I decided to bring in Natasha aka Natalie Rushman. Yes, she doesn't come onto the scene until Ironman 2, but I think if an opening presented itself, Fury would insert her early.

This chapter is written from the limited perspective of Tony Stark. I recently rewashed Endgame and Spiderman Far from Home, and I miss him already.

Chapter 9: Tony and the Expo

*****The Expo*****

Tony put on his suit and dazzled the audience at the Expo. He always loved showing up and wowing others. This time, though, he felt an impatience that he hadn't felt before. The U.S. government had made it very clear that he had to share his Ironman technology with them, so he was working on a suit. However, he wasn't about to give it to anyone but Rhodey. He didn't trust the government all that much, but he did trust Rhodey. As soon as possible, he walked off stage and stepped out of the suit.

His attention the past few weeks hadn't been as focused as it should've been. Instead, he was consumed with thoughts of Willow and her incredible friends. Growing up as an only child, he hadn't realized how lonely his entire existence was. The life of the party, he was forever surrounding himself with people, but there was only Pepper for the longest time that he trusted. Then Happy. Now Rhodey. Being with Willow and her friends had taught him how small he'd allowed his world to become.

According to many exes, he'd never make a good father because he was too much a narcissist. At school, teachers and classmates criticized that he wasn't a team player. The list of his flaws had been long. One thing, however, many would never understand about him was that he had his mother's empathy. Too often it was ignored because his father's genius was what drove him most of the time.

Now, however, it was the empathy that was interfering with the science. Sure, he'd been tinkering with the kids—they inspired him. He'd been spending most of his time designing weapons and protective wear for them. New leather collars lined with thin metal would protect necks from vampire bites. Watching The Lord of the Rings two nights ago with them had inspired him to create a type of chain mail they could put over their clothes to protect them from demon claws.

"Tony," Pepper called. "Willow and Oz are waiting."

"I'm coming," he said, hoping things didn't get out of hand.

It was frustrating because he knew that Willow and Oz's entry would get extra attention not because of how good it was but because of their connection to him. He hoped they wouldn't realize it since it was a good invention—especially for a first one. The costs were low, and it was environmentally friends—both pluses in today's world.

He was so very proud of them. When they gave their presentation, he grinned like a proud father. Oz spoke entire sentences and answered at least half the questions. The kid was the most self-contained individual he had ever met. He could speak of music as eloquently as he could talk computer code. Although he had no drive or ambitious that Tony could see, Tony wanted him to have an amazing future.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Pepper asked him as they finished their presentation. Now the reporters were asking Oz and Willow questions.

"About the kids—Oz in particular," Tony said. "The kid is brilliant, but he's not like any kid or adult I've ever met. He has just two passions—music and Willow."

Pepper smiled. "Yes, he does love my daughter. They're so cute together," she said, glancing at them.

"I want Oz to intern with me after he graduates," Tony said.

"He's going to go to college with Willow," Pepper said.

"You know as well as I do that he really doesn't care that much about college or school in general," Tony said. "He only cares about things that spark his interest."

"So what do you think? Have him defer for a year and intern with you?" Pepper said.

"A werewolf in New York has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Tony asked with a grin. Tony had yet to witness Oz's wolf transformation, but a full moon was coming in the next few days. He was very much looking forward to witnessing it. He really wanted to see if his science department could figure out a cure for lycanthropy, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up. Was it offensive? Would it alienate the self-contained young man?

"Don't even think about it, Tony," Pepper said with a disapproving frown.

"Think about what?" he asked innocently even though he knew she had this uncanny ability to read his mind.

"You are not conducting experiments on, Oz," Pepper said.

"Of course not," Tony said. "But if he ever wants to look for a cure, I'd do what I can to help him out. That's just the kind of guy I am."

"Sure," Pepper said. Tony could tell she was trying not to smile. "Not to change the subject, but I couldn't help but notice that Buffy's two escorts are here today."

Tony shrugged. "What can I say? It's an event open to the public, and they're curious guys. They wanted to see what's new in the science field," he said.

"I bet," she said.

"I'm sure you noticed like I did that Buffy had a really good time last night," Tony said. "I don't think I've seen her smile so much since I've met her."

"That's true," Pepper said, nodding. "Willow said that she really liked both guys. Foggy made her laugh, but Matt she felt a connection with—although I think she was a bit uncomfortable with his blindness."

"Well, that's normal," Tony said. "I have a surprise for Buffy that I think she might like."

"What?" Pepper said.

Tony gestured with his chin. "I thought I'd get a female fighter to train her while she's here for the next few weeks," he said.

Pepper looked to see if anyone popped out at her. She saw an attractive woman walking toward them.

When she approached, Tony introduced, "This is Natalie Rushman—my new personal assistant and bodyguard."

"Seriously?" Pepper asked in surprise.

"Happy suggested with the kids and paparazzi that I have another person besides him since he's often driving," Tony said. "Miss Rushman, this is Pepper, my girlfriend and the one who normally runs my life."

"It's nice to meet you," Natalie said. She really was quite pretty—too bad he only had room in his life for one redhead. Then he glanced over at Willow still answering questions—make that two redheads.

"Pepper, now that I've made you CEO of my company, you're too busy to also keep my calendar," Tony said.

"JARVIS does that," Pepper said. "I just force you to leave your lab."

Tony grinned. "Now you don't have to," he said. "Happy put in an ad, and then Miss Rushman applied. She is an expert in a few forms of fighting and speaks Latin—Giles will approve."

"You care what Rupert thinks?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Buffy does—and yes, I sort of do," Tony admitted. "He's so British but yet his nickname as a young man was Ripper."

"I'm sorry," Pepper said to Natalie. "We're being rude."

"That's fine, ma'am," Natalie said.

"So Miss Rushman, as part of your duties, you will be teaching our kids basic self-defense. Will that be okay with you?" Tony asked. He needed someone to work with the kids more than he needed a bodyguard.

"Of course," Natalie said.

"One of the kids, Buffy," Tony said, pointing to her as she was in their line of sight chatting with Matt and Foggy not far from Willow and Oz's robot, "is a savant when it comes to fighting. She picks up any form she's taught almost effortlessly. Rupert Giles, her librarian back in Sunnydale, has been training her. However, women are different from men, so I thought a female trainer would be good for her."

"Yes, women do need to learn things that can help them take down bigger and stronger opponents," she said.

She had no way of knowing that Buffy had the strength of ten men, but Buffy was at a disadvantage height wise—even though it pissed her off if anyone pointed that fact out. "Now, Willow, Oz, Xander, and Cordelia have basically no training at all, but their hometown is a bit dangerous," Tony shared. "They've had some unfortunate run-ins with a local gang."

"Willow was put in the hospital—that's how my daughter and I connected," Pepper shared.

"A friend of theirs was murdered in front of them," Tony added.

"That's unfortunate," Natalie, looking sympathetic.

"So I think feeling like they can defend themselves will make them feel more confident when they go back home at the end of the summer," Tony said.

"All kids should feel safe," Natalie said.

"I think spending two hours working with Buffy and one hour with the others will be perfect," Tony told her." He could see that she was surprised. "Buffy never gets tired."

"That's true," Pepper agreed.

"You can start tomorrow," Tony said.

"Actually, Happy said there's a lot of people here, so I started today," she said.

"Well, I might as well take you to meet Buffy," Tony said.

"I'm going to go rescue Willow," Pepper said. "She's looking a bit overwhelmed."

"Okay," Tony said. He glanced at the woman next to him. She moved like Buffy—that's why he agreed with Happy's choice to hire her. Tony figured it meant she could fight. He'd find out soon enough because he'd have Buffy spar with her at first opportunity. That'd let him know if he was paying her enough.

"Buffy," Tony said, getting her attention. "Boys."

"Hello, sir," Foggy said. He eyed Natalie with interest. "Who's your very beautiful lady friend?"

Tony appreciated that Foggy used a lot of description so that his visually impaired friend would have a clue. "This is Natalie Rushman, my new bodyguard," he introduced with a knowing grin.

"But you're Ironman," Foggy said.

"Yes, I know, but I'm not always in my suit," Tony said. "Plus, Happy's having a nervous breakdown with all the attention the kids are garnering. Also, Miss Rushman is going to help to teach you guys self-defense."

"I don't need a teacher," Buffy said, frowning.

"There's always things you can learn," Tony said. "Besides, Giles is not a woman. I'm sure there's things a woman can teach you that a man wouldn't think of."

He could see Buffy looking his new bodyguard over carefully. He smirked, thinking that Buffy was probably wondering if she could take her in a fight.

"Did you know that Matt is taking self-defense?" Buffy said.

Tony looked at him with interest. "Really? I didn't know that," he said. "How exactly does that work? You can't see to know what the moves are. It was a good thing Pepper wasn't there to scold him for being insensitive.

"It's not easy, but I can feel," Matt said.

"So there's a lot of touching?" Tony asked with a grin. "Is your teacher hot?"

"My teacher is a man," Matt said dryly.

Buffy groaned. "Tony, that is so not cool," she said.

"Maybe sometime, Matt, you can come over and give Buffy a sparring partner," Tony said. When he saw Buffy's glare, he quickly added, "Or Xander and Oz. You can spar with them. They'll probably be no challenge for you, though, if you've had some training." Buffy breaking the blind man/potential love interest was probably not a good idea.

"Xander's really good at running away," Buffy said.

"That's my favorite move," Foggy said.

"It's a wise decision if you're outgunned," Natalie said.

Tony appreciated that she was taking his desire to teach the teens in stride. This was going to be fun. Maybe, if Buffy spent enough time with Matt, she'd want to go to college in New York with Willow. Of course, Willow hadn't decided that she would go to school in New York. But Harvard and Yale were within easy commuting distance. Columbia, too, was nothing to sneeze about. M. I. T., though, might be the best fit for Willow as she was now a budding inventor. Pepper would be so happy to have Willow within two hours. Heck, even Georgetown in D. C. was doable.

Distracted by his musings, he missed a few remarks. Finally, Buffy yelled, "Tony! Wake up!"

"What?" he asked, looking at her.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "He's perpetually in a fog. Giles is like that whenever he gets in his books," Buffy said. "Tony doesn't need books, though. His brain is already too full."

"What's so important?" Tony asked pointedly.

"I'm getting hungry, and the guys said there's a great pizza place close by," Buffy said.

"I can't leave yet, but you guys can," Tony said. "Happy's outside. Let him drive you."

"I'll go tell Cordy and Xander," Buffy said. "Do you think we should rescue Willow yet?"

"Probably not," Tony said. "The publicity and exposure is kind of the point of this whole thing."

Buffy nodded. "I'll be back guys," she said.

Natalie watched Buffy walk off and gave Tony a questioning look. "That girl is a fighting savant?" she asked.

Foggy looked interested. "Really? I didn't know that! She's a deadly Barbie Doll! I might be in love," he said with a happy sigh.

"You say that once a week," Matt said dryly.

"I hope we're not trying to start a love triangle, boys," Tony said. "Buffy's in mourning."

"Of course not, sir," Foggy said with a wink. "I was kidding—mostly. She is like a Barbie Doll, though."

"Don't let her appearance fool you," Tony said. "There's nothing delicate about Buffy. She's the most deadly woman I've ever met. She's been fighting for years. Not to mention, she's the least selfish teenager I've ever met, and her friends are pretty great. However, she's in a league of her own."

"Really?" Natalie said, clearly surprised.

Tony nodded. "Yes," he said. "Like you, she's not just a pretty face."

If they only knew….

******Chapter End******

As this chapter is way past due, I decided to stop here. I know this story is one of my more popular ones. I have started new chapters for my Stargate and Superman stories, so hopefully one or both will be updated by the weekend. Thanks for reading. Reviews are lovely. I hope the shortness of it wasn't too much of a letdown. Next chapter: Buffy and Nat spar.