Hello, everyone! I believe that the next chapter will be the last, so look forward to the end of the story! Worry not, the sequel is in the works. Shameless self promotion there, sorry. I will probably start posting that towards the end of July, depending on when my exams finish. Well then, on with the penultimate chapter!


"What sort of talent would that be, Admiral? Stark Industries doesn't tend to deal in weapons of mass destruction anymore."

"I see you've been doing your research." He rounded the desk, placing her Padd just out of arm's reach as he took a seat. "So, what brings you to Sector 31?"

"I was merely confirming my suspicions of its existence."

"What alerted you to its existence in the first place?"

"Your interest in Red Matter. Or more likely, its destructive properties."

He laughed slightly. "My goodness, you're on a warpath." He leaned forward, elbows on the desk, with a suddenly austere look on his face. "Well, Miss Stark, so am I. The threats to Earth have increased exponentially since the attack on Vulcan, and I intend to protect our planet from any and all attacks. If that were to mean destroying an entire planet, then so be it. It's a dog eat dog world out there, Stark; kill or be killed. This false sense of security the Federation has led us into over the last few decades has left us vulnerable. That is something we here are trying to rectify."

Now she was thoroughly confused. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Do you have to ask, Miss Stark? A mind as brilliant as yours would do wonders for my little project. Would speed us up a lot, that's for sure. Besides, you seemed pretty determined to find out all you could about it. Why not learn from the inside?"

Her confused glare focussed on him like a laser as he stood, rounding the desk to sit in front of her. "You're crazy to think I'd ever consider working with you."

"Really, Miss Stark? Besides, you now have a dilemma. You know too much for me to let you go, and there's no guarantee that you'll cooperate…"

"Spoiler alert, I'm not planning on doing."

"…don't interrupt. You can't go out there and expose me without jeopardising your own freedom…"

"I don't care about that if I'm saving lives from your crazy ass."

"Again with the interruptions; you are very rude, madam." Suddenly, he was a hair's breadth away, with a phaser stuck in her ribs. "Now, I give you a choice. As I have no intention of being imprisoned for trying to conserve my planet's existence, you have two options. Either you accept my job offer, or everyone you love dies." He was back against the desk, holstering his weapon. "That includes the commander and his parents, for the record. Your precious Avengers would easily be summoned and killed, if the orders went through the right channels. If you have any doubts, I could have your father shot right now."

The image of her father came up on a screen; an aerial view from straight down a sniper rifle. The Admiral must have seen her flinch.

"I will give you 24 hours to decide. Needless to say, if you discuss this with anyone, they will be summarily executed. Have a nice evening."

With that he was gone, a rag soaked in chloroform pressed over her mouth. She felt her wrists release from the handcuffs as she drifted out of consciousness.

Waking with a start, she sat up. Her head was throbbing in pain, the light drifting in through the curtained window blinding. Looking to the clock beside her bed, she saw it was nearly noon. A sudden thought crossed her mind; how had she got back to the hotel room? Her mind came up blank as Colonel Rhodes entered the room, a cup of tea in hand.

"Ah, so you're alive then? Next time you plan on going out drinking, at least give me some warning first." He handed her the steaming mug, placing his hand across her forehead. "Damn, you're running quite the temperature there girl! I was worried sick about you. Don't worry, your Uncle Rhodey's got you covered. We've got enough Vulcan tea here to fill a swimming pool, so when you need another glass, give me a shout. Okay?"

She gave an affirmative nod, the sudden motion only worsening her splitting headache. Nursing her cranium in one hand, she lifted the tea to her lips with the other. The aromatic spices alleviated a little of the pain as she inhaled the vapours, taking a few tentative sips. The more she drank, the better she felt, and she had soon consumed three steaming mugs of the tea. By the time Tony returned to the penthouse a few hours later, she was mostly recovered. A wink from Rhodes confirmed that her 'secret' was safe with him. The sight of her father reminded her of the afternoon's events, sending her across the room to crush him in a hug.

"Woah, okay kiddo! A man needs to breathe."

Stepping away, she caught Rhodey's concerned expression in her peripheral vision. She looked into her father's eyes and thought- what would she ever do without him? And her mother, how would she manage without her? As annoying as they could be at times, she needed her parents more than she cared to admit. Rosalina remembered all the times Pepper had helped her with an assignment when Tony was away on business, and the projects she and him had completed together over the years. Everything she had learnt about engineering and computing was from him, before the VSA. All the traits that made her who she was she could trace back to her parents, noticing for the first time just how much she had inherited from them. Her sheer determination, confidence, even the borderline narcissism…

And Spock; the Admiral had threatened him too. Would that extend to his parents? Nyota? No, how could Marcus know about her? But what if he did? The risk was way too high. There was no way she could refuse this job, even if it went against everything she believed in. Surely, if she got the others into police protection, had S.H.I.E.L.D guarding them, there would be no way he could possibly hurt them then. Was there?

"What's wrong, Rose? That staring is worrying me."

Her father's voice snapped her attention back to the present, and the two concerned faces staring at her. Throwing caution somewhat to the wind, Rosalina made her decision.

"Dad, can you set up a video call with mum, please? There's something I need to tell you guys."

"Alright…" Tony moved to the console in the corner of the room, pausing midway through typing Pepper's number to look bak at his daughter. "Please tell me you aren't pregnant."

"What?! Why the hell would you think that was what I'm about to tell you?"

"I don't know, just checking."

As he finished typing, Rosalina looked at the Colonel with a mix of uncertainty and disgust. He merely shrugged in return, backing out of the room as the call connected.

"Hey, Tony! How's everything going? Is Rosie okay?"

"Yes, mother, I am perfectly well." She walked into view of the camera. "I have some news I wish to share with you."

"Oh. Well, that's nice, sweetheart. What is it?"

Tony turned in his seat to face her. It was strange, having the two of them stare at her like that. Her mother was on a completely different continent, and the view out of the window behind her showed it to be midday. Her face digital, his real… she pondered on the strangeness of it all. Then her father coughed.

"Yes, sorry. Umm…" Rosalina shook her head in a vain attempt to clear it. "I got offered a job this afternoon."

"Oh, that's wonderful dear! Isn't it, Tony?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's great. Where is it?"

"At the Kelvin Archives…"

"Wait, it's here? In London? I didn't know you'd been applying for positions here, darling…"

"I haven't really been applying for jobs anywhere. This just sort of… came up."

Her father looked sceptical. "Who gave you this offer?"

"Admiral Marcus. I met him at the Archive, and he said I should work for him. It's the kind of offer you can't really refuse."

She plastered a fake smile onto her face for the rest of the call, accepting her parent's congratulations without really hearing them. She was so consumed in her own thoughts that she barely noticed when the image on the screen changed to that of the S'chn T'gai family, sat on the sofa of one of the Stark Tower apartments. When Amanda called Spock in, Nyota followed, and Rosalina's expression became one of determination. These people on the screen were like family to her. They cared for her, and she for them, and there was no way she'd let them get hurt. She would have to try and take Marcus down from the inside. A nod to Spock let him know; everything is under control, no need to worry.

Everything would be fine.


Thanks for reading! Any requests for what you want to see in the sequel, or any one-shot ideas would be greatly appreciated. Also, just general reviews help keep me motivated. Thanks in advance!