A/N. Hi guys. I won't hold you for long, here's chapter 8. Enjoy! :D

Disclaimer I only do for ten chapters - I do not own the Avengers.

CHAPTER VIII

The blade dug into her skin sharply and she sucked in a breath. It was cold and hard against her skin and was oh so close to cutting through the layers to reach her blood.

Obediently, she did not make a sound. He began nudging her forward with his other arm wrapped around her neck. She took tentative steps forward. Where could he be leading her? If he took her outside, everyone would see.

He didn't seem to have the same concern as they slowly made their way towards the front entrance. It was insanely quiet in the hotel lobby. The only thing Tania could hear was the pounding of her heart and her own ragged breathing. She couldn't even register her own footsteps on the marble floor.

When they were close enough to the door, Hal removed the knife to reach out and open it. She took advantage of the moment and stomped her heel onto his toes as hard as she could. He howled in pain and she grunted before lifting the takeout boxes over her shoulder and shoved them into his face, knocking him backward enough to let go of her neck. As he recovered, she lunged for the gun but clumsily only managed to make it misfire into the foggy glass doors of the hotel.

The glass sparkled as it shattered and Tania shrieked. In her peripheral vision, she thought she saw someone enter the room before she ducked a blow to her head from "Hal" the delivery guy. When she popped back up, she "delivered" a nice palm strike to the face, effectively breaking his nose and shoving it up to his brains – at least she hoped it hit his brain. Apparently not because he threw an uppercut to her unprotected stomach and she doubled over, out of breath.

Her vision turned red and began flashing like the sirens of approaching emergency vehicles. Sirens wailed in the background but it didn't sound like police, fire, or ambulance. It was a fire alarm. She only had time to realize what it was before he clocked her in the jaw, snapping her neck to the right and throwing her off balance. She hit the floor roughly but managed to catch herself with shaky arms.

With a deep breath of determination and confidence she didn't have, Tania rolled onto her back and lifted her legs above her head so that all of her weight was on her shoulders and hands placed on either side of her head. She pushed up and sprang her body to its feet and palm-striked him again along with her momentum.

His eyes were burning with a fire that could only mean anger as he aimed his gun at her head. Without even thinking, Tania kicked her left leg up and swung at his arm, deflecting the bullet in the nick of time. Once her leg landed in a cross in front of her left, she continued turning and lifted her right leg to kick his side with her heel. He staggered and she laced her hands together to bring it down upon his back as hard as she could. His knees buckled and he knelt on the floor in front of her. She made to kick him again when he grabbed her ankle and twisted.

Not wanting a twisted ankle, Tania jumped and twirled with it. Unfortunately, that meant landing harshly on the ground yet again while he still had a hold of her ankle. When she slammed against the floor this time, something slipped out of her pocket and into her line of vision: a knife. It was the one Peggy had given her during her time back in the forties when the red head had been worried for her safety. Tania never left home without it. She never thought she'd ever have to use it though.

She grabbed it without a second thought and flipped it open. Her distraction allowed Hal to get up and wrench her by her leg, tossing her across the room. She crashed into the front desk, knocking it over. Pain erupted in her back and head and she groaned. Her grip on her knife only tightened. She would have to stab him.

The flashing red and the deafening sirens became background noise to the sounds of a huge crowd of people talking and crying reached her ears. The fire alarm had alerted them to the danger. People were coming. She struggled to sit up as Hal took aim once again. Her vision was a little blurry but she threw her blade with everything she had. She missed – by a good distance – but it scared him enough to flinch and duck. The knife wedged itself into the wall behind him as the first people started to trickle into the lobby.

Hal glared at her before putting his gun away and sprinting out the doors.

"Stop him!" she shouted, pointing at the shattered door he jumped through. No one heard her over the noise. She became aware of something warm and sticky at the nape of her neck and she reached behind her to feel it. She brought her hand in front of her face and paled. Her fingers were coated in dark, thick, blood. Her breathing quickened.

She was dimly aware of a hand tugging her to her feet by her elbow. All she heard was ringing and all she saw was red. The blood was gushing from the top of her back and she was seeing double.

Two Peppers suddenly invaded her vision and she tried hard to blink away the blurriness. Her right arm began to sting in certain places and her left ankle began to throb. She reached up to touch her throat where his hand and the knife had been. No blood.

Her feet were moving and she was being gently pushed forward. She stepped around the splintered wood of the broken bureau and towards the shattered glass, so much like the one she'd fallen from. She shuddered and averted her gaze.

She spotted her knife, stuck in the wall about a centimeter in, not even. She shrugged off the hand on her lower back and marched toward it unsteadily. She wobbled on her throbbing ankle and reached up to wrap her fingers around the handle. She yanked it out of the wall, chipping the paint, and held it in her hand.

It felt different, heavier, somehow, now that she knew she had tried to harm someone with it. She had wielded it against another human being. She had intentionally tried to hurt someone. It was self-defense, she knew, but still.

The hands were back and nudging her toward the door. She stepped carefully over the glass, only just now noticing how her left foot was missing its shoe and away from most of the flashing red.

Her vision cleared a bit and she managed to hear Pepper yell, "Call nine one one!" before her knees failed her and she collapsed.

About forty-five minutes later, Tania sat on the edge of the back of the paramedics truck that had arrived not too long ago in response to the call someone had made. The police were there as well, but they had interviewed Tania and left already, saying they would conduct an investigation as soon as possible.

So there she sat, swinging her legs back and forth on the truck as it sat parked in front of the hotel. The fire alarm had stopped and the sirens had stopped flashing. It wasn't any quieter. Cars zoomed by at high speeds, people chattered away in huge crowds nearby, and paramedics gave out orders.

Pepper hadn't left her side since they'd been reunited. She was still in her pyjamas and her hair was a mess and she was barefoot but she had not failed to remain Tania's rock in times like these. She held her hand – even though Tania insisted it wasn't needed – while the doctor plucked the multiple splinters from her arm from smashing the front desk to pieces.

Her ankle was swollen and bruised but was not twisted or sprained and would be better sometime the next day. They'd wrapped it up nice and tight just to speed up the process and help her walk. She had a concussion and a small cut on her back near the middle of her spine and her neck. It needed nothing more than a cleaning and a band aid. There were red marks on her throat in the shape of a hand and a slight bruise on the left side of her jaw and a rather large one spreading across her abdomen.

She thanked her lucky stars that Natasha had been teaching her self-defense, otherwise she might not have lasted as long as she did. She looked down at her skirt and realized it was ripped up the left side from her spinning kick and looked like a really messy slit.

"Okay, all done." Her attention was drawn back to the doctor who had just plucked the last splinter from her skin.

"Thanks," she said gratefully. The paramedic nodded her head and pushed herself to her feet.

"They weren't deep. No blood was drawn. You'll be fine."

"Okay."

Just the doctor left, Pepper brandished her cell phone. Tania hadn't even noticed the CEO calling anyone. She hesitantly took it once she saw that Pepper was in mid-call. She pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Tania! Tania, Darling, are you alright?"

Her shoulders sagged in relief at his voice. "Steve. Hi. Yes, I'm fine. I'm going to be black and blue for a bit and he got away but I'm fine."

"What happened? Pepper only told me you got attacked."

"I'll tell you in person. I don't really want to relive it over the phone… or right now. It's… too soon, I guess. I'm still not even sure what happened really happened. It feels so surreal."

"I can understand that. Gosh, Tania…" she could totally picture him running his fingers through his hair anxiously. "I… you had me so worried."

"How long have you known? Like, five minutes?"

His breathy chuckle echoed down the line and she could almost feel his breath tickle her ear. "Yeah but… a lot can happen in five minutes."

"True, true."

"You're coming home tonight." His tone was firm and had an air of power to it. She recognized it as his Captain America voice. Damn his sexy voice…

"The flight isn't scheduled to leave until at least tomorrow. Our pilot is incapacitated."

"Tony pulled some strings. You'll be home within the hour."

"But how?"

"Jarvis is going to pilot the plane."

"But what about the meeting? Arrow and Stark still haven't come to an agreement as of yet. This could go on for days! I'm the head of the Marketing and Advertising department, one that's crucial to a merge that's more than likely going to happen. I'm needed here and my injuries aren't fatal."

Pepper appeared in front of her face. "I'll take care of it, don't worry about a thing Tania. You go home and rest and I'll keep your notes here. You've already given your presentation so you're fine. I wish I could come with you but I'm needed here. I'm sorry Tania."

"It's okay. I totally understand. Thank you Pepper." She leaned forward and embraced her friend with a one armed hug.

"No problem. You get better, okay?"

Tania nodded. "Okay." She returned to the phone as Pepper jumped up and sat on the truck next to her. "I'll see you tonight Steve. Or rather, this morning, I guess."

She could practically hear the relieved smile on his face as he spoke. "Thanks. I love you."

"Love you too."

"Bye."

"Bye." She hung up the phone and handed it back to Pepper. Tania declined her offer to help her off the vehicle and hopped down herself, biting her lip when her ankle throbbed painfully. She held back a cry of pain and pushed herself forward. She removed her right heel and walked back toward the hotel.

All around them, members of the local press were itching to get a closer look at Sonata and Rescue but the two of them ignored all the flashes of the cameras and the questions being hurled at them. Tania had a small limp but she could walk at relatively the same pace and they headed for the elevator to take back to their room so that she could re-pack for the flight home.

On the way there, Pepper called Tony and they had a similar discussion to Steve and Tania's, but less frantic and worried, seeing as how Pepper was completely fine. Not long after the two of them reached their shared room did Tony request to be put on speaker phone.

"Hey T, how's it going?" Every time he called her that, she thought of Howard. She would never tell him that, of course, but it was still true. She missed the Stark dad and his forties lingo and toned down yet still eccentric ways. For the first couple weeks after getting back, whenever Tony would come around, Tania would blush and remember the kiss she'd shared with his father and resist the urge to bang her forehead against whatever was around her.

At present, she didn't blush anymore but the memory still popped up from time to time. Like now. She shoved it back and forced out a reply. "Just dandy, Tony. Someone tried to kill me and he got away. And I almost killed him myself. And I'm black and blue. What else could make this night any more perfect?"

"Someone is dripping with sarcasm today."

"Someone is being an inconsiderate jerk, today."

"Tsk, tsk, Tania. That's no way to talk to your boss."

The brunette rolled her eyes as she roved around the room searching for things to repack. "Whatever Tony. Is there a reason you wanted to talk to me?"

"Just to see if you were okay."

"I am. Thanks for caring."

"You do know that I'm not a jerk all the time, right?"

Tania sighed. "I know that, Tony. I'm sorry. I'm kind of a bad mood right now. That tends to happen after being attacked."

"I've noticed. Don't worry, once you get back here we'll have Bruce check you out."

"I've already been patched up by a real doctor here."

Tony scoffed. "I am offended on Bruce's behalf. I'll have you know that he is a real doctor."

Tania rolled her eyes again as she removed her large manila folder of business notes and handed them to Pepper. "I know that. I meant a medical doctor."

"Same difference."

"Sure it is Tony." She zipped up her suitcase and lifted it with a grunt. Pepper immediately walked over and took it from her. Tania made to protest but stopped when Pepper narrowed her eyes at her.

"Don't even start. It will get you nowhere."

She sighed. "Fine. Lead the way."

"Everything okay over there?" Tony asked, unable to see any of what they were doing.

"Yeah, we're fine. I gotta go Honey, I'll see when I get back," Pepper told him.

"Alright. Love you!"

"Bye Tony," Tania called.

"Love you too," Pepper answered her boyfriend.

"You complete me!" and then he hung up.

The so-called "Business Partners" took the elevator back down to the main floor before taking a back door to the parking lot where Happy was ready. He hugged her and looked her up and down himself before dubbing her, "fine" and took the luggage from Pepper before placing it in the back of the small car instead of the attention-seeking limo.

Tania said good-bye to Pepper before getting into the front seat. Not a whole minute later, her cell phone rang. It played Live to Rise by Soundgarden and she immediately knew that it was Graham calling. That was his ring tone.

She picked it up right away. "Hi Graham."

"Tania? Are you okay? I just got the news."

"I'm fine. I'm a little sore in places and the bastard got away, but I'm otherwise fine."

"Do you know who did it?"

"No. I didn't recognize him."

"How bad are your injuries?"

"Nothing more than bruises and cuts."

"Okay." He breathed a sigh of relief. "You just love getting into trouble, don't you?"

She huffed. "I do not. Trouble comes to me."

"Same thing."

"Look, Gray, do you think you could do me a favour?"

"Sure."

"Tell the others that I'm okay. I don't want any more phone calls tonight, especially if I'm just going to come see you guys in less than an hour anyway."

"Will do, Tani."

"Thanks. You're the best."

"I know. See ya little sis."

"For the last time, I'm older than you!" She heard the click of him hanging up before she finished the sentence. "Ugh." She ended the call and threw her head back against the headrest before saying "Ow!" and deciding that that was a bad idea.

Happy had an amused look on his face. "Shut up," she mumbled.

"I didn't say anything."

"I can hear your thoughts."

"Mmhm, sure. How hard did you hit your head again?" She shoved his shoulder as he laughed before breaking out into a coughing fit. The poor guy was still recovering from that Extremis explosion but he'd refused to remain cooped up in the hospital after his coma. This trip was his one, safe, shot at going back to work.

He still had various cuts and scars on his face but he looked a lot better. She'd seem pictures of him at the hospital – it wasn't pretty.

He dropped her off at the airport and escorted her to Tony's private runway for the jet. She tugged her luggage onboard before hugging her good-bye and seeing her off from the ground. He would remain in Philadelphia so that he could drive Pepper and the other employees around as needed. He waved as the jet tore through the sky, sure that she couldn't see him but doing it anyway,

Inside, Tania settled down in the pilot's seat and grabbed the steering wheel gently, letting the AI drive but pretending she was doing it on her own. She slipped on the headphones and smiled. This might be the most fun she'd had all day.

"Hey Jarvis," she greeted.

"Good morning," he answered back.

"What's our ETA?"

"Twenty-two minutes, eighteen seconds."

She nodded. "Cool, cool."

"Are you alright Miss Banks?"

She looked at the dashboard, where the speakers from which his voice emanated were, and furrowed her eyebrows. "Yes, thank you. Why do you ask?"

"My scan of you suggests multiple points where the skin has been broken and a large swelling in your left ankle as well as dried blood on the back of your neck."

"You scanned me when I came in here?"

"Of course. Mr. Stark's frantic order for me to pilot this jet left much to be desired in terms of information. I took it upon myself to gather such intel for a reason why."

"That's… smart of you, I guess."

"Thank you."

Tania was honestly touched. Even the supercomputer cared enough to ask about her well-being. "If you scanned me and knew I was fine physically, why would you ask me if I'm okay?"

"It seems to be a human custom of sorts that fits to the social paradigm of today's standards to ask whether one is 'okay' after possibly undergoing something traumatic or upsetting."

She hummed in response. The rest of the ride was spent discussing the random details of social paradigms with an AI called, "Just A Really Very Important System" or maybe it was "Just A Really Very Intelligent Supercomputer". Or maybe it was neither. She honestly didn't know anymore. Let's just stick with JARVIS.

Twenty minutes, later, his British voice said something that made her smile: "Welcome home Miss Banks."

A/N. I also do not own the song, Live To Rise by Soundgarden. It's one of the songs on the Avengers soundtrack that played during the credits xD