Dance With the Devil

Summary: Toni Stark had never been oblivious to how the world viewed her and her weapons-making. She was the Merchant of Death, a demoness, the devil himself, or herself. But what happens when she meets the ACTUAL devil? How does it change her life? The fate of the world? Read to find out!

"And why would it stay with you instead of going back to Vormir?" Mantis, the gentlest of the Guardians, asked while the rest of the room gawked at Iron Maiden.

"Tones," Rhodey bemoaned, looking at her with pleading eyes. Strange's eyes were sharp and intent as always and she felt them on her as surely as she felt the two Gauntlets on her hands.

"I'm guessing the Mind Stone will be returned to Vision," Fury commented, also staring at her, trying to see through her, to figure out how she ticks. "And with Strange getting the Time Stone, that would make two Stones and two very good reasons for anyone out there to target Earth. Wouldn't it be too dangerous to leave a third one here, too, Stark?"

"Yes, Vision would get the Mind Stone back, if it were up to me." Toni confirmed, keeping her voice strong and steady as she regarded the room's attention on her. "He already knows how to deal with it and can protect it unless faced with the other five already in someone's possession. Loki had handled the Tesseract before, which has the Space Stone, so I would suggest we give it to him for protection. He is a powerful sorcerer himself. I'm sure he can avoid a second Thanos. I think Thor should go and hide the reality Stone somewhere, or lock it up in Asgard or something. Keep it hidden, protected. And since the Guardians have dealt with the Power Stone before, they get to chose how they will hide and contain it. But nobody has wielded the Soul Stone before. No one knows how Thanos found it or how to hide it. The Arc Reactor in my chest can hide its signature. I am the best one qualified to hide this particular Stone as I'm actually pretty sure I can't remove it from the Gauntlet."

Everyone was nodding along before that last part registered and another "WHAT!?" echoed through the room. Toni just shrugged.

"It's attracted to people who have suffered loss and pain. To those who understand the value of a life, of a soul. Since I've lost a lot and never changed ... And since I can create artificial life and souls, it kind of ... grew on me?" At their stupefied expressions, Toni looked away, feeling a flush overcome her cheeks. "It's ... Talking to me. In my head. And I know I'm not delusional because JARVIS and FRIDAY can hear it, too."

"Who are JARVIS and FRIDAY?"

"JARVIS is alive?!" Gamora and Bruce asked at the same time, looking at each other in shock. Stark just shrugged.

"Never died, was just forced into sleep mode for a while until he got all his coding parts back from when Ultron dispersed him. And JARVIS and FRIDAY are my Artificial Intelligences. They help be fly the suit and with running my business or my projects and inventions. Say hi, guys."

"Hello."

"Hi." The two AIs did as told, although they sounded somewhere between amused and bland, uninterested. In truth, they, along with Toni, were trying to figure out the new presence that was sharing their ... 'mind space' with them, communicating in impressions and sensations that they could somehow interpret as actual sentences. Toni swore she had no idea how this became her life.

"Why and how would your AIs be able to hear that?" T'Challa, a man who came from an impossibly technologically advanced country - for Earth - that apparently still somehow hadn't managed to make a better AI than a Siri knock off, asked, curious. And Toni realized she still hadn't informed anyone other than Stephen about Extremis 3.0. Oops. Well, no time like the present, right?

"Because I am the world's first technopath and can communicate with machines."

She was ready for the "WHAT!?" when it came.

00000

Toni left it all to T'Challa as soon as FRIDAY informed her that Rhodey's surgery was over. She immediately told her baby girl to show Stephen where she was and moments later, a sparkling portal opened right in front of her. Thankfully, even in her state of frantic need to see what was essentially her big brother, she had remembered that not everyone was friends with the 'devil' himself and so she had flown away far enough from the bunker to not be seen when the magical gateway opened for her, Stephen waiting in scrubs on the other side, offering her an outstretched hand like the gentleman he is. She stepped through without an ounce of hesitation or doubt, accepting his hand and watching as he let the portal collapse.

She flinched when she saw the rage in his impossibly green eyes as he took in the damage, both to her person and to the armor. Right. She forgot about that in her haste to come and see Rhodey. And she forgot about her overprotective witch doctor and his reaction to the fact that Extremis was still taking this long to repair the damage, which said quite a lot about said damage. If it hadn't been for Extremis, her ribcage would have been broken beyond repair by now due to the force Rogers had used and she would have bled out or died of a punctured lung back in Siberia. If it hadn't been for Extremis turning her Arc Reactor into a nanobot housing unit, Rogers would have killed them all when he smashed his shield into it and broke it or she would have been left with no way to contact anyone in a broken suit, left to die in the Siberian cold. And seeing as she had simply just called Stephen in to fix Rhodey without a single explanation offered, the immortal man was left in the dark beyond anything the medical staff might have slipped and that was never going to cover Siberia.

Rogers was in for a fright, if she ever let Stephen do it.

"How is he?" She asked immediately, before he could start asking his own questions because, if he did, there was a possibility - more like a 99.9% probability - that he will storm off on a war path before she could ask him about Rhodey. She could easily see him forcing himself to enter his doctor mentality and she was grateful he was reigning in his rage for now. Toni really couldn't take the suspense of not knowing about her friend's status anymore.

"He's stable. They brought him in with just enough time for a neurosurgery and I managed to stitch his nerves back together. He'll need to stay in bed for at least three weeks and go to intense physical therapy for at the very least three months before he can walk on his own again, that is if he's strong enough. If not, then probably up to five months of therapy will be needed. I don't recommend he pilot the War Machine suit until he has fully recovered and that means when his physical therapist says he has fully recovered." He glared at her, as if daring her to argue. It probably had something to do with her own not staying out of the suit until fully healed. It just wasn't her style to remain still and idle for so long. But Rhodey was saner than her and didn't have a mind that was running and working and calculating and designing 24/7. Sure, he'll go stir crazy, but that will happen only after those three weeks he's not supposed to leave the bed. "His other injuries are minor, not even a broken bone or a bruised rib. He's currently under to spare him the pain, but he'll probably be waking up in two days time. Nerves need more after-surgery time to heal and if he were to wiggle around now, he'd likely undo all of my work. He'll be just fine, Toni. He's a fighter. Colonel Rhodes will be up and about in no time."

Toni sighed in relief, feeling lightheaded. She wasn't even thinking when she simply leaned forward and rested herself on Stephen, trusting him to support her weight, even with the armor on. It's not as if it would be the first time he made her weightless so he can carry or drag her around. He'd once explained it to her, but she was suddenly so tired that she couldn't remember. It was too much. The stress, the grief, the fighting, the betrayal, finding out the truth behind her parents' death and now this ... She was physically and emotionally exhausted. She couldn't take it anymore. She can't be here right now. She had to get away. She needed to go somewhere safe. Somewhere where she can hide and lick her wounds in peace but the thought of being alone terrified her, too. Romanoff was still out there, somewhere. Rogers was a supersoldier. Even with T'Challa around, he could find a way to escape and come after her. She wasn't safe, the world was narrowing down, walls of steel and rock closing in on her, yelling in foreign languages she hadn't known, a shield coming down on her Arc Reactor, a hand ripping it out, one moment Obie's, the next a metal arm and she couldn't breathe!

"Toni," came a familiar, comforting voice, calling for her even while two other intimately familiar voices recited litanies of the time, her location, the weather, the status of all her loved ones, including the one above her - when had she slid down to her rear, taking down Stephen, too, kneeling beside her and trying to calm her down - who they so rarely knew the condition and situation of. "I need you to breathe for me, okay? Count with me." A slightly scarred hand was holding her own against a deeply breathing chest, trying to guide her through the panic attack. It was working. It took her a while, but between JARVIS, FRIDAY and Stephen, Toni finally got over it and calmed down significantly.

But the damn was broken and Toni started sobbing as soon as she had the air for it. The sobs and cries shook her whole body as she finally allowed herself to break down and cry for her parents and beloved butler. She felt familiar arms wrap around her, releasing the manual latches on her broken suit and gathering her against a strong chest. She continued crying, losing all composure she had forced onto herself the second Rogers destroyed the suit's reactor. She had managed to keep it together because she had had a goal in front of her and T'Challa was there. She wouldn't break down in front of the three enhanced men. She would have been vulnerable like never before. She wasn't safe with them.

But she had always felt safe around Stephen. There had never been a day that he did not manage to bring her comfort. He had been her support ever since the whole palladium poisoning bit, maybe even from the moment they met. He had provided her a distraction from both Agent and her haunting memories of Afghanistan. Strange was safe. Even when the whole world around her was in chaos, spinning out of control and becoming a scary place that was practically racing towards her worst nightmare, he was the one stable point, never budging, never moving, always grounding her when she needed it the most. He wasn't like Rhodey and Pepper, trying to prevent her from taking flight again when she got stir crazy. He knew what she needed and he let her have it while keeping her safe and having her back. He was holding her down yet it was never restraining or restricting.

It had never really occurred to her just how much she trusted him until she was ready to cry in front of him. Something she had only ever done in front of Jarvis and JARVIS. Not even her mother had ever seen her cry. Not even Rhodey or Pepper, because she had to be strong for them. She always had to be strong.

It was a relief to be weak for once and for it to be okay.

"Come on," Stephen said as he gathered her up in his arms, sweeping her off of her feet as easily as if he had Extremis. He held her close as he opened a dimensional rift and stepped through it, holding her tight. Toni was so exhausted and so comfy that she didn't bother to look up from where her face was buried in the crook of his neck, her tears finally stopping. She did look up when cool air hit her, surprising her with that crisp, clean, fresh mountain air she had gotten used to associating with Stephen. Lifting her head caused her to gasp because the view that greeted her was beautiful. Beyond the ancient looking temple like buildings one would see in a karate or kung-fu movie was what could only be Mount Everest itself, staring down from its immense, snow-covered highs at the genius cradled in the Sorcerer Supreme's arms. Or it at least felt like it. Unlike in Europe, it was day here, sunlight shinning through the few clouds that had gathered, warming the air, which was much cooler here due to its proximity to the mountain and being at a higher altitude. But it was infinitely warmer than in Siberia and Stephen was warm against her, which only caused her comfort and made her even more sleepy, only this time out of content. And then Stephen turned around, so she could see the magnificent courtyard full of people of both genders, various body builds, ages and natinalities, all training together, making glowing mandalas. Beyond them, an amazing view of the market and village-city bellow completed the picture and Toni knew where she was even before she was told.

The master teaching the class and all the pupils stopped upon noticing the Sorcerer Supreme's presence and, without casting a second glance at his precious burden, bowed as one in greeting. Toni felt ridiculous, almost as if she were Simba from Lion King.

Stephen had no such reservations, smiling down at her gently. "Welcome to Kamar-Taj, Toni Stark."

00000

Toni didn't need two hours after she got some of the best sleep of her life to become the absolute favorite among the Masters and apprentices alike at Kamar-Taj. Her boundless energy, infinite curiosity and never ending questions would have annoyed anyone else, but here, where knowledge and questions were encouraged, she fit right in, even though she never even tried to do magic. She would just laugh the offers off with gentle eyes while demonstrating the things she can do with technology. Many of the people there had not come purely for spiritual enlightenment, so they enjoyed the sight of technology more modern and more advanced than just an Internet modem or their phones and laptops. Even here, Iron Maiden was a celebrity, especially among the few teenagers here and there. The few scientists who had come here for answers that no one else could give and had ended up becoming sorcerers said she was a breath of fresh air and picked her brain in various topics.

She met all the Masters, including the guardians of the three Sanctums, one of which was in her own city, New York. Stephen even took her on a tour of all three, showing off all of the ancient magical artifacts and books they held there or the many gateways they led to. The one in New York was the most important one, as it existed in the exact 'crossroads' of all of the dimensions, and so it was called Sanctum Sanctorum. It was never to fall, or else all would be lost, or so it used to be for millennia before Strange came and absorbed all of Dormammu's magic, killing the demon as he was consisted only of magic. As an engineer, Toni had told Stephen that was a major design flaw, earning her laughter from an unexpected source. Wong VII was Stephen's best friend and the librarian at Kamar-Taj, a great honor and a dangerous job, seeing as the books he protected hid some of the most dangerous secrets in the universe. He was grumpy and had the best poker face slash resting bitch face on the face of the planet and was utterly done and exasperated with Stephen. It was apparently hard to make him laugh, but he was a good guy. He indulged Toni's curiosity when Stephen was called away for Sorcerer Supreme business, showing her off said library and answering her numerous questions with an amusement and patience he apparently didn't have for the pupils.

He did, however, freak out when JARVIS and FRIDAY spoke up for the first time, scaring the shit out of him and causing him to nearly hit Toni with a stray defensive spell meant for any sneaky attackers that might try to, well, sneak up on him. That, unfortunately, ended badly for him because Strange had not been kidding when he said the pendant he gave her would protect her from any type of magic. Wong had been extremely surprised to see her pull it out of her pocket, informing her that it used to be mandatory to all sorcerers, to help them see the invisible demons Dormammu would send into their world but that they were no longer in use since said demons obeyed the Sorcerer Supreme now.

"Then why have sorcerers at all, if no demons will attack?" Toni had asked, confused, as she ran a finger over the pendant. Wong just snorted.

"Dormammu may have conquered many realms and enslaved seemingly countless beings, but he hadn't ruled them all. There are still plenty of malicious creatures out there and Stephen refuses to use the demons he controls unless it is absolutely necessary. A sound decision, as their presence in other realms than the Dark Dimension causes a disturbance in the balance of said realm. So we are still needed. Not to mention that not all sorcerers are like us, vowed to protect our world instead of seeking power. There are still threats only we can deal with."

"And there are still threats that only the Avengers can fight, but we're in pieces." Toni mused with a groan, recalling that nightmarish vision. It still haunted her from time to time. She may have BARF to help her through the initial panic it used to cause in her, but she never allowed herself to get over it. Because she was the only one aware of the looming danger, the threat. And she can't fight it alone.

"Are you alright, Stark?" Her sorcerer companion asked, looking at her with some worry despite only knowing her for maybe two days. Toni sobered up. Yes, JARVIS and FRIDAY had informed Pepper, Happy and Vision that she had needed a few days to herself, to get her head together and start thinking about her next move while she allowed herself some time to heal. But she hadn't been doing that. All she'd been doing was exploring Kamar-Taj, when there was a hell of a lot of things to do back home. Mainly a kid she had somehow taken on as a protégé without even noticing. Happy probably had him back in America now and Rhodey should be waking up soon. She had to prepare braces for him. There was no way he will allow himself the time to take the physical therapy slowly. Toni needed to get him back on his feet. It will make everyone feel better: Rhodey, Vision and even herself. Toni can't lounge around here when there was so much to be done.

Including finding a way to clear the Avengers' name, brand and reputation. She'll probably have to get in contact with Pym because of Lang and the Ant Man suit, she needed to get Sharon fired - seriously, giving wanted fugitives and criminals weapons! And kissing Aunt Peggy's guy! Has her cousin no shame? There was a reason why Toni had refused all three times Rogers had asked her out (Shh, don't tell Stephen, that's not going to end well) and it wasn't just because of her childhood problems - and preferably recruit some new heroes. Spider-Man was an option, but the kid was young. Fifteen and a half. Too young. But he was already out in the streets, fighting crime, and sooner or later, he will come across a foe he can't fight on his own. Wasn't it better for Toni to take him fully under her wing, write a new, special clause in the Accords about emergency-only members? About secret identities? That would help her with Barton and Lang at least, she was sure. If Laura even wanted to have anything to do with her husband by the time all of this was over.

And, if worse comes to worse, make sure the Rogues can be called out into the field should it ever come to that. Toni didn't know when her nightmare may become reality, but she had to be ready.

"Miss Stark?" Wong's call snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned to him. "Are you alright? You kind of just zoned out ... "

"I'm fine." She replied, clenching her fists, looking away. "But I need to get back. Today. Preferably right now. I have work to do."

"Was it something I said or ... Because Stephen will kill me if I chased you away while you are still recovering." She shook her head at the librarian, starting a brisk walk towards where she knew Stephen usually meditated at this time of day. Or at least he has been doing it for the past couple of days she had spent here. No one looked at him strange (she couldn't help but snort to herself at the pun and ignored her AIs' exasperation at her) so it was a safe guess.

"No. I just realized how much time I spent here when I have so much to do. I can't sit around when there is so much riding on me."

"I'm sure it can wait until you've recovered a bit more from your ordeal-"

"Any leftover ... results of my ordeal can be dealt with a swift BARF session or two." The pilot of Iron Maiden interrupted him, marching through the halls of Kamar-Taj. "Now, where is Strange? I need for him to take me back to Rhodey's hospital. They'll move him after he wakes up and I want to talk things over with him before that."

"Stephen had to leave for another dimension an hour ago. It was urgent so he didn't get the chance to tell you." Stark stopped, turning to arch an eyebrow at Wong, but the man had his unreadable expression set. Toni glared but let him have it, but only this once since she was in a hurry.

"Then you can open a portal for me."

"No can do, Stark. He would have my head."

"I will have your head if you don't."

Wong wasn't impressed by her glower. "He's the devil."

"And I am the Merchant of Death." It was a moniker she hated but it was hers all the same. It was what got Ross off of Banner's back, not that Bruce ever knew that. "Go figure."

"It's for both of our good, both your and mine. Stephen can be unreasonable when someone he cares about gets hurt. I heard he nearly went mad when Gina-" Suddenly, Wong shut his mouth, as if his voice cut off and Toni frowned in confusion. But, for once, Wong didn't indulge in her question. "Forget it. It's for the best. He never did get over her." He shook his head, not noticing the emotion that flashed through Toni's eyes. "Stephen will just worry if you leave now."

"He will worry even more if he finds out I had to fly away from here on my own." Toni was getting sick of this, so she challenged every boundary the sorcerers here have placed wordlessly. She had work to do and the way Wong was acting was putting her on edge.

"You don't have your suit." Wong met her challenge with one of his own and Toni grinned, tapping a finger on the new Arc Reactor in her chest, letting the armor shift over her. She still didn't want anyone to know about it other than Stephen and her AIs, but she will reveal it to Wong if she had to make a point. Watching his face, she knew she won and half an hour later, she was greeting her just roused brother in everything but blood, figuring she can deal with Stephen when he shows his face again. For now, Rhodey, Vision and Peter needed her.

It may as well have been the start of what could have so easily been the end of one of the most meaningful relationships in her life.

And the end of the world.

00000

"Toni, when did you do that to yourself!? How did you do that to yourself!? Why didn't you tell me!? And why does he look like he knew about it all along!?" Rhodey fired question after question in quick succession, looking half pissed, half worried. Stephen just shrugged when he was pointed at.

"I'm her doctor and witnessed the change when her armor nearly killed me and the medical staff that helped in removing the shrapnel from her chest."

"And that just excuses you knowing when no one else did?"

"JARVIS did."

"JARVIS knows everything!" The two were now glaring at each other, Rhodey all but snarling at the man so obviously interested in his 'little sister' and Stephen just pissed at being treated like it was his fault Toni had only trusted him and her AIs with this secret.

"FRIDAY knows, too." And Toni would bet her entire fortune Strange said that just to piss her honey-bear off, which he succeeded in.

"That's not in any way different than JARVIS knowing!"

"It's not my fault you thought her crazy for shutting down the SI weapons factories." That got Rhodey reeling back as if struck and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it was for that reason alone that Stephen had said that. Toni herself tried not to flinch at the thought of that little betrayal. Yes, she knew they all thought it was the PTSD talking, but the PTSD was nothing compared to the horror she had felt becoming a part of that system, the one that was okay with zero accountability. That Rhodey would brush her off like that ... It had hurt. She preferred not to think about it. "And what would you have done even if you knew? Could you magically slow down the process? Because I certainly did. It's what ultimately saved her life. You were ready to beat her down because you were pissed! I should have knocked you out with them." Strange fairly spat out the word like it was a curse, glaring in rage and disgust at the Colonel. Rhodey flinched back further, actually scared when magic started crackling around Stephen's fingers, sending everyone on edge, anticipating the follow up of that threat.

Toni just hit him upside the head, earning a comical yelp from the most powerful being in the room. "If you so much as breathe wrong at my honey-bear, it's the dog house for you all over again."

"I thought you were going to go on a date with the man?" Drax sounded so confused as he asked the question, bringing back up the previous subject, making the two in question flush.

"WHAT!?" Oh, great. Rogers and his lot were finally rousing. Maybe she should have allowed Stephen to go a bit rougher on them.

"Well, are you?" Maria asked, curious since everyone at SI already half thought that they were dating, if not outright married by now. Toni blushed. It got worse when Stephen himself looked at her with curiosity and hope. He'd been stating that he cared for her for years, often jokingly asking for a date or if they were already on one whenever he visited Toni. Stark had always laughed it off, never believing she would be that lucky to have truly caught the eye of the handsome doctor. She knew her own stance on it for a couple of years now, but she wasn't about to be the one to make the move when Strange was the one who started the whole thing, all those years ago! She had thought that her feeling weren't reciprocated after their last encounter, that awful fight that had caused a radio silence between them for two whole months.

But he'd just admitted to rather having her truly think about accepting his offer of a date - and a relationship, knowing them - than have her go on a date with him when she clearly didn't want to. Only she did. God, did she want to!

And she finally had the chance to say it, even if she was blushing like a fool.

"Yes. Yes, I am." She replied in as confident a voice as she possessed and ignored the gasps around the room, Peter's squeak of excitement, Nick's groan of exasperation, Maria's little victory cheer followed by Thor's congratulations and Loki's snort and the exchange of credits between Quill and Rocket - when had they managed to make a bet about this? They talked about it half only an hour ago! - instead focusing on JARVIS' relief and FRIDAY's excitement and the shinning happiness and hope in Stephen's beautiful, enchanting (no pun intended) green eyes.

"WHAT!?"