AN: I have a poll on my profile for the three people I'm thinking of pairing with Nate. Please vote.

Nate winced as Tony crushed through her piano, the floor and then landed on one of his beloved cars. Peering down at him, she couldn't stop the laugh that burst through her lips when she saw Dum-E spraying Tony with his fire extinguisher.

"Have a nice trip?" She asked with a grin.

A groan was all her answer.

Tony wasn't that surprised to see Nattie dressed up in one of her floor-length dress—long enough to hide the old sneakers that she constantly wore—with her dark hair straightened down her back and basic make-up. Jarvis must have told her about Tony's plan.

"You know you've taken me to the Disney Hall more times than you ever have taken me to Disneyland." Nattie said almost pointedly as she pointed to the suit she had thrown over the couch for him.

"I've never taken you to Disneyland." Tony said as he began to put on his suit on.

"Exactly."

"Smart-ass."

"You're making my suit as well, right?"

"Sure, honey."

"That doesn't reassure me at all."

"Jarvis is working on making it to your design—very discreet by the way—while he makes and paints mine."

"Miss Howard?"

Nate turned away from watching Tony and Pepper dance almost awkwardly and took in the man with brown hair with receding hair-line and very government style black suit.

"Yes..?" She raised her eyebrows in question to him.

"Agent Phil Coulson from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." He responded almost completely monotone.

"So, S.H.I.E.L.D?" Nate asked with a quirk of her mouth.

Agent Coulson's eyebrow twitched before he gave a short nod.

"Sure, we'll go with that."

"Is there something I can help you with?" Nate asked as her gaze moved back to her brother and his PA.

They were so oblivious about their feelings it was almost cute, but mostly frustrating. They needed to get together already, she had gotten tired of watching them dance around each other.

"I would like you to convince your brother to actually turn up to our meeting."

She looked at him with what she hoped was a completely blank face.

"Haven't you heard that I'm an orphan, Mister Agent?"

"What's in the tabloids isn't always true as you well know Miss Howard."

Nate could feel her face tighten as she glared at the Agent, her patience was wearing thin for once.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She span to make her way to the bar for another glass of water when Coulson grabbed her arm.

"Howard Stark helped start the division." He spoke quietly as she looked at him. "And I must say, from the photographs, it looks like you have your father's eyes."

She kept her breathing even as she threw a few panicked glances around—no one was looking at them, their attention either captured by their own self-importance or by Pepper and Tony moving outside.

From the way they were walking it seemed that Nate had missed something important. Damn Agent.

"Tony doesn't like the government, and frankly neither do I." She pulled her arm from his grasp, a fake smile plastered on her face when she noticed people glancing at her before she left the Agent.

Tony's suit was simple really. It added height and bulk to his frame, mostly to protect him from attacks and for all his little extra weapons to have a place. His main weapons were his repulsers, Unibeam, Lasers, smart mini-guns and missiles. His suit motors gave him superhuman reflexes, and he also armour system with Jarvis, and superhuman strength. His colour scheme was beautiful hot rod red and gold.

Nattie's also added height and bulk to her frame—which was really needed as her petite height didn't really make anyone cower—but she added more armour to her shoulders and arms so it looked like she was wearing gauntlets and such. Her gauntlets could break apart and form a basic, short and strong sword, while the added space in her shoulders held a collapsible polearm in her left shoulder while the right held smart mini-guns. She had chosen black with highlights of electric blue that matched the blue that lit up her viewer and her personal arc reactor that powered her suit that instead of her chest was settled around her waist like a belt buckle.

Tony's suit obviously was masculine while Nattie's was obviously feminine. Tony's helmet was smaller and more close-fitting than Nattie's—he had taken in the fact that she wouldn't cut her hair for no reason and most likely throw it up into a bun so gave her more room in her helmet.

Tony had said no to the wings, saying they were too much—which was rich coming from him.

Tony was only partly aware of what looked like Nattie's Valkyrie suit shooting up to distract the other plane while he headed towards the falling pilot.

He had been sure that Nattie hadn't been aware of him leaving, had been certain that he was on his own when he took his little trip, and yet here she was while he was saving the life of the pilot that hit him with his plane. He bet Jarvis told her.

"Sir, there's another one. It looks like a woman, and she's giving a peace-sign."

Rhodey wanted to groan. Of course Nate was with Tony, Tony would kill anyone that hurt or attempted to hurt Nate.

"DON'T SHOOT HER!"

Tony had the absent thought that sometimes he was too nice just as he helped the shoot deploy for the panicked pilot.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Was the first thing that Tony said when Nattie and he connected through Jarvis.

"Making sure you don't get yourself killed or kidnapped." Was Nattie's swift reply.

"You are too young to be doing this!"

"I'm twenty-four! I'm not a kid!"

"You're going to get yourself killed!"

"So are you than!"

They kept a steady stream of banter as they flew home, both knowing that neither of them would stop using their suits. Tony wouldn't stop trying to make the world better for Yinsen, and Nattie wouldn't stop following him to make sure he came back alive.

"Tony…?" Nate's voice trailed off as she took in the scene in front of her.

Tony, pale and so very still on the couch, staring at her with wide horrified dark eyes—arc reactor missing from his chest. Obadiah standing there calmly with a plastic case in hand.

She was so focused on Tony, so struck by horror that she didn't see the blow coming from the black plastic case before darkness took over and she fell with a thud.

Dark long hair streaked with the same red as his suit fluttered as she fell like a puppet with its strings cut. Her face was lax as she landed on the floor, blood began to seep from the side of her head and pool.

And something inside of him screamed.

Blood, so much blood. That's the image that surfaced in Tony's mind when he ordered Pepper to press the button.

Nattie. Dark hair sticking to her face, a face so pale and lax.

He hadn't even checked on her. He just left her laying in a growing pool of her blood, left her life and safety in Nanny and Rhodey's hands, and left to fight Obie.

Tony hoped that she was going to be fine, hoped that he was going to live through this stunt, because he didn't want those to be the last memories he had of her and didn't want her last memory to him so pale and dying without his reactor.