Chapter 21
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Everything belongs to their rightful owners and I am not making any profit from this.
AN2: I am posting this earlier than I usually post a chapter because I am going out for new year's, so I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year.
December 24th 1991. Melinda 24. Tony 21.
It has been four days since Howard and Maria's funeral and in that time Melinda and Tony have just been staying around the estate with frequent visits from some combination of Peggy, Gabe, Jackie, Frank, Mark, Sharon and Antoine.
It is about lunchtime and Melinda and Tony are sitting in the lab with the radio playing. For the first time since Howard and Maria died Tony is actually making something. Melinda isn't sure if he is making something because he actually wants to or whether he is just distracting himself, either way Melinda is pretty sure that it is a good thing.
"It's Christmas Eve." Tony suddenly says looking up from what he is doing.
"Yeah."
"I didn't realise." Tony says.
"Understandable." Melinda responds, "Jarvis, Aunt Peggy and I have already done everything that needed to be done to cancel the normal party tonight. We thought that it wouldn't be a good idea." She reveals.
"No, it wouldn't." Tony responds, "What's happening tomorrow? Everyone usually comes over here for Christmas."
"Aunt Peggy and Uncle Gabe are having Christmas at their house instead, try to have it as normal as possible for Sharon and Antoine's sake." Melinda explains, "We're both welcome to come, but Aunt Peggy and Uncle Gabe said they would understand if we didn't." Melinda explains and Tony nods then looks like he is thinking about something, "Anthony, you alright?" Melinda asks concerned a few minutes later.
"Yeah, I'm just thinking." Tony tells Melinda, "I think we should go."
"You do?" Melinda asks surprised as she was expecting him to refuse.
"Yeah, I think it would be a good idea." Tony tells Melinda, "And Sharon and Antoine deserve a great, family Christmas." He says.
"I'll let Aunt Peggy know." Melinda says and Tony goes back to what he is building.
"We need presents." Tony suddenly says a few minutes later.
"What?"
"For Sharon and Antoine. If we are going to make Christmas as normal as possible for them then we need to get them presents." Tony tells Melinda.
"Shopping, on Christmas eve? Are you serious?" Melinda ask, hoping that he isn't as while she may do things on a daily bases that would terrify most people going shopping on Christmas Eve is a nightmare to her.
"Very, come on." Tony says standing up, "We can call Jacks and Mark on our way to ask what to get." He tells Melinda.
"Do you want to drive or am I?" Melinda asks with a sigh realising that Tony has already made up his mind and there is nothing she can do to change it.
"I will." Tony says as they leave the lab.
Several hours later Melinda and Tony return to the Estate, both of them are very tired and frustrated. They each managed to get presents for the entire family, Jarvis, each other and Melinda even got something to give to Coulson when she sees him again.
"Who's the Captain America Trading card for?" Tony asks curious, "Coz I can't think of a single person in our family who it could be for." Tony comments as they walk into the Estate both of them carrying many bags.
"It's for my friend Phil, he's trying to collect all the vintage Captain America Card's and he's mentioned that this particular one is hard to find." Melinda explains.
"I didn't think anyone still wanted those cards." Tony comments, "I mean I vaguely remember them from when we were kids, but that's it."
"I remember Uncle Howard burning his collection one night after having way too much to drink then crying into Aunt Peggy's arms because he regrated it and that he missed his friend." Melinda says thinking back.
"He almost burnt down the house that night too." Tony says remembering as they were both very young, it was when Melinda stayed at the Estate for three months when she was six and because Maria was out of town Jarvis called Peggy to help with Howard.
"Yeah, he did." Melinda says thinking back being pretty sure that if it wasn't for Jarvis's quick intervention at least part of the Estate would have been burnt.
"So why does your friend want to collect Captain America vintage trading cards anyway?" Tony asks Melinda curious after about a minute of neither of them saying anything.
"He loves Captain America, looks up to him." Melinda explains.
"Huh." Tony comments as they walk upstairs, Tony asking, "Do you want to watch a movie?" As they do.
December 27th 1991
Even though it was incredible difficult to enjoy himself given the circumstances Tony did love spending Christmas with Peggy, Gabe, Jackie, Melinda, Mark, Frank, Sharon and Antoine as despite everything else that was going on it still felt a lot like Christmas and it was hard to be sad when you had two children filled with Christmas joy around.
Because of the fact that after returned from the Carter-Jones house Melinda and Tony had more than a few drinks they spent most of the twenty sixth nursing hang overs.
It is late morning and Melinda and Tony are sitting in their secret place in complete shock because of what they found out in the will reading which they have just returned from.
"CEO." Tony says after about half an hour of them sitting in silence.
"That's what Nathan said." Melinda tells him.
"I expected to get a board seat and some other things like that, but Dad wanting me to be CEO at twenty one that I wasn't expecting. Maybe at twenty five or thirty, not twenty one." Tony informs Melinda, "I don't know if I can do that." He admits
"Yeah, you can." Melinda tells him without hesitation, "The question is do you want to? And keep in mind that you wouldn't start to mid-January if you did accept the position."
"Honestly, I'm not sure." Tony admits, "I need to think about it." He informs Melinda.
"Then think, you've got time." Melinda tells Tony, "Nathan said you don't have to let the board know you decision for a couple of weeks."
"I think I'm going to need those couple of weeks." Tony responds honestly, "And a few drinks." He comments.
"I think I'll join you in the few drinks." Melinda admits.
"Let's head downstairs." Tony says and they do just that.
When they get down to the living room Melinda takes of her jacket so that she is in jeans and her tank top as there is a fire in the fire place making the room quite warm.
"So you're going to have a million dollars soon, what you going to do with it?" Tony ask Melinda curious as he pours them both a drink.
"I'm going to be boring and put it away in another account in case of emergencies." Melinda informs Tony.
"Wow that is boring." Tony says turning back around and when he does he sees that on Melinda's left shoulder there is fading bruising and a small lump, "What the hell happened to your shoulder?"
"Nothing." Melinda responds, cursing herself for completely forgetting about it as she realises now she shouldn't have taken of her jacket.
"That doesn't look like nothing to me." Tony tells Melinda, "What happened?" he asks worried and wondering why she didn't tell him.
"I dislocated my shoulder a couple of days before I came here." Melinda tells Tony, "And I didn't tell you because I thought that you had enough to worry about without worrying about me." She explains.
"So everything you've done in the last week, everything you've handled, you done so with a healing dislocated shoulder?" Tony asks surprised and Melinda nods, "You're amazing." He says as he hands her, her drink, "Does it hurt much?" he asks curious.
"It did the first couple of days, then a hell of a lot more when I dislocated it again playing with Sharon and Antoine the first day I was here, but it's okay now." She tells Tony.
"Is that why you and Uncle Gabe didn't come inside right after Sharon and Antoine?" Tony asks interested.
"Yeah, he was putting my shoulder back in its place." Melinda says as the sit on the couch.
"You're okay now, right?" Tony asks clearly concerned.
"Yeah. It doesn't hurt anymore and I've only got to limit movement for a few more days." Melinda explains.
"Good." Tony responds.
January 10th 1992
It has been two weeks since the will reading and in that time Melinda and Tony with help from the Carter-Jones, Frank and Jarvis have organized the Estate and basically closed it up. Once that was finished Melinda, Tony and Jarvis have left for LA, Jarvis having accepted Tony's offer to be his butler at the LA house.
Tony has gone into Stark Industries to inform the board that he is accepting the position of CEO leaving Melinda at the house with Jarvis.
Melinda isn't sure how much more time she is going to take of before returning to S.H.I.E.L.D though, last time she talked to him, Fury assured her to take as much time as she needs. Because of the fact that she can only do light workouts with her shoulder Melinda is sitting in the living room watching a movie as she honestly has no idea what else to do.
Melinda is about half way through the movie when the door opens and Tony walks in.
"So, how did it go?" Melinda asks as she pauses the movie.
"Good, I think." Tony says sitting down next to Melinda and loosening his tie, "Some of them are clearly hesitant about allowing a twenty one year old kid to take control of the company but they had faith in Dad and seemed to like my pitch, plus I'm sure the fact that I'm going to be working closely with Obie for a while is helping their nerves." He comments as he steals some of Melinda's popcorn.
"That's a good thing, right?"
"Yeah, I think so." Tony says uncertainly, "So I got a call from Rhodey on my way into the office."
"Yeah?" Melinda asks curious as she knows that Rhodey couldn't make it for the funeral and he apologised profusely for that.
"Yeah. He's on leave and in town and was wondering if we wanted to do something with him tonight."
"Sure, I'd love to. I haven't seen Rhodey in a while." Melinda comments.
"He said the same thing about you." Tony says with a smirk. "Now, we've got time so what the hell are you watching?"
"Back to the future part three, and I haven't seen it yet so don't even think about spoiling it." Melinda tells Tony.
"Seriously? How have you not seen it?" Tony asks surprised.
"I've been busy." Melinda says defensively, "Now shut up, I'm trying to watch."
"It's still paused." Tony informs Melinda.
"Now it's not." Melinda says pressing play.
Several hours, many bars and more than a few drinks later Melinda is sitting at a table at a bar with Rhodey, both of them are waiting for Tony to come back from the bar with their drinks.
"So I've finally figured out what you do." Rhodey informs Melinda, not worried about being overhead because they are at a private table and the only reason Tony went to the bar is because the servers weren't coming fast enough for his liking. Usually he wouldn't bring it up, he wouldn't question Melinda, but the drinks he has had have lowered his inhabitations quite a lot.
"Oh yeah? Enlighten me Lieutenant, what do you think I do?" Melinda asks.
"You're a spy." Rhodey answers, "I don't know which agency you work for but I know you work for one."
"What makes you think that?" Melinda asks.
"The many things you and Tony have said, or haven't said." Rhodey informs her, "Plus I've noticed things over the past five years, the way you do things is just like spies I've met through work." Rhodey tells Melinda, "My one question is what agency do you work for?"
"That's classified."
"Oh, come on, I have a security clearance." Rhodey tells Melinda.
"Not high enough to know that." Melinda tells him, "And if you don't keep my secret you'll find out first-hand what agency I work for, understood?" Melinda asks Rhodey as she notices Tony walking back over.
"Yes Ma'am."
"We're doing Tequila shots." Tony says putting a tray down on the table.
"Why? Why are we doing tequila shots?" Rhodey asks.
"Because I said so and you missed my parents' funeral so you owe me." Tony tells Rhodey.
"I didn't miss it." Melinda comments.
"You didn't object." Tony points out.
"True." Melinda says as she drinks one of the shots, "You turn Rhodes." Melinda says then smirks, "Unless of course you're afraid that you can't handle it." She says knowing for a fact that Rhodey can handle tequila as she has been around him when he's drunk it before.
"Really May? Really?" Rhodey asks, "You're on." He says before drinking a shot.
"Hold up you two, let me catch up." Tony says drinking his first shot as Melinda and Rhodey drink their second.
An hour later Melinda and Rhodey are stumbling back to the house while Tony, who drunk less tequila than the two of them, went back to a girl's apartment after putting Melinda and Rhodey in a cab.
"Tony? How?" Rhodey asks hoping Melinda understands what he is trying to say as she tries and finds her key to let them into the house.
"Didn't. Drink. Much." Melinda says as she opens the door, "I win."
"No. Draw." Rhodey says as they both stumble inside and have to help each other so they both remain standing.
After several minutes and some extreme difficulty both Melinda and Rhodey both make it to the couch where they collapse onto it.
"Tony. Okay?" Rhodey asks Melinda after they have been sitting on the couch for a couple of minutes.
"He's, getting there." Melinda says her words very slurred.
"Good. I worry." Rhodey responds.
"Me to." Melinda responds.
"This Couch is comfortable." Rhodey tells Melinda.
"Yep." Melinda responds.
"You. A. good. Friend." Rhodey informs Melinda, "I like you."
"You two. Me two." Melinda responds and for several minutes they sit in silence. "I'm going upstairs." Melinda says a couple of minutes later before getting up, almost falling over and walking across the room, when she gets to the stairs she trips on the first one and ends up just sitting on the bottom step instead, "I think I'll stay here." Melinda comments.
"Whatever you want." Rhodey responds.
Because of her internal body clock that is used to waking up early it is only a couple of hours of uncomfortable sleep on the stairs later that Melinda wakes. Once she realises where she is and she remembers pieces of the night before Melinda gets up and walks over to the couch where she wakes Rhodey.
"Melinda? What's going on?" Rhodey ask confused, "Why does my head feel like I took a bullet?" Rhodey asks.
"Tequila. From what I remember a lot of tequila." Melinda responds.
"I remember the first couple of shots, but not much else." Rhodey comments as he sits up "How did we get back here?"
"I honestly have no idea." Melinda admits, not liking that though she assumes Tony put them in a cab "I was going to go for a run and because misery loves company I was wondering if you wanted to come?"
"Sure, just let me get changed." Rhodey says getting up and heading upstairs planning on borrowing something from Tony.
After Rhodey heads upstairs Melinda looks down at what she is wearing and she realises that she needs to get changed herself so she heads upstairs as well.
After getting changed Melinda and Rhodey go for their run and when they return to the house they find Tony getting out of a cab.
"Wow, I'm surprised you two are conscious let alone functioning enough to go for a run." Tony says to them when he sees them.
"What happened last night?" Rhodey asks interested.
"What do you remember?" Tony asks as they enter the house.
"The third shot of tequila." Rhodey answers.
"You hitting on the blond woman at the next table." Melinda comments.
"Well you both got very competitive in your tequila drinking contest and neither of you wanted to be the first one to cave. The bartended eventually cut you off and when that happened I put you both in a cab." Tony explains, "I don't know what happened after that." He reveals.
"How come you seem okay?" Melinda asks.
"I stopped after the second shot, and chose to enjoy the show you two were giving instead." Tony explains a grin clear on his face.
"Oh god. How bad was it?" Rhodey asks concerned.
"That's for me to know and you two to find out." Tony says with a smirk.
"Bad then." Melinda responds, "I need food and tea and a lobotomy." Melinda comments.
"I'll get food and tea but for the lobotomy you're going to have to call Jacks." Tony informs Melinda.
"Smart ass." Melinda tells him, "I'll be in drowning myself in the shower if either of you need me." She says heading towards the stairs.
"What happened after I put you two in a cab?" Tony asks Rhodey curious.
"No idea." Rhodey answers honestly, "I woke up on the couch. Melinda woke on the stairs."
"On the stairs?" Tony asks surprised.
"On the stairs." Rhodey responds. "I need coffee." He comments.
"Then you can come with me to get food." Tony informs Rhodey and the two of them leave the house.
January 19th 1992.
It has been nine days since Melinda, Rhodey and Tony went out together and Melinda and Rhodey drunk so much that they couldn't remember what happened. In that time Rhodey stayed a couple of days and on the Monday Tony went to work as the CEO of Stark Industries for the first time. It is mid-morning on a Sunday and Tony is in his lab and Melinda is just finishing her morning workout by doing several laps in Tony's heated pool.
After she finishes her workout Melinda heads up to her room where she has a shower before heading down to the lab to talk to Tony about something she's been thinking about the last few days.
"Am I imagining it or did you train more today than you usually do?" Tony asks curious as Melinda walks into the lab and sits down on 'her' table.
"You're not imagining it." Melinda tells him, "This tea for me?" she asks referring to the cap that is sitting near where she is sitting.
"Yep, Jarvis just brought it. He's going to bring us breakfast down in about an hour." Tony informs Melinda, "So what's with the extra training?"
"I wanted to see how my shoulder would cope." Melinda reveals.
"And?"
"Good. No pain, good movement, all good signs." Melinda explains.
"You're going back to work, aren't you?" Tony asks as it would make sense considering how she is doing more training.
"I'm thinking about it." Melinda admits, "But I haven't decided." She tells him, "I would love to stay here, stay with you, but I have a job that I love, that's important to me, and that I have to get back to at some point." Melinda reveals.
"You know I'm now CEO of a multimillion dollar company I could give you a job." Tony tells Melinda, "Whatever job you want."
"Thanks for the offer, but like I said; I love my job." Melinda tells Tony.
"I wasn't expecting you to say yes." Tony admits, "But I had to tell you, there will always be a job at my company if you want it."
"I appreciate it, and I'll remember that." Melinda responds.
"When you thinking about leaving?" Tony asks.
"I don't know." Melinda responds, "I just started thinking about it when I was swimming this morning." Melinda reveals.
"You know I've been doing some research on dislocated shoulders and from what I have read you should probably spend another week slowly easing yourself back into physical activity before you think about going back to work." Tony tells Melinda, "It would be the smart thing to do."
"It sounds like it." Melinda says with a small smile.
"Good it's settled then, you're staying for another week." Tony tells Melinda who grins in response.
January 26th 1992
For the week that follows Melinda and Tony deciding that Melinda would be spending another week with Tony before heading back to S.H.I.E.L.D they mostly spend time together and more than once Melinda has spent time at Stark Industries while Tony works.
It is late evening and Melinda and Tony are at the airport. Tony saying goodbye to Melinda. Melinda isn't letting Tony come through security with her as she can't let him know where she is going so they are saying goodbye before the metal detectors.
"I'm serious about the job offer, whenever you want it, it's yours." Tony tells Melinda.
"I know." Melinda responds, "If you need anything call and I'll be on the first plane back." Melinda informs Tony.
"I know." Tony responds and they hug.
"Until next time." Melinda says to Tony as they hug.
"Until next time." Tony says as he places a kiss on Melinda's cheek.
"I got to go." Melinda says as they break apart.
"I know." Tony responds and with one last look at Tony Melinda turns and walks towards the metal detectors.
Two hours after Melinda says goodbye to Tony she arrives back at base and when she does she heads straight to the bullpen as she knows that Coulson will be there finishing his weeks paperwork.
"I haven't been gone that long have I?" Melinda asks Phil when she walks into the bullpen and sees her desk covered in paper and Coulson sitting at his own desk, which is across for hers, doing paperwork just like she thought he would.
"Melinda." Phil says looking up surprised, "You're back."
"Yeah, I am." Melinda says putting her bag on her desk.
"You should have called, I would have picked you up from the airport." Coulson informs Melinda.
"I didn't see the point." Melinda admits.
"How's Stark? How's are you?"
"Anthony's better, he's still hurting but he's on the right track, I think becoming CEO is providing a good distraction." Melinda reveals, "And I'm…Okay." Melinda says hesitantly, not sure if okay is the right word to use or not.
"That's good. I'm glad you're back." Phil tells Melinda who just gives a small smile in response,
"I have something for you." Melinda informs Coulson as she opens her bag.
"You do?" Phil asks surprised.
"Yeah, call it a late Christmas present." Melinda tells Coulson as she pulls a small wrapped present out of her bag and hands it to Coulson, "I saw it when Anthony and I were shopping for Christmas presents for Sharon and Antoine and I remembered how much you wanted it so I got it for you." Melinda explains and Coulson opens the package.
"Oh my god, thank you Melinda, thank you so much." Phil says excitedly when he sees what it is and he stands up and hugs Melinda.
"You're welcome Phil." Melinda responds, "Happy late Christmas."
"Thank you." Phil says as they break the hug.
"Like I said, you're welcome." Melinda responds, "I'm going to head to my room and get settled in again, I'll see you in the morning."
"Yeah, see you then." Phil respond and Melinda nods and picks up her bag and walks out of the bullpen.