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"Hi Pepper," Aria greeted, flashing a smile to her friend.
"Do you want to know what I did for your brother today?" She asked with a hint of disgust in her tone.
"Nope! What you and Tony do in private is really none of my business," the young woman cringed.
"It wasn't that," Pepper responded, holding Tony's old arc reactor in her hand.
"Wasn't that keeping him alive? Pepper! What's going on?" Aria demanded.
"This is the old one. He built a new one and had me pull a chord out of his chest," she explained in disgust. "Next time you are doing it."
"As fun as that sounds I vote send him to the hospital for that," Aria laughed as she slipped up the stairs and into her room.
The day had been a whirlwind of emotions: Tony coming home, him shutting down the weapons division, Obadiah freaking out and flying to New York for a board meeting, becoming a contract employee of a secret organization her father helped fund, and her friend sticking her hand into her brother to swap out the thing keeping him alive. A small giggle escaped from her lips from remembering how Obadiah looked after her meeting with Agent Phil Coulson. Aria was heading down to the cafeteria when she spotted him. He had been flipping the furniture over in his office and was stuck on his desk. She had watched how he tried in vain but couldn't get it to budge. Obadiah had looked ridiculous with his shirt untucked and his tie on the floor across the room next to just one of his shoes.
Aria had never been overly fond of Obadiah. When her parents were killed in a car accident, Obadiah became her legal guardian. The first chance he got, he sent her to a boarding school in the UK. She didn't return to Malibu until after she graduated from MIT at 17.
Around four hours later, Aria finally cracked her eyes open. She slipped into a pair of soffe shorts and a tank top. Aria padded through the house and down to the garage, after hearing an loud commotion when she was in the kitchen.
"Tony? What are you building?" Aria asked.
"Oh hey, you're awake. Uh, it's a project of mine," he responded.
"Yeah, I can see that it's a project. What is it? Don't tell me it's a new weapon because you basically told the world you're done with weapons," she pressed, knowing he'll have to let her know what he was doing.
"It's not a weapon," Tony sighed, knowing he'd have to explain what he was building. "I escaped my captivity in a suit that I built, with help from another. I wanted to rebuild it but with a more sleek and efficient design."
Aria looked at her brother. She noticed the bags under his eyes and how exhausted he looked.
"Is this how you're dealing? Are you okay?" She frowned.
Tony sighed, "yes, this is how I'm dealing. I need to do this."
"Alright. No more weapons though," Aria smirked, pulling her brother into a hug.
"Deal," he smirked. "Oh and keep this a secret. Only you, me, and Pepper know about this. Possible Rhodey might be let in."
"So no Obie?" She replied.
"No Obie or Stark Industries," Tony confirmed.
Pepper had been sitting on the couch with Aria, over looking important financial documents of the last fiscal quarter. The two had papers spread about and their tablets near by for quick research of current stock prices.
"Mr. Stane is at the door. Shall I let him in?" JARVIS asked the pair.
"Yes," Pepper replied, not looking up from a packet of stapled papers in her hand.
"Hey Obadiah. How'd it go?" Aria inquired, wiping one of the lenses of her glasses.
"Could've been better," he replied, setting a large pizza on the piano and sitting at the piano himself.
He started playing a melody while Aria and Pepper continued to work in silence. The sound of Tony's footsteps from the garage started to echo off the stairwell.
"How'd it go?" Tony asked as he emerged from the garage. "It went that bad huh?"
"Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean that it went bad," Obadiah countered, offering Aria and Pepper a slice of pizza. "It would have gone better if you were there."
"You told me to lay low, and that's what I've been doing. I lay low and you take care of all," Tony started.
"In public. The press," Obadiah lectured. "This was a board of directors meeting."
"A board of directors meeting?" Tony questioned.
"The board is claiming you have post traumatic stress. There filling for an injunction," he explained.
"Why wasn't I informed of this meeting?" Aria asked, looking up from the papers in front of her.
Obadiah decided to ignore the youngest Stark and continue to lecture the eldest, "They want to lock you out."
"Why? 'Cause the stocks dipped forty points? We knew that was going to happen," Tony challenged.
"Fifty-six and a half," Pepper corrected, stealing a glance at the furious young woman next to her.
"It doesn't matter. We own the controlling interest in the company," Tony defended.
"Tony, the board has rights too!" Obadiah shot back, trying to make him see the logic in the situation. "They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest."
"I'm being responsible! That's a new direction for me, for the company," he pointed out to his friend.
Obadiah just shook his head, "Oh come on Tony, Tony!"
"I'll be in the shop," Tony replied, starting to leave the room.
"Hey, hey! Hey, Tony. Listen. I'm trying to turn this thing around, but you've gotta give me something. Something to pitch them," Obadiah said, stopping him. He tapped Tony's arc reactor, "Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs."
"No, absolutely not," he shot him down.
"It'll give me a bone to throw to the boys in New York!" Obadiah pleaded.
"This one stays with me," Tony denied, reaching for the abandoned pizza. "That's it Obie, forget it."
"Alright, well, that stays here," he replied, bragging the pizza box back from him. "Go on, here have a piece. Take two."
"Thank you," Tony called back, making his way down to the garage.
"You mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?" Obadiah asked after him.
"Goodnight Obie," Tony replied.
"What are we going to do about him?" Obadiah thought out loud.
"Tony's had a rough time and he's trying to adjust. It may be a while before he settles down," Pepper suggested.
"Either of you want any pizza before I leave?" He offered, holding out the pizza to the once again.
"No thanks," Aria replied shortly while Pepper shook her head no.
"I'll see you two tomorrow," Obadiah responded.
Grabbing the pizza, he walked out leaving the women alone together again.
"You okay?" Pepper asked Aria, starting to gather up all of the papers.
"Why wasn't I told about the board of directors meeting? I always step in for Tony when he decides he doesn't want to go to meetings, benefits, or award ceremonies. I think Obie is up to something," Aria ranted.
"Maybe he forgot to tell you. It's been a bit hectic at Stark Industries over the past few days," Pepper explained. "I wouldn't think anything of it."
"Maybe you're right. I'll see you tomorrow," she sighed, gathering her tablet.
"Miss Stark! Miss Stark!" The paparazzi shouted, flashes blinding her as she walked past them.
Aria plastered a smile on her face as she gracefully ascended the steps of the Walt Disney Concert Hall for the Tony Stark Benefit for Firefighter' Family Fund. She didn't expect her brother to appear; no one did actually. Her long, red strapless dress caught the eye of anyone she walked past while her brown hair cascaded down her back in waves. The second she stepped foot into the building she was never alone. There always seemed to have someone offering to buy her a drink or ask for a dance.
"Aria Stark?" A man asked. "I've seen pictures of you in magazines and was lucky to watch your speech at the TED Talks last year. I'm Justin Hammer of Hammer Industries, you might of heard of me."
"I've heard of Hammer Industries, yes. It's a pleasure to meet you," Aria replied, forcing a smile.
"I was hoping to ask you for a dance," Hammer stated with a sly grin on his face.
"Of course," she replied dutifully.
Aria knew the importance of understanding your competitors. She also knew how it would look with people watching her if she started turning away dance partners.
"How has your brother been since he's been back?" He asked her, twirling her.
"He's been doing good," Aria replied, slowly realizing how she badly she wanted to run away from this man.
"It's a shame Stark Industries is shutting down its weapon manufacturing. You know, if you'd like to continue creating weapons, I'm sure I could find you a place within my company," he offered.
Luckily for Aria she spotted Agent Coulson standing by the bar. "If you'll excuse me," she told him, "I see someone who I need to speak with before they leave."
"Alright. Maybe i can catch you later," Hammer grinned, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"If you can find me," she replied, slowly backing away.
Once she was able to, her black stilettos took her to the bar and next to Coulson.
"Vodka Martini," Aria ordered, pulling a fifty out of her bra and dropping it into a jar.
"He seems nice," Coulson grinned.
"He was kinda creepy," Aria corrected, picking up the drink that was placed in front of her.
"Who was he?" He asked curiously.
"Justin Hammer. I know of his work. I've tried it before out of curiosity. It's all shit. All of his products seem half-assed," Aria answered.
"That's why we have never hired him to work with us," Coulson admitted.
"You guys have excellent taste in contractors," she laughed, emptying half her glass.
"So what do you think of the project?" He inquired.
"I'm game for all of it. I have a few ideas too. Some ideas I have only written down and haven't built a prototype yet. Maybe I can give the specs to some of your tech guys and engineers and see if they can build it," Aria informed him. "It all just looks exciting."
"It is. I'll see you soon Miss Stark," Agent Coulson replied.
"Good bye Coulson," Aria sighed, downing the rest of her drink.
Aria had already spent two hours socializing and putting a good face on for the Stark Family and she could feel her energy draining away. She looked up from the bar and found her brother dancing with Pepper. A smile grew on her face, only to quickly disappear behind a yawn. As she left the Disney Concert Hall she decided against her better instinct and do a few interviews for the reporters still waiting outside. It wasn't until Tony stormed past her that she left the area mid-interview.
"Tony! Tony wait up!" Aria called to him.
"What!" He snapped. "Sorry, sorry. Do you want a ride home?"
"Yeah, and you can tell me about this mood you're in," She commented, slipping into the passenger seat of his Audi.
As the car roared to life, Aria gained some energy, "So, what's up?"
"It was Obadiah," Tony ranted. "He was the one who filed the injunction against me. I bet you anything that son of a bitch was the one who shipped weapons under the table."
"What? Are you sure it was him who wanted to lock you out and he shipped the weapons?" Aria inquired.
"He told me he filed it himself. And who else has ape ought authority to ship weapons and hide the manifests deep enough for us to not notice!" He continued, driving faster so that he could get home sooner.
"So what do we do?" She sighed.
"Act natural. All of this is my fault and I'm not going to risk losing you or Pepper. By the way, don't tell Pepper," he added. "Or Rhodey. I'll do it if I need to."