Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Marvel or any quotes you might recognise.

NYCTOPHILIA

Chapter 7

"When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil.

When full, starve them.

When settled, make them move."

-Sun Tzu, The Art of War-

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Approximately One Week Earlier…

"Sir, Ms. Wilson is downstairs, should I bring her up?"

Tony Stark jumped slightly as the voice of Jarvis ripped him out of his thoughts, the drink he was holding in his right hand almost spilling all over his lap. After the whole alien invasion and his near death experience he was always agitated and the smallest things made him jump. That and the fact that he was probably not getting enough sleep staying awake to escape the terrifying nightmares contributed to his 'fragile' state. It was Afghanistan all over again. He buried himself in his work and when Pepper was not around to keep a watch full eye on him, he drowned himself in his best bottle of Scots, which was the case at the moment. Luckily he only had about three stiff doubles so far as he lazily got up from the couch he was lounging on. Pepper will kill him if she found out that he misbehaved in front of "Dearest Steve's" super-hot… could he say girlfriend? No, they only went out once and that was to his party. Capsicle has been way too busy to take her on another date. Right! Pepper invited them over for dinner, but Cap had to cancel, because he went on some super-secret mission and Pepper still insisted that super-hot… No, Amelia!... had to join them for dinner. And then Pepper's mom got sick and she had to leave and what did she say again before she darted to the elevator? Oh yeah!

"Tony, please call Amelia and apologise for me. Tell her we can reschedule as soon as I am back. Behave! Love you!"

"Sir?"

"Shit! I forgot to call her to cancel our dinner date! Send her up, might as well offer her a drink since she's already here. Pepper is going to kill me. Again!" Tony said as he pushed his fingers through his hair.

"Yes, sir."

Tony raised the glass in his hand to his lips and gulped down the last sip of his drink before he made his way to his bar to pour himself another one. At least now he would have some company and he could escape his grim thoughts for a few hours.

The elevator doors slid open and he turned around to welcome his guest, but as his eyes fell on her he almost dropped the glass in his hands. She was wearing a tight fitting red halter neck blouse and skinny black jeans that fitted her like a glove. The jeans sat low on her hips and just a tiny bit of her skin peeped out where her blouse ended. She was wearing her hair down again and the soft curls fell gently over her bare shoulders. Red was definitely a good colour on her, especially on her plump inviting lips. And then there were those captivating gorgeous green eyes of her that he swore could look straight into your soul. Fuck! Maybe this was not such a good idea, Tony thought as a tingling sensation settled in his stomach. He straightened his back and repeated over and over in his mind: I love Pepper. I love Pepper.

"Hey Amelia, always good to see you. How's Cap? You still enjoy living in New York? Is Fury still giving you grieve? I mean, you can just say the word and I can make him back off. You know, focus his attention on something else… like hack into Shield's top secret files, again… and…" Tony trailed off as he noticed a playful grin forming on Amelia's lips as she leaned with her hip against the bar, only two feet from him. He stared down at her sparkling eyes and his grip on the bottle of Scots in his hand tightened as she bit down on her bottom lip.

His eyes widened as she reached out to him with her right hand and when their fingers touched where he gripped the bottle of Scots a warm feeling rushed through his body and his heart began to race. His eyes darted back to her red lips and all he wanted to do was… No! NO! I love Pepper! He practically screamed in his mind as he closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath to calm his raging emotions.

"So are you planning on finishing this all on your own?"

Tony's eyes flashed open as she gently pulled the bottle of Scots from his hand and watched in silence as she refilled his glass and slowly brought it to her lips and downed the contents in one gulp.

"Dinner plans changed and I forgot to let you know. Pepper had to…"

"I know. Pepper phoned me from the airport before she left." Amelia answered as she leaned over the bar to get another glass. Her blouse rode up and Tony couldn't help but stare at the exposed skin on her back. He was so dead! Either from a heart attack or Pepper strangling him to death if she ever found out about the adulterated thoughts he was having at this very moment.

"Wait! Pepper phoned you and cancelled? Then why did you still come?" Tony asked taking the glass she was offering to him. He quickly took a huge sip in the hopes that the burn of the alcohol would distract his mind for a few moments or at least until he had a better grip on his rampant hormones.

"I had nothing else to do and I thought you could use the company. Besides how could I miss out on the change to spend an evening all alone with the famous Tony Stark?" She said as she raised her glass, a seductive smile playing on her lips.

What game was she playing? Tony thought as he took another sip from his glass. Did she realize what effect she had on him and was now deliberately flirting with him in an attempt to tease him or was she really trying to seduce him, because if the latter was true, she was certainly succeeding with flying colours. Okay, this was getting ridiculous. He cleared his throat and stepped away from the bar, hoping that some distance between them will help clear his mind.

"When's Cap coming back from his mission?" He asked in an attempt to focus the conversation on something else.

"Tony?"

"Yes?" He answered as he spun around to only come face to face with her again. She was staring up at him with an amused smile on her lips. So much for trying to keep some distance, he thought and quickly took another sip from his glass.

"Do I make you nervous?" She asked and took another step closer to him.

"What?... No!" He stammered out and ran his trembling hand through his hair.

"I'm just jittery from too much caffeine and lack of sleep. I'm working on a new project… actually a new suit. I'm planning on testing it tomorrow, the prototype. I added a few… What are you doing?" Tony asked as Amelia took the glass from his hand and placed it on the table next to the couch he was standing in front of.

She just smiled back at him and the next moment she pushed him hard and he landed on the couch with a look of utter surprise plastered on his face. What the hell was going on? He tried to get up, but her hands on his chest stopped him and he just stared back into her light green eyes. Did her eyes just glow or was he already so plastered that he was imagining things?

"Relax! I'm not gonna bite." She whispered and leaned even closer to him until their faces where only a few inches apart. Her gaze dropped to her right hand as she slowly moved it down his chest and his abdominal muscles contracted as her fingers lightly brushed over it. He took in a sharp breath and gripped the soft material of the couch. Fuck, he had to get away from this situation before he lost his last thread of self-control.

"Are you hungry? I'm starving. I can order something up. What would you like? Chinese, pizza? …No? Have you ever tried…" Her finger softly pressed against his lips interrupted his rambling and he swallowed hard as he stared back at her.

"We both know that's not really what's on your mind." She said as she slowly slid her finger from his lips to his chin, before continuing. "So tell me what you really want."

Tell her what he really wanted? No! Maybe more than a year ago he would have, but he was not that person anymore, he was not a playboy with a different girl on his arm every night anymore. He changed for Pepper. He changed because he found someone that truly accepted him for who he was, who loved him and supported him no matter what. No, he couldn't do this. This was wrong! With that thought he grabbed her by the shoulders with the intend to push her away, but as soon as he touched her a strange sensation washed over him and the next moment he pulled her towards him. When he was able to form a coherent thought she was straddling his lap and his breath was falling in short gasps over his lips.

"You can fight it all you want, but you can never deny it. It's a simple truth. Men might be physically stronger than women, but it's such a shame how easily a woman can become a man's greatest weakness. Just the right words, the soft lingering touch, the smouldering seductive look in our eyes and just like that you become putty in our hands. We might be the weaker sex, but we managed to bring the most powerful men to their knees. And in the end you will always kneel, because without us you are nothing."

Her words washed over him from a distance. Somehow they made sense, but all he could think off was how close she was, how amazing she smelt and how good she felt this close to him. How he wanted to pull her even closer and devour her sweet lips. How he wanted to get lost in this feeling she was awakening deep inside him. How he would do anything, no would do everything possible to hear her call out his name in the throes of passion.

Tony shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times, but the strange feeling that was slowly building and clouding his mind did not subside. Fear began to fill his racing heart as the realization dawned on him that this was not normal. She was not normal. He focused on her eyes again and they were glowing a bright green, willing him to give in, to submit his will to her. He needed to put on his suit. Now!

"Jarvis! Code Red!" He stammered out through clenched teeth as he fought for control over his own mind and body.

"Jarvis! Implement protocol four eleven eight." Amelia said as she placed her hand on the arc reactor glowing dimly through his shirt.

"Yes, Ms. Wilson. Shutting down in five, four, three, two…"

"Jarvis! Abort! Abort!" Tony yelled, but it was too late as the sound of his AI shutting down rang through the room.

"What are you?" He hissed as his grip on her shoulders tightened, the strange feeling threatening to take control over him completely.

"I can be many things, Tony, but the choice if I'm your friend or enemy is all up to you. My intention is not to hurt you. I need your help."

"Ever thought of just asking for it then? Your current method is not encouraging a very good start for a lasting friendship. The last time someone tried to take control of my mind ended very badly for the other party. You should know that if Jarvis is not turned on in the next ten minutes this place will be crawling with Shield's agents, they intent to shoot first and ask questions later."

"I know, but I don't intent on staying that long." She whispered and pressed her hand over his heart.

Tony let out a strangled gasp as a burning sensation blasted through his chest where her hand was touching him. For a few seconds everything around him was a blur, it felt as if he was there but not really. His mind went blank and when he opened his eyes again he was staring back in those fascinating green eyes.

"Tony?" She asked as she gently stroked his cheek with her left hand.

"Yes." He answered, but his own voice sounded foreign to him.

"I need you to find Loki's sceptre for me. Hydra stole it from Shield during the chaos after the chitauri attack. It's somehow blocked from me and I cannot sense it. I already searched all the Hydra bases known to Shield and that leads me to believe that there must be a few others not even Shield knows off. Will you do this for me?" She asked as her fingers trailed along the edge of his jaw.

"Yes."

"Good." She whispered as she leaned closer to him, their lips only a breath apart. "And Tony, this is our little secret."

"Yes." He breathed out as he tried to close the distance between their lips, but just as he was about to capture her lips with his everything went dark and his head fell back against the couch.

Malia stood up and stared down at the sleeping Tony Stark. Her task on Midgard was now completed and it was time to return to Asgard. Though it was easy to manipulate the humans and persuade them to do her will the Dark Prince will not subdue to her that easily.

A mischievous smile formed on her lips. How she loved a good challenge.

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A/N: Pietoraven36, thank you for your kind review. It's always great to hear that someone is enjoying this story. Thanks to everyone that followed, favourite and took the time to read this.

Till next time!

Take care

R