Updated: 28/8/2021
Happy 29th Birthday to Me and Happy 55th Birthday to my Dad!
This is the biggest mass update I have done
Chapter .2.
He looked at Pepper again and she looked over thirteen years younger from when he last saw her hours? Days? Weeks? Ago? And she had none of that pain, sadness and fear in her eyes.
Then he looked at Tasha and he thought he saw HIS Tasha. He needed to make sure through. But he needed to do it the right way.
He looked at Natasha as she started to talk. The words to him and hopefully her that she said such a life time ago.
"I need you to initial each bow", Natasha says to Pepper handing over her pen.
Tony felt Happy nudge his head with his boxing glove.
"Lesson one. Never take your eye off…"
They begin to through punches. And Tony has to hold back his skill. As he had changed since this time. But also he was getting used to being back in a dying body. And his hearing aid was slightly bigger in his ear. That tell he was going to have to fix.
He must remember to fix that when he confirms Tasha was Tasha.
He turns to Natasha to see if he can confirm it was her.
While with Natasha her mind was working overtime to come to terms with whatever was going on. Somehow she wasn't dead. And from the way Tony looked at her he was from the same time she was.
Lucky she was a spy so she quickly masked her emotions and answered the conversation exactly where it started thirteen years ago. But she was going to try and confirm Tony was her Tony.
"What's your name, lady?" Tony asks pointing at her.
"Rushman. Natalie Rushman. But my friends call me Nat", Natasha says.
Then she speaks in a whisper that not even Pepper who was standing next to her could hear. She just hoped Tony would get the message.
"But you call me Tasha", she says in a voice that was barely a whisper.
She was relieved when Tony winked at her. Just as he had been relieved when he realised she was his Natasha by her telling him to call her Nat. And the fact she spoke so low that only his hearing aid would pick up. And he only told her that in the Soul World they were in. So this WAS his Natasha. Thank whatever God that was out there.
Tony decided to let this play out the same for now. Till he could get her alone.
"Front and center. Come into the church", Tony instructs her to come into the boxing ring.
"No. You're seriously not gonna ask…", Pepper starts.
Tony saw Natasha hiding a smirk.
"If it pleases the court, which it does", Tony says, he was looking forward to Happy getting his assed kicked again.
"It is no problem", Natasha says, knowing she was going to enjoy this.
"I'm sorry", Pepper says to Natasha, "He's very eccentric"
Natasha walks over and Tony life side up to let her in. She slides in elegantly. Keeping eye contact with him the whole time.
He forgot how sexy that had been all those years ago and it was again.
But he felt his feelings for her had been deepened and he didn't know why. He still loved Pepper. But was he thinking of Tasha…
He sees Natasha rising an eyebrow at him pointedly.
"Can you give her a lesson?" Tony asks Happy, taking his drink.
He forgot how disgusting that was. He was going to have to do something about the Arc Rector ASAP.
"No problem", Happy says.
Tony climbs out of the ring. Ready to watch Happy get his ass kicked by the shorter undercover Russian Assassin.
He walks over to Pepper and sits down and takes her all in. It has been a long time since he had seen her without all the stress lines.
"Who is she?" Tony asks keeping up the act.
"She is from legal", Pepper replies.
Tony holds back a snort at that. How did he fall for this the first time?
"And she is potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit", Pepper continues, "If you keep ogling her like that"
"I need a new assistant, boss", Tony tells Pepper.
And he knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer this time. He needed Natasha so they would work out what the hell happened. And why they were thirteen years back in time. And another question just popped into his mind where was Gamona and Loki? Oh dear lord if he had to battle Loki again he would lose it.
"Yes, and I've got three excellent potential candidates. They're lined up and ready to meet you", Pepper says.
"I want her", Tony states.
"Well you can't have her Tony", Pepper says firmly.
"I don't have time to meet. I need someone now. I feel like it's her", Tony replies.
'Oh it definably WILL be her', Tony thinks to himself.
"Hey Rushman isn't it? How would you like to come work for me as my new personal assistant?" Tony calls to Natasha.
Interrupting her 'lesson' with Happy.
"Tony! You can't do that!" Pepper protests.
"Yes I can. So Rushman what will it be?" Tony asks.
He sees the humour in Natasha's eyes. If he hadn't known her for so long he would have missed it.
"I am sorry about th…", Pepper starts but is cut off.
"I agree to be your personal assistant Doctor Stark", Natasha says calmly.
"Are you sure you can handle me?" Tony flirts with her.
"Oh I think I can make do. I have taken on more stubborn men in my time that sometimes turns people green", Natasha replies with a smirk.
Tony hides a smile. He knew who Natasha was talking about of cause. How could he not know she was talking about good old Bruce.
Pepper looked between them clearly pissed that she just lost a perfectly good assistant to Tony. And that they seemed to be flirting between them.
He watched as Natasha went back to listening to Happy. Tony did what he did before and googled her. Just for the hell of it.
"What, are you gonna google her now?" Pepper asks Tony as Tony playfully asks Natasha to spell her name.
"Hmm? I thought I was ogling her", Tony retorts.
He makes a big show out of her profile again and now he knew who she really was. He was surprised that SHIELD was that competent to have set up this identity.
Who knew?
With SHIELD being HYDRA and all?
That reminds him he would have to do something about that.
So he added it to his mental to do list. Which was getting longer by the second.
Tony says to Pepper what he did the last time and bought up Natasha modelling pictures. Who also knew SHIELD would do a good job at that too?
Tony hears Happy start to talk and knew what was about to happen. And turns to watch the free show.
"Rule number one, never take your eye off your opponent", Happy tells Natasha.
'Three…two…one', Tony counts in his head.
And exactly on one Natasha flips him over and has him in a leg hold.
Tony hides a laugh. Oh that is pure gold. So worth Happy's humiliation. After everything Happy puts him through.
"Oh, my God!" Pepper cries.
Natasha lets a shocked Happy go. Natasha saw out of the corner of her eye Tony trying not to laugh.
"Happy!" Pepper cries.
"That's what I'm talking about", Tony says smirking happily.
"I just slipped", Happy says trying to preserve what little dignity he had left.
"You did?" Tony asks, even through he already knew the answer.
Tony got up and rings the bell.
"Looks like a TKO to me", Tony says.
Natasha climbs out of the ring clearly happy with herself.
"Your hired Miss Rushman. Now if you can follow me I need to get to work straight away", Tony says to Natasha.
"Of course Mr Stark", Natasha says.
"Anything you need to finish first?" he asks.
"Just…I need your impression", Natasha says straightening her clothes out.
"You have a quiet reserve. I don't know. You have an old soul", Tony says empathising the last two words from long ago.
"I meant your fingerprint", Natasha says going back to the conversation that happened thirteen years ago.
"Alright", Tony says doing what he was told while looking in her eyes.
So different from last time.
And why wouldn't they be with what the next thirteen years would bring for everyone. If Tony and Natasha didn't change things.
"So, how are we doing?" Pepper asks butting in.
She didn't like how Tony and Natalie were always looking each other in the eyes.
"Great", Tony states, "Just wrapping up. Hey"
"You're the boss. But the last thing I have done as boss is steal Miss Rushman away from you", Tony informs her.
"Tony you can't…"
"Still up for it Rushman?" Tony asks Natasha.
"You bet I am", Natasha replies.
"Then grab your stuff and met me in my workshop", Tony orders.
Tony then turns and leaves to get cleaned up and then check his workshop. After all it has been a long time since he worked in this workshop.
An hour later he was in his workshop.
"FRI…", Tony starts to say FRIDAY and remembered JARVIS was still alive in this time, "I mean JARVIS…", Tony chokes on his beloved AI's name.
"Yes Sir? Are you alright?" JARVIS asks.
"I am fine. When Miss Rushman comes let her straight in", Tony orders.
"Very well Sir", JARVIS says.
Tony makes another mental note to give Tasha her own code to get into his workshop.
"JARVIS start a file on my system. Make it heavily encrypted", Tony says starting to move things around.
"What should I call it Sir?" JARVIS asks.
"Call it 'Infinity'", Tony replies thinking it an appropriate name.
"Done Sir"
Tony moves things when he hears someone approaching his workshop with his hearing aids. And it could only be one person. As he had just pissed off Pepper.
And it didn't sound like Pepper. Or even Rhodey. Who won't be anywhere near here yet.
So that only left the one he was waiting for.
"So Tasha what the hell do you think is going on?"
"Why don't you tell me genius? And where the hell are Loki and Gamora?"
Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)