Hello everyone! Warning this chapter is a bit shorter then the other ones, but I think you might like it.

Remember to review please. I'm not above begging... Because really reviews make me happier then they should. :) Tell me what you would like to see/read, how I can improve, yada yada all that good jazz.

P.S. I have some great ideas for IM2... xD

Chapter 4: Champ

"I can't imagine Pepper doing any of that," Natasha said slowly, looking over to Fury. "I know you said that they were safe sir, but how do we know that these are really the truth?"

"We don't for sure," replied Fury steadily. "We can only trust the message that came with it."

"Which said?" Steve questioned, arms crossed over his chest and a hard look on his face.

"'So you can save the world'." the Director answered cooly.

Bruce sighed internally. He could hear Hulk roaring in the back of his head. That was a real confidence builder for the other Avengers. They would likely think they need to save it from Tony…

Tony, Pepper, and the small group of bodyguards were swiftly making their way to a sleek black car. One of the men opened the door for Pepper and Tony helped her in before walking to the other side. As he pulled open the door, a woman's voice cut across the parking lot.

"Mr. Stark!" she yelled, running over. "Excuse me, Mr. Stark!", before she was stopped by security. She looked highly annoyed by the muscle wall she was being held by as she looked from the men back to Tony.

"Christine Everhart," she said as way of introduction. "Vanity Fair magazine. Can I ask you a couple of questions?" But the way she said it almost sounded like she was trying to demand him to.

"This lady tried to make demands of friend Tony?" Thor asked, looking quite the mix of astounded and angry.

"No Thor, it's fine. She's a reporter that's what they do." Steve explained. "When the people have questions, reporters ask them."

Tony was shown rolling his eyes and Pepper grinned at him from her seat. He turned slightly to glance at her over his shoulder.

"She's cute," he heard one of the security men say.

Steve again looked disgusted. "He's married but honestly can't be bothered unless the reporter is cute?!" In his opinion Tony needed to learn the he had a fine woman (at least she seemed like it. They hadn't actually met yet.) with him and how to treat her right.

Bruce accidentally groaned out loud and all eyes snapped to him. "Honestly Steve. Take whatever blinders you have on right now off. Unless you want Hulk to fix that problem," the usually calm man said, gazing at the Captain with a pair of bright green emerald eyes. "Obviously the guard was talking to himself, not Tony. Reporters in this time, aren't like the ones back in the day. They're like piranhas. Plus, Tony hates reporters, paparazzi, et cetera, et cetera. An accident as a kid put him off them for life."

Steve's lips pressed together as he looked at the scientist. The tension in the room grew the moment Bruce opened his mouth.

"You keep defending him," Natasha said. "Why?"

"Someone has to," Bruce stated matter-of-factly, with what might have actually been a sniff. "Besides, I've been the only person to spend real time with him these last few days. I wonder how well you really know him, Agent Romanova."

Natasha quirked an eyebrow at what she took as a challenge. "We'll see then won't we,"

Tony sighed and looked back to Pepper. "It'll just be a moment Pep," he said before turning to the reporter.

"Hi," Tony said as he faced her, annoyance masked by a fake smile and cheer in his voice.

"Hi," she replied in turn plainly.

"Yeah. Okay, go," he sighed looking at her stoically.

"It's okay?" she asked, seeming surprised that he was actually willing to talk. "You've been called the Da Vinci of our time. What do you say to that?"

"Well, I have been told we both like to know everything, but it's absolutely ridiculous. I don't paint."

"What about your other nickname?" her smile and attempt at charm disappeared. "The Merchant of Death."

"I don't understand," Thor said, looking very confused. "How can friend Tony trade death?"

"He earned the title through his old weapons manufacturing business. All the weapons Stark ever created were meant to be devastating," Fury explained with a sigh. This would take longer then he thought.

"I see," Thor said, looking back to the screen.

"That's not bad," Tony replied, tilting his head slightly with a slight smirk on his lips.

"Not bad?" Steve almost gasped. Was this man proud of that title?!

"Let me guess," Tony started, glancing over his shades at her. "Berkeley?"

"Brown, actually," she returned not looking or sounding very amused despite the smile/smirk on her face.

"Well, Ms. Brown." Tony drawled. "It's an imperfect world, but it's the only one we've got. I guarantee you, the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals."

Christine tilted her head slightly to the side, eyes arrowing. "Rehearse that much?" she questioned.

"Every night in front of the mirror before bedtime,"

"Do I sense a snark contest?" Clint snorted.

"I'd like to see that first-hand,"

"We just moved into uncharted territory everyone." Clint said, leaning forward and staring wide-eyed at the screen.

Tony quirked an eyebrow but it was really Pepper who everyone was looking at. She had clapped a hand over her mouth and was either crying or laughing.

Steve growled low in his throat, but an answering one cut him short.

"A lot of people would," Tony agreed. "But I'm going to give you a serious answer. My old man had a philosophy, 'Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy.'''

Natasha sighed. She didn't understand what the hell Pepper saw in that ass. It better be pretty damn impressive to keep her there. After all, Pepper was a strong woman. Tough as nails. She was the type of woman that didn't need someone else around.

"That's a great line coming from the guy selling the sticks." she pushed back.

"My father helped defeat the Nazis. He worked on the Manhattan Project. A lot of people, including your professors at Brown, would call that being a hero," Tony said, voice deathly calm.

"And a lot of people would also call that war profiteering," Christine snapped back.

"Tell me," Tony started, now very annoyed with her. "Do you plan to report on the millions we've saved by advancing medical technology or kept from starvation with our intelli-crops? All those breakthroughs, military funding, honey."

"Ouch," Clint said in slight sympathy for the reporter.

"You ever lose an hour of sleep your whole life?" she asked, voice and body language gaining a seductive quality as she took a small step toward him.

"I'm always prepared to lose a few with my wife," he said, before turning and getting in the car.

As the door slammed shut, Tony sighed and rubbed at his temple. Pepper looked over at him with an almost scary smile.

"She must not be use to people telling her no," She said, looking out the window at the still gobsmacked reporter with a wave. "So how did she take it?"

"Like a champ," Tony smirked as the car pulled out.

The movie stopped then, freezing an image of Tony and Pepper smiling at each other on the screen.

"What's going on?" Natasha asked, immediately out of her chair and at the ready. The remotes to control the TV and DVD player were still on the table untouched.

She set the others on edge as well as they looked around the room for what might be the cause.

"Excuse me gentlemen, ma'am," came a cool english voice from seemingly nowhere.

"WHAT IS THIS?" demanded Thor, searching for the source. Steve looked just as frantic, but managed to contain it the tiniest bit more.

"Jarvis?" Natasha asked slowly, looking toward the security camera in the corner of the room.

"How did Stark's AI get on my ship?!" Fury demanded, looking just as his name described him.

"I wasn't by sir's will. He, in fact wants me no where near you. This is my own doing director." Jarvis cut in, though he didn't sound a bit apologetic. "I just built myself a doorway here. That is why it took me a moment to get here."

"What is it you require invisible man?" Thor asked, looking around the ceiling.

"I do not mean to startle you, nor do I require anything from you. However you should be made aware that sir has disappeared."

After a moment of shocked silence that was a synchronized shout of "WHAT?!"

"Jarvis..." Steve started, unsure of who or even what he was talking to. "He's at a meeting. In the tower."

"I am well aware of sir's schedule. I do have full access to the tower. Sir excused himself from the meeting from a brief break. He did not return and is no longer in the tower... Nor can I 'see' him."

Bruce definitely felt a little green as he scrambled from his chair toward the door. As he got a hand around the handle, he heard a loud 'shink' noise as the locks engaged.

"Wait just a moment, Dr. Banner." Jarvis said, now sounding a bit regretful. "There is no trace of sir. There is little SHIELD can do to help me locate him at this point in time. I ask that you sit and continue with your strangely accurate movie depicting sir's life. Perhaps it will open up a few blinds, yes?"

The team stared at each other as they heard the very protective tone bleed into Jarvis' voice.