Grey bopped in her seat, dancing slightly as she wrote another email, her office phone pinned between her ear and shoulder as she worked.
"What are you doing?" Pepper asked, sticking her head in Grey's office downtown. She looked up, surprised, and smiled. She waved Pepper in, gesturing at the chairs on the other side of the desk.
"I'm holding. We've got decent hold music, nice and jazzy," Grey said, still wiggling. She signed off the email and sent it with a whoosh. "I can't access a file, and I don't want to- yes, I'm still here. Okay. Okay. Wonderful, thank you so much, I appreciate you. Uh huh. Mmhbye bye."
"They put you on hold? You?" Pepper asked, dropping unceremoniously in the chair opposite Grey.
"I don't mind. As I said, the music was decent." Grey dropped the phone back on the cradle and opened something on her computer before turning her attention fully to Pepper. "And I didn't want to have to hack our own servers. What's up?"
"Got something for ya," Pepper said. "Fresh off the printers. A gift, for you."
Pepper handed over a manilla envelope with a smug look on her face. Grey tore into the envelope, squealing with joy as a comic book fell out into her hands. The Iron Family.
"Holy fuck I'm on the cover of a comic book?" Grey gasped, staring at the stylistic rendering of herself, standing next to Tony and Pepper, their suits in display cases behind them. Pepper's hair was a bit too strawberry for her shade of blonde, and Grey was portrayed as a five ten girl, eight inches taller than she really was, but her short hair looked incredible. She truly was Tony's daughter in the comics, looking just like a female version. Maybe she should go as hm for Halloween one year. "Pepper, forgive me."
Before Pepper could ask what required forgiveness, Grey was on her feet, jumping up and down in excitement, tears forming in her eyes as she squealed out her happiness. Pepper laughed at her. Grey finally collapsed on the couch against the wall of her office. It didn't stop her from wiggling and kicking her feet like an excited child.
"So, you're thrilled then," Pepper guessed, her own smile bright. Pepper herself had been excited, but it was nothing to the pure joy emanating from Grey.
"I'm a comic book character!" Grey tried not to shout. "Who wouldn't be thrilled?"
"They've given you a catch phrase," Pepper pointed out. Grey immediately opened it and started skimming through it.
"I don't like what you're doing," Grey read, caressing the speech bubble. She was in awe. Comic!Grey was glaring at Obadiah Stane in a flashback from before Tony was taken in Afghanistan. She had her finger in his face and was stood protectively in front of Pepper. "I'm one hundred percent stealing that."
"So, it's good?"
"It's amazing. I knew it was coming out, I wasn't expecting – HOLY SHIT they signed it!" Grey squealed again, this time hugging the comic book to her chest. If a few tears spilled out, Grey definitely wasn't going to talk about it. Pepper laughed; glad Grey was so happy.
"Knock knock," Tony said, wiping his hands on a rag. He's clearly just come up from one of the labs, his hands were covered in grease. "How are my two favorite ladies?"
"Grey's a comic book character," Pepper said, gesturing to a still too-excited-to-hold-still Grey, who excitedly held up the comic panel for him to see. It was of Tony, building the Mark Two in the lab, Grey eagerly by his side, handing him tools as he needed them. "She's very excited."
Tony watched fondly as Grey kept flipping through the comic, occasionally pausing to mouth the words her character was saying, or to caress someone in the pages.
"Good, glad to hear it. I'm taking the three of us out for dinner tonight to celebrate the end of an era, Jarvis booked us a table at Brera," Tony said with his usual dramatic flair. His eyes were crinkled at the corners, laugh lines determined to show the world that Tony Stark had joy in his life. Pepper felt herself go soft, like butter as she watched him watch Grey.
"End of an era?" Pepper questioned, turning fully in her seat, so she wasn't pulling her neck. She brought her knee up to her chest, resting her heel on the chair. Her shoes were in a pile on the ground.
"After the meeting yesterday, and the press conference today, Stark Industries is no longer a weapons contractor. We just have to finish up these contracts that we're already in, all ending in February of 2012 and we're free." Tony clapped his hands together, thrilled that they were starting to make real progress.
"Oh!" Grey said, bringing the attention back to her. "I've done some extra work on that today. Took it from Pepper's plate since it was more interesting than the Marvel Comics finance meeting, I had to be present for. Bambi and I did a few surveys on social media to see what people want to see from us. They're going to compile the results and forward them to our email."
"What do you want our next step to be?" Pepper asked, curious.
"We need to focus on green energy right now," Grey said. "Solar, wind, hydro, whatever the earth gives us that isn't harmful and we're good."
"And then moving forward?" Tony asked, always wanting to know more.
"Phones, tablets, watches, I'd like to have R put together something for gaming, VR if we can manage that," Grey said, tapping out her ideas on her fingers. "Then I can give you my forty-page rant on various social injustices that need addressed before the end of the world."
"Forty pages?" Pepper asked, astonished.
"It's just a rant, if you want the version that contains solutions it topped two hundred pages, and typically just suggests a guillotine." Grey shrugged.
"What's with you and guillotines?" Tony asked, leaning against the door once he closed it behind him. He saw the expression on Grey's face and almost regretted asking.
"Eat the rich, fuck the police, Black Lives Matter," Grey said flatly. Tony raised an eyebrow and debated asking, before realizing he didn't want to know. He was likely to live through whatever it was that constantly had Grey so pissed off, and he assumed that not knowing was better for his health.
"Yes dear," Tony said. "Is there anything that needs addressed immediately?"
"I need signatures," Pepper said, holding up another file. "You're in charge, so it has to be you."
"What's it for?" Grey asked while Tony went ahead and signed it.
"Permission to start the budgeting for a new office space in New York. We gotta declare our intentions now before they'll let us even look at lots. I was going to just bring it home, since I didn't know where Tony was." Pepper took the folder from Tony and passed it over to Grey, who gently closed her comic before scribbling her signature at the bottom.
"Leave it on my desk, I'll submit it first thing tomorrow if you want, Pep," Grey offered, moving so she was behind her desk again. "Dad, are you changing before we leave? Or am I to assume the reservation is later?"
"No, I should definitely change. We're going to go straight there," Tony said, looking down at his clothes. "Thirty minutes?"
"Cool, Grey can read her comic again while we wait," Pepper said, throwing Grey a smile. She was at her desk, rapidly typing out an email. Tony nodded and stepped back into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
"Actually, I'm emailing my writing teams, this is incredible, and I want them to all know how much I appreciate them," Grey said, typing quickly. "That's spelled wrong. Shit why can't I spell today?"
"What'd you spell wrong?"
"Put the wrong name down," Grey admitted, her cheeks flaming. "Still have the muscle memory for my old name, getting used to Margaret is tricky."
"After Tony gave me that ridiculous nickname, I started signing Pepper all the time, so I get it," Pepper said. The two girls laughed while they waited for Tony
Iron Man
Grey wiggled in her chair as she chased her bite of spaghetti with a breadstick, hiding her mouth behind her hand. Her eyes were smiling as she watched Pepper and Tony.
"This place is amazing," Pepper said, sipping from her red wine. Tony was drinking a ridiculous looking purple mocktail, while Grey had to stick with water, courtesy of someone actually checking her ID. "Why haven't we come here before?"
"Grey makes a better lasagna," Tony said truthfully, enjoying his carbonara. "And we eat Italian enough at the house anyway."
"You don't like eating out because of the reporters hanging outside the restaurant," Grey pointed out. Pepper laughed and Tony pouted. "Damn vultures."
"I don't see why they're bothering us." Pepper rolled her eyes and took another sip of her wine. "I also don't see why our stock dropped by six points this afternoon either, but whatever."
"You sound like me," Grey pointed out. "Alarmingly like me. Our stock dropped because they see our prosthetics line as spitting in the face of soldiers that are gonna get wounded without our weapons."
"What?" Tony demanded. Grey huffed. Honestly, whoever thought up that idea thought Grey was much more manipulative than she really was.
"Bambi sent me the article, it's all far right NRA types," Grey explained. "They think we're offering prosthetics and other medical advancements because we're saying no other weapons can compare to ours. It's all conspiracy based, there was another that said we were illuminati. Which is ridiculous, they don't exist in this universe."
"What?" Pepper and Tony demanded. Grey just looked at them, amusement in her eyes. Until she went very still and frowned. Tony and Pepper leaned forward, worried. They knew she was likely listening to Bambi, giving a report on something. Bambi was always popping up with new takes from social media, or new intel they happened to find laying around somewhere. But Grey's face was far too serious for the occasion.
"Grey? What's going on?"
"There's someone at the house," Grey said, looking up at Pepper and Tony. "We have to go. Bucky's there, alone."
Iron Man
Tony nearly put his foot through the floor, speeding down the highway. He hugged a curve too tight, and Grey shrieked in the backseat, where she was frantically trying to change her clothes. Grey did her best sit up and started on her top. Pepper was turned around in the front seat, holding things for Grey as she bitched under her breath about speeding cars and dumb spies.
"Are we rushing home to protect Barnes, or to protect whoever broke in from Barnes?" Tony asked, glancing at Grey through the rearview. She was changing out of her work clothes and into her typical red blazer and heels, this time wearing all black underneath. She was so glad Bucky had suggested to always keep a "Margaret" outfit on hand, just in case.
"It's Fury, he's actually there to talk to you," Grey said, gracelessly falling to the side again as she leaned down to adjust the strap around her ankle. The car swayed around her, causing her to tilt dangerously to one side. "Shit, are my contacts here?"
"I've got the new set," Tony said, leaning a bit to reach into his pocket. Someone in the other lane hit their horn. Grey reached up on reflex to flip them off. Tony handed the contacts case to Pepper, who held it out for Grey. She popped them in with the air of someone who had too much practice putting contacts in. She blinked rapidly to get them centered, wincing slightly as her vision went blurry. "Bambi can now control them, please don't ask why their code was so much harder to tie in, I don't know."
"Good, that means that Fury won't have the chance to notice my hand moving. I want you two to stay in the garage," Grey said as they pulled off the highway. "He won't do anything, but I don't want him to think that he can."
"Playing mind games again?" Pepper teased. Grey dimpled at her, batting her eyelashes innocently. "You truly scare me sometimes."
"As I should," Grey boasted, puffing herself up. "I've got a spy master to fuck with. Drop me at the front, will ya?"
Tony obligingly came to a stop at the front door, letting Grey out before peeling off, heading for the garage. Grey walked in the front door. Everything was dark, an alarm was going off, and when Jarvis tried to greet her, his voice failed.
"I am Iron Man," Nick Fury said, his back to Grey as he stared out the living room windows. "You really think you're the only superhero in the world? Mister Stark, you've become part of a much bigger universe. You just don't know it yet."
"Actually, I'm Iron Peacemaker, dad's Iron Man, but that's who you were waiting for, right? Your fancy little SHIELD satellite told you that his car went straight from the office to the restaurant, so you thought that the house was empty. Jokes on you, I've got the best security in the world." Nick turned around to see Grey standing there brazenly, her eyes glowing orange. "Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD, nice to finally meet you in person. I never got to see how this would go."
"You're his daughter," Nick said, as if it wasn't obvious. He tried to not show his fear, but with the way her eyes were glowing, Fury could feel it in his bones. She was something else, something Nick hadn't seen since Carol. She would need watching, but not until he got Tony Stark out of his world.
"And his protector," Grey said warmly. The smile on her face was a sharp contrast to the malice in her eyes. "Is this visit a threat, Nick?"
"No."
"Then why are you here?" Grey asked, sitting on the barstool at the end of the counter, crossing her legs. "You weren't invited for dinner."
"Stark is making waves in a world he doesn't belong. Do the right thing and keep him out of it."
Grey almost laughed. Fury was so prejudiced against her father he couldn't even see it. No wonder Natasha's character profile was so flawed.
"A warning then," Grey said, nodding her head. "Stay away, you're not welcome here, is that right? Or do you want him on your team? We're not team players here, Nick. We don't trust people outside of the family."
"You say that like I trust you," Nick said, finally getting his feet back under him after being surprised. Grey grinned, showing too many teeth.
"You will. One day, you'll turn to me for answers, and I hope when that day comes, you'll remember this. And I have something for you. A warning, if you'd like it."
"What could you warn me about?"
"There's a fox in the henhouse, Nick, and the damage is already done, there's nothing you can do." Grey said solemnly. "It'll be time for a different approach when that time comes."
"You sound like a fortune cookie."
"Good, I've been practicing," Grey said, her smile turning into something more genuine. She had found enjoyment in giving cryptic clues. She couldn't do all the work for them; they wouldn't be her favorite characters if they couldn't figure it out on their own. It was just a little nudge in the right direction.
"You think this little act will scare me?" Fury asked. He didn't show it, but Grey could tell he was afraid. Maybe not for his safety, but his paranoia was perking up in the face of Grey's knowledge.
"I don't think a lot scares you. I think you've been in the intelligence world so long you're used to people acting like me, using tiny pieces of information they've gleaned to get more." Grey inspected her nails and made a tsk sound. "What you're not used to is the fact that I'm not after anything."
"Everyone's after something." Grey shrugged, unconcerned with the generic everyone. "And eventually, everyone makes a mistake."
"This everyone you speak of, you are aware it includes you?" Grey asked. "Or are you too special?"
"I've made mistakes," Nick said. "Lost an eye to one."
"Goose was a mistake, was he? Cutest flerkin I've never met, but I wouldn't call him a mistake." Nick had his gun trained on Grey in the span of a blink. Grey stared at the barrel of his gun, unconcerned. Her smile grew wider as her eyes flicked from his gun to behind him. The barrel of a gun was pressing into the back of Fury's head. A masked man stood, wearing a tactical suit in navy blue with hints of gold around it. Fury did the smart thing and held his hands up. The man behind him took the gun from him. "You'll learn, eventually, that you and I are on the same side, Fury. But until you're willing to learn that, you're dismissed.
"We've let you threaten our daughter long enough, Fury," Tony said as Iron Man and Rescue stomped out of the elevator. Rescue had her targeting system on Fury, ready to shoot him if he twitched. The power came back on with a rush of light and air. Nick flinched. "I think it's time you left."
"Bye Nick. Say hi to Alex for me, will you?" Grey said, waving. As Nick glanced back at them at the door, she blew him a kiss. She wondered if he would recognize her as Tala. She doubted it.
"Think he'll try again?" Bucky asked, holstering his gun. He pulled the mask off his face and grinned, tossing it to Grey, who put it on the counter. He emptied Fury's gun and disassembled it, checking for listening devices or trackers. They weren't expected, or found, but they weren't going to take any chances when it came to the spymaster.
"Of course, he will, now he's curious. He's gonna step up his game, we should expect him to try and plant people in Stark Industries." Grey stood up as Pepper stepped out of her suit. Jarvis directed Rescue back to the elevator, where the Iron Man suit was already waiting. "Dad, reach out to Sharon, see if she can keep an eye out. I only know of one, and I won't have him using that against us."
"Jarvis can keep an eye on our applicants for us," Tony said. "Make sure there aren't any surprises."
"I hate surprises," Grey grouched. She already pulled her heels off and tossed them down the hall. They landed with a thump. "And spies. Jarvis, Bambi, do a full sweep for anything he might have left behind."
"Barnes, you good?" Tony asked, heading into the kitchen to start a pot of decaf coffee for the house.
"For a master spy, he has terrible awareness," Bucky said, setting out everyone's preferred coffee mugs. Pepper was already pulling out the coffee creamer. Grey just put her head down on the counter. "Stop worrying."
"I'm just tired," Grey complained. "Need a vacation."
"Definitely not until after Christmas," Pepper said, gesturing to the calendar on the wall. They were eight days into November, and still had twenty more things marked down between then and Thanksgiving. "Maybe we can fly out early tomorrow and do a museum in DC?"
"We're going to DC?" Grey asked.
"Veteran's day gala," Tony said, pointing to it on the calendar. "We host one every year."
"Not in LA?"
"No, it's always in DC so politicians can show up and pretend they care," Tony explained. It was one of the few times a year Tony was on his best behavior. "Happy's been so busy with security because of it. The Obama's and Biden's are coming this year."
"Interesting," Grey mused, propping her chin on her fist. "Bambi, email me the guest list. This could be fun."
"Tony, she's scheming again," Pepper teased. Grey couldn't help but laugh.
"As long as she doesn't commit treason, we should be fine," Tony rationalized.
"I think harboring me counts as treason," Bucky pointed out, freezing the mood before Pepper broke it by cracking up. "I did most likely kill JFK."
Line Break
Tony and Pepper stared in shock and horror as Grey nearly barreled out of her suit to shoot the Hydra agent in the room. She shot him directly in the head at point blank range, a snarl on her face, before she spun to face Bucky, who was staring down at her blankly. She holstered her gun and reached up to cup his cheek. The Winter Soldier stood there, waiting for orders where her boyfriend had been standing.
"Are you waiting for orders?" Grey asked quietly, searching his face for any sign he was still Bucky. She had a sudden appreciation for how Steve had to have felt when he first realized who the asset was. Her heart felt like it was breaking in half.
"Ready to comply," he said monotonously. Grey swallowed down a sob.
"Stay here and watch over Iron Man as he tries to pull other locations for us off the drive. Rescue, scan for additional life forms."
"Two in the basement, six in the building next door," Pepper said, reading the scan on her HUD. "Flip you for it?"
"Heads I take two, tails you?" Grey offered. "Bambi, flip it."
"It's heads," Bambi said through their comms.
"See you back at command," Pepper said, repulsors whining as she took off. Grey stepped back in her suit and stomped off toward the stairs. Tony kept working, trying to get through their rudimentary, but effective firewall. If he could access their GPS, he might be able to find other bases.
"You doing okay back there, buddy?" Tony called, glancing over his shoulder at Barnes. The blank look made him feel sick to his stomach, but he knew it was nothing to whatever Bucky himself was feeling. "We're working on it, I promise, I just don't have the technology yet. And yet, we still don't know why we keep running into Hydra – we aren't fighting them!"
"They're being sent," Grey said as she returned, dragging two unconscious men behind her. "This one squealed like a pig, and he spoke English!"
"Who is sending them?"
"That guy showed up two months ago, said he was ordered to wait here until his target appeared," Grey explained, dropping the men, and brushing her hands together. "Bucky, Sugar, would you be a dear and secure these men out front for the Air Force? Thank you!"
They watched him scoop up the two men and carry them outside, hopefully to secure them to something so they Air Force could take them to trial. Tony flipped up his HUD as he faced Grey, "Hydra is sending obstacles out blindly to try and get to us."
"They don't know exactly where we'll be, but they know we're going after our own weapons. They figure if they send people out, someone might get lucky." Grey rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Isn't that just rude," Tony said.
"Hydra won't stop until they get Bucky back," Grey bitched, her eyes storm clouds as she physically resisted the urge to pace. "And I won't stop until every last head is dead. So, I probably shouldn't have killed him, I should've brought him in for questioning. I really have to do something about this anger."
"There will likely be another one," Tony said, aiming for encouraging. "What do we do about him?"
"I'll send my suit ahead and ride in the Humvee with him, I guess," Grey said.
"I'll do it, Jim's leading the ground troops, so I'll stay and give my report, we'll ride back with them and hopefully by the time we get to the airfield he's normal ish again." Tony stepped out of his suit, and engaged the auto pilot, sending the suit back to the Stark Jet.
"Anything of note on their very few computers?"
"Four more potential locations, I'll send them along to Tom and Miss Penguin, other than that, we're good."
"They've been secured," the Winter Soldier said as he came back into the room.
"Perfect, thanks sugar. Listen, you're going to stay with Tony, protect him, I'll see you at the jet, is that okay?"
"Follow him, understood," the soldier said. Grey just swallowed around the rage.
"I'll see you soon, love." Grey snapped her HUD down and took off. "Hopefully."
Grey landed next to Pepper with a whine-thump combo, before stepping out of her suit and sliding her red tinted sunglasses on her face.
"Is he?"
"Still in robocop mode? Yeah," Grey said, rolling her eyes. "We either need a way to deafen him to those specific words, or we can't take him on these missions."
"Do you have any ideas for removing the triggers?" They glanced east as they heard the call for the ground team to move out, waiting for the jets to come in and blow the base to hell.
"I've pitched the idea of the binarily augmented retro framing, but even with all my description of what it does, Dad can't figure out how it works," Grey complained. She tried not to rage at the injustice of having to wait another six years or so before she was able to help Bucky get out from Hydra's brainwashing. "Because of that, it's low on our list of priorities. Well behind those solar cells and designing the wave generators for New York."
Grey tilted her head back to watch a formation of jets fly overhead, aiming west. There was a pause, then a catastrophic explosion several miles over. Pepper and Grey covered their eyes as a cloud of dust rushed toward them, blowing Grey's hair everywhere. Three Humvees stopped behind the girls and opened their doors. Tony and Bucky were in the middle one and made an immediate beeline for the women.
"Peacemaker, this is homebase, you are free to go – thank you for the help today," General Morrow said through comms, back on base where he was watching satellite footage.
"Copy that homebase, we appreciate the support!" Grey could hear the channel close and turned to shake hands with the various service members that helped them clear the base. "Are we heading straight for the jet?"
"We're needed in DC tomorrow morning, so we don't have much of a choice," Jim said. "And we can't be late or it's my ass."
"We won't be late, we're heading out from here directly," Tony assured. He gestured at Barnes, and Grey nodded.
"Hey Sugar, Tony and Jim are going to take you to the jet, okay? Pepper and I are gonna fly in our suits," Grey said, looking up at Bucky. She swore there was a bit of recognition in his eyes, but it was stuck behind the asset.
"See you soon," Pepper said, stepping into her suit with a bounce and a mischievous smile. She took off, spinning like a top until she reached altitude.
"I love that woman," Tony said fondly.
"Then propose! She loves you, too. And I think she'd be a great stepmom," Grey said, nudging her dad with her shoulder. Tony turned to look at her.
"Is she? Would you tell me if…"
"She's the one dad," Grey said, smiling softly. "I promise. She loves you so much. You know me, I'd tell you if you were making a mistake. I love telling people they're wrong."
"You do love that," Tony said, cracking a smile.
"Make sure he's safe, okay?" Grey asked, giving Bucky one last sad glance before she climbed back in her suit, snapping her HUD down and taking off.
"Come on, Pinocchio, let's see if we can make you a real boy before we land in DC," Tony said, gesturing to the Humvee. "I'm not looking forward to this meeting."
"Neither are they," Jim said, clapping Tony on the shoulder. "We're about to lose our most reliable weapons source."
"My father is rolling in his grave I'm sure," Tony said dryly.
Line Break
"Base them off of what performing artists wear," Grey was saying, leaning over Tony's shoulder while he worked. Pepper was sitting opposite him, reading through emails or some articles on her phone. "Because they can't hear what's happening around them, but still have access to the metronome and specific cues. If we can link that to our closed comms, he can still go out in the field, if he wants to after this."
Bucky took stock. He'd been in Afghanistan, helping the family clear a bunker. One of three they'd hit that day, clearing out the terrorists, passing them over to the Air Force for whatever fate awaited them. The first two bases had been smooth sailing, quick in and out missions that left them with no intel, but also no losses. The third had a Hydra sleeper.
The Hydra goon had rattled off the words so fast, Grey hadn't had time to get out of her suit before it was too late. Bucky was pushed back, behind the blank slate of the asset. It wasn't as bad, as it had been in the beginning, thank God for small mercies. He was still aware, and while he had no control, he could tell who was a threat and who was family.
"Are you waiting for orders?" Grey had asked, scared of the answer. In his mind, Bucky was screaming, raging that she had to see him like this.
"Ready to comply," the asset said, falling into old habits as easily as breathing. Even Bucky braced for Grey to give him some off the wall order. Instead, she had him stand there, protect Tony from the zero threats around him. She was keeping him safe until he was himself again.
"We're working on it," Tony had said.
"No, I don't think he'd be comfortable with it that big," Grey said, adjusting something on the tablet they were working on.
"I don't think he'll like not being able to hear anything around him either," Tony said roughly. "If he's getting no outside sound, how do you think that's going to screw with his assassin skills?"
"Assassin skills?" Grey asked, trying not to laugh. "You need a better vocabulary."
"Are we even sure he's going to want to go back into the field, after this?" Tony asked, thoughtfully.
"I'll follow this family anywhere," Bucky said. "Hydra or not, triggers or not, whether you'll let me, or not, I will stand with you."
"Very dramatic speech there, Frozone, but I can and will ground you if this happens again," Tony said bluntly. "This time Grey was able to act fast enough. Next time we might not be so lucky. Something needs to be done for our protection."
Tony hated saying it, something that no longer surprised him. Barnes, despite all he'd done, had wormed his way into the Iron Family's hearts. He was part of the family, so thinking they needed protection from him hurt.
"I know," Bucky said. "Whatever it is, I'll do it. Even if it means me going deaf completely. I won't be used against my family."
"We won't let you be," Pepper said, reaching across the table to put her hand on Bucky's arm. He no longer flinched at unexpected contact, no longer shied away from physical touch. "You're our family too. Family looks out for each other."
"Might take a few days in the lab working out some kinks, but we've got a few ideas for you," Tony promised. "And if Grey keeps taking out Hydra guys like that, we might even be able to stop them!"
"Any excuse to get rid of a Nazi is a good one," Grey said, smiling. She didn't have to tell her family that every time she killed someone, she spent hours throwing up afterwards. They knew. Someone would usually sit with her in the bathroom. They still allowed her the pretense of acting like it didn't phase her. Grey would never let the public see her break. She looked at her family and felt like her heart was going to burst, it was so full. She'd do anything for them, no matter what.
Line Break
"Margaret, let me introduce you to someone," Vice President Joe Biden said, waving her over. Grey flashed him her best smile and walked over, ready to shake the hand of which ever politician had the pull to be introduced by the vice president. "Margaret, this is Gideon Malick, an advisor for the white house."
"It's wonderful to meet you, Gideon," Grey said, her eyes bright as she shook his hand. "I was actually just looking over the contracts between Stark Industries and your Gothite Industries."
"Thank you for the introduction, Joe, this young lady is very difficult to meet," Gideon said. He was the consummate businessman, who flipped Grey's hand from a typical shake to press a kiss to the air above the back of her hand. Grey's eyes flashed in victory, not that anyone saw it. "And such a lovely young lady you are, Miss Stark."
"I wasn't going to ask, but I just can't help myself, I heard you spent some time on the World Security Council, is that true?" Grey pretended to fawn over him, leaning close enough that he would be able to smell her perfume. He flagged down a passing server, taking two glasses of champagne and handing one to her.
"Now how would you have been in a position to know about the security council?" Gideon asked. Grey laughed, making sure to flash him a bright and cheerful smile.
"Oh, I'm a very interesting person, Gideon, I pick up all kinds of things," Grey said. Gideon smiled at her, and Grey was quick to take a smooth sip of her champagne. Gideon mimicked her. "You wouldn't believe the things Obadiah Stane left lying around for me to read through."
Gideon smiled again, and Grey took another sip. He mimicked her, keeping strong eye contact.
"Anything interesting?"
"Nothing the FBI didn't grab first. He did leave a copy of some ratty old book at my house, what was it… Paradise Lost. I never cared for seventeenth century poetry though, so we donated it to the local library." Gideon was very skilled and didn't tense, although his eyes went cold. "Although I know better, the feds didn't find everything. Not by a long shot."
"Oh?" Gideon knew it was a trap but stepped anyway. He didn't think Grey posed a threat to him, and he was right, she didn't. Not yet.
"Stane had ties to Hydra," Grey said plainly, hiding her mouth behind her glass, just in case someone was spying. Gideon, who had subconsciously mimicked the movement, nearly sloshed his drink on his hand as he jerked in surprise. Grey caught the motion, and her eyes nearly glowed with victory. "It's only a matter of time before we're able to prove that they're still out there. And who better to take out Hydra than Iron Man and his family?"
"Hydra was destroyed by the SSR after the war," Gideon pointed out. Grey rolled her eyes, for one moment looking exactly like every other teenager talking to someone older than her. Gideon could tell by the line of her shoulders that she was more than she let on. He decided then and there to stay very far away from the Stark family. It would be the smartest decision of his life.
"Project Paperclip," Grey said, waving her hand. "The SSR, now at this point called SHIELD, recruited a bunch of hydra scientists, just like the American government recruited nazi scientists. Hydra has definitely reformed, they're just waiting. It's okay though."
"How could the return of Hydra be considered okay?" Gideon asked, his curiosity beating back any self-preservation instincts. Grey had that effect on people, it seemed.
"They're going to be so fractured that they'll self-implode after a year or two of being a mild menace. They've been hiding so long even their own loyal men aren't so true to the cause. Not the original cause anyway."
"Original cause? You mean the Red Skull?" Gideon couldn't tell if she was pulling his leg or not. He also wasn't she what she knew.
"Oh heavens, no. Schmidt was just one part of Hydra. Hydra is much older than him and his tesseract. Hydra was started back in the ancient days, worshipping, and sacrificing people to a being so powerful it could destroy the world if it wanted to." Grey took a sip of her drink and watched Gideon. He had a touch of sweat at his temple, and if he gripped his glass any tighter, it would shatter. His mouth had fallen slack, even if he had the decorum to keep it closed. "Alveus he was called. He was captured, and forced through a portal onto an alien planet, they called it Maveth."
"And how did you come by this story?" Gideon asked, a last ditch effort to hide just how shaken he was.
"Oh, you and I both know it's not a story. Well, you don't know, but Nathaniel does," Grey said, setting her full glass of champagne on the table next to them. "I would thank you for the drink, Gideon, but I'm still nineteen. Have a good evening."
Gideon stood there, his champagne glass empty in his hand, as Grey walked away, pausing, and greeting people as she did. He set his glass down next to hers and walked off, hiding his shaking hand under his jacket.
"What'd you say to him?" Tony asked, taking his daughter's hand, and guiding her to the dance floor. He started the steps to a waltz, and Grey was quick to follow his lead. "I've known Gideon for years; his father was friends with Howard."
"Freddie Malick, you know he used to be a bootlegger," Grey said, letting Tony spin her around. "No, I just asked him about Nathaniel."
"Nathaniel?"
"His brother. That he sacrificed for Hydra," Grey said, a smile out of place for their conversation. Tony stared at her in surprise, trying to compile the Gideon he knew with the truth that Grey was telling him. "Died the same year as Freddie. Sacrificed, technically. Hydra bullshit."
"I didn't know he had a brother," Tony said finally. Grey just gave him an all-knowing smile as they danced. "Is he the only person you plan on threatening?"
"Tonight, yes," Grey said. "But tomorrow is another day, and another mission report will land on my desk, and I'm sure I'll make someone pay for it."
"You're the one that wanted to go through the reports yourself," Tony pointed out. Grey rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know, you're often the only person who knows what exactly to look for in these places. I know, but Grey, this is unsustainable."
"I'm fine, dad," Grey said, shaking her head.
"No, you're not. You're my kid. You're exhausted, you're fried, and you can't think more than two sentences ahead at a time, can you?" Grey looked at her dad but didn't say anything. "You're juggling too much. Bucky and Jarvis have both told on you. What's going on?"
"The expo is the next thing I know about. I don't know what will happen until then. I have no knowledge. It's too dangerous!" Grey tilted her head a bit, a subtle signal that there were personal things bothering her as well. She wasn't going to bring those up in public.
"We do know what happens until then," Tony said. The song changed, and Tony shifted his hands to lead Grey in the next dance. She did her best to follow in his steps without looking at her feet. It didn't quite work for her, unfamiliar with the foxtrot. "We work with the birds, keep doing what we're doing. There's going to be another press conference in December about the new C-Levels and the company policy overhaul you forced through. Pepper is going to New York to find lots and start on contractor bids. She said she was going to take Barnes with her."
"Because he needs to get out of the house more than we do, and Lilian said it would be good for him to visit Brooklyn on his own terms, rather than being forcibly relocated to New York because the rest of us are moving."
"That's flimsy, even for a therapist," Tony said. Grey giggled, unable to help herself. She got twirled around in a circle, her skirt flaring out at her knees.
"I think she wants him to spend time away from me," Grey suggested. "Think about it. I rescued him from Hydra, and we immediately fell into a relationship. He's adjusting well, but he's not well adjusted, not yet."
"You're worried he's with you because he thinks he has to be, in exchange for his continued freedom," Tony summed up. Grey didn't respond, but Tony could see it in her eyes. "That man is so in love with you. You might not see it, cause you couldn't read a social cue if it danced naked in front of you, but the rest of us do. Happy even gave the man the shovel talk."
"Happy threatened Barnes?" Grey asked, torn between amusement at the thought of Happy Hogan threatening the Winter Soldier, and horror that someone had threatened her boyfriend into treating her right. "I'd have put money on Pepper. She's the scary one."
"Jim said he was going to do it, until he realized that he outranked him," Tony continued. "Didn't want to trigger anything."
"So, the day we introduce Jim to Steve, we need to have Bambi and Jarvis recording, because Steve will have to salute him," Grey said. Tony's mouth fell open in surprise, before he started smiling broadly.
"My Rhodey-bear would love that," Tony said. "You're nervous about the Avengers."
"People have layers," Grey started. "And these characters are so beautifully written, but there are too many interpretations. There're too many variables. Personally, I'm hoping we get punk!Steve, who is willing to lie to government officials in order to do the right thing. But if we get self-righteous!Steve, I'm liable to murder him off the bat."
"And if he's a real person, with real thoughts and emotions?" Tony asked, and Grey's steps faltered. He covered her distraction by spinning her, then pulling her back in. "Have you thought of that?"
"No," Grey admitted. "Because he's not a real person, not yet. He has to remain a character or I'm going to have to find him in the ice. Because it's a terribly inhumane thing, to be frozen in cryostasis with no knowledge or awareness."
"So, what, you pretend they don't exist?"
"I have to. Or I'd go dismantle the red room with my bare hands. And then I'd go after Hydra and destroy them. And then Malick. And then AIM, then Roxxon, Darren Cross and John Garrett, and then there will be no bad guys on earth, except me." Grey smiled, but it wasn't happy. Her eyes were dead, almost lifeless. "I have to give them the chance to do the bad thing, before I stop them. Else it's just murder. Besides, too many of the bad guys we face are just misguided. Hydra especially is top tier at getting people to do things they wouldn't."
"You can't be God, Grey," Tony said somberly.
"God is dead," Grey laughed without humor. "I'm just playing in his sandbox. This definitely wasn't what I had planned for my life."
Line Break
"Is she okay?" Pepper asked Bucky as he came into the living room.
"She is just tired. Physically and emotionally, she's been going full throttle for months, and everything else she's gone through? Just let her rest," Bucky said, settling down on the couch. Pepper poured him a glass of wine and unpaused the show they were watching, some British baking show that Grey liked. "She finally gave up on the report from that bunker."
"That was just weird," Pepper said, shaking her head. "There were Stark Industries cases and shipping manifests, but the whole place had been scrubbed for prints. There were no actual weapons there, their servers had been wiped."
"That's not a Hydra tactic," Bucky said, relaxing and taking a sip of the wine. It wasn't his favorite thing, but Tony had thrown out all the liquor, and Bucky didn't want to bring it into the house. "Hydra wouldn't wipe it like that. The red room doesn't have other bases. They have safe houses, but that wasn't it."
"It's ominous, sure, but why obsess over it?" Pepper asked. "This could be a one off, one-time weird ass thing that we never experience again."
"Or it could be start of something terrifying." Trust Bucky to darken the mood.
"Grey would know if it was something like that," Pepper said firmly. She had no doubt. "I've got money on the bunker being Stane's personal drop spot for weapons sales. His office was always spotless, and he was left-handed, and the pens were on the left side of the desk."
"Ten percent of the population is left-handed. Grey and I are both ambidextrous. I think Tony is too," Bucky pointed out.
"Quit popping my theories," Pepper laughed, swatting at Bucky's shoulder playfully. "This was just a terribly weird thing that will never be explained – likely because it was something Stane did."
"From all accounts about the man, I'm glad he's gone," Bucky said. He reached over and stole a pretzel from the bag on the coffee table. "I want to go with you, on the next mission."
"Are you sure?" Pepper asked, surprised. "After the last one we didn't think you'd want to come out so soon."
"You fliers can't get close to the base without getting blown out of the sky," Bucky said. "I saw the report. It's in a mountain, they have anti-aircraft Jericho missiles and who knows what else. You need the five of you in the air drawing the fire, while someone slips in and disables everything. Then you can storm the castle."
"We need you leading our operations," Tony said, startling Pepper. "Between you and Jim, you'll see everything that we need before going in. Will you consider it?"
"You want me to lead?" Bucky asked, surprised. "Me?"
"You know what to look for, you see angles we don't, and it doesn't hurt that you've got insider knowledge of how these types tend to operate. And you want to keep Grey safe," Tony continued. "If you want to lead the ground troops, spot's yours."
Bucky looked at Tony with something akin to wonder and smiled, "I'd be honored."
Line Break
Sam watched Grey switch off her boot thrusters and fall two hundred feet to avoid a missile, whooping as she caught herself, rolling to fly inches above the bottom of the canyon they were flying in. He shook his head, coasting well above everyone else, calling out patterns to their shooting. There weren't any patterns showing that this group was either highly skilled or poorly trained.
Just as suddenly as it began, the firing stopped. No more smoke trails, no flashbangs, no missiles. The silence was louder than the bombs.
"He's unlocked the gate, let's get to work," Jim barked through comms. He was overseeing the mission from the Air Force base, several miles from the canyon. Everyone knew he would join them soon enough.
"Bridge is down," Bucky said through his comms. Grey was the first to dive down to ground level, pulling up just seconds before impact, causing her father to roll his eyes. "Come and get'em."
Bucky turned around, seeing the Hydra plant they expected, still lying on the table where he'd left him. It had been very satisfying for the ex-assassin to knock out one of the men responsible for putting him in the chair. Bucky smiled to himself and set up the beacon that would let the Air Force know where to hit, after they cleared everything out.
"Who doesn't have computers?" Tony bitched as he stomped into the main room. There wasn't so much as a tablet for him to hack, while the others spread out and started taking prisoners. "I mean seriously, what's the point of me being here if there's no tech?"
Sam chose that moment to kick a terrorist through a door. Tony spun and blasted him into a wall, knocking him unconscious. Sam grinned at him.
"That's the point of you being here, Stark," Sam teased. "Peacemaker, this is Falcon, I've got two more life signs downstairs, you copy?"
There was an explosion, and dust fell from the ceiling. The bottle on the table fell to the ground, shattering. Bucky grinned at the ceiling, proud of how far Grey had come since he started her training. Tony looked up, concern crinkling his eyes behind his HUD as he worried for his daughter's safety.
"I copy. They're down," Grey said, too bright for the situation. She always seemed to have fun on their missions, no matter how dark they ended up. She'd once said it was the adrenaline that brought dopamine that made her so cheerful. She usually crashed on the way home from them, curling up in a corner of the Stark jet and dozing off, twisted up like a pretzel.
"One woman army, that one," Riley said, his wings folding behind him as he came in from outside, the last one in the building. "I watched her take out three at the same time last month. She scares me more than her boyfriend."
"You sure about that, birdbrain?" Bucky asked, alarmingly close to Riley. Riley shrieked and jumped, his hand on his gun before he realized what was happening. Bucky had a sly smile on his face, still half hidden in a shadow. Sam watched in amusement as Bucky teased his boyfriend.
"You're one rude-ass popsicle, muneco de nieve," Riley said, sizing him up.
"It brings me joy," Bucky said, deadpan. He turned, as he heard Grey's giggle before Peacemaker stomped back up the stairs into the main room. "All clear?"
"All clear, control, this is Peacemaker, advance is green light," Grey said, briefly opening their comms.
"Copy that Peacemaker, advance is go, see you soon," Jim said. Grey was sure the base was a flurry of activity as they got permission to storm the base, knowing it was all clear.
"It's gonna get crowded, let's hit the skies," Riley said, already adjusting his flight goggles. "See you at debrief, snowman."
Bucky just rolled his eyes as Riley ran back out of the building and took to the skies, the wing suit acting as a jet pack to get him airborne from the ground. He could hear the matching engine of Sam's suit and nodded at Grey, letting her know they were both clear.
"There was a Hydra agent here too," Bucky said quietly. "I've got him marked so Jim will know."
"Classified interrogation, just Jim and Tom," Grey agreed. "I'm not risking them coming out a few years early just because of you."
"Do you think they would?" Tony worried.
"No," Bucky and Grey said at the same time. Neither needed any time to think about it, which should have reassured Tony, but the mere fact that Hydra was still around grated. Grey continued, "they wouldn't risk it for one asset. Not with Project Insight coming so soon. But if we accidentally expose them?"
Bucky flinched at the word asset but was quick to wave away any concern from Grey and Tony.
"Got it," Tony said, understanding. They wouldn't come out, but if they were kicked out? Different story. "Great, we get to actively hide a terrorist organization. Yay us."
"Sucks, don't it?" Grey asked, stomping outside. Rescue was already there, securing two unconscious men to the building. "Try not to think about it, it helps."
"What are we not thinking about?" Pepper asked, glancing over.
"Plot holes," Grey whined. She rolled her eyes and snapped down her HUD. She powered up her thrusters and took off, flying up and out of the canyon in a wide arc, just enjoying being in the air. "Always too many plot holes. Bambi, I want contingencies just in case."
Line Break
Grey woke up four days before Thanksgiving, and immediately got to work. She had nearly twenty people to cook for, and one of them could eat for five. And her mom raised her to send everyone home with leftovers. So, thirty minutes after their morning workout, Grey handed everyone out chore sheets, and told them to stay out of her kitchen, on pain of death.
Lyn was given the week off, giving Grey full reign over everything she wanted to do. Happy was sent to the grocery store with a three-page list, specific down to the brand she wanted of everything.
"Is this a manic episode?" Tony asked from the safe side of the counter, dressed to leave the house for errands.
"No, this is grief," Grey said, sighing. "I miss my mom. We would always make a big deal out of Thanksgiving. The Turkey, papaw's ham. Shelling beans in the morning with my aunts, tossing them in a five-gallon bucket because we already ran out of baskets. Fighting Aunt Bridget over the last devilled egg. Connie's dressing! Uncle Buck would always come in dressed as Santa and give the grandkids a present."
"You had an Uncle Buck?"
"His name was Buckwheat. He and dad could never talk to each other, because Dad's dutch accent and Buck's Kentucky accent were too strong. TO be fair, even I couldn't always understand Buck." Grey took on a wistful expression, a fierce longing in her eyes, despite her smile. "Just wait, we still have less people than we'd cram into Nana's house."
"If it becomes a manic episode, or something else, you'll let me know?"
"Of course. Now go, I need a table to seat us all. Build it or buy it I don't care. Don't forget we need chairs. And I think Luna needs a highchair. Can she even sit up? Get something for the baby."
"Yes ma'am!" Tony snapped a salute, winked, and strolled out the door. Grey smiled, thinking about Allie and Kat's three-week-old daughter. After learning the little widow's name was Zora, meaning sun, they decided on Luna.
"I'm off to pick mama up from the airport," Jim said, checking in with Grey before leaving. "Brian reached out, he and Lizzie are taking an earlier flight, they'll be here tomorrow. Pepper told me to tell you that Sharon got delayed on a mission and won't be here until Wednesday morning. Optimistically."
"As long as she makes it for dinner, she's the only one that wanted Brussel sprouts, and I spent three hours finding a recipe for them," Grey warned, reaching for her stack of recipes.
"Do you need us to pick anything up?"
"If you want to try and find some cute harvest decorations, I'd love to have someone put something up," Grey said, flipping through the stack. They were in order of what needed to be started at what time in order to have everything perfect to serve at seven thirty on Thursday. Jim nodded and left, opening the door for Happy right as he came up in the elevator from the garage.
"Two turkeys, a ham, a roast, half the celery in the store, Grey how much are you cooking for us?" Happy asked, coming into the kitchen laden down with bags. U was behind him, the basket on his back also filled with groceries. There were more still littering the floor of the elevator.
"Four trays of dressing, green beans and Brussel sprouts, three types of potatoes, gravy, two types of jelly because I hate cranberry. Devilled eggs, two dozen eggs, mac and cheese, three types of pie and enough rolls to kill us with."
"Yeah, sounds like we'll have enough," Happy said, blinking rapidly. "Damn, I'm considering staying now."
"Well, you're always welcome, but if you want to go be with your Marine buddies, go. You deserve time for yourself," Grey said. "And besides, if you stay, I'm gonna give you more work to do."
"Nope, I'll take my vacation, thanks," Happy said as he came back with he last load of groceries. Per her request, everything was left out. She needed to organize it before she could put it away. Happy pulled her into a hug. "I'll see you Tuesday kid, don't take over the world without me."
"Nah, between the cooking, the eating, and the Black Friday Shopping, you have fun."
Happy left, and Grey got started on the groceries. She had two semi frozen twenty four pound turkeys that still needed three days in the fridge to thaw.
"Shall I put on your motivation playlist?" Jarvis offered from the ceiling.
"Yes please, Jay, play it loud! I'm going to cook, I'm going to sing, and I'm going to get this shit done."
"Put your lovin' hands out, baby, cause I'm beggin'," blasted through the speakers, and Grey started bopping along as she reached for the first bag of groceries.