"You have everything you need?" Grey asked, her hands fluttering around Bucky as he smiled down at her. "The kindle dad got you. Your soundproof headphones?"
"I'm only going so Happy can stay here with you and Tony," Bucky said, catching her hands in his own. She stilled, but the anxiety was clear in her eyes. She didn't want him to go.
"We'll be back in a week, Grey, stop worrying," Pepper said as she walked into the living room. Happy was going to drive them to the airfield, then go out for groceries. He carried Pepper's small suitcase, and a garment bag. Bucky's were already in the car. Tony had gotten him several new suits to wear, all tailored. (Grey had stared at him, drooling slightly when he tried one on, Pepper couldn't stop laughing at her, and had even taken a picture of her star-struck face and sent it to the other legacies in their group chat.)
"You act like I have control over that," Grey pointed out. "I'm going to worry until you land, then I'm going to worry until you leave, then I'm going to worry until you're home safe again. It's what I do."
"You're not clairvoyant, just a worrywart," Bucky teased. Grey scrunched up her face.
"I'm not clairvoyant. I might actually hate that word. I'm just… prepared."
"You can see the future," Bucky pointed out, dropping Grey's hands so he could hold her shoulders. "It's not something to be feared, your abilities."
"It not my visions, it's just that specific word that gives me the ick," Grey pointed out as Happy came back in to herd Pepper and Bucky to the car. "Oh, I don't want you to go."
Grey latched onto Bucky like she was never going to see him again. He chuckled and wrapped his own arms around her. They both knew she was being irrational, but they also both knew that the last time someone in her family left, they ended up a prisoner for three months.
"I'll be back in a week," Bucky promised, pressing a kiss to the top of her hair. "Keep up with your drills, no slacking while I'm gone. And you, keep her out of trouble."
Tony held up his hands in surrender, behind Grey as Bucky glared at him, pretending to be stern. Both men smiled as Grey finally pulled away. Tony stepped forward as Bucky stepped back. Grey leaned against her dad, smiling as Bucky and Pepper finally left, heading for New York.
"Pepper's got all the requirements?" Tony asked as they watched Happy pull out of the driveway and turn onto the private road.
"Mostly lab spaces, some residential, some food service, it's gonna be a bitch keeping code, but it should work."
"And the reactor powering it all?"
"Will have to come after the tower is built," Grey pointed out. Tony nodded, and clapped Grey on the shoulder.
"Down to the lab for the day?"
"Bambi, I've got a meeting at two, come get me at one?" Bambi chirped their acceptance, and Grey followed her dad down to the lab.
"I don't like them being gone, either," Tony said after an hour of them working together. "The house feels alarmingly empty, and I know I'm not going to sleep well tonight without her."
"Let's do a movie night!" Grey suggested. "Or let's try to do a movie night, last time you and I tried to watch something we argued about plot holes, and then devolved into our personal projects."
"So, a movie night with our tablets?" Tony teased, grinning at Grey from where he was working on a car. Grey was perched up, trying to follow Jarvis' instructions on how to tune up a slightly squeaky hinge on Pepper's suit. "Might as well. You wanna pick the movie this time, kid?"
"Considering how terrible the Fast and Furious movies are, you're damn right I'm gonna choose the movie," Grey snarked, squinting at her work, then nodding to herself as she ducked out from underneath the arm of the Rescue suit. "There, that's that, Pepper should stop hearing that noise. Thanks Jay, for the help."
"What are you working on now?" Tony knew Grey was always working, she never seemed to stop. Something was going on with her, and he wanted to know what it was, but he didn't know how to ask.
"After the fall of SHIELD, no one bothers to set up the academy again until after Agents of SHIELD. Which is a problem." Because it happened in season seven, which isn't canon.
"Didn't you say SHIELD gets branded as a terrorist organization?" Tony asked, tightening a bolt before sliding out from under the car. He wiped his hands on his jeans and sat up, accepting the water bottle from DUM-E.
"Yes. Because the US government can't easily tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys, plus SHIELD is technically privately funded, and has no governmental affiliation." Grey shook her head, exasperated by the mess SHIELD made for itself. "It's a whole mess, but I have plans."
"Wanna share?"
"Avengers Academy," Grey said, her eyes shimmering with excitement. "A place where people with powers are safe to be themselves without prosecution or whatever. They can learn to control their abilities, without harming themselves or others. If they want to join an Avengers team and fight the good fight, then they're more than welcome."
"A halfway house?"
"Kinda," Grey said, rummaging through her desk for the right notebook. "The inhumans already have one in China, but it does get destroyed. The academy will do more than that though. Here it is."
"You've written out the curriculum? Already?"
"They need to know these things," Grey pointed out. "Because by the time we need any of this, the Sokovia Accords are going to be making noise, and the superhero registration act."
"The what?" Tony asked, alarmed.
"Oh yeah, you should see the universe with mutants, it's pretty much worse," Grey said, grimacing as she thought of it. "They end up creating a cure, forcing it on the mutants, and eventually put it in the water or sugar or something, killing them all off."
"So, the academy, when does it need to be ready?" Tony asked, refusing to consider living in a world where people's choices were taken away so violently. He made a mental note to do everything he could to protect the suits from winding up in the wrong hands. He would need to reach out to the legal department, file a few patents. Maybe update his will.
"Ideally, just before Sokovia," Grey said, trying to remember which order the events had fallen. "But I want to have everything registered and in place by the time we move to New York."
"So that when SHIELD falls, we're in place to scoop everyone up. What do we need for that?"
"The Iron Legion," Grey said. "Several suits, at least a dozen quinjets and pilots."
"How many do we lose?" Tony asked, noticing the grave expression on Grey's face.
"Steve, Nick, and Nat release all of SHIELD's classified information online," Grey said, refraining from rolling her eyes. "And the Nat has the bright idea to tell congress to fuck off. In the movies, Stark Industries takes on all the displaced SHIELD people, and it's never discussed again."
"But it's going to have far-reaching consequences, isn't it?" Grey sighed heavily and nodded, already exhausted by it.
"We end up running the Avengers with Maria Hill, who we never actually see after Sokovia."
"You pitched her for the Board of Directors," Tony remembered, sending a questioning look to his daughter.
"Yes, because she works with us and helps us run backend at the tower while we're searching for… Nevermind. I want to bring her on full time. I want her to basically be the director of the Avengers Initiative, I want Agent May to be in charge of the academy. She's a good agent and is great at teaching what needs to be taught."
"How will we staff it?"
"The same way Charles staffed his school for gifted youngsters," Grey said, a hint of a smile on her face. "The heroes double as staff. Oh sure, we'll bring in actual teachers for real subjects, but I want to ensure we have Avengers or agents to pass on what works."
"Like hand to hand, combat tactics, how to run an op?" Tony wasn't sure how he felt, running a spy school for kids.
"And math, science, history, English, computer literacy, current events, all the other things they'd need to graduate high school and go on to college," Grey said. "I don't want to start this powered person to superhero pipeline, that's how we get villains. I want to give them a safe place to exist without persecution."
"You're doing too much," Tony said without heat. Grey sighed because he was right, but also because there was nothing she could do about it. She didn't want to wait until it was too late. She wanted everything ready before they began.
Line Break
"This is fucking ridiculous," Bucky said as they walked down fifth street, looking up at the tops of buildings. This was an assassin's worst nightmare, this city. Too many people going in every direction, people and babies shouting and crying, cars hitting their horns, the police sirens. Even with his soundproof headphones he could hear everything happening around him, it was just that loud. "And people live here, on purpose?"
"Oh yeah, people love New York City," Pepper said, her voice only audible since she was also on comms with him. "And it's going to be the best place to set up the Avengers."
Pepper paused and scooped up a newspaper, paying with some change in her pocket. The front-page headline was all about them.
More Stark Industries Layoffs? Happy had finally passed out the pink slips for his department, letting some ten thousand employees go across the board. From Cybersecurity to physical guards at the door, if he thought they weren't pulling their weight, they were dismissed. Bucky had marked them a while back, but the decision was made to wait to get rid of security until after the upheaval.
"Providing we don't get attacked first," Bucky said, side stepping a pickpocket with a violent glare that sent the man running away, afraid for his life. Even looking like a normal person, Bucky managed to look threatening when he wanted to. "Too many pickpockets in the city."
"Twenty bucks says Grey has something to say about that," Pepper said, holding out her hand. Bucky tapped his fist against hers, sealing the deal. "Left here."
An empty lot stood in front of them, a giant billboard declaring that it was sold property. Pepper grinned, looking like a shark as she stepped off the sidewalk and headed for the trailer on the property. They would have their meetings there.
"Why am I here?"
"Mostly so Tony and Grey didn't feel compelled to come with me," Pepper admitted. "I can't negotiate with anyone when Tony comes, because he tends to sign on the first offer. Grey has his outlook with money, which cracks me up because she won't go shopping unless she has a coupon."
"That doesn't even make sense," Bucky said, moving to open the door for Pepper. They were early and had their pick of spots. Pepper settled at the desk, clearing it off and emptying her work bag as she set up for herself. Bucky settled in the corner next to her, finally taking off his headphones and getting comfy with a tablet, his kindle underneath in case he got bored. He switched off their comms. "Then again, I've never understood Grey, I just let her do what she wants."
"Probably a good philosophy. Controlling them takes too much effort," Pepper agreed, plugging her phone into the desktop so Bambi could take control of it. "Best to just point them in the right direction."
"Like you did, filing for an extension on her degree so she stays for two more years to get the Bachelors degree?"
"I'm worried that no one will take her seriously moving forward if she doesn't have it. She doesn't have the right mindset to just do it herself, and I've already had Tony clear it with Miami University. She's getting a four-year degree so she is actually semi-qualified for the President of Marvel position."
"She's gonna throw you off the tower when she finds out," Bucky said. Pepper couldn't even argue with him, because she knew he was right. Grey had disagreed when pushed about college, barely able to finish the two courses she needed for the associates, after Jarvis forged her an incomplete transcript.
"Tony said she'd be fine after a short anger spell, probably a cold shoulder for us both," Pepper said, not truly understanding Grey's dislike of the subject. Bucky did, and knew this wasn't going to end well, and someone was likely to get their feelings hurt. Bucky resolved to mention it to Grey."
"Did you tell him that Grey has no concept of shortness unless you mention her height?"
"You're funny, Barnes, why don't you tell her that one?"
"Cause then she'll throw me from the top of the tower," Bucky said, smiling. Pepper quietly marveled at the difference between the Bucky they rescued from Hydra and the man in front of her. Seven months later and he was nearly unrecognizable from the twitchy assassin. "Three sets of footsteps heading for us."
"Oh good, right on time," Pepper said. "Bambi, ready to work?"
"Bringing up the Tower concepts now," Bambi said, changing the computer screen to show Stark Tower how Pepper had designed it.
Line Break
"Doctor? Miss Potts is out of the office today, so Margaret has agreed to take your interview. She's ready for you, if you'd like to follow me?" Grey's receptionist smiled at the nervous young woman, who nearly jumped when spoken to.
"Oh yes, please, thank you." The doctor's speech was accented, definitely British. "This is a lovely office space, is this where I would be working, should I get the position?"
"For now," the receptionist answered. "Rumor is that we're making the move to New York in a year or so, which is very exciting. The Starks are covering all moving costs for those that want to relocate. My fiancé's family lives in Maine, I've already applied for the move."
"Oh, how exciting! I may have to ask about that, New York seems just as interesting as Los Angeles has been."
"Margaret, this is Doctor Jemma Simmons, Miss Potts was going to interview her for a position in our bio-tech department."
Grey beamed at a young, clearly nervous Jemma Simmons, standing in the doorway, trying her best not to fidget. SHIELD did good. But Grey knew she'd get better in time.
"Oh, Jemma Simmons," Grey cooed, immediately losing the battle of hiding away her joy. "The pride and joy of SHIELD academy. The youngest ever, right? And the youngest to graduate."
The receptionist had to guide Jemma into a chair, as her knees nearly gave out at being identified.
"Stop breaking them, Grey," she said before vanishing back out of the office. Grey just rolled her eyes at the scolding.
"Don't worry, you didn't blow your cover, it was masterfully crafted," Grey reassured. "But I was already looking at recruiting you and Fitz, so I recognized you immediately. So, I have to ask, even though I'm sure I already know your answer. Would you two give up SHIELD for Stark Industries?"
"You wanted to? You know about Fitz?"
"Oh, my most innocent love," Grey had to force herself to keep a straight face, but found herself failing, the same soft expression she'd always had for Jemma kept melting the straight expression she wanted. Jemma was clearly confused but didn't move. "You are going to do incredible things one day. I'd love it if you joined Stark Industries. You and Fitz can come, name your price, name your title, set up your own departments if you want. But you have to leave SHIELD first."
"You know about SHIELD?" SHIELD wasn't a secret. But it was hidden from those that weren't qualified to know. You had to be recruited; you couldn't just sign up.
"You'll learn, one day, that I know far too much about things I shouldn't," Grey said, laughing without humor. "But that's okay. Now, about my offer?"
"I'm sorry, Margaret, but I couldn't leave SHIELD, I swore an oath, that means something to me," Jemma said. Whatever she was expecting next, it wasn't for Grey to smile broadly.
"Good for you, Jemma Simmons. Here, for you and Fitz, since he'll feel left out if we don't give him one too." Grey pulled out two matching jewelry boxes and opened them. Two lovely watches, a his and hers matching set, sat on plush velvet. They weren't Stark watches, just nice. "They're more than they seem, I promise."
"Even though we're saying no?" Jemma asked, confused.
"Oh, Simmons, you two are my favorites. Therefore, gifts. You'll understand later in life, I promise," Grey said, a faraway smile on her face. "Hopefully. I also have this for you."
It was an envelope.
"A letter?"
"For whoever it was that sent you in here for your little undercover mission," Grey explained. "It's just a warning that I'm onto them and I don't take kindly to corporate espionage."
Jemma gulped, suddenly understanding what was at stake for her in that moment. She hadn't just failed a mission, therefore risking a court martial or whatever awaited her back at SHIELD, she was possibly facing criminal charges.
"Corporate espionage?" Jemma echoed back, alarmed.
"Not you love, I promise," Grey soothed. Jemma was surprised to find that she believed Grey, and had in fact, relaxed. "The minute I saw your name on Pepper's schedule I knew who you were, this is to prevent them from trying again with someone I wouldn't recognize. There's also an "I told you so" for Fury in there."
"Director Fury?" Jemma echoed again.
"He and I have history, but I believe it's classified," Grey said, winking at her. "Now, there is a car, waiting to take you where you'd like to go. My offer stands in perpetuity, by the way. If you or Fitz ever decide you want a change of pace, feel free to call me."
The receptionist was in the room again, scooping the watches up into a bag, that was forced into Jemma's hands. Before she was ushered out of the office, and even out of the building. There was, in fact, a car waiting for her, a broad-shouldered man with his hair tied back sitting in the driver's seat.
"Where would you like to go, Doctor Simmons?" He asked politely as she climbed in.
Line Break
"Well, that was dramatic," Grey said, stepping out of her suit in her destroyed living room. She was careful to step up on the coffee table, which was clear of debris. She'd jumped into her suit in her bare feet. "And pointless. We're well established as superheroes now, why bother sending people just for them to die? Is it a message?"
"I think it's just a reminder that they're there," Bucky said, glaring down at the dead Hydra agent on the floor. There was another one in the garage, two dead in the stairwell, with two more dead outside. "That they're not giving up on getting me back."
"They're nazi's, Grey, they're not smart people," Tony said, sending the suits back to their cases. Rescue landed on the patio, and sent her suit away, leaving Pepper to come in through the shattered glass wall. Glass crunched under her shoes. "Jarvis, get someone here for repairs, soon as you can, okay buddy?"
"I'm just glad they didn't come at night again," Jarvis said.
"We need to upgrade him against EMPs," Grey said, pointing upward, seeing something techy in one of their pockets. "And Bambi, too, if we can."
"Shielding?" Tony suggested. Grey shrugged. "Right, fair. I'll work on it. After we get this cleaned up. Could they have made a bigger mess?"
"I found the brooms!" Happy said, coming up from the garage. He had clearly stepped over one of the dead agents, as he was tracking a bit of blood every time his left foot hit the ground. He was carrying three push brooms, two normal brooms, and two folded moving boxes. "Butterfingers is bringing up the shop-vac. I figured we could put the bigger glass pieces in the boxes. Barnes, there's packing tape in the pantry, will you grab that?"
Bucky went to do as he was told, his boots crunching glass with every step. Tony crossed the room, his sneakers doing the same as he brought Grey a pair of shoes. Pepper grabbed a broom and started shoving glass into a pile.
"I called Tom and Jim, they're on their way. Jim's bringing the ME along as well," Pepper said, shaking her head. "Surely this has got to be Hydra's last attempt?"
"They didn't even attempt," Bucky pointed out as he came back from the kitchen and started putting together the moving boxes. Grey hopped down from the coffee table and grabbed a dustpan to set in front of Pepper's broom, scooping up the bigger chunks of glass to dump in the first box Bucky finished. "I was in the garage, they could've taken me and hit the road. This wasn't a kidnapping attempt; this was just destruction."
"Making us pay for what we stole?" Tony questioned, looking from Grey to Bucky. They both shrugged.
"Unless we can find something on them, we can only guess. But yeah, probably," Grey conceded. "Why'd they only send six? That's my question. If I wanted to storm my enemies house and destroy it, I'd send a dozen."
"These are SHIELD weapons," Tony said, pausing to inspect them. "My guess is these are Hydra agents within SHIELD, and these were the only six that wouldn't be missed."
"Send too many, someone within SHIELD will notice that people are gone, and they'll make the connection and Hydra will be discovered, I hate this stealth shit," Pepper said, smacking her broom on the ground in frustration. Her scrunchie gave up keeping her hair back and popped off her hair. Pepper sighed and threw her hair back up.
"Hey, no, we love this stealth shit," Grey said with wide eyes. "Right now, we answer to nobody. We don't have to explain anything, or rationalize our decisions to people, nada. Once New York happens, and we're in the public eye? We're going to have to defend and rationalize every single choice we make."
"To who?" Tony asked, bewildered.
"The UN, the people, the press, God knows," Grey said, barely resisting the urge to throw her hands in the air. "I just know it's gonna suck. Trust me, everything changes in 2012. Enjoy this while it lasts."
"Yeah, sure, I'll totally enjoy having my house destroyed on a random Friday morning," Tony bitched, taking another dustpan and helping Bucky get his pile of glass into a box. "Jarvis, I want all knew furniture for the living room, too, I'm not risking sitting on a glass shard."
"That's fair," Pepper said, shaking her head.
"It could be worse," Bucky said eventually. "We could be in New York. Then it'd be cold as shit too."
"He's got a very good point," Grey said. "I hate being cold."
"We're spending two weeks in New York in January next year," Pepper pointed out, causing Grey to groan. "They're starting construction on the tenth!"
"That's less than a month out," Bucky pointed out, finishing the second box. He returned the tape to where it was and grabbed a broom from the wall. The elevator opened and Butterfingers pushed the shop vac into the living room, beeping wildly.
"Thanks Butterfingers," Grey called, waving enthusiastically at the bot while Tony started plugging in the vacuum. Bucky pulled on his soundproof headphones, while Grey put in her ear buds to muffle the sound. Tony started vacuuming, occasionally shouting to Bucky and Happy to move furniture. The living room was emptied of everything by the time it was deemed clear of glass. The ME van was parked out front.
"It's never dull with you, is it, Tony?" Tom asked affectionately, clapping him on the shoulder. Tony looked at him with humor and exhaustion in his eyes. "We're gonna have it written up as reasonable force against home invaders. Won't even need to go to court."
"Good, I don't think there's any room on my schedule this month," Tony sighed. "ME all done?"
"Just finishing, I'll see him out."
"Thanks for everything, Tom," Grey said, grinning at the Air Force officer. "We truly appreciate all the help."
Line Break
Grey felt ridiculous. But Pepper insisted, and she was actually comfortable, so she stayed.
"My mom died three years ago," Pepper said. "Her and my dad were driving home from a show, and hit a patch of black ice. She died on impact."
"Pepper, I'm so sorry," Grey said, reaching over to take her hand. "I didn't know."
"Christmas was her favorite holiday. She loved the snow, and decorating the tree. She did it differently every year, none of that random baubles everywhere, she had themes. Did bows all over the tree one year." Pepper fell silent for a moment, looking up through the tree branches. They had lights, but no ornaments, because Chenin kept climbing the tree and knocking them off.
Grey and Pepper were laying under the Christmas tree holding hands through their grief, looking up at the lights above them. If they looked slightly behind them, they'd see Chenin sitting on a branch, cleaning his whiskers.
"I don't think I want to be sad anymore, Pep," Grey said.
"I don't think we really get a say in that. I think sadness is just another part of life. If Death is just another part, then sadness is too. That's what I'll teach any kids Tony and I have."
"Have you two discussed kids?"
"Once, briefly. We don't want to risk it until after Thanos is dealt with. What about you and Bucky?"
"We've only had sex twice," Grey admitted, shrugging away the weirdness of talking about sex with her dad's girlfriend. Pepper was her best friend. "Emotions are hard for us. We definitely love each other, but I've never wanted kids. I'll need to get my birth control adjusted this year, just renew the Nexplanon I have."
"I'll schedule you with my gynecologist," Pepper offered. "Dr Javaid is really good."
"Thank you," Grey said. "For accepting me here."
"You're family, Grey. Mine too, we've been through a lot together. I'll always be by your side."
"Good. Glad to know. Because I'm walking at graduation last week. I rescinded your extension request," Grey said smugly. "You didn't think I wouldn't notice, did you?"
"Figured it was worth a shot," Pepper said, squeezing Grey's hand. She was glad there was no upset, even if she was disappointed, she wouldn't finish out the bachelor's degree. An associate's was something, Pepper supposed.
Line Break
"Do we know anything about the upcoming year?" Pepper asked, leaning over to mute the TV. The ball had dropped and everyone at Time's Square was either kissing their partner or cheering as confetti rained down around them.
The family sat around the TV in the New York manor, snacks and drinks around them. Everyone was there, Jayne and the birds, even Allie's wife and their two daughters. Several of the legacies had come, Sharon and Trip were sharing a couch with Morita, who had driven up that afternoon.
"Stark Expo in May," Tony said, holding out his glass of sparkling grape juice for Katherine to fill.
"Family vacation in April," Grey said, reminding her father of his promise. She was determined to get more than twenty-six hours off work at a time, at least once. Especially because she'd had no idea just how labor intensive it was to be a superhero and a CEO. Grey's appreciation for Batman just rose. "A week in the Hamptons, everyone here is invited. The twins have already RSVP'd, as has Sam and Jennifer."
"I can't go, Midtown's Spring break is the first week of April, I'll have classes to supervise," Morita said. Grey made a mental note to poke her nose into Midtown's curriculum, just to get an idea of what they might teach at the academy.
"Tony's officially signing the CEO title over to me at the end of April," Pepper said, both excited and nervous for the promotion. Everyone knew Tony was excited to take a step back from bureaucracy and focus more on his inventions.
"Then the parade of pink slips," Grey added, grinning. "That regional director for the Pacific Northwest? We can finally fire him."
"Oh, thank God," Pepper breathed, hand on her heart. "He was so stupid."
"Then the Stark Expo in May," Tony said again, acting exasperated. "Which I'm sure will result in a visit from SHIELD."
"Everything we do, seems to warrant a visit from SHIELD," Bucky complained, pulling a plastic knife out of Zora's pocket. The little girl let him, but she glared like she wanted to attack him. He whispered to her in fast Russian, causing her face to light up. "Does that ever stop?"
"Nope," Grey said casually, shaking her head. "Not as long as SHIELD is around causing trouble."
"So, there is hope," Tony teased. Sharon laughed, Grey didn't. "Is everyone coming to the expo?"
"Trip and I have tickets to opening week, Grey promised us something exciting at the Marvel booth," Sharon said. Allie and Kat brought their girls upstairs to try and put them down for the night. Bucky emptied his pockets of the various makeshift weapons he'd taken from Zora throughout the night. The girl had skills; Grey had to give her that as she saw her own knife in the pile. She had noticed it was gone but assumed Bucky had taken it. She was quick to take it out of the pile and clip it back on her waistband.
"What have you been working on?" Pepper asked, looking at Grey. The girl's eyes twinkled with excitement.
"Did you know that it's possible to film an entire movie with no one noticing? If you hand out enough NDAs." Tony was the first to catch on, and his mouth fell open in surprise.
"When are you releasing it?"
"June first, 2012," Grey said, unable to hide the grin on her face. Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation while Tony barked out a laugh. Jim and Happy both cracked up seconds after Tony, unable to help themselves.
"That's one way to solve the epilogue problem," Bucky said, the only one able to keep a straight face. Grey just smiled, mischief in her eyes. Allie and Kat came back and settled back into their spots, this time without their girls. Bucky directed his next comment to them. "Zora seems to be adjusting well."
"She has therapy four times a week, she has insisted on a self-defense class, and has declared herself to be Luna's protector, so sure," Kat said brightly. "She's such a sweet girl, and she deserves better than the trauma of what happened to her, but she is a handful."
"She hoards weapons," Bucky said, glancing at the pile on the table. "But she lets you take them?"
"If we're smart enough to notice," Allie said, leaning back with a beer. "She keeps us on our toes."
"We've covered our tracks, they won't find you, or her," Tony promised. He'd done the work personally, rather than leading Jarvis through it. Bucky had been the one to slip the official records into the proper files, so they appeared backdated. "So, you don't have to worry. And if they try, we'll stop them. Zora is your daughter."
"We know," Kat said, still worrying. "And we don't believe her to be a threat, but…"
"But you worry anyway," Pepper said knowingly. "You guys are our family. That means if anyone tries, you get the Stark Family Lawyers."
"I can hear the capital letters there," Allie teased, taking a sip of her beer. Kat leaned against her, seeking and giving comfort. "Is there a story there?"
"MIT, Tony was sixteen," Jim said, immediately picking up the story Tony groaned and hid his face in his hands. "There was this hack in our engineering, old money type, similar to Tones, but no brains to back it up. Used one of Tony's old ideas for his final project, which he then went on to try and profit from."
"Let me guess, Howard didn't like that?" Bucky asked, leaning back against Grey's legs.
"Sued the man, the professor, the department head, and the dean, before going after the people that gave him the money," Tony rattled off, still hiding. "Then, for good measure tried to have him barred from the STEM field."
"That excessive, even for a Stark," Pepper said, torn between impressed and horrified. Tony just rolled his eyes at her.
"He had compounded his error by blaming Tony for it," Jim explained.
"Ah," Grey said. "That explains it. One time Bucky tried to blame me for not unloading the dishwasher, he almost got grounded."
"Can you ground a super soldier?" Sam asked, teasing.
"Yes," Tony said brightly, flashing a smile at Bucky. "I took away his rifle."
The family couldn't help but crack up as Bucky put on his most dramatic pout, crossing his arms over his chest, and even turning away from the conversation to hide. Riley nearly spit out his mouthful of beer when Sam elbowed him, doubled over laughing. Grey leaned over to affectionately tug on his hair. They exchanged a soft look.
"What about you, Grey, you ever gonna let the Stark Family Lawyers do your dirty work?" Sam asked, shifting his gaze up to look at her. The smile on her face was a threat.
"I'm perfectly capable of throwing my own hands, thank you very much. These hands are rated E for everyone." Sam was the first one to laugh, but not the last, even Grey ended up laughing at her own joke.
"How was your Christmas?" Jayne asked. She'd gone back to Jersey for the holidays and told her family that she'd be moving East sooner than they expected. "We got so much snow in Jersey City."
"Tony managed to stick to small gifts this year," Pepper said, pretending to be in awe of Tony.
"He bought me a car," Grey pointed out. "That's not small."
"It's small for him," Pepper said. "Did he ever tell you about my birthday back in 2005?"
"No?" Grey asked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. She loved all of Pepper's stories about her dad.
"He filled my office with flowers," Pepper said dryly, giving Tony the side eye. "And not just my individual office with my desk in it, I mean the entire office building was filled in some way shape or form with flowers."
"I apologized," Tony said petulantly.
"Not to the custodial staff," Pepper pointed out. Guilt briefly flashed across Tony's face, causing the family to laugh at his expense.
"Let me guess, the custodial staff is going to suddenly going to have appreciation next week?" Riley asked, looking at Tony with a suspiciously straight face.
"It's possible," Tony said eventually, a wide smile on his face. "Even though it was five years ago."
"This family is insane," Trip said, kicking back in his chair. Sharon tried to hide a yawn next to him, but Grey saw it and yawned herself. That started a chain reaction jumping from Grey to Pepper, to Bucky to Sam to Allie, back to Pepper, then back to Sharon. "And falling asleep around us."
"It's hard for me to stay awake past ten anyway," Grey said shamelessly, already standing and stretching. "Good night, happy new year, let's hope 2011 doesn't completely suck."
"Not taking that bet," Tony said, holding out his hand to Pepper. "I'd lose my money and my dignity."
"You have dignity?" Sharon teased, gathering several plates, and taking them into the kitchen. Grey cackled as she walked to her room, Bucky trailing behind her.
Line Break
"What the fuck?" Grey asked suddenly, causing Happy to swerve the car. "Bambi, put that through to my tablet."
Grey dug through her workbag, pulling out her tablet while Pepper and Tony looked on in confusion. They were heading into the office for a few late morning meetings.
"Grey?"
"There was a shooting in Arizona. Representative Giffords was the target," Grey said, spinning her tablet around so she could start the press video. CNN had the headline and was presenting in front of a supermarket in Casas Adobes.
"Giffords has been taken to the hospital, where she is in critical condition after being shot in the head. Police have taken Jared Loughner into custody in association with the shooting."
"Grey?" Tony asked, looking for answers about what happens next.
"She lives," Grey assured. "But some weren't so lucky. They're saying there are already five dead. Sixteen wounded, including Jared and Giffords."
"The gun?"
"Glock, not ours," Grey said quickly, knowing that everyone was worried it was a Stark weapon. "I hate gun violence."
Grey buried her face in her hands, dragging them through her hair, causing it to stick up in several spots. With a giant sigh and a terrific eyeroll, Grey straightened up, moving deliberately to pop her back and shoulders.
"Let me guess, it never gets better," Pepper asked, taking in the rage in Grey's eyes. The death glare she received in place of an answer solidified to Pepper that shutting down their weapons department was a good idea.
"Toll is six, a young girl died en route to the hospital," Grey said somberly, reading the captions on her muted tablet. "She was nine."
Happy, who was listening from the driver's seat turned a shade of green. Grey felt like she was likely the same color. There was a pit in her stomach. The feeling of being responsible clawed at her insides like it was trying to escape from her skin. She kept it shoved down as they pulled into the parking lot. The LA sunshine tried to warm her skin, but she felt cold.
"Fuck," Pepper said after a beat of silence. It was the best way she could articulate what she was feeling about the situation. Happy parked the car outside their office building. Bucky's motorcycle stopped next to them. Even through his visor and the too-dark tinted windows, he could see the distress on Grey's face and reacted immediately.
"What happened?" Bucky demanded, pulling his helmet off. He was looking around for a threat.
"There was a shooting in Arizona," Happy said. "Politically motivated."
"Hydra?"
"Doubtful. Just seems like some dumb kid with a gun," Happy said. "Giffords, the rep? She's still alive, just critical. Six are dead."
"Hell. When did this happen?"
"Just after we left the house," Happy said grimly.
"It's bullshit, Barnes, absolute fucking bullshit," Grey snapped, slamming the car door a little harder than necessary. The car wobbled with the force, forcing a brief look of panicked guilt to flit across her face. "A nine-year-old girl, dead because some bastard has access to a gun they shouldn't."
Bucky pulled Grey to his side, grounding her and giving her a moment to gather herself. She was vibrating with rage as he held her. Sometimes Bucky worried she was carrying too much anger. He looked at Tony on the other side of the SUV and saw the same concern on his face.
"It will be okay. Not today, and not tomorrow, but it will be okay," Bucky said, tilting Grey's chin up so she had to look at him. "And today, we have things to worry about. Let the hospital in Arizona and the politicians in DC worry about Giffords for today."
"You're right. I've got nothing but meetings today. Who's in charge of getting me to the Marvel building? This isn't my stop."
"You're not here today?" Pepper asked, confused. It cleared a moment later, realization dawning on her. "You mentioned that at breakfast, didn't you? You have the department heads meeting."
"And a half dozen things to square away for the expo," Grey said, finally switching her tablet to her calendar. "Marketing and finance both want separate meetings, which is ridiculous because they're both headed by the same person – which I want to change anyway, it's a whole mess. I'm done at four, hopefully. What time's the flight?"
"Clearance is for seven thirty," Happy said, handing Bucky his briefcase. "Barnes, see to it that roll call goes well for the new trainees, assignments are already written up, they're in the green folder. I'll be there after I drop off Grey."
"Don't forget, I'm meeting with the PR department today for interviews," Bucky said to Happy, who nodded. "Be back before that, you have the department heads."
"There and back, copy," Happy said, climbing back in the driver seat. Bucky kissed Grey and opened her door for her, allowing her to get back in her seat. "See you soon. Ready Miss Stark?"
Happy left the parking lot, turning to head uptown toward the Marvel Entertainment building. Tony was the first to sigh.
"It's been an exciting morning, and I'm already over today. I'm gonna find something to hit with a hammer." Tony kissed Pepper on the cheek, clapped Bucky on the shoulder and headed inside, scanning his badge at security and walking down the hall to his personal lab.
"Guess I'm heading to roll call. We've hired a dozen people to supplement the few we kept in security," Bucky explained. "Most are previous agents or spies. They're all loyal."
"Not sure if that scares me or makes me feel safer," Pepper admitted. "No fanatics, right?"
"Hogan required two different psych evaluations before we hired them," Bucky said, opening the door for Pepper. They both swiped their badges and continued through, pausing outside the security office. "And Grey had some weird stare down with them too. She made one guy cry."
"I'm not surprised," Pepper said, shaking her head. "Do you know how great it's going to be once we get all this squared away? When we don't have to worry about this?"
"You actually think there will be a time when we're not worried about the company?" Bucky asked, trying not to laugh. "Even Grey's not that good, and I'll tell her that to her face."
"I'll set up the bed on the couch for you," Pepper teased, winking at Bucky as she headed for the elevator. Bucky laughed before swiping his badge and punching in his passcode. The door beeped and opened.
"Listen up!" The door closed behind him, and Pepper shook her head. He'd come a long way from the jumpy assassin he'd been just a few months ago. Being Happy's right hand was a good way for him to feel like he was giving back, while giving him a positive way to use skills he didn't want to learn.
"Miss Potts, the weekly reports for you," an intern said as they walked past. They also handed over a coffee from the shop in the building. It wasn't Starbucks, but it was really good coffee that was based in Seattle. "And your two pm has been moved to eleven this morning, Sam would like your eyes on a resume for an open position in legal."
"Thank you, Freddie," Pepper said accepting the coffee first, then the stack of files. "Has finance gotten back to us?"
"Has finance ever gotten back to you?" Freddie asked, causing Pepper to laugh. "I'll chase them down get something resembling a budget."
"Just need an estimate, it's not that hard. Okay, I'm heading straight down to legal, Sam hates morning meetings, so this has to be important."
"I'll find you when I have the numbers," Freddie promised. They turned and headed back the way they came. Pepper stepped in the elevator and headed up to the fifth floor. Sam was waiting for her with a pissed expression and a resume that contained a headshot.
"Bambi flagged it but won't explain why. I can't work like this Pepper."
"Good morning Samantha, it's nice to see you too. I had a great holiday, and yes, I am glad to be back in Los Angeles, even if we are heading straight back to New York tonight. How can I help you?" Pepper said, accepting the resume. Bambi had in fact stamped it with their signature purple flame. The ladies headed down the hall to Sam's office. "Natalie Rushman. Legal Assistant, prelaw degree, but never continued. Registered notary. Hmm. This is the one Grey warned us about, she's a plant."
"So, I can cancel her interview today?" Sam asked, relieved.
"No, we want her," Pepper said, causing Sam to stop walking in surprise. "She's a SHIELD agent, Grey wants to flip her."
"And you're willing to risk the company for that?" Sam asked, shaking herself and walking in her office. The two women sat at the table in the corner, ignoring Sam's desk. "It doesn't matter who she works for, it's corporate espionage!"
"Grey believes that we can use her to give us SHIELD intel. Switch her to work for us instead," Pepper said. In the privacy of her mind, Pepper could admit that she too thought it was a bad idea, but Grey was confident in her ability. "Besides, she won't stay in legal, she'll take over being Tony's PA."
"Does Doctor Stark still need a PA now that you're CEO?"
"Someone needs to do his paperwork," Pepper said fondly. "Also, to remind him that he can't revolutionize technology in the middle of the night."
"Why not let him?"
"Do we really want to let Tony invent whatever comes to mind?"
"No, never mind. I take it back. Fine, I'll hire ginger here. Is her notary certification at least really valid?"
"Probably not. I'll make a note to have her get it as herself if she can as soon as possible. Just don't let her sign anything. Not without countersigning it yourself." Pepper sighed. "We'll figure it out. And if we don't, I'll let you throw Grey out the window, deal?"
"Deal!"
Line Break
"You know damn well I'm still learning how to put real world consequences in fictional movies, Pepper!" Grey hissed as quietly as she could while Bucky was in the cockpit. "I'm stupid, remember? Why do you think I ran everything past you in the first place?"
"If she signs anything as a notary, it will cost the company big time," Pepper said, trying not to be angry at the woman. She was right, she had already run this past them. "We can always have Natasha get certified as a notary too."
"Now would probably be a bad time to point out that I doubt Nat has American citizenship," Grey said sheepishly. "It's one of the things I planned on fixing but haven't had the chance to."
Pepper looked at Grey with irritation in her eyes. Grey flashed her dimples, causing her to snort as the jet started taxiing on the runway. Neither woman was truly upset at the other, they were just both half-obsessed with their projects. Grey had the Avengers, and Pepper had Stark Industries. Sometimes they clashed, but they were family, they'd always work it out.
"Sam interviewed her today; she's been told to hire her on. She'll start around the twenty fourth as an aide, but Sam won't let her do anything to jeopardize the company."
"And you're sure you can flip her?" Tony asked, joining their conversation.
"Pretty sure all I'll have to do is prove that we've got her made and show her Bucky. And if that doesn't work, I can always laugh at the fact that she failed to actually bring down the red room." Grey shrugged. "I don't know, I've never flipped a spy before. Nor have I ever convinced someone to become my spy within an intelligence agency. I don't know what I'm doing here."
"We'll make it work. I can have Jarvis toy with some contracts. Think we could trick her into signing a non-compete contract?"
"We'd have to sign her with the Avenger's Initiative to do that," Pepper pointed out. "And that would definitely get back to Fury."
"I wish I hated that man," Grey complained. "Because if I did, it would be so much easier."
"Hate pretending to hate them when you really want them to join?" Pepper asked. Grey ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, trying to articulate what she wanted to say.
"Fury is a prick up until 2014 when he has a violent awakening about the status of his agency. After that, he becomes a good character. Until then, he thinks he's infallible." Grey shook her head, still irritated, she couldn't find the words she wanted. "He was made Director by Pierce. I won't trust him until Pierce is exposed. I can't."
"He thinks Hydra is gone for good," Pepper summarized. "And won't believe it until it's shown."
"If I tell him that he has an infestation, he's more likely to laugh in my face than do anything about," Grey said. "I won't risk innocent lives for an alliance I can't use yet anyway."
"What about in 2012, do you think we could work with that?" Grey tilted her head, considering it.
"Fury only wants dad on as a consultant, he sees "Tony Stark" as this figure he can't control so he has to manipulate. He's going to purposefully give Rogers incomplete information, so he has a specific image of dad in his mind," Grey said, deflating like a balloon in her seat. "Just the party boy image. So he looks down on dad and dismisses everything he has to say. If Fury skips the song and dance, I'll approach after New York. If Steve's a problem, I'll throw Fury out the window."
"If anyone says anything to Tony, I'll help you do it," Pepper promised as Jim and Bucky joined them in the main cabin. Tony kicked back on the couch, crashing after too many hours in the lab.
The rest of the flight was calm, no turbulence, just the family, sitting together and reading, snoozing, or responding to emails. Occasionally, someone would say something, sparking a brief conversation, but they all stayed quiet so Tony could sleep.
"We'll be landing in half an hour," Jim said as he stood to head back to the cockpit. "Might wanna wake up Tony. Barnes?"
"Yep, moving," Bucky said, putting his kindle to sleep. He handed it to Pepper, who slipped it in her purse.