Melody pulled her luggage into the hotel lobby, following Tony, Pepper and Happy. Pepper was checking them into their rooms while Tony and Happy were talking more about boxing. Melody began looking around the area. She had only been to Monaco a couple of times and she loved it. She thought the place was so beautiful. She couldn't wait to lounge in her bikini with Pepper and Natalie, who would be joining them later, trying to get more information on this girl who had just joined their pack.
As she looked around the lobby, she could see someone she hadn't seen in a really long time sitting at a small table on a cell phone. She felt like her heart had stopped completely from shock. "Clint." She breathed out. A group of people passed by, getting rid of her image of him. She moved past them quickly, not even knowing what she was doing, letting her legs take over. When she got past the people and in the view of the table again, he was gone.
"Melody!" She heard Tony yell out from behind her.
She looked all around the lobby when she spotted the grey jacket she had seen on him make its way out the door. This time, she ran. She pushed past everyone in the lobby, knocking someone down in the process and making it out the door. She checked every visible face, just trying to find Clint's. There was no sign of him anywhere. Not even of the grey jacket. She put a hand on her head while pushing her hair back, trying to process what happened. "I have to be seeing things." She whispered to herself. But he seemed so real, she thought.
She felt a hand touch her shoulder so she turned around quickly to see Tony jump from how fast she turned around. "Hey, are you okay?"
She looked back out at the crowd, searching again for any sign of Clint. Something. Anything. "Yeah." She finally answered as she continued to look, knowing it was pointless. "I just thought…" She trailed off while still searching, just wanting to see him again. Just wanting to know that she wasn't crazy.
She felt Tony put a hand on her shoulder and began to lead her towards the hotel again, but she continued to look out. "Let's get settled in. The race is in a few hours." He knew she was upset about something and he wanted to make her feel better, but he had no idea how and he had no idea why she was upset. "We can go out and get real macaroons after." She nodded and leaned into the grip he had on her as he guided her into the hotel. "What happened out there?" He asked in a whisper.
"I thought," She began in a small voice, wanting to look back, but knowing it was useless. "I thought I saw someone."
"Who?" he asked, genuinely interested.
She shook her head while taking a deep breath and moving out of his grip. "No one."
He watched her walk towards the stairs with her head down, feeling his heart break at the way she walked. She looked so disappointed and heartbroken. All he wanted to do was run to her, scoop her in his arms and tuck her into bed while curling up with her like when she was a little girl and they could nap after school. He wanted the Melody who told him everything and relied on him for the simplest things. He wanted the old Melody back.
Clint had just slipped into the car without being seen by Melody. He took a deep breath and leaned into his seat as the driver began driving them far away from the hotel. "Hello, Clint." He jumped when he heard Emily's voice, not expecting her here at all. She was staring down at her phone, wearing her SHIELD uniform, her nails a freshly polished orange and her yellow hair in the usual big, cascading curls. "How are you today?"
He felt the anger bubbling through his whole body. "You sent me on this mission. You knew she'd be here!"
"That's precisely why I sent you on this mission."
"What are you talking about?" He asked her with an annoyed tone.
"Have you talked to your friend Natasha lately?"
Clint began to feel sudden worry. "No. Why?"
Emily turned to him with a smile. "Because she's now involved in my stage two plan."
"Did you send her in on a bullshit mission too?" He asked her harshly.
Emily rolled her eyes and turned back to her phone. "Fury sent her in to be Tony Stark's shadow agent."
Clint blinked a couple of time. "Tony Stark needs a shadow agent?" He really did miss that small family he had been accepted into. It was probably the only real family he had.
"Iron Man does."
"He's a part of this plan?" Clint asked, still trying to wrap his brain around what he told her six months ago. "This phase two plan?"
She nodded and turned back to him with a smile. "And with Natasha's reports, Melody will be an excellent candidate."
Happy drove up to where the Grand Prix race was being held. The group got out of the car and said a quick hello to the fans before they all went into the VIP room to watch the race. As they walked inside the room, Pepper pulled Tony and Melody close to her. "No one do anything stupid."
"It's Europe." Tony told her obviously. "Whatever happens next, just go with it."
"Just go with it?" Pepper asked like she was about to dive into a lecture.
"Mr. Stark?" They all turned to see Natalie standing right in front of them.
"Hey." He told her excitedly, causing Pepper to roll her eyes and Melody to just smile at her jealousy.
"Hello." She told him with a polite smile. "How was your flight?"
"It was excellent. Very nice to see you."
Melody looked her up and down. The woman was gorgeous. "I love that dress." Melody commented, receiving a subtle hit from Pepper.
"Thank you, Miss. Barnes." Natalie told her carefully.
"Please," Melody told her while shaking her head. She didn't know if she could trust Natalie yet, but she might as well get as close to her as possible. "Call me Melody."
She nodded with her smile growing wider. "Melody." She looked over at Tony and Pepper again. "We have one photographer if you don't mind."
Natalie took the drinks from Tony and Pepper's hands as Melody was forced between Tony and Pepper. "When did this happen?" Pepper asked, still keeping her smile.
"What?" Tony asked innocently. "You made me do it." She was about to say something else when he turned her to the camera. "Smile. You look great." Melody smiled uncomfortably in the middle as Pepper laughed out her frustration. "Stop acting constipated. Don't flare your nostrils."
"You are so predictable." She told him with a smile still on her face as Melody broke out of the pose to get away from the arguing. "That's the amazing thing."
She moved to the bar, getting a bourbon and began to sip on it when Justin Hammer approached her. "Oh god." She whispered out before taking a long drink.
"Melody!" He told her excitedly while clapping her on the back.
"Wow," She told him with fake excitement. "It's my least favorite one night stand."
"How are you?" He asked as he leaned in for a hug which she returned quickly, knowing reporters were everywhere, watching their every move and not really paying attention to their conversations.
"Good." She answered as she pulled away from him.
"Can I get you another drink?"
"No." She answered once she had finished it. "I was just leaving."
She began to walk off when he jumped in front of her. "I actually came over here to ask you something."
"No sex." She told him instantly.
"This isn't about sex." He whispered into her ear. "This is a business proposition." She turned to look at him with wide eyes at the fact that he even had the audacity to begin this conversation. "I was thinking that if you ever wanted more than just a weapons designer than you can come over to Hammer Industries and maybe be VP."
"Are you serious right now?" She asked loudly, forgetting where she was for a moment. She looked around at everyone else in the room who hadn't taken notice in her yet and then turned back to Justin Hammer, leaning in so only he would be able to hear her. "Even if I did want a high up job, which I don't, I would never betray my family and go to Hammer Industries just so you could get the Iron Man design."
"That's right. I forgot that you're not as naïve as you used to be." He spoke as he leaned into her ear, trying to be as threatening as possible. "But I'm just looking out for you, Melody." She scoffed as she rolled her eyes while looking away from him. "How much of that Iron Man suit is your design?" She turned to look at him, knowing exactly what he was trying to do to her. "Tony takes all the credit for that suit and you take all the fall." Hammer looked over at Tony, causing Melody to look as he glided through the crowd, shaking hands with everyone. "Don't you want that? Don't you want to run your family's legacy? That CEO chair belongs to you. Not Pepper. Don't you want that? Don't you want all the praise the Iron Man has gotten?" She turned back to Hammer, gritting her teeth, hating that his trick was actually working. She was feeling jealousy, just like he planned. "You could have done it, you know? You could have been Iron Man."
Melody looked to the bar they were still by and saw a martini being passed to a woman nearby. She took it from the table before the woman could even pick it up and threw it into Hammer's face. His eyes shut and people around them watched, waiting to see what else would happen. She moved close to his face and growled, "Go to hell." She slammed the glass on the bar counter and looked to the bartender. "Put it on my tab."
He nodded and she walked off angrily in her heels, joining Tony and Pepper on the other side of the bar. "Get me a drink." She told Tony. "Now." He handed her his and she began to drink it quickly.
"Anthony!"
Melody rolled her eyes as she heard Hammer's voice. All she wanted to do was get out of there. She wanted to be the little girl who tugged on Tony's sleeve, told him she wanted to go home and he would listen, picking her up and taking her home to have a nap together. "My least favorite person on earth." Tony spoke as he turned to see Justin Hammer clapping his hand on his shoulder. "Justin Hammer."
"How are you doing?" Tony turned away from him, noticing how mad and upset Melody looked, lipping: what's wrong? "You're not the only rich guy here with a fancy car."
Melody was about to pull Tony away from them and explain everything when Justin Hammer turned behind him and motioned for a girl to come over. "Really?!" Melody screamed out once she saw who it was.
"You know Christine Everhart from Vanity Fair?" Hammer asked, ignoring Melody's outburst.
"Yes." They all answered as one, Melody in a complaining tone, Tony like he wasn't comfortable and Pepper like she was trying to be polite.
"Roughly." Tony answered.
"Unfortunately." Melody mumbled under her breath.
"BTW, big story." Hammer said while leaning into Christine and pointing at Pepper. "New CEO of Stark Industries even if most thought it would end up being Melody." All three of them looked at him like they wanted to punch him at that remark, but he just laughed. "Congratulations, Pepper. Really."
"Thank you." She told him through her smile.
"My editor will kill me if I don't grab a quote." She looked over at Pepper with a shy smile. "Can I?"
"She's actually doing a big spread on me for Vanity Fair." Hammer cut in.
"Wow," Melody spoke while looking at him. "You have to be the spot of attention every second, don't you?"
Everyone laughed while Melody and Hammer glared at each other through their smiles. "Well," Pepper cut in while looking at Tony. "She did quite the spread on Tony last year." Melody nodded, knowing exactly what Pepper was talking about.
"And she did a story as well."
"Very impressive." Melody spoke as she nodded, Christine obviously looking embarrassed, but trying to hide it. "Very well done."
"Thank you." She spoke as she went through her purse and pulled out a recorder.
Melody rolled her eyes and turned to Pepper, hoping that she could save her. She grabbed Melody's arm beginning to lead her away. "We're gonna go-"
"Please don't leave me alone with them." Tony whispered, knowing they were still able to hear as Melody and Pepper walked off.
Once they found a corner of the restaurant that wasn't packed, Pepper put her hands on Melody's shoulders, looking her right in the eye. "What is wrong?"
Melody began hyperventilating and a few tears began to trickle out of her eyes, all of what had happened that day finally getting to her. "I feel like I'm on the edge of a nervous breakdown."
Pepper pulled her into a hug, holding her tight. Even if she didn't like the way Melody was acting, she loved all of Melody no matter what. "We can leave." She whispered into her ear. "You and I can just leave."
Melody moved out of her grip and began to walk towards the bathroom. "I just need a minute."
She hurried into the bathroom in anticipation, thrilled that she could break down in there when she saw Christine Everhart adjusting her makeup in the mirror. Melody sighed out, about to turn around when she called out, "Wait!" Melody stopped and looked at her skeptically. Christine took a paper towel from the dispenser, wet it and moved to Melody. "You have mascara running down your face."
She began to wipe it off as Melody continued to look at her with a confused face. "Why are you helping me?"
Christine shrugged as she finished wiping the mascara off. "We're girls. We look out for each other." She reached into her makeup bag and pulled out some foundation matching Melody's, putting it on her face. "Hammer's an ass."
Melody scoffed. "Yeah, you're telling me."
She brushed the make up onto her cheeks as Melody looked up at her, no longer skeptically, but in wonderment at the fact that a woman she had hated for so long was being so nice to her. "I don't know what he said to you, but don't take any of it personally." She went through her make up bag and pulled out some mascara, putting it on her. "What can Justin Hammer do to the all-powerful Melody Barnes anyway?" Melody laughed as she finished the makeup. "All done."
Christine turned back to her bag, mumbling for some lip gloss she was looking for when Melody went through her purse, pulling out her own. "Here, use this one. It'll go really great with your complexion."
"Thank you." Christine spoke as she looked at her in the mirror.
Right when she handed it back to her, Melody continued to study her in the mirror. "You know," Melody began. "Christine, I'm sorry for how mean I always am to you."
She shrugged. "I'm a reporter, you're a celebrity. It doesn't surprise me."
Melody nodded, understanding the line that divided them as celebrity and reporter would always be there. "You're not that bad."
Christine smiled at her. "You're not all that bad yourself." The two nodded to each other, knowing they would always be rivals in a way, but also respecting each other and even liking each other. Maybe they would never be able to be friends, but they would always be able to remember that one time in the girl's room in Monaco.
Melody had joined Pepper back at the table and the two were talking when Pepper looked up at the TV to see Tony wearing a driving suit right next to the Stark Industries car. Melody looked up at the TV, her mouth dropping. "Oh, my god." She whispered.
"Natalie!" Pepper called to the girl who wasn't standing far from them, watching the TV in awe like everyone else. "Natalie!"
She rushed over, finally looking away from the TV and at Pepper and Melody. "Yes, Miss. Potts?"
"Do you know anything about this?" Pepper asked.
"This is the first I've heard of it." Pepper sighed out while looking back at the TV worriedly.
Melody turned to her, looking right into Natalie's eyes, matching her panic. "This cannot happen."
"Absolutely." She spoke quickly, her voice completely calm and controlled. "I understand. How can I help you?"
"Where's Happy?" Melody asked, the Iron Man suit that was designed in a briefcase, the first thing coming to her mind.
"He's waiting outside." They were both surprised how efficient she was.
"Okay." Pepper spoke, looking back to them. "Get him. I need Happy."
"Right away." She ran off outside as Pepper and Melody turned back to the TV, taking a deep breath, feeling anger, panic and worry.
Melody ran a nervous, shaky hand through her hair as the cars took off, turning to Pepper with worried eyes. "Tell me nothing bad is going to happen." Melody commanded with her shaky voice. Pepper looked at her while shaking her head, wanting to comfort her, but also knowing that she couldn't lie to Melody.
On the race track, Ivan Vanko stepped out, dressed in a worker's uniform, alarming everyone, a car barely missing him. He then ripped his uniform open, showing what looked to be an arc reactor. "For the love of god." Melody breathed out. He then pulled out whips, electricity running through them from the arc reactor as the rest of the uniform jumpsuit burned off of him. A car drove up to him, but Ivan sliced the top part in half, causing everyone to panic even more. Melody's hand went to her mouth, not really able to believe what just happened, only hoping that the man driving was all right.
Happy walked into the room, showing them the Iron Man case, Pepper getting Melody up, who was paralyzed with shock, out the door and into the car. Happy drove, crashing into the course, the cars going the opposite way they were coming. "Oh, my god." Melody breathed out while looking to Pepper.
"Just breathe." She told her while rubbing her shoulders. "Just breathe." Melody nodded as they continued to drive and looked down at the Iron Man suit, hoping it could save the day somehow.
Tony was in his car, completely oblivious to what was going on until he made it to where Ivan was. Ivan greeted him by slicing the beginning of his car in half. The car flipped through the air, seeming to go in slow motion for Tony until it hit the ground again. He struggled to get out of the car, seeing the man with the electric whips coming his way, causing a crash of cars right behind him as he walked.
In the car, Melody had collected herself enough to reach to the front seat to pull the case to her. "Where's the key?" Pepper asked as she saw Melody searching all over for it.
"My pocket." Happy announced.
"Car!" Pepper yelled as Happy swerved out of the way just in time.
Ivan looked all around the crashed car for Tony, but Tony was right behind him, hitting him in the back of the head with metal from a crashed car. Ivan tried to hit him with his whips, but Tony dodged every hit while trying to understand what was happening. He tried to run, but one of the whips struck his leg, causing him to fall into one of the cars from the pain. He looked down at the gasoline all over the road from the crashes and then the man moving to him.
Ivan began moving the whips around, trying to scare Tony, but he waited for his plan to work. Once Ivan was about to hit him with the whips, Tony moved out of the way so he hit the gasoline instead, causing an explosion. Tony watched as he tried to put out the small fire on his arm, trying to understand who this man was.
Happy drove up, honking right before hitting Ivan, sending him into the chain link fence which Tony had to climb up on to avoid being hit. He jumped down from the fence, going to Happy as Pepper was screaming in the back and Melody watched the man they had just hit nervously, trying to find out who he was, but she had no idea. She had never seen that man in her life. "Are you okay?" Happy asked him.
"Yeah." Tony answered. "Were you heading for me or him?"
Melody looked to Tony, absolutely done with him, every thought about wishing she could be a little girl with him again out of her mind and replaced with anger. "Are you out of your mind?!" Melody yelled at him.
"There was security." He protested.
"Get in the car!" Pepper commanded.
"I was attacked!" He complained.
"Because that's supposed to make us feel better?!" Melody yelled at him.
"Get in the car!" Happy yelled at all of them, just wanting to get them all out of there safe, knowing they could have this argument later.
"I'm so done with both you." Tony yelled out as he moved to the other side of the car. "This is so embarrassing." Melody was about to lunge at him and take his eyeballs out once he got in the car until he opened his door and Ivan got up, slicing his door in half. "Hit him again!" Tony yelled at Happy as he began to reverse and crash into him again. "Case!" Tony called out. Both Melody and Pepper were fumbling with it in the back seat, trying to get it to Tony as they continued to crash into Ivan and the airbags began to deploy.
Ivan sliced the car in half, hitting Melody in the arm and she screamed as the pain ran throughout her whole body. Tony ran to the other side of the car, trying to get the case when Melody ripped it from Pepper's hands and got out of the car. "Melody!" Pepper yelled. "Get back in the car!"
With blood trickling down her arm, she put the suit on the floor while stepping on it and pulling it on, letting the suit assemble around her. Tony looked at her in shock before jumping into the car with Pepper from fear. Once the suit was done, she looked to the car, kicking it to the side as Tony looked on with worry and wonderment.
She looked to Ivan who seemed to have an amused smile on his face. This wasn't the one he wanted initially, but she was in the Stark family. She would do for now. Melody put out her hand, about to blast him when he knocked it down with his whips. She tried to hit him again, but he just knocked her other arm down. That time, she had studied him, figuring out the right time to blast him, noticing he was most vulnerable right when he was raising his whips. She blasted him a few times, actually getting the upper hand until he wrapped the whips around her arm and sides and throwing her off to the side.
"Melody!" Tony tried to get up from where he was sitting, but Pepper pulled him back down and Ivan threw Melody on the top of the car. He tried to get up again, but Pepper pulled him back down. "She can die out there!" He yelled to Pepper.
"What can you do?!" She yelled at him. Tony sat there for a moment, knowing she was right and sat back down into his seat, feeling his heart tighten as Melody doubled over from the electricity pulsating through the suit.
Melody sat up, feeling herself get angry. She grabbed one of the whips, pulling herself closer to Ivan and once he threw the other whip, she grabbed that one as well. Without any use of the whips he was practically defenseless to the suit. She head butted him, causing him to be dazed as she flipped him onto his back with the whips. He laid on the ground with blood coming out of his mouth as she leaned down and tore the arc reactor out of his chest angrily, stopping the electricity from going through the whips.
The CRS ran in once they were sure he was defenseless as Melody stepped back from him while looking at the arc reactor in her hand. Tony got out of his seat and ran up to her as Happy and Pepper looked at each other, both sharing the feeling of worry after the thought of losing Melody and knowing that this would only be the beginning.
Tony reached her right when the CRS began pulling him away. Ivan watched them with a smile, spitting blood out at them as he laughed being carried away. "You lose!" He yelled at them in a thick Russian accent. "You lose, Stark!"
Melody looked down at the arc reactor in her hands, feeling so much anger. She hated that this man for threatening her family. She hated that a threat like this to her family had even existed. She even began to hate the arc reactor in general. With all that anger, she crushed it in her hands and watched it drop to the ground. "Take this thing off of me, Jarvis."
The suit began to dissemble without Jarvis saying a word, picking up on her mood. Once it was off, it was back into the case, Melody shutting her eyes at all the pain she had felt from her arm and all the scraps and bruises now on her face and body. "Melody," Tony began in a careful voice. "Are you all right?"
She opened her eyes with a sigh and shook her head at him. She moved past him while bumping into him and climbed into the backseat to Pepper who was ready to hold her in her arms. Melody was curled into a ball as Pepper hugged her and gave her soothing words and all Tony could do was watch, wishing that he could take Pepper's position.
I gave you guys a little Clint scene in this chapter because I know you guys would like it and because I miss writing Clint. I hope you guys liked the Monaco scene with Melody in the suit instead of Tony. Remember to review your thoughts!