Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Only my OC, Agent Clarissa Melanie Connors, and her story line belongs to me.

~0~ = little break

Rhodey and I walked into the casino, heading towards the table that had the most people crowding over, assuming that was where Tony was. We heard Tony's voice among the many that crowded the Craps table.

"Work it! C'mon!" He said as he threw the dice.

Tony then turned to the woman next to him and started shamelessly flirting.

"We should just stay till the morning. You are unbelievable."

I roll my eyes at him, very much annoyed at what he's done to Rhodey.

"Anthony Edward Stark!" I shouted over the people.

I saw him freeze and whisper the word shit ever so lightly.

"You better not be swearing at me, Anthony," I yelled.

He turned around to face myself and Rhodey and he cringed at the look I was giving him so he diverted his eyes onto Rhodey.

"Oh, no! Did she rope you into this?" Tony asked jokingly but dropped his smirk when he saw my glare.

"Clara didn't rope me into anything, I came to watch all on my own. She did tell me that if I were the one to present the award you would be deeply honored," Rhodey told him.

"Well, as always, Rissa is correct. So, when are we doing it? I lost track of time," Tony said to us, looking at his wristwatch for the time.

I grabbed the award from Rhodey's hand and shoved it into Tony's.

"There it is, that was easy," Tony said sarcastically before looking apologetic, "Rissa I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to I swear."

My eyes soften at his genuine apology and gave him a small smile and caressed his cheek.

"Oh honey, I'm not the only one you should be apologizing to," I said to him, nodding over to Rhodey.

"No, it's okay," Rhodey said, letting it go.

"Wow! Would you look at that? That's something else. I don't have any of those floating around." Tony said, pretending to admire the award given to him before he gave it to the woman beside him.

Once again I rolled my eyes at Tony. He started yelling and getting excited about the game again.

"We're gonna let it ride! Give me a hand, will you Rissa? Give me a little something-something," He held the dice under my mouth for me to blow on, but I just gave him an exasperated look.

"Okay none from you, that's cool, that's cool. You too Rhodey."

Just like he did to me, he held his hand underneath Rhodey's mouth expecting him to blow on it.

"I don't blow on a man's dice," Rhodey huffed, shoving Tony's hand away from him, making Tony let go and let it turn into a roll.

"There it is. Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes rolls!" Tony played off before we saw what it landed.

"Two craps. Line away," the Croupier said making me laugh.

"That's what happens," Rhodey said to him, slightly amused at what happened.

"Worse things have happened. I think we're gonna be fine," Tony shrugged.

I joined him, shrugging as well.

"True. Remember that time you were naked and people got it on camera?" I asked Tony, making him laugh.

The three of us walked away from the casino to the lobby where we parted off.

"This is where I exit," Rhodey said bidding us goodnight.

"All right," Tony said, shaking the man's hand.

"Tomorrow, don't be late," Rhodey reminded Tony.

"Yeah, you can count on it," Tony replied without a care.

"I'm serious!" Rhodey exclaimed.

"I know, I know," Tony said back with a wave of his hand.

I whacked his arm lightly before turning to Rhodey, "Don't worry Rhodey, I'll drive him myself if I have to."

With Rhodey giving me a kiss and a hug, the three of us finally parted ways. Tony gave his award to a random person dressed up as Caesar.

"Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. There you go," Tony playfully said.

The Caesar guy looked very confused.

"Tony, why did you do that?" I asked him.

"Please, I don't need any more awards, I'm running out of space," He said to me making me roll my eyes for the hundredth time that night.

Happy, Tony, and I exited Caesar's Palace with our other security detail in tow. They surrounded us as we headed towards the two black Rolls Royce parked out front.

"We're taking separate cars home?" Tony questioned as Happy opened the door for me.

"Remember what I said about you taking a girl home? Here she comes." I quirked an eyebrow and nodded over his shoulder.

Happy took the liberty of checking out said girl that was running towards them who was stopped by the security around us.

"Mr. Stark! Excuse me, Mr. Stark!" the blonde called out, "Christine Everhart, Vanity Fair magazine. Can I ask you a couple of questions?"

Happy leaned into whisper into Tony's ear, "She's cute."

"She's all right?" Tony made sure, before receiving a nod from Happy.

He plastered his playboy smile and turned around to face the Christine.

"Hi," Tony said attractively which the reporter politely returned.

"Yeah. Okay, go," Tony ordered her to start.

"You've been called the da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?"

"Absolutely ridiculous. I don't paint," Tony replied straight-faced.

I smacked him lightly at his silly reply.

Christine didn't seem bothered by his humorous answer but only raised an eyebrow at him.

"And what do you say to your other nickname, ''The Merchant of Death''?"

"That's not bad... Let me guess. Berkeley?" Tony guessed.

"She's probably from Brown," I put in.

"Ms. Connors is correct," She told us.

"Well, Ms. Brown, it's an imperfect world, but it's the only one we've got. I guarantee you, the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals," He explained to her in a condescending manner.

"Rehearse that much?" Christine replied snarkily.

"Every night in front of the mirror before bedtime," Tony remarked.

"I can see that," She stated.

"I'd like to show you first-hand," Tony tried to flirt.

"All I want is a serious answer," Christine said exasperatedly.

"Okay, here's serious. My old man had a philosophy, 'Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy.' " Tony answered.

"That's a great line coming from the guy selling the sticks," Christine replied sassily.

"Look, his father helped defeat the Nazis. He worked on the Manhattan Project. A lot of people, including your professors at Brown would call that being a hero," I cut in starting to get annoyed by this reporter.

"And a lot of people would also call that war profiteering," She told me.

"You want to know what war profiteering is, do a little research on Senator Brandt, I saw his war profiteering up close," I snapped remembering Steve.

Tony placed a hand on my waist in attempts to calm me down before I decide to throw a punch.

"Tell me, do you plan to report on the millions we've saved by advancing medical technology or kept from starvation with our intelli-crops? All those breakthroughs, military funding, honey," Tony told her.

"You ever lose an hour of sleep your whole life?" She questioned him, eyebrow raised.

"I'd be prepared to lose a few with you," Tony said smirking before practically undressing her with his eyes.

"Okay, that's my cue to leave. You are to give me a fifteen-minute head start before you can leave and please, don't break any lamps when you get home, some of those are irreplaceable, alright? Goodnight, baby boy."

I pressed a kiss to Tony's blushing cheeks as I babied him in front of the reporter, but I don't care. My driver opened the door for me and immediately fled from the Palace after telling my driver to step on it. I told my driver to go the private runway where Tony's plane would be. After getting a 'Yes, ma'am' from him, I took out my phone from my clutch and called Hill. After a few rings she finally answered.

"This is Hill," Her voice answered.

"Hill, how fast can you get me a helicopter at Tony's private runway in Vegas?" I asked her.

"Around 25 minutes," She answered.

"Do it in 15," I ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," was what she said before hanging up.

~0~

Like I ordered, Hill had a helicopter there 5 minutes before I arrived. The SHIELD agent piloting the helicopter greeted me with a polite nod before lifting off. I gave him the orders to take me to Tony's Malibu house and we got there in 45 minutes. JARVIS unlocked the doors for me when I arrived at the front door.

"Good evening Ms. Clara, Miss Potts went home for the night but she said she'll be back here bright and early tomorrow," JARVIS reported.

Thank goodness Pepper took my suggestion and went home for the night instead of her usually staying here in the guest wing.

"JARVIS please soundproof Tony's room tonight. I would actually want to get some sleep," I requested.

"Of course Ms. Clara, would that be all?" JARVIS asked.

"Yes, JARVIS, that would be all, I'm going to hit the hay. Wake me up at 5 please," I ordered him.

"Of course, have a good night Ms. Clara," JARVIS bid me.

I just made it into my room and shut the door when I heard giggling from the hallway. Ugh. I really need to move my suite far away from Tony's. Slipping out of my dress and telling JARVIS to close the windows, I climbed into bed after changing into my pajamas and welcomed the face of Steve Rogers who infiltrated my brain every night.

~0~

"Good morning, Ms. Clara. It's 5:00 a.m. The weather in Malibu is 70 degrees with clear skies. The sunrise is at 6:25 am. The surf conditions are fair with waist-to-shoulder high lines. High tide will be at 10:52 a.m." JARVIS informed me when I woke up.

Despite whatever was going on next door, I slept like a baby. I was glad that I didn't get nightmares last night because I forgot to soundproof my room. After doing a little stretch and doing my business in the washroom, I put on my workout clothes and headed to the workout room in the house. I was careful to not wake up the guest in the house. I assumed that Tony was already down at the workshop working on one of his cars or something. Doing my usual workout routine which took about an hour, I realized that I should probably call Rhodey. As if Tony would actually leave on time for Afghanistan, so rather than making Rhodey wait for Tony at the plane for hours, I'll tell him to hold off the flight for an hour or so.

"Ms. Clara, Miss Potts just arrived," JARVIS informed me while I was changing into my day clothes.

"Thank you, JARVIS. Can you tell her to get our guest's clothes dry cleaned and get a car ready for her?" I asked JARVIS.

"Of course, Ms. Clara."

I left the gym, ready to start my day. I cooked myself an omelet and some sausages. I checked my phone for any updates from SHIELD. I saw a message Natasha sent me saying they were back from Germany. I decided to call her to check up on her and Clint. She answered on the second ring.

"Hey Lanie," She greeted me.

"Tasha, hey sweetie. How'd the mission go?" I asked her while I played with my omelet.

"Went alright, target was neutralized. Clint got shot in the leg but other than that it went smoothly," Tasha told me.

"Well is he alright now?" I asked her, concerned for Clint's well-being.

"Oh, he's fine. We got him patched up as soon as we got back to HQ so you can stop worrying. You trained us harder than that," She told me offhandedly.

"Just because I trained you guys doesn't mean I can't worry. I practically raised the both of you," I chastise her.

"When are you coming back?" She questioned.

"Sometime this week, maybe tomorrow. Tony's leaving for Afghanistan today for a weapons demo so there's really no point of me staying here," I replied.

Before anything else was said JARVIS spoke.

"Ms. Clara, our guest is awake and wandering about the house asking for Mr. Stark, shall I tell her where he is?" JARVIS inquired.

"No JARVIS that's fine I'll see to her myself, keep her out of the usual areas," I answered.

I went back to my phone to finish my conversation with Natasha.

"Listen, I have to go and deal with Tony's one night stand of the week, I'll see you soon. Tell Clint I said to stay off his leg," I told her.

"You got it, see you soon Lanie," Tasha said before hanging up.

I put my dishes by the sink and gulped down the last of my orange juice before heading to find Christine. I saw her walking around in Tony's dress shirt he wore yesterday. She touched a panel on the wall and was startled when JARVIS told her she had no authority to be there. Before I could speak Pepper beat me to it, coming from the front.

"That's JARVIS. He runs the house. I've got your clothes here. They've been dry-cleaned and pressed, and there's a car waiting for you outside that will take you anywhere you'd like to go," Pepper explained, handing the woman her clothes.

"You must be the famous Pepper Potts," Christine stated, recognizing her.

"Indeed I am," Pepper said with a polite smile.

"After all these years, Tony still has you picking up the dry-cleaning," She said rudely.

Pepper kept her cool and kept that polite smile on her face before saying, "I do anything and everything that Mr. Stark requires. Including, occasionally, taking out the trash. Will that be all?"

Pepper didn't even mention that it was me who asked her to get all those things ready. Christine just gave her a forced smile. That was when I decided to make my entrance.

"Pepper! Good morning!" I greeted her, giving her an embrace.

"Morning, Clara!" She said, returning the hug.

I put on a fake smile on my face when I faced Christine.

"Oh, um, Christy right?" I guessed.

"Christine, actually," She corrected me through gritted teeth.

"Right, well there's a bathroom down this hallway and the front door is right there, have a nice day," I told her, pointing to the two doors.

She scoffed at me but still went down the hallway to get dressed.

"Bitch," I muttered quietly but not quiet enough because Pepper laughed.

"Happy birthday by the way!" I greeted the strawberry blonde.

She looked a bit shocked that I remembered but still said thank you.

"I should probably shoo out Tony now. Rhodey's probably gonna kill him," She told me, gathering a few papers off the table.

"Oh, I'll come with you. I already called Rhodey this morning telling him Tony's most probably going to be late but I know he's already standing at the top of the plane stairs," I said to her as we went down the stairs.

Pepper entered her code for the workshop, turning down the music at the same time.

"Please don't turn down my music," Tony told her without turning around.

"You are supposed to be on your way to the hangar," She replied, ignoring his complaint.

"How'd she take it?" He asked, implying about Christine.

"Like a champ," I told him sarcastically.

"You were wrong you know," Tony said to me.

I raised an eyebrow at him as he stood from his stool.

"About what?" I questioned.

"Your predictions from yesterday, you said I was gonna take home a brunette," He smirked at me, happy that he finally caught me when I was in the wrong.

I shrugged my shoulders and crossed my arms.

"I had an off day," I said as my excuse.

"Why are you trying to hustle me out of here anyways?" Tony asked us.

" Well, your original flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago but me knowing you, I called Rhodey ahead and told him you were most likely going to be late. Now it leaves in half an hour and it takes almost an hour to get there so move your ass," I ordered him.

"That's funny, I thought with it being my plane and all, that it would just wait for me to get there," Tony remarked.

"You know that's rude to the pilot and Rhodey, Tony," I started, but Pepper changed the subject before an argument could start.

"Tony, I need to speak to you about a couple things before I get you out of the door," Pepper jumped in, shuffling the pile of papers in her arm.

"Doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive?" Tony continued as he walked around the workshop.

"Larry called. He's got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the wings. Do you want it? Yes or no?" Pepper pressed.

"Is it a good representation of his spring period?" He questioned

"No, no sweetheart, The Springs was actually the neighborhood in East Hampton where he lived and worked, not ''spring'' like the season," I explained.

"So?" Tony said with a raised eyebrow.

"I think it's a fair example. Erm, I think it's incredibly overpriced," Pepper added in, making me nod in agreement.

"I need it. Buy it. Store it," Tony insisted.

Pepper and I hid our small smiles before she proceeded with the next thing on her list.

"Okay. The MIT commencement speech..." Pepper began before Tony cut her off.

"Is in June. Please, don't harangue me about stuff that's way, way, down..." Tony waved it off as he fiddled with a part of a car.

"They're haranguing me, so I'm gonna say yes," Pepper said, deciding for Tony as she usually did.

"Deflect it and absorb it. Don't transmit it back to me," He said to her.

"I need you to sign this before you get on the plane," Pepper handed him a piece of paper and a pen.

"What are you trying to get rid of me for? What, you got plans?" He asked.

"Just do as she says please, Rhodey's going to be upset with you if you're late," I asked him.

Tony rolled his eyes but still signed the document.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Pepper said, making Tony look at her.

"What?" He asked.

"I do have plans actually," Pepper told him.

"I don't like it when you have plans," Tony said to her poutily.

"I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday," She said defiantly.

"It's' your birthday?" Tony asked confusedly as he returned the pen and paper to her."

"Yes," Pepper answered.

"Oh, that reminds me! Pep, your present's in your room in the cabinet, I hid it there," I told her.

"It's your birthday already?" Tony clarified.

"Tony, tell me you did not forget. It's on the same day as last year," I told him with a sigh, disappointed that he forgot the birthday of one of the closest people he has.

"Get yourself something nice from me," Tony told her, ignoring what I said.

"I already did," Pepper said as a matter of fact.

"And?" Tony pushed.

"It's was very nice," Pepper replied.

"Yeah?"

"Very tasteful, thank you, Mr. Stark," Pepper thanked him shyly.

"You're welcome, Miss Potts," Tony said back quietly.

I am loving this unintended flirting here. I cleared my throat to gain the attention of the two.

"Tony, you really need to go. Should I drive you there? I'll probably be faster," I asked him.

"No it's fine, I'm already late so what's the point of rushing," He told me, declining my offer.

"Well alright then, I'll just head on back home tonight then. Pepper, can I treat you for a birthday lunch before I leave? I wanna be there when you open your present," I asked her smiling.

"Of course, I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday!" She said excitedly.

"Alright, give me a 30 minutes to arrange my flight plans, that'll be enough time for you to change into more casual clothing right?" I inquired.

"Yeah, definitely," She told me, "I'll see you in a bit. Have a safe flight, Tony."

She made her way up the stairs and out of our view.

"You're going back already?" Tony asked me.

"Yeah, I mean there's no point in staying if you're not here, I might as well cut my vacation off," I explained to him.

He just pouted his lips making me laugh.

"You're the one leaving the country!" I exclaimed, still laughing.

"I know, I know. Tell you what, I'll visit you in New York this time after I get back," He offered.

I nodded liking what he was offering, "Deal."

After pushing him out of the workshop, I helped him pack an overnight bag before practically kicking him out of the door.

"Call me after you're done the demo," I told him as he sat in his car.

"Alright, see you soon Rissa," He said putting his shades on.

I put my head through the open window and kissed him on the cheek, "Stay safe okay baby boy?"

He only nodded giving me a mock salute before speeding off.

"So, open it!" I said excitedly to Pepper.

She laughed at my childishness. Pepper and I were currently sitting at a patio of this restaurant we found. In front of her was the enormous gift bag that contained the presents I gave her.

"Alright, alright!" She set down her coffee mug and looked inside.

After getting rid of all the tissue paper I put, she finally reached the gift inside. She gasped in shock. She pulled out the champagne colored Judith Leiber clutch I got her.

"Oh, Clara this is beautiful! Thank you!" Pepper gushed.

"There's more," I told her, leaning back to watch her reaction.

She carefully set the clutch on the table and took another look in the bag where she pulled out the iconic brown Christian Louboutin shoe box. She smiled even wider when she saw the recognizable red-soled shoes.

"I got you black ones so it'll hopefully match any outfit you wear," I told her.

"This is wonderful, thank you so much Clara!" Pepper would've given me a hug if not all the things on her restricting her from standing.

"No problem," I said to her.

"What time's your flight?" She asked me, putting back her things in the bag.

"About an hour from now," I told her, briefly taking my eyes off her to thank the waiter that refilled my cup.

"Do they need you back already?" She questioned.

"Yeah, you could say that. They'll fall apart without me," I joked causing Pepper to laugh lightly.

"Does Tony know?" She asked me.

"Yeah, I told him before he left for Afghanistan," I told her.

"How'd he take it?"

"Well at first he was iffy about it, but after I made the point that he wouldn't even be in the country he agreed to it. He even said he'll visit New York instead of me going to him all the time," I told Pepper, "You should come as well!"

I glanced down at my watch realizing how fast time has flown.

"Well, I hate to cut this short but I do have a plane to catch," I said to her.

"Of course, thanks again Clara," She said.

"Now don't even think about doing any work today. Go on a shopping spree, Tony's treat!" I insisted.

Pepper laughed, "Don't mind if I do, should I call a car for you?"

"No, it's fine. I'll take a cab, take care Pepper and watch my Tony for me. Happy birthday again," I gave her a hug before leaving to find a taxi.

~0~

The flight back to New York was exhausting more than anything. A car was already waiting for me when I landed. I told the driver the address to my penthouse on the Upper East side. I wanted to just drop by my place before going to HQ. Around my penthouse were many framed pictures of people whom I considered my family. Majority of the pictures I have were of the Stark's and Nick because they're the ones I've known the longest. My eyes stopped on a rare photo of Steve and I.

We were celebrating after taking down one of Hydra's blockades. It was the most dangerous mission we've done so Howard proposed we celebrate. A photographer managed to take a picture of us and Steve let me keep the photo. I was laughing while looking at the camera, but he was smiling as he looked at me. I smiled at the memory of that night. Shaking my head, I put the frame down and grabbed my phone to call Nick.

"Hey, I'm dropping by. Get Clint, Tasha, and Coulson in your office. I want to see how everyone's doing," I told him when he answered.

"Understood, I'll send a car for you," He said.

"Alright, see you then."

Grabbing my necessary items from my bag, I rode the elevator down to the lobby where I saw the familiar face of an agent waiting for me. Once I got close enough, said agent gave me a polite nod and opened the door for me. To all the agents, I was just another high-ranking agent, sort of like Maria Hill and Coulson, but only a handful of people know that I am technically the Director. Nick is just the face of the organization.

I arrived at the building, thanking the agent. I went through security and made my way up to Nick's office where I saw Clint, Tasha, and Coulson talking to each other while Nick sat and watched.

"So, what have you guys been up to while I was away?" I asked, making myself known.

"Lanie you're here!" Clint said enthusiastically.

He stood up from the chair he was sitting on and walked over to me. I immediately noticed the limp while he walked. Enveloping me in his arms, I relaxed. Natasha and Coulson waited for their turn. I walked over to Nick to drop a kiss on his head.

"So Clint, how's the leg?" I asked as I leaned on Nick's table.

"It's fine, it wasn't a through and through so it was easy to patch up and to heal," He informed me.

"That's good to hear," I said before turning to Coulson.

"What about you, Phil? How've you been? I feel like it's been forever since we last spoke. Any cool missions you've gone to?" I questioned.

"None recently, no. I've just been keeping an eye out for anything you know," He said to me and I nod in understanding.

"Anything to report?" I asked Nick.

"Nothing so far, the biggest issue we've had was the Budapest one, but that's been handled. You're free to relax, we've got this," Nick told me.

I raised an amused eyebrow at him.

"Really, well I'll take you up on that offer. I haven's relaxed since I arrived so I might clock out early tonight. Call me if anything happens," I said to him as I left the office but not before giving all of them a final wave.

~0~

Ordering in and watching classic movies was my way of relaxing. I was in the middle of watching The Wizard of Oz when my phone rang. I checked the time on the clock above the tv and realized how late it was. At first I thought it was Nick but when I saw who was trying to video call me.

"Hey baby boy, how'd it go?" I asked once I answered.

Tony was wearing a suit and shades and was holding a glass of what I assumed was alcohol.

"Fantastic, thanks for telling me about that whole "that's how dad did it" thing. Really helped my speech," He raised his glass as if he were making a toast.

"You're in the middle of the desert, where did you get alcohol?" I questioned him, stifling my laugh.

"Oh, this? I'm throwing them in with every purchase of 500 million or more. Just a little something-something for the soldiers," He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I'm glad everything worked out well, good job," I gave him a big smile.

Tony's head turned away from the camera as someone spoke to him.

"Listen, I gotta go Rissa. We're heading back to base, I'll talk to you as soon as I get back in the States," He said to me.

"Alright, stay safe, love you," I waved at the camera before Tony hung up.

I put my phone down on the table and before I knew it, I fell asleep on the couch with the tv still on.

~0~

My phone blared loudly and I groaned thinking how this happens way too often for my liking. Without looking at who was calling, I answered my phone, my voice still thick with sleep.

"Clara, it's Rhodey," I could hear the panic in his voice which made me sit up and become more alert.

"Rhodey, what's wrong?"

The next thing that came out of his mouth was something I was not prepared for.

"It's Tony... He's missing."

AN: Longer chapter today! I think this is the longest chapter I've written so far so I really hope you guys enjoy! My school is starting in 3 days so my updates will be scarce and I apologize in advance for that. I will try my best to write whenever I can and try to update regularly, if not then frequently. I hope to see you next week! Thanks for reading! -E