Chapter 34

The day the story broke she'd been in the middle of working on finishing some reports for the next Board meeting, trying to write up how the latest software updates would resolve new issues that hadn't even been realized by the markets.

"Miss, you might want to see this," JARVIS warned, and she sighed to herself as she looked up from the screen.

Please let there not be more aliens. She didn't think she could take it if yet another story broke about aliens attacking Earth.

Hell, she'd had a meltdown when they attacked England, and she wasn't even needed on the scene.

Honestly, she knew it was a longshot to hope that the aliens never came back, but she'd be relieved if she didn't have to deal with it for at least a few more years. Or at least deal with any aliens that weren't Thor or Loki.

Toni Stark two timing The Hulk with Thor: Two Avengers face off In This Epic Battle For Her Love.

She scoffed, as she slowly started looking through the article. There had been quite a few pictures of her with both men, and shots of her that had been visibly photoshopped to make it look like she was engaging in romantic behaviour with both of them.

"Several news stations and publications have picked up on the story," JARVIS told her, "It seems as if it's spreading faster than wild fire. You're trending on Twitter."

Great, so the world was probably busy calling her a whore again. Because Darwin forbid she had male friends and co-workers who she wasn't romantically involved in. Of course, that was unreasonable to hope for.

"Have a press release prepared," she told JARVIS, "Shut down the story immediately."

Not only was it disrespectful to both of the men involved, it was disrespectful to Ava. Ava who was in a serious relationship with Bruce.

She knew the two of them valued their privacy, but the last thing she wanted was for her cousin to have to read the malicious comments online about her boyfriend being involved with her cousin and see pictures of the two of them that were far from the truth.

It was ridiculous, the fact that such tales were still spun about her. As if the media had nothing better to talk about. As if there weren't bigger stories that demanded more attention, like the fact that Thaddeus Ross was still running around after all he'd done to Bruce. Or that Justin Hammer had tried to release a version of a phone that was eerily like her own line.

"Toni?" Ava said, as she knocked carefully on the door. She could see Steve standing behind her looking a bit worried as they both checked in on her.

"I'm so sorry," she said in a quick voice, "I'm having a statement put out. Pepper's going to file defamation suits if they don't redact the story immediately. It's unfair for them to write these things when it is none of their business and it hurts you."

"I'm not mad at you," Ava told her gently, "I'm furious at the companies, but I don't believe in the slightest that you're to fault for this."

"Still," Toni sighed, "It's unfair to you. Even if you and Bruce come out as dating, they're going to spin some tale about how either he's cheating on me with you, left me for you, or that I'm the other woman. Just because you both are associated with me."

"We knew something like this could happen," Ava said, "The people who matter all know the truth. Who cares about what the rest of the world thinks?"

"Is Bruce okay?" she asked carefully, wanting to know if the man who tried so hard to keep his heart beat at a certain level was handling the situation alright.

"He's as expected," her cousin said, "He's not pleased by the news, but he's not mad at you either. None of us think this is your fault. You hardly asked for them to write this. It's not on you."

"I'm sorry," Toni told her softly, "I'll let you know once the situation has been handled. I still can't believe they made fake pictures to try and implicate us. As if they didn't see that there was anything wrong with that."

"They wanted a quick payday," Ava said with a sigh, "I stand by what I said, Toni. Don't beat yourself up too much over this. It's not your fault."

"I know," Toni said, unhappily. "I should get back to work. Make sure the company doesn't take too many hits over this."

Ava nodded, and left the room, leaving her alone with Steve. She wondered if the man would be unhappy with the situation.

Even if he did have feelings for her, she wondered if this would change anything. He'd never have a normal life, not if the two of them got together. She knew he hated the attention whenever they went out, and there was no way for the spotlight not to be on him if he was linked to her. His entire life would change.

He deserved better than to be caught up in the nightmare that was her relationship with the press.

He deserved better than her.

It was as simple as that. He deserved to be with someone that would let him have the life he deserved. Not hers that was constantly swept up in scandal and limelight. Not hers that was constantly under scrutiny and criticism.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, wanting to gage his reaction carefully. He had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the exchange and she had no idea how he was feeling about any of it.

"Am I okay?" he asked incredulously. "Are you? You're the one they wrote the story about. The things they wrote about you in that article! How are you okay with any of that? They basically made you out to be some sort of, of, of hussy!"

His face flushed slightly, as he spat out the words.

"And your biggest concern is everyone else," he ranted, "It's like you don't even care what they said about you. How does none of it bother you? Why are you more concerned about how it will affect everyone else, and not at all that it involves you too? They called you a Play Girl who enjoys going through men like they're dispensable. That it's no surprise that you're incapable of relationships and monogamy given your wild youth. How do they have the nerve to say that? That all you care about is money and the fast life? Like you didn't take in all the Avengers and give them a home? Like you don't donate to charities and care more about everyone else than you do about yourself? How do you not care that they got you pegged so incorrectly?"

"I stopped caring a long time ago what they say about me, Captain," she said gently. "The world will always see what they want to see. They don't want the version of Toni Stark who has PTSD from being kidnapped or from the portal. They don't want the one who had an arc reactor because she would have died otherwise. They don't want to see the woman who had to take over the company in the wake of her father's death. The one who changed the direction of her company and still made it more profitable than ever before. The one who has several doctorates. The woman who designed Iron Woman and donates billions of dollars each year. That woman doesn't sell as many stories."

She took a deep breath, "They want a whore, a woman who has no morals and is a mess. They want a trainwreck. So they create one. They create the woman who will fit into their narratives and bring in as much money as possible. And it's far more profitable to print their lies than the truth. So somewhere along the line, I stopped caring. They're never going to see me. Not who I truly am. And nothing I say is going to change that. What's the point in trying to change their point of view?"

"That's not fair," he said, sounding furious. "They don't get to decide who you are. They don't have that right to tell you that you have to be the person they want to see. That's not right."

"The world doesn't run on what's right and wrong, Steve," she said. "It runs on money and on public opinion. I've accepted a long time ago that the world will always see me as that woman, regardless of what I really am. I could shout it from the roof that am not the person they want me to be. Doesn't mean anyone would listen. It's hard for them to accept a strong woman in a position of power. They choose to ignore that and write about more interesting stories."

"You deserve better," he told her gently. "You deserve someone who sees who you are. Not just who they want you to be."

"Sounds nice," she said with a smile. "Maybe I'll have that one day, if I'm lucky."

"Hopefully," he said, giving her a soft smile. "I have to go. There are some things I need to take care of."

"Okay," she said, a bit confused, but she didn't push it. She couldn't expect him to spend all his free time with her after all.

He kissed her gently on the cheek before turning and leaving the room. She stared after him speechlessly, as she touched the spot his lips had met her skin, and she felt in that moment, truly untouchable.


If there was one thing Toni Stark was not expecting when she went down to her lab, it was the person she came face to face in contact with.

Someone who was very much supposed to be dead.

She raised her hand as her armour attached itself to her body, as she pointed her repulsor straight at whoever it was that was impersonating Phil Coulson.

She had to give it to them, whatever technology they were using to make sure they looked just like the dead man.

Hell, even the mannerisms in which he had his arms crossed and looked at her unimpressed mimicked the way Coulson used to look at her back when he was still alive.

She had to give it to them.

They had guts.

What to break into a building crawling with Avengers, and not only that, but be waiting for her in her laboratory?

The nerve.

"I don't know who you are or what you want, but you better start talking now," she said coldly.

"You know me, Stark," he said, raising his arms in surrender.

"The Phil Coulson I know is dead," she reminded him, "So either no one gave you the memo, or you're dumber that I thought."

"I did die," he said softly. "I died when Loki stabbed me. Then suddenly I'm awake and Fury is telling me that I was taken to Tahiti and revived."

"Bullshit," she said, but felt a bit unsure.

Because she hadn't seen the body. She'd just heard Fury telling her that Coulson was down. And then he'd thrown the Captain America trading cards on the table, covered in his blood, and she'd taken his word for it.

Why lie about such a thing? Who would claim someone was dead if they weren't?

Nick Fury, that's who. He was the spy. Of course he'd lied to them. Because the Avengers weren't working. Not until Coulson's death. They needed a cause. Someone to avenge.

And Fury had delivered Coulson's death to them on a silver platter.

They had gone to his funeral. She hadn't cried, but she'd barely been able to cry at her own parents' funeral. But with the close casket, she wouldn't have been surprised if there wasn't even a body inside.

"You know I'm telling the truth, Stark," he told her softly.

"JARVIS?" she asked her AI. Because even if he looked and sounded like Coulson she needed to be sure.

"Agent Coulson matches all identifiable markers. Additionally, there is no presence of altering technology present on his person. I can confirm with 99.98% probability that the man in your workshop is Agent Phil Coulson," JARVIS told her.

She drew a deep breath.

"Why now?" she asked him suddenly. "Why are you here now? Did Fury send you? What do you want?"

"I need your help," he told her. "I need the help of someone who won't run back to SHIELD and tell them what I'm going to ask you."

"Are you distrustful of your own spy organization?" she asked, raising her brows. That was interesting indeed."

"You know how SHIELD is," he rolled his eyes at her. "They did something to me. I can tell. I remember dying. And then all I remember is relaxing in Tahiti. But I feel different. I feel like something's changed. I feel like something is wrong. And I need you to help me figure out what they've done to me. Fury won't give me a straight answer. And if I ask my team they'll be forced to report it back to him. But you? You've told Fury off more times than I can count. I should know, it was often me you were telling him off through. If there's anyone who won't report this back to him, it's you."

"You know I'm not a biologist right? Or even a chemist? If there's anything off about how you were brought back, I might not be able to figure it out," she warned him.

He snorted, "You're Toni Stark. Just because you're not well versed in how biochemistry works doesn't mean you won't be able to figure it out. And I assume if you bring in Dr Banner, the two of you will be able to crack it in no time."

"Are you giving me permission to bring in the other Avengers?" she raised a brow at him.

"Not Natasha or Clint," he told her. "I trust them as SHIELD spies, but I can't be certain they won't inform Fury that I'm asking you to look into this. But you and Dr Banner? Neither of you are all that trusting of SHIELD."

"And Steve?" she questioned.

He hesitated, and she could see him contemplate just how he wanted to proceed with the matter at hand.

"Do you trust him?" he asked her.

"I do," she nodded. "Steve likes to see the best in people, but he also understands the need for privacy. If you ask him not to tell anyone, then he'll keep this close. You can trust him."

"Okay," he exhaled.

"Fair warning, we might not actually know what's wrong with you for a while," she said. "Resurrection is hardly common. You might not get the answers that you're looking for right away. Can you handle that?"

"Yes," he said, sounding certain.

"Okay," she said, "JARVIS, can you call Steve and Bruce down to the labs? Ava too, if she's free. Tell them only that I have a new project to work on with them."

She turned to face him.

"Are you ready to get started, Agent?" she asked, and he nodded grimly.

He nodded firmly, "Just do it, Stark. Find out what they did to me."


"Miss the press conference is about to begin," JARVIS said, snapping her out of her reverie. The problem of how Agent Coulson came back had been weighing on her all week, and despite the initial tests, she had nothing.

"What press conference?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. She didn't have anything for Stark Industries coming up, Pepper would have reminded her if she had forgotten. Nor were there any Avengers related matters that she had them for.

"Captain Rogers asked to put together a press conference," JARVIS told her.

"Why was I not informed of this?" She asked, grabbing her StarkPhone and quickly typing out a message. "Does he even have any experience speaking to the media? He can't just go out there and speak to them without thinking carefully of what he's going to say. Everything can be misconstrued."

"It did not go against the instructions you provided me to ensure they had everything they needed, nor did it go against my primary objective of keeping you safe," JARVIS spoke.

And her heart stopped.

Was Steve going to speak to the press about her?

Oh Bloody Levi-Montalcini.

What was he about to do?

She raced out of her lab, passing through the common areas of her floor. She needed to get to the elevator. She needed to stop him. To change the press conference to anything else other than what he was about to say or do.

He wasn't trained, not like she was. The media hated her, yes, but she had been trained to be a public figure since she was a child. She knew how to handle them. She knew what to say and what to do when she wanted stories covered a certain way. She knew how to play them like a piano if she needed to.

This was going to be an absolute disaster and she needed to put a stop to it before it was too late.

The screen in the room lit up as Steve's face filled it, standing at a podium in front of her building, with what must have been dozens of reporters from different news organizations and papers.

"Good morning," he said with a polite smile. "I know I haven't taken the opportunity to introduce myself properly to the public, but my name is Steve Rogers, or Captain America. While this conference is not about me, I will address a few of the questions I've seen floating around the internet for quite some time. However, I do ask that you hold any and all questions until I've said all that it is that I have to say."

"It is true that I was born in 1918 and served in World War II. However, in 1945, my plane went down in the Arctic Ocean on a mission. My body was found, and it was discovered I was alive. I did not call this conference however to talk about how it was that I was found or what this means for my future," he said taking a deep breath, as the elevator chimed, having hit the ground floor. "Why I did call this conference was to speak about a matter close to my heart. One that has been bothering me for quite some time. Perhaps this is the generation gap between when I was raised to what the world has become. But I have called this press conference to speak about Toni Stark, and the outlandish tales the world has been spinning about her in order to make a quick buck."

She tried to press the buttons quickly, attempting to summon the elevator, trying to get outside to stop Steve from saying something which would make things worse. She knew he had good intentions. But the press were vultures. And she didn't want them to write the same things about him as they more than often did about her.

"Toni Stark is the kindest woman I know," he said, as the doors opened, and Pepper stepped out.

She tried to push past her, needing to get down to the main floor.

"Toni, wait!" Pepper said, stopping her from getting any further.

"Did you know about this?" she demanded.

Pepper nodded and she felt herself shake.

"Why didn't you stop it?" Toni asked. "Pepper you know what they're going to say about him. Why did you let him go out there?"

"I saw his speech before hand, Toni," Pepper told her gently, "Let him speak okay? He can do this. Just let him give this speech."

She looked at Pepper carefully, wanting to know if she could trust her friend with this. But Pepper had never let her down before.

"Okay," Toni said, letting out an exhale.

"She gave me a home," Steve continued, "She gave all the Avengers a place to live, when we had nothing. She gives so much of herself to everything she does. Without a question of what is best for herself. She fights constantly, for what is right and for what she believes in."

She swallowed, as she listened to him speak about her.

"She is the smartest person I know, and hearing some of the things she has done, it's incredible," Steve let out a small laugh. "She has more degrees than anyone cares enough to remember. She built the Iron Woman suit in a cave while being held hostage, with nothing but the spare parts around her. She changed the entire direction of her company to undo the damages done behind her back and made it more profitable. She funds several charities per year, and mentors youth solely because she wants to help them reach their full potential. And she does it all without expecting anyone to notice. Because she knows that no matter what she does, no matter how much she achieves it won't be enough."

"Not because she's not good enough, but because you are all vultures," he said, and the room went silent.

"He did not just say that," she let out a gasp.

"Your coverage of Toni Stark in the brief time I've known her has been absolutely ridiculous. If she walks into a room and a man asks her for a dance, and she says no, you'll print that she's an Ice Queen. But if she says yes, you make her out to be some sort of lose woman with no morals. If she drinks in public, she's an alcoholic, and if not, she must be pregnant. If she signs some autographs, she has a god complex, but you'll use the same words if she refuses. Whatever she does, you find a way to distort it for your favour. And I'm here to tell you no more. No more writing her out to be a villain in order to make a profit. All I'm asking is that you print the truth about her."

He took a deep breath, "Because Toni is a brilliant woman. She's the best of us, when it comes down to it. I was told once that she is the picture of the current modern society, and I first thought that meant she's everything that's wrong with this new world. But I've come to see that I was the one who is wrong. She is the best of everything this world has to offer. And she deserves so much better than for you to twist words for you favour. Someone should have stood up for her long ago, but as that never happened, I'm standing up for her now. Enough is enough."

He looked directly into the cameras at that point, "And I know me telling the press isn't the best solution. What when you can edit this footage however you like. To twist my words around to change my message for one that suits your purposes. I wouldn't be surprised if you were already deciding how to word the stories for your benefit. Don't waste your time. I've had this entire conference recorded by our own people and streamed to the internet as I speak. So this time, you cannot change the narrative. Not this time. This time, I'm speaking directly to the entire world, telling them exactly the kind of person Toni Stark is."

"Miss, you should check Twitter," JARVIS told he, and she quickly pulled out her phone to check.

Conner Hansen MoonMoon29 · 3m

just got chills watching CaptainAmerica defend ToniStark on national television then telling them all to fuck off. What a pure cinnamon roll. #CaptainAmerica4President

Ashley Lee IShouldHaveDiedIn2012 · 2m

Get you a man who loves you as much as CaptainAmerica loves ToniStark #IBelieveInToniStark

Joanna Cheng DoTheHarlemWerk · 1m

Imagine being so done with the media that you hold a conference to tell the world that they need to leave your girlfriend alone CaptainAmerica ToniStark #FuckThePress

"Fuck," she swore herself as she read a few of the tweets. She scrolled through quickly, as more filled her feed by the instant. And she knew then, that as wonderful as it was for Steve to stand up for her, the world was going to run with a whole other story now.

The elevator door opened then as Steve had ended the conference while she read the tweets on her phone.

"Steve," she breathed as she saw him. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

"I told them the truth," he said, looking a little sheepish, "I might have gotten a bit carried away in my wording, but I meant everything I said. You deserve better than to listen to them tear you apart day after day, when you are nothing like they claim you to be. and I would gladly stand up for you today and any other day if it means never having to listen to their garbage ever again."

"They're going to twist this around," she swallowed, "Do you know how many people have already began sending me tweets about this? They're going to make this out to sound like you're in love with me, and nothing else is going to matter. They'll spin this in their favour like they do with everything else."

"Is that really so bad?" he asked her softly, "If they know I care about you? If they knew I had feelings for you? Would that be so bad? Because I do, Toni. I like you. I've liked you for quite some time. I might not love you, not yet. But I could see myself loving you. I could see myself having an entire life with you. You're loud and rash, and intelligent beyond words could begin to explain. You're compassionate, and you never hesitate to put others first. You are the kindest person I know, and I like you, Toni Stark."

She didn't say anything, simply looking in his eyes searchingly. Looking for anything which indicated he was less than honest with his words. Anything which would suggest that he was like all the people in her past who used and abused her.

But she didn't find it.

Not in him.

She took a step forward then, pressing her lips against his as she caught him off guard. But he didn't move away from her. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her in close as his lips moved against hers.

She ran her hands through his hair, and finally, it felt like she could breathe.

She was safe, she was home.

She pulled away from him, a moment later, and his eyes searched hers, looking for regret or anything which would suggest she hadn't been as into it as he was.

"I like you too, Steve," she told him softly, and his eyes lit up brightly, before he pulled her back into a deep kiss.

She knew in that moment, that she'd made the right choice. And that nothing else mattered. So she let herself get lost in the kiss, throwing aside all thoughts of what the world would say or do.


A/N: They finally got together! I really wanted to play with the idea of Steve setting the record straight and them getting together afterwards, and thirty our chapters later I've done it. Also a reader asked a few chapters back if I had an actress in mind for who would play Toni Stark, and I always pictured her as Katie McGrath. What about you guys?