Walk Before We Run

By Jennifer Collins

Natasha took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell to Tony's California office.

"Hi there!" A perky blonde receptionist greeted her. "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Stark today?"

Natasha nodded eagerly. "I'm here about…"

"Hey! I know you! You're on the Avengers, aren't you? I saw your picture in the paper!"

She smiled in relief. "That's right. This is superhero business."

"Of course," the receptionist said enthusiastically. "I'll let him know you're here!" She tapped a few buttons on her cordless phone and nodded a few times. "He says to go on in," she said with a polite wave of her hand.

Natasha slowly opened the door to the office but found it empty. A quick scan of the room showed her that the sliding glass door to the balcony was open. She cautiously made her way through the opening, her senses on high alert.

"I hope you're not here to kill me or anything," he called from his perch in a cozy looking chair. "Because I've just recently made some adjustments to the Mark 43 so I can assure you a fair fight."

"That's not why I'm here," she insisted. "I'm actually… here to apologize."

He frowned, rising up from his chair. "For what now, exactly?"

"I looked deeper into Harley's case. I know that you contacted the mother once you realized she had a drug problem, and I know that you're paying for her rehab in Pennsylvania, and I also know that she asked you to look after her son while she's away. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed…"

He held a hand up. "Apology accepted, Agent Romanoff. I suppose that was a fair assumption given my impulsive history."

"For what it's worth, I think it's great that you care about the child so much."

"About the child, or about someone other than myself?"

She smiled. "Both, I guess."

He nodded. "I've told you many times, Agent Romanoff. I'm really not all that bad."

"I know you're not."

"But it appears that we still have some trust issues to work out."

She lowered her eyes. "I guess so."

He stepped closer to her. "Shall we talk about it over dinner? My driver will pick you up at seven and we'll go anywhere you want to go, no matter how extravagant. I'll even buy you a new dress if you like," he added with a wink.

She shook her head. "You really don't get it, do you?"

He smirked. "Oh, come one. You had fun last week when we had lunch together, didn't you?"

She grinned. "I suppose."

"So, then whey won't you have dinner with me? I always ask, and you always decline."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Maybe it's the way you ask. Did you ever think of that?"

"Persistence is key here, is it not?"

She shook her head. "Tony, you've got to walk before you run. Think about that and get back to me."

Just as she turned to go, he called out, "I'd rather fly!"

She turned back. "What?"

He held his arms in the air, beckoning his armor to him. "I said… I'd rather fly." In one smooth motion, she found herself in the arms of a fully armored Iron Man.

"Tony! No!" She shouted, but it was too late. He'd already powered the thrusters and they were sailing straight up through the air before she could really protest.

After a moment, he stopped and hovered. She looked down to see the skyline lit up in the darkness below them.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" He said. "I'd keep going, but any higher and you won't be able to breathe."

She nodded, tilting her head back to gaze up at the stars.

"Have you ever been so close to them?" He asked, retracting his faceplate so he could look her in the eye.

She shook her head wordlessly.

"Well, then I guess you'd better make a wish, my darling."

"Tony…" She wasn't quite sure what she wanted to say, but she was positive that she should say something, and although she was very aware that she'd been mildly irritated with him just a few seconds before, now she couldn't bring herself to recall why.

"Don't say anything," he murmured. "Just please forgive me and try to keep an open mind."

She turned her face to look at him, her eyes widening when she realized how close his face was to hers. "About what?"

"About what I'm going to do next," he warned, his eyes shining excitedly in the starlight.

"Whaa?" She barely was able to wonder out loud before he closed the small distance between them, pressing his lips firmly against hers.

It occurred to her that if she tried to push him away, she'd fall to her death once she was released from his arms and she might have smiled smugly at the notion of a choice between kissing Tony Stark and dying a pointless death, but then he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Maybe it was the fact that they were so high up in the air that made her dizzy or maybe it was the way his mouth was molding against hers as he kissed her so thoroughly and much softer than she'd expected once her consciousness had made the connection, but she felt weightless as she kissed him back, tightening her arms around his neck.

Just as suddenly as it had started, it was over and she was dimly aware of her feet lightly touching the ground. "Oh," she murmured once she realized that they had landed.

"I know," he agreed, slightly breathless. "Kind of makes you feel like we're still floating, huh?"

Her cheeks flared as her head snapped up to look at him. "You know-"

"I was kidding," he said gently, holding up both hands in defense. He slowly lowered them, placing a hand on her forearm. "So how about it, Natasha? Will you please have dinner with me?"

She thought for a moment. "Alright," she said quietly with a nod of her head. "But not tonight. How about next Thursday?"

He smiled softly. "That's perfect. I'll pick you up at seven," he promised.