Oh. My. Goodness. You guys, my email literally blew up after I posted the first chapter and you have no idea how happy I am that so many people thought it was actually good. Ajhlekjgwle I guess I'll be continuing this story! I've tried to keep the spelling errors at a minimum, sorry if they're there. D: I hope you guys enjoy the second chapter! :)

"I pissed her off, didn't I…" He paused. "On second thought, don't answer that."

Steve Rogers pinched the bridge of his nose as he sat next to Clint and Romanoff. Bruce had taken to sitting on the other side, reading a book as he usually did on such missions as this. "Hey, where's Thor?" Clint brought up as he looked around the room. They were on a helicarrier heading towards their destination. "And Iron Man?" He added as he did a headcount.

"Thor is still in Asgard taking care of a few things." Bruce mentioned nonchalantly. The doors slid open, causing all of their heads to turn. Nick Fury walked in with Iron Man not far behind him. "Iron Man would be right here." Natasha said as she followed behind Fury. The voice that came out of the suit was made to sound masculine, thus covering for her rather feminine voice. "I was just briefing Iron Man on a few things. If you need me, I'll be in the next room over but we should be reaching our destination shortly. " Nick Fury quickly left through the other doorway as Natasha found herself leaning against the wall impatiently. She wanted this to be done and over with.

She wanted to go back to her lab and be alone.

"Iron Man?"

She turned at the call of her alter ego to see that it was the Captain asking for her attention. "Have… Have you spoken with Miss Stark today?" Bruce glanced up and decided to observe the situation for what it was worth. He was worried about Natasha as well, but he knew better than to push into her private bubble. "We talked briefly but nothing really of importance. A greeting, some light conversation, the usual." Natasha responded briefly, pushing herself from the wall and taking a seat next to Bruce. "Hey, when do we get to know your name? Your file is the most fucking classified thing I've seen. Even Stark's file is pretty vague. It's higher than our level of file classified information." Clint pouted as he referenced himself and Romanoff. Romanoff couldn't help but smirk a little.

"If it's all the same with you, I prefer to keep it professional. The only few who know are Director Fury, Pepper, Rhodey and Nat herself." She said in response. Natasha thought about telling them. All the time. But then she remembered why she was there. It would cause nothing but trouble if they knew it was her. She could keep herself isolated in this manner if she kept it like this. Despite what Pepper said, isolating herself from this "team" would be the best form of action.

"Nat? You sound close to her." The Captain observed from his seat, eying the Iron Man as if trying to figure out something. "How did you meet Miss Stark?" He added curiously. At this point everyone had gathered to pay attention to the conversation. Bruce had even closed his book. "We met just after her escape from Afghanistan. I needed her and she needed me. It was a mutual relationship that turned into something more." She clarified; she raised an eyebrow when she saw Steve frown. "By 'something more' I mean we became rather close. Granted, Pepper didn't approve of me at first but she warmed up to the idea of Iron Man."

Natasha Stark knew it didn't clarify anything, but overall she was telling the truth. She had "met" the Iron Man after her capture in Afghanistan. She did need Iron Man. They were one of the same person. It did turn into something more: super hero, the Avengers, etc. Pepper hadn't approved of the idea of having her go out and fight in the line of danger. Rhodey thought it was pretty damn cool though. She smiled at the remembrance of his approval.

"The suit is remarkable. It has her name all over it. But I've always been curious as to the chest piece." Bruce thoughtfully asked as he slid off his glasses, taking a look at the glowing arc reactor. "I'll indulge in your scientific curiosity." She remarked, earning a small smile from Bruce. "It's an arc reactor. Nat designed it and ever since it's been the stepping stone for Stark Industries in the way of new energy. In my case, it powers the suit. I'm sure if you asked her about the components she'd be willing to divulge some information." Steve shifted uncomfortably in his chair. It was almost like watching Natasha and Bruce talk. It unnerved him for some unknown reason.

"Stark is Bruce's biggest fan!" Clint laughed to himself as he thought of the moment they met on the helicarrier before Loki's invasion. He hadn't been there but he had seen the security video. "I'm sure she was fangirling when she first met him." He grinned, wishing he could spar in a battle of words with the infamous genius. Clint was one of the only ones to truly appreciate her snarky side. "I think she's just happy that she finally has someone to do science with." Romanoff added, a faded smile on her face as she said. They were right and Natasha knew that. Before the conversation could continue, a voice rang through the intercom system. It belonged to Maria Hill. "We have reached a point of drop off, please prepare yourselves." It was brief and to the point.

Natasha Stark liked that.

"Why did Fury call us anyway?" Bruce asked before getting up from his seat. Natasha would have answered if she had known herself. "Director Fury said you more than likely wouldn't be needed, but you were brought along in case. He wanted us to do a check in on a disturbance located on the outskirts of town." Captain America said in his authoritative voice. Natasha felt a chill run down her spine, but she shook it off. "If that's the case, then technically Bruce could have stayed back at home. I could have stayed back at home. Because frankly, if I remember correctly, I'm only a consultant." She said as the team stepped off the carrier and onto the grassy terrain.

"You're both here because we're a team." The Captain retorted, an anger beginning to fill in his stomach. "Actually no. If I remember correctly, I thought I didn't qualify. Fury said that both Miss Stark and I were considered, what was it... volatile, self-centred, and we don't play well with others." The Captain sighed, clearly trying to control himself. "We're splitting up. Iron Man, head north. Widow and Bruce, head west of here. Hawkeye and I will head east. If anything happens, call it in the com and we'll be right there, any questions?"

Before another second could pass, Natasha flew away in her given direction, happy to be away from the group. They followed suit and began to separate. Clint and Captain began walking, the only sound was their feet scratching the surfaces of the grassy pasture. "Don't get too down about Natasha…" Clint said, clearly noting the worry that Steve had while he was on the helicarrier. "She's just got some baggage. We all do. I'm sure even Iron Man has his own baggage. Maybe just as bad as Natasha's. It's probably why they're so close."


In the north, Natasha had been flying overhead when something shot at her shoe thruster, sending her plummeting to the ground.


"I just…" Steve paused, thinking of how to word it. "I wish we knew more about her. I knew Howard very well. He was one of my closest friends. I'd love to have that relationship with her if she'd let me but she's just so infuriating and stubborn and bottled up. I mean, with Iron Man, he has an excuse not to talk. We don't see him much around, he's not really involved with the team as much as the rest of us, I get why he doesn't exactly want to mix personal with business. But Natasha… We're living at her house. She should be able to trust us." Clint let a long moment of silence go by before he answered.


Robots like the War Machine began to fill the surrounding area. Three in total all much bigger than her. "Jarvis, analyze them and tell me any weak points." Natasha ordered into her helmet as she hid behind the tree, hoping to get a quick answer from Jarvis. "Sensors indicate to aim for the head, Mrs. Stark. It seems to be the only area not made of vibranium." Natasha smiled to herself as she strategized how she would attack.


"Like Iron Man said, they don't play well with others. It's not really some you can fix, Cap. She just prefers to do things on her own." Clint shrugged as he twirled an arrow in his hand. "Anything yet guys?" Steve said into the com, waiting for responses. "None yet." Romanoff replied. "Iron Man?" He waited until he heard a bit of static, which worried him a bit. "I'm… good." He heard the voice say, though Steve was clearly unconvinced. "Iron Man, what's going on-"

A large explosion could be heard from Iron Man's direction, causing everyone in the surrounding area to turn and look. The explosion was also intensified on the com. "Guys! Talk to me!" Steve yelled into the com as he stared at the billow of smoke from what he believed to be the north. "Bruce and I are fine. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Romanoff's voice rang through the com as they all began to head towards the smoke. "Iron Man, do you hear me?" Steve yelled loudly over the static.

"Y-Yeah. I hear you. I'm good, don't worry about it." At that point, Natasha had successfully taken down two robots, shooting missiles into the head and successfully destroying them. She only had one more robot to destroy. "Your left thruster is down, Miss. I wouldn't suggest any strategy that involves flying." Jarvis' voice warned her as she sized up the much bigger robot.

"Thanks for the obvious, Jarvis." She retorted. "Jarvis, send all the power to my chest piece. Now." As she felt the power charge up, her com began make noise again. "Iron Man! We're heading to your location." Her reactor was just about charged. "I said don't!" She yelled back into the com just as she tried to concentrate on aiming the beam as best she could. She only had one shot at the head and she needed to focus. From the said of her eye, she saw a flash of patriotic colors as well as a few other shadows appeared. "Shit…" She muttered just as the beam erupted from her chest and smashed into the robot's head.

The blast caused the suit to fly backwards into a large rock formation, whereas the robot came to a tumbling stop. The Iron Man suit lay lifeless briefly before Jarvis was able to pull up emergency power. "Miss Stark?" The AI had a worried tone. "I'm… I'm good. Give me a second." She tried to silence her mind for a second so that she could concentrate enough on getting up. Captain America didn't help in her objective. "What the hell were you thinking, Iron Man!" His voice boomed as it approached the flinching figure. It took Natasha all the strength she could muster to maintain some balance while she stood.

"I gave you direct orders to call if something happened. You could have gotten killed." His voice was stern once more, and made all the more effective by the fact that he had slid his hood off, revealing his fuming face. His blue eyes bore into the eye slots of the suit. It was enough to give her goosebumps, as much as she hated to admit it. "Yeah, I could have, but I didn't. So how about that." The smirk she had would have set Steve off if he had seen it. "Call Fury to pick up these machines. If you need me I'll be heading home. Besides, I need to get fixed." Natasha said as she stumbled away, also referencing her damaged thruster. "We have orders, we should follow them." Steve held his anger as he tried to continue the conversation.

"Following's not really my style."

After a long moment of silence, Bruce spoke up surprisingly. "Where exactly is home for you, Iron Man?"

Natasha paused and turned around, looking at the expectant heroes, unsure of how to answer. Steve still looked pissed but the others were a bit curious for an answer. "No wonder they get along well. They're both selfish and bratty…" Steve muttered to himself, unaware that his com was on for everyone to hear. Natasha held a dejected look on her face briefly before hearing Bruce's voice. "I know what it's like, not having a home or anyone else to turn to. And I get that you turn to Nat because you two are close." Steve Rogers shifted uncomfortably. Clint took notice. "But you can trust us. We're a team now, right?"

"I appreciate the offer, Dr. Banner, but frankly I don't really fit in this little team. I'm better off on my own, to put it quite bluntly, since I'm just as selfish as Natasha Stark, right Captain?" The comment through him off, he was unsure of how his muttered words had been heard. "The next time you decide to bad mouth people either make sure you com isn't on or don't say it out loud. But hey, that's just my opinion…" With that, Natasha stormed off, leaving a rather confused and slightly dejected team of Avengers.


"I look like shit…" Natasha mumbled as she stumbled into the lab and took a look in the mirror. She had already gotten the armor off and now only was left to look at the black jumpsuit she always wore underneath. Her hair was a scraggily mess that could be easily fixed with a brush. Her face had definitely paled, with a slight hue of purple beneath her eyes, indicating either a lack of sleep or injury. She couldn't be sure. She knew very well that her body would have bruises after today's fight, especially since she was back lashed into a rock.

"Nat, welcome home." She heard the echoing clicks of Pepper's heels as she approached the area Natasha had been standing. "Oh no, Nat, what happened? You look like a mess." Pepper frowned as she placed her folders on a work table and took in her full appearance. "Not to mention you r face looks like a ghost. Did something happen?"

"Justin Hammer and his robots happened." Natasha frowned as she fell onto a couch that had been located behind her. "But enough about me, to what do I owe the visit of Pepper Potts?" She smirked as she looked up at her. Pepper returned the sentiment. I came down here to tell you that you have a meeting later today and frankly, you can't skip this one…" Natasha's sigh was the only thing audible in the otherwise silent room. Natasha took that time to analyze the situation. She felt for bad for Pepper always having to do everything. That much was true. And she felt a tinge of guilt in her stomach as she thought of the idea of not going, thus causing more trouble for Pepper.

"I'll go Pep. I'll go. Just… give me a time and I'll try to make it. I can't guarantee that I'll get there on the dot. Maybe a few minutes or so late. Kay?" Natasha's voice was lacking the usual snark that it always had. It was one of those days where she wanted to sit in her lab, work and blast loud music just to drown out the world. If it were an option, she'd prefer sleep, but she knew better than to have such high hopes.

"You're going to get sick if you don't start resting properly, Nat." Pepper sighed as she repacked up her folders. "I left your business suit hanging by the work bench." Natasha ran her hand through her long dark brown hair. "Is it my favorite one?" She asked with the intonation of a ten year old girl. Pepper smiled to herself. "The red one? Of course. Will that be all, Miss Stark?"

"That will be all, Miss Potts."


"So, we have no idea where he went…" Steve had been sitting in the lounge with the rest of the Avengers. Thor had recently made an appearance and had now joined them. "And we cannot contact the Man of Iron, can we?" He inquired, just hearing the events of the day. "No, and even if we could I doubt he'd answer. He's a stubborn guy that way." Clint added, nothing bitter in his tone, but only remorse.

"He shouldn't have gone off and taken them on his own…" Steve said in a much calmer voice. He was upset. His leadership qualities clearly weren't shining through since one of his team members walked out on them. "But at the same time, you shouldn't have said what you said, Steve." Romanoff added in a sympathetic voice. "It's one thing to call Iron Man's character into question when you have no idea what kind of man he is. But when you called Stark's character into question? I think that set him over the edge." Romanoff lifted her eyes to meet Steve's. "From what I can understand about the weird relationship between Stark and Iron Man, they're close like family. You're at fault here too, Steve."

Steve ran a hand through his blond hair, clearly tired from the day's events.

"If it makes you feel better, Nat will come around. She gets over things real fast." Bruce added, hoping to lighten the situation. "With the exception of things having to do with Howard, she either forgets altercations entirely or completely ignores them, finding better things to do with her anger, like putting it into a new invention or something along those lines. She's a woman who believes in progress."

They paused, letting silence fill the air for a brief moment. "I wonder what made her build the suit anyway… I worked for her as an undercover SHIELD agent but I never found any files indicating reason." Romanoff said as she grabbed a premade sandwich. "She made it for protection, didn't she? Yeah, the colors are a bit flashy but I think they suit her." Clint added before following Romanoff's lead of grabbing some food.

"Speaking of suits…" Bruce said softly as he looked over at the entry way. Steve eyes drifted towards the entrance and he felt his mouth drop just a little. Not enough to be noticed by others but he definitely noticed. Natasha Stark stood in a dress suit that accentuated all her curves in just the right way. The dress ended just above her knees and was strapless. The design was simple and had been made just for her, with design help from both Pepper and Rhodey. The only thing that was conservative was the fact that her chest was covered in a such a way that no one would be able to tell there was an arc reactor just beneath the surface.

"Lady Stark!" Thor stood up with a grand smile as he went to hug Natasha. "How glad I am to see you once more!" He hugged her slightly and she awkwardly returned the sentiment. "Nice to see you too, big fella." She said as breath was fleeting from her lungs. Thor put her down and Natasha readjusted her dress, making it look nice once more. "And by the way Clint, I chose red and gold for Iron Man because as Jarvis likes to put it, I like being subtle." She grinned her famous snarky grin.

"I do know you rather well, Miss Stark." The AI replied with a tint of humor in his tone. "Alright guys, the tower is yours for the evening, I'll be at a business meeting for a few hours, don't know when I'll get home, blah blah blah, have fun." She began making a quick line to the door but Steve's voice stopped her.

"Wait, Stark." Steve stood up, his eyes meeting hers. "Do you know where Iron Man is? He just left today without a word." Natasha stood there for a moment and contemplated what was behind his question. Whether it be fear or anger, she couldn't quite tell. "Iron Man met here at the tower, I said to take the day off, he left his armor here for fixing and walked off." Clint frowned briefly. "You gave your personal body guard the day off? What if something happens?" Clint inquired wondering about the flaw in her logic. "Barton, nothing's going to happen, it's a quick meeting and I'll be done and over in a minute." She smirked in response. "Besides, I have some self-defense training. I train with Happy every other day so I think I can be a big girl." She turned on her heel and walked out of the room. She felt a headache begin to form in the back of her head.

"I'll take Advil when I get there…" She sighed as she made her way towards the elevator. "Jarvis, is Happy waiting for me downstairs?" She said as the elevator descended. "Yes, Miss Stark, right on schedule."

Natasha Stark would need more than just an Advil by the end of the day. What she hadn't known when she left Stark Tower was that there was a million dollar bounty on her head, dead or alive, and she was walking out into an open range.


A few hours passed and everything seemed peaceful at the Avengers Tower. Clint had taken to exploring the ventilation system and finding the best positions to aim from. Romanoff sat with Thor on the couch watching whatever happened to appear on the movie channel's queue. Bruce was working in the lab when Steve decided to pay him a visit.

"What brings you down here, Steve?" Bruce asked, looking up briefly from his work out of courtesy. Steve gave a polite nod. "Just thought you could use some company is all. I've brought my sketch book and everything." He smiled as he referenced the black book in his hand. Bruce spun in the chair to face him briefly. "I've kind of taken all the chairs for other things but you can look around and see if there's an extra somewhere down here." Bruce smiled at Steve as he nodded, beginning his search for a sitting area. He placed the black sketch book down on the table and began skimming the area. His eyes fell upon a door slightly ajar.

"Hey Bruce, what's in he-" Steve's voice fell short as his eyes took in the room he had just walked into. Bruce got up from his area when he noticed the Captain hadn't finished his sentence. "Even Natasha has her toys, I guess." Bruce chuckled as he followed Steve into the room, eying the room with scientific curiosity. Steve and Bruce had fumbled into her Iron Man room. The one that held every gadget and trinkets needed to fix the suit. Along one wall were shelves of books and tools. On the wall parallel to that was the wall of Iron man suits, down to the very first.

"No wonder she sometimes can't hear us…" Steve said, not really sure if it was to himself or for Bruce to respond to. He walked by the wall, taking in each suit in awe. On a table at the end of the room was the current Iron Man suit. Bits and pieces were missing. It felt weird looking at the suit knowing no one was in there. Upon closer inspection, Steve's eyebrows furrows as he saw how small the space was for a person to operate the suit. "He must be a small person, the one Natasha deemed fit for running the suit. Probably about her size." Bruce deduced as he look over the suit too. Steve's eyes shifted to the shelf when something caught his eyes. Without thinking, his hands reached for it and brought it down to examine it further.

It was a glass rectangle with what looked to be the Iron Man's arc reactor inside. It was a bit bulkier in size and had a different coloring to it. Steve read the inscription on the circle aloud. "Proof that Natasha Stark does have a heart." He frowned as he finished the sentence, unsure of what he had just read. "It's probably in inside joke or something." Bruce answered his unspoken question. Before anything further could be inspected, Jarvis' voice spoke up. "Dr. Banner, Captain Rogers, Agent Romanoff is requesting everyone to meet in the lounge immediately. It seems rather urgent."

Clint, Bruce and Steve all arrived at the same time in the lounge as Romanoff flipped to the news channel, letting it answer for her.

"It seems there was a rather huge explosion here at Stark Industries where reports have been said that three masked men entered the premises just after an important board meeting. Witnesses say that they charged the room and attacked CEO Natasha Stark. The rest of the building was evacuated prior to the explosion and it seems the only one to sustain injuries may have been Miss Stark. It's been confirmed that she has survived the attack but that is all the information that has been released. Reporting to you live from downtown…"

Romanoff muted it once she deemed it necessary. Steve felt a rush of nausea in his stomach as he heard the report. He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath until they mentioned how Natasha Stark has somehow emerged from the attack safely. "Agent Romanoff, Director Fury is on the line." Jarvis said as he broke the muted silence.

Before she had a chance to respond, Nick Fury's voice echoed through the room. "I think you all may have heard of the incident that recently happened. We've picked up Miss Stark and we are briefing her on what happened so there's no need to suit up. We'll be seeing you shortly." The call ended, leaving the Avengers to look at one another.

"The Man of Iron should have been there to protect Lady Stark…" Thor said dejectedly, hoping his friend was alright. Clint crossed his arms, rolled his eyes and sat loudly on the couch. "He would have been if Stark hadn't given him the fucking day off."


Natasha Stark sat exhausted in a seat on the helicarrier. Her right cheek was slightly bruised from a punch she had sustained. In the process of fighting off her attackers, she had ripped off the bottom of her dress, revealing black spandex sport shorts beneath. Nick Fury, who had been sitting across from her, broke the silence. "Sport shorts underneath a dress. Really, Stark?" He smirked. It was his way of trying to lighten the mood. Natasha appreciated the effort and returned the sentiment.

"I understand that it would be hard to fight with one eye but try fighting in a dress and then come talk to me."