Avengers: United We Stand

by Maestro Hazard

A single choice can have far reaching consequences. On Earth-199999, what we know as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Avengers went their separate ways after the Battle of New York. But this story is about a different Earth. One where the team made a different choice. Welcome to Earth-200K, Where a single choice changes the entire MCU forever.

2. Chapter 2: Moving Pains & Night Terrors

A/N: Hello again. I hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapter. It's honestly a weird feeling for me to not have something to respond to now. I do usually start writing the chapter before the reviews have come in on the previous, but some reviews still come in before I send it off to folks for pre-reading, and I tend to use author notes to address any issues they bring up. Only having a couple of reviews so far, I wonder what you think of the story, or if you're just waiting for more to see how the story goes before commenting. Ah well, I guess I'll find out!

This chapter is a bit of a setup chapter still, but it does begin showing how having the Avengers all together could conceivably begin changing things for the MCU, at least how I see it. Events here are drawn from the Iron Man 3 Prelude comic along with information taken from the Iron Man: The Coming of the Melter comic, with my own ideas built in.

Peace and Out,

Pwn Master Paladin

Chapter Two: Moving Pains and Night Terrors

Steve rounded the corner, weaving around New York traffic as he made his way to Stark Tower. It was amazing what a few months had managed to accomplish. Back at the beginning of May, after the Chitauri had been stopped, he couldn't believe that the clean up would be this fast. Luckily however, thanks in part to SHIELD and Tony co-sponsoring a new department, the Department of Damage Control, the streets had been cleared of all Chitauri tech, and the reconstruction efforts were really speeding along. Considering it was only the first of August now, the amount of progress that had already been made really was extraordinary.

Slowing as he approached the Tower, he pulled off to the side of the road, taking in the sight before him. "Didn't expect that." He looked at the tower entrance, surprise on his face as he pushed the kickstand out and settled on the bike, taking the scene in. In front of the tower were a large group of people, and most of them seemed to be dressed up, in one way or another, as the Avengers. Some of them had fairly accurate looking costumes, with quality varied throughout. Others seemed to be be dressed in revealing versions of the outfits, such as the young woman with curly black hair that was dressed in an Iron Man themed bikini outfit that matched what he had seen from the Stark Expo videos online. He raised an eyebrow, realizing it wasn't just the women in skimpy outfits, as there was a rather muscular young man in a version of his outfit that seemed to have a lot of garter belts on it. His second eyebrow joined the first when another of the males, this one in furs and leggings and not much else, and carrying a hammer with an...interestingly shaped handle, swooped the one in the stars and garters into a deep kiss.

"Offending your tender sensibilities Cap?" Steve turned, the voice less exhausted than the last time he heard it but no less recognizable. Leaning against the wall in civilian clothing instead of her SHIELD uniform, a couple of dufflebags on the ground near her, was Natasha Romanoff. It took Steve a second to be sure, as the massive bubblegum bubble she had blown obscured her face for a moment, but when it popped she was grinning at him, and Steve returned the smile, moving to stand with her. "Not exactly a common sight from the 40's, after all."

"Not as openly no. But that's not what surprised me."

"Oh? Then what's got you shocked? The amount of skin the ladies are showing or the amount the men are?"

"Strike two. You're slipping, Widow. It wasn't either of those things."

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief, nodding at the same young woman in the Iron Man outfit that Steve had noticed earlier. "Call me Natasha. Is it the age then? Some of them are fairly young. I know public displays of affection tend to make people's eye turn away rather than be surprised like you, so I'm pretty sure it's not that."

"Strike three, and you're out, Natasha." Steve nodded towards the mass of people, moving, dancing, cheering, and laughing. "I'm surprised at them all being...dressed as us, I suppose. We were just doing a job."

Natasha let out a snort of laughter, shaking her head in what Steve guessed was surprised disbelief. "Not the answer I was expecting. You really don't get why they are dressed as us?" When Steve just gave her a look, Natasha pushed off the wall, waving an arm out across the city. "It's because of us that the world is still here and not under control of a megalomaniac with daddy issues. We're heroes to them Cap. Much as I hate to say it, and if you ever tell him I said this I will deny it, Tony was right. They rallied around us. Have you seen the PR stuff that Tony has been putting out?"

"Some of it. I've been traveling around the country the last few months, taking in the new world and visiting some of the families of the Commandos that are still around. Even if it was in passing, it was hard not to see it. Talk shows, news reports, even some action figures I think, though I only saw them in passing."

"Yeah. Designed and created by Stark Industries."

Steve shook his head, having seen it but still working on believing it. "What the hell was he thinking?"

"That they would be a good way to keep the positive aspects of the Avengers in the forefront of people's minds." Steve whipped around, hand moving to the side of his bike to grip his shield until he felt Natasha's hand on his arm, restraining him. Another man had come up to the two, taking Steve by surprise, though if the smirk on Natasha's face was anything to go by she had seen or heard whoever it was coming. "Sorry about that. You're Captain Rogers right? And I recognize Miss Rushman. Sorry, I mean Romanoff." The other man stuck his hand out towards Cap, an easy smile on his face. "We haven't been introduced yet. Harry Hogan, though most just call me Happy. I'm the head of Stark Industries security."

Steve relaxed as Natasha gave a minuscule nod, indicating that she recognized the man and that he was on the level. He reached his own hand forward, shaking Happy's hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you Mr. Hogan. What do you mean exactly?"

Happy's smile dropped a bit, his shoulders rising in a shrug. "You may have missed it depending on the news and talk shows you were watching, but despite the good you did, there are some that think that the Avengers and SHIELD should pay for everything, or be folding into the US military, or put in jail, or any number of ideas. Tony put out the toys as a way to counter that. The constant reminder that you guys saved the world every time the commercial for them plays is good press. And, from what I've heard Pepper and Tony talking about, the Heroes of New York toy-line is one of the highest selling products that SI has put out in years. Though Tony was a bit put out that the first wave of the Captain America figure outsold the Iron Man one."

Steve just shook his head, laughing softly as he imagined the ire of the other man at being outsold, even if he was the one making the money from it. Steve turned, looking at the crowd again and realizing that while he may not agree with the action, he couldn't deny the positive effects. The people were on the Avengers side, and he of all people knew the value of public opinion after the USO tours. "And we're supposed to get through that without being spotted or mobbed?"

"No sir. That's what I'm here for. Mr. Stark saw you approaching when he was out for a fly in one of the armors, he sent me out to meet you and invite you to the private entrance to the garage in the back of the Tower. You're welcome to come as well Miss Romanoff."

Steve relaxed, the tension in his shoulders at having to make his way through the crowd releasing at the surprising thoughtfulness of Tony Stark. "That would be appreciated Mr. Hogan. Where should I take the bike to?"

"Happy, please. And just follow me. Tony lets the group up front stay, but the back drive is off limits. The first time they tried to go back there Tony had the ones out front evicted for the day. They quickly learned the limits." Happy nodded towards Natasha bags and she nodded, letting him pick one of them up as she grabbed the other and moved to put them into the back of the car Happy indicated.

Steve moved the kickstand back up and straddled his bike again, and was surprised when he felt Natasha slide in behind him. Looking back behind his shoulder at her he raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry. When she only raised her own in return Steve went for the direct approach. 'Wouldn't you be more comfortable in the back of Mr. Hogan's car?"

"Last time that I was in a car with Happy, he got...distracted. I'd rather not take chances I don't have to." She wrapped her arms around Steve's waist, moving close enough that the balance point of the bike wouldn't be thrown off with the extra rider. "Think you can handle it Captain?"

Steve felt his face flush as she moved closer, but was determined not to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. So he merely shifted, handing her his helmet. "Something tells me that his distraction had to do with you."

"No idea what you mean. It's not my fault that someone stripping in the back of his car made him lose sight of the road." She grinned a decidedly wicked grin as she strapped the helmet on. "Considering Tony is his employer I figured he would be used to it by now."

Steve just shook his head again, moving to follow the car Happy had driven. At first, it looked like they were heading to the back of the Tower, as Happy had indicated, but they passed the entrance way and continued on to a parking garage a couple of blocks over. When they entered, Happy turned away from the ramp leading to the upper levels and instead headed down, swiping a badge to raise a gate to a lower lever. Once he was fully around the corner and out of sight of the levels above, he stopped, facing a plain bit of wall, and Steve felt Natasha tense up behind him, one of her hands moving towards his shield to presumably hand it to him if needed. Before Steve could call out and ask what the deal was, the wall opened, and a hidden passage headed back towards the Tower was revealed. Steve was impressed despite himself and resumed following the car, Natasha relaxing and wrapping her arms around him again as the passage dipped down below the street and then began rising again towards what he presumed was the garage area in the Tower. Sure enough, the passageway opened up to reveal a long line of cars and machines, presumably all Tony Stark's, and the man himself grinning at them from next to the same car he and Bruce had met the other Avengers in during the send off of Loki. As the car stopped and Cap pulled his bike into the spot that Tony indicated, Natasha slid off, taking off the helmet and handing it back to Steve with a nod of thanks.

"Well well, do the Avengers have their first love match? What will birdbrain say for you turning him in for a new model Agent Romanoff? Or are you in one of those non exclusive relationships I hear so much about around the net these days"

Natasha rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and facing down Stark as he approached. "Clint and I were never dating Tony, exclusively or not." She smirked then, eyes showing some mischief as she choose her next words for maximum effect. "And Steve was just...giving me a fast ride."

Steve's tight control slipped and he dropped the helmet in his hands, letting it land on the floor with a loud crash as he blushed again, the helmet rolling over to rest at Tony's feet. He turned to find her directing a smirk at him now, having accomplished getting a rise out of him even as Tony burst out into laughter. "Really Natasha? That's what you give him to work with?"

She shrugged even as Tony collected himself and bent down to pick up the helmet, handing it over towards Steve who took it and put it to rest on the handlebars. "He was going to anyway."

"You know, she's not wrong. But I'll wait for the opportune moment." Tony turned, looking back down the passageway before returning his gaze to the other two Avengers as Happy closed the entrance to the garage. "Just you two? Barton change his mind?"

Natasha shook her head even as she pulled the bags Happy had taken for her out of the back of the car before moving to stand with the other men. "He passed the psych evals and physical qualification, but his direct superiors wanted him to finish a few assignments before he made a final choice one way or another."

Tony shrugged and moved towards the elevators again, the other following behind him. "Fair enough. Just have him give us a heads up so Happy can bring him in like you two were. That parking garage is SI property, and most of the employees of the Tower use it. We'll get you cards to access the bottom level later today. With the cosplay group outside, Pepper decided that a secure, hidden entrance for the Avengers would be a good idea to have. We keep the back entrance as a decoy, and a few times a week I'll drive a car out of it just to make sure the ruse is kept." He stopped talking, watching as Steve pulled a notebook out of his jacket and wrote down the word 'cosplay' on one of the pages. "A notebook? How analog can you get?"

"It helps me keep organized. And don't think that just because I use a notebook means I can't use computers. It's easier to sketch with a pencil and notebook, that's all."

"I'll have to get you one of the Stark tablets anyway, one of the artist variants, and see if I can change your mind. Bruce says hi as well, by the way. He's just in the middle of an experiment and can't stop it until later today, And Rhodey flew out yesterday on assignment." As the doors closed, Tony looked up at the camera in the corner. "Take us up J, first floor of the Avengers section above the Party Deck please."

"As you wish sir."

The elevator began to rise, taking them up in the Tower as Tony started giving them a running commentary. "After the redesign, the Tower is 93 floors, and JARVIS is integrated into the entire building. You have any questions, need directions, the rooms are too hot or too cold, just speak and he'll hear you. Each floor has at least one visual interface to allow JARVIS' visual matrix to appear, but he is everywhere, with control of every camera, computer, and security system. And no, before you ask, while there are cameras everywhere else, your personal bedrooms and bathrooms have no cameras, just audio speakers and receivers triggered by calling for J. The garage you came in is restricted to the Avengers, Happy, and Pepper, but JARVIS can override if needed and you can bring someone in with you if needed as well. Aside from the cars, there's a mini-armory in case we are separated from the one up top, a shooting range, and my suit fabrication and storage bays, plus access to the arc reactor."

Steve nodded as he took the information in, impressed at the security. "And the rest of the tower?"

"The first 68 floors are for Stark Industries, with Pepper and I both having large offices on floor 68. They have everything needed to keep SI running from either coast, though the majority of SI is still run out of California at the moment. There are a few basic living areas there as well, like the ones you stayed in after the battle, and a few labs and research areas that are for SI projects or product planning."

"Like those toy versions of us?"

"Exactly like. Glad you've seen them." Tony either missed the disapproval in Steve's voice or was deciding to ignore it completely. Knowing the man, even as little as he did, Steve figured it was the latter. "But this elevator doesn't even stop on those floors. It's a direct line from the Avengers section to the garage. The Avengers have the top of the tower, starting at floor 69, I thank you." At the end, Tony's voice shifted into a British accent, and he waggled his eyes at Steve, causing the other man to roll his eyes.

Natasha did the same before turning towards Steve. "He's referencing a comedic movie character, a spy named-"

"Austin Powers, yeah. That one I know. One of the nephews of the family I stayed with while traveling across the country was a fan. Thought I might find it funny and easy to relate to since the guy went under cryogenic freezing and had to adjust to the new age he was in too." Steve chuckled at Tony's surprised look. "What, you think I was just going to whine about how things were so much better in my day, maybe refuse to adapt to the modern world?"

"Well...a bit yeah. Anyway, the first 11 floors, 69 through 79, are all lab spaces. Bruce and I both have one, as do a couple of others, namely Erik Selvig and Jane Foster, who live here as well now along with their assistant Darcy Lewis. The other labs are modular and can be adjusted and reconstructed as needs arise. One of them can even serve as a fully functioning operating theater if needed. Floor 80 is mine and Pepper's apartment for when we are living out here. I call it Winterfell. Because there must always be a Stark in Winterfell." Tony turned and regarded Steve again, as if waiting for a reaction.

Steve, in turned, looked over towards Natasha. "That one I didn't get."

"A book series, though he's probably referring to the HBO show that was based on the books. Game of Thrones."

Steve merely nodded and added it to the list as Tony rolled his eyes again at the appearance of the notebook before he continued with the description of the various floors. "The next floor is what I call the Party Deck. It's the overhanging balcony where Loki had the Tesseract portal device set up. Aside from being open air and a great place for parties, hence the name, I redesigned it and modified the structural stability, so it can even hold one of SHIELD's Mobile Ops planes now, thanks to some hidden extendable support struts."

Natasha turned, surprise briefly flashing across her eyes. "One of the airborne mobile command units? I've seen those Stark, even flew in a few. Those things are the size of a Boeing Globemaster."

Tony nodded with a grin. "Yup. The Party Deck is rated for everything up to a fully loaded Lockheed C-5 Galaxy now, though anything that wants to use it will need VTOL ability. I'm working on getting us a Quinjet, or just building one myself, but when Fury called and asked for the Stark Industries specs on the old mobile command units in preparation for upgrading them, I decided to make sure that, if needed, we could have one land here. It also has disassembly rigs that will work with my armors or the War Machine armor for Rhodey, even if the suits are designed not to need disassembly now and we can just step out and in them as needed."

As the elevator reached its destination and opened out onto a vast living area, Tony stepped out, waving his arms around the room. "This floor, 82, and the remaining ones are all living areas and planning rooms. This common area stretches up through the rest of the Tower, and as you can see, it gives us one hell of a view."

Steve could only nod, staring out at the New York skyline. The artist in him itched to pick up a pen and paper right that moment and capture the way the light reflected off the skyscrapers as the sun began it's descent. The various hues of silver, gold, blue, purple, red, and pink as the clouds refracted the light through the air and then reflected it across the metal and glass painted a beautiful tableau that he longed to capture. But there would be time for that. Shifting his bag over his shoulder again he turned towards Tony, indicating the doors he could see on the other side of the room. "And bedrooms through there?"

"That's actually the kitchen area, and next to it is the armory. I know that most of us will keep some of our stuff at hand, but for the rest there's plenty of space. This way to the bedrooms." Tony walked around the side of the elevator and Steve followed, feeling Natasha doing the same as Tony led them towards another area. "Each level is set up depending on what I thought we might need. There are a few unassigned rooms, some bigger, some smaller. And if you don't like what we have set up or think you'll need more space just let Pepper or JARVIS know, we can figure out what to change or where to move you. Some of them are already claimed though. Like Rhodey's, since it has a separate, smaller balcony complete with its own disassembly rig"

Tony nodded to the first door they came to but passed by it, heading for one a bit further along. "That's Bruce's room there. But of you two, Widow's room is the first up." Pointing out the specific door, he looked over towards Natasha, smirking as his eyes flicked between her and Steve. "Ladies first. I would say age before beauty, but then Cap would win either way."

Rolling her eyes at Tony, she moved past Steve and pushed the door open. Tony gave Cap a push from where Steve had stopped, trying to work out if Tony had complimented or insulted him with that last statement, and the two men followed her in, looking around the room. The walls were a calming pale gray, with the curtains, bedspreads, and furniture accenting the room with their black wood-grain finish. Along one wall was an enormous vanity mirror and dresser, with accent lighting and a few empty wig stands, and on the other side of the vanity was a door that Steve presumed was a private bathroom. Natasha had set her bags down on the queen sized bed and then gone into the closet, which Steve could tell was enormous, even from his vantage point. Natasha stepped out and seemed genuinely surprised. "I wasn't exactly expecting this."

Tony shrugged, absently tapping at something on his phone. "What? You're a spy. I figured you would need a place that could store various disguises and outfits, plus the vanity for applying makeup and styling your hair. I remember those bouncy curls you used as Natalie." Tapping one last command in he gestured towards the bedside table. "Press your palm against the upper right corner."

Natasha raised an eyebrow but moved to do as instructed, and once her palm was flat against it a hidden screen activated, a green light scanning from the tip of her fingers down to the edge of her palm. A soft click sounded and the entire bedside table swung out, along with a portion of the wall, revealing a hidden safe. "Figure you'll want to keep a few weapons close at hand, just in case. That scanner will only work for you, and anyone you program in. Just have them press against the same area when the door is open and it will add their palm print to the accepted list. JARVIS can delete access as well, just press your palm against it and say what name you want deleted, he'll do the rest."

Natasha moved towards her bags and removed a pair of pistols and then lifted her sleeves to remove her taser wrist guards, what Steve had heard her call the Widow's Bite, and then placed them into the safe after checking to make sure they were cleared and unloaded. Once she had closed the door, the latches securing with a muted thunk, she tugged on the bedside table, finding it wouldn't budge at all. Satisfied that her equipment was secure, she turned back and nodded, a satisfied look on her face. "Thank you Stark."

"Eh, don't mention it. Come on. Cap's next." Without another word Tony turned and walked out. Steve shared a look with Natasha before following the man again, curious about what his room might look like. Natasha's had been thoughtfully put together, in a way that Steve hadn't expected from the eccentric billionaire. It raised his opinion of the other man a bit more, at least until Tony waved him into the room that he assumed was his.

Then that opinion dropped again.

All across the room were memorabilia from his time as an USO show leader. The comics. The recruitment posters. Even the bedspread was based on the cover of the first comic that had been put out that showed him punching Hitler. The muted horror he felt was only increased as Tony flicked on the lights, and "Star Spangled Man With a Plan" began to play. Trying to put the best face he could on it, and intending to speak with Miss Potts at the first chance he could, he turned, plastering a fake grin on his face. "It's...something all right. Thanks."

Rather than any reaction he would have expected, Tony collapsed into a laughing fit, leaning against the door frame to support himself. Every time Tony managed to get control of himself, he caught Steve's eyes and dissolved into another bout of laughter, until finally, he was able to get his act together. "Oh man. Your face. Oh that was perfect. Totally worth the money to get this set up."

Steve sank onto the bed in relief. "Oh thank goodness."

Tony merely continued to chuckle before he gestured for the other two to follow him out of the room and up a flight of stairs to the next level. "Have a little faith in me Rogers. After seeing Widow's room, did you really think that I would design something like that for you as anything other than a joke?"

Steve merely raised an eyebrow as they approached another set of rooms. "Honestly, I think the shock of it was more effective than anything else. Promise me you didn't take any pictures of that, or if you did, that they won't be put up anywhere public."

Tony grinned and opened the next set of doors. "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies. Here's your actual rooms."

Steve was about to ask about the pictures again when the sight of the room caught his eye, and any thoughts of pictures of his surprise went out of his mind. The walls of the room were a dark shade of blue, and the furniture was all wood tone. It seemed to be the same size room as Natasha's, though where she had the vanity mirror set, along his wall was a window that faced a different direction than the one in the main common area, allowing a different though no less spectacular view of the skyline. A desk nearby held a computer and phone along with a stuffed leather chair which Steve could already imagine turning into a reading corner, or perhaps move towards the windows and make an art nook. When he looked at the phone he was pleasantly surprised to discover it was a rotary phone rather than one of the ones that had touch screens and no actual buttons or dials. The computer itself seemed to be a bit bigger than he was used to seeing from modern computers, and he turned towards Tony, nodding at the equipment in silent inquiry.

"A few years ago there was a market for retro tech. I found some older shells and gutted them, then added the latest Stark tech to it. Those will run as fast and work as well as anything in the modern market, but Pepper thought you might appreciate the feel of the old tech until you had gotten used to modern stuff. But, if you have a better grasp than we thought, we can get you modern equipment too."

Steve shook his head, setting his bag on the bed as he turned back towards the other two. "No, but thank you Tony. This is much better. I felt like I might break some of the stuff I saw out there. Tell Miss Potts thank you for me as well."

"Don't mention it. Your bedside table has a weapon safe as well, though if what my dad said about his time with you and the Commandos was true you''ll probably never be too far from that shield unless you have to be, so there is a place to hook it there at the top of the bed's headboard." Tony cracked his knuckles and pulled out his tablet again, tapping away as he talked. "You two get settled, I've got work to do in the labs. Food's in the common area, or JARVIS has a list of takeout places that we've vetted as well."

Steve nodded and began unpacking his bag even as Natasha turned and headed back towards her rooms intent on doing the same, when Tony made no move to follow her, Steve just waited until Tony had finished whatever he was doing with the tablet. A slip of paper printed out of from the tablet and Tony moved to hand it to him. Steve looked down and saw a rather sizable dollar amount written on it, and raised an eyebrow at Tony. "You billing me for living here?"

"More like paying you. That's the money Stark Industries owes you for the use of your name and likeness for the Heroes of New York toys." Steve looked down again at the number, and then back to Tony. "What, you think I was keeping it all for myself? I've got Widow's here as well, I'll drop it off on my way to the labs. Bruce already has his. And Barton's I'll keep adding to until he gets here. Speaking of, you want checks, cash, or should we set you up a bank account for the rest of the royalties as people buy them?"

Steve just shook his head, moving the slip back towards Tony. "I appreciate the thought Tony, but I don't need this."

"Oh come on Cap. Use the money so you can decide what you want to do for yourself. I know Fury wants you to work for SHIELD. This way you have options."

Steve shook his head again. "No, Tony. Seriously. I don't need it. I'm covered." Seeing the other man raise his own eyebrow in disbelief, Steve smirked. "When I was traveling, I found out that Howard and Peggy had taken the money I had made from the various image fees and appearances, plus my salary as an Army Captain, and invested it in various things, including Stark Industries. I'm not as rich as you, but I'm well off enough. Even with how high prices are now, I could live 30 years off what I have right now, and the money is still building interest. Give it to charity or keep it as my thanks for putting this together."

The nonplussed look had returned to Tony's face, and though he wouldn't admit it out loud, Steve privately thought that it was hilarious on the other man's features. Finally, Tony seemed to pick up that Steve was amused at his expense and just shrugged. "Compromise. I'll have JARVIS pull together a list of charities and you can pick one or more to donate it to, that way I don't have to feel guilty about continuing to use your face to sell my toys. Any particular area you want to donate to?"

Steve thought about it, before his thoughts turned back towards the ideas he had earlier about the arts and reading corners he might want to create. "Are there any good art foundations you can recommend, or maybe a few libraries? They were a refuge for me during the Depression and I always wanted to give back if I could."

"J, you get that?"

"Affirmative sir. Captain Rogers, I will have a list ready for your perusal shortly. Should I sort them by any other parameters?"

Steve turned at the unexpected voice before he remembered that Tony had said JARVIS had audio speakers and receivers in the bedrooms as well. "Um...Ones that if I donate the money to them, I can see what projects the money goes into. I don't want someone to pocket it when it's meant to help people. And if you could, check for any in Brooklyn specifically as well?"

"Understood sir. I shall do background checks and research and have a set of options ready for you on your terminal in the morning."

"I appreciate it JARVIS." Steve turned back towards where Tony had been, only to see he had left the room while Steve and JARVIS had been talking. Shaking his head, he began unpacking his bag and moving to put things away. "There's a lot more to Tony Stark than I thought."

"I find that most people who get to know Mister Stark, or rather, most people that Mister Stark allows to get to know him, feel the same sir. Shall I order you something for dinner?"

Steve shook his head before remembering there were speakers but no cameras, and instead answered aloud even as he moved towards the door. "No thank you JARVIS. I'll see what is available in the kitchen."

"Very good sir. And, as Mister Stark seems to have forgotten, allow me to say welcome home."

UWSUWSUWSUW

Natasha snapped awake, instantly alert as she took in her surroundings, her hand reaching under her pillow for the throwing dagger she had hidden there. The room was silent, the light from the streets below filtering up through the air and cast an LED glow across the room. She waited, taking silent, shallow breaths as she listened for what had awoken her. As she waited, she realized it wasn't a sound that had awoken her, but a feeling. A subtle vibration, not enough to move anything but enough that she had felt it through the floor and bed, repeating at regular intervals.

She moved towards the weapon safe, activating the controls and reaching in as soon as she could clear the swinging door and grabbed her guns and Widow's Bite. Checking the charge on the latter and loading the former, she ghosted out of her room, silently walking down towards the common area to see if she could determine the source of the vibration. As she reached the common room she listened, hearing someone moving out of her sight. She focused on the windows themselves, using the light and angle to try and get a reflection, until she was able to make out a familiar shape. Stepping around the corner she called out, getting the other man's attention. "You feel it too Cap?"

Steve turned, the shield ready to be launched until his reflexes caught up with his hearing and he recognized Natasha. Relaxing slightly, until the next subtle vibration had both of them tense again, he nodded at her. "Whatever is making that vibration woke me up."

"Same. Any idea what it might be?"

"That would be Tony." Natasha turned, raising her guns as Steve readied his shield again. The two relaxed as the one who had spoken stepped fully into the light, revealing it to be none other than Bruce Banner with his hands slightly raised. "Easy you two. The Other Guy likes you both, but he'd still come out if he felt threatened."

Steve relaxed, lowering his shield as Natasha put the safeties on her weapons again, slipping them into her holsters. "Dr. Banner. Those vibrations are Tony's work?"

Bruce relaxed as well, nodding and motioning the two over towards the couches along the window. "JARVIS told me you two were up and about, and he figured there was a reason. Tony mostly soundproofed his work station downstairs, but the vibrations still travel through. I guess because of your enhanced senses Captain, and because of you being...well, you, Agent Romanoff, that the vibrations were enough to wake you. I've gotten used to them, so have Jane, Darcy, and Erik."

Natasha sat on the armrest of the couch as Steve and Bruce sat down in chairs across from her. She looked around, locating a clock display that she could read and then raised an eyebrow at Bruce. "He's working on something at 3:43 in the morning? That's a late night, even for him."

Steve turned, looking at the clock himself before turning back towards Bruce, the need for an explanation in his eyes. "Care to fill us in Doctor?"

Bruce reached up, taking his glasses off and rubbing the bridge of his nose as he seemed to be choosing his words. "After the invasion, when we were first getting settled, Tony would disappear down to the garage a lot. We were still settling in ourselves so we didn't pay much mind to it at first. But at one point, Colonel Rhodes came up from the workshop and asked me if I had seen what Tony had been doing. Turns out, that he had been working on armors. A lot of them. He seemed to be nearly obsessed with making them, to the point that no one could get him to sleep, except Pepper, and even she isn't successful all the time. It's like he's afraid to stop and rest. And he won't talk about whatever is bothering him, to anyone, Pepper and JARVIS included."

Natasha wondered what could have affected Stark so much, as even when he thought he was dying he listened to and cared about Pepper. Before she could ask though, Steve slumped down, his own hand reaching up to mirror the motion that Bruce was doing as he rubbed his own forehead. "Of course."

"You have some insight here Steve?"

Steve nodded, leaning back against the back of the seat. "I think that, for all the bravado and sarcasm that Tony has cloaked himself in, and the suits he wears, either the armors or Armani, we forget that he's not used to this life."

Natasha turned, giving Cap her full attention as Bruce did the same. "He's been Iron Man for a long time Steve. Four years."

"And in those four years, how much help has he gotten for what comes after the fight?"

The question cut through Natasha's mind and she mentally reviewed everything that she had learned about Tony while she was undercover at Stark Industries and after the battle with Vanko and the Stark Expo. "He's been debriefed each time, by Coulson or Fury himself, if that's what you mean."

"I'm not talking about debriefing Natasha. I'm talking about the mental scars that come from fighting for your life and the life of others." Steve looked at the two of them, catching their eyes in turn as Natasha thought about what he was saying. "I saw it with the Commandos. After I broke them out of the HYDRA work camp, some of the men refused to sleep. They had seen what HYDRA was capable of, and it terrified them because when they went to sleep, their nightmares made them believe they were still in the camp. Eventually we got them some help and they were able to either put it behind them, or if they weren't, then Peggy arranged for them to be sent back home to get the help they need. We called it shell shock, but one of the families I visited said it was called something else now. Acute anxiety disorder, or in worse cases-"

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Natasha finished Cap's thought for him as the pieces fell into place. For all the brash and bold front that Tony put on, she couldn't believe that she, or Coulson when he was alive, or Fury, hadn't connected the dots. "He was a civilian. He got kidnapped by the Ten Rings and since then he's had to fight for his life multiple times, and nearly died on at least five occasions that I can think of. "

Bruce nodded as well, taking in what the other two were saying. "It makes sense. Right now, I think it would be more acute anxiety rather than PTSD. I'm not that type of doctor, never had the temperament for it even before Hulk, but after the accident I read up as much as I could, hoping that there might be something I could use to help restrain or control him, so I know a little bit. But if he doesn't talk to someone soon, then it may devolve."

Natasha nodded as if to herself and headed back towards the elevator, hearing the other two stand in surprise as she moved away from them. Steve called out as she pressed the call button. "Natasha? Where are you going?

Either because the elevator had already been there from Bruce coming up from his lab, or JARVIS anticipating her need, the doors opened almost instantly. As she stepped in and turned back towards the other two men, she smirked at them. "You said he needs to talk. I'm good at getting people to do that. Garage please JARVIS."

"As you wish ma'am."

As the doors closed, she let out a small chuckle at the look on Steve and Bruce's face before she started planning what she was going to say and how she was going to say it. Realizing that she had been ignoring a resource, she turned towards the camera in the elevator, directing her comments towards it. "JARVIS? You keep an eye on things here, have you been watching out for Tony too?"

"At the request of Miss Potts, and my own concern for his well-being, yes, I have."

"And your conclusion?"

"After reviewing the past few months of data in light of Captain Rogers hypothesis, I believe the Captain to be correct. His behavior has been outside of parameters and more in-line with his actions when he was suffering from palladium poisoning. I checked his physical well being and aside from the damage done from lack of sleep he seemed to be in good health. None of us considered that he might be hiding something mentally wrong."

"Stark is good at that. Distracting you from the things he doesn't want you to see. And with those new subroutines Pepper insisted on, I can imagine him hiding it from you as well to make sure you didn't override him." As the elevator descended, she ran through scenarios in her mind, until she had come down to two options to get what she wanted. "How has Pepper been taking it?"

"Miss Potts has been worried, and is currently upstairs, awake herself and awaiting Mr. Stark's return. Shall I ask her to join you?"

Natasha shook her head, her course of action decided with that last bit of intel. "I need him to drop his defenses. When it comes to me and Tony Stark, there's only one way to do that, and Pepper doesn't need to see it. But, if you could have her head to the common area, I think she will want to see Tony when we are done if things go how I want. When I get in there, can you lock it down until we have finished?"

"I can, especially as I now believe that to not do so would be detrimental to Mister Stark's health and well being."

"Thank you."

"It is I who should be thanking you Agent Romanoff."

"Thank me when it works." The elevator reached the bottom floor, and here the vibrations were more pronounced. She took a moment to memorize the pattern of them and then walked forward towards the armor fabrication area Tony had mentioned in their brief tour earlier. She saw him through the soundproofed glass, his back turned away from her and towards the armor that was currently being made. She took her guns out of their holsters and set them on the hood of one of Stark's cars, leaving the Widow's Bites on, just in case.

Once she was ready, she waited for the next set of vibrations and entered the room, using the sound as cover to hide her entrance and JARVIS locking down the armor area. When the machinery stopped, she waited just another moment before making her presence known. "Late night again Stark?"

Tony whipped around, the wrench in his hand being raised almost reflexively into a guard position as his wild eyes searched for the source of the voice. Taking in his appearance as he got himself back under control, Natasha noticed the bags under his eyes, the way he was breathing hard at the unexpected noise in his lab, the way his hand was tensed and shaking as it held the wrench like a weapon. All of it disappeared in a matter of seconds, but for someone like her, those seconds may as well have been an eternity.

"Romanoff. What are you doing down here? I know spies keep odd hours but still." Tony narrowed his eyes at her, and Natasha could practically see his thoughts racing as his grip tightened again, this time in suspicion and anger. "Or is that why you are here? Spying on me for Fury again?"

Natasha shook her head, leaning back against one of the work stations. "No spying, for Fury or otherwise."

"As if you would tell me if you were."

Natasha shrugged, not denying the point. "Believe what you want. I can tell you that he objected to the idea of me staying here. Barton too. He didn't order us not to, but he made his objections known."

Tony scoffed and set the wrench down, crossing his arms in front of his chest defensively. "Of course he did. Let me guess, the old cyclops doesn't trust me, he's worried that I'll do something that gets someone hurt?"

"Along with other concerns, yes." Natasha didn't elaborate, merely shifting her weight and keeping her eyes on Stark, mentally deciding her plan of attack to get what she wanted while he turned away from her, trying to hide the hurt that comment caused but not being fast enough to do so. "I decided that I wanted to be here despite them, and Nick rarely orders me not to do something, unless it will interfere with other missions."

"Oh yes. Because we get along so well. Come on Romanoff. What's your angle?"

Natasha shook her head, going for the honest truth for once. "No angle for living here. After the Chitauri, the world is changing. Clint and I need to change with it. This seemed like the best place to do that." She watched as his shoulders seemed to relax again, and decided to prod a bit, needing him to react a certain way if she had any hope of doing what she wanted. "Even with you here."

His shoulders tensed again immediately, his hand on the wrench going into a white knuckle grip. His voice was low as he spoke, not even turning around to face her. "And what the hell does that mean?"

Natasha waited a half moment, choosing her words for their best effect. "You tend to attract chaos Stark, and revel in the limelight that the destruction around you brings. Never satisfied with anything but center stage. Like I put in my report, classic narc-"

"Narcissist. I remember. I remember every damn word "

Tony still hadn't turned around, but Natasha could read his tone just as well as his face. He was right on the edge. He just needed another little push. "Of course you did, it was all about you. It's a wonder Pepper even stays-"

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING HER INTO THIS!" She was cut off again, this time by Tony rounding on her with his eyes blazing as he slammed his tools down on the table and moved right in front of Natasha's face. "You have no right. Not after the Expo. You abandoned her and she nearly died. You left her there. I trusted you to look after her, even after I found out you were spying on me, and you LEFT HER ALONE!"

Natasha leaned back, unafraid and unfazed. "And got you your best friend back. You'd have died if I hadn't overwritten Vanko's code. You're welcome, by the way." Natasha raised an eyebrow, figuring that Tony would brush aside her comments in his anger.

To her surprise though, he didn't. "Fair point. And yes, thank you for that. But you still don't get it. Even if I had fixed the palladium problem by that fight, I had resigned myself to dying already, and everything I did was about making sure she'd be safe! Letting Rhodey take the armor, giving her the CEO position at SI, drawing the drones away from the attack. It was all to protect her, and you just left her behind. So which one of us doesn't think about others Widow?"

That one stung a bit, as she genuinely liked Pepper, but Natasha didn't let it show. Instead, she just raised an eyebrow and pushed Tony out of her face. "Sit down Stark, before I make you sit down. Everything you do is for selfish reasons. Even inviting us all to live here. You want your people safe because you can't handle losing them."

Tony merely glared, not backing down. "And there it is. That self righteous belief that you know me so well. Well then tell me Widow, why am I down here? If you know me so well, what is keeping me up here making all these armors huh?" Tony leaned back at her and smirked, daring her to tell him what she thought.

Natasha almost let a smirk out as she thought 'Got you', but instead she merely nodded, and told Tony, once again, the unvarnished truth. "You're terrified." Before Tony could interrupt, she raised a hand, silencing him with a motion as she continued speaking. "You said it yourself. We are outgunned. You want to keep those you care for safe. But you want to keep others safe too. Your weapons caused massive damage to innocent lives and you feel responsible, even if you had no idea what Stane was doing. So you became Iron Man to make amends. But now it's not enough. People are placing responsibility on your shoulders. They trust Iron Man. They trust the Avengers. But you know that there are things out there stronger than us. Things that could take everything away. You see it, when you dream. So you stay awake, you work yourself to exhaustion. You come up with plans and designs and hope that when you finally rest, your imagination will have been so exhausted that your nightmares will have nothing new to work with, because your memories are bad enough."

Tony's jaw had dropped about halfway through, and as Natasha finished, he slumped backwards, landing in a chair that DUM-E had rolled over behind him. It took him a moment to collect himself, a moment Natasha let him have in silence, before he finally spoke. "You played me." Natasha nodded, not bothering to deny it. Tony narrowed his eyes before they widened again, and when he spoke his voice was no longer tinged with anger, but instead disbelief and a bit of hope. "You know." Natasha nodded again, already knowing what was coming next. "How?"

She moved, nodding as DUM-E and U brought over another chair for her as well, before settling her eyes back on Tony. "I'll tell you how, but you have to make a promise to me. You're going to hear about a place, a dangerous place. Don't look it up. Don't have JARVIS hunt down information on it. Let it stay buried where it belongs, in the past. Swear on anything and everything you hold dear, and then, I'll tell you." Once he nodded, Natasha started speaking again, looking at Tony without really seeing him as she became lost in memory. "You've heard me say I've got Red in my ledger. This place is why it's there. I was trained in a Russian program known as the Red Room. It was part of the Russian special forces teams, a counter to the SSR that they had witnessed from America in WWII with the Howling Commandos. Specialist operatives, typically women but not always, that were trained as master spies and assassins. We learned ballet, both as a cover and as physical training, along with languages, marksmanship, espionage, seduction, anything and everything we might need to complete the Mission."

Natasha's voice turned scornful on that last word, and she was vaguely aware of Tony raising an eyebrow in surprise, even as the faces that haunted her nightmares flashed through her mind as she spoke. "I was one of the best operatives ever to come out of that program. I was the Black Widow long before I was found by SHIELD, and I was damn good at it. Men and women both tended to give me what the mission required and then suffered accidents. I was trained, though now I know it was brainwashing, to not think of any of them as people. They were only objectives. There may even be more innocent blood on my hands than you think is on yours."

Tony leaned forward then, and surprising them both, offered her a way out. "You don't have to tell me this."

"Yes, I do." Natasha collected herself and leaned back, her focus on him rather than her past once more. "Once SHIELD sent Clint after me...he saw something in me. Brought me to one of their facilities and got me learning SHIELD protocols under a supervisory officer. I went along, at first because I thought I could bring intel on SHIELD back to the Red Room to make up for not finishing the mission Clint interrupted. This S.O. though...she either saw the same thing Clint did or knew what to look for and how to use it. She broke me down, showed me the consequences of my actions in a way that no one in the Red Room ever would. Destruction, upheaval, death. Not just of my targets, but others completely unrelated. Men, women, children..." Here Natasha's voice choked up, and she took a deep breath, regaining the calm that she desperately needed. "Like I said. I know that memories are enough to give you nightmares."

Tony nodded, seeing for once that Natasha was being completely honest and not hiding anything. "This supervisory officer, she still around? I wouldn't mind meeting her, if she had this much of an effect."

Natasha shook her head, grateful that Tony wasn't bringing up her loss of control. "She's retired from field work now. But, what's important, is what happened next. I threw myself into missions for SHIELD, just like you did in making these armors. I didn't sleep unless I had no choice. I took mission after mission. Some, especially the Council, thought I was just doing it to prove myself. But my S.O. and Coulson both figured it out. She had him pull me from activity duty for a while, and brought me out into the world without a mission in mind. This time, she showed me what it meant to be a good person, not just a good asset. That yes, there are monsters in the dark, and they have to be stopped. But that doesn't give us the right to become one ourselves. That people are what's important. Not just the Mission."

Tony rested his chin on his hand, nodding in agreement even as he parsed what she had said. "You said your S.O. knew what you were doing, and it wasn't proving yourself. What was it?"

"I was looking to atone, and possibly die." Tony nearly fell out of his chair at that, and Natasha couldn't help but smirk at the flail he made to stay in the seat. It was a fleeting, but it was a needed moment of levity in such a discussion. "I didn't want to kill myself, but I knew that wouldn't make up for what I'd done. The only thing I could think of doing was take the riskier missions that were vital but dangerous, and if I died on one of those missions then so be it. Price to pay for my sins."

She let that sink in for a moment, the two sitting in silence before she continued. "When she helped me get over myself, I dedicated my life to the ideal that Coulson expressed was the foundation of SHIELD. Protection, for everyone, and every one. It's actually why I was so scathing in my review of you. You were feeling the same guilt I was, blaming yourself for what Stane had done, and instead of trying to help others, all I saw was you protecting your legacy and name." As Tony began rolling his eyes and starting to get defensive again, she spoke three words that she knew would knock the fight out of him. "I was wrong."

Tony had already raised his hand, one finger extended to catch her attention and his mouth open to counter her words, but that last admission left him floundering, his mouth opening and closing like a fish for a moment before he was able to form a question. "...Say that again?"

"I was wrong. In my experience, people don't really change unless something drastic happens. And even though you had been through something drastic, you resumed your flamboyant, attention seeking image right after." Here her voice turned a bit sarcastic as she recalled the press conference after the events with Stane. "Instead of what you were supposed to say, you decided to ignore it for, what I thought was your own aggrandizement. 'I am Iron Man'. I'm surprised Fury didn't read you the riot act then and there."

Tony smirked, some of his confidence being restored at the reminder of the chaos his proclamation had caused. "He did, later that night. Worth it though."

Natasha raised her own finger, pointing it directly into Tony's face. "That. That right there. That was the attitude that made me think you hadn't changed. And so my report was biased through that view. But now, after carrying that nuke through the portal and seeing all this?" She waved her hand around the fabrication bay even as she caught the wince at the reminder of the trip through the portal, adding it to her mental file in support of what Steve had said. "After that, and this, I have a different theory. Rogers said you would never make the sacrifice play. But that's not true. It's not that you don't care about anything but yourself. It's that you think nothing of yourself, so the sacrifice play is the only one your ever prepared to make."

Tony was about to snark back at her, she could tell by the way he moved. She didn't say anything, merely raising her eyebrow and daring him to lie to her. Finally, he sat back and deflated, speaking softly. "Iron Man yes, Tony Stark no."

Natasha tilted her head, recognizing the final assessment she had made and knowing what he meant by it, but playing as if she didn't, needing that last bit to get him to talk. "Come again?"

"Your report. Iron Man yes, Tony Stark no. I offered to work for SHIELD, and Fury declined. He didn't want me, only my ideas. Story of my life, with the exception of Pepper. Even Rhodey, when I offered to bring him in on Iron Man before I was even calling it that, he told me to stop talking and get my mind right, and come back when I had some ideas to present to the DOD. At first, I was willing to let it go. I was Iron Man, I could handle anything. But then the Chitauri happened. And now..." Tony sighed, tilting his head back while Natasha stayed silent, waiting for him to admit what she knew already. "Now, I know I can't do it alone."

"Hence inviting us here. And the obsessive creation of all the armors?"

Tony glared at her halfheartedly. "You know already. Keep the nightmares away."

"Yes, but there's more than that. And just like my S.O. made me say it out loud, I want you to as well. It helps Tony. Trust me."

Tony huffed and was silent a moment before finally nodding, accepting that, based on what she had said earlier, she would know what she was talking about. "I can't let this stop me. I can't let it affect me as much as it is. Because the minute I show any weakness, that I stop being the Invincible Iron Man, everything will fall apart, and I'll be left alone again, and I can't do what I need to alone. Not anymore. If I'm going to keep people safe, keep Pepper and Rhodey and Happy safe, and you and the team safe to watch out for everyone when I can't, I have to be alright."

Natasha nodded, before reaching out slowly, knowing his aversion to being touched unexpectedly. He tensed but didn't pull away, and she spoke as she placed her hand on top of his. "But, you're not alright."

Tony didn't react, and Natasha knew this was the final moment, where he could admit it and they could potentially get him help, or hide away again. Finally, he turned his hand over and squeezed hers in return. "No. I'm not."

"Want to know how to be?"

"Please." The was such raw desperation in that single word that it seemed to surprise Tony even as he said it, but he didn't look away from Natasha's gaze.

"Talk. Talk to Pepper, to us. If that doesn't help, I'll get SHIELD to send someone down that's trained for it, someone who I'll vet to make sure they won't breach confidentiality agreements. You try to internalize it and keep it hidden like I did, and you'll only wind up hurting those you're trying to help. Pepper especially."

Tony straightened at that, his attention laser sharp once more as he removed his hand from hers. "What do you mean? She's asleep. I waited till she drifted off before coming down here so she wouldn't worry."

Rather than answer, Natasha turned towards one of the workstations, calling out as she did. "JARVIS, where is Pepper now?"

"Currently, Miss Potts is talking with Dr. Banner and Captain Rogers in the common area. She arrived shortly after you made your way into the garage, Agent Romanoff."

"What? But...J, was she ever asleep?"

"No sir, I don't believe so. She began moving about your chambers a few moments after you began work."

Tony gaped, then began moving towards the doors, stopping only when the lockdown JARVIS had initiated kept the door closed despite his attempts to open it. "Open up J, now."

"Has Agent Romanoff made it clear that hiding from us is not the way to go about things, sir?"

Tony huffed, before turning, glaring without any real heat at Natasha. "You turned my AI against me."

Natasha scoffed and stood, moving towards the door herself. "Like I could. JARVIS is on your side Tony, even when you yourself aren't. So, listen to the voices of reason. Are you going to follow my advice, preferably starting with Pepper tonight?"

Tony huffed again, but then nodded. "Yes. And I don't say this often, but thanks."

"You're welcome."

The silence after that stretched for a moment before JARVIS unlocked the door, allowing them both to leave. "Don't tell anyone I said that. It would ruin my image. Matter of fact, JARVIS? Delete all security footage and audio for the garage from the time Natasha exited the elevator until now."

"As you wish sir."

Natasha merely smirked, noticing that he had used her first name for once instead of her last. Maybe, by coming down to help him, she had started healing the breech between her and him as well. Time would tell. She knew if she pointed it out though it would set things back, so she merely moved into the elevator with him. Part of getting people to talk, after all, was knowing when to be silent yourself.

A/N Mark II: And that's a wrap. I didn't get quite as far with this chapter as I originally intended, so I'll have to make some changes to my next chapter plans, mainly a scene or two with Pepper that I wanted to include in this one but it's a monster enough as it is. I think I can work the scenes I wanted into a flashback sequence near the beginning of next time, before moving on to the meat of the chapter, the events of Iron Man 3.

Just a reminder, I'm focusing on the events of the MCU as it relates to the people on the Avengers roster and living at Avengers tower. That does NOT mean however, that I am ignoring the events of the rest of the MCU that are happening. For example, the fact that Coulson is alive is unknown to the team, so they will be referring to him in the past tense. Will that fact change? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out. There will be changes. Small at first, little things that set off medium things. I can tell you that, by the time we get to Winter Soldier and the fall of SHIELD, the MCU as you know it will be VASTLY changed.

Peace and Out,

Pwn Master Paladin