Disclaimer: Not mine. Thanks to Marvel Comics Database and Marvel Universe Wiki for character information.

Four days after they'd set off, an exhausted Pepper and Happy stumbled through Tony's front door. Driving across country and sleeping in shifts had really taken its toll, and Happy pretty much collapsed on to the couch as soon as they were in. Pepper shuffled into the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker, sitting on a stool at the counter and resting her elbows on the tile surface, head in her hands.

"Damn, Potts, you look terrible." Tony's laughing voice came from the other side of the counter.

Pepper sighed, annoyed at the interruption from trying to doze.

"Yeah well, I look better than you, you scruffy-" she stopped talking as she pulled her hands away from her face, speechless as the unkempt, ragamuffin Tony Stark had been replaced with the neatly trimmed, devilishly good looking version. His full beard was gone and once again his jaw was home to his trademark goatee. His hair, though still long, reaching just below his ears, looked neat and tidy, falling handsomely over his eyes a little as he smiled at her.

"Something wrong, Potts?" he asked, smirking. "Don't like the new look?"

Pepper stared at him before shaking her head to clear it.

"How the hell did you cut your hair?"

Tony laughed and ran a hand through it, ruffling it slightly.

"Dummy helped. I told him if he messed it up I'd strip him down to his primary parts and turn him into a female, so…" he shrugged and ruffled his hair again. "Does it look ok? Because seriously, he's down there shaking in his little robot boots."

Pepper smiled, slipping off the stool and walking around the counter. Tony followed her with his eyes, staring intently as she stopped in front of him and raised her hands to each side of his head, threading her fingers through his hair and looking it over. She tugged it out sideways, checking the length and swallowing harshly.

"Well…it's level at least, um…" her eyes flitted between his and she trailed off. Tony raised his own hands and took hold of hers, pulling them away from his head and holding on to them as he stepped closer.

"Hey guys, oh…sorry." Happy stood awkwardly in the kitchen doorway as Pepper jumped away from Tony and went over to the coffee maker, setting about pouring three cups out. Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair again, shaking his head and turning to Happy, raising his eyebrows.

"So, was your mission successful?" he asked, taking the cup Pepper was offering him and taking a sip. "You haven't brought anyone back with you."

Pepper rounded the counter again and sat back in her seat, cradling the mug in her hands. "We found Donald Blake, he's on board, and he sent us to find Peter Parker, who's also on board, and he sent us to find Sue and Johnny Storm, who aren't on board. But both Parker and Blake went off to find other people so…" Pepper shrugged and took a sip of her own coffee.

Tony perked up a bit at this and was about to reply when Jarvis interrupted.

"Sir, two unidentified males are approaching the house on a motorcycle at high speed." He said, sluggishly. The colour completely drained from Tony's face as fear ripped through his stomach. He looked over at Pepper and motioned to her to stay put before rushing out of the kitchen, past Happy and towards the front door.

"Jarvis!" Tony barked as he ran to the window facing the path up to the house. "How the hell did they get past the front gates?"

"My apologies, sir." Jarvis continued in the slow tone. "My software requires upgrading; I was in the process of re-securing the premises after Miss Potts' and Mr Hogan's entry, unfortunately I was unable to shut the gates before the motorcycle gained entry."

Tony swore and peeked out of the window. Sure enough a motorcycle was rocketing its way up the drive with two men upon it. His brain started working furiously, thinking who could know he was there apart from the people he'd sent Pepper and Happy to bring back. Surely they wouldn't have betrayed him. No, this meant that Hill knew he was there, that he was still alive, and that meant…

"Boss?" Happy said from behind him, breaking him from his thoughts. "You got a plan?"

Tony shook his head. "This isn't your fight, Hap. You need to take Pepper and get out, ok? Whoever this is means business. They're going to try and take me away and they're not gonna take no for an answer."

Happy scoffed. "Right, I'm gonna leave you to fight off God knows what on your own. Sure."

The motorcycle stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the front door and the men got off it. The driver wasn't wearing a helmet and the passenger looked as if he'd rather not get back on the bike again. They both began walking up to the house and Tony turned to Happy, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Happy, please, just go keep Pepper safe. If I need you I'll shout, I promise."

Happy hesitated for a second before turning and jogging back to the kitchen. Tony turned back to the window just in time to see the two figures approach the front door. He faced it and braced himself as the knob turned, focussing his energy in preparation for whoever or whatever was about to walk through the door. It began to open and he closed his eyes, feeling the energy building.

"…-swear to God, Logan, I am never getting on that thing again. You do realise there are speed limits right?"

Tony's eyes snapped open as the familiar voice came from the door, followed by a gruff baritone as the second man walked in.

"Yeah well, you said speed was of the essence kiddo."

The first man opened his mouth to argue back, but he noticed Tony and froze, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Tony…damn, it's good to see you."

Tony blinked and after a second grinned back at the man, stepping forward and throwing his arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug and laughing.

"Good to see you too, Pete. Really." He pulled back after a moment and ruffled Peter's hair. "God, you got old fast."

Peter laughed and slapped Tony's hand away. "Well it has been seven years, I'm not a teenager anymore." He raised his hand to show the ring on his finger. "Married and everything."

Tony stared at the ring for a second, still grinning widely. "MJ? Tell me it's MJ."

Peter laughed and nodded. "Course it is. You think she'd let me marry anyone else?"

The man Peter had called Logan cleared his throat. "As heart wrenching as this little reunion is, mind if we stay clear of the little tea party and get down to business? Or is this it?" he looked around the room as if expecting more people to show up.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Tony, this is Wolverine, real name James Howlett, of the X-Men."

"I go by Logan." He said gruffly, holding out his hand to shake Tony's. He was well built, around Tony's height, though his obscure haircut added a couple inches. He was middle aged, Tony guessed around forty, and though he looked like he could handle himself in a fight, the complete lack of blemishing gave the impression he'd never been in one.

Tony took hold of Logan's hand. "Wolverine huh? Very…ferocious. "

Logan laughed and tightened his hand around Tony's. Tony flinched a little and then froze in horror as a single metal claw extended from between two of Logan's knuckles and slowly made its way towards the inside of Tony's wrist, stopping millimetres from his skin.

"Adamantium skeleton." Logan boasted, retracting his claw and letting go of Tony's hand before flicking his wrists and extending all six at once. "Indestructible to pretty much anything, so am I come to think of it." He retracted his claws again and Tony watched in awe as the broken skin of his knuckles stitched itself together until it was completely back to normal. "Fast healing capability." He explained.

Tony nodded, impressed. "Adamantium huh? I've heard there's a Wakandan metal with similar properties. Some say it's stronger."

Logan laughed and shook his head. "You mean Vibranium? Bub, that stuff's a myth. No one's ever found it out there and no one's stupid enough to argue with the Black Panther."

Tony chuckled and inclined his head. "Yeah, that's true I guess. I take it you know a Wakandan then?"

Logan nodded. "One of our gang is Wakandan; Storm."

Tony blinked and a smile spread across his face. "Not Ororo?"

"Yeah." Logan said slowly. "You know her?"

Tony opened his mouth to reply but stopped mid word and shook his head. "Not personally. I spent some time in Wakanda a couple years ago. Hey, speaking of the X-Men, should we be expecting them any time soon?"

Logan sighed. "Sorry bub, Professor X won't allow it, and I 'aint pushing him. He's been good to me since I joined; he's helped me discover who I am. That's why I'm here. It took me decades to find out who I am, there's no way I'm giving that up to anyone."

"Then you're in the right place." Tony grinned.

Peter, who had been looking around the lounge, bent and picked up Pepper's purse which was lying on the coffee table.

"Have we interrupted something, T?"

"Crap." Tony exclaimed. "Jarvis! Tell Happy and Pepper they can come back in now, everything's fine."

"More allies?" Logan asked.

"Friends." Tony said as both Pepper and Happy entered the room, nodding politely at Peter and introducing themselves to Logan. "Thor is coming and he's bringing back up."

Both Logan and Peter grinned at this but Happy and Pepper frowned, confused.

"Thor?" Pepper asked.

"Blake." Tony clarified.

"Why is he called Thor?" Happy asked, scratching his head.

"Because he's Thor…" Logan said slowly, trying to make him understand.

"Thor?" Pepper interrupted. "As in Nordic God of Thunder? Right, pull the other one."

Just as Tony was about to answer back, there was a low humming sound and what felt like static electricity began tugging at the hair on his arms. All of a sudden, there was a great clap of thunder and a brilliant light as Doctor Blake and another man appeared in the middle of the room. Pepper screamed and Happy pushed her out of the way, standing in front of her though looking just as scared and shocked as she did.

"Hell, I wish you wouldn't transport like that." The stranger said, shaking his head and smoothing his hair back. He was tall, well over six feet, and built like a Greek God. He was wearing what looked to be some sort of military overall, black in colour, with a huge white skull across the front, and he'd come prepared for a fight judging by the multitude of weaponry adorning his person.

Blake, who was dusting his trench coat down, laughed softly and beamed. "Aww, did I upset your belly?" he turned to the rest of the group, noticing Pepper and Happy pretty much clinging to each other. "Oh come now, don't look so frightened, you act as though you've never seen lightning bolt transportation. Ah, Peter! Good to see you young man! How's the missus?"

"MJ's great." Peter replied, taking Don's outstretched hand. "We didn't get hit too hard with the Prop. I must be better at keeping secrets than I thought."

Don smiled and clapped Logan on the back as he turned to him. "Mister Howlett, always a pleasure. How's your merry band of crusaders doing? I hear they're in somewhat of a stalemate?"

Logan nodded. "Another reason why they won't be joining us. At the minute, they're kind of immune to the Prop, what with Xavier working on 'taming' mutants. The Government, and more importantly SHIELD, don't see them as much of a threat, but if they join up with us…there are more lives at risk that Xavier is comfortable having control over."

"Say no more." Don said, raising his hand. "That Professor of yours has a good head on his shoulders. And as for you, sir." Don rounded on Tony, drawing himself up to his full height as best he could whilst supporting himself with his cane. "I honestly believed I'd never see that handsome face again, Shellhead."

Tony laughed loudly and embraced Don like a brother, clapping his back as he pulled away.

"It's great to see you too, Don. It's been far too long." He said, grinning broadly.

"That it has!" Don exclaimed, still smiling as he turned to face Pepper and Happy who were still looking rather shell shocked. He leant towards Tony and muttered under his breath. "What's wrong with your friends, Järn Mannen?"

Tony quirked his lip and whispered 'non believers' back at him. Don recoiled in horror, locking eyes with Tony and winking.

"Then we must fix it at once!" he said, stepping back into space and holding his cane out to his side. "Mjölnir, if you'd be so kind."

As he spoke to his cane, it began to glow. For a few seconds it pulsed with a bright light and then suddenly there was another thunderclap and it morphed into a short, stubby war hammer, and that wasn't all. The glow flowed through the hammer and down Blake's arm, along his body. The trench coat was gone, replaced now with some sort of leather warrior clothing, complete with armoured sections and a cape. Pepper and Happy stared at him, mouths agape as he stood before them, completely transformed from a crippled doctor into a 6'6" God of Thunder. He stepped towards them and Happy nervously but bravely stepped in front of Pepper, swallowing hard.

"Greetings." Thor said, stopping in front of Happy. "I am Thor Odinson, son of Odin and Ruler of Asgard."

Happy stared at him, eyes wide, Adam's apple bobbing wildly in fear. Thor laughed, as did the rest of the group, and Tony stepped up to them, pulling Pepper forward.

"Don't' be scared, Pep." He said softly. "He's a puppy really, aren't you big guy?"

"Håll käften, din lilla-"

"Ah ah! There are ladies present!" Tony laughed. Thor glared at him but smiled at Pepper.

"My lady, if the stars were as beautiful as you, the skies would have light forever more." He said, taking her hand and kissing it. Pepper blinked and flashed a weak smile.

"Um…thank you…"

"Not that it's any of my business," the stranger that Don had brought with him spoke up. "But aren't we kind of pushed for time here?"

Peter glared at the man, curling his fists at his sides.

"What exactly is he doing here?" he said in a low, livid tone.

"What's the matter, Parker?" the other man asked. "Scared I'm going to kick your butt again?"

Peter advanced on him, rolling up his sleeves. "I swear to God-"

"Hey!" Tony grabbed Peter by the arm and pulled him back. "We're all allies now, we can't fight amongst ourselves."

"I'd listen to your boyfriend if I were you, Parker." The man said smugly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Frank!" Tony snapped, turning to him.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't use my name, Stark."

Tony sighed and nodded, thinking better of arguing back. "Everyone, this is Punisher. Usually he spends his time as a sort of vigilante, but any help is good help. Welcome to the cause."

"Thanks." Punisher scoffed. "So…is this it? This is all of us?"

Logan laughed. "This guy's an ass, but I like him." He turned back to Tony and Don, who had transformed back into his human self. "So what is the plan?"

Tony took a deep breath and looked at the group who were all now staring at him, Pepper and Happy included.

"Well…I haven't quite worked out all the kinks yet, but I've got a rough idea of what we need to do." He said. "Firstly, we need to clear my name. I'm the catalyst in this equation, and as long as I'm an outlaw, there's not a lot we can get done, but once I'm clean, we can stop Hill and whatever it is that she's really planning."

"You think there's something more going on than the registration Prop?" Peter asked.

Tony nodded. "I know there is. I'm not going into it right now, there's still a lot more planning that needs doing before we get ready to basically storm SHIELD's airship."

Logan spluttered and shook his head. "Now, I aint much of a strategist, but there's five of us, not counting your lady and bodyguard," he said to Tony. "And I'm guessing there's a helluva lot more than that in that big 'ole ship."

"That's true," Tony said as Punisher muttered in agreement. "But I'm working on having an ace in the hole, and if I clear my name, hopefully the rest of the Avengers will join us."

Once everyone had been fed, they went their separate ways through the house, each choosing a bed and settling in for the night. Tony pulled Pepper and Happy aside to hear about what happened with Sue and Johnny, and after a few exaggerations by Happy, he left, claiming to be 'completely wiped and in need of a drink', leaving Tony and Pepper sitting in the kitchen. Pepper was barely keeping her eyes open and after a half hour of small talk, Tony told her she needed to get some sleep.

"You're welcome to stay here." He told her as she got up to leave. "I mean, the only bed left is mine, but I can sleep on the sofa or-"

"Its fine," Pepper interrupted. "I should get home. Robert will be wondering where I am."

"You haven't called him?" Tony asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Pepper rolled her eyes, beginning to get annoyed with him. "I've been busy with 'meetings', remember? Someone made my fly across country-"

"Ok, ok, I get it." Tony chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "Get on home; I won't keep you any longer than I have to."

Pepper nodded her thanks and turned to leave the kitchen, stopping in the doorway and leaning against the jamb and gazing at him thoughtfully.

"Tony," she started carefully. "This is a huge mission you're undertaking here, and I'm not doubting your confidence or anything but…what if you can't do it? I mean Logan is right; we're horrendously under-manned here."

"Don't worry, Pep." He said, smiling winningly at her. "Everything will work out, you'll see."

"But what if it doesn't?" she asked quietly.

He heard the silent meaning behind her question and sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and tilting his head as he caught her eyes.

"Then at least there will be people who knew I died fighting for what's right."

TBC