AN: The song, 'When It All Falls Apart' belongs to The Veronicas
Chapter 2
Everything is F'ed up straight from the heart
Tell me what do you do, when it all falls apart
Gotta pick myself up where do
I start 'cause I can't turn to you
when it all falls apart
No...
"Mommy, are you going to Bruce's house?"
Nicole smiled as she looked up from packing her daughter's suitcase. She was getting Natalie ready to go to Tony's house for the weekend while she did, indeed, go to Bruce Wayne's Gotham City mansion. It was Friday, a good two days after Nicole's argument with Tony. Nicole was still fuming after the fight, but she hid all of that from her daughter; the five year old could make her own judgement on her father's character. The five year old bounced happily on the bed while Nicole put the last of the clothes into the suitcase.
"Yes, I am, baby girl," Nicole responded, humming slightly as she zipped the small suitcase up. Time to pack my own suitcase... She smirked in spite of herself.
"I miss him."
Nicole laughed, "Aww, I'm sorry hun. Why didn't you tell me? I would've spoken to your father and made arrangements for you to come with me and visit Bruce too."
"But I wanted to spend the weekend with dad," Natalie said innocently.
"Tell ya what," Nicole said thoughtfully. "When I go see him, I'll tell Bruce that he's got to come visit us soon. How does that sound?"
In the back of Nicole's mind, she could just hear what Tony would say if she told him that she was taking Natalie to Gotham. The thought made her insides squirm giddily.
That would piss the fucking bastard off, Nicole mused to herself.
"Excuse me, Nicole," Sophie's calming voice rang through the house. "Mr. Stark is here for Natalie."
"Joyful," Nicole mumbled to herself, hoisting Natalie up in one arm and grabbing Natalie's suitcase with the other. "C'mon baby girl; daddy's here for you."
Nicole made her way down the stairs to the living room where Tony was waiting. Nicole couldn't help but give him the once over. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt with sunglasses over his eyes, Nicole couldn't help feel a twinge in the back of her mind.
"Daddy!" Natalie's struggle to get out of her mother's arms brought Nicole back to reality. Nicole released her daughter and the young child ran to her father who hoisted her up at once.
"You're getting so big, kiddo," Tony smiled as Natalie hugged him and he returned the embrace. He looked at Nicole and she saw him give her the once over. "Hi, Nikki."
"Hi," Nicole responded. She held out Natalie's suitcase and Tony took it from her, their hands touching for a second. "Pepper dress you?"
Tony glared at her, and instantly Nicole regretted the slip of her tongue. Despite their issues, Tony and Nicole had both agreed never to fight in front of Natalie, and for once, it was actually Nicole who had erred first. But luckily, before Tony could snap back, Natalie said something.
"Mommy, you forgot Mr. Bunjies."
"Indeed I did," Nicole felt the blood rushing to her face in embarassment. "Why dont you go get him?"
Natalie wriggled out of her dad's grip and ran up the stairs. Tony said nothing for a few moments, but then spoke sharply.
"What the fuck was that about?"
"It was a goddamn mistake, Tony," Nicole snarled back immediatly.
"Well, since you asked me one dumbass question, does that mean I can ask one back?"
Nicole glared at Tony, "Try me."
"You going to Gotham to get laid tonight?"
"Fuck you," Nicole snapped.
"I wish you would," Tony smirked.
"Don't make me sick," Nicole rolled her eyes. "You want an easy lay? Go ask that fucking PA of yours."
"How fucking long are you going to hold that over me?" Tony inquired. "I was drunk, goddamnit! Don't tell me you've never screwed someone when you were as drunk as a dog!"
"I won't," Nicole responded. "But I never did it while I was married."
Tony glared at Nicole once more as Natalie ran back into the room, her old stuffed bunny rabbit, Mr. Bunjies in her arms.
"I'm telling you this in front of your daughter, Tony," Nicole said as if nothing had happened while Natalie was gone. "If I hear you left her alone with Jarvis while you were taking care of something..."
Nicole gave Tony a look that he instantly understood. Nicole had never taken Tony to court over anything after their divorce, but for Natalie, she would be willing to have the court order that she have full custody if she felt Tony was being irresponsible.
"Relax," Tony rolled his eyes. "I'm not doing anything this weekend other than taking care of my amazing daughter."
Nicole shook her head as her eyes landed on a set of her keys that were laying on the coffee table, "Tony, what car are you driving?"
"My R8," Tony responded simply. "Why?"
"Uh-uh," Nicole tossed the keys to him and he looked at them as he caught them. "You're not driving my daughter in that car."
"You're actually letting me take your Q7?"
"Yes," Nicole responded. "I'd rather be nice and lend you a car than have to go around worrying if you had an accident in your R8."
"And you expect me to leave my R8 here?" Tony's eyebrows rose.
"Once I leave, no one will be able to get on or off of my property, Tony," Nicole said, matter-of-factly. "Sophie guards my house, remember?"
"Whatever," Tony shrugged. He turned to Natalie, "Ready to go, kiddo?"
Natalie nodded and hugged Nicole, "Bye, mommy!"
Nicole hugged Natalie back and kissed her forehead, "I love you so much, Natalie."
"I love you too, Mommy."
Not long after Tony left with Natalie, Nicole left as well, hopping on her jet for the trip over to Gotham. When she arrived, however, Bruce was not yet home.
"Welcome, Nicole," Alfred bowed slightly to her as he let her into the penthouse.
"Hey, Alfred," Nicole smiled. "Where is he?"
"I believe he said something about picking up dinner," Alfred said pleasantly. "I am actually on my way out; Master Wayne has given me the weekend off."
Nicole grinned, "You can thank me; I told him to."
"Oh, then my deepest thanks, Nicole," Alfred smiled warmly.
Nicole went into the living room and plopped down to watch TV. Before she knew it, she had dozed off, her feet on the coffee table in front of her, and her back halfway off the couch. What woke her was the feeling of someone else's lips against her own.
Nicole's blue eyes opened to find Bruce Wayne kissing her. Nicole smiled and kissed him back, pulling him closer to her.
"Good morning," Bruce said quietly when they broke apart.
"Hi," Nicole breathed, her face blushing slightly.
If Nicole calculated how long she and Bruce Wayne had been friends, she'd get the answer of for most of her life. She'd met Bruce Wayne when she was thirteen, and they'd been friends ever since then. They'd been more than friends at some points, but now, they both weren't really sure what they were; but Bruce could get away with kissing her again.
"Sorry I wasn't here when you got here," Bruce said, sliding onto the couch and pulling Nicole onto him.
"It's okay," Nicole responded, putting her head down on Bruce's chest. "By the way, Natalie misses you. How about coming down to Malibu for a change?"
"Do you want me to murder that bastard Tony Stark?" Bruce inquired.
"Not as long as Natalie's around," Nicole said honestly. "I hate to admit it, but he's an amazing father to her."
"Yes, but he stabbed you in the heart," Bruce said. "He's lucky that I wasn't near him when you first told me that you were getting divorced."
Nicole shrugged, "Whatever, that was six months ago."
"But you can't say you're fully healed," Bruce saw right through Nicole's brave face that she put on for everyone else.
"I'll never be fully healed from that, Bruce," Nicole sat up, accidentally pusing against a bruise on Bruce's chest a little too hard and making him hiss. "Sorry," she said before continuing, "I thought Tony was the fucking love of my life; and then he got drunk and fucked Pepper. But, just because I'm in pain, doesn't mean shit to me."
That's what we are, Nicole thought. Right now, we're guilt-free fuckbuddies...
Nicole smirked at the thought and leaned over Bruce, her dark hair falling around them like a curtain. Without hesitating, she kissed him passionately, nipping his lower lip, silently pleading with him... He responded and she slid her tongue along his. Bruce's hands buried themselves in Nicole's dark sheet of hair as her nails slid along his ribcage, sending a chill through his body.
"Nikki," Bruce sighed as they broke apart, rinning his fingers through her hair. "I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you..."
"Like I give a shit," Nicole rolled her eyes.
"You should," Bruce said. "You're such an amazing woman, Nikki."
Nicole laughed sarcastically, "I'm glad you think so..."
"I'm glad you're the one to tell me that."
Tony slid out from under his Hot Rod to look at Pepper. She had stopped by on her way out of town for the weekend. Tony caught sight of Natalie, amusing herself with one of the inactive Arc reactors.
Pepper's eyebrows rose, "Nicole hasn't told you?"
"Nicole barely says two words to me unless it's about Natalie," Tony sighed, rubbing grease off of his hands with a rag.
"Well, I can't say that I blame her," Pepper's face blushed once more as she looked away from Tony. "You still won't accept my resignation?"
"Nope," Tony said. "You know that you're one reason Stark Industries hasn't fallen apart in the past, and you said it yourself; I couldn't last a day without your help."
Pepper looked saddened, "But you have Nicole."
Tony inhaled slowly, "As much as I still love Nikki, the chances of us getting back together are about..." Tony looked up thoughtfully, "Point zero-zero-zero one out of about three million."
"She's not going to stay mad at you forever," Pepper said quietly.
"No, she's not," Tony agreed. "But if I know her, and I do pretty damn well, her anger is going to vanish and then she's just going to be damn impossible to be around. You still feel guilty as hell, don't you?"
"Don't you?"
"I have reason to," Tony said. "I fucked up my marriage to the most amazing person I ever met in my life."
"Well, you didn't do it alone, unfortunatly," Pepper sighed. "You still love her, right?"
"How could I not?" Tony inquired. "Love like ours doesn't just go away like that. It gets supressed by pain."
Tony looked at Natalie, who was now dismantling the reactor, "Goddamn she's a genious."
"Just like her parents," Pepper nodded. "Is there anything else that I can do for you?"
Tony shook his head, "Just please come back to work on Tuesday; I can't find another PA like you."
Pepper nodded and left, though Tony was sure he heard her sniffle as the door closed behind her.
"Daddy," Natalie said suddenly, as she began putting the pieces of the reactor back together. "Why was Peppy crying?"
Tony inhaled slowly once more as he walked over to his daughter, "She's very sorry for something that she did that made your mom very angry with her and your mom is a little to angry to forgive her."
Tony looked around his workshop, his eyes landing on a picture he'd gotten blown up to fit a huge frame. It was a picture of him, Natalie, and Nicole that had been taken right before the entire thing with Pepper. They were all standing together on the beach, both Tony and Nicole had their arms around Natalie. Behind them, the sun was setting and the waves were crashing at their feet.
"Dad?"
Natalie's soft voice brought Tony out of his reverie, "Hm?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Natalia," Tony murmered as he walked overto her and hoisted her up and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much."
"I miss mom."
Tony's breath caught in his throat, "I do too, kiddo."
More than anyone knows.