Hey ya'll! I started to fall victim to my writing... Allergies again, so I started outlining a Captain America story for when I'm finished with this one. But that won't be for a little while, I promise! I also went to the grocery store and found the cutest Avengers bobble head dolls, and since I'm totally broke I could only afford to buy one. There's an adorable little Hulk sitting next to me, watching me while I write now. He's just so darn cute!
Anyways, here's a chapter I know ya'll have been waiting for. The triumphant return of Tony Stark! If I were you, I'd listen to Aerosmith while reading this chapter. But that's just me. =) Oh, hey, does anyone here watch the Big Bang Theory? I just started watching that for the first time, and I'm totally in live with it! I also love it when I get the things they're referencing, and not just the pop culture. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review! (It makes me update faster)
Disclaimer: You'd be a fool to think I could be making anything by writing this silly story. You'd also be a fool to believe I own the Avengers or anything Marvel. I pity the fool.
"Hey, Amanda?" I called to Amanda who was sitting in the front seat with Clint.
"Yeah?" she called back.
"Come on back." I said and she walked over to the table where I was sitting. Erik took her place next to Clint while she slid in next to me and I handed her a book and a list of questions I had written up. "What's this?" she asked as she looked over the questions.
"When I was your age, I read this book, and I loved it. I figure, you're not going to school, I'm not going to ignore your education." I said as she read the back of the book.
"So, what, you're homeschooling me?" she asked, looking amused.
"For the time being, sure." I nodded and she smiled.
"What am I going to learn?"
"English, math, French- if you want- uh, I don't know, what else do they teach in school?"
"History."
"I could teach History."
"I can help." Steve said from where he was sitting with Kayla who was coloring.
"Thanks Steve." I smiled and looked back at Amanda. "Anything else?"
"Science."
"I can teach you... Some science." I said slowly. I saw Bruce pause at what he was writing, then start writing again. "I mean, I helped correct enough chemistry papers." I shrugged. Bruce paused again, a little longer this time, but continued to write after the pause.
"You sure?" Amanda asked, catching on.
"Sure," I shrugged with a smile. "How hard could it be?" I grinned as Bruce finally put his pen down and took his glasses off; he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh.
"No." he said simply.
"You're such a good chemistry teacher." she said clasping her hands together and grinning at him.
"That's the point, I'm not really a chemistry teacher." he said rolling his eyes. "I'm a scientist."
"But you were good at it!" she protested and he sighed.
"You really want to keep learning chemistry?" he asked doubtfully and she sighed.
"Not really chemistry." she said as she sat back up. "I'd like to learn more about mutants and... Mutates."
"I'm sorry?" I asked and she looked at me.
"It's uh, what we call people like Steve." she shrugged and he looked over at her from the couch he was sitting on. "It's people who are special, who have powers, but who weren't born that way." she explained.
"Like the Other Guy?" Bruce asked and she hesitantly nodded. "You want to know how the other guy came into being?" he asked and she looked at him.
"If you want to tell me." she said softly. "I mean I assume it wasn't a mommy hulk and a daddy hulk coming together... In a manner of speaking." she shrugged and Steve looked between the two before Bruce cracked a slight smile.
"We can work our way up to that." he said and then looked back down at his papers. "But for the time being, enjoy your Hemmingway." he said as he put his glasses back on. She smiled and Steve let out a small breath, as did I.
"What do you mean he's gone?" Osborn asked lowly to Dr. Fleischer. Fleischer looked at him and then held his hands out.
"I mean one moment I'm working on an equation, and the next moment I'm on the floor, my keys and wallet are gone, and so is that psychopath you insisted on having in the lab!" he said.
"Where did he go?"
"You honestly expect me to know the answer to that?" Fleisher asked. "From the moment you brought him here, I have no idea what he's going to do next! He's like a feral animal you find on the street and decide to try and domesticate! He doesn't know how to coexist with humans! He'd be better off back where you found him!" Fleischer let out a long sigh and Leona walked over and put her hand on his shoulder. He touched her hand and looked at her, her dark eyes bore into his and he looked to the side slightly.
"How was he acting before you passed out?"
"Before I passed out? Before he drugged me is more like it!"
"How was he acting?" Leona asked softly.
"Like the drunk he is!" Fleischer said throwing his hands in the air. "If you hadn't kept supplying him with alcohol and gave him the antipsychotics he so desperately needs, maybe he wouldn't be missing!"
"Was he more talkative than usual, did he talk about things he was working on, did he talk about anything?" Norman pressed him.
"He just kept slamming things around and growling." Fleischer said softly, shaking his head.
"Nothing else?"
"He said something about New Mexico..." Fleischer said after a pause. "I- I just remember hearing that before I lost consciousness."
"Thank you, Dr. Fleischer." Norman said after staring at him for a hard time. He turned to Lorena who pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you know where he worked in New Mexico?"
"No, but I can find out." she said simply. He nodded and then turned on his heel and walked out of the lab. She turned to Fleischer and pulled him down to her, kissing him longly. His arms wrapped around her waist and then he finally pulled away.
"Where did he go?" she asked and he smiled lightly as he ran his fingers along her hair, and cupped her face.
"You know me well enough to know when I'm lying and when I'm not. You should also know me well enough to know that your sexual manipulation doesn't work." she narrowed her eyes and he lightly ran his thumb over her lips. He leaned down and kissed her gently before he pulled away and started to work on the equation he was working on before he had been knocked out. She stared at the back of his head for a good moment before she turned and followed Norman out of the room.
"What's he playing at?" Norman asked softly and she crossed her arms as the elevator started moving up.
"I'm not sure." she said. "I need your jet."
"Where are you going?"
"California. At this point, SHIELD would have erased everything on him. There's only one place to get the information I need."
"And just how do you think you're going to get in?"
"Trust me." she looked up at him. He stared down at her for a long moment before he shook his head.
"Never." he said before he pulled his phone out. "Yeah, this is Norman. I need my jet fueled and ready for a flight to Los Angeles. It's a matter of upmost importance. My assistant, Leona Hiss will be flying out. That's all." Her eyes flashed as he called her an assistant, and he smirked before hanging up. "Your flight goes in an hour."
"Good." she said simply. "By the way, do you know anyone at the phone company?" He looked down at her and she stared ahead.
"You must be from the phone company." Pepper smiled when she opened the door to two technicians.
"Yeah, I'm Merriem Drew, this is Slade." she nodded to the large man behind her and Pepper nodded.
"Pepper Potts, come on in." She led them through the house telling them the problem, while they walked.
"Uh, do you think I could use the bathroom?" Merriem asked softly and then made a sort of urgent face, looking down at herself. "Kind of a uh, female emergency."
"Oh, of course." Pepper said and pointed it out to her. Merriem looked at the hulking Slade who raised one heavily pierced eyebrow at her.
"Slade, you mind getting started?" she asked the scary looking ex con who shook his head.
"Just show me to the lines ma'am." he said to Pepper who nodded. Pepper led him outside and Leona walked over to a computer screen she noticed in the living room. She swiped her hand across it, activating it.
"Excuse me, but you don't have the authority to use that." a cool voice said and she looked up in amusement.
"Mesterséges intelligencia, nem rossz." (Artificial Intelligence, not bad.) she muttered to herself, before she started to type on the touch screen, actively pushing the firewall that Jarvis had initiated away from the information she was looking for. As she sifted through the files, her eyes caught something, an address. She smirked to herself. "Nem is olyan könnyű elrejteni most Brian." (Not so easy to hide now Brian) She muttered to herself.
"That's very clever. Do you also do Pig Latin?" a voice from behind her asked. She turned around quickly and smiled seeing Tony Stark standing there, holding a bottle of water and watching her. "It's easy, here, listen, 'Uht-way are-hay ou-yay oing-day?'… You know, for someone trying to steal records, you're actually kind of pretty."
"Is that supposed to flatter me Mr. Stark?" she asked, her voice laced with a thick Hungarian accent.
"Take it how you want." he shrugged. "Curious how Hammer finds you people." he shrugged. "How much is Justin paying you?" she smirked deeply and shook her head.
"I don't work for that Hammer." she said as she stepped closer to him.
"Really? Huh, Jarvis, you wrong for once Buddy?"
"You programmed me never to be wrong Mr. Stark." Jarvis replied easily.
"You said she worked for Hammer."
"Yes Sir, but I never said Justin Hammer." Jarvis said.
"What is this, some kind of riddle? She works for Hammer, but not Justin? I'm not into riddles Jarvis." Tony said without taking his eyes off of the girl.
"Oh, Tony, you're up!" Pepper said walking back into the kitchen.
"Yeah, I found this little co-ed sifting through some top secret files." Tony said nodding to Merriem who looked at Slade who was in the doorway.
"Excuse me?"
"Seems our little phone tech knows a thing or two about computers. Jarvis keeps saying something about her working for Hammer too."
"I don't work for them, I work with them." Merriem said and Tony bent over to try to see her face.
"Take the cap off." he ordered and she shrugged before doing as he said.
"Merriem, what's the meaning of this?" Pepper asked, her hands on her hips, looking very much like someone's disappointed mother. Tony, on the other hand had a look of confusion on his face.
"What did you call her?" he asked and Pepper looked back at him.
"Merriem, it's her name, Marriem Drew."
"No it's not..." he said slowly as he stared at her, trying to read her.
"Would you like to check my ID, Mr. Stark?" she asked with a small smile.
"Why would I need to do that, it's a clever fake." he said simply.
"I guess you'll never know who you gave secrets to."
"Jarvis shut you down."
"Not before giving me everything I need. Don't worry, Dr. Banner won't be harmed."
"Doctor... Banner?" he asked slowly, suddenly something seemed to click. "Say it's nice to meet me."
"Excuse me?" Pepper asked looking at Tony.
"Say it's nice to meet me." he repeated to the girl. She smirked and walked over to him, stopping just inches away from him.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Stark." she said.
"Nicccccce to meet you, Ms. Leona Hiss." he responded instantly, his eyes shut and he stepped back, holding his head while the girl nodded to Slade who shoved Pepper out of the way and the two of them went running.
"Oh! Jarvis, call 911!"
"Forget it!" Tony said. "Forget it, they work for the government."
"What are you talking about?" Pepper asked shakily.
"I'm talking about HYDRA," Tony groaned as he increased pressure on his temples. "That was the head of HYDRA, Leona Hiss. The guy, I don't know him."
"What do you mean she was the head of Hydra?"
"I mean," he said with an aggravated sigh. "We just gave HYDRA Bruce and Minnie's location." he said as he straightened up. "Where's my cell phone?"
"It's on the counter sir." Jarvis replied while Pepper stared at him dumbfounded. He walked over and helped her up and stared down at her for a moment, before he pulled her into a deep kiss. Just as she started to respond he pulled away.
"There'll be time for that later, first, I need to make a phone call." he said as he unlocked the phone.
"Sir, I feel I should tell you-"
"Not now Jarvis."
"But sir, the information they found-"
"Yeah good job on that one buddy." Tony said sarcastically.
"Sir, it wasn't on Bruce." Jarvis said quickly. Tony stopped punching in the number and then walked over to the computer screen he had found Leona in front of. Jarvis unlocked it, and he found himself looking at the face of Brian Banner.
"Minnie, where are you?" he asked when a very confused sounding Minnie Banner answered the phone. "No time for that now, where's your husband? Are you in a compact space? Well, next time you're in open areas, let him know HYDRA lost his father." he said as he started to walk downstairs. "Where am I?" he repeated. "Oh I'm just getting dressed." he said before hanging up.
He looked at Pepper, and she walked over to him quickly, following him downstairs as he went. He unsealed the door to the lab he had been avoiding since Pepper said it was still only a garage, and he wasn't well enough to drive yet.
"Tony are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked as she followed him. "You're not feeling well, how much do you remember anyway?"
"I remember enough to remember how to work one of these." he said pointing to the suit.
"Tony be real."
"Always am." he said as he stepped onto the platform. The robots started attaching the armor and Pepper huffed out an unhappy sigh, crossing her arms. "Hey," he said to her as she frowned up at him. "Look at it this way. You can start wearing the ring again."
"Oh great, you start wearing the suit, and I get to wear the ring." she nodded and he stepped down to her, the metal of the suit clanging against the hard stone floor. "If you don't come back, there's no reason for me to wear the ring." she protested and he gave her a small smile.
"Hey, I always come back; and when I do, I'm coming back for you." he said, cupping her face. She smiled at him and then leaned forward slightly.
"That's have been a lot more romantic if you weren't in the suit." she said and he smiled wider.
"It'd be unnecessary if I wasn't in the suit." he said before he leaned down and kissed her deeply again. God I don't know how I survived not doing that." he muttered to himself. She smiled and kissed him again.
"There's a lot more where that came from, so long as you come back." she said and he smiled.
"I always do." he said, and then the helmet covered his face. "Though I still say saving the world is a good excuse to be late for dinner!" he called as the thrusters started up and he flew out of the house. "Jarvis, music." Tony said and couldn't help but grin as 'Back in the Saddle Again' by Aerosmith started playing. "Nice choice Jarvis." he complimented the AI.
"I thought it appropriate sir." Jarvis answered.
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