"The past is never where you think you left it."

― Katherine Anne Porter

A/N: Like I promised folks, the rewrite has been posted at 8 o' clock p.m! Please read and enjoy!

Setting: Marvel Movies Universe

Pairings: Tony/Pepper moments, implied Clint/Natasha

Warnings: Cursing, Potential Gore, Mild Violence

~Chapter One~

Tony Stark was already having one hell of a bad day when he found out that his very expensive shipping of French wine that is shipped to him only three times a year, has been cancelled. Said day proceeds to become pretty shitty, when informed by Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D that Loki, a psychotic alien who tried to take over planet Earth over a few weeks ago, was sent back to Earth with his brother, Thor, regards from their world "Ass-guard" or however the name is pronounced.

Massaging his forehead, Tony waves his hand, signaling Fury to cease his rant about how alien life forms couldn't deal with their own political messes.

"Whoa, whoa, so basically the wacko that tried to invade our planet, is going to be dumped here on Earth?" Tony recaps, squinting at the holographic screen. Nick nods, his face scrunched up in a mixture of a grimace and scowl.

"According to Thor, it seems that the Asguardian authority decreed that this scumbag is to be exiled to Earth until they can decide a proper punishment." Nick explains. "Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D has to cover this case." Tony pours himself some whiskey. He sighs silently to himself. Seriously, it has only been a matter of - what, two or three weeks - yet Tony couldn't catch a break. Boy, he could really go for a sip of that expensive French wine. He takes a long sip from his drink, half-listening to Fury.

"...Now here's the thing, Stark, don't mistaken this as an act of kindness. I'm not too keen myself with S.H.I.E.L.D carrying around the Universe's Most Wanted Intergalatic Criminal. But we gotta force our hand. Some other planet called, 'Jotunheim' wants Loki's head as well. Can't say I blame them—this world declared war on Asgard, which is the reason why they can't deal with Loki immediately." Tony gives a low whistle. "They're searching for Loki, and they have no clue that he's here on Earth. It's our job to cover his identity, and unfortunately, protect him until Asgard hands the bastard his punishment."

"Mmhmm, mm-hmm, mhh." Tony nods his head, swishing the ice cubes with the remains of whiskey in his glass. He gulps down the rest of his drink, and makes a big show of wiping his mouth. "I see, I see. But, may I ask Nick, what does this have to do with me?" He raises an eyebrow, swirling his drink around, the ice cubes making a faint clinking noise.

Fury nods, his mouth set in its usual straight line to mask stoicism, yet his visible left eye is scrunched up in...hesitance. Bracing himself, Tony grabs his bottle of whiskey, not bothering to pour it into his glass this time. "Quick to the point. You see, S.H.I.E.L.D cannot risk carrying this guy around. We're pretty much the most obvious target to infiltrate. We need to give Loki a low profile. And because of that... I decided that Loki was to stay under your watch."

The bottle doesn't make it to Tony's lips. An oakish scent of the contents lingers near Tony's nose. It was extremely tempting to blame the presence of the whiskey for the crap he just heard come out of Fury's mouth. He sets the bottle down, and glances to the screen.

"...Look, Fury buddy, if you're still angry about the Lala-Loopsy Incident, I heavily apologize." Tony couldn't believe he managed to say that with a straight face when he referred to that certain...prank. But still, the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D had to be joking. Or at least tormenting him.

For a fleeting moment, Fury cringes when Tony brings up the Lala-Loopsies. However, he regains composure, straightening his posture. His expression betrays slight sympathy, yet firm. Knowing Nick Fury, Tony knew that whatever comes out of the man's mouth, was the word of God. The CEO of Stark Corporations wouldn't have cared less if Loki were forced to be condemned to an underground prison - but S.H.I.E.L.D, as usual drags him into it.

"Nick. Nick, Nick, Nick, Nick!" Tony wags his finger, his voice a pitch higher. The sort of tone he would use when dealing with sniffy business men at his job. He made sure to add an extra punch of condescending by leaning forward with wide eyes, as if speaking to a incompetent five year old. "I am many things. A genius billionaire playboy philanthropist superhero CEO of a huge corporation for that matter, a great package deal, am I right? But if there is one of the few things that I am not, is a babysitter. I repeat, I AM NOT A BABYSITTER. Especially one for supervillains." Tony leans back, crossing his arms, staring testily at the agent.

Nick disregards this. "Whine all you want genius-billionaire-playboy - and all of that other crap I won't bother to list off." He rolls his one visible eye. "I'm not asking you to treat Loki like the President. All I'm asking you is to keep him within your place, and in a more or less healthy state so we can complete our end of the deal with Asguard. Simple as that."

The billionaire pretends to consider this. "Hmmm, wow, it sounds like an easy job! Oh, but there's just one setback of this job—" Tony snaps his fingers, as if he discovered sliced bread. "That's right, there's the big fat obvious fact that I'll possibly be turned into a mindless slave zombie and/or be obliterated into nothingness! Ahh, that's it! Aren't I a genius?" He scowls remembering the fact that Loki mind controlled one of the Avengers' members, Clint Barton.

Fury's jaw clenches along with his shoulders sagging, tired of this conversation dragging on. "Thor told me that their father casted magical binds on Loki, or whatever. It drains Loki of his magic, so he can't do any crazy, outrageous shit like teleporting or what not. Also, we placed a high tech bracelet on the guy. If he tries to escape or pull any funny shit, we will track him down."

"At least you guys aren't being that reckless."

"Hypocrite," Fury shots back. "So, quit your complaining. Loki will come over to your place tomorrow around 11 o' clock p.m, so be prepared."

Tony lets himself collapse in his pristine white couch. He strokes the surface of the leather material, trying to soothe himself. How in the world can he explain this Pepper? Where's his wine when he needed it?

Seeing no way out of this task forced upon him, Tony finally gives in. Besides, he had some Power Rangers to catch tonight. His day maybe ruined, but at least he still has his favorite TV show. "Whatever Bossman. Just know that I'll give Loki my cheapest looking yet expensive room that I can find in my mansion."

"You go do that. Oh, and by the way," He says, before Tony shuts off the holographic screen.

"What?"

"Thor's also going to be staying with you. He insisted. Agent Fury, out!"

Tony drops his glass. What's that saying? Oh yeah.

"Son of a bitch!"

Tub of Ben N' Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Swirl? Check.

Vintage glass of "Sprite" which totally-doesn't-contain-Elderwood-apple juice-whiskey? Check.

Flannel pajamas and fluffy blankets? Check, check, and check.

This was the complete set for a perfect, lazy, and not giving a damn of the world Wednesday night. Giving out a great sigh, Tony switches on the flat screen TV to life. Quickly flipping to Nickelodeon, Tony allows a smile when he sees the opening of Power Rangers. At least one thing in his day didn't get screwed over. For an entire half hour straight, Tony gorges on ice cream, chugs his "Sprite", and silently snarks at the ridiculous cheesy dialogue of Power Rangers.

Steady clip-clap of Pepper's high heels click gently against the tiled floor. Hearing this familiar noise, Tony downs the rest of "Sprite", and manages to stuff it in between the pillows of his couch, before she makes an appearance. She leans over the couch, her blonde hair hanging down and tickling his nose.

"Hey there, bright eyes," He greets, winking and giving the best "I-totally-wasn't-drinking" grin.

Pepper laughs, but her nose is scrunched up, wrinkling her face. She gives a quick sniff of his face, trying to identify a familiar scent. Tony takes this opportunity to kiss her straight on the lips. She pulls away, the sides of her mouth curled, but her whole expression firm. She gives a light slap on his cheek.

"I wasn't born yesterday, Anthony. I recognize alcohol anywhere."

He does his best to flash a winning smile - but Pepper is unmoved, taking away his half-full tub of ice cream, and putting it back in the freezer, far out of his reach. Curse his laziness! He makes a point of moaning, clawing the air for his stolen goods.

Taking a seat next to Tony, Pepper says, "From the looks of this scene, work must've been a pain. Something happened?"

"Yup. Yup indeedy-deed. I dunno, I guess it's from the fact that I was assigned to babysit Loki. Y'know, the guy that tried to enslave humanity and all? Ha. Yeah, what a guy."

Pepper's jaw drops open. "What? That guy?" She collapses backwards on the couch, her hand on her forehead. "S.H.I.E.L.D just expects us to take this guy in, and deal with him? They fully expect for us to put our lives on the line, keeping watch over a psychopath?"

"You got that right. Don't worry Peps." Tony brushes some hair out of her eyes, smiling. "Loki has restraints on him, so he's definitely in no position to hurt any of us. Besides, he may have some bullshit magic, but we have the Hulk, remember?" Pepper eases out of her worry, smiling back. "Oh yeah, and Thor is going to be staying here too."

"Oh, that Avenger with the huge hammer?" Pepper taps her chin, thoughtful. "I remember him, seeing him on TV. Didn't you say that he was Loki's brother?" Tony nods, clicking the sound button on the TV remote to low. "Well, that's nice, at least, for someone else to help you keep that guy in check."

Tony snorts. "Haha. I hate to break it Peps, but Thor would only be adding fuel to the dramatic fire."

"You'll manage. Like you always do."

So, Pepper kicks off her heels and throws off her blazer, scooting closer to Tony. He throws a blanket on her shoulders as well, and raises the volume on the TV once again. For a few minutes he and Pepper sit quietly together in each other's arms, watching Power Rangers. A few times, Pepper would protest to change the channel, or quietly complain at the crappy special effects of the kids' show. But all in all, it was perfectly peaceful. Just the way Tony wanted it.

That is, until JARVIS politely disturbs them.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"What is it?" Tony's eyes didn't move an inch off the screen. "Make it snappy JARVIS."

"Ah yes. There is a man going by the name of Abdul Thompson, accompanied with a little girl on your doorstep. He is asking for your presence, immediately."

Tony attempts to dismiss this news, however Pepper is attentive as ever, raising an eyebrow at this news. "Must be a crazed fanboy trying to get into the Stark headquarters. Besides, I've met many people and forgotten about them." He rolls his eyes, smirking slightly. Pepper could only shake her head at her lover's attitude, with a smile playing on her lips.

"Sir, I would send them away, but the information this man holds might be important to you. He says the affairs he must consult with you concerns Jacob Williams and his daughter."

Tony pauses, his eyes finally pulling away from the screen. He glances over to Pepper, who looked slightly surprised, and looks into his eyes for answers. Jacob Williams? As in… He rubs his eyes, and rises to his feet. Well, this got his attention. "A kid?" Tony asks, not really directed at Pepper or JARVIS. "Let them in JARVIS. We'll see what this guy has to say."

"Right away, sir."

Pepper gets up as well, following Tony downstairs to the lobby. They open huge white doors leading outside. Fresh ocean air rushes inside the opened doors. The sky is indigo, reflecting evening. And then, there are the two people JARVIS spoke of - the man and the little girl. Tony scratches the side of his cheek, eyeing this unexpected couple up and down.

"What brings you here?"

"Evening, Mr. Stark. My name is Abdul Thompson." The man, Abdul says, extending a hand. Tony grabs it, giving a half-assed handshake. Abdul pulls his hand away, cringing slightly at the sticky remnants of Tony's late night snack rubbing on his skin. At least he has the manners of not wiping it away. Tony notes, satisfied that the man wasn't someone he won't immediately dislike. "I apologize deeply for interrupting you so late at night. But, I have some important matters to discuss with you, concerning your goddaughter."

"Goddaughter?" Pepper echoes. She side-eyes Tony, definitely expecting answers at this point. He tries to signal her back with his eyes for her patience.

"Introduce yourself." Abdul says to the girl beside him.

Now that he mentioned this girl again, Tony directs his attention to her. Up until this moment, he hardly noticed her presence. She hasn't uttered a single word this entire time. All she was doing is staring at her shoes - dull and smudged green rainboots. The color of her dress, a painful neon blue, nearly blinds Tony's eyes. Black bangs block most of the girl's face. For a moment, she peeks out of her curtain of hair. Tony only gawks. She returns to the tedious activity of staring straight at her feet.

Abdul sighs. "Forgive her for her silence. I thought she would at least introduce herself to her remaining guardian, but...her name is Aiyanna Williams. She has not been speaking at all ever since her case has come under my care. May we come in, so I can properly explain the situation?"

Tony lets his head match something close to a nod. He steps to the side, watching Abdul and Aiyanna enter. He looks the little girl up and down, trying to search for a resemblance to Jacob Williams. Aiyanna doesn't make this any easier for him, with her face closed off from his eyes. Pepper taps him on the shoulders, her eyebrows scrunched up.

"We're gonna find out what's happening. Together." She emphasizes, pecking him on the cheek, seeing Tony's non-plus expression.

Regaining his senses, he gives a lopsided smile. "Definitely."

A/N: This certainly is a long first chapter! Hope you peeps appreciate the rewrite! A lot of things have been changed - as you notice the appearance of Abdul and Aiyanna's personality. More will be revealed. Reviews are very much appreciated! Signing out!