Hi, first of all, thanks for the support, I got some new reviewers, which is always nice. Just wanted to say, sorry for the abrupt ending of this chapter, if it seems that way, or the abrupt start of Chapter 8. I realized that this one was about 4500 words long so I split it in two.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or any characters from Marvel Comics or the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I only own my OC's (you meet a new one in this chapter!)
Chapter 7 - Someone's Available
Tony woke up to his bedroom in LA. He had left in the early afternoon of the previous day for an important meeting with his assistant. Pepper had been housekeeping with Jarvis while Tony was in New York. She would've joined him but her week schedule was booked up with various meetings in Los Angeles.
They had spoken about a lot of things: the state of the Avengers, the state of the company, the state of their relationship. The two had been dating for a while, but recently had found it hard to spend time together. Tony was too invested in the Avengers Initiative and Pepper was swamped looking after Stark Industries. They had slowly been growing apart and they both knew it.
That didn't mean that they didn't want to be friends any longer. Pepper knew that she would always be loyal to Stark and his company no matter what and Stark knew that no one would ever be able to replace the brilliant and organized mind of Virginia Potts. The romance just wasn't there anymore, so they had, by the end of their meet-up, decided to take a probably never ending break.
Tony groaned just thinking about it. Looking into her face, he had known that she was heartbroken but they were both aware of the space between them and she had tried her best to keep a calm composure. They had been through a lot together, but the two sometimes wondered if they had been through too much. The Iron Man was strong enough to stand the destruction and death he had the possibility of facing, but his assistant was a lot more naïve on the matter. They probably knew from the beginning that what they had wouldn't last forever, but neither of them realized how quickly it would take for the spark to settle
Tony stood up and got dressed into a casual pair of jeans and a plain dark blue shirt. He was flying back to New York at lunch so he needed to wear something comfortable. He strolled down the stairs.
"Jarvis?" he asked, "Where's Pepper?"
"Miss Potts is currently in a meeting, which ends in an hour," Jarvis informed.
"When's my flight?"
"In 3 hours, sir."
"What do I do for the next 3 hours, then?" Tony moaned childishly.
"I suggest you check on your latest idea. It has improved quite a bit since your last visit," Jarvis advised, "I had it tailored."
Tony nodded slightly and descended the stairs beside him. As he pressed in the numbers on the keypad next to the glass door, he heard a new voice from behind him.
"Hello, I'm Paige Seath," a woman introduced calmly, "I'll be your new assistant, Mr Stark."
"What? What happened to Pepper?" Tony almost yelled.
"She called me last night. She said to tell you that although she's happy working with you and for the company, she isn't comfortable being your personal assistant anymore, so here I am," Paige recalled.
"Look, we may be in a bad place right now, but Pepper is still my friend and no one could ever replace her," Tony snarled.
"I'm not disputing your friendship with Miss Potts, I'm merely here to help you with anything you may need. Pepper gave me all of your personal information and schedule," she stated clearly before noticing the ugly glare he sent her way, "Mr Stark, I have yet to meet you on an emotional level, so right now I don't know what your feeling. However, I can assure you that the moment Pepper wishes to return or decides to replace me, I will stand down. I'm only here to help."
Tony took in a deep breath and pushed his head into his hands. He looked up at the girl, taking in every single detail, including her reddish brown hair, dark brown eyes and shorter figure.
"Fine. You can stay, but you better be just as good as Pepper or you're out," Tony demanded moodily.
"I'll be going with you to New York by the way. I am ordered to be at your side at any possibility," Paige added.
Tony growled under his breath. It wasn't that he didn't like the young woman, it was just that he wished Pepper wasn't so uncomfortable around him. They had been dating for quite a few years, but they had been friends for longer. After locking himself in his workshop , Tony watched the young brunette march up the stairs.
"Ok. Jarvis, what have you got for me?" he muttered.
"I realize that when you first heard of a woman who could bend water to her will, it was in your nature, sir, to make her a costume, but don't you think this is going slightly overboard?" Jarvis enquired as Tony marveled at the suit he had created.
It was a shimmering, azure blue dress that reached mid-thigh. It was skin tight around the waste and above and the skirt clung to the upper legs, but it was also easily flexible. There were boots below it that were white and high-heeled and a headpiece formed by a pale blue band. On the wrists of the mannequin, metallic silver bracers with gems of different shades of blue encrusted on the top sat neatly, completing the outfit.
"What do you mean, Jarvis? This is perfect!" Tony chuckled.
"The appearance is perfect, yes, but it doesn't have any defense mechanisms or any protections at all, actually," Jarvis pointed out doutfully.
"Alexia doesn't need protection! She defeated two massive robots in a dress and cardigan," Tony reminded.
"Maybe you should give her a weapon at least. Every other member of the Avengers has a symbol," Jarvis persevered.
"Fine! Geez, you are one determined AI. Wait! I've got a great idea," Tony suddenly exclaimed.
Hours later, Tony and Paige had just left the private jet, their luggage trailing behind them, and were sliding into a sleek modern car with Happy at the wheel.
"Happy, Paige. Paige, Happy," Tony introduced hurriedly, his mind on other, more exciting things.
"Hi!" Paige greeted informally.
"Miss Paige..." Happy replied hesitantly, staring at his boss.
"Oh, right. Paige is my new personal assistant," Tony explained briefly.
"What happened to Pepper?"
"We broke up. She's still working for the company and me but she felt uncomfortable still being my assistant," Tony continued.
The rest of the ride, the three sat in silence. When they arrived at the Avengers Tower, Paige gasped in wonder. Tony chuckled.
"Yeah, that happens a lot," he muttered, smiling.
"If you don't mind my saying, you seem in a better mood than you did this morning," she remarked.
"Yeah, well I've got a surprise for one of my friends. Speaking of friends, you'll be meeting the Avengers in a moment. Try not to freak out, they hate that.
"I don't 'freak out' on the job," Paige huffed.
"What about in your own time?" Tony smirked.
"I don't know but it doesn't matter because you're never going to find out," Paige replied, raising a perfectly styled eyebrow.
Tony rolled his eyes and continues through the front doors, Paige quick on his heel. They swept past security and slipped onto the elevator.
"Welcome back, sir, Miss Seath," Jarvis greeted.
"You're here to? Man, talk about multi-tasking," Paige muttered.
When they reached the right floor, they were saw the Avengers as well as Alexia sitting on a formation of couches. Paige gasped again.
"Lexy?" she practically whispered.
Said woman looked at her, bewildered, before recognizing her in a milisecond.
"Oh my God, Paige!" she shrieked happily, running over to Tony's new assistant and hugging her tightly. Tony frowned.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Paige asked.
"Oh well, um..." Alexia stammered.
Noticing the risky moment and realizing that Paige didn't know about Lexy's abilities, Steve took the opportunity to speak up.
"Alexia? Care to introduce us to your friend?"
"Oh right," the girl beamed, "This is Paige Seath. She's Erin's cousin, but they're practically sisters seeing as they lived in the same house for 8 years, went to the same school and look exactly alike apart from the fact that Paige dyed her hair a bit. Paige, this is Steve, Bruce, Clint, Natasha and Thor."
"Nice to meet you all, I guess," Paige said, flustered by Alexia's introduction.
"Sit down! Erin's gonna be so happy you're in New York, you were in LA for way too long," Lexy complained.
"That's because I have a job, Lexy? In LA?" Paige sighed.
"And I have a job here. Doesn't stop me from meeting up with Dylan," Alexia argued childishly.
"That's completely different and you know it. Dylan is way closer than I was. He's still in New York," Paige pointed out.
"Um, who's Dylan again?" Steve asked.
"My brother," Lexy half-lied.
Paige looked at her strangely but the light brunette just shook her head slightly, her pouty face becoming serious. They both stayed quiet.
"The one who lives in Brooklyn, right?" Clint recalled.
"That's him," Lexy smiled weakly, "We meet up at least once a month. Speaking of which, I need to call him. I can't remember if he's coming here or I'm going there."
Alexia got up, grabbing her phone, and left the room.
"So, Lady Seath, do you have a family in Los Angeles?" Thor queried.
"No. All I've got is my aunt who lives with me and a couple of friends from my old job," Paige explained vaguely.
"What was your old job?"
"Therapist," Paige answered simply.
"Well I hope being an assistant is working just as well," Tony grinned.
"It's not so bad so far," she shrugged.
"You're joking! Dylan, you promised," they heard Lexy whimper.
"Dylan recently got permission to build some big commercial building. He's really excited but he's swamped with work. He already blew off Lexy a few weeks ago for her parents' death anniversary," Paige explained.
"Dyl, I know this is important to you but you're important to me. I haven't seen you in ages," Lexy yelled.
Suddenly she went silent. The other line was quiet but they could hear a faint murmuring.
"Seriously? Why didn't you tell me? Wait, when? Are you kidding?" Alexia continued softly.
The call soon ended and Lexy walked back in, looking slightly distressed.
"What's wrong?" Bruce asked gently.
"Urgh, my parents are coming back and we're having a... Family dinner," Lexy groaned.
"I don't see the problem..."
"My... Parents and I don't really see eye to eye. Plus they'll be praising Dylan on his promotion and asking me why I have yet to make a 'scientific breathrough'," she sighed.
"Maybe Erin and I could come with? We haven't seen your parents since senior year," Paige offered.
"There's a reason for that," Lexy mumbled, "They disapproved of my... Obsession with fish. Said I could've become anything and stupidly chose to study aquatic life."
"Well at least you'll be seeing your brother," Tony tried.
They began a lighter conversation after that before Alexia asked Tony if Paige could come with her to see Erin. He begrudgingly agreed and Paige was whisked off and out of the building.
"Erin is going to be SO happy. She hasn't seen you in at least a year," Alexia rambled.
Paige stayed quiet. Alexia had always been friends with both of them but Paige had always felt that Lexy had a stronger bond with Erin, seeing as they were the first to meet in middle school and Erin had followed her into the career of marine biology. Paige and her sister had fallen out slightly before she had left for LA but, over the years, they had reconnected. Last year, after the death of Erin's brother, Ryan, the two had fallen out again, and neither of the cousins were sure if they were ready to make up.
Soon, Paige and Alexia had arrived outside of Erin's house. The street was dark and quiet, the only noises being Lexy's yammering and the faint splashing of water from a nearby gutter. They knocked on the door and it was soon opened by one of Erin's roommate. She lived with a friend and a friend's friend. Neither of which did she know as well as Alexia, though. They would've gotten a hose together but they couldn't find one with room for her aquarium that they could afford.
"Oh, hey Alexia! Hello Paige. Erin is in the living room," Harriet, the friend, directed them as the door was pulled open wider.
"Thanks, Harriet!" Lexy said excitedly.
She skipped past the slightly older woman and, pulling Paige along by the wrist, entered the lounge. Erin was snuggled up in the corner of the couch, watching a comedy programme. She looked up at their entrance and smiled, though the smile faultered when she saw her cousin.
"Paige? What are you doing in town?" she asked, confused.
"I'm Tony Stark's new assistant," Paige explained briefly.
Erin raised her eyebrows and frowned.
"What happened to his girlfriend? The one you knew from university?" she questioned.
"Pepper. They broke up. She called me the same night to offer the job. They're still working together for the company, but she's being distant," Paige responded.
Lexy was about to speak and break the awkward atmosphere, but a buzz from her phone interrupted the awkward conversation.
"Urgh, Paige, we have to go. Tony has something important to tell us or something," she whined.
"Wait, Lexy, how do you know Stark?" Erin queried, "Don't you dare say you're involved with him because I've heard rumors and you are way to smart for that."
Alexia blushed slightly and shook her head vigorously.
"We're working together on something," she half-lied. It was sort of true, "I'll tell you more later."
Erin sighed passive aggressively and shook her head slightly, looking away from the pair. They took this as a motion to leave and hurried out of the door.
"That went well," Paige muttered.
"It could've gone better but at least you're making progress. I wonder what Stark wants," Alexia pondered.
"I don't really care, I'm just glad I could get out of that," Paige mumbled
I hope you liked it! If you have any questions or suggestions, be sure to post them in a review. If you have any complaints, please keep it polite!