” Detective Gutierrez spoke under his breath.

“What do you mean?”

“There was a swarm of them. Grabbing at her. Like leeches. I went and got witness statements after she was brought in. Even the reporters admitted they were being way too overwhelming. She was clearly panicking and not herself. One of the reporters kept pushing until Miss Damien pushed back.”

“So, let’s say that I want to bail her out. How much is that going to cost me?” Tony knew that wasn’t how it worked, but he would pretend he didn’t understand the system to get on this man’s good side. Let him explain it to him. Tony peered behind the detective in hopes of finding a way to see her. “And when does she have to appear before a judge?”

“It won’t cost anything. And no judge.” Detective Gutierrez shrugged but there was concern on his face.

“That doesn’t sound like our government. No offense.”

“None taken. The reporter isn’t filing charges. Called about an hour ago on her behalf. She can go home. Turns out that they were never formally permitted to be on the property of the hospital. The big panicked crowd turned it into a fiasco.”

“Does she know that? Doesn’t seem like her to stick around if she’s free to go.”

“I…”

“What? What is it?” Tony interrupted quickly. Detective Gutierrez seemed like a nice guy but Tony knew the darker side of the law. The side that had it out for people like him and Scarlett.

“To be honest, sir, I haven’t said a thing to her since she was brought in. I know she’s free to go but the press will be all over her like sharks. She’s not with it. Not speaking. I was going to wait until after hours and contact the hospital to come take a look.”

“Isn’t that against the law or something?” Tony cocked a curious eyebrow, feigning disinterest.

“If you saw her, you’d understand my concern.”

“Can I see her?”

“Yeah, of course. Hey, Claire, can you bring Mr. Stark back to see Miss Damien?” Detective Gutierrez called over his shoulder.

“Of course, sir.” A woman in uniform stood alert and went to retrieve her keys, then typed on the computer.

“Hey, one more thing, Gutierrez.”

“What’s that?”

“The reporter. Do you know their name?”

“Let me check the report.” Detective Gutierrez walked to his desk, shuffled a few papers around, and flipped open a file folder. “Ah, yes. Small out of town reporter. Dianne Hendricks. She was upset the officers brought her in at all. She didn’t consider pressing charges. Said she tripped and fell, that Miss Damien didn’t do anything wrong. Was real shaken when I interviewed her. Threatened to have me arrested for an unlawful arrest.”

“Thanks, appreciate it.” Tony was more than familiar with Mrs. Dianne Hendricks, the same reporter who had published the articles about Scarlett that had alluded to truths about her secret life, her involvement with SHIELD, and her secret illness. Maybe she’d hit too close to the truth with Scarlett. Is that why Scarlett lashed out? He made a mental note to ask either Scarlett or the reporter herself.

“If you could follow me, Mr. Stark.” Claire approached and bowed her head respectively.

“Hey, Gutierrez?”

“Yes, sir?”

Tony tossed his car keys at the detective who caught them, startled.

“Go have some fun. I’ll need it back so, you know, don’t steal it or something. We’re in a police station and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my history with you folks it’s that you shouldn’t commit a crime… here.”

“Thanks, Mr. Stark.” Detective Gutierrez had his mouth agape for a long time before being surrounded by his coworkers who all made their way with him to the red sports car outside.

“After you, ma’am.” Tony turned back toward the officer who then led him down the hall and through a few barred and locked doors. Tony didn’t pay much mind to anything else along the way though he did smile and shake hands with a few people who stopped him. He considered making a joke about roleplay with the police officer but resisted. Scarlett sat in a cell at the farthest end of the line, which was also the smallest. Her hands were clasped in front of her and she stared down at them. Even as they approached, she didn’t bother to look at him. “...is she alright?”

“Hasn’t said a word since we brought her in.” Claire whispered, though she looked sad. “Really do think we should bring her back to the hospital.” She opened the lock on the door and left the cell open as Tony walked inside.

“Could we have some privacy?” Tony asked. Claire nodded and left them alone.

Tony sat next to Scarlett on the small metal bench. She looked like hell. He waited and sighed. Scarlett glanced at him, then back down at her hands.

“Don’t ask.”

“Too late.” Tony scoffed and wiped his hand over the knees of his jeans and then leaned back and folded his legs. “What happened?”

“I happened.”

“Well, that’s not much of an answer.” Tony carefully reached for her hand and at first she stiffened up and winced. He didn’t back down, laced his fingers with hers and gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. She hesitated but then squeezed it back. “Are you okay?”

“Not hurt. If that’s what you’re asking.”

“Yeah, okay, you’re covered in blood so I definitely believe you.” Tony smiled a little and Scarlett gave him a look as if to tell him how much she appreciated his sarcasm. “That wasn’t what I asked.”

Scarlett said nothing. The truth was that she wasn’t okay and for a wide number of reasons, none of which she was prepared to share with Tony. And oh, how desperately she wanted to. God, she was so tired of being alone. She was so tired in general. She’d thought, at first, that she’d handled the Scott and Mikhail situation with remarkable poise. That was until she’d gotten to the hospital.

Clint was alive at least, but for how long? Natasha would never forgive her for putting them in the crossfire. Scarlett wouldn’t forgive herself for it either. Yet there she was, considering telling Tony everything! 

Selfish. She was selfish and rotten to the core.

Tony watched her curiously. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t seem like herself. In fact, Tony was certain the police were right. She needed medical attention. He wouldn’t force it on her but he wouldn’t leave her to deal with it alone either. She needed him, whether or not she would admit it. He wasn’t sure she was the type to ever admit it.

“You’re free to go.” Tony didn’t let go of her hand, smacking the other against his leg resolutely. Scarlett furrowed her brow and tilted her head to the side curiously, like a confused dog.

“What?” Scarlett muttered, but even that wasn’t convincing. How could that be? Then again, she wasn’t handcuffed, and the officers had been exceedingly kind to her. Some had even asked for an autograph but she didn’t think it was appropriate, considering. Scarlett could usually fake the persona that Tony oozed in every moment, but right now, Scarlett couldn’t fake anything, not even a smile.

She wanted to go home. But home was nowhere.

“The reporter didn’t want to press charges so they can’t hold you here.” Tony considered telling her that they only kept her there out of concern, because the media was acting like sharks and she was clearly not well. But he decided against it. It was just another thing left unsaid between them which seemed to be an overwhelming amount these days.

“I didn’t do anything.” Scarlett didn’t get up. She didn’t act like she deserved to leave. She felt like this was where she belonged. God, she had to get out of her head. She was trapped in there. Every time she tried to shake it off, Natasha’s accusations rattled her. She saw Clint’s insides on his outside. Her stomach turned.

“We should go. You don’t need to be here.” Tony stood, letting go of her hand at last. Scarlett simply stared up at him. It made his heart melt. Any frustration he felt by being kept in the dark washed away. Scarlett wasn’t being evasive or stand offish. No matter how bitchy she sounded right now. She was hurting and it was so obvious. It physically hurt him. He wanted to take that pain away.

Scarlett turned her gaze. 

“Come here…” Tony gently tucked his hand beneath her forearms and helped her to her feet. She allowed him to do just that. “I’ll get you out of here.”

“You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to help me.” Scarlett stopped him from urging her out the door. He smiled and shook his head.

“I know that. Trust me, I don’t do anything I don’t want to do. Not anymore.”

“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not.” Scarlett finally joked and Tony laughed with relief.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Not really. I like the mystery.”

“There you are.” Tony escorted her, hand on her back, through the police station. Everything from there was a blur for Scarlett. The officers were kind. She refused pictures and autographs but promised to return when she was less of a mess to make up for it. The only thing Scarlett would truly remember from that afternoon at the police station was that Tony was there for her. He guided her, helped her, spoke when she couldn’t, and made sure she wasn’t put into any situations that made her uncomfortable.

She was amazed by him.

By the time they got back to her loft by the shore, Scarlett was still out of it. Tony parked in front of the beautiful building which looked lonely without her car. He hadn’t asked where it wound up but now wasn’t the time either. Perhaps he’d have Jarvis take care of it. Scarlett was in no condition to drive. Part of him still wanted to bring her to the hospital but the press would still be looking for her there, waiting, like a fucking feeding frenzy. It disgusted him.

“Is this the Maserati?” Scarlett narrowed her eyes at the inside of the car before looking back to Tony.

“It is. Sexy, right?”

“Feels like you’re overcompensating.”

“Everyone likes a good Italian sports car.”

“You were buttering up the cops.” Scarlett sighed in understanding.

“What? You thought I’d actually try to compensate for my cock? Scarlett, come on now, that’s not something I have to compensate for. You should know that!”

Scarlett nearly snorted and shoved at his arm. She couldn’t ever thank him enough for reminding her that not everything in her life was bad. Tony wasn’t bad at all. In fact, he was probably the best thing in her life outside of Refuge but she wasn’t sure that would last either. It made her smile then made her very sad. 

That would have to change too. This relationship with Tony.

“Can I drive it?”

“My dick or the car?”

“The car, dick.”

“It sounds to me like you’re feeling a bit better.”

“It’s all relative.” Scarlett found it easy to joke with Tony. She always had. It was part of why they got along so well. There were so few people she clicked with. She wondered if this had been how he’d felt that day when she walked in on him having a panic attack. Vulnerable, frightened, judged. Maybe this was also how he felt after she hadn’t taken advantage of his vulnerability and had instead comforted him. Scarlett had forgotten that people were mostly kind. Even after seeing everything Clint had gone through to help her, this was different.

Scarlett at last got out of the car and unlocked the door of the loft. It was lucky that her house keys were still in her pocket. Her car keys certainly weren’t. The hospital was all a blur. Tony followed her inside and Scarlett was in no shape to object.

“I’m guessing you have a first aid kit somewhere.” Tony gestured around the spacious living room. “And that we shouldn’t do this on the white couch.”

“Do what?”

“You’re bleeding, Scarlett. Again, mind you.”

“Oh…?” Scarlett was suddenly aware of her body and rested her hand on the bruise on her forehead. “Right. Right… I swear that I’m not as out of it as I probably seem. I…” She drifted off and then pointed behind her. “I’ll go grab the first aid kit. Make yourself at home.”

“I plan to.”

Scarlett returned quickly and Tony sat down at the bar in the kitchen and patted the seat next to him. She took it and placed the first aid kit in front of them, unlatched it, and opened it. Before she could begin taking care of her wounds, Tony slid the first aid kit across the counter and started emptying it himself. She wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to do it, that she was capable of it on her own, but Scarlett just wasn’t herself.

With care, he cleaned the scrapes on her arms, something she hadn’t noticed. It became soothing. A wet cloth wiping away the muck and mire that was left behind after helping Clint to the hospital. Scarlett would give anything to know he was okay. To make sure he was okay. She would easily give her own life in exchange for his if it were allowed. But it just wasn’t how things worked.

That would just about solve everything.

End her to save everyone else.

Tony watched the change wash over Scarlett as he cleaned up her wounds. Sadness drenched her until she was dragged physically down by it. Whatever she was going through, whatever trouble led her there, it was eating her alive. He’d noticed it many times before. There was a crippling fear hiding within her. But he’d never seen it destroy her so completely right before his eyes.

Gently, he tilted her chin up. He brushed the cloth over her cheeks, wiping the dirt from her skin. Even beaten, bruised, and exhausted, she was still the same woman who had comforted him, been there for him through thick and thin. Whatever lies she’d told and secrets she hid, none of it mattered. Tony had been angry about it at one point but the truth was that he knew her. 

He knew Scarlett and nothing else mattered.

The time they spent together, the woman she was when she was with him was who she really was. Each touch, every word, all the glances they’d shared were sincere. That was suddenly all that mattered. Regardless of what happened next, Tony knew this was where he was supposed to be. Fate wasn’t something he thought of very often but this felt like just that. It was an epiphany of belonging. Not fate, so much, as he’d made the choice to be there and to give this importance and value.

With time, Tony understood he was always supposed to be Iron Man. It sounded silly at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he accepted it and the more comforting it became. The next time he’d known he was meant to be something it sounded less silly. Tony was meant to change the world with his gifts. And now he was meant to help Scarlett. Meant to love Scarlett and everything that went with her. He chose to be these things and to believe them.

It was a terrifying epiphany but thrilling all the same.

“How’s your side?” Tony set down the cloth he’d used to clean her wounds and then picked up a small suture bandage and placed it over the wound on her forehead. It wasn’t that bad. It just looked like it bled for some time without being cared for. She was pale and looking worse by the minute. Tony couldn’t imagine anything else was hurt by the look of her.

Scarlett shook her head but said nothing. If he had known how truly bad that stupid wound was then he would have beaten himself up for not taking her to the hospital. Seeing that it was healing up nicely, she didn’t see the point. Maybe it would join the list of things she’d explain when she told him the truth of everything.

Scarlett didn’t want to deal with anything. Not right now. Her head was spinning, her chest was aching, and she was embarrassed. God, she’d made such a scene at the hospital. She’d nearly attacked Dianne Hendricks. Her cover had to be beyond fixing, right?

“You’re really pale. Are you sure you’re not bleeding elsewhere? Whatever caused the rest of this certainly could have pulled stitches.”

Scarlett agreed but lifted the bottom of her shirt to show him the dirty, but not bloody, bandages on her side. He nodded in understanding his gaze lingered for all but a moment before he finally asked her what he’d wanted to ask her since he saw her on the news that first day in the bar with Rhodey.

“What’s really happening with you and SHIELD?” Tony folded his hands in his lap and tapped his fingers nervously together. Scarlett said nothing. Tony was smart. She knew he’d figure it out on his own eventually but to what extent he knew already, she wasn’t sure. “Don’t tell me it’s not more. I saw Barton on television. I know he’s… well, he’s an archer which is slightly antiquated, but… I also know he’s part of the Avengers Initiative. Like me. Or we were before that got nixed. I’ve worked with him before, Scarlett. Don’t say it’s just about the ex.”

“Tony…” Scarlett felt her insides all knotted up. Now that the hour was seemingly at hand, it was more difficult than she thought. God, she wanted to desperately say it all out loud but admitting it was all true was terrifying. And Scarlett knew it was, she did, but she was afraid of saying it. She was afraid of falling apart and that fear was more real than it had ever been. She had likely lost Natasha and now she had no idea how to tell Tony just how unlikely it was that she’d survive. What if she told him and she lost him too?

As much as Scarlett joked about going through this alone, about being tough, and dealing with it with a smile and a laugh, she also knew it was impossible. She went to Natasha because she had been desperate to stop MedCo but also desperate to save her own life. Natasha was right.

“Please don’t shut me out just because it’s hard.” Tony hated being serious. He really did, but this was all way too serious to joke about. These were answers he needed. Questions they avoided.

“I can’t tell you.”

“You won’t tell me, you mean.”

“You can’t be involved.”

“Meaning you don’t want me involved.”

“Yes. I don’t want you to be involved.” Scarlett felt like her chest was on fire. This wasn’t a panic attack. It was so much more than that. She’d overdone it. She’d swam so far, climbed too much, carried Clint. Scarlett felt as sick as she knew she was, which was rare, but it was becoming more frequent. Reality check after reality check.

“Scarlett?” Tony picked up both her hands and looked to her seriously. “It’s too late for that.” She held her breath. “I’m already involved.”

“You’ve been through so much.” Scarlett held his hands in return and it was suddenly very hard to speak around the lump in her throat. Serious conversations weren’t as easy as the joking but Tony wanted this. She could tell. He wanted to help her and she could see it in his honey brown eyes. Eyes that she reveled in getting lost in.

“Me?”

“Everything with Pepper. With your trauma. It’s been such a roller coaster ride for you. The last thing you need is more to deal with. You deserve better.”

“It doesn’t matter what you think I deserve. That’s not what I’m asking.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt because of me. I don’t want you to get hurt, period.” Scarlett finally admitted that and now that she said it, she couldn’t stop. It didn’t matter what the truth was behind her reasoning. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of her! Not Nathan, not Clint, not Natasha, not anyone! But more than anyone, selfishly, she wanted Tony to be okay, to be safe. He was not incapable but he had been in need of saving when she first met him. And for once Scarlett had gotten to be a knight in shining armor rather than the grim reaper. It felt so good and Tony was better for it. Ever since she’d approached SHIELD, the only thing Scarlett truly wanted was to help people. To do some real good. And nothing else seemed to matter after she’d met Tony.

“Hey, I’m fine. I’m going to be fine.” Tony laughed, but the worry in Scarlett’s face was so real, he wondered just how deep the rabbit hole went.

“More than anything, I want you to be okay.” Scarlett leaned closer and looked up at him seriously and her blue eyes were so sad that Tony nearly choked up. 

“What about you?” Tony furrowed his brow and leaned back in his seat. “I want you to be okay too. Not just me.” For a brief moment being so close had been too much, for a hundred reasons. 

Scarlett stared at their hands for a long time then pulled hers away. If he knew the chaos she’d created, the hell that had unfolded because of her, he wouldn’t feel that way. Would he? Natasha certainly didn’t. She’d made that perfectly clear.

Wiping her hand over her lips she got up, walked to the other side of the counter, pulled the first aid kit toward her and began to pack it up. Scarlett shook her head and with trembling hands, dropped the antiseptic. She cursed as the bottle clattered and broke on the tile. Crouching, she picked up the broken pieces of glass, hands stinging as the antiseptic splattered on her skin. Tony walked around the counter and crouched next to her, helping her pick up the broken glass and dispose of it in the nearby trash can.

“You’re okay… right?” Tony moistened his lips nervously and wiped his hand over his goatee. Scarlett froze and clenched her jaw to the point where it felt like her head was about to explode. She didn’t look up from the mess of antiseptic on the ground. She wanted to tell him. What if he took it the wrong way? What if he was mad at her for lying to him? What if he didn’t want to bother with someone who was as sick as she was? What if he walked out? She couldn’t emotionally handle losing Tony, Clint, and Natasha all in the same day. She’d never known her heart could break so deeply. That she could feel a pain that deeply from her emotions that it could keep her from breathing, that it could incapacitate her.

Scarlett just continued with the mess. In her mind she kept trying to find a way to phrase it. To maybe start by telling him that the wound from the other day had impacted it. How she’d nearly died and if he hadn’t removed that blade, she would have died on his couch.

Then she could tell him it didn’t matter because she was going to die anyway. The thought weighed her down. She kept clinging to hope, to a sliver of it, but there she was, pinned by reality. 

She tried to clean up the mess that was beyond her control. It wasn’t about the antiseptic on the floor anymore.

Tony watched the panic take her, watched as she struggled with whatever kept her from sharing with him.

And in that moment, Tony knew. His worst fears were realized.

Scarlett wasn’t okay. She didn’t have to say it. He knew she wasn’t by her silence and her fear. Finally, she opened her mouth to talk and sat up, still crouched. But she saw his realization and instead choked on her words.

“I can help.” He reassured her quietly and he saw Scarlett immediately reject the notion without speaking. “If you just let me help you then I can help.” Tony smiled, that confident ridiculous smile that won people over but even so, Scarlett saw the fear in his eyes. “I’m Iron Man. Let me help!”

“Tony…” Scarlett began.

“You said it yourself! When you told Pepper off that morning. I have all these suits, a whole army of suits of armor, and they’re not for me. They were never for me.” Tony shook his head. Scarlett pulled back and stood, her heart racing. Tony followed her as she went to the sink and washed her hands. She was doing everything and anything to avoid dealing with what was right in front of her. Tony was tired of dancing around the truth. He wanted it and he wanted it now. Hell, he wanted more than the truth. He wanted her. He wanted everything that came with her. Tony was never really known for his patience and he’d already been plenty patient.

“They’re to protect the people I care about, Scarlett. The people who are important to me.” Tony followed her, hoping she’d listen. “Let me help you. I have all this power and money, let me do something with it. You’ve done more for me than I could ever have asked for. Let me repay you!”

Scarlett turned away from the sink and looked to him seriously. He was beaming with pride but there was so much worry behind it. And something more, something she didn’t understand. Cursing mentally, she pointed at him.

“I cannot watch another person I care about die.” Scarlett was little by little letting the truth slip. More and more with each word. She expected Tony to be angry but instead, he beamed. “What?”

“You care about me, then?” He batted his eyelashes and Scarlett laughed and wiped her hand over her face. She made her way back to the bar to clean up the first aid kit. This time she was far more careful with each piece so she didn’t break anything else or make a bigger mess. “You’re avoiding the question, Scarlett.” It didn’t seem to matter to Tony if she told the truth. He’d gotten very caught up in those few words. His smile was a mile wide.

“Of course I care about you, Tony.” Scarlett turned, her stomach dropping. She hadn’t meant to say it like that and she certainly hadn’t meant for him to read between the lines so clearly. “How could I possibly not care about you?”

“Exactly how long have you cared about me then, hmm?” Tony walked around the island counter again and back to where she stood.

“Seriously? All of this and that’s what stuck with you? Really?” Scarlett leaned back against the counter as Tony stepped closer, still wearing that dopey smile on his face.

“Honestly, that’s all that matters to me in all of this.” Tony placed his hand next to her on the counter of the bar.

“You’re unbelievable.” Scarlett slipped narrowly away from Tony and carried the first aid kit back to the table as an excuse to get away from the intoxicating tension they created when they were that close together. There were no more real excuses not to. Other than the truth. And even when faced with some of that truth, Tony didn’t back down. She was torn. Did she want him to back down? To save him? Or not to so he would stay? Her brain was a disaster.

Tony followed her.

“I am unbelievable, that’s true, but not what we were talking about.” Tony grabbed her elbow carefully and tried to turn her but much to his surprise, Scarlett didn’t budge. Not even a little. “Aren’t you going to ask?”

“No.”

“I wasn’t finished.”

“I know what you’re going to say.”

“How are you even doing that? That’s ridiculous. God, you’re so strong.” Tony looked down at her feet, amused that she’d fixed herself to the floor. Instead, he slipped between her and the table and walked in front of her, placing his hands on her arms gently. He purposely left very little space between them.

Scarlett took a step back and Tony took it with her, shaking his head no, as if to say she wouldn’t get out of it like that.

He didn’t even smell nice today. Why was it all so intoxicating? Usually Tony smelled of expensive cologne that had grown on her. This was different than those moments where they locked eyes and crept close to crossing a line, a line they both knew they wanted to cross. Because they were finally allowed to cross it. At least Tony was.

Scarlett had used Pepper as an excuse not to get any closer, not to feel anything, but the only person she’d fooled was herself. Scarlett shuffled backwards and Tony took her hand and tugged her closer. She nearly fell against him and placed her hand to his chest, to catch herself.

Tony placed his hand on her cheek, his large hand dwarfing her. His thumb caressed her pale skin, barely grazing the corner of her lips. Any doubts about what he wanted faded away. No matter what obstacles lay ahead of them, Tony was ready to face them head on. He always loved a challenge and Scarlett proved to consistently be just that.

Closing her eyes, Scarlett leaned into the soft touch, a touch that always comforted her and sent a flood of warmth through her from head to toe. Very few people could do that to her with just a touch. Only one other ever had and even so, there were no feelings attached to that like this. She got the chills and shivered. Tony stepped closer, hand moving gingerly over her forearm, her elbow, and then around her shoulder and back, pulling her so close that she was pressed against him. Scarlett felt the shape of the arc reactor tucked beneath his shirt hidden away, pressed against her chest, and swore it was warm. 

It was just him. 

He was warm.

Tony watched her lips part, her lower lip scraped and bloodied from whatever she’d been through that morning. Not a turn off either. A busted lip was sexy, at least on Scarlett. Her fingers were bruised and scraped, not soft at all like they once were as she placed her hands on his cheeks. Even though he knew very well what strength and skill those hands were capable of, they felt delicate as they brushed intimately over his meticulously manicured goatee.

Scarlett’s mind went blank. Hadn’t they been arguing? About what? Tony was so warm. Taller than her too. She liked that. As she leaned closer she found that cologne she associated with him. It was there, she just had to be pressed against him to get the full effect. That damn cologne became an aphrodisiac after all the times they’d come close and had to pull back. It made her curl her toes in her boots.

There was a reason for pulling back, right? It was difficult to think about anything other than how badly she wanted to tuck her fingers under his shirt and push it slowly up and off of him, to push him against the nearby table and have her way with him. She bit her lower lip and watched as her fingers brushed over his jaw and down the side of his neck and onto his strong shoulders.

Her knuckles were bloody.

“Nope.” Scarlett suddenly snapped to her senses, pulling her hands away from Tony’s shoulders, and slipping out of his arms before returning to the kitchen. She shook a finger at him knowingly. “Bad idea. It’s such a bad idea.”

“If you mean a very hot, sexy, amazing idea, the best idea that Tony’s had all year? Then  yes, okay, it’s a very bad, naughty idea.” Tony followed her into the kitchen and she practically ran around the island to get away from him.

“You just got out of a long term relationship.” Scarlett stuttered over her words, mostly because her heart wasn’t in it. She knew what she wanted. She wanted this. But she didn’t deserve it. Not after everything. A man was in the hospital on his death bed, for god’s sake! She’d been arrested. Natasha made it very clear that she deserved very little of any kind of happiness or life, particularly the kind of mindless fun she knew Tony would offer. But she still very much wanted it. So badly. More than she’d wanted anything in a long time.

“Yeah, okay, that’s what was stopping me but now it seems like you were using it as an excuse and grasping at straws.” Tony knew it was true. He’d known it for a while. Scarlett didn’t want to be the other woman. He got that. He understood it and he didn’t want it either. They’d made that perfectly clear and still somehow kept winding up in each other’s arms. 

Scarlett was still scared. Tony wasn’t.

Hell, he was excited! And not just in the obvious way.

“Don’t say that.”

“Someone had to say it.” Tony followed her around the island and then stopped. “This is ridiculous. You are literally running from me.”

“I’m not running. I am just avoiding…”

“Fun? Something we both want? Really? We’re both adults, Scarlett. Both single adults, I might add.”

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. You were just grilling me about SHIELD and…”

“And I plan on grilling you in a completely different way before getting back to that.” Tony joked and Scarlett stopped to laugh.

“Can you be serious? For like… more than ten seconds?” Scarlett pulled away from the island and Tony grabbed her wrist and tugged her far harder than necessary back to him.

“I am extremely serious.” Tony didn’t give her another chance to pull away. They were both dancing around the inevitable. He’d waited desperately for this moment, longer than he had ever waited for anyone before in his life.

She tried to twist her wrist away but Tony grabbed her shoulder, placed his other hand on the side of her neck and pressed her right against the cabinets. She gasped and her eyes fell on his lips. She could feel his hot breath so close and her own ragged breath struggling while she fought the conflict in her heart. 

But it was no longer up for debate, not for Tony. Her lips were soft as he pressed his against hers, just barely, in a mindful, tender kiss, despite the rest of the force he’d used. Even with the wound on her lip, they were soft, full, warm, and it was just about the most amazing sensation he’d ever felt.

She didn’t kiss him back at first, but it didn’t stop Tony from moving closer, tilting his head to deepen the kiss- a kiss he’d earned. He’d dreamt about what it was like to kiss her, to slowly undress her and take her. To make her his. But nothing about those dreams would stand up to the real thing. He was more sure than he ever was that this was where he was supposed to be. That this was where he wanted to be.

Scarlett pulled back just enough to part their lips, resting the back of her head against the cabinets but Tony didn’t budge, didn’t open his eyes. She couldn’t believe he’d just broken the floodgates. For the times he’d hesitated, she was sure he wasn’t ready to take the plunge but there he was. And it didn’t lessen the tension like she suspected it might, oh no. Part of her had thought they’d kiss and realize it was all in their heads. But no. That was not the case at all.

In fact, it made the tension so much worse. All Scarlett wanted to do was kiss him again, kiss him and forget everything else. When he kissed her, in fact every time he held her, her mind was blank and quiet. A rare phenomenon for Scarlett whose mind was always going a mile a minute.

So she did what she wanted for the first time in a long time. Scarlett closed the very small gap between them and kissed Tony without thinking. At once, he groaned at the feel of her lips.

It felt wonderful to kiss her, but to be kissed back made all the difference. His chest practically exploded with how damn hard his heart was beating. It was slow at first, like someone hit the pause button while they savored the kiss, a kiss that had taken them months to have. But the slowness lasted only for a short moment.

Leaning away from the cabinets, Scarlett stood on her toes and slipped her arms around Tony’s shoulders, kissing those sexy, full lips with more resolve, more determination. She’d waited so long for this. They both had. And now that they had given in, there was no stopping it. The water rushed through the floodgates and they were powerlessly lost within its current.

Running her fingers through his short hair, Scarlett greedily pulled him closer. Every pent up bit of tension pouring from her lips into his and back again. His hair was soft, surprisingly so, and the way it brushed just against her palms sent shivers running through her. Tony pulled her away from the cabinets, urging her body to press against his.

For a brief second he leaned into her hand in his hair, savoring the slight tug. It felt like a dream. Their lips crashed together time and again. He bit her lower lip, giving it a soft tug and she made a delectable sound of pleasure, much to his delight. Scarlett was pressed against him so firmly, he had to take a step back to keep his balance, and instead bumped into the kitchen island. His heart was beating so hard that it was all he could hear outside of the sounds he elicited from the woman of his desire. 

It was more than a kiss. It was a landslide. A landslide of every ounce of tension, of need that they’d pent up over the months past. Each touch they’d resisted, every kiss they’d longed for, drowned them in passion.

Nothing else mattered. 

Scarlett’s nimble fingers gripped his hair while her other hand slipped beneath his jacket and pushed it just off of his shoulders. His arm slipped around her, pulling her against him until he could feel every contour of her body pressed to his. Gripping her shirt, he pulled her chest against his, feeling her hands slipping further beneath his jacket. Then he urged his hand lower, and the other joined it, right onto her cute, round ass, a thing he’d admired for so long. He gave it a loving squeeze before pulling her hips square against his. She had to know just what she did to him when he looked at her the wrong way.

Scarlett groaned, making a soft sound of surprise at the feeling of him pressed against her. She grasped his shirt. For a moment they sat kissing, holding each other close, lips tangled, tongues exploring, greedily taking in all they’d resisted for so long.

Grabbing the collar of Tony’s leather jacket, Scarlett tugged it and pulled it away from one shoulder, then the other, forcing his hands away from her backside. He chuckled against her lips, giving another love bite on her lower lip and the sound melted into a groan. Tony readjusted and then with Scarlett’s assistance, pulled off his jacket. He followed Scarlett’s movements so she wouldn’t have to pull away from his lips.

He threw the jacket to the ground and there was a surprising crash that forced them both to stop and look for the source. Scarlett made to go check but he pulled her by her arm back to him and slipped his arms back around her and kissed her once again.

“But…” Scarlett muttered between kisses and Tony shook his head and bit her lip harder this time. Moaning softly, Scarlett returned the bite, just as hard and his grip faltered. She pulled from his lips and kissed down his chin, his scruff scraping against her lips and sending shivers down her spine. Then she bit his chin, not too hard, but not too soft either. Tony felt the slight sting run through his jaw, and into shivers down his spine, one hand reaching behind him to grip against the counter.

One by one, she pressed her fingers against his chest and slid her entire palm down his stomach, kissing his chin, beneath it, and over his neck. Her teeth hashed against his scruff. When he moaned, she could feel it reverberate through her lips and she shivered.

“Goddamn…” Tony leaned his head back, breath short, heart beating faster. His every nerve was on fire with passion and excitement. Scarlett kissed down his neck, as far as the collar of his shirt would allow. Then she tugged on the bottom of his shirt, her fingers brushing the bare skin beneath. Every part of him was warm. He tensed up and flexed so she could feel his muscles. She smiled against the skin of his neck before kissing back up his jaw and starting to tug his shirt up higher.

As much as he enjoyed being treated with such excitement and care, he couldn’t sit idly by and let Scarlett have all the fun. So he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up with ease. Scarlett wrapped her legs around his middle and he took a few steps forward, leaning her against the fridge. It was cold on her back so she gasped and arched away from it, her chest pressing against Tony and he admired the way her body moved.

Leaning her weight against the fridge, Tony pulled up her shirt, careful of the wound on her side, and practically buckled at the knees at the feel of her soft skin. Scarlett placed her hand beneath his chin and tilted him back to her, forcing him to focus on her lips. They kissed again deeply, feverishly. Tony gripped at her shirt, holding it up at her side, his other hand caressing slowly over her skin and up over the contour of her breasts, urging his hips to once again press against hers, adjusting her in his arms to do so.

Scarlett started again at his shirt and when finding it would not come off of him so easily, she began to sloppily tug at the buttons on the top. With his hips pressed square against hers, she could feel just how desperately he’d longed for this moment and goddamn, she wasn’t sure how he survived in those jeans. It only made her want him more. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, her lungs were on fire, but who needed to breathe when something as simple as a touch could make her feel this damn good?

Tilting her head to the side, Scarlett’s kisses were sloppier as she tried to focus on the task of unbuttoning his shirt. Every miss caught a bit of scruff that gave her shivers which delighted Tony to no end. He’d pushed the sleeve of her tank top off of her shoulder, hand fully on her breast, giving it a playful squeeze as he pushed her harder against the fridge. He dared to rock his hips against hers. 

He needed it.

Gasping again against his lips, Scarlett gripped his shirt and rocked against him in return, then started to push the shirt that was stuck between him down his arms, but that didn’t work. For a brief second, the arc reactor lit up the space between them with its brilliance. She was left in awe of it. She pulled at the shirt with more fervor but it was stuck between her legs and his body.

Tony, hand right under her backside, pulled her away from the fridge, turned, set her down on the island counter, then pulled his shirt off from the back collar and dropped it to the floor. Arms back around Scarlett, he pulled her close, allowing his bare stomach to rest against hers where her shirt was still hiked up. Tony’s lips left a trail of sloppy, wet kisses down her neck, greedily memorizing her. He wanted to know all of her, to know every nook, every cranny, before he could rest. 

Then he wanted to know them all over again.

It was like fasting before a feast and he was starving. Scarlett scooted closer to him on the edge of the counter. Tony urged her to continue until her hips were right at the edge. 

She swore she saw stars with Tony pressed so tightly against her. Her breathing was ragged. She could hear the crackle of her lungs in her ears amidst the groans that shook her to her very core as Tony kissed down her chest. Scarlett gripped at his hair, fingertips tingling and numb. His hands caressed over her thighs greedily, down to her knees, and back up between her legs.

Gasping for breath, she moved her hands down his bare back, feeling the way his impressive physique moved as he held her, pulled at her, hungrily. Her fingernails barely scratched at his back, pulling him closer, tighter. The air was so thick between them that Scarlett couldn’t breathe.

It wasn’t Tony.

And she realized it in a sudden panic.

Scarlett couldn’t breathe.

Her stomach lurched and she turned away. Tony pulled her back, thinking nothing of it. He kissed over her neck and pushed the sleeve off of her shoulder along with her bra strap.

But then she started coughing. And she couldn’t stop. Every time Scarlett inhaled, she couldn’t exhale, and then she couldn’t do either. Her body shook and trembled. She lost feeling in her fingers completely.

Tony pulled back in horror, mouth hanging open as he watched her nearly turn blue. She gripped weakly at his shoulder, other hand over her mouth to try and contain the cough, but she was losing color rapidly. Tony’s brain was in a fog of sex and desire but it also screamed that he had to do something.

His heart was racing for ten different reasons. He gently laid her back on the counter, urging her arms over her head. He placed his hand over her chest.

“Scarlett?” He cleared his throat of the huskiness in his voice. Tony gently brushed his hand over her chest, unsure of what else to do to help her other than console her. “Scarlett, talk to me.” But she didn’t say anything, she didn’t even look at him. Scarlett stared ahead of her, into space, like she didn’t see anything. Tony waved his hand in front of her face and when she didn’t acknowledge him and just coughed, her breathing short and laborious, he gently turned her to face him. He needed her to focus on something, anything.

The haze of lust disappeared in a cold rush of panic.

“Scarlett? Please! Please… please talk to me.” Tony pled, searching for his phone. It was in his coat. He’d have to leave her to call for help.

Then, just like that, Scarlett coughed, blinked, and stared back at him. Tony’s bottom lip trembled, and he was awestruck. What happened to her? She’d disappeared! She’d had a few coughing fits when they were working together but nothing like that.

“Sorry.” Scarlett managed, her voice hoarse and tired. Tony pulled her upright and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She was shaking and her heart beat unsteadily, lungs still sore and aching. She could barely breathe.

“You were gone.”

“I’m sorry.” Scarlett didn’t know how to tell him. She wanted to but she was also disoriented. She felt like she was fading quickly. She needed help. Desperately.

“What happened, Scarlett? What aren’t you telling? What’s wrong? Please.”

“I can’t. I have to… you have to go.” She whispered but it wasn’t what she meant so much as that she needed help. Scarlett had to call someone but who? Jemma Simmons? She was still angry with Simmons without a real reason. Mickey? Mickey would help her or send her to help at least. She couldn’t call Natasha even though that was all she wanted to do.

“Scarlett…” Tony scolded. She was upset, but she kept disappearing into her head. Into panic. What a roller coaster ride. He was still sitting there with an erection, trying to calm down and process what the hell just happened. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Just for now.” Scarlett placed her hand over his lips to silence his objections. He furrowed his brow in frustration. “I need to get some help or call someone or…” She stuttered on her words and moistened her lips. God, they tasted like him. This was so unfair. She’d been so close to him and now she was back, trapped in reality.

“I cannot leave you like this.”

“Please, Tony. I’m okay. This isn’t the first time this has happened. I need to call for help.” Scarlett wheezed. She didn’t want him to leave. She didn’t. But if she was this sick then she had to do something about it fast. Maybe a week ago she would have ignored it. She would have taken a few deep breaths, said fuck it, and did whatever the hell she wanted to do. Which was Tony. Something she wanted to do so badly.

But if getting some help would buy her some more time with Tony, more time to set things right, then she needed to call someone. Anyone. She needed to get help now before it was too late. Tony tilted her chin up and pulled her close again, brushing his lips just against hers before kissing her deeply.

Scarlett’s chest ached and she returned the soft sentiment, a far different kiss than the fevered ones they’d shared only moments ago. A chill ran down her spine and she shivered before gently pulling back from his lips. Tony kept his eyes closed and shook his head.

He couldn’t believe he was doing this.

“I’ll go.” He whispered, staring down at her lips longingly. “But we’re not done here. Not by a long shot. You got that?”

“I don’t want to be done here, Tony.” Her heart was in her throat. “I promise we’re not done here.”

“Promise me that you’re getting help.” Tony rested his hand on her cheek, sighed, and then pulled back with a deep exhale.

“I promise. No more secrets. Not from you.” Scarlett reassured him. And she meant it. No more lies, no more secrets. She’d tell him everything. Every awful detail.

Tony exhaled but felt no relief. He retrieved his shirt and his coat and then smiled at her. “You know, you’re experiencing a rare thing.”

“What’s that?” She sounded sad.

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever been this hard up and didn’t get what I want.”

She laughed and he rested his hand on her cheek and placed a kiss on the other.

“Trust me, I couldn’t be less happy about this.”

“Good to know. Should probably change your panties before you call anyone.”

“Tony. Don’t be crude.”

“Just being honest.” He was still panicked inside, but felt better after making her laugh. He pulled on his shirt and started out the door without looking back at Scarlett. If he did, he’d change his mind. He wouldn’t leave. He’d pick her up and make love to her. And if she really did need help it would be doing her a disservice. He would never forgive himself.

If she needed him to leave to get help then he would. He knew exactly what he’d do instead. He pulled on his jacket. He needed answers.

Scarlett watched him leave, chest sore, stomach sick. Carefully, she got off the counter and limped over to the bar. She found her phone and fumbled with the screen.

That was right.

The ocean broke it.

Cursing, she threw the stupid thing aside and went to her computer. It was the only way she knew how to contact anyone who could help. She waited for the screen to load, head spinning. She’d contact Mickey and find out a status from SHIELD on Clint and see what they could do for her.

But the memory of Tony so close wouldn’t fade so quickly. Every time she closed her eyes she could feel his lips, his touch, and now that she had a little taste of it, she wanted more. So much more. She would trade every bit of freedom she had left for just one more kiss.

That was it. 

Once she’d assessed the damage done, she would go to Tony and tell him everything. Every ounce of the truth. She should have done it then and there but the panic was too crippling. She would ask him to be patient with her and she knew he would be. And she should have let him stay. He could see part of it for himself. But she wasn’t thinking. That and she wanted Tony to hear the truth from her. Not from Simmons or Mickey. Scarlett had to be the one to do it for it to mean as much as she felt it did.

To give him a chance to run without SHIELD breathing down his neck. It was only fair.