Title: Protect My Heart

Author: Erik-in-CT

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer or Marvel Comics, and not myself.

"What in the hell was that?" Bella sat on the edge of the desk, her arms folded across her chest as she stared down at Tony sitting in the chair in front of her. She had just witnessed what seemed to her to be quite a serious attack of some sort, though now he seemed perfectly fine and back to his normal self. He gestured to Happy to head on upstairs, and the stocky man nodded before making his way up the curving staircase.

"It was nothing," he responded as he picked up the discarded piece he had removed from the reactor in his chest. The eroded metal core was still lightly smoking. He looked at it for a moment before tossing it in a waste bin next to the desk.

"Yeah, right. It sure didn't seem like nothing. You just had a piece of smoking metal stuck in a giant hole in your chest." Hell, the man had seemingly almost died right in front of her. No way was she going to let this go without an explanation. Not after he had scared her like that. And if there was one thing Bella was, it was stubborn. "Tell me the truth Tony," she said as she put on her most menacing expression, which was usually not too effective in any circumstance. And Tony seemed to think so as well. He shrugged his shoulders and pushed away from the desk, standing up.

"Just a technological hiccup that Jarvis and I have been working on. It really is nothing to worry yourself over Bella."

Bella was confused for just a moment. Happy had called out to someone named Jarvis when they had first come in, and there had been a response, though Bella hadn't seen anyone around. "And who is Jarvis?" she asked as she watched him.

"Jarvis, this is Bella Swan," Tony said aloud, and Bella looked around the room to see the mystery man. But she found no one. And then she nearly jumped when she heard the gentle accented voice from before issuing from a hidden speaker in the room.

"Good evening Ms. Swan," Jarvis said, and Bella looked at Tony with a raised eyebrow.

"Jarvis is a computer system. My own AI program," he said with a chuckle. "Just A Really Very Intelligent System."

"Just a really...Oh I see!" Bella said with a laugh. "J.A.R.V.I.S. An acronym. It's a pleasure to meet you Jarvis," she said.

"The pleasure is mine," Jarvis replied. "And may I offer my congratulations on your win at the technology fair."

"Thank you," she said as she took a moment to really look at the room around her. It seemed like something right out of the movies. The majority of the workshop was set up like a high tech computer lab, with robotic arms, transparent screens, and some kind of projection table that, if she wasn't mistaken, was a holographic imager. There was also an area set up like a small living room, and another part filled with several expensive looking sports cars, one with the engine half torn apart and obviously an ongoing project. And then one wall of the room caught and held her eye, and she might have sworn that her jaw dropped. Lined up against the far wall of the room, in seperate little alcoves, were four different versions of the armored suit that had made headlines in the last few months.

Tony caught her obvious gaze, and smirked at her as he took her hand and drew her closer to that far wall. Showing off the Iron Man armor was certainly one of the best ways to distract someone from an unwanted line of questioning. "It's alright if you want to take a closer look."

It was clear from looking at the suits, that they showed the evolution of the armor from a very basic and bulky model, to the more refined and polished looking suit on the opposite end. It was the last suit, the one familiar to her from the news broadcasts, that she walked closer to, the red and gold of the metal gleaming in the soft light of the room. "These are amazing Tony," she said as she reached her hand out and very delicately touched the cool surface of the metal. "You designed these all yourself?"

"Yeah...well, with Jarvis' help of course." As Bella sat staring at the suit, Tony moved towards the loading deck next to the display hall, tapping a few keys on the touch screen nearby. With an electronic whirring, the robotic arms began to move, assembling the newly modified armor in freestanding mode on the platform. The noise alerted Bella's attention, and she turned with a look of absolute wonderment in her eyes as she watched Jarvis put together the suit in front of her. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Definately," Bella responded as she moved closer to the loading deck. "I'd say it's right at the top of the list of coolest things I've ever seen."

Edward followed the intoxicating scent that he had picked up all the way out of the city and into the hills of Malibu. He was still puzzling over what might of have brought Bella down here, though after nearly a year, he knew there would be changes in her life. He finally found himself standing outside the grounds of an ornate mansion, perched on a cliff directly over the ocean. It was quite a different enviornment than he ever imagined he would find Bella in, but he couldn't deny his own senses. Closing his eyes and opening his other senses, he listened to the sounds around him. He could hear the presence of three people in the house. And then he heard voices coming down from the house. An electronic voice coming from a television...a deeper voice laughing at something on the show.

"I should probably have Happy take you back home now," a voice said from the lower part of the house.

"Yeah, probably...it's getting late." Her voice. Edward felt a fluttering of emotions in his dead heart as he heard her speak again. Whatever resolve he had formed to stay away from her disappeared at that moment, and he knew he had to see her again, to speak to her again. But he would prefer to wait until he could speak with her privately. And she he settled himself into the shadows, waiting for her to leave this house, and he would follow her back to her home.

Tony watched as Bella made her way up the curving staircase towards the main part of the house. Before she disappeared from sight, she turned and caught his eye, giving him a little wave. He felt his lips twitch slightly, and he returned the wave before turning back to his workshop. "I like her," he said to no one in particular.

"Of course you do, sir," Jarvis replied.

Author's Note:

A little later than expected, sorry, but part 8 is up! We're starting to get into a little more drama now! How will Bella react to seeing Edward again? Is she starting to fall for Tony? Do I sound like a soap opera announcer? Tune in next time to find out the answers to these questions! In the meantime, as always, enjoy the chapter and please review!