Once Tony had managed to talk her down and, presumably, discourage all thoughts of vengeance, Martha gathered some things in a small suitcase. In the name of a timely departure, Tony decided to forgo returning to the Tower to get clothes and sundries for himself. He could always get anything he might need upon reaching London.

The jet was waiting for them on the tarmac by the time Tony and Martha reached the airstrip. Tony hurried to see that she was comfortably on board before going over the particulars with the flight crew. He had called ahead to make sure that there was something on board for Martha to eat. He wasn't sure what she'd be in the mood for so he had his private chef plan for several options. And although it killed a small part of his spirit, Tony also made sure that all of the alcohol had been removed from the aircraft. Martha had already downed an entire bottle of wine and for a woman her size, anything more would be sending her into dangerous territory.

When the pilot alerted him that they were ready for takeoff, Tony returned to the cabin to find Martha curled up in one of the seats and staring out the window. "We'll be in London around noon," he informed her. "Did you try your mom again?"

Martha shook her head slowly. "No," she answered with a quiet sigh. "She's probably still asleep. I wasn't even thinking about the time difference when I rang before. I reckon I just…" She exhaled sharply. "I feel like I'm going out of my bloody mind."

"That's because you're a control freak who's suddenly losing control," Tony said, taking a seat next to her.

Martha huffed. "Tell me what you really think why don't you?" she replied bitterly.

"It's not an insult, Martha. Not coming from me." Tony placed a consoling hand on her leg. "I get it. You know I do."

Martha took a moment to consider his words before conceding a nod. "I just hate feeling this way." Without warning, the tears began to fall once more.

Tony went on his knees next to her seat and dried her face with his thumb. Martha met his gaze through watery brown eyes. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and bit down on it. "You're a fighter," he told her. "You'll get through this. I know you will."

"Thank you," she said softly, touching a hand to the one cupping her face.

"Even heroes need saving sometimes," Tony insisted.

Once she stopped crying, Tony encouraged her to eat something but Martha didn't have much of an appetite. He took that a proof positive that she wasn't feeling herself, but he wasn't going to force her. Instead, he suggested she get some rest and showed her to the bedroom at the back of the plane. When he turned to give her some privacy, she grabbed him by the hand. "Will you stay with me?" she requested. "I don't want to be on my own right now."

"Of course." Tony crawled into bed with Martha and took her into his arms. They didn't talk. Instead, they just held one another until she eventually drifted to sleep. Tony stayed awake the whole time, keeping a watchful eye over Martha. When the pilot announced their descent into London, Tony nudged her awake gently. "Hey," he whispered close to her ear. "Martha. We're here, honey. You're home."

Martha waited until the plane touched down before she pulled away from him. Once they landed, she gathered her things in silence and Tony escorted her to the runway, where he arranged for a car to be waiting to pick her up and take her wherever she needed to go. "Will you go back to Manhattan now?" she asked, standing between the open door and the car.

"I think I'll stay around for a bit," Tony answered. "It's been awhile since I've been in London." He paused. "You'll call me if you need anything?"

Martha nodded. She moved to get inside the car but turned back at the last moment and threw her arms around Tony's neck, hugging him fiercely. "Thank you for doing this," she murmured against his shoulder.

Tony loosely wrapped his arms around her waist, but when Martha didn't show any immediate signs of letting go, he tightened his hold on her. His eyes closed and he sighed into her hair. "I'd do anything for you."

They pulled apart a short time later and Tony sent Martha on her way with only a silent wave. As he watched her ride off, he knew he had done the right thing, but that didn't explain the nagging sense of regret that was bubbling up inside of him. He pushed it aside and called for a second car to take him to his hotel.

The next few days, while Martha reconnected with family and friends, Tony found ways to keep himself busy, including a trip to the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. He wasn't sure what possessed such a move, but he was thankful to have survived the experience with no perceivable damage. He didn't feel any anxiety as he walked the grounds and he didn't have any nightmares when he returned to his hotel to sleep.

For lack of anything better thing to do, he visited the Science Museum in South Kensington and caused a minor ruckus. Once the London scientific community discovered that Tony Stark was in their midst, he suddenly found himself on the receiving of several invitations. However, the only one that mattered was the one that came from his favorite physician.

"Leave it to you to be in town for only 72 hours and make headlines," Martha commented over the phone.

"And with no nudity or property damage," Tony quipped. "I feel like I've grown as a person since meeting you."

"I doubt I can claim credit for that."

"That's because you're too modest."

"One of us ought to be," she joked.

"You wear it better," Tony shot back. "So how are things? How's the family?"

"Things are good," Martha replied. "My family is doing well, all things considered. It was good to spend some time with them. I got to catch up with some old mates as well. I even saw Molly."

"Cuddling Molly?"

"Yep."

"How is she?"

Martha sighed heavily. "Head over heels in love with this detective bloke, but he's an insufferable git so we're not going to talk about that," she said before changing the subject. "So the papers make it sound like you're in high demand. I don't reckon you'd have some time for me, would you?"

"Always," Tony assured her. "You wanna come over and tuck me in?"

"Not tonight. I'm still at my mum's," Martha informed him. "Tomorrow maybe?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Nothing concrete, but I figured that since we missed our last sleepover and you dropped everything to come all this way just for me then the least I could do is show you a good time while you're in town."

"A good time, you say?" Tony questioned teasingly.

Martha huffed when she realized she had walked right into that one. "Leave it."

"Are you asking me out, Doc?"

"It wouldn't be a date," Martha insisted. "Just a friendly outing."

"Not a date," Tony repeated dutifully.

"So are you free tomorrow or not?" Martha pressed.

"Well the Royal Society invited me to this big event tomorrow night," he informed her. "A cocktail party sort of thing. I could cancel or…you could be my date," he suggested. "In a completely platonic sense, of course."

Martha was silent for a long time on her end of the phone before speaking again. "I'd have to find something to wear," she said finally. "It might be hard on such short notice, but I reckon I could borrow something from my sister."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes," Martha conceded. "Where should we meet?"

"I'll text you the details," Tony promised. "Now go get some beauty sleep. I can't be the only pretty one," he joked.

Martha huffed on the other end of the phone. "Night, pretty boy."

"Night, beautiful." As soon as he hung up with Martha, Tony was up and out of bed, on the phone making calls. First, he texted Martha the details. Next, he rang up the concierge.

"This is Tony Stark up in the Musician's Penthouse. How you doing? What's your name? James? My best friend is named James and you're about to be my new best friend," he told the man on the other line. "Here's what I need from you, buddy. First, I need you to send a tailor up to my suite ASAP. Someone that works well and fast. I need a suit for tomorrow night. Money is no object. Can you do that for me? Good man."

Tony trotted down the staircase to the bottom floor of the penthouse suite and made his way over to the bar area in the lounge. He poured himself a drink before pressing on with his next request. "After that, I need you to get me a stylist." He took a quick sip while he listened. "You don't have to flatter me, Jimmy. There's already a big tip with your name on it. And the stylist isn't for me. It's for a lady. So I'm gonna need dresses. Lots and lots of dresses. Nothing too formal, but keep it classy. Make sure the shoes and jewelry are taken care of as well. I want the whole nine yards. Hair and makeup? Hmm…keep them on standby."

Within the hour, Tony had a tailor knocking on his door. By the time the fitting was done, he had the stylist on the line as well. He gave her all the details he could, including Martha's measurements, the address to her flat and suggestions of style options. Most of the time they spent together, Martha was dressed either in pajamas or his clothes, but Tony had seen her in her regular clothes so he at least had an approximation of what she might choose for herself.

After working out the details, he returned to bed with plans to ring the Royal Society in the morning to make sure Martha's name was on the guest list as his plus one. By early evening the following day, while he was admiring his tailor's handiwork, he received another call from Martha.

"You wouldn't have any idea why someone just delivered a dress to my door, would you?"

"Dress fairy?" Tony suggested.

"How did you even know my size?"

"I'm a genius. You don't think I know how to plot a curve?"

"In that case, do you care to explain why half the dresses were so fitted around my bum?" Martha questioned.

"Were they?" Tony responded quizzically. "Huh…it must have been a miscalculation on my part."

"You're a bloody liar and you damn well know it," Martha accused lightheartedly.

"Hey, I told her to give you options," Tony insisted, maintaining his innocence. "One of them has to work."

"One of them did work," Martha assured him. "I like it anyway."

"Oh?" Tony smirked as he began tying his tie into a half-Windsor knot. "So…" He lowered his voice a bit and upped the charm more than he usually did while talking to Martha. "What are you wearing right now?"

"Three inch heels that I'll gladly introduce to your arse if you not careful."

Tony laughed. "I'm sorry, but I had to do it. The setup was just too perfect."

"Maybe." There was a short paused before she spoke again. "So what are you wearing?" she questioned with decidedly less flirtation than he had used, but there was still playfulness to her tone.

"If I have to wait, then so do you," Tony retorted.

"Are you coming round to pick me up?"

"Give me fifteen minutes."

"I'll be waiting."

Tony quickly pulled on his suit coat and checked his reflection before heading over to Martha's apartment in a hired car. When he saw her smiling face, all felt right in the world. "And I thought your place in Manhattan was microscopic," he commented as he crossed the threshold. "I know you're tiny, Doc, but even you have to feel cramped in this place."

"It beats a cave," she quipped.

Once he was inside, Tony took a moment to look Martha over. She wore a black dress that fell just below her knees. It was an elegant and understated design with a high neck and long sleeves made of a sheer black fabric that cuffed at her wrists. Tony appreciated the way it hugged her curves in all the right ways, but it was when she turned away from him that he noticed the daring cutout design that extended from just below her nape to slightly north of the small of her back.

Martha adjusted his tie. "Nice suit," she complimented.

"The dress is better," Tony assured her as his eyes swept over her form yet again.

Martha smiled her signature billion dollar smile. "Maybe I'll let you borrow it some time."

Tony extended his arm to her. "Shall we?" She slipped her arm through his and they were off to hobnob with the scientific elite.

Martha was a natural when it came to schmoozing. She was funny, intelligent and charming. It wouldn't surprise Tony if one day she was invited to join the Royal Society on the strength of her work with UNIT. Then again, he wasn't sure if they were privy to how much was going on right on their doorstep.

"So are you a Fellow of the Royal Society?" Martha asked sometime later while their made their rounds arm in arm.

"No, but I could swing an invitation if I wanted. All it takes is a nomination from two Fellows."

"Do you know two Fellows?"

"Bruce is a foreign member," Tony informed her. "So is Helen Cho."

Martha gasped. "Helen Cho? As in Dr. Helen Cho, the geneticist from South Korea?" Tony nodded. "I heard she's working on technology that could potentially regenerate human tissue," she marveled. "Do you know how many lives could be saved if she sees it through?"

Tony couldn't help smiling at Martha's enthusiasm. "Maybe our next trip should be to Seoul then."

"Trips around the world? New dresses and fancy parties? Are you trying to spoil me?"

"And if I were?" Tony challenged. "You're definitely worth it."

"Thank you," Martha said coyly.

"How about a night cap?" Tony suggested as he escorted her towards the exit. "I booked the Musician's Penthouse at the Corinthia. Come back with me. We'll have a drink and enjoy the view on the terrace."

"That does sound nice," she said with hesitation. "But in case you're wondering, I'm still not shagging you. I may be thankful, but not that bloody thankful."

"I don't expect you to have sex with me, Martha," Tony told seriously and he actually meant it. "It's not necessary. It never has been." He'd be lying if he said the thought never crossed his mind. Martha was gorgeous and having her body pressed against his night after night was bound to stir something inside of him, but he was surprisingly alright with what they had already. "All I want is to spend time with you. So what do you say?"

"Alright," Martha answered with a nod. She tightened the grip on his arm. "I never could resist the London skyline."