AN: The next chapter is here. Many thanks to my Beta MegaDiary123, as well as to all the readers out there. I don't have anything to say about this chapter, so I'll just let you read it.

All rights go to Marvel

Skye's POV

After Natasha left me alone in the room, I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning my head even further into the pillow. I knew that I would eventually bump into her but this was not how I expected our reunion to go.

Trying to push those thoughts out of my mind I decided that I needed to do something to keep me from thinking about the disaster that just occurred. Switching on the laptop I started working on what Natasha had brought the computer for, erasing my tracks. It was quite trickier than the other times that I had done the same, keeping my identity in the shadows. One reason was that I could only use one hand, given that the shoulder on the other one was pretty beat up. The other reason would be the seer amount of pictures with me that existed on the internet only hours after the event. I was hoping that any pictures had yet to be printed out for the next day's newspapers and I was really glad that I had come to when I did. So getting to work, I started making my way through the dark web, coding as fast as I could, deleting everything I could find. The trickiest parts where the news stations that had the live broadcasting already up and running, so I would have to hack into the system of every news agency in the nearby area, as well as in America where Stark-related news were sure to make an appearance.

I finished quicker than I expected, or Stark and Pepper came in the hospital late. With no clock in the room I had lost track of time, especially since I had not stopped working on the computer. I could see Natasha looking at me from the door window but she made no move to stop me, or even come into the room for that matter.

So, when the duo of Stark Industries came in, I had completely no idea what time it was. Especially since I dozed off a little bit and woke up with silent whispers happening in the room.

I took a deep breath, releasing it heavily and making my awakening known for the people surrounding me. All whispers seized instantly and I heard someone walk across the room, standing on my right, before I felt a hand on my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes, finding that I was more tired than I thought I was. Probably I was more heavily injured than I first assessed and my system was trying to recover as quickly as possible. "Skye" I heard Pepper say with a small voice close to my ear, as if she didn't want to disturb me.

I turned my face to her direction and gave her a tired smile. "Hey" I said with my, once again, sore throat.

"Hey" she smiled back. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired" I saw Pepper's eyebrows furrow at that and so I added, "Don't worry. It must be the drugs" I lied swiftly. "I should be good to go back to the US today. You have stuff that you need to do at the Industries and I can't be the reason for you not being there". Emphasising my words, I sit up on the bed, resting by back on the wall behind me, trying really hard not to flinch from my still sore ribs. "See, I'm good" I told her with a genuine smile on my face.

"Oh, Skye. You don't have to worry about that, we will take a day off. The doctor said that he would give you the okay to leave from the hospital tomorrow. And we are not leaving before that" her hand squeezing my shoulder as she spoke.

"But I'm fine, call the doctor in. He can run any tests he wants to. I may not be feeling great but I can still rest on the plane on the way back" I told her, mimicking her business voice.

"Natalie?" I heard Stark's voice from the other side of the room.

"Right away Mr. Stark" Natasha said and left the room to get the doctor.

"You sure you are okay?" Stark asked as he came in closer. When I nodded my head the concern left his face and what came up was something similar to anger. But why in Hell would he be angry with me? But my question was answered soon as he opened his mouth before I got a chance to express my inner thoughts. "What the Hell were you thinking?" He asked, while his tone picked up a lot.

"Tony" Pepper warned.

"No. Let him speak" I cut Pepper off, giving Stark the chance to vent off.

He didn't lose a second. "What were you thinking, huh? Coming in there when a mad man was loose, with a clear agenda against me, and let me not mention the electric whips he had. I had to sit and watch helplessly as you beat each other up and as you somehow sent him flying towards me without even touching him? Wanna tell me what that was about? Huh? Do you have any idea how worried everyone was when you hit that wall and didn't get back up? You were helplessly laying inside a battlefield and the guy could easily turn against you and I didn't know if I would be fast enough to intervene. Do you have any idea how worried sick Pepper was?" He finished and pointed at the woman who was still standing by my side.

His angry face oh-so-present as he punched the wall with all his strength and let out, "Gosh Skye! I told you that I would not stand anything happening to you. I told you to be careful!", he exclaimed and I was sure that even people from outside the room would be able to hear him talking.

"You finished?" I asked after he remained quiet for a long time. He didn't answer and I took his silence as a yes. "What I was thing, Stark, was that I could not stand and watch a guy who clearly had the upper hand beat you up. What I was thinking, was that I could buy enough time for Pepper and Happy to bring you Mark V. That I had more chances of making it out of this fight alive than you had, had you gone against him without your suit. And I did.

"Am I beaten up? Sure. But am I alive? Definitely. Don't pretend that if something similar happened to someone you cared about…" my eyes moving to Pepper's direction without her knowing, but Stark got the memo "… that you would do nothing about it. So yeah, I think that I was thinking pretty clearly when I entered that racetrack"

I would say more, but a knock on the door prevented me from continuing.

"Come in" said Pepper, obviously glad for the interruption.

Natasha's face appeared through the door. "The doctor is here".

"Great, send him in" Pepper said, once again really glad for the doctor's arrival. As a guy with a white robe came in I knew that the conversation that I had with Stark was over for now. But it was far from over in general…

Pepper's POV

The hospital doctor was actually quite impressed with Skye's recovery and allowed her to travel that day, only if she would still be monitored for at least a week more by the Industries doctor's. So here we were, on the way back to Malibu.

Tony had disappeared for the last few hours, God knows where, and I was tired of sitting alone in the jet, so I went to check up on Skye. Happy had disappeared into the cockpit, giving Skye the whole of the back of the plane and some privacy. I knocked gently on the door that led to her seat and when I got no reply I, just as gently, opened it to see the girl sleeping on the seat.

I walked up to her, gently lowering the back of the seat, so that she was laying instead of sitting, and threw a blanket over her sleeping form. She seemed so innocent and at peace when she was asleep that it broke my heart a little bit. I didn't think that I had even seen her so relaxed even since I met her. I was sure that she wanted to stay awake for the journey back to the mansion, but it seemed that her system had shut down without her permission. I carefully tucked the blanket around her shoulders, making sure that she was warm while not touching her dislocated shoulder. I straightened my back, but I couldn't find the strength to leave. Bending down, I placed a small kiss at her forehead whispering for her to get well soon.

The calmness that I had when I went back to my seat was shattered in moments when I opened the TV and saw Senator Stern making a speech about the events on Monaco. Quite soon Tony came in and muted the television.

"He should be giving me a medal. That's the truth" he said as he sat down opposite to me and placed a tray with a fork and knife next to it.

"He should be giving Skye a medal" I replied, my eyes focusing on the tray, whose contents I could not see. "What is that?"

"This is your in-flight meal" he declared as he revealed a weird made omelette, looking at me in the eyes.

Wha– I thought and looked around, not sure where that came from. "Did you just make that?"

"Yeah" he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Where do you thing I've been for three hours" and he sat hack, looking out of the window.

"Tony" I said carefully, trying to draw his attention back at me. "What are you not telling me?" I had a feeling that he was hiding stuff from me for quite a while now. And with the whole speech to Skye and the omelette, he could not cook to save his life. So something was definitely off here. He did turn to look at me, with one of the most genuine expressions that I had ever seen him wear. These wide eyes looking straight at mine let me know that what came next would be the truth and only the truth.

"I don't wanna go home… at all" he said exacerbated. "Let's cancel my birthday party and… We're in Europe. Let's go to Venice, Cipriani. Remember?" How could I not? "It's a great place to… to… be healthy" he concluded.

"I don't think this is the right time" I answered back, shaking my head. My tone never rising about normal. "We're in kind of a mess. What about Skye? She needs to get back to the mansion and get better" I tried reasoning with him.

"Exactly" he said as if I just affirmed his words. "Maybe that's why it's the best time. I am thinking about Skye, she will have the time to relax, get away from the needs of the company".

"Well, I think as a CEO, I need to show up. And don't try to bring Skye into this. She will have a generous time-off when we go back, until she is ready to start working again. We both know she earned it". He made a move to open his mouth and for some reason I knew exactly what he was going to say, so I spoke before he managed to. "No… I cannot take a leave at a time like this, not now" this was Stark's way to get away from problems and how I, as his assistant, would end up cleaning after him.

"Well, I'm just saying, to recharge our batteries and figure it all out" he tried again.

I let out a sigh looking out of the window and at the setting sun. "Not everyone runs out of batteries Tony" and this was something that he didn't have an answer to.

Skye's POV

The moment we stepped into the mansion it was as if all Hell broke loose. The quite of the plane was instantly replaced with the sound of phones ringing all over the place, and TV screens displaying the news of several channels being open in the living room. Because of the time difference with Monaco, plus the hours spent on the flight we had basically lost almost a whole day and it seemed that a lot had happened in that day.

"Natalie, could you please take Skye to her room and make sure she doesn't overwork herself?" Pepper asked Natasha kindly.

It seemed that during some part of the flight or the events that occurred in Monaco, Natasha had become more of Pepper's assistant instead of Stark's. "Of course, Ms. Potts" the agent said with a forced smile, that only I could detect. "I will take your bag for you. Please, this way Ms. Skye" she said to me with the same tone, as she pointed up the stairs for me to go.

The second her form had passed my room door I closed the door and locked it. Natasha didn't even seemed phased by that, since it must have been something that she was expecting to happen.

I moved to my desk and opened the several computers that I was provided with for my work in the Industries. "Jar, we are not to be disturbed unless Pepper or Stark asks for either of us. Also, disable the recording equipment for this room. I shall switch it back on once we have finished here"

"Of course, Ms. Skye" came J.A.R.V.I.S.' immediate reply.

After making sure that everything was in order I moved to my bed and sat down. I made a gesture for Natasha to take the desk chair, since I figured that she would be more comfortable there, mostly because of the distance that this would create between us. When she didn't do as much as blink I let out a sigh. "We need to talk, right?"