A/N : Hey, just a notice, updates are going to be every Tuesdays now. It's taking a little longer to plough through, I need more time!
Second thing ; the wedding... There's just going to be the reception, seeing as this is a Pepperony story - Clintasha does make it's debuts but don't feature.
Guys, I really want you to review! When I said I was thinking about stopping this, which I still am, I got a load of responses saying not to do it. So if you want me to carry this on properly please show your support and review this chapter. Every one counts for me.
PLEASE REVIEW!
Chapter 34 : Bite The Bullet.
Tony POV.
"Was that...?" Rhodey pretty much stage whispered to me as we paused in the hallway to listen again, still, hearing nothing."I'd love to say it wasn't, but I think so. Come on, before he does something worthy of a bullet in the head." I said, setting off on a jog of the ladies bathrooms after another small patch of jogging down the never ending dull, grey halls, a loud yell erupted alongside a slamming of a cubicle door muffled by the closed door enclosing whatever was happening inside. With a nod, Rhodey went ahead and kicked the door to the bathroom open. I was ready to see his face again. Ready to take out all of my anguish and hatred for all that Hammer had caused.
"In time for the big show, guys!" Hammer cheered holding something in his hand, his fingers curled around it. Hammer stood beside the locked toilet cubicle eyeballing it creepily. The only thing Justin Hammer did well, leering and eyeballing. He smiled wider when all three of us heard Evelyn's deadened breathing from inside the cubicle. Out of anger for the fact he was mere metres away from my daughter, my instincts lunged my frame forwards at him, Rhodey grabbed my arm with wide eyes."Tony, hold on. What's tha-that's a detonator." Rhodey said. His voice bleak."Son of a bitch." "I'mma' walk you through this nice and slow gentleman-" Hammer spread his arms wide apart, like he was in front of a big crowd. His finger clamped on the detonator.
From there everything happened too fast. In a half of a second the metal ribbed air vent was removed from above where Hammer stood and a gun shot rang, the bullet slicing through the air, puncturing rapidly through Hammer's skull. Crimson blood splattered the mirrors as Hammer's body fell to the ground with a loud thump as well as Rhodey and I. I felt warm splatters of blood stain my clothes and visible skin. Rivers and rivers of blood poured out of the gun shot wound pooling at mine and Rhodey's feet. The two of us stood astounded at what had literally just happened in the blink of an eye, an unknown SHEILD agent dropped from the air vent, landing stably on his feet."Dead as a turkey on thanks giving. Cheers for the stalling, we've been tracking him the whole of this evening." He nodded his head at us, examining the body and readying the corpse to take away, all the while disconnecting the detonator and rendering it completely harmless."I wasn't expecting that." Rhodey stated simply, although his eyes were wide.
Rhodey kicked his body more to the side seeing I was about to try and attempt to get Evelyn from the cubicle."Evs?" I whispered just as I squidged myself up against the door hearing sniffles, heavy breathing and every now and then an escaped rough sob."Evelyn, open the door. It's me, it's gonna be fine," I tried again, "Your safe now, I'm here. I can protect you." That seemed to have lured her out, I heard a couple of soft smacks where the rubber of Evelyn's sneakers hit the tiled flooring. The door opened cheeks were blotched red from the tears that dripped down her wet cheeks. Evelyn still kept the panicked and terrified expression on her face even though it was more than evident I was here. Her arms that were once wrapped around herself now wound around me, helplessly crying into my shoulder."I'm here, darling," I felt her head turn towards Hammer's dead body a few feet away from us, "Don't look, don't look." I rubbed her back with one hand and tried to turn her head back towards me but it failed. Evelyn's eyes widened and seeing all that blood combined with his dead body, she just dropped in my hold. I also didn't expect that, she fell out of my arms before I could react and landed, her back of her head making a dull bang on the blood stained tiles, stray pieces of hair whisping into the rivers of blood.
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Evelyn POV.
"Hmpf. Head hurts." I moaned groggily into a pillow, all ounces of my body aching horribly. Where was I? My eyes opened for a fraction of a second before the light forced me to close them from the horrific light making my head pound even more. Why was I even in a bed anyway last thing I remember-Fuck.
Oh. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I remembered his dead body on the hard tiles. The blood starting to flood around my feet, his lifeless face. Then, I remembered receiving a rather sharp blow to the head. He came after me again when we all thought he wouldn't.
I know I can breathe again now he's most definitely gone.
"Evelyn?" Someone above me called out at the same time as their weight was added to where I was lying and their fingers felt that back of my head, poking at the goose egg developing where I collided with the floor."Hm? Ow." "Honey, wake up?" I heard it to be more of a question, seeing mom and finding myself in the living room on the couch. "How are you feeling? Your dad said you took quite a blow to the head." "Horrible. 'Got a massive headache." I moaned."That why I brought aspirin and water. Do you want to stay here for a while?" Mom re-settled the blanket around me and told JARVIS to tint out the windows."Mmm. Yeah. Where's dad?" "He's with the rest of the team and Fury. He'll be up as soon as he can." Mom motioned over to the stair way to the workshop downstairs. "Did that all happen or was it a horrible nightmare?" I said sheepishly, remembering his dead body again making my stomach turn."I'm sorry, honey, it did happen. He's gone now. So we can all move on." Mom rubbed my knee as she passed me the aspirin and the glass of water. "'Suppose." I murmured sinking back into the couch ready to drift off.
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Tony POV.
"Pepper, how is she?" I asked sincerely catching Pepper's hand in mine as I finished walking up the last few steps after a small de-briefing session had just taken place and everyone had left the mansion, there wasn't an awful lot to be said since Hammer had been shot in the head right in front of our eyes and was now erased from existence."Fine, she's just fine. Only a headache and a bump on her head, we have to keep an eye on her though incase she has concussion... That's what one of those creepy SHIELD doctors said anyway." "Oh good, Evelyn had me worried for a while there." "She's a tough cookie. She can get through this.""Of course she will. Just like her momma'" I leaned into Pepper for a kiss. A small smile graced Pepper's face as she leaned forward, meshing her slightly chapped lips with mine.
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Pepper POV.
I sighed seeing Tony work harder than he really needed to make himself do in his workshop over another techy thing that apparently needed his attention at half eleven at night. Tony didn't see me at first but a little laugh escaped my lips from where I stood on the last few steps looking at the way the world famous genius worked when he was by himself. Some tool being handled in between his mechanically skilled (and skilled in other areas...) fingers, his tongue clutched in between his pearly whites, an oil splodge smeared and smudged on his forehead as well as his nose and deep 'V' lines embosses into his forehead from the deep concentration.
I punched my code into the access panel on the glass window and wrenched the door out of my way. Tony didn't even notice I'd opened the door so I walked over, placing myself behind him, lacing my arms around his neck and leaning down to rest my head in the crook of his neck, locks of my hair rolling over his shoulders and tumbled down his chest surely tickling his neck."Holy crap!" He jumped out of his skin almost."Sorry," I kissed the side of head, above his ear, "Are you coming to bed?""Yeah, yeah, I said I'd be up at half ten-wait, what's the time?" "It's quarter too twelve." "Oh, I'm sorry, geez. I got a little carried away down here, you know how it is with me and my workshop." Tony said sheepishly, seemingly a little unhappy."You okay? Baby?" I said faintly into his neck after I kissed the little sensitive spot under Tony's ear. Tony groaned leaning more into me, eager to get some more affection."Fine. If you keep doing that though I'll be just peachy.""Well I'll just have to chimmy you away from here." I began walking away."Where are you going?!" Tony whined when he instantly missed the contact. I reached the door and leaned against the door frame, casting a seductive look over to him where he sat with a longing look in his eyes and his mouth hanging agape."A shower."Tony nodded in understanding and shut his mouth slightly."And your coming with me." I smiled, swished my pony tail as I turned for the stairs."I-I better." Tony eagerly scrambled off his chair, telling JARVIS to save all of his current projects and shut down while he chased after my tail like a needy lost puppy. Because under all of that bravado, the fake smiles Tony puts on, the vulnerable emotional scars he hides within his many layers of personality, through Iron Man, Tony Stark is someone else. He is my husband and the father of my children. Overall, he's just a family mechanic away from the press. He always has that familiar musk of motor oil about him, he's always chugging down a coffee because he won't move without his hourly dose of caffeine, he's always eating a dough nought and playing around with cars. To us, he's just Tony, a complete moron, grease monkey, a banterer, an amazing husband, devoted father to his two best creations and all round great friend and good person despite what the tabloids say, they will never be within these four walls. Because he is Anthony.
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{Meanwhile at the Barton-Romanoff household.)
Natasha POV.
"Nat?" Clint's voice travelled through the house with him as he appeared in the kitchen with Uriah and I."Mmhm?" I hummed to tell him I was indeed listening."I like this one, it's nearer to the sea." Uriah held up the page of the estate catalogue (what could we say, we fancied a change) where a coastal house was featured."Hmm... That's a possibility. I wonder why you would want to move to the coast?" I chuckled at my son, raising my eyebrows also wearing a smirk."I like the sea!" Uriah's jaw dropped dramatically."Amongst other things, near a certain house on the coast," I added hastily, "Yes, Clint?""I was thinking-""Here we go, did you break a bone?" Uriah chuckled then laughed more after receiving a shove of the head from Clint."Well, I was thinking, we got a kid, haven't we?" "Yes. Clint, 'we got a kid'-""Jesus, dad. Thanks for recognising me, way to be smooth, you old dog.." Uriah rolled his eyes with a snort."Let me carry on! We have a kid right and I've been thinking... Y'know why don't we, like, get married?-"A second after Uriah gulped down some of his drink it all came spluttering back up launching him into a coughing fit."You what?! Your getting-?! Mom, are you pregnant or something?!" He coughed and spluttered some more.
"What?! No! Go in the living room a second." "Going, going!" Uriah laughed taking his housing estate catalogue with him."You want to get married?" I turned to Clint as soon as Uriah walked out of the room. I spun to meet his gaze in my chair while he leaned against the kitchen cabinate near the sink."Yeah, I do. We've been together for years. We have Uriah. We may be moving house. I don't really know why we have waited this long before.Y'know, it seems like the last thing to finally tie you to me.""You know the traditional way, Clint? A ring, down on one knee? Didn't that spring to mind?" I bit back a forming smile at the bizarre format of the question. "Oh. Yeah. Well. I didn't want to be shot down. So if I got a ring and got down on one knee, would you marry me?" Clint enquired, leaning closer to hear my response."Absolutely. I'll take your name. Oh-but I'm staying as Agent Romanoff for missions.""Deal." Clint kissed me hard through the smiles we both wore.
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Evelyn POV.
From : Uriah.
To : Evelyn.
Sent : 12:01 AM.
'Don't shout at me for checking up on you again, just seeing if your okay :-) Btw, my mom & dad are getting freaking married!'
I hastily replied.
To : Uriah.
From : Evelyn.
Sent : 12:03AM.
'Whoaa! Bout time! Best man I'm guessing?! ;-) xx'
Came the reply.
To : Evelyn.
From : Uriah.
Sent : 12:05 AM.
'Only if your the head bridesmaid ;-D xx'
My jaw dropped at my text from Uriah. Is he saying that because he knows the head brides maid and the best man always get together? Awkward."Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom!" I ran into mom and dad's bedroom thinking they were probably asleep as I almost always am awake later than them. I ran in and found mom towelling her hair dry and dad already asleep on his side of the bed, nonetheless I pounced on the bed. "Dad, wake up!" Pushing him repetitively for a good five minuets through his protests he groaned."No.""Wake up!""No.""But you have to-""Daddy's sleeping, sweetheart. Have you got a boyfriend or something? 'Cause I'll get up and get the suit on." Dad said sweetly trying to fall back to sleep again."No! Oh my god! Your so embarrassing! No, guess what?!""What's going on?" Mom laughed rummaging through the drawers."We're going to a wedding!""Not yours I hope." Dad rolled onto his back having me fall into his lap."No! Uncle Clint and Aunty Nat's wedding!" "Koor' 'bout time!" Dad snorted."Oh my gosh! That's so brilliant!" Mom gasped excitedly.