"Who is Darren Cross?" Bucky's question was directed at Pepper, or maybe Jim, but Grey was the one to accidentally spit at the name. "Grey?"
"They deposed Pym?" Grey asked, completely ignoring the question.
"Pym's gone? Really?" Pepper demanded, reaching for her own tablet to check the news. "So, you were right, there was nothing behind his allegations. Do you think we'll still get the public apology if they deposed him? Or will this new guy give it to us?"
"I wonder what Stane's reaction to this is gonna be," Jim put in, reading over Happy's shoulder on his phone.
"Bucky's right though, I've never met a Darren Cross, is he an outside player?"
"He's the bad guy in Ant-Man's jurisdiction. Not a problem until…" Grey made a face, clearly trying to figure out when this person would be a problem. "Later. We don't meet Scott until we've moved to the compound! Which doesn't happen until after Sokovia, which happens in 2015. Until then he's just a dude."
"Were we supposed to understand that?" Bucky asked Jim in a stage whisper. To Bucky's credit, Jim and Pepper looked just as confused.
"Not our problem?" Happy asked. He was the only one that could follow Grey's spirals with any sort of accuracy.
"Not our job," Grey said, nodding. She flashed Happy a double thumbs up.
"That I understood," Bucky said. "So, what now?"
"Well, Pym Technologies replacing their CEO cheats us out of a well-deserved apology, so I'm feeling petty. I'm gonna sue him for slander, libel and menacing if I can manage it. And anything else Sam can think up." Grey drained her coffee mug in a long pause and turned to Happy. "Give me thirty minutes and can you take me to Stark Industries? He made it personal."
"As long as it's legal, have fun," Pepper said as Happy nodded.
It actually took Grey thirty-eight minutes to get ready, but she claimed the need to shower delayed her those extra eight minutes. It took her seven hours to return to the house, a blood thirsty smile on her face, and a pound of paperwork in her arms. Pepper leafed through them and smiled.
"You're right Grey, this does feel nice," Pepper said, pouring wine glasses for everyone except Bucky, who was drinking hot chocolate. Grey was the only one who dared tease him about his obvious sweet tooth.
"Just wait until we get to gloat in front of them. Then it's even better."
"Isn't that kinda mean?" Jim asked.
"Do I look like a nice person?" Grey asked, looking at Jim in exaggerated confusion. "I'm sorry, I'm the CEO of the largest company in the world. I don't have time to be nice."
"Pepper does."
"Pepper is a better person than I."
"That's why Pepper isn't the one who is suing Hank Pym for enough money to bankrupt him forever," Pepper teased, still reading the paperwork. "Why so much?"
"Because I can," Grey said, sipping her wine. "And because I want the money so we can start attempting to make construction bids in New York for a rather large tower, and a compound further north. And it's good to have the money we're going to need to buy all the rights to legitimately everyone we're ever gonna meet."
"It's really gonna be that many?" Bucky asked, skepticism rolling off him. Grey looked at him and heaved a sigh.
"Yes. And every single one of them needs therapy. Except Clint? How the Carnie ended up the most stable I'll never understand." Grey resisted the urge to sigh again, and pulled out her vape, taking a long pull. "Everybody gets therapy, I'm fuckin' Oprah. You get a therapist; you get a therapist! Everybody gets a therapist."
"Is that why you created your own version of health insurance for the Avengers?" Pepper asked, briefly glancing at the New York notebook still on the table.
"I hate health insurance in this country, the Avengers are going to have a med bay that they can access for mission related injuries. If we do it right, we can set up a new insurance that will cover all Stark Industries employees giving them access to amazing health care, with minimal financial impact." Grey flipped the notebook open. "Everyone gives two percent of their annual income and everyone at Stark Industries gets healthcare wherever, whenever. There's no in network or out of network bullshit. I set it up like an HSA or FSA. Each employee gets a debit card they can use for healthcare things. Appointments, hospital stays, prescriptions, baby products like diapers and formula, feminine hygiene products, even vitamins and supplements."
"You think it would work?" Happy asked, reading some of Grey's notes upside down. "We won't go bankrupt, will we?"
"Even without the fifty pages of new things we're going to introduce to Stark Industries, we're making such a profit on weapons that we could do this for every SI employee, plus everyone that works for Bezos."
"Does SI really make that much profit?" Bucky asked. Pepper nodded. "That's ridiculous. Do we need that much money, can't we do something useful with it?"
Grey tossed a single subject notebook on the table without looking up from her phone. In sharpie, it said Foundations.
"How many ideas do you have?" Pepper demanded as she opened the newest notebook.
"There's no such thing as an ethical billionaire. Except us."
"We're not exactly ethical, Grey," Jim said. "We create weapons and consolidate wealth for the top 10%. We don't do anything with our profits but put them in our pocket."
"Not anymore." Grey reached over and tapped the notebook in Pepper's hands. "Not with these plans."
Line Break
"I need to know what you can do so I can better train you," Bucky said at four thirty in the morning. Jim, Pepper, and Grey were standing in an open space in a sub-basement that Bucky had claimed for himself. He and Happy had turned it from an open storage space to a standard gym, with a range along one wall, a boxing ring, multiple punching bags, racks of weights, and lots and lots of mats on the floor. "Jim, I'm going to assume you have standard hand to hand under your belt from the Air Force?"
"Yes. Hand to hand, and firearms. Where do you want me?"
"Will you spar the girls?"
"Sure?"
Grey yawned, cracking her jaw.
"I will show you a move, you will repeat it. Once you know the move, you will use it against Jim," Bucky explained to the girls. " I will teach you how to protect yourself and others. I will teach you how to harm others. I know you have plans with Tony, but knowing hand to hand and weapons will save your life."
"Will you teach me to use batons?" Pepper asked. "I played softball for years, I'm good with a bat."
"I can. Grey?"
"Batons, hand to hand and weapons training, at least until we get our suits." Grey tried to stifle another yawn. "Hey, will I be okay with my knee? This is a pretty big disadvantage for me. One kick to my left leg and I'm down for the count."
"We can teach you to work around it," Bucky promised. "I'll teach you how to protect it, while using your full range of motion."
"Can't wait," Grey said, smiling up at Bucky. "Shall we get to work?"
Line Break
"Are we gonna have to do this once a week?" Grey asked from her spot, face down on the floor in the living room. Her hair was still wet from her shower, and Bucky was balancing an ice pack on the back of her left knee. "I don't think I can handle this once a week."
"We're doing this four times a week, sorry Grey," Bucky said softly. "It's the best way to get a crash course."
"You mean it's the best way to learn as much assassin shit before dad gets back?" Grey asked the rug underneath her. Pepper came in the room, freshly showered, but still wearing tennis shoes. "I need to stop having ideas."
"It's not that bad," Pepper said as she sat gingerly in her armchair. "Okay, maybe it is that bad, my hip hurts. Was a nice kick though."
"I went to a prep school for first and second grade," Grey said. "Instead of typical PE, we did Tennis and Tae Kwon Do. I had earned my blue belt before I transferred into public school. I remember, like, three things. Horse stance, how to properly clench your fist, and how to breathe. That's it."
"Horse stance is a good position to always return to," Bucky said. "Keeps your center of balance low to the ground, makes you harder to knock down."
"Grey, let's do yoga in the evenings, stretch and loosen up some."
"On the beach, or no deal," Grey grumbled. "If we can have a bazillion dollars, we can do yoga on the beach at sunset."
"I'll order you a yoga mat. Pink or purple?"
"Purple please!" Grey lifted her head up enough to grin at Pepper. "You have to go to the office today?"
"No, I can work from home this week. There's a shareholder meeting next week I have to be at, and I need you there too, at the very least to keep endorsing me."
"I just have to be there?"
"And not say fuck," Pepper said, pretending to be stern.
"Decent rule to keep. I won't say fuck," Grey said, finally rolling over. "I should make a poster of all Pepper's rules, she's got more than a dominatrix."
"What's a dominatrix?" Bucky asked. Grey and Pepper started laughing so hard, Grey ended up barking like a seal.
"What's going on?" Happy asked, finally returning from the Starbucks run they sent him on just after their workout.
"Apparently I asked a funny question," Bucky said dryly. "They've been laughing like this for seven minutes."
"What did you ask?"
"What's a dominatrix?" Bucky asked again, bracing for Happy to start cackling like Pepper was.
"Oh, that's a sex thing. You're better off not knowing. I'm better off not explaining that. Nope, not at all." Happy handed out the coffee and left the room, shaking his head. Grey was gasping for breath, one hand on her heart, the other on her stomach as she tried to breathe enough to keep laughing. Pepper was doubled over in her chair, clapping her hands together, laughing so hard she couldn't make a sound.
"The straps?" Grey gasped, looking up at Pepper, who snorted as she understood what Grey was alluding to.
Bucky waited for the girls to get it out of their system. It took twenty minutes for Grey to stop giggling whenever she glanced at him. Pepper was able to pull herself together a little bit better.
"What's the plan for this month?" Pepper asked, flicking her calendar to appear on the wall. "I've got that shareholders meeting I can't skip, on the fifteenth. Reports for the past quarter are due at the end of the month and I have to gather those from the various department heads. You have a meeting with the CEO of Marvel Comics on the eighteenth, that's virtual as they're based back in New York."
"Isn't Father's Day this month?" Grey asked, sipping her coffee as she leaned against Bucky's legs. "What if I did a press conference on Father's Day?"
"Bad idea," Pepper said absently. "We don't have any new information, and if we bring in the press again, they're going to want more than we can give them."
"What if Jayne did a piece, about dad?" Grey suggested. "It's Father's Day, people are going to expect something from me."
"Send her a message. We can have Christine write another piece about Tony's contributions to society-"
"No, what if she writes about our family's obligations?" Grey asked, sitting up as she had an idea. "The Maria Stark foundation. Howard's contributions to the war effort, Tony's push into green energy with the Arc Reactor his father designed. Dad following in papaw's footsteps, me following in Dad's. Make it all about family."
"You think Christine would, do it?"
"I think she'd be stupid to not do it," Grey said. "Jarvis, send an email to Jayne, asking her to write a piece reminding the world that Dad's still missing, and I'm still hopeful above all else that he will come home to me. Then send one to Christine asking her to write about the Stark Family. As long as it's vaguely positive and upbeat I don't care, but I want to read a rough draft."
"I'll send the messages right away, Miss Stark," Jarvis said, the walls flashing blue. "I will inform you if they send a response."
"Thanks, Jay."
"So, what do we do until Father's Day?" Bucky asked. "Just training and work?"
"Patience. We wait."
"Miss Stark, Samantha Kim from Stark Industries' legal team has sent you an email. She states that she has met with Dr Pym's legal team, and they are beginning the discovery process. They are stonewalling, but Miss Kim believes that they already have enough evidence to take them to trial even without his cooperation. I've taken the liberty of pulling open the email on your personal device."
Grey pulled her tablet over, and started reading, holding the tablet up enough so Bucky could read over her shoulder.
"They're right," Pepper said, reading the email on her own tablet. "They've got nothing to hide because they had government contracts too."
"The Patriot Act," Grey mumbled in agreement. "Wait, they had?"
"Because of our suit, Pym Technology has lost their government contracts. I believe it was President Obama's doing." Pepper had a smile on her face that wasn't kind. Grey and Bucky had the same expression. Pym was going down for what he'd said against Stark Industries. After a moment, Grey started laughing, a bright happy laugh that quickly spread to her family.
Line Break
Grey flopped onto the rug in the living room, her hair dripping from her shower. Pepper was already sitting in her armchair with a mug of coffee, her hair in a sloppy bun on the top of her head.
"That was a fantastic throw," Pepper said. "Nicely done."
"I have to admit, it's kinda fun being able to throw people around. Your roundhouse? If that punching bag had been a person, you'd have taken their jaw off."
"I just pretend it's Stane." The girls laughed at their mutual hate for Stark Industries' COO. "I have to go into the office tomorrow, especially with the articles coming out today. There's a Board of Directors meeting, I need to meet with all the department heads, make sure our projects are coming out on time, and see how the latest system update went through."
"You and I should have a sit-down, heiress to CEO," Grey said, rolling over so she was on her back. "And maybe the CFO? I think it's time we start making a few purchases."
"You wanna buy the Avengers?" Pepper asked. "Now?"
"Yeah. I have a few ideas, wanna get lunch tomorrow?" Grey asked. "We can make it an official thing. Charge it to the company."
"Jarvis, will you make a reservation for us tomorrow at Sushi Kaneyoshi, downtown?" Pepper asked, glancing up at the ceiling. "I've been wanting an excuse to eat there for ages."
"Oh, I can put away some sushi." Grey grinned up at her with chaos in her eyes. "Should we leak our location to the press?"
"And what would that do, other than cause us to be harassed by every half-rate with a camera?"
"Oh, Pepper, I've gotta make you a list of fanfictions to read. Starting with the Lady of the Lake," Grey said as she sat up fully. "Just trust me. It's fun."
Line Break
Stark Industries Heiress dines in LA with Pro-Tem CEO, Pepper Potts
Alice White, Time Magazine
Yesterday, two days after Father's Day in America, Grey Stark was spotted with Stark Industries CEO Pepper Potts in downtown Los Angeles at Sushi Kaneyoshi, a Michelin guide-rated restaurant that often boasts celebrity guests. With security around them, this reporter was unable to get a full statement, but as Grey Stark, daughter of Doctor Anthony Stark, was being shown to her table, she paused to give reporters something to write about.
"Every day that we go without news about my dad is difficult, but being who I am, I find it impossible to melt into my grief. I have to stand tall and continue my dad's legacy, until he is able to continue it, himself. I believe he would be proud of the way I work tirelessly for the things he believed in."
Pepper Potts had this to say, "Tony Stark is a survivor. He has been kidnapped before, Tiberius Stone being the most recent, having held Tony hostage seven years ago, after a very public breakup. He was able to escape then, with a hair clip and a length of copper wire. I believe that he can escape from whomever has him. And he will return to his daughter."
"We believe in family above all else," Grey said again. "Dad and I. He'll come home to me."
This reporter fervently hopes that she is right, and we will see Doctor Tony Stark once again.
Grey Stark, never one to do anything without cause, entered the restaurant with several notebooks tucked under her arm. It was clear that this was to be a working luncheon, with Grey bringing several things to the table. This reporter can't wait to see what the next generation of Starks has to offer. And it's clear that the upper levels of her company are just as excited.
Grey Stark spotted dining with Virginia Potts!
Marsha Smith, New York Times
Just two days after a heartfelt plea to have her dad returned to her, Grey Stark dressed to the nines and had lunch at a popular and chic spot, no sign of the misery she swore plagued her as she beamed and laughed with Virginia Potts, the CEO pro-tem of Stark Industries.
Virginia Potts is a well-known face, for those associated with Stark Industries, often seen leading where Tony Stark has failed.
This reporter wonders if Virginia isn't just continuing the tradition of bailing a Stark out of whatever messes they create themselves. Time will tell if this Stark can live up to the legacy of her grandfather better than her father did.
Line Break
"I think we oughta just buy Marvel Entertainment outright, rather than run around chasing down shares until we have the majority." Grey said, popping a piece of ginger in her mouth. "That way we already have it, and we can start with the Captain America movie. Chris Evans actually exists in this universe; I want him to play Cap."
"Do you want to buy Marvel outright just so you can choose the actors?"
"No. I wanna buy Marvel outright because the people deserve to know what we're doing to protect them. I don't want to hide anything from them."
"Why?" Pepper asked. Grey took a breath to remind herself that this wasn't an attack, Pepper wanted more information so she could make an educated decision.
"Because people are already going to know. After the Infinity Saga, when Disney finally introduced Ms. Marvel, she was a Captain Marvel fan, but Carol had only shown up at the absolute last battle against the mad titan. So, how was she a fan? Scott writes a book, after all that, and there's a musical on Broadway that's a mostly true explanation of the 2012 problem." Grey shuddered at the reminder of Rogers the Musical. It was apparently what this universe got instead of Hamilton, but Grey already had plans for that.
"You just wanna read Captain America fanfiction," Pepper teased, taking a sip of her white wine. Grey couldn't contain the snort that came out at that thought.
"Forty percent motivated by that," Grey laughed. "The rest is plain and simple math. Endgame was the highest grossing Marvel movie."
"That's the final big battle with Thanos?" Pepper asked for clarification.
"Yup."
"Okay. What did it make in the box office? Fifty million? Sixty?" Grey cackled quietly into her hand, as she tried to stay quiet.
"Avengers Endgame made 2.7 billion dollars in the box office," Grey choked out, finally. Pepper dropped her wine glass, letting it shatter on the floor. Grey had to shove a piece of sushi in her mouth to stop from laughing at the astonished look on Pepper's face.
"Oh, I am so sorry," Pepper said as the waitress nearly teleported to their table to clean up the glass shards. "I wasn't paying attention, I'm so sorry."
"It's alright Miss Potts. I dropped a crate of them this morning," The waitress waved away their concerns and disappeared with the glass shards. She returned with a fresh glass, already topped up with wine.
"While you're here, can I get the nigiri and sashimi platters boxed up to go?" Grey asked. "And two of the chocolate desserts, also to go."
"Right away Miss Stark," The waitress promised, vanishing again.
"Two point seven billion dollars?" Pepper asked softly.
"Just imagine what it'll bring in if it's real. Iron Man brought in only 20 million, but if Tony Stark is real? And if people already love him, before he pledges to save them from the bad guy?"
"Stark Industries wouldn't need to produce anything, that alone could sustain us," Pepper said, doing the math in her head. "But keep convincing me. Go on."
"With what the movies make, Stark Industries won't have to shell out quarter profits to repair whatever breaks when we have to be superheroes. Marvel's profits will cover that, plus whatever the Avengers put in from their paychecks." Grey popped a piece of sushi in her mouth and frowned. There was too much eel sauce. Grey shuddered and forced herself to swallow, sticking her tongue out afterwards. Pepper laughed, and traded plates with her. "I believe in the payroll I wrote out, two percent of their annual paycheck went to some foundation we'll have to set up to repair things that break because of enhanced persons, whether bad guys, good guys, or accidental whatevers."
"Your vocabulary sucks," Pepper mumbled.
"No, my vocabulary is great, I've just never gone to business school," Grey shot back, before chugging down her water. She frowned at the empty cup. Pepper pushed her still full water cup over. Grey emptied that one too.
"We're going to have to expand the PR department," Pepper said, leaning back in her chair. "Didn't you say you wanted PR managers to handle the Avengers?"
"I'd like everyone to have a PR manager. That way I don't have to do social media for a dozen superheroes, half of which are not gonna have a clue about today's society."
"Steve, Thor, Loki, maybe Valkyrie," Pepper rattled off. Grey nodded. "Even Bucky, really."
"If everyone has a PR manager, then no one is gonna post to social media without approval, everyone is kept apprised of what's happening so no one seems out of touch while being effectively sponsored by us." Grey flipped a notebook open and tapped a paragraph. "I'd really like Christine and Jayne to run it. It'll have three departments. Stark Industries related PR, Avengers related PR, and Marvel related PR. We're going to be public figures, so when we're not superheroing, we're going to get dragged into things. Personally, I'd like everyone to appear on Sesame Street, possibly Dancing with the Stars, things like that."
"Like Tony is constantly asked to do?" Pepper asked. "The possibilities are endless. Grey, I think you might be a genius."
Grey laughed, throwing her head back, a wide grin on her face. Pepper watched on in amusement.
"Ugh, I think Barnes might kill me with these workouts," Grey complained, rolling her shoulder. "Or it'll be Jim for handing me a gun bigger than me."
"That recoil put me on my ass," Pepper bitched, glaring at the table in lieu of Jim. "I'm officially shocked you were still standing."
"You and me both, Pep," Grey agreed. The waitress appeared, handing Pepper back her credit card and setting the to go order on the corner of the table. "I think the yoga is helping though. I certainly hurt less."
"Let's swing past the office on our way home, I had an intern pull the 1974 Stark Expo layout out of the archives, it should be in my office."
"I've got a conference call with General Morrow this afternoon, will you sit in? They came up with an awesome idea that I want to sponsor." Pepper nodded; curiosity clear on her face. "We'll need dad to actually make it happen, especially because I still don't really understand Repulsor technology."
"And General Morrow is heading it up?" Pepper asked. They slid into the back of Happy's car, and Grey passed her tablet over so Pepper could see the design. "These would work well with the suits! And Tom said one of his designed these? Happy, would you mind taking us to my office for a few minutes?"
"Right away, Miss Potts," Happy said, turning into traffic.
"Yeah, they came up with the idea, we just have to make it happen." Grey twisted around in her seat so her back popped. "I think today's meeting is just logistics. The legalities of giving us the patent so we can produce it for them. Tom's got a list of names for pilots, but he emailed me last week and said that it's up to a committee to select who will be our test pilots."
"Any you're hoping for?"
"Sergeant Samuel Wilson looks promising on paper," Grey said. Pepper saw the look on her face and knew that this Sam Wilson was going to be the next person recruited to their rag-tag team of misfits and heroes. "Plus, I just love this idea! Imagine it for pararescue!"
"Couldn't our suits be used for that?" Happy asked, glancing at Grey through the rearview mirror.
"No, actually," Grey said. "We have flight stabilizers on our palms, we wouldn't be able to hold someone and fly, not unless we worked out another way to carry them."
"Hmm. Well, maybe Tony can figure something out," Pepper said. "We could still carry people though?"
"I've seen fics where other Avengers stand on the top of Iron Man's foot and hold on to a handle type thing on his shoulder to get to and from battle sites faster. It's useless for combat, but to get from one spot to the next? It works." Grey made a face, still not convinced.
"We'll be at Stark Industries in ten minutes," Happy said. "Grey, I had a question for you."
"Shoot."
"You know who at SHIELD we can and can't trust, right?" Happy said, glancing back through the rear view.
"For the most part, why?"
"Why not just ally up with those we can trust now, why wait?" Grey sighed and rubbed at her face.
"Why do you trust me?"
"Because we've got proof you're from a completely different universe, and we got to know you enough to know you're on our side," Happy said, stating the obvious.
"And why does Bucky trust me?"
"Because you rescued him?" Pepper asked.
"Why should Nick Fury, the spy's spy trust me? A girl that his intelligence agency has never heard of that claims to see the future?" Grey gestured broadly with her hands as she spoke, occasionally tapping her hand into the window with a quiet thunk.
"So, you bully him first?"
"Fury needs to be impressed before he'll be cooperative, I learned that from watching him with Carol. If I play this game, and I play it right, by the time Hydra announces themselves, he'll call me for help. And even if he doesn't, I'll already have two of my people in his camp."
"Who?" Pepper asked. "You said Hydra was the DC disaster, but you also said that was Steve's jurisdiction."
"Yeah. Steve, Natasha, Bucky, even Sam Wilson, they're all involved in the DC Disaster," Grey leaned back against the door, a smug grin on her face as Pepper realized just how far ahead Grey was in her game of chess. "Granted, Bucky still belonged to Hydra at that point, so I've already changed a few things. And you knew I planned to recruit Natasha as soon as I could."
"I'm never playing chess against you," Pepper said, in lieu of anything else. There was something about being a Stark, it made you a genius, obviously. "Or poker, or anything else that I could lose. Oh, Stane's here, fuck."
Pepper's gaze was locked on the golf cart that sat in a parking spot designated for Tony Stark. She wasn't surprised Stane parked there; he usually did; Pepper just didn't want to see him.
"That's the third time you've said fuck because of me, Potts, if my dad hears you curse like that, I'm grounded, without a doubt," Grey teased as she got out of the car. "Happy, we're just going up for the '74 expo plans, shouldn't take too long. There's a dessert in the bag for you."
Pepper led the way, quietly pointing out offices along the way. They managed to make it to Pepper's office without being accosted, and Grey beamed at the model of the expo. She checked over each piece, making sure nothing was broken or moved.
"It's perfect," Grey finally announced. "You take these two, I'll take these, let's get out of here."
By the time they got downstairs, their presence had been noticed. Samantha was waiting for them at their car, an intern at her elbow.
"They're trying to settle," Samantha said as Grey passed her pieces of the expo model over to Happy to put in the trunk. "And the offer they're giving is insulting, so don't worry, I'm not considering taking it. However, if they bring a decent offer to the table, we should consider accepting the settlement."
"Because you don't think he'll apologize, or because if this goes on too long the media will crucify me as a grieving daughter, lashing out at the world?" Grey asked dryly. She rolled her eyes and took a short hit from her pen, huffing out the smoke in irritation. "Absolutely not. Tell Pym's lawyers that we'll drop the suit completely with a full and public apology. I don't think we ought to settle. But I agree the media's a danger. You should reach out to Jayne, have her put something out there."
"I'll see if we can get the apology, but I don't recommend holding your breath. Pepper, this is the intern I was telling you about, Jennifer Walters, Jennifer, this is the famous Pepper Potts, and as an added bonus, Grey, Tony's daughter."
Grey looked over at the intern in surprise, before her face split into a wide grin. She stepped forward and hugged, first Samantha, then Jennifer in quick succession.
"Welcome to the family," Grey said, grinning like a loon. Pepper, never slow on the uptake just rolled her eyes, keeping her smile appropriate for meeting a new intern.
"Nice to meet you, Jennifer, welcome to Stark Industries. You'll have to come over for dinner one-night, Grey loves to play hostess."
"I'd be honored, Miss Potts," Jennifer said, trying not to gape at the pile of luck she landed in.
"We'd stay, but we've got more things to do than minutes in a day, I'm already exhausted. Samantha, good luck, Jennifer, good to meet you," Pepper said, shaking hands with the nervous and awe-struck intern. She herded Grey into the car – she still hadn't stopped smiling. Happy turned them out of the parking lot and onto the road.
"Home in twenty minutes, likely thirty with traffic," Happy announced.
"So, what was that?" Pepper asked, smacking Grey on the knee. "You hate touching people, that means Jennifer is important. Spill."
"She's Bruce Banner's cousin. That's She-Hulk, before she gets Bruce's blood transfusion. That didn't happen until after Endgame. But she's a fantastic lawyer, and she was on my watch list. I thought it would be years."
"Unexpected bonus then," Pepper said. "Will she still change?"
"Dunno. I won't make it happen, but if the universe wills it, who am I to argue?"
"First in line, usually," Happy sniped from the front seat. Grey gaped while Pepper choked out a laugh.
"Ah, but this universe gives freely, and I love it," Grey sighed, suddenly pretending to swoon. "I have healthcare, and the unexpected gift of Jennifer Walters, and Sam Wilson?"
"Wait, the universe gave you Sam? You didn't scheme that up?" Pepper demanded, feeling cheated. Grey cackled again.
"The EXO-7 suits codenamed Falcon was an Air Force project that I speculated was tangentially connected to Stark Industries, but I had no proof. Gift horses, mouths." Grey shrugged, and Pepper swatted at her again good naturedly.
Line Break
"Is she alright?" A man's voice broke through the darkness, echoing around her. How much had she drank last night? The whole bar? She couldn't even remember where she'd gone. If she went drinking with Delia and Brennan, she was never going to do that again. "I think she's coming to."
Grey most certainly was not, and allowed sleep to drag her back down, she was tired, and sore, and she swore she was still drunk.
When Grey woke up, it was with a sore face, and ridiculous cotton mouth. She was on her bed, which was strange because she didn't remember going to bed.
"Easy now," a voice said from beside her. Grey glanced over, squinting.
"Mom?" Grey asked hopefully. She blinked a few times and realized it was Pepper sitting next to her. "Pepper. What happened?"
"I roundhouse kicked you in the face and knocked you unconscious," Pepper said in a rush, handing Grey her water cup. Grey sucked it down and waited for the rest of the explanation. "You've been out about three hours. Barnes made me do laps."
"Ouch," Grey said finally. She sat up and grabbed her phone, someone had helpfully put it on the charger for her. When she checked her front camera, Grey could see that her jaw was bruised, and slightly swollen. "Maybe we should learn to take a hit, too. Or I need to learn to dodge."
"I feel terrible," Pepper said softly. Grey snorted.
"I bet I feel worse." Grey gave a dramatic groan as she got out of bed for the second time that day. "I'm showering and heading to the lab today. I've got work to do, and I really don't want any more exercise today."
"What are you working on?"
"I have to read all I can about the intricacies of Stark Industries having private contractors licensing. And do the math on buying out Marvel and also the company – I'll explain that later, promise. I'm still in talks with city council in New York to get the permits for the tower, let alone keep the construction contract loose enough that we can legally power it with the mini reactor. I'm working on blueprints for the compound and comparing acreage."
"Jesus, you know you can pass some of that to us, right?"
"I know. But some of it only I can do, especially with the Avengers contracts. But I tell you what I would love to pass to you," Grey said. She crossed the room and scooped up two files. "Doctor Helen Cho, and CIA whatever Everett Ross. Make friends. I really want Dr Cho to join us in New York full time."
"And Ross?"
"Chess piece, better to have him trust us now than wait until 2016," Grey said, glancing at her reflection again. "We'll need him."
"For the civil war?" Pepper asked, lining up the timeline in her mind.
"Wakanda," Grey said, glitter in her eyes.
"I don't need to know. I'll make friends, I'm sure there's a friend of a friend that can drag him to the Gala in a few months."
"Now you're playing my game," Grey said, beaming at Pepper. "Now go away, I want a shower. And coffee. Someone made breakfast, right?"
"I'll send Bucky in with food, don't worry."
Line Break
"Jarvis, go ahead and scan this so I can play with it, please," Grey said as she circled the 1974 Stark Expo. Jarvis scanned it, and a blue hologram started hovering over the real model. She absently rubbed her jaw and spun the hologram around. She tugged it over to some free space and tilted it upright. "It's stupid, this is my favorite scene in the second movie, watching Dad figure this out. And here I am, hijacking it so Dad doesn't have to hurt as long."
"I don't believe Sir would mind," Jarvis said gently. "He understood that you would be taking credit for things that aren't original ideas."
"When we publish about this new element, because we will have to publish, do you think the scientific community would let the three of us share credit? I'd hate for it to go to just Howard and myself." Grey brushed the trees and walk paths from the hologram, watching them fall away. "Think it's starting to look like an element?"
Grey threw her hands up, expanding the hologram. She beamed as it took shape, circling around her. She idly wondered if she looked like her dad.
"You were right, Miss Stark, this will require lots of careful work to synthesize. Would you like me to order all the materials you will need?"
"Yes. Please. I want this specific project done before Dad gets home, so I'd like to have it finished before August – think we can manage that?"
"Miss Stark, I believe you can manage just about anything." Grey gave the ceiling a sincere smile before turning her attention to what he was doing on the monitor in front of her. Lengths of wire, tubing, scaffolding, several things that looked like they belonged to Dr Doofenshmirtz rather than her. "We will be able to begin construction about two weeks. We won't have everything here before July tenth."
"Dad did this in days," Grey asked, glancing up.
"Because Sir doesn't need to hide purchases. If Stane were to notice what you were buying, he might believe his trap wasn't as secure as he believed."
"Right, forgot about him. Okay, two weeks. Well, I still have work to do. Jay, can you bring my homepage down here? I wanna get some stuff down while I'm thinking about it."
The desktop in front of Grey shifted from Tony's workstation to hers. She plopped down in the chair and pulled the physical keyboard to her lap. She kicked her feet up on a crate of screws and started working.
The fact that the Avengers were glorified private military contractors was a specific type of fury for Grey, especially after all the bullshit of The Accords. When she first went to see Civil War, she was Team Cap, because she was head over heels for Sebastian Stan, and adored Bucky. But by the time the end credits rolled, she knew Steve had been in the wrong the whole time. Thunderbolt Ross hadn't helped with that, saying ridiculous things to piss off Steve.
"Jarvis, how do you feel about a little espionage?"
"Sir suggests we refrain from breaking the law," Jarvis said politically.
"What if I wanted you to just find one specific thing for me? I want to know if it already exists or if it doesn't until after Harlem."
"And what would I be searching for, Miss Stark, hypothetically, of course."
"There's a prison, floating somewhere in an ocean, possibly underwater. It's called the Raft, and it's designed to contain enhanced persons. It's ninety different types of illegal. I'm not gonna blow the whistle on it until much later, but I want to know when it's created. Might wanna try the CIA first," Grey said, barely looking up from her own typing.
"I will keep a careful eye out, Miss Stark," Jarvis promised. Grey smiled and kept working. She flipped from research to writing seamlessly, occasionally asking Jarvis to give her another screen.
"Are you coming to bed?" Bucky asked. Grey jumped at the sound of his voice, sending her keyboard clattering to the floor. She spun around in her chair, her defensive demeanor falling away to a broad smile.
"Hey, you," Grey said happily. She tried to stand, but her left leg was numb, and she wobbled like a new baby deer. Bucky crossed the room to help keep her up. "How's your day?"
"Had therapy this afternoon. Lilian thinks I'm making progress."
"That's fantastic!" Grey leaned up on her tip toes to give him a quick kiss. He pulled her up to give her a longer one. Eventually, he pulled away and put Grey back on her own feet.
"It's already past nine, you coming to bed? Have you eaten since breakfast?"
"It's past nine? No wonder I'm starving." Grey and Bucky left the lab, heading to the kitchen, where there was a crockpot of pulled barbeque chicken. "Did you know that the Avengers would have to be PMCs?"
"I assumed," Bucky said, already reaching for the mustard he knew she would want. He handed it over, earning him another soft smile for his efforts. "You didn't?"
"No, it hit me like a truck like two days ago, made me feel like an idiot. Should've known better." Grey shook her head and finished putting together her two sandwiches. Bucky pulled a protein shake out of the fridge for himself. "I'm working on putting together contracts directly with the UN through Stark Industries, rather than partner with the US military. I want to stay away from Thaddeus Ross. Very far."
"Bad guy?" Bucky asked. Grey just scrunched her nose.
"Not really, he's just an asshole," Grey said.
"Is this the first thing you've eaten today?" Pepper asked as she walked in the room, watching Grey shove half the sandwich in her mouth in one go. Grey nodded. "Great, you're just as bad as Tony."
Grey responded, but no one could understand her with her mouth full. Bucky just rolled his eyes and smiled fondly.
"I got the email about the Stark Industries Fourth of July picnic; it falls on Sunday this year. I said we'd turn up for the luncheon, but we're not staying for fireworks. Tony and I usually watch them from the poolside." Pepper put the flier on the counter for them to see. "We're going, it's practically tradition, even Tony doesn't skip out on this."
"'Ll be dere," Grey promised, her mouth still full.
"Jarvis, go ahead and put it on her calendar, and add a reminder on Friday and Saturday so she doesn't forget," Bucky asked, looking up. "I'm turning in for the night, therapy leaves me drained. Night Pep."
"Ten minutes," Grey promised, holding up her second sandwich. Bucky kissed the top of her head and headed to their room.
"Productive day?" Pepper asked, hopping up to sit on the countertop. "You vanished into the lab just like Tony does when he has an idea."
"I'm exhausted. I didn't even realize time was passing, I was so lost in the research. I've already sent the contracts to you to proof, one is Samantha and Jennifer's new contracts and NDAs."
Pepper immediately pulled out her phone to read the documents. She skimmed through the first one, and looked over at Grey, impressed.
"These are incredible. They outline the work they'll be doing for just us in the suits and has all the clauses we'll need changed for the Avengers." Pepper opened a different document. "Is this a contract with the Air Force?"
"We'll need it to get permission to find Stark Weapon Caches," Grey said, leaning against the counter. "These assholes aren't above using human shields, so the military isn't allowed to go in, no one is."
"Hence the contracts," Pepper said, understanding.
"Hence the paperwork. I will be so glad when this is all someone else's job."
"Hate being all knowing? Poor thing," Pepper teased. Grey laughed and pushed off the counter. "Take an Advil for that bruise, yeah?"
"Deal." Grey waved as she walked toward her room. "Night Pepper."
Line Break
The letter was on the table when I got home from work. I knew what it was the moment I saw it, I didn't need to hear my mother sobbing in the other room, or hear from my youngest sister, Amanda, that pa was at the bar. The draft had come for me. I sank into a chair and opened the envelope.
Dear Mr. Barnes,
RE: NOTICE OF INDUCTION INTO THE ARMED FORCES
Greetings,
This letter is an official notification from the Brooklyn New York Draft regarding your conscription into the United States Armed Forces under the provisions of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940.
Your patriotic duty to defend our great nation has been recognized, and you are hereby ordered to report for induction into the military service of the United States on the following date, time, and location:
Date: April 23, 1943
Time: 0900
Location: Brooklyn Recruiters Offices, 116 Utica Ave, Brooklyn New York 11213
Instructions:
Please bring this letter with you to the induction center.
Ensure you have the following documents:
Social Security Card
Driver's License of other form of photo identification.
Any medical records or documents specified in the medical examination notice.
Report promptly at the designated time and location.
Failure to comply with this order may result in legal consequences, as provided for under the Selective Training and Service Act.
The Guilt of the Winter Soldier
I swore my family to secrecy. They could never let Stevie know I was conscripted. We told him that his speeches inspired me to do my part. I sent Amanda, still just eleven years old, to the bar to bring pa home. Rebecca, the oldest sister, and Diana, the middle, worked to console ma.
Rebecca had to step up when I left for training. She had to be the son in my absence. She got a job as a nurse, taking care of the soldiers that were sent home, broken beyond repair. When I came home for the last time, she told me that she was more afraid I would come home, than I wouldn't.
"I think death, would be kinder to these soldiers," she said, barely above a whisper, two days before I left the join the 107th.
The day before I left for the front, I took Stevie to the Expo. We got to see Howard Stark in person. His flying car may have failed, but the man was still a genius. It was a bittersweet goodbye. I knew he resented me for being able to join where he couldn't. I made him promise he'd stay out of trouble. It would be six months before I realized he broke his promise.
The Guilt of the Winter Soldier
"I loved him," Bucky admitted to his therapist. "More than was appropriate at that time. Grey told me it's accepted now, men loving men. I wish Stevie could see that more than anything. He'd be so happy."
"Are you happy?" Lilian asked. She didn't write in a notebook; she used a tablet to take notes. "That it's accepted now?"
"I'm glad that people have stopped seeing it as a disease," Bucky said politically.
"Don't you think you deserve to be happy?"
"Grey says I do. And she's the only one that knows what I've done."
"In the war?"
"And as the Winter Soldier," Bucky added. He sighed and looked at his hands. He could see the blood he'd shed in the name of Hydra and Russia. People he killed for being in the wrong spot at the wrong time. People he killed because they were going to expose Hydra. "I killed people on Hydra's orders, and trained others to kill on Hydra's orders. I trained children. To kill. Little girls that should've been watching cartoons instead, watched me torture and kill."
"Were you given a choice?" Lilian asked, curiously. "Did Hydra ask whether or not you wanted to do those things? Were you allowed to say no to them?"
"Of course not. Any sign of dissension was met with the chair. Refusal to train the other assets, refusal of an order, leaving a witness, everything resulted in the chair. But it doesn't mean that I didn't do them." Bucky sighed, tugging his long sleeves down over his palms. "I remember too much of it, to be blameless."
"Do you want to be forgiven?" Lilian asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Grey says I'm forgiven, she says it often enough. And I guess if she, of all people, can forgive me, I should believe her, the question is, am I guilty?"
"You want to stand trial?"
"Not today, please," Bucky said, a ghost of a smile on his face. "Grey says that when I want to come back to life, legally, I'll stand a trial. It'll have to be classified, because of, well, everything, but I'd have a verdict."
"Do you want to come back to life?"
"Not right now," Bucky said. "Tony's still missing, and I believe he deserves to hear what I did, from me, before his daughter uses their money to benefit me."
Lilian nodded, making a short note on her tablet. She shifted slightly, then looked back at Bucky.
"Why don't you tell me more about the war, if you're comfortable."
The Guilt of the Winter Soldier
I remember the first time they put me in the chair. It was at Azzano, the work camp, after we got captured. Seven of us were pulled from the cages and dragged back to their labs. There were needles, so many injections. Some burned like fire, others felt like ice. Three of them died, screaming, but quickly. I didn't. I recited my service number over and over again. I breathed, slow breaths, and never screamed. Until the chair.
Another man died; I watched them tip his corpse out of the chair they were putting me in. The voltage fried his brain. I was next. They injected something in my one good arm. It was freezing, chilling my blood. As they shoved me into the chair, I could feel whatever it was, freezing my brain, like a frozen desert. A piece of the chair covered half my face, another clamped down on my arm, holding me in place as they electrocuted me. I started to forget the faces of my ma, and my baby sister Amanda. I couldn't remember Rebecca's laugh, or the exact shape of Stevie's face. I didn't scream.
I was put in the chair three times before Stevie destroyed everything at Azzano. I didn't recognize him. Whatever they did to him while I was gone, he was taller than me. His shoulders were broader than mine. He practically carried me out, the first time ever I wasn't his protector, he was mine. When we returned to safe ground, it took everything in me to not scream from the pain of Azzano, the pain of Stevie's change. Dugan asked me once, just after we got out, if this was my Stevie. I didn't actually know. It wasn't until we were safe, standing in front of Colonel Phillips, that I realized he wasn't my Stevie, he was Agent Carter's Steve. Her Captain America. I didn't scream.
Agent Carter, who I ended up liking, despite wanting to hate her, floated the idea of an elite unit, led by Captain America, working exclusively for the SSR to take down Hydra. It went bad after our third mission. The first two were fine, we scouted ahead, then we barged in.
The first mission was a factory and warehouse, operated by Hydra. The black and red uniforms with an octopus were clear giveaways that we were in the right spot. The second was another work camp like Azzano. Dugan, Morita, and Frenchie liberated the soldiers, Steve, Gabe and I worked on destroying everything.
The third mission, everything went south, fast. We were up north, in early February, it was freezing, we were all freezing. We were just outside of a factory, and Steve changed the plan. He wanted to get us back home before a blizzard hit, so we were just going to storm the castle as it were. Frenchie and I argued against it for ten minutes, but Steve was adamant. So, Gabe and I headed to a decent sniper post, me with the rifle, him with the radio.
It all looked wrong. There were civilians, even children playing in the snow in the small town near the factory. But I switched my attention to the factory. Men in blue and grey uniforms loitered outside, if I looked hard enough, I could guess they were on a smoke break.
Gabe radioed Morita; told him it didn't look right. I took my attention away from the men and looked for the rest of our team. I could see Morita's face change as Gabe echoed back my warning. And then Steve charged the gates anyway. Dugan, Frenchie, everyone dropped everything to chase after him. I watched Steve throw his shield, men were dead before Gabe, and I packed up and sprinted after them.
Thirty innocent Austrian men were murdered. Thirty people were killed before Gabe, and I could stop it. It was a car factory, completely benign, we had bad intel. Steve was read the riot act by Colonel Philips, and Frenchie was placed in charge, as the only actual officer in the group. We were put on probation, got stuck filming promotions for the USO for a few months, before we were trusted alone in the field.
We ran another dozen missions before we got the intel on Arnim Zola. And that's where everything fell apart. I fell off the train, trying to protect Steve's ass. I'd always protected him; I'd do it every time. I had no regrets as I fell.
Line Break
I think you're getting better
Even if it's slowly
We're not in a rush to get anywhere fast
But even when you start to dream
Every little piece of you
Gets a little close to the edge of darkness
I know you've been here before
Long as we're not falling off
We'll be fine
If you need a minute take a minute like it's all that you've got
Another hour doesn't matter if it helps you to stop
Counting the days that you've lost
Over and over
No one said it's easy but it's easy to forget what they say
Another hour doesn't matter if it helps you to take
Back all the days that you've lost
Anything can happen if you want it enough.
Bucky woke up slowly, feeling warm and protected. He shifted slightly to take stock of himself. Grey was sitting up in bed, reading a book with one hand, her other was tossed carelessly across his chest, as he leaned against her. She was humming under her breath, occasionally mumbling the words to the song. Bucky didn't recognize it, but it was soothing.
"Another nightmare?" Grey asked softly when she realized he was awake. He shook his head.
"Just of the war, the fall," Bucky whispered. "Expected it, it's what Lilian and I talked about yesterday."
The clock on the ceiling said it was nearly four. Bucky wasn't surprised Grey was awake. He was surprised he hadn't woken up when she did.
"You did," Grey said, always knowing what he was thinking. "When I sat up, you did too, but I don't have anywhere to be, so I shushed you back to sleep. You deserve your rest."
"Let's go to the beach today," Bucky said. "Listen to the waves and find sea glass. We could use a day off."
"We can pack a picnic, take the whole family," Grey said, lighting up with glee. "Maybe I can even make a dent in this novel."
"What are you reading?" Bucky asked, turning his head. "Anything good?"
"I've never actually finished the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so I'm rereading the first book, I think you'd like it," Grey said, "You liked the Hobbit, right?"
"The Hobbit is still around?" Bucky asked, sitting upright, excitement clear on his face. "I love that book!"
"Here's the next three in the series," Grey said, pulling a second copy of the book out of her nightstand and handing it over. "We've got a few hours before sunrise, Jarvis, could you bring the lights up so we can read until breakfast? You can tell the family today is PTO."
"Of course, Miss Stark." The lights came up, and Jarvis turned the blank wall into a virtual window, showing the east side of the property so they could watch the sun come up. "Enjoy your day off, Sir never took them, and I believe he needs to."
"Why do you have two copies of the same book?" Bucky asked as he opened to the first page.
"In case you wanted one," Grey said, turning the page. "I've been waiting for you to express an interest in books, I've got a shelf and three boxes of books worth reading."
"Where? All your stuff's here, in our room?"
"Happy stashed it in my old room for me," Grey said. A bowl of grapes were moved from her nightstand to a small space between her and Bucky. "I'll have him pull them out today and we can set it up. I can't wait for you to read Harry Potter."
"You've already written me a to be read list, haven't you?" Bucky asked, wary. Grey simply shook her phone in his direction. His pinged in response. "Of course, you did. Prologue, Concerning Hobbits. Oh, yay!"
Grey couldn't help but smile at the genuine excitement surrounding Bucky as he took a few grapes and settled back against her to read. And if she spent more time glancing over at him than reading her own book, well that was between her and the hobbits, wasn't it?