Author's Note: My readers/reviewers are awesome. All the virtual cookies for you! I promise – I read each and every comment. Also – I think this will go AU: Canon Divergence more than it already has at either Dark World or Age of Ultron. I will not be doing Civil War for personal reasons which I'm willing to explain on tumblr if you really want to know. (See end for more notes.)

Bond #10 – The Billionaire

The elevator gave a soft chime before Darcy could do more than chuckle at Pepper's words. Both women glanced around as the room seemed to explode with energy – an energy centered on the muttering man stalking in their direction. "Pep!" Tony Stark's focus never wavered from the willowy red-head. "How long have I been awake? I remember sleeping last night. It was last night, right?"

He did not seem to notice Darcy at all, so she took the time to examine her new landlord as Pepper began soothing his agitation. He looked to be about Phil's height though he always looked taller on television. Granted, he had looked shorter during the whole battle for New York, but she figured everyone would come out the loser on a height battle with the Hulk. Throw in Thor and Captain America and the other three did not have a chance. On first glance he looked like a scruffy auto mechanic…except for the glowing circle on his chest. Her second look had her lips twitching in amusement because his eyes? She knew those eyes – she had seen them on Betty…on Jane…on Erik. Those eyes just screamed mad scientist. She could read them. 'I have more going on in my mind right this moment than you have had all week. Out of my way. There is 'Science!' to be done!'

"What?" Pepper's startled question brought Darcy back to the conversation.

"I don't know!" Tony sounded disgruntled at that admittance. He tossed his hands up. "JARVIS says he's found a new section of coding in the core of his program – something like three lines that all match."

"Two of them match, Sir," JARVIS corrected. "One of them has a greater complexity-."

"But it's similar, right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Right! Close enough." Tony turned back towards Pepper. "He says they're the equivalent of our wrist bands!" He gestured towards his own wrist and Darcy could see five iridescent bands with a final sixth band still black against his skin. "How does that work?! I can't program a soul!"

Pepper gave no answer. Her eyes had gone wide and disbelieving as she turned them on Darcy. The younger woman managed a wry, apologetic smile to match her helpless shrug. The redhead stared at her for a moment before she started laughing, both hands coming up to cover her mouth. Darcy could feel her surprise and disbelief radiating along their link.

Tony stopped mid-rant and gaped at her. "Pep?" Then he followed the line of her eyes and stopped, blinking at Darcy. A frown furrowed his brow, one eerily similar to Jane's when she tried to remember something that had no relation to her current focus.

Darcy spread her hands as she shrugged yet again. "Uh…hi?"

He went still and she observed as the final black band around his wrist seemed to pulse and shift before settling into a new gleaming iridescence. She bit her lip, watching as he blinked down at his arm, lifted his head to stare at her once more, glanced at the still giggling Pepper, and then turned back to her with a sigh. "Okay, kid, remind me, who are you again? And why are you in my Tower?"

"Jane's assistant," she replied, ignoring the sting at her own wrist. "Darcy Lewis, scientist wrangler extraordinaire and apparently soulmate to the Stark trio." She pointed at him before moving her finger to Pepper and then up to the roof.

"JARVIS?"

"Sir?"

"This is the girl?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Right." Tony reached up with one hand to rub his temple. "Well, hell, my concentration is shot." He looked her up and down. "So, Miss Stacked, what makes you so extraordinary – other than your soulmates?"

"Tony!" Pepper smacked his arm.

Darcy just grinned. "Easy. I'm remarkably good at herding cats, deflating egos, and babysitting full grown adult scientists who become cranky toddlers when they don't want to admit they've hit the wall due to lack of food, lack of sleep, or lack of sun. I also took home the gold for rolling with the weird and the silver for redirecting the righteous fury of one Jane Foster, astrophysicist."

"I like you," he announced, pointing at her. He exchanged a look with Pepper. "We should have found her before Foster got her claws in."

"Technically Betty was first," Darcy informed him.

He waved a hand. "But she's not the one you're following all over the planet," he pointed out. "I remember your file now. You were in New Mexico when Point Break decided to drop in and you followed Foster to Tromso. Which…can I just ask why?"

"Safety issues," she shrugged. "Phil did his version of a security freak out and decided Jane and I needed to be somewhere Loki would not be." She pursed her lips. "I can't say I disagreed with him. I might have tased Thor, but Loki sent a big damn robot to a town in the middle of nowhere. Who knew what he had in store for his encore?"

"You tased Thor?" Tony demanded, wicked delight flooding their new bond. "You hit the god of thunder with a taser?"

"That is the part you would take away from that," Pepper sighed.

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded, "I got it. Agent and Loki and robot…but no, really, you tased him? That's not in the file."

"Yes, I tased him." Darcy gave him a proud, cheery grin. "Now I'm his 'lightning sister' too. And there's a few things not in my file."

He frowned at her, but Pepper put a hand on his arm. "She's a multiple, Tony."

Now his eyes narrowed. "How many?"

Darcy shifted in her seat, uncertainty eating at her, but then she remembered Pepper's promise of protection. Her eyes scanned the room before settling on the two people in front of her. "Is there a way to guarantee privacy or something?"

"Privacy mode, JARVIS," Tony ordered.

"Yes, Sir," JARVIS replied. "Privacy mode engaged."

"There you go, Miss Stacked," the billionaire told her. "Nothing here is recording and no one else can see or hear what's going on."

She took a deep breath before pushing up both sleeves. The thin bands stood out in dark contrast against her pale skin. Her shoulders hunched a bit as Pepper gasped, but she kept her voice steady. "Yeah, you could definitely say I'm a multiple."

"Shit, kid…" Tony's voice trailed off as sympathy bled down their bond.

"Yeah."

Silence fell between the three for several long minutes before Tony took a deep breath. "Okay, kid, look, I know registering as soulmates is voluntary and mostly for legal purposes. Normally I would thumb my nose at the whole idea, but…" He shrugged. "You might want to think about it."

"She's registering as mine," Pepper told him.

He made a half turn, pointing at her. "Better idea," he agreed before looking back at Darcy. "That'll still get you full Stark protection – which you would have had anyway – but this way we can do the whole family lawyer routine instead of something more complicated." His trademark grin flashed. "And being the soulmate of Iron Man's probably not the safest thing."

Darcy gave a huff of amusement as she pulled her sleeves back down. "That might be a theme for me."

Pepper and Tony raised their eyebrows, but JARVIS spoke up before they could ask. "Sir, Agent Barton is requesting entrance."

"Clint's here?" Darcy smiled.

"Let Birdbrain in," Tony ordered. "Friend of yours?"

"You could say that," she agreed, looking over as the elevator chimed. Clint walked out, dark circles under tired eyes, but stopped and blinked in surprise at the three people waiting for him. Darcy hopped off her stool. "Clint!" She threw her arms around him as soon as she got close enough.

His arms wrapped around her in a tight hug. "Hey, Darce."

"You one of Miss Stacked's dangerous soulmates, too?"

Tony's question had Clint stiffening in her arms, but he relaxed again. She pulled back to frown up at him. He just gave her a small but real smile before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "'Too,' Stark?" he asked in return. "You got lucky enough to pick up Darce as one of your soulmates?"

"Miss Stacked is making a collection," Tony replied. "She had to have the best of the lot, didn't she?"

"She got Pepper too, then?"

Darcy and Pepper started laughing as Tony gave Clint a scowling pout. The archer returned a smirk, driving off the darkness in his eyes. Something heavy seemed to roll off of Darcy's shoulders as she leaned into him. They still had quite a few things to work out on the soulmate front, not the least of which meant giving her a few days to get her brain reorganized to keep control of all those bonds – hopefully with enough time before she got the next one. On the other hand – she was not alone. Pepper began to explain the situation to Clint, but Darcy stayed quiet, soaking in a feeling of 'home'.

Her bond with Tony flickered with amusement and she glanced up to meet an understanding gaze. He held her eyes for a moment. "Welcome home, kiddo," he said at last. "Good luck with the sanity thing around here."

"Sanity?" She raised her eyebrows at him. "I've been the unpaid assistant to one mad scientist for a couple of years now and I've just agreed to look at accepting a job taking care of two more. I think sanity has done fled the coop." Then she gave a half shrug. "At least now I can get paid for my heroic efforts to protect the world from super genius villains."

"I think I resent the fact you assume I might ever go bad," he huffed at her.

"Oh please," she replied, schooling her face to innocence, "I know how mad scientists are! I can even list all of Jane's triggers. Lack of coffee or Pop Tarts might push her over the edge. Or someone might tempt her with a bright shiny toy that helps her get a lock on the ER Bridge." She smiled at him. "You've got to have something…."

"Pepper," Clint told her. "Or shawarma."

"Or coffee," Pepper added with a grin. "Or a puzzle he hasn't finished yet."

"Hey!" Tony exclaimed as he grimaced at all of them. Darcy had to repress the giggle as she felt their bond quiver under the strength of his happiness – of which only the merest sliver showed in his mock disgruntled expression. She made a note to herself to figure out his tells as fast as possible. "Who made this 'pick on Tony' day?"

"My apologies, Sir," JARVIS replied when the others could not collect themselves from their laughter enough to answer. "Shall I make a note in the calendar?"

"Good idea," Tony nodded, letting Pepper lean against his side. "Make a note – today is not a good day for picking on Tony."

"That's okay," Darcy managed, sending him her brightest smile. "There's always tomorrow."

Author End Note: The code referenced above does not mean Tony managed to create a soul. This is JARVIS' band to match the bands the more humanoid type people have on their wrists. I happen to believe souls are divinely created, so no I can't explain how JARVIS ended up with one, but I did not want to leave him out as he is a favorite of mine.