Recommendation: Story recommendation for this chapter is "Harry Potter: Geth" by mjimeyg. A HP/ME crossover, Harry gets hit with a "luck" spell during the final battle, but because of his innate bad luck, he isn't the beneficiary of the good luck of the spell, causing him to end up far in the future where the Geth expect him to help them... well, fix everything. This story is categorized as "humor" for a reason.

Chapter 6 - Rest and Revelation

Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. May 24, 2009.

Emil Blonsky reflected on his life and choices as he rode in the transport van on the way to the target's location. He knew that it was a bad idea to let himself get distracted like that, but he found himself doing it more and more as he got older. He was a fighter and hadn't regretted any of his decisions — not his decision as a youth to join the military, not the one to join the Royal Marines, not the choice to accept duty with SOCOM, and not the multiple times he had turned down promotions so he could stay in the field.

No lack of regret in the world, though, could help his back when it ached in the rain, or his knees when they started giving out after running ten kilometers, or his stiffening finger joints. He was getting old — thirty-nine was practically ancient for a combat soldier — and his body was showing more and more signs of all the wear, tear, and damage he'd inflicted on it while in the field.

He didn't regret his decisions, and he lived for missions like this, but he'd give almost anything to have a younger, stronger, more durable body again.

"We're approaching target location," Major Kathleen Sparr announced. "We're entering the Rocinha district outside of Rio de Janeiro. This is the largest favela in Brazil and it has nearly 70,000 people living in it, all packed in dense neighborhoods that are clinging to the hillside above Rio."

"So while you have live rounds," General Ross continued, "you want to avoid using them — we don't need a bloodbath out there. Stick to your clips of tranq darts and your suppression ordinance. We want him alive. Maybe not in one piece, but alive."

"It's one target, right?" Blonsky asked.

"Yes," Sparr said. "Bruce Banner, a former research scientist. He's wanted for stealing government secrets and various agencies want to question him in the deaths of two other scientists, a state trooper in Idaho, and two Canadian hunters."

"He's a fighter, then?" Blonsky asked. "What sort of resistance can we expect? Is he armed?"

"If you tranq him fast like you're supposed to," Ross responded, "you won't have to worry about resistance or fighting."

Blonsky suddenly didn't like Ross quite as much as he had at the start of the mission and wondered if he should have turned down the request from General Joe Greller to take part in this mission. As a soldier, he was used to taking orders, but he needed to know everything possible about a target so as to minimize the risks to himself and his own men. He didn't like going in blind, and he had a feeling that Ross was withholding something important...

Bruce Banner slept fitfully, thinking about the online chat he'd had earlier that day with the mysterious Mr. Blue, who was now demanding more data about Bruce's condition. He would have loved to have given the person more, but everything he wanted was back home... home in Culver City with Betty. It was the one place he felt he couldn't go, and now his subconscious was plaguing his dreams with thoughts of Betty and better times.

Suddenly, he was wide awake and alert. A dog had been barking outside but abruptly stopped, making no more noise. That wasn't normal, and his own dog was starting to get a bit antsy.

Move. Threat. Run.

Bruce didn't get warnings like that often, but he'd learned to heed them when he did. The Other Guy didn't like being ignored, and if there was one thing that both of them agreed on, it was that neither wanted to be caged.

High Security Prison, Unidentified Location, France. May 25, 2009.

Iris did not like prisons, not even a little bit. Her one time sneaking into Azkaban to dispense some long-delayed justice had permanently turned her off of all prisons, but Tony had insisted on coming here — wherever here is, she thought — so he could confront Vanko personally. That meant Iris had to be here as well to watch his back. She didn't trust prisons, she didn't trust any of the mealy-mouthed politicians that were surrounding them, and she didn't trust this entire Merlin-bedamned situation.

"This is completely irregular," one of the politicians complained in French, perhaps hoping that his objections would go unnoted by the American guests. "We shouldn't be doing this, not even for him. Who does he think he is, anyway, demanding access to a prisoner here?"

Where did this Vanko guy come from? Iris asked herself for what must have been the thousandth time in the last twenty-four hours. Where did he get his technology? And how did he manage to get it all inside the security perimeter of the Monaco Grand Prix? As with all the times she asked herself these questions, she couldn't come up with any answers, and she hadn't heard back yet from Fury. Hopefully I'll get something in a few minutes, she thought.

"It's a small favor to grant, and Mssr. Stark has done many important things for France," replied another. "There will be no harm done to the prisoner, he has assured us, and we will gain some goodwill that we can use later."

On top of everything else, Iris still hadn't recovered from her H.A.R.D. landing the day before. Hermione had thrown a fit that morning when Iris got out of bed and cast another overpowered numbing charm on her body so she could accompany Tony into France for this meeting. It was almost as big as the fit she threw yesterday once we were all alone, Iris thought with a private smile, though at least yesterday I got what felt like a five-minute kiss before she proceeded to berate me for my stupid, suicidal plans.

Iris almost started grinning. Maybe if I play my cards right I'll get a sympathy massage when we get back to the hotel. I can blame all my pain on Tony.

Iris was pulled out of her thoughts by their arrival at the visiting room which the French prison authorities had set aside for Tony and Vanko.

"Just five minutes," Tony said. "I need to talk to him."

The prison official nodded, then looked at Iris for a moment before turning back to Tony. "Just you, Mssr. Stark. Not the woman."

Only Iris' training combined with pain seeping through her numbing charm kept her from standing straighter and glowering at the man. Tony recognized the seeds of a confrontation and stepped in, saying, "She's my personal secretary and will be taking notes so I can concentrate on him rather than on remembering every detail of what he says."

The official frowned and seemed to want to hold his ground, but finally he relented. "Very well, but she must stay by the door where we can get to her quickly if her safety is compromised."

Tony thanked him and immediately stepped into the room so he could get this conversation with Vanko over with.

Iris did indeed stay back by the door as the two men spoke, absently doodling on a notepad to give the appearance of taking notes. She didn't care much about what they were saying — contrary to what Tony told the official outside, he'd remember every word of their conversation. He'd also understand any technological jargon better than she would.

"The cyclic rate you chose was a bit low for the power output you used," Tony was saying. "You could have easily increased rotations by two or even three times, creating a more efficient power matrix and a more flexible delivery rate."

No, Iris' focus was on the man himself — how he held his body, how he moved, and how he delivered his words.

"Sending the repulsor energy along ionized plasma channels was effective," Tony continued, "but it would have damaged your equipment in the long run."

Unfortunately, Vanko was sitting with his back to the door and stubbornly refused to turn around, so she couldn't use Legilimency on him as she'd hoped to. If I'm going to get any answers to the questions I've been asking myself, she thought, this will be the fastest and probably most reliable way, but only if Vanko turns around and makes sufficient eye contact. I can't get any closer without alarming the men outside, and I can't ask Tony to do something without alerting him to the fact that I can subtly pull out surface thoughts, not simply mind-rape a person until they are a vegetable.

All she could do is stand by the door, observe him, and hope for an opportunity.

"You are the product of a family of thieves and butchers," Vanko said to Tony. "And like all other guilty men, you strut around the world in an attempt to rewrite your history. To cover up your true legacy."

Vanko was half-turned now, but not enough for Iris to make eye contact. She stared intently at him, willing him to turn a little further while Tony taunted him over his failure.

"Failure? You think I've failed? Oh, no, Tony, I've not failed. People will cease to believe in God if you can make Him bleed," Vanko said, "and once blood is in the water, the sharks will come."

Turn! Iris wanted to shout aloud, but the Russian refused to cooperate.

"Hey, Tony. Before you leave," Vanko went on, turning a bit more as Tony made his way to the door.

Yes! Iris thought as Vanko finally turned his body enough for them to make eye contact. He just needs to look at me instead of at Tony...

"Palladium in the chest," he continued, "is a painful... way..." His words trailed off slowly as he finally noticed Iris and met her eyes.

"Kto vy?" he asked, apparently either thinking that she was Russian or simply reverting to his native tongue in his apparent surprise. He then narrowed his eyes and tried to stand. "Shto vy?" he demanded this time, clearly growing more upset.

The prison officials outside didn't even wait for Tony to open the door. They entered in force, pulling Tony and Iris out while guards surrounded Vanko and shoved him back down to the bench.

"Well, that was creepy," Tony said as they were ushered through the prison. "Pity we didn't get any good information out of him."

"I wouldn't say that," Iris responded, though she was inclined to agree with Tony far more than she was willing to admit. His body language had been informative: he was not afraid. On the contrary, he remained quite confident and self-assured. His words at the end were even more interesting: he had been on a mission and believed that he had accomplished it. He also demonstrated that he was intelligent enough to figure out what was ailing Tony.

It was the Legilimency that had been a disappointment. Iris had been sure that she'd be able to get a little actionable intel out of his mind — as long as he was talking to Tony, he would be thinking about what he'd done, and there would be a few stray thoughts that she could use. Unfortunately, all she could discover was that he had gotten help — but he didn't seem to know who his mysterious benefactors were. A couple of faces had flitted by quickly, and she could search S.H.I.E.L.D. databases for them, but otherwise she hadn't learned much more than she already knew, which infuriated her.

There was also the question of what exactly he meant by asking first who she was and then what she was. That disturbed her. Did he recognize me? Could he sense my magic somehow?

But the growing pain was getting to be too much for her to worry about that right now.

"You going to be alright?" Tony asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I will once we get back to the hotel," Iris said stiffly. "I really, really need to lie down and stay down for a while."

Tony snorted. "I'm pretty sure that I heard Hermione tell you the exact same thing this morning. And I was on the other side of a fairly thick wall when she said it, too."

Iris groaned. "I know, don't remind me, but I needed to be here. Just... get me back to the hotel and I promise to be good."

"I'll hold you to that," Tony responded. "Better yet, I'll tell Hermione you made the promise, and she'll hold you to it." All he got was a glare in response, which of course he found amusing.

I hope I can wheedle that massage out of Hermione, Iris thought as she struggled to keep up the appearance of being fit and healthy.

Gulfstream G550, Somewhere Over the Atlantic Ocean. May 26, 2009.

The flight in his modified corporate jet was quiet and smooth, but Tony Stark's own mind was anything but. He had been inclined to dismiss Vanko's parting words as the ramblings of a madman, but Iris' comments forced him to reconsider. Then he remembered that Vanko's statement about his palladium meant that he was scarily perceptive, not simply smart with technology. Good thing he didn't get a chance to say enough for Iris to catch on.

So he reconsidered Vanko's parting words and he wasn't happy with the direction his thoughts were taking him.

Have I set myself up as a god? he wondered. No — even with my ego, I've not tried to do that. But that doesn't mean that people haven't looked at me in a similar way: as someone or something more than human. As being above humanity. I certainly didn't ask for it, but perhaps if you set yourself up as the protector of people, you'll get put on a pedestal of some sort.

Taking another drink of whiskey, he pondered the idea of there being blood in the water now. Pretty hard to deny that, he admitted. I never acted like Iron Man was invincible, that would be silly; but I'm sure some have assumed unconsciously that I was. Now, though, they know for sure that I'm not. Competitors, detractors, and enemies will be coming out of the woodwork, and faster than they were before.

It was Vanko's accusations about coming from a family of thieves and butchers that had struck a nerve, however. He could admit that Stark Industries shouldn't keep creating military weapons, but he wasn't willing to say that either he or his father were butchers. He and I sincerely wanted to contribute to the defense of the nation with advanced technology — and we succeeded, too! Where did he get that garbage about "thieves," though? When has a Stark ever stolen an idea or design?

No, Tony Stark wasn't happy at all; worse, he had no idea what he was going to do about it. Right now, though, he had more pressing matters to attend to. Like dying.

Oh, and then there was that niggling issue of what Vanko had meant with his questions to Iris. Jarvis informed him that Vanko had asked who she was and then what she was — and he seemed especially agitated when he asked that second question, much more so than with anything he had said to Tony. It was curious, to say the least, and a far more interesting mystery than the rest of what he said.

I wonder if it has anything to do with how I've felt around Iris and Hermione? Previously I just felt a bit odd, but yesterday I felt uncomfortable down on the track, he thought.

Iris was laid out on her back in the bed that had been set up across the two sets of facing double seats. True to her word, she had not only gone right to bed when she returned to the hotel the previous day, but she had allowed herself to be taken in a wheelchair to the airport — though only under duress and at the point of Hermione's wand. Avoiding any unnecessary activity had been good for her, to be honest, and she was already improved from the day before. The drugs she'd been given were probably helping with that.

She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was enjoying having an excuse to relax. She was enjoying the attentions of a particular bushy-haired witch even more, but that she'd have happily admitted, had anyone asked.

Hermione was stretched out next to Iris on the aisle side of the bed, propped up on one elbow and stroking the other witch's hair while she whispered to her. Whether it was to comfort Iris, to comfort herself, or simply to prevent Iris from getting out of bed was anyone's guess. The perpetually worried look on her face suggested it was all three.

"I'm glad you're getting better," Hermione said softly, trying to keep their conversation private.

"Hmmm..." Iris said with a half-smile. It had been ages since she'd been touched in such a tender, affectionate manner, disregarding a few one-night stands, and she had forgotten what it was like to experience the gentle stroking of someone who loved her. Given how tentative her relationship with Hermione was right now, she wasn't going to waste this time or take it for granted — she was going to immerse herself in the sensations while she could.

"Whatever possessed you to try such a crazy thing, anyway?" Hermione asked. Iris knew what "crazy thing" she meant because she'd asked this question more than once since the incident at the racetrack, but each time there had been other matters that diverted the conversation.

"And where did you find out about it?" she added. That was a new question.

Iris opened her eyes and realized that she couldn't delay this particular discussion any longer. Well, not by much. "You first: how did you find out about it? With my chosen profession, I've at least got a legitimate excuse."

Frowning a little, Hermione answered, "I overheard Ron talking about it to Ginny one evening. This was back when he was in auror training, before he decided to work with George instead. I realized pretty quick that it was a secret project that he probably shouldn't have been blabbing about, but our relationship was already rocky at that time, and I didn't feel like having an argument. I think he was hoping to be selected to test it."

Iris snorted. "Good thing he wasn't. Everyone who tested it died."

"What?" Hermione said, her voice rising. "Died? All of them? And you decided that it was a good idea for you to try it out?"

"Hermione," Iris said, "that wasn't my first time. I'm a woman with a bit of experience, you know."

Hermione stopped herself from ranting and looked at the green-eyed witch, then smiled slightly and said, "Oh?" There was a touch of mirth in her voice that Iris didn't catch immediately.

"Well, yes," Iris responded, then she stopped as she processed her own words. "No! I didn't mean that. Not in that way!"

Hermione raised both eyebrows in a questioning expression and said, "Oh?" dragging the sound out a bit more than she had the first time.

"Wait, no, I am," Iris sputtered, "But not... I mean... I just..." Slapping her hand over her eyes, she groaned out, "Oh, Merlin, shoot me now."

Hermione's amused laughter rang throughout the pressurized cabin, causing Tony to look up from his brooding and smile a little at their obvious good humor — the first time he had smiled in over forty-eight hours. Pepper had already been watching and smiling at their affectionate behavior.

Hermione put one arm over Iris and leaned in against her head as she continued to shake with laughter. After a few moments she pulled back and said, "I don't remember you being quite this easy!"

"Who said I'm easy?" Iris shot back, finally starting to get her wits about her. "You need to at least buy me flowers and a nice dinner first."

Hermione laughed some more.

"And besides," Iris added petulantly, "you've drugged me. That's hardly fair."

That did nothing to abate Hermione's mirth, but after a minute she did stop laughing and regarded Iris with a wide smile. Before she could say anything, Iris gestured with her head in Tony's direction and said, "He hasn't been taking this too well."

"I'm not surprised," Hermione said in a low voice, again trying not to be heard. "First his condition, then an attempt on his life..."

"It's not easy living with a death sentence," Iris added softly.

Hermione's eyes widened slightly in comprehension. "Maybe you should talk to him?" she suggested.

"Not until I can officially know about his condition," Iris pointed out. "Vanko nearly let the kneazle out of the bag back in the prison, but he stopped when he saw me."

Hermione bit her lip for a moment before saying, "If you'll let me tell him some of your story, I can try using that to convince him to approach you."

Iris cocked her head a little in thought for a moment, then responded, "OK, but only if you make it clear to him that you're telling him things in confidence. I trust you not to blab about my personal history, but I don't know him well enough to assume that he wouldn't blurt something out inadvertently."

Hermione nodded. "Don't worry. I may not be able to extract a magical oath from him, but he'll understand that there would be consequences to breaking confidence."

Smiling, Iris said, "What, are you going to threaten to turn him into a toad? Or maybe a newt, perhaps?"

"If I have to," Hermione said, smiling back. "Speaking of Tony, do you have any idea what happened to that guy's harness?"

"I saw a couple of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents there, so I think we have it now. Tony may have crushed the arc reactor powering it, but there's still plenty that can be learned from the rig."

Hermione considered that. "Do you think they'll share any of their findings?"

"Maybe," Iris said, "at least if it's Tony asking. He is the leading expert on this sort of technology — it wouldn't make much sense hiding anything from him. But it's not my call to make. I'm not in charge."

Hermione frowned slightly, thinking about that and what sorts of information she and Tony might be missing out on. Taking a deep breath, she returned to the original subject. "So, how did you find out about the H.A.R.D. landing project?"

Resigned to having to finally discuss this, Iris explained, "After I left Britain's magical community, I didn't stay away entirely. Before I signed on officially with S.H.I.E.L.D., I decided that it might be good if some of my records in the Ministry of Magic 'disappeared.' So using some of the muggle and magical skills I'd picked up, I broke in and tracked down what I could. While I was there, I took a peek at some of the special projects that were in development — you know, just in case I saw something that tickled my fancy." She shrugged and concluded, "That was one of them."

Hermione looked as though she couldn't decide what she should be more outraged about: that Iris had broken into the Ministry of Magic, that she had tried to erase her own existence there, that she had stolen a top secret idea, or that she had done all of this without taking the time to contact her. Finally, she seemed to decide to just huff about them all simultaneously and said, "And what gave you the idea to try it despite the fact that it killed everyone else?"

Iris shrugged again. "I could tell that the fundamental problem was that their bodies couldn't handle the force of impact — nothing they did could reduce their descent speed enough, and they tried a lot of different solutions before giving up. I figured I could do better and that with my body enhanced by so much magic, I could more easily survive, especially if I could reduce my speed a bit more than they managed." Looking up at Hermione, she added, "I was right."

"Right? Hermione asked incredulously. "You only barely survived, and look at how much you injured yourself!"

Iris tried to look apologetic but wasn't successful. "Sorry," she said, "but I needed to get to Tony. And it worked, didn't it?"

"That's no excuse," Hermione said, her voice softer now and concern edging back into it. "I thought I might lose you once I remembered how dangerous it was." She started stroking Iris' hair again, receiving a soft, pleased murmur in response as Iris closed her eyes. "Please don't do that again, OK?"

Iris opened her green eyes again and looked directly into Hermione's brown ones. "I can't promise that, love," she said. "It's part of my job. But I will promise that I'll be as careful as I can and that I'll always try my best to come back to you." Taking Hermione's hand in her own, she added, "That is, if you'll have me."

Hermione's only response was to lean forward into Iris again and pull her close. She wasn't ready to make any sort of commitment yet, but she also didn't want to let this maddening witch get too far away from her, either. Not again.

Pepper Potts observed the people around her and was alternately worried and amused. When she looked at Tony, she was worried — a condition that she probably should have been used to by now, especially given how he'd been acting in recent months. Whatever had been bothering him seemed to have been superseded by the incident at the Grand Prix. That was hardly a surprise, but Pepper had hoped that spending the weekend in Monaco would ease his tension, not add to it.

What a bust that idea was, Pepper thought as she took another drink of water and looked at her long-time employer and friend. Tony needs to relax and let go for a bit. He needs an excuse to set all his worries aside and just enjoy himself — preferably without some murderous lunatic attacking him.

Suddenly, she remembered that it was almost Tony's birthday. How could I have forgotten that! she berated herself silently. It's only three days away, so I'll have to get moving to get it organized, but I'm sure I can throw something together that he'll love.

While contemplating menus and guest lists, her attention wandered over to the bed where Iris and Hermione were stretched out and murmuring softly. She had been enjoying the blooming friendship between herself and Hermione, and as that friendship had developed, so had her concern for her new friend. The auburn-haired witch's reassurances notwithstanding, she had become worried about how Hermione's relationship with Iris would proceed. It was obvious that Iris had hurt Hermione before, and Pepper didn't want her to do it again.

Pepper was protective of her friends, even new ones, and wouldn't hesitate to step in to protect Hermione from Iris if she thought the latter woman was acting inappropriately.

However, watching the two of them over the past couple of days, and especially the past couple of hours, she felt her worries mostly dissipate. Despite the long separation and the difficulty they had in getting together over the past few months, she could easily see how well they clicked and how easy it was for them to resume affection and even intimate interaction without any awkwardness.

I've never known any lesbian couples, she realized, but then again, I've never known any witches, either. At least, not that I've ever been aware of. Love seems to be the same for everyone, though, gay or straight, magical or non-magical. Anyone can see not only how much those two are in love, but also how good they'll be for each other. I wonder how long it will take for them both to admit that openly, to themselves and everyone else.

Her gaze drifted back to Tony, and she wondered how long it would take for him to start admitting some things, too.

Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. May 27, 2009.

During the mission debriefing, which only he attended because he was the only member of the team who could still walk, Blonsky grew even more certain that he didn't like General Ross very much. "The target was not alone, sir. We had him, I know we did, then something massive came out of nowhere and hit us. It was taking us apart like we were children! The tranq darts bounced off of it. Even our live ammo just bounced off! I had a forklift thrown at me — I've never even heard of anything that powerful, much less seen it."

"It's gone now," Ross said in an absent tone that suggested his mind was elsewhere, "so it's not your problem anymore."

"Sir," Blonsky said, "If this Banner guy has any idea where that thing might be, I want to find him and force him to tell—"

"That 'thing' was Banner," Ross interrupted, looking at Blonsky as if he were a simple-minded child. "That's right, you heard me: it was Banner. And Banner is that thing."

"Sir?" Blonsky said, dumbfounded. "You're going to have to explain that a bit more clearly for me."

"No, I don't, soldier," Ross said in a tired, dismissive tone. "You did well, considering what you were up against. There certainly hasn't been anyone else who's managed to do any better. Pack up your gear and get what's left of our team back on the plane so we can go home."

"Sir!" Blonsky implored. "Wait, please, sir!" But the general was already walking away, his attention on something else entirely and apparently completely unconcerned with how badly the mission had gone or the casualties they had incurred. It was clear to Blonsky that Ross had known all along much more than he had been willing to tell them. It was equally clear that Banner had always been a much bigger threat than they had been told, which meant that they had been sent in practically blind.

No, Blonsky definitely didn't like General Ross much right now.

Malibu, California. May 29, 2009, Evening.

Iris stood in the darkened corner, watching Tony Stark brood while she also stayed keenly aware of everything going on around them. She wasn't happy with her performance at the racetrack — in more than one instance, she had been nearly injured or killed because she hadn't noticed danger until it almost hit her. She wasn't sure why, though the fact that at the time she had just survived a H.A.R.D. landing was a leading candidate.

Unfortunately, the fact that her target had been throwing around megawatts of arc reactor power was another. If the energy from an arc reactor can counter magic, maybe it can also interfere with my magically-enhanced senses, mental processing, and physical abilities, she thought. I really, really don't like that idea, but I need some way of finding out without everyone else also instantly finding out. I'd ask Hermione, but she's already consumed with trying to help Tony.

Tony abruptly let out a deep sigh and leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. Iris stepped out of the shadows, prepared to act just in case something was wrong, causing Tony to jump slightly in his seat. "Iris!" he said in surprise as he leapt out of his seat. "I had no idea you were there. Wait, you were there? How long have you been there, anyway?"

"Long enough," Iris answered cryptically.

"Oh, come on," Tony protested. "Can't I even get dressed by myself?"

"You tell me," Iris replied. "The last time I let you go to the bathroom by yourself, you decided to jump into an auto race, you nearly got yourself, Pepper, Hermione, and me killed, and you helped ruin the Monaco Grand Prix."

"That wasn't all my fault," Tony objected indignantly. "You can't pin all of that on me."

"Maybe not," Iris allowed, "but jumping into the race was definitely all you, and that's what started things."

"OK," Tony conceded, "you've got me there. But that doesn't mean you can't... wait a minute, does this mean you don't actually let me go to the bathroom by myself anymore?"

Iris simply raised one eyebrow in response.

"You must, because I haven't seen you," Tony said confidently.

Iris cocked her head to one side.

"Oh, right, magic." Tony said. "You can turn yourself invisible, can't you."

Iris nodded slowly.

"So... you...?" Tony said hesitantly.

"Maybe, maybe not," Iris responded cagily before she walked up and straightened his tie. "So long as you don't go getting into trouble like that again, you won't have to find out one way or the other."

"And what would your girlfriend say about that?" Tony asked with a smirk.

Iris pulled his tie extra tight before answering, "Hermione would ask if I'm getting hazard pay. And she's not my girlfriend."

Tony adjusted his tie in an attempt to breathe again before sitting back down. "Yeah, well, it'll happen sooner or later."

Iris sighed and said, "I hope so, but it will probably take a while. I need to be patient."

"Unfortunately," Tony said with regret, "we can't always afford to be patient."

Iris looked at him questioningly, hoping that this might lead to a useful conversation. He looked at her thoughtfully for a few moments, as if evaluating her, then he seemed to come to a decision and said, "I literally walked to my death and surrendered my life, all for her sake."

"What?" Iris asked, stiffening slightly.

"It's what you said to Stane a few months ago," Tony answered. "You remember, just before you beat the snot out of him? You said, and I quote, 'I have battled and killed monsters for her. I have walked through fire for her. I have fought hordes of demons for her. In her name I have flown against dragons. I literally walked to my death and surrendered my life, all for her sake.' At the time I thought it was nonsense. Even after I found out about magic, I thought it was mostly nonsense."

"And now?" Iris asked, surprised that he'd remembered all of that. She could see where this might be going, but she didn't want to let on that she knew more.

Sighing, Tony said, "Now I think I understand you a whole lot better, and in a way that I couldn't have before, even if I had believed what you said."

"Oh?"

"I'm dying, Iris," Tony said, tapping his chest piece. "The palladium I use for the core in my arc reactor is poisoning me."

Iris' eyes widened in feigned surprise. "What are you doing about it?"

"I've tried everything I can think of," he replied. "Every element I've explored as an alternative core proven to be too weak or too unstable."

"Have you asked any outside experts? S.H.I.E.L.D. has quite a few, and they know how to be discrete."

Tony waved his hand dismissively and said, "No one knows this technology better than I do."

"What about magic?" Iris asked, not wanting to press the point too hard.

"Hermione has been putting in a tremendous effort trying to help. It's why she's practically living here at my house now, so she can spend more time on the project and monitor me more closely. It's also why I brought up your words to Stane."

"What do you mean?" Iris asked.

"Hermione told me a bit about your history," he explained, "including what you did at that last battle at your old school when you walked into the forest intending to die."

Iris didn't have to fake her reaction to that. It was still a memory that made her uncomfortable.

"I promised not to go spreading the story, so don't worry about that. She told me because she knew that I've been having trouble dealing with what I'm facing, and she thought that talking to you might help, since you faced death yourself. And more than once."

Iris nodded. "No one who hasn't been through that sort of thing can understand what it's like."

"I'd be more than happy not to be included in that little club," Tony said a bit morosely. After a few moments, he continued, "If you were about to have your last birthday, what would you do?"

Iris perched on the arm of his chair and replied, "My last birthday? For certain?"

Tony looked up at her and nodded, seemingly surprised that she was taking his question seriously.

Iris looked thoughtful for a long moment, then said, "I'd grab whoever I loved the most, whoever was the most important person or people in my life, and I'd do something fun. Whatever I or we wanted to do — just to have the experience together. Because that's what life is: a series of experiences. Once life is over, so are the experiences, so you'd better get them while you can — and get them with the right people, too, because most things aren't nearly as much fun alone."

Tony looked away for a moment, then smiled and looked back at her. "I like that. Thanks."

Iris smiled back. "Any time." She made a mental note to contact Nick Fury ASAP because she was certain that Tony's mental state was deteriorating faster than expected, and she was worried that it might lead him to try something stupid. Again.

Tony got up to leave the room, but before he did he turned around and asked, "Have you ever told her?"

"Huh?" Iris asked.

"Have you ever told Hermione? That you did all of those things for her?"

Iris shook her head.

"I didn't think so. Why not?"

"I'm not comfortable talking about that sort of thing," Iris said, frowning slightly . "And I'm not sure how she would react."

"What was the last thing you thought about? In the forest, what was the last thing that went through your mind before you died?"

"Hermione," Iris said in a barely audible whisper.

Tony nodded as if he'd expected exactly that answer. "Then you should definitely tell her," he said. "She deserves to know that."

Without waiting for a response, Tony left to get his birthday party started.

"Sometimes, I hate it when I'm right," Iris muttered. She probably would have offered different advice to Tony — like maybe "take up knitting" or "learn how to juggle" — had she known that his idea of "fun" was to put on the Iron Man suit, get sloshed, and invite a hundred of the "most important people" in his life for a drunken bacchanalia. Shaking her head, she looked at her watch again and wondered where her backup was.

On the other side of the room, Tony was trying to be the DJ, too drunk to realize that the gloves of his suit were way too bulky and heavy for that kind of work. It didn't take him long to find out, though he didn't seem to care, either, judging by his laughter.

It was then that she thought she could sense Hermione's presence. It was a strange feeling, one that she couldn't describe, but she definitely felt that Hermione was nearby now. Turning around, she saw Hermione approaching with Pepper Potts and Colonel James Rhodes in tow.

Looking back at Hermione while giving the other two a chance to take in the sights before them, Iris mouthed You look good and smiled.

"What the..." Pepper said, not believing what she was seeing.

"You have got to be kidding me," Rhodey said, the disgust and disappointment coming through clearly in his voice.

"How long?" Pepper asked.

Iris looked at her watch again and responded, "About two hours or so. Where were you all?"

Pepper shook her head in disbelief and said, "Back when we thought this was going to be a more normal party, Hermione and I decided to make a stop to get our hair done before picking up Rhodey."

"I'm sorry to say that I think it will be lost on this crowd," Iris observed.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Rhodey asked Iris with a slightly accusing tone in his voice. He had been briefed with the same cover story she had given Tony and Pepper, but not with the extent of her true mission.

"Because protecting Tony from being foolish isn't part of my job," she said. "Either job," she added with emphasis.

Rhodey backed down slightly, but quickly straightened up again and declared, "This can't continue. He has to be stopped."

Pepper quickly put a hand on his chest and said, "Let me. I can stop him, I promise."

While Pepper stalked towards Tony, Hermione pulled Iris to the side where they could get a little privacy. "Look at Rhodey," Iris said, distracting Hermione from whatever she was about to say. "His body language says he doesn't believe Pepper will be able to do anything. I agree with him."

Hermione looked up at the stage where Pepper was trying to cajole Tony into ending the party. "You're probably right, but you don't sound disappointed."

Sighing, Iris shrugged and said, "He is making a fool of himself, but I also think he needs this. Well, he needs some way of letting off steam. He's getting depressed. His mental state is deteriorating."

Hermione immediately understood what she was talking about and felt guilty since she was the one Tony had brought in to help him find a cure.

"It's time for the after party!" they heard Tony shout gleefully from the front of the room.

"Then again," Iris said, "maybe his mental state is improving?"

"It's called self-medication," Hermione said as she rolled her eyes, "and it's not healthy."

Iris shrugged. "I've seen worse ways of letting off some steam. He opened up to me, at least."

"He did?" Hermione asked, her mood lightening. "Good! I'm so glad." After a moment, she added, "But now what?"

"Unfortunately, he didn't accept the hint about asking S.H.I.E.L.D. for help."

Hermione bit her lip in thought; Iris pulled her back out of the way so she wouldn't get run over as Rhodey charged past wearing one of Tony's armored suits.

"Well, he knows that you know now, so maybe I can push the idea?" Hermione suggested. "We still have time..." she trailed off when Iris shook her head.

"I had to contact Fury earlier to let him know about Tony's state of mind," Iris said. "He told me that one of our labs is close to a possible treatment. It's not a cure, but it will treat the symptoms if the tests work out. Fury hopes to have it out here in the next day or so. I'll make sure you get a sample so you have a chance to perform tests on it. Maybe it can be magically enhanced to work longer."

Hermione's face warred between happy and upset expressions. "That's great," she said, "but your cover will be blown, won't it?"

"Yes it will," Iris said as she nodded, "but I always expected that to happen sooner or later."

A beeping distracted Iris, who pulled out her cell phone and read the message that had been sent to her. "Is there a problem?" Hermione asked.

"No, it's a notification about an incident that might be related to a scientist we're tracking named Banner. Nothing for you to worry about."

Hermione frowned slightly because she knew more about the subject than Iris realized, but now there was more information to be had and it was being kept from her.

Neither witch paid much attention as the rest of the guests ran screaming from the room. Iris lazily cast a Protego shield between them and the fight on the other side of the room. She did it in the nick of time, too, as debris came flying their way.

"Should we do anything about them?" Hermione asked after a minute, sounding a little worried.

"Nah. They're boys, which means that they need to butt heads and fight every so often, otherwise their testosterone reaches dangerous levels and they blow up."

At that moment, the floor exploded upwards as Rhodey and Tony, still struggling with each other, came flying back into the room from the garage beneath them.

Hermione looked at her disbelievingly, but Iris continued, "It's true! It's a congenital defect!"

By this point the entire house seemed to have been cleared out except for the two combatants, and even that didn't last long because Rhodey left in short order. Tony looked up from the floor as Hermione and Iris walked over and stood there, gazing down at him in disappointment.

"It wasn't my best birthday party ever," Tony conceded, "But it sure was memorable."

Hermione shook her head in exasperation while Iris snorted and asked, "Whatever happened to grabbing the person you cared most for and doing something fun?"

Tony laughed a little ruefully. "I was going to do that, but I think that I got the steps backwards." After looking around a bit, he said, "Speaking of which, where is Pepper?"

Iris and Hermione shot each other a knowing look before Iris said, "I think she fled once you and Rhodey decided to start doing major remodeling."

Tony winced, evidently knowing that he was going to be paying for this, and in more ways than one.

Iris looked down at him thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "When are you going to tell her?"

"Her? Which her? What?" Tony asked with a panicked look on his face.

"Pepper. When are you going to tell Pepper about your condition?"

"Oh, that," Tony said, sounding relieved. "I... well... I haven't wanted to."

"Why not?" Hermione asked.

Tony looked back and forth between the two witches, then looked pointedly at Iris before saying, "I'm not comfortable talking about it. And I'm afraid of how she'd react." Iris nodded knowingly, while Hermione got the impression that there was some sort of subtext going on that she was missing.

"You should still tell her anyway," Iris recommended. "I think she deserves to know. And it might help you." Tony nodded slightly, apparently willing to at least consider the advice.

Deciding to change the subject, Hermione said, "Tony, why don't we contact S.H.I.E.L.D. to see if they have any ideas?"

Tony didn't respond for a long minute, but finally he asked, "Do you think they can do anything?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Iris admitted, "But it doesn't hurt to ask. You may be the world's leading expert on this technology, but that doesn't mean that no one else in the world has been investigating it — our people may have some ideas, at least."

Tony nodded, accepting that argument. "If they'll agree to keep my condition a secret, I guess it's worth asking. I've got nowhere to go but up, right?"

"No, some people find a way to dig themselves even deeper into a hole," Hermione admitted sadly. "Especially if they try to do everything themselves. But it's hard to go wrong if you accept help from your friends." She turned and gave Iris a meaningful look, causing the green-eyed witch to blush slightly.

Unknown Location, USA. June 7, 2009.

Emil Blonsky sat in the back of his favorite pub eating dinner, alone as usual. He'd made a few friends over the course of his career, but he moved around too much to keep in touch with them. Although others probably wouldn't be able to tell by looking at him, he was more excited than he had been in years. It had taken several days and required calling in numerous favors, but he'd finally wrangled another interview with General Ross. He might not like the man much, but he could tell that the General was connected to a lot of interesting events, and he thought it would pay to talk to him again, maybe cultivate him as an acquaintance.

He never expected that it would pay off so well and so soon.

The meeting had started out with him doing exactly the wrong thing, which was complaining again about superior officers sending men into situations without proper intelligence and support — exactly what Ross himself had done a few days earlier. Instead of taking offense, though, the general had looked at him with an indulgent smile and let him go on. Eventually, though, he reacted when Blonsky made it clear that he'd need a team prepped and ready to go if he intended to ever take on that monster again.

It was at that point that he finally began sharing, Blonsky remembered. I never expected to get a lesson on the history of the Super Soldier program and how a weak little scientist got dosed with a combination of experimental serum and gamma radiation to create that... that... hulking monster.

Blonsky took another sip of beer as he considered for the umpteenth time how badly he and his team had fared against that thing. It took us apart like we were nothing. Like we didn't matter. We weren't a real threat to it, we were at most a nuisance. A diversion. If it hadn't wanted to leave and to be left in peace, it would have killed each and every one of us.

He told the general that he'd love to be able to combine his current knowledge and skills with the body he had ten years ago. Apparently, the general thought he could deliver something better. In a few days, I'll get a dose of a newer serum that will provide significant strength, speed, endurance, and healing benefits. I'll have a body far, far better than what I had ten years ago. I'll finally be able to fight in the way that I've always known that I was meant to.

After all these years, he thought, I'll be able to rise to the top of my profession. Nothing will be holding me back — it'll be me alone at the top of the pile.