Chapter 24: Gotta Have Faith...
Trying to wrangle time amidst a crisis was like trying to cup water through splayed fingers, but somehow, Tony managed to finagle enough time for this.
"Yes Tony," Pepper sighed, her tone taking on that edge of placating he simultaneously loathed and loved. "I told you. I'm still in L.A. and haven't been back to the tower since that night."
"Yeah, I know, and I hear you... But are you sure you're okay?" he repeated.
"Tony," her tone lowered indicating she was about to get serious with him. He hated when she did that. "Why don't you tell me what you're really worried about?"
"I'm always worried about you, Pep," he said, both because it was true and because he still wasn't quite sure how to articulate what was really bothering him.
Him - not sure what to say. Wasn't that a laugh?
"Right now I'm worried about you," she countered. "You must have a million other things you should be doing right now rather than talking to me."
"A million and one, actually," he quipped. In his heart he quietly admitted, though, that he would always and forever have time for her.
"So whyyy," she drew out. "Are you talking to me when you should be saving the world or some such nonsense?"
He huffed and rolled his eyes. "Saving the world is not nonsense, I'll have you know."
"Don't roll your eyes at me," she snapped.
"I didn't," he said, a little too quickly. Damn woman could hear him rolling his eyes now. Sometimes she gave him the heebie jeebies.
She said his name again in that same patronizing tone, and he supposed he was the creepy one now because he could pretty much hear her pinching the bridge of her nose. "Something tells me we don't really have time for these little games of yours, so spit it out."
"I just," he huffed again. "It's everything - I'm worried about everything. We're speeding off to face the big bad and it just feels so futile. Like we've already lost the battle that means the most."
Her soft inhale flittered over the line and he knew she'd picked up on his meaning without him actually having to admit anything. Such was the way it had always been between them. Convenient, because there was nothing he loathed more than being forced to talk about his feelings.
"This is about Bella, isn't it?" she asked.
A lump was forming in his throat. When had he swallowed a rock?
"Tony," she said, her voice achingly gentle. "Sometimes we just have to accept a very simple, but hard truth."
"And that is?" he cleared his throat.
"We can't save everyone."
A sharp stab of irrational anger hit him, but before he could open his mouth and insert his foot in it, Pepper continued pointedly, "Not everyone wants to be saved."
"Pfft," he dismissed, his anger deflating only enough for him not to misdirect it at her. "Not everyone knows what's best for them."
"Sometimes," she said as if he'd not spoken. "Sometimes people need to save themselves."
He was quiet for a moment as he let that one marinate.
"You're saying," he said, clearing his voice when it came out a little hoarse. "You're saying we should trust that she knows what she's doing."
His mind flashed to the little Avenger pow-wow after their stellar defeat. The others had advised they do the same - trust that Bella had a plan and would see it through. He'd agreed at the time, his head rationalizing that there was nothing else to be done for her. As they grew increasingly closer to New York, though, a growing weight began to smother his chest. Too much was being left up to chance or good faith, and it was making him want to vomit.
"I'm saying that you already trust her, Tony. Almost from the moment you met her. Now you just need to have faith in her."
"Faith," he scoffed, his turn to roll his eyes.
"I know it's a lot to ask from you, Mr. Seeing-Is-Believing," she quipped. "But you have to have faith that whatever angle she's playing will work."
"She's trying to save him, you know," he diverted, sounding embarrassingly like he was tattling.
"Of course she is," Pepper shot back. "They share some strange connection that no one else can even begin to understand, and even if not for that, it's simply in her nature to help those if she can. You know that, Tony. It's who she is."
"What if he's not worth the risk she's taking," he asked, finally getting to the root of the problem. "There's been some signs… But what if he's too far gone? If she loses him, we lose her, Pep. And I'm not just talking about if he dies. If this plan of hers, whatever it is, doesn't work - if it turns out he's one of those who don't want to be saved - then he damns her along with him."
"This is where that whole having faith thing comes in," she said, and he could tell she was suppressing a smile.
"I have faith in her," he said, the words almost lost amongst his breath. Some of his tension eased at the confession, the weight crushing his chest lightening infinitesimally. But then a new block of worry replaced the old, Tony frowning at the air while admitting, "But him? It's him I'm not so sure about."
"She'll just have to believe enough for you then, won't she?" she returned lightly. "You've done a lot more with a lot less, Tony."
And she was right. He'd come back from a lot worse, and this time, he wasn't the only one fighting. For once, he had a team at his back who were all united in this one cause. There were others he could depend on. He wasn't alone.
"It's okay to be scared, Tony," she said softly.
He smiled again, aware that she knew how cheesy she sounded, but doing her the rare courtesy of not pointing it out. Besides, he knew what she was really trying to tell him. Despite the suit of armor he wore, he was still only human.
"I'll hit you up for the after party," he said. "I'm thinking some drinking shenanigans will be in order. There's that old shawarma place around the block..."
"As long as you don't end up in one of my dresses again," she cut him off, tone half-threatening.
"I make no guarantees," he quipped. "Those a-lines do a lot for my silhouette."
"I don't think your ego could take anymore stroking," she murmured dryly.
That had him grinning like the twelve year old boy she often accused him of being. "I can think of something else that needs some stroking," he shot back, smile widening at her sharp bark of genuine laughter across the line.
"Tony!" she scolded. Her heart wasn't in it, though. More often than not, he suspected it was habit that had her snapping at him.
"See ya soon, Pep," he promised.
"Soon," she agreed, the word melting into his heart.
Because they'd once agreed to never say goodbye in moments like this.
Slipping his phone away, Tony casually strolled back up to join the others in the cockpit area.
"Feel better?" Natasha asked, not turning around from her seat as she piloted towards New York.
He resisted the urge to make a face at her back. "Oh yes, I'm just peachy," he snarked.
"Alright, calm down," Steve said in his most patient and commanding tone. They were about a half hour out and the near showtime had them all tense. "Let's go over the plan again. We need to cover as many variables as we can before we get there."
"Not much to cover, though, is there?" Tony quipped, but his usual bark was lacking and he ended up sighing. "I limp in to get my prototype suit and we just hold back the tide until something gives. Until we find a way to stop Loki and get back the tesseract."
Until we find Bella and smack some sense into her, he quietly added.
"We need to minimize civilian casualties," Steve spoke as though Tony never had. "Stopping Loki and getting the tesseract is our main goal, but we're facing an unearthly army - an unknown enemy unlike any ever seen before. With New York's dense population there's going to be a lot of civilians between us and them."
"I'll keep high," Clint said, surprising no one. "I'll be able to scan for areas of interest - pockets of civilians caught in the crossfire or large factions of the enemy we need to focus on."
"Any word on Banner yet?" Tony cut in.
"Doubt we'll be seeing him anytime soon. He's probably out of the country again by now," Natasha said. "He's not one for a fight."
Tony snorted. They all underestimated the good doctor.
"Let me know when we have eyes on him," was all he said. For him, Banner's arrival was about when, not if. The man had fewer friends than even Tony, and while he appeared to be a pacifist at heart, he didn't think for one second Bruce would sit on the sidelines when someone he considered a friend was in danger. None of them would.
"We have to consider the possibility that we'll have to neutralize Bella," Steve said. His head was turned away from them all, unwilling to meet their eyes.
"The hell did you just say, grandpa?" Tony bristled. Maybe it was a good thing they were on their way to battle. He really was spoiling for a fight.
"He's right," Natasha cut in before Tony could lose his shit. "Neutralize doesn't mean kill. Isabella will be right smack in the middle of this fight - too close to Loki to safely extract."
Clint added, "I don't care if we have to knock her skinny ass unconscious and squirrel her in a random bathroom somewhere. I don't give a fuck if one of us has to sit on her to keep her out of this fight. We need to take her out of the line of fire."
His conversation with Pepper floated through his mind and Tony murmured, "She's going to fight us, isn't she?"
Clint's jaw clenched. "Yes. Yes she is."
"She's really on his side?" A part of him still hoped she'd been brainwashed or tricked somehow…
"Yes… and no," the hawk said, clear as mud. "She and Loki are a package deal now, but that doesn't mean she agrees with him or approves of what he's doing. You can bet she's trying to stop him, has been this whole time, but when push comes to shove, she's going to pick him. She's already picked him. The sooner we all accept that, the better."
Sympathy welled up as Tony stared at the archer's taut form. Not one of them doubted the love he had for his sister and talking about her as he was now - as a potential threat that would have to be dealt with - had to be killing him.
"Any overt attempt on her will draw Loki's attention as well," Thor's quiet voice still held a rumble of distant thunder. "Loki is not a sentimental man, but the connection he shares with Isabella… I'm sure she has left her mark on him, and it will make him even more unpredictable, particularly where she is concerned."
"Crazy man is crazy - got it," Tony said.
Before they could continue in their pointless musings, a quiet bout of static sounded over the speakers until it cleared, a voice speaking, "Pardon my intrusion, Mr. Stark, but I believe I have a message for you and your associates."
"Jarvis?" Tony frowned. Of course he'd long ago hacked his way into S.H.I.E.L.D. 's network, but he didn't recall ever patching Jarvis's audio through. He'd only wanted to see, not be heard.
"Yes sir," the A.I. confirmed. "Miss Swan has bid me to notify you of a sudden infestation of parasites within Stark Tower. Shall I arrange for a fumigation service, sir?"
His lips twitched. He knew she was clever, but damned if he didn't feel like an uncle about ready to shove pictures of his niece riding a bike for the first time into random people's faces. "We are the fumigation service, Jarvis. Tell us about the tower's inhabitants. Is Bella safe?"
A brief pause. "It's curious, sir. Miss Swan appears to be giving messages without speaking directly to me. And though she has quite deliberately enabled an audio relay to the quinjet, she has muted the feedback within the tower."
Excitement fluttered in his chest. This could be their look behind enemy lines. This could be the very thing to swing the tide in their favor. "Don't leave us hanging then, Jarvis. Patch Stark Tower audio through, but make sure it's one sided. We want to be the only ones dropping eaves."
"Right away, sir," Jarvis said.
The static came back, louder than before, but quickly faded. There was a murmuring of multiple voices, nothing distinct until -
"What are you doing with that computer?" someone hissed and Tony's heart skipped a beat at the pure menace dripping from each word of the question. The voice was male, his register deeper than Loki's, and one they'd never heard before.
"I'm looking up cat videos on YouTube. Ever seen that one with the cat playing the keyboard? It's an oldie, but a goodie."
Bella. It was their Bella. She was there - she was safe - and she sounded, amused? She was utterly at ease. A perfect blend of clueless and careless that belied not one ounce of fear. A tone that Tony himself had perfected and honed to verbally needle his opponents mercilessly.
Despite knowing she was very much in danger, his lips twitched upwards.
"And where'd you get those?"
She gave a breathy feminine laugh and said, "What? These old things?"
"Don't play games with me, little girl. I asked you a question, now answer it."
A dramatic sigh. "If you insist… They happen to be Tony's favorite bracelets. I figured now was my chance to wear them since he's never been that good at sharing. Aren't they pretty on me?"
Tony frowned. Bracelets? He didn't wear bracelets.
"Fiiiine. Don't give me that look," she continued on. "I suppose they are a bit too masculine for my taste. Heavy, too. Feels like I'm wearing armor. Do me a favor and set them over by the bar for me so he won't know I took them."
Damn. She really was a clever little swot at times. "It's my sensor bands," he announced to the jet. "If I can get to them, I'll be able to get my newest prototype suit to come to me, rather the other way around. Should save us time."
"I'm not your errand dog," the male growled, and there was something distinctly dog-like about the sound. Something not entirely human.
Bella's response was cotton candy wrapped in barbed wire. "Aren't you, though?"
The growling increased.
"Touchy, touchy. Easy there, Dracula. I'll put them back. Maybe his favorite bottle of scotch will distract him enough to realize they've moved at all."
Dracula? Were there - were there vampires in his tower?
"Vampires?" Natasha parroted his thoughts.
Clint's frown darkened into something truly terrifying, but he remained quiet as he processed this new information.
"You know," the dark, unknown person spoke again, and there was no mistaking the ominous threat woven into the low words. "This little truce between us won't last. Aro isn't one to serve any other than himself. He won't play nice with your little god for long. In fact, I bet he's already sent reinforcements to take him out. As soon as he gives the word, I'll enjoy tearing your throat out with my teeth."
A sharp swell of anger and concern shot down Tony's spine, setting his teeth on edge. Around him, he sensed the same stirring of unease amongst the rest of the team, a blanket of protective rage covering them all.
There was another beat of silence before a light, tinkling of laughter sounded. "You know," Bella said, complete ease and humor in her voice. "You kinda look like a little puppy when you snarl like that. I guess that makes you my bitch after all."
Tony inhaled sharply, his body twitching as he suppressed a sort of horrified laughter, surely a sign that he'd lost his damned mind. Because while he called her Hells Bells, and was completely aware she was capable of being a bad ass if she would only believe in herself more, never would he have thought she'd have the stones to call a vampire her bitch.
Shaking his head, his eyes lit on Clint. The man's posture was ramrod straight, his knuckles shining white where he gripped his trusty bow. There was a subtle glint lingering in his eyes, one corner of his mouth raised slightly higher than the other, both telling signs that while Bella's response may have caught the rest of them off guard, he hadn't been surprised one bit.
Proud, Tony decided. The Hawk had the steely eyed look of a proud father about to watch their kid kick some serious ass.
The growling from the unknown vampire increased, a crescendo rising that could only reach one conclusion…
"Isabella."
The growl stopped. Loki was interfering, cutting in before she could goad the vampire too much and push him too far.
"Yes?" she asked, in that same owl-eyed innocent tone from before.
The pause was drawn out for a moment longer, until…
"I thought I told you to play nice with our little friends."
They could hear the smile in her voice as she replied, "But they make it so easy."
Loki gave a derisive snort - the kind that sounded suspiciously like a suppressed laugh. "Be that as it may, it's time."
Bella sighed again. "I guess we'll play later, Fido," she murmured, and this time, there was nothing light or amusing to the words. Her tone honed into a dark threat, tempered with steely promise. It was unlike anything they'd ever heard from her before - not even her confrontation with Laurent had carried that dark, almost sinister curl of confidence.
She meant what she said. Little Bella Swan - not really so little, he conceded - intended to fight this unknown vampire. Not only that, but she was clearly looking forward to it, even though it was obvious she did not consider him a threat. She was fully prepared to put his ass through the floor.
When had their little bird grown up?
That thought kept circling in his mind as Tony limped in the air in his busted suit. He spied Loki out on the balcony, clearly watching him as he clanked onto the landing pad. With one eye on the god, Tony attempted his usual swagger as he strolled into the building, Jarvis whirling around him and removing his suit like it was any other day.
Head cocked to keep Loki in his sights, he almost missed Bella's slim body perched on a stool pulled up to the bar. She was half turned towards him, eyeing him from the corner of her eye as he entered, a glass half raised to her lips.
"That better not be my favorite scotch you're drinking, Hells Bells," flew from his mouth without a thought.
She froze, lips twitching in a barely suppressed grin. Slowly, she lowered the glass and turned to face him completely. "Actually," she grinned. "It's just juice. I don't think I have much taste for hard liquors."
"I'll have Pep take you through some wines," he advised. "I have a feeling that might be more up your alley. But," he trailed off, eyes lighting on Loki as he entered and began to sidle up next to Bella. "If you're not going to put good liquor to use, I will. Do you mind?" he asked, tilting his head towards the far side of the bar.
"It's your bar, Tony. Help yourself," she smiled.
"My bar, huh?" he asked, eyes never leaving Loki even as he addressed her. "Could have fooled me."
She snorted, and if she was surprised by Loki's appearance behind her, she didn't show it. Instead, Tony's eyes narrowed as her body language seemed to embrace him into her space.
He made his way behind the bar, casually slipping on his sensor bands as he prepared a glass of scotch on the rocks. On auto-pilot, he and Loki exchanged pointless barbs, both of them trying to buy more time though there was none left to purchase.
What use was stalling anymore, anyway?
Loki's scepter clanked against the reactor in his chest, and Bella's eyes flew to his. He goaded Loki a bit further, but his gaze held Bella's.
Now, her eyes were telling him. He had to act now.
If she was surprised when he launched himself off the side of the building, she didn't show it. Where once she would have been a bundle of nerves, her expression had instead displayed confidence. Reassurance.
Faith, Pepper had told him. As he plummeted towards the New York sidewalk, his new suit latching onto his splayed limbs and the air screaming through his hair with frightening speed, Tony admitted he was not a man who put much stock in faith. But, just maybe, he could put his stock behind this new Isabella Swan.
(A/N): Sorry for the long wait... The world has seemed to turn upside down lately. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Alight is so close to being done now, so I hope you won't give up on it in between updates - rest assured, I'll never give up! 3