Vignette #4

17 September 2011 – Side Meeting

Author's note: well, we're finally caught up to the present day! Huzzah! Like the previous one, this vignette is a Marvel/Avengers-type crossover. After this, no more crossovers are planned – so enjoy it while it lasts …

Pepper had to admit – when Tony threw his weight around, he sure did it with style.

Nick Fury had called just before the Labor Day weekend, wanting to set up an Avengers meeting in Washington, all hands, ASAP. (Apparently he had only been waiting until his new star pupil, Steve Rogers, had his wheels under him.) It took a bit of work, but Tony had talked him into holding it in Malibu – in his own home, in fact.

There were plenty of arguments in Malibu's favor. Natalie Rushman (who had chosen to take the pseudonym "Black Widow," how charming) was already in the area, as was Clint Barton – Hawkeye – who was training just down the highway in Venice Beach. Bruce Banner had finally been tracked down near Weaverville, California, so it would be easier to get him to L.A. than D.C. The same with the astrophysics team that had contacted Thor – yes, that Thor, the Norse legend Thor! – which was based in New Mexico. The only ones that would need to fly out from Washington were Fury, Rogers and whatever staff Fury chose to haul along. Tony had offered to have all the meals catered and provide rooms "on-site" for everyone involved – heaven knows he had the money and the space to do so. And in southern California, unlike the mid-Atlantic region, it was not hurricane season …

The real reason had been left unspoken: Tony, up to his ears in projects at Stark Industries, wanted to spend his free time with his wife and his three-month-old daughter Jamey, not flying unnecessarily to the East Coast and back – probably without them. And if the meeting was going to be in the D.C. area, there was a good chance he wouldn't be.

Thankfully, that possibility had been avoided. It was the best news Pepper had received since she'd found out Christine Everhart had been banished to the other end of the country. Well, nobody involved thought of it as a banishment, but that's how she liked to imagine it. (Extra good news: Everhart wasn't at this meeting, either, even though she was technically a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant now. According to Agent Coulson, she was taking the weekend off, visiting relatives in Richmond or someplace ...)

So, all to the good. The S.H.I.E.L.D. meetings were able to double as a bonding experience – and considering how many of the people involved probably had "doesn't play well with others" written on their grade-school report cards, that was a definite plus. She had Tony at home to help take care of Jamey. He had her around for when he needed organizational assistance. And the government avoided spending money that it didn't have in the first place. The only negative had come that morning, when she'd wandered into the kitchen at 3 a.m. in her bathrobe to warm up a bottle for Jamey, and almost jumped out of her skin to find the big Swedish guy who was head of the "Thor team" sitting in the dark drinking coffee. (He hadn't turned on the light because "I didn't want to disturb anyone." Yeah ...) And even that had had a silver lining: since he'd made enough coffee for the rest of the group too, that knocked one task off her morning to-do list.

Right now, in the middle of Saturday afternoon, it was quiet. The caterers had cleaned up the detritus from lunch and were back at their home base constructing dinner (pot roast, she'd heard mentioned) for later delivery. The conference participants were locked away in the converted guest bedroom that served as their meeting room. And Pepper, have concluded a dramatic reading of Go, Dog, Go! in the sunken living room, was catching up on the news on her laptop while Jamey drowsed in her baby carrier.

She'd just finished skimming the latest update on the Reno air-show crash when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, expecting from the sound of the heels that it was Natalie coming to let her know there was a break in the action, or that Tony needed her help.

"Oh! I'm sorry – I didn't realize someone else was in here. I can … go somewhere else …"

It wasn't Natalie. It was that tiny girl from the "Thor team," the one she'd thought was the big Swede's daughter until Phil Coulson had set her straight. Foster, that was her name. "No, it's okay – come on in. But you may want to keep your voice down." She indicated the baby carrier and its sleeping occupant.

"Ohh, okay," Foster said, in a near-whisper this time. Eager to please. Or maybe just nervous among the high-powered company.

Pepper couldn't blame her for that. She remembered her first year as Tony's personal assistant, when it seemed like the route to his office was carpeted with senators, generals, CEOs, and Emmy-Award-winning actresses. After a while, she got used to it. "Are you guys taking a breather right now?"

Foster – Jane, that was her first name – rolled her eyes. "I wish. They just don't need me in there right now – Erik's representing our end. And the testosterone level was getting a bit high, so I ducked out for some fresh air." She smiled puckishly.

Pepper almost burst out laughing. "I understand completely – I've worked with most of the people involved. Their egos do tend to fill up the available space."

Jane nodded. "Erik and I are the noobs here – we're still trying to figure out the lay of the land." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Part of me wishes I was doing my doctorate in poli. sci. instead of astrophysics – I've have a better idea of how to handle everyone's maneuvers."

"It's not that hard, really. Just think of them as factions – the libertarians, the centralists and the moderates."

Jane furrowed her brow. "Not sure I follow."

"Okay. The centralists are the ones who want everything under strict hierarchical control – Nick Fury says 'frog,' everyone jumps. That's pretty much the S.H.I.E.L.D. main office personnel – Nick, of course, plus Phil Coulson and Maria Hill."

"Makes sense. And the libertarians?"

"The libertarians want more operational independence, fewer dictates from the top. Tony's the 'leader' of that group, if you could say that it's being led at all. Bruce Banner's with him, and Clint Barton, though Barton is a S.H.I.E.L.D. employee. He's just naturally a renegade."

"Among other things," Jane grumbled. "I swear, the only time he wasn't trying to flirt with me was when he was trying to flirt with … Natalie? Natasha? What is her real name, anyway?"

Pepper smiled knowingly. "She was born Natasha Romanova, but her parents emigrated to the U.S. when she was still a toddler. She still goes by Natasha within S.H.I.E.L.D., but her public persona is Natalie Rushman – that's what she uses at Stark Industries, and except for government I.D. all her cards say 'Natalie'." She knew that firsthand – last month, Natalie had earned a substantial bonus from SI for clever thinking during some touchy negotiations with Hammer Industries. She'd called Pepper, wanting to celebrate, and the two of them had spent a Saturday morning cutting a small but noticeable swath through the stores on Rodeo Drive. Her Visa card had read "NATALIE I RUSHMAN," so that settled that.

"I'm confused – does Natalie-Natasha Whatever work for Tony or for Nick?"

"Both. She's been with S.H.I.E.L.D. for years, and originally was a S.H.I.E.L.D. plant inside SI, specifically to keep tabs on Tony. But she ended up doing such a good job for Tony that he kept her on as his new personal assistant, so now she pulls two paychecks." Plus occasional bonuses. "She started out as a centralist, as you might expect, but because of her connection to both sides, she's become a moderate."

"Her and Rogers."

"Precisely – they're the balancers, the heart of any coalition. Although Natalie's in the middle because she sees the benefits of both sides, while I think Rogers is in the middle because he doesn't quite trust either side. And because he's a natural team-builder."

"Okay, I think I get it now. Hmmm … that could make it interesting for us. Erik, I think leans toward Nick and the centralists, although he's an old hand at infighting from being at Harvard for a couple decades. Me, I'd tend to the libertarian side if I wasn't uneasy about being on the same team as Clint Barton. It's like I'm working with Don Draper, only he doesn't realize it's not 1963 anymore."

"Yeah, Clint is like that. He doesn't mean any harm, he's just …"

"A horndog?"

"Kind of. A horndog without any real direction, I'd say. I had some problems with him too, until Tony and I got engaged, then he backed way off. That's the best Clint-repellent, really – he won't bother you if you're clearly spoken for. I've told Natalie to have her boyfriend stop by the D.C. office sometime when she and Clint are both there - that should give him the hint."

"Oh. Who's her boyfriend?"

"Brian's a professor at Howard University. But before that, he was a defensive tackle at Howard University. He's about, oh, six-five, 270 …"

"Oooooh," Jane replied gleefully, but then turned sober and sighed again. "Easier said than done for me."

"How so?" Pepper asked, then filled in the blanks for herself. "The thunder god?"

Jane nodded sadly. "I miss him."

Pepper nodded sympathetically. "Does he feel the same way?"

"I think so. He said he would, that he'd return for me. But … well, he's several star systems away now. And I have no way of knowing if he'll ever come back."

"Jane, trust me. If he feels the same way, he'll come back."

"You sure?"

Just then, Jamey woke up and began crying. Pepper picked her up, showing off the baby's head of thick, Tony-Stark-like dark hair. "I'm not just sure. I have proof."

"Oh. Yeah," Jane said, getting the hint. "How … how long did you have to wait for him?"

Pepper shook her head, smiling. "I didn't. He had to wait for me. And … about twelve years."

"Wow. He must have really wanted you."

"Must have. Oh, I see what you want, Jamey!" It wasn't hard to deduce, as Jamey was batting her face against Pepper's chest. Pepper began to unbutton her blouse. "You don't mind if …?"

"No, that's okay. Thank you for the pep talk … um, no pun intended." Jane stood up. "I think I'll call Darcy and see how things are at the lab, then head back to the meeting. Thanks again." She stepped out, giving mother and child their privacy.

As Jamey chowed down, Pepper sighed. She remembered being that young once – nervous, more than a little naive, but still smart and steely enough to stand up to a charming but overbearing man with a hero complex. She'd managed to survive the experience, get the guy – well, let the guy get her – and even ground him a little.

Down the hallway, she heard Jane Foster mutter something about "damn interference," then click her phone shut and walk away, probably toward the meeting room.

Pepper nodded to herself. Yes, Jane Foster would likely be fine. Provided Thunder Boy took care of things on his end …

At the same time, in a trailer in the high desert south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Darcy Lewis muttered something about "damn interference," then gave up trying to reach Jane and just watched the lightning storm beginning to brew overhead …