Eighteen

I immersed myself in building the drones, trying hard not to think of sleep. I started the AI for the drones, making them similar to Jarvis, but with less capability so they could be controlled but not hacked into. I was hoping to be finished with them soon and deliver them to Fury. Then maybe I could sit behind the controls and be able to help fight this new 'classified' threat. It would still be another three weeks before I could get out of this cast. The new breaks taking more time to heal. The lack of sleep not helping.

"Miss Lana is upstairs for you, sir." Jarvis interrupted my inner monologue. I practically skipped up the steps to the now finished foyer.

"Lana! I missed you!" I grabbed her in my arms and swung her around.

"Ow." Lana winced.

"Are you okay, I didn't hurt you did I?" I set her down and checked her over she looked pale and thinner than the last time we were together. She seemed to be running a slight fever too.

"You didn't hurt me." She lifted the edge of her shirt. "I had an operation." A large bandage was taped to her lower right stomach.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you or take you away from whatever you were doing in New York. It was a simple appendectomy. I got real sick after you left. They had to take out my appendix. Weren't you supposed to be out of that cast?" She changed subjects.

"They said it needed more time." I lied. Now holding her against me, kissing every inch of exposed skin. "I missed you."

"You didn't punch another desk, did you?"

"No. I can for once actually say, I didn't punch anything." I smiled. She glared daggers at me, but gave in to my big brown puppy eyes. I took her downstairs to the lab to show her the project I'd been working on.

"Didn't Fury pay any attention during the Hammer Drone fiasco." She commented picking up a drone's head.

"That's what I said!"

"I don't like Fury." She mumbled.

"You've never met him. If you met him, you'd like him less."

She laughed, but winced in pain holding her side.

"Didn't they give you any pain killers?" I took her to the bedroom and sat her down, trying to comfort her.

"Yes…" She started. "I forgot them in my other purse." She shrugged.

"You sit here, find something on tv and I'll get you some Tylenol. It's not as great as Vicodin, but it will help." I gave her the remote and walked back into the main lab. I knew Pepper always kept pain killers somewhere for me. I filled a glass with water and went searching cupboards and drawers. The phone rang. It was Fury, speak of the devil.

"Nick, so nice to hear from you. Your project is almost done, I'm still in no condition to fight. I couldn't get the suit on if I tried." I rambled on.

"Stark, shut up. Answer me yes or no to everything. Are you okay?"

"Yes…" I said slowly.

"Are you compromised?"

"No…"

"Get low. Barton, Cap, Thor, move in!" Fury yelled. I heard my brand new front doors being kicked in. A swarm of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and half of the Avengers ran to my location.

"Alright it's a party! Please mind my mess and help yourself to the bar." I said rather sarcastically.

"My brother? Where is my brother?" Thor demanded, shaking me by the shoulders.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"The tracking device imbedded in him led us here." Barton said holding his little computer, waving it at me.

"I think your little thing is broken. It's only me and Lana." I said.

"What's going on here?" Lana poked her head out the door. "I haven't done anything." She was now leaning against the door frame in pain. I moved to help her back to the bed.

"Lana, you lie down, I'll handle this." I led her back to the room. I returned to the lab. "Now does anyone know where Pepper put the painkillers?"

"In the top drawer of your desk, sir." Jarvis chirped.

"Jarvis, you and I need to have a conversation as soon as this is done. See guys, only me and Lana." I tried to convince the swarm of people in my lab.

"Yes, sir." Jarvis confirmed.

"What's wrong with her?" Steve asked.

"She just got out of the fucking hospital. She had her fucking appendix removed." I explained.

"I want paperwork." Barton was not convinced. I grabbed her purse off my desk and rifled through it.

"Here are her fucking discharge papers." I threw them at Barton. I also grabbed the Tylenol from my desk drawer. "Now if you don't fucking mind, I have a sick girlfriend to take care of. And I will be billing S.H.I.E.L.D. for the damage."

"We're sorry, we thought you were in trouble." Cap placed a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged him off. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents slowly departed my lab along with Barton. He walked away like a puppy with his tail between his legs. I never liked him. He always gave me attitude about everything.

"I'm just fucking sick and tired of fucking S.H.I.E.L.D. barging into my home and disturbing my private life."

"We truly thought you were in danger, friend." Thor tried to console me. I walked past him to grab the glass of water I poured a few moments prior. "You obviously love this woman. She is good for you. I'm sorry for any doubts I had previously about her. Take good care of her."

"All of you out." I commanded.

"We need to talk about S.H.I.E.L.D. Not now, not here. Somewhere without S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance." Cap whispered nonchalantly before heading up the stairs. Thor just nodded and followed. I had questions, but now was not the time.

I made sure everyone was out before calling the contractor to replace the doors. I noticed a handful of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents taking up positions around the front of the house. I ran back downstairs.

"Jarvis, I thought I asked not to allow unauthorized persons access to the house." I lectured my computer.

"Thor is an authorized person. He is the one who led the attack on the mansion, sir."

"Jarvis, no access to any of my properties to anyone while Lana and I are together, understood. I'm not doing this anymore. And let me know when the contractor gets here."

"Understood, sir."

"One more thing, Jarvis. Run through all of my properties if there is S.H.I.E.L.D. anything, cameras, listening devices, blow them."

"Yes, sir." Jarvis sounded a little too happy for an AI.

"Lana, I found the pain killers." I sang shaking the bottle. I handed her two and the water.

"What was that about?" Lana asked weakly, swallowing the pills.

"Get this, they thought Loki was here to hurt me." I sat next to her in bed.

"Loki?" She gawked. "As in the God of trickery, brother of Thor?"

"Yep, tall dark and scary himself."

"Scary?" She said as she laid her head on my shoulder.

"I had a recent encounter with him."

"Hmmm..?" Lana was falling asleep. I lifted her gently and put a pillow under her head. I kissed her softly on the forehead. I lay next to her, I needed a well deserved nap wrapped around my goddess.

"I love you." I whispered into her soft hair before falling asleep.