Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This is a story about Pepper but she will first appear in the third Chapter. As I wrote this and the next chapter it was only planned as a short three or four-chapter story but then I wrote the third chapter and at that point Pepper simply took over. At this point my story has 19 chapters and over 25.000 words, which I will post in weekly updates.
This story is not Tony-Stark-friendly, so if you stan him this story is not for you.
Fury
After the open disdain Stark had encountered from Professor Xavier and his mutants he repeated his invitations to the others superheroes but again there was no answer from any of them. As he tried to contact them personally, nobody wanted to take him up to his invitation.
As he asked why he got first unbelieving stares then his answers. The most polite responses were "I don't want to work with Ross' lapdog" and "I don't trust a traitorous and disloyal asshole like you on my back".
Stark didn't want to quit his search although the open hostility and contempt from everybody he talked to made him uncomfortable. But they had to be exceptions from the rule right, then he was in the right, he was always in the right because he was a genius and all the normal people were of course much too stupid to know what was good for them for themselves. He needed names from other superheroes. "Friday, try to find Fury. If somebody knows names from more reasonable superheroes, it is the director of SHIELD."
"Yes, boss, I start searching."
Friday needed more than a week to get in contact with Fury and then only over Skype, his location she couldn't determine.
As Stark saw Fury's face on the screen he was in a dark room, there were no clues that betrayed his whereabouts.
"Finally, you are a hard man to find, Fury."
"I have my reasons. What do you want, Stark?" asked Fury brusquely.
"I need a few names form superheroes or other enhanced persons."
Fury smirked derisive. "Have a few problems with filling the ranks, eh?"
"The persons I contacted until today are not very accommodating or sensible."
Fury snorted. "Stark, even if I would give you names, which I won't do, nobody wants to work with you anymore. You may not realize it yet but you are finished. You have shown that you are not capable of teamwork, or decent or trustworthy enough to have you in anybody's back in a fight.
You backstabbed the Avengers as you didn't warn them about Ross, then you tried to manipulate them into signing the Accords without giving them the chance to read them first. You blocked any question or objection they had.
You didn't want to listen to them as they tried to tell you about a threat which very well could have created a disaster you can't imagine, only because it hurt your ego that they had their own opinion. And finally you tried to kill an innocent man to get back at Steve."
"Innocent, the Winter Soldier, pah! He killed my mother. Especially you should be glad that I tried to kill him, he nearly killed you too."
Fury sneered. "First, HYDRA killed your parents not Barnes he was only the unwilling tool. It is a wonder and shows only how special he is as a human being that Barnes is sane after 70 years of torture and brainwashing and still has a conscience, something I cannot say about you.
You excuse everything with your 3 months of captivity. The Ten Rings needed you to build their weapons so your life was never in much danger. After you escaped, you had the money and the resources to get yourself professional help with your trauma but you were too much of a coward.
You know, what your problem is you had a much too good life. I sometimes wish you had a fraction of the lives the others led, perhaps you would have a little more character but I doubt it.
Steve Rogers made maybe a few mistakes as he tried to help Barnes but at least he knows how to stand by a friend.
And there is another point that I like about Rogers, he always finishes a fight, but you are only good at starting them and leaving the clean-up to others."
"Rogers and the others are criminals", objected Stark.
"No, you are the criminal! Blackmailing a child, shooting down a man who came to help Rhodes and the attempted murder at Barnes and Rogers are criminal acts and you did them on your own free will."
"I am the Avengers!"
"No, you are not an Avenger anymore, Mr. Stark." Fury's voice was icy.
"I have the backing from the American government and 117 other countries", yelled Stark whose composure was a little shattered as he had to hear this words a second time in such short a time.
"A bunch of power-hungry politicians who care only about themselves. And there are 80 countries who didn't sign the Accords because it was against their law.
That is another thing I like about the real Avengers, they don't back down from a fight. They know that to be in the right is never about numbers."
"Yet it was them that landed in the Raft", crowed Stark conceited.
Fury's glare was intimidating. "You know, your poor behaviour to your friends, your crimes, your stupidity, all this I could perhaps forget about because Howard Stark was my friend and you are his son but there is one thing I will never forgive you."
"And what may that be?" asked Stark bored.
"Did you know that only three people knew about Clint's family before he brought the Avengers to his farm after Ultron? It was Coulson, Natasha and me.
Clint trusted you and he does not trust easily, and then you betrayed his family out of spite to Ross. You knew there was surveillance but once again was your ego bigger than your decency."
"How do you know about that?" asked Stark nervous.
"Don't forget who you are talking to, Stark, I wasn't the director of SHIELD for nothing", sneered Fury. "Who do you think got Barton's family to safety before Ross could get to them? And who do you think helped arrange the escape of the Avengers from the RAFT?"
"I could give Ross this information but if you give me the names I asked for I will be magnanimous", bargained Stark, convinced that Fury made a mistake by revealing this to him.
Fury laughed loud. "Are you trying to blackmail me, Stark? Believe me you are not good enough. Ross knows already it was me! I gave him a little message from Clint, Natasha and me he didn't like very much.
You know it is somewhat funny that everyone thinks you, Hulk, Thor, Rogers and Natasha are the most dangerous of the Avengers. Everybody always overlooks Barton."
"He is no danger to me", said Stark condescending.
"Funnily Ross said the same thing and to him I said the same thing that I now say to you. Did you know that Hawkeye's body count is higher than the body count from the Black Widow?
You managed to make him your mortal enemy. I hope you are prepared to wear your iron suit night and day. Barton is patient, he can wait, and he doesn't have to be very near to you to kill you. He is the best sharpshooter who ever lived; even the Winter Soldier is not so good than he is.
Should Clint's family ever be in danger because of the betrayal, you committed in the RAFT you are a dead man walking and I will cheer loudly when I hear about your death. And should Clint fail in his duty what I don't believe than will Natasha settle his score and should she fail than is there me.
And I wouldn't put it past Clint to arrange more than a few accidents in your future, he has many friends you don't know about. You will never feel save again, I promise you that."
"I think you are a little too upset over the little incident. Perhaps next time Barton thinks twice before he goes against his better. I don't like it when somebody has another opinion than me", mocked Stark.
Fury's face became stony and a glitter appeared in his eyes, which Stark didn't like very much.
"Pray that you die in the next few months, Stark, so that you can stay a hero in the eyes of the people. I have make it my goal to utterly destroy your life.
You put my goddaughter in danger, you worthless piece of shit! And for that big mistake you will pay."
The screen went black.
And Stark was getting the bad feeling that he wouldn't get out of this trouble with his skin, money and influence intact.