Chapter SIX
Tony glared at Steve. "Get out of my way."
"I'd love to, but I lost the toss, so not going to happen," returned Steve evenly.
Tony's lips thinned. "I don't need someone to hold my hand."
"Yes, you do, if that hand is planning on killing someone," Steve shot back.
"I've just got some business to take care of, it has nothing to do with you," said Tony tersely.
"But everything to do with Pepper," he countered.
"You only met Pepper a month ago, she's been in my life for twelve years," said Tony forcefully. "How this is handled is my call, no one elses, got that?"
"I don't think Pepper would want you to do anything stupid," Steve argued.
"After twelve years she's used to it," said Tony flatly. "It's kind of our thing. This isn't your business, Rogers, stay out of it."
Steve didn't budge. "I'm not going to let you run around town with some kind of vendetta."
"And I'm not going to let you get in my way."
The two men faced off as the elevator doors slid open to reveal Happy. He stepped out and looked between the two men.
Without taking his eyes off Steve, Tony snapped at him. "Where the hell have you been, Happy?"
Happy's reply was strangely muffled. "I had yesterday off to go to the dentist. Remember, I had to have a tooth out."
Tony turned to look at him, looking to vent his fear and anger somewhere and Happy's shoulders were always broad. "Pepper was almost killed yesterday, while you were lounging around feeling sorry for yourself."
Happy's eyes went wide. "What?" he exclaimed. A piece of white dental wadding which was lodged in the space his tooth used to occupy, flew out of his mouth at the shock question. The tiny, saliva-filled missile hit Tony directly between the eyes. Happy pulled a face. "Sorry, boss."
Tony made a disgusted face and rubbed at his forehead where the packing had hit him.
"Is she alright?" asked Happy anxiously.
"Barely," Tony bit out, "no thanks to you."
"You can't blame Happy," Steve argued. "He wasn't even here yesterday."
"Kind of the point," said Tony angrily, "and you're no better, Rogers. You abandoned her to her fate yesterday."
Steve's jaw hardened. "I didn't know what was going to happen. You know I'd never let anything happen to Pepper if I could help it."
"I don't know anything about you," said Tony aggressively. "You're some relic of a bygone era we dug out of the ice. I don't know you and you don't get to call her Pepper like you know her, because you don't!"
"Do we know who did it?" asked Happy, a slight whistle to his question because of his very noticeably missing front tooth.
"Yes, and I'm going to fix it," said Tony grimly.
"No, you're not," said Steve, being just as stubborn. "This should be left to the authorities, Tony. Happy, back me up here."
They both looked at Happy who stared directly back at Tony. "Where do you need me to take you, boss?"
Tony didn't hesitate. "Wentworth Prison." He looked at Steve. "And there is only room for two on this day trip. Sorry, Rogers, why don't you take a ferry ride and check out Liberty Island instead. You and Lady Liberty can make a date out of it. You're around the same age."
Steve threw Happy a frustrated look as Tony stalked over to the elevator and got in. "Happy!" Tony barked. "We're burning daylight here."
"It's okay," said Happy in a low voice to Steve, "I've got this."
"Make sure that you do," Steve warned him. "I don't want to see a bad situation made any worse than it has to be."
"Happy!"
Happy nodded at Steve and quickly hurried over to join his impatient boss. The last thing Tony saw before the elevator doors was Steve Roger's disapproving countenance and he couldn't have cared less. For the last twenty-four hours he'd been helpless to do anything else other than a bystander to what had happened to Pepper. He'd been tagged in at long last with knowing who was behind this, and Tony wasn't going to stop until Hammer was no kind of threat to anyone, ever again.
oooOOOOooo
The ride over to the prison had been made in silence. Happy knew his boss too well, and knew when the man needed some quiet time. When they pulled up at the front gates of the jail, Happy went to undo his seatbelt.
Tony stalled him. "What are you doing?"
"Coming in with you."
"No, you're not."
Their eyes met in the rear vision mirror. Happy had seen that look before and it never ended well. "Tell me you're not going to hurt the guy, Tony."
Tony didn't blink. "I'm not going to hurt the guy."
Happy sighed heavily. "You're going to hurt the guy."
"He tried to hurt Pepper," said Tony, his voice low and harsh. "He did hurt Pepper. This ends here and it ends now."
"The guy is already in prison."
"Fat lot of good that did," said Tony angrily.
"Promise me on Pepper's life that you're not going to do anything stupid," Happy threatened him, "or I'm taking you back to the Tower."
"Don't let our long-standing understanding mislead you, Happy," Tony ground out, "because the truth of the matter is you work for me and I call the shots."
They'd known each other too long for Happy to feel the need to back down when his usually easy going boss pushed back. This was too important. "I work for Tony Stark," he countered steadily, making sure he didn't lose eye contact with Tony in the mirror, "not this guy."
Tony's eyes narrowed menacingly. "And who is this guy exactly?"
"This guy is scared out of his mind over the fact he almost lost the most precious thing in the world to him and now he's all about revenge and regaining power, that's who," said Happy, not shying away from telling his boss some hard facts. "It's not the guy I've called friend for the last twenty years and it sure as hell ain't the man Pepper gave her heart to. She doesn't want this Tony."
"She didn't want to be injected with poison and beaten either," said Tony harshly. "I have to fix this."
"Then fix this," Happy pushed him. "Go and be with the woman you love, hold her, be there for her. Don't go around tilting at windmills when Pepper needs you."
"Pepper needs to know she's safe with me," said Tony determinedly, "and I'm going to make sure she is." He climbed out of the car but Happy was hot on his heels.
Happy leant over the top of his car door and stalled Tony before he could cross the road to the prison entrance. "So, this is the plan, beat up or kill every bad guy in the world to make sure Pepper is safe?"
Tony's jaw hardened. "If that's what it takes."
"Whatever you're planning on doing in there, it isn't going to change anything," Happy cautioned him.
"Says you, my sage-like chauffeur."
Happy didn't blink. "Yeah, says me, your sage-like chauffeur."
"You drive cars around for a living, forgive me if I consider the source," said Tony bitingly.
"I drive you around for a living," Happy countered, "and you better damn well consider the source, because outside of Pepper, no one knows you better, don't forget that."
For a moment Happy thought he'd gotten through to Tony, because the other man hesitated for a brief time.
"I won't be long," said Tony shortly. Happy could feel Tony's gaze being drawn to the gap in his front tooth. "Stay here and shuck some corn or whittle something." Tony pointed a warning finger at him. "But no banjos, I don't trust an instrument that can only play happy songs. It's got to be hiding something."
Tony's derision of his appearance actually made Happy feel a little better. His boss was only truly frightening when his world shrunk to a single thought. He was impossible to reach then, shut down from the world around him and everyone in it. At least with those last quips Happy knew he'd reached him on some level. "I'm here is you need me, boss."
"I know," said Tony quietly by way of apology for his earlier behaviour, "but what I need right now is to make sure Pepper is safe and MC Hammeroid in there doesn't have something else up his incompetent sleeve."
Happy nodded his understanding and let Tony go inside without him. He was confident now Tony would call if he needed him. Once Tony had disappeared inside the prison, Happy pulled out his cell phone and dialled a familiar number. It was a relief to hear Pepper's calm tone as she answered the phone. Happy smiled, unconsciously exposing his gap toothed appearance. "Hey there, boss lady, I hear you had an eventful day without me yesterday. Are you okay?" he asked huskily. The three of them were a strange little family, but the long hours and oft times off-beat working conditions of being employed by Tony Stark had definitely made them into that. Happy felt a brotherly protectiveness for Pepper, and it pained him to think her life had been in danger and he never knew.
"Oh, Happy," she sighed on the other end of the phone, "it's so good to hear your voice, and yes, I'm fine." She hesitated. "Is Tony with you?"
"Yes."
"Is he alright?" she asked unevenly.
"No, not even a little bit." Happy could picture Pepper biting her bottom lip at this information, which was a nervous habit of hers.
"Take care of him for me, won't you?" she asked anxiously.
"You know I will," he promised her.
"And bring him home," Pepper implored him softly. "I want us all to be together."
"I know." Happy looked over his shoulder at the austere prison wall. "We're not far away. I promise, I'm going to bring him home to you, Pepper. Don't worry."