Bethany Cabe sighed.
Hiding out was not really her deal, she was a bodyguard, for gosh's sake!
After all she had worked on, she didn't have much choice.
She had saved Iron Man's life and she had saved Tony Stark's life. A few times.
The problem being that they were the same person.
She had figured that out a while ago.
She had been through a lot, pulling Tony out of alcohol several times, and hearing that her previous husband was alive, then him dying on a drug overdose.
After several more rescues, she had disappeared from Tony's life.
Not forever, no.
She was just waiting for the right time to resurface.
She spent months working on the suit.
The Iron WOMAN suit.
Some time ago, one of the copies of the blueprints had disappeared mysteriously.
She had it.
She was going to help save the world.
She knew Tony couldn't do it by himself.
He had proven THAT much at least.
"Hey, Beth?" A familiar voice echoed through the hideout. Bethany sighed.
"Yes, Toni?"
Antoinette Pond, or Toni, as she liked to be called, joined her in their "lair".
"Ya almost done?" She asked. "You promised to let me wear a smaller version."
"Yes, I am almost done." Bethany looked up at the dark haired girl. Bethany had taken her in a few years ago. Toni was a street kid, and could get the information and stuff that Bethany needed. She had sort of taken Toni under her wing. It may or may not have been a mistake. Toni was a spontaneous adventurer, Bethany was a skeptical engineer. She built, Toni explored. She criticized, Toni bounced right back. Their differences put together were strength. Bethany shook her head with a half-smile on her face.
"What's the matter?" Toni asked. "Can we come out of hiding soon?"
"Nothing is the matter, and yes we can come out of hiding soon."
"Did ya see Iron Man on TV? He saved all o Noo Yawk at the Stark Expo," Toni imitated a New York accent. (Badly) Bethany bent over the suit to hide her smile.
"Yes I saw it. It was hard not to see it."
"This is the second big time, you know. Mr. Stark got a medal, and-"
"Be quiet," Bethany cut her off. "I saw all of it."
"Sorry." Toni sat down and watched her work. "Tony Stark has a girlfriend."
"I know," Bethany said. Her voice caught a tiny bit. "Pepper Potts."
"You don't hate her already, without meeting her, do you?"
"No, of course not," Bethany said sharply. "Don't be ridiculous. I can't hate someone without meeting them."
"Don't say that," Toni said, suddenly serious. "I know several people that have hated without meeting. Or at least killed without meeting."
Bethany looked up at her in surprise. It was true that Toni's parents had been killed when she was young by an assassin. Toni said she'd gotten over it.
Bethany had dug into it. The assassin was now a reformed man, a Clinton Barton. Bethany had never told Toni about it. She didn't want her to resent someone for their past deeds.
What would happen if someone resented Bethany herself for her past actions? She had done several things that she was not proud of. She had changed though, for the better, and so had Barton. She would not hold their actions against them.
"So when can we go?" Toni asked.
"Soon, Toni." Bethany lowered her head again. "Very soon."