The gauze that wasn't burning up beneath the denim was now adhered to Scarlett's flesh- melted as though set on fire. Struck by the horrible realization of what was happening, Scarlett panicked. It felt like she was burning alive from the inside! So she did the only thing she could think to do- she hunched over the wound protectively to try and keep her leg still. Yet, it was seizing and trembling beyond her control! She'd never once felt pain like this before.

Uncontrollable and blinding.

"Let me see it!" Tony tried to push her hands away but she snarled in response, holding her leg protectively.

"You're not a doctor! A doctorate doesn't make you a doctor so back off! Haven't you done enough?" Scarlett hissed, venom dripping from her words like an accusation. She had to protect it. Anything else would make it worse! The smell was horrendous, like overwhelming sulfur and the wound continued to smolder. The wound itself was revealed as denim wore away and it was bright red, agitated, oozing and bloody. Even the denim of her jeans surrounding it was discolored.

Tony backed away, panicked, and grabbed the phone that was attached to the wall. They were all connected throughout the compound. When someone picked up, he shouted orders. "Are there any doctors on staff today? Medical doctors!" Tony was terrified that he'd made it worse by avoiding a hospital. Guilt. The guilt of doing the wrong thing for his own selfish reasons. He tangled with a roll of antacids and popped one into his mouth.

Every second felt like minutes as he heard Scarlett whimpering in pain behind him. Finally, someone got back to him but his heart dropped.

"I'm afraid not, sir. Not today."

"None? Isn't it part of protocol to have one on site? Goddammit!" Tony threw the phone when he heard Scarlett's muffled pain become more desperate. Even in her worst moments after he'd recovered her from Africa she hadn't sounded this dire. Hell, even in her nightmares she didn't sound like this!

He had to get her to calm down. The panic was making it worse. He crouched next to her and rested his hand on her back gingerly. "Hey…" He whispered soothingly. She swatted him away with surprising strength and he fell onto his backside. "I'm trying to help you, Scarlett!"

"You've done enough." Scarlett repeated and then in desperation she started to rip at the denim. Tony grabbed her hands to stop her. She could tear her skin off if it was adhered.

"You're in too much pain, you aren't thinking! Don't touch it. What if it spreads to your hands?" They struggled but her panicked blue eyes realized the same and she nodded, no longer fighting him so much though her body was still seizing up.

"I can't…" She was struggling with words and every bit of her was shaking. Shit, she was going into shock!

"You have to breathe! I'll call a doctor and…" Tony urged her to lay back on the floor and then picked up both of her hands again. "You'll be okay. It's just a chemical reaction. Probably to the denim and the friction." He let go of her hands and urged his hands instead onto the sides of her neck, leaning over her to reassure her. He wasn't sure if that was true or not. He had to call a doctor. Or get her to a hospital.

"You don't know that, Stark." Scarlett's shuddering lessened and she sounded less panicked. That was something.

"We have to do something. Don't… be you, okay? I have to get the jeans off, I have to." He offered a smile, but then urged her shirt up to get to her waistline.

"No, absolutely not." Scarlett shot upright and grabbed his wrists to stop him. Her grip was weak even so, limbs resisting her every move.

"I'm not just being an asshole, you're practically combusting!" Tony was shocked she had the power to resist.

"Just cut off what's around the wound. I am not giving you the satisfaction of taking off my pants, Stark!" She struggled to remain upright. The color was gone from her face.

"I have never had any woman give me such a hard time about getting into her pants." Tony's humor went unappreciated and she growled in response. He got up and searched for scissors. All he had was a big bolt cutter and that seemed like a bad plan with her shaking like this.

"This is not the time." Scarlett hunched over her leg in exhaustion.

"Dammit, Scarlett." Tony went to try and convince her but she interrupted.

"You said there was going to be a doctor. Where is the doctor?" Scarlett closed her eyes and trembled. She felt so betrayed by her body. By her mind. She couldn't control either of them. Her thoughts were racing and the pain was making her sick. Was this her punishment? All of this? For years of being a selfish bitch?

"We don't have time." Tony realized it all at once. Not to wait for a doctor. Not to get her to the hospital. And his suit wasn't there. There had to be something he could do. Scarlett just sat and shook, trying not to grab her leg. Her fingertips were red and pained from the pulling she'd already done. Tony felt that his were too. Something had gone terribly wrong with her wound.

But that was right!

They did have procedures for emergencies. Every building had a locker room and shower, but on top of that, there was also a room specifically for lab accidents. There would be a shower in there, an easy one to get to and navigate. It'd hurt, but maybe he could stop the reaction.

Hopefully she wouldn't fight him on this.

Slipping one hand beneath her knees and the other around her, he lifted Scarlett. His concern only grew more severe when she fell limp against him, other than the trembling. She hid her face against his shoulder. He could feel her labored breath hot against his neck.

Her lips were numb. The edges of her vision were going dark and it hurt to even breathe. She focused on trying to remain conscious. It was shock. She'd slipped into shock. Everything trembled, and the pain, like burning hot knives piercing her flesh, only got worse. Like someone was rubbing literal salt into her wound. So she repeated not to throw up and not to fall unconscious in her head.

She was freezing. Everything hurt. Breathing hurt.

Tony carried her out of the room and then up the flight of stairs. She was sweating now, dripping and shivering, like she had a fever that broke. If it got any worse, Tony would have to call an ambulance or hell, he'd have to call Rhodey to bring a helicopter.

Rushing down the hall he racked his brain. "Where is it, where is it…" He then found the door at the end of the hall and kicked it open. It swung behind him as he entered and he set her inside on the shower floor. Then he got up and slammed his palm against the button on the wall that would trigger the shower. He protected her from the initial spray of ice cold water. But it wasn't enough. The spray was too wide and as the water struck her, she sobbed with pain.

She cowered as far against the wall as she could, grasping at it desperately to try and get away from the water flow. Her lips were turning blue and her eyes were distant, like she couldn't see what was happening anymore. He'd never seen anyone like this. Though he had flashbacks to pain-filled memories that were now nothing but hallucinations from Afghanistan.

Without thinking, Tony pulled her from the wall where she tried to hide and held her. Comfort her. That was what he had to do. Then he forced her to lay on her side in his arms, urging her to straighten the wounded leg. She was pressed against him, breathing shakily, cold, drenched, and shivering. The water finally warmed up and her mouth hung open as it washed over them.

Tony held her close, letting her bury her face against his chest, closing his eyes.

"Breathe with me." He whispered, lips brushing against her ear. She nodded but didn't move other than to tremble. But even her chest rising and falling at a slower rate made a difference. The shaking lessened though didn't stop entirely. He felt her grasp his arm as if to reassure him she was there. The denim had stopped smoking and he could see the wound now, fresh, raw, and painful. The denim had burned away. Blood mixed with water from the shower dripped down her thigh. And Scarlett was calming down.

Every breath she took was easier. The water helped and while it hurt, it was a more normal hurt. Whatever caused that terrible reaction was gone, washed away. And finally she was still. The memory of pain remained, but it was no longer threatening to knock her unconscious. She could feel her lips again. Tony held her close, breathing slowly and carefully and she was internally so grateful that she could have kissed him. She should have kissed him.

After what felt like forever beneath the warm water, Scarlett leaned back so she could look at Tony. She forced a brief smile as the shock faded. She was exhausted. Water dripped from her body, her hair was stuck to her face, shirt practically taped to her skin.

Tony was too. He could feel the water dripping down his face, soaking his clothes. He urged his face to hide in her hair as she leaned back down then held her a bit tighter. She was okay. He could take a deep breath finally.

"The pants still have to come off." He finally managed to speak. He wiped the water from his face only to be drenched again.

"Not a chance." Scarlett's voice was weak and she didn't stop him, but at least she sounded like herself. "If you want to get into my pants you need more than a lucky chemical reaction."

"I don't know what made it react like that. If it was the denim, the gauze, the lack of oxygen, the friction, the chemical I'm using to neutralize… but we can't leave the jeans on. I won't count it as getting your pants off." Tony tilted her chin up so she would look up at him. They sat in the relative darkness of the medical room, only the ambient light of machinery and his reactor shining. Scarlett stared up at him, sopping wet, her lips just slightly parted.

"Okay… if you promise." She fluttered her eyelashes and then buried herself against his chest again. "Because this is most certainly unfair."

"Trust me… it only counts if you want me to take them off." Tony laughed, a deep hearty laugh, filled with relief. She was still obviously not okay, but better than she'd been moments ago. "So much for getting that assembled today." Tony helped her up so she could lean against the wall of the shower. Then he sat next to her, facing her, and unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans.

Just because he said it was less fun didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy it. He tugged them down, careful of her wound, but stopped as the edges of the burned denim adhered to the wound. It had to be the friction and lack of oxygen. He'd run some tests when they got back home. And he would call a doctor.

"Didn't realize undressing came with fine print." Scarlett tried to joke and then grimaced as he tried to peel the denim away from the wound. "Fuck."

"Trust me, I would rather be doing that right now." He joked and she swatted at him lazily and then leaned her head back. That was an awful lot of wet, exposed neck. His tongue was too big for his mouth and he peeled his eyes away from the temptation. Not that his task of removing her jeans would help with that.

"Yeah, you and me both. Just… not with you." She peeked one eye open at him and offered the weariest smile.

"I mean… you are all wet." He teased in return and she laughed, burying herself against the wall and furrowing her brow. Carefully he made certain to remove every bit of denim from the wound. Then it was easy to pull her pants away. He tugged off her sneakers and socks and put them aside too. They were soaked. Tony then pulled the jeans free and threw them into the farthest corner of the shower.

Scarlett leaned her head back and gasped as if the relief of the jeans being off made a huge difference. And now her legs were just there, barren and soaked. The cute little red lacy panties fitting her in just about all the right ways. He sighed in disappointment.

"There." Tony patted her right leg. Now that he was able to tear his eyes away from her legs he was reminded of the horror of it all. She was looking more and more like herself by the second. He'd panicked. Not his finest moment. But she was okay.

He pulled her away from the wall and into his arms, holding her against his chest. Then he left a kiss on her forehead and let his lips linger there as he recovered from the shock and panic of everything. He'd almost let her die because of his selfishness. Never again. There was a click and the water shut off on its own, leaving the two sitting on the floor in the darkness, soaking wet.

"Finally got my pants off. Happy now?" She tried to joke but it sounded feeble and she didn't move away from him. Her head was still spinning. She'd never panicked like that before. Even when she'd been tortured in Afghanistan she hadn't panicked like that! Never once in her life before this moment had she lost her wits that way. Tony had saved her from herself. Why was he so good to her? He didn't owe her any of this. He didn't owe her the comfort of his arms or his care. He'd saved her again. And now he held her like a lover would. A thing she didn't realize that she'd never quite experienced like this.

Sure, she'd been held, but not in a comforting strong embrace. During lovemaking, sure? In greeting? Yeah. But this was different. It left a deep ache in her chest. An unsettling one.

"Not even a little." Tony laughed with relief. Her skin was red and irritated but it looked ten times better than it had only a few minutes ago. And now that the panic was wearing off he decided to very much enjoy what he had in front of him. Sexy, strong, wet legs. A little bruised, but still sexy. She had legs for days. Damn. His hand slid down her back and rested just on her hip and she shoved at his chest but still didn't pull away.

"Quit it."

"You can only expect so much from me, Scarlett. How am I not supposed to enjoy this? Someone should enjoy those legs, I mean damn… wet and glistening. Such a shame you're not letting me kiss them from heel to…" Tony smirked and while Scarlett swatted at him again she also laughed against his chest which felt wonderful. "Such a relief to see you chose the cute panties too. Pepper insisted we get modest ones to give you an option. These are… much sexier."

"Could you please stop looking at my ass?" Scarlett pushed herself out of his arms and then leaned against the shower wall and wiped the water from her face, pulling stray strands of hair with it. "Skirts for awhile, I think."

"Yeah. I'm enforcing a strict no pants policy around the office. And in general. It's a disservice to all of humanity to hide those legs." Tony teased. He stood and shook out his hair that was stuck to his face. He found towels along the far wall.

"God, you're a pain in the ass." Scarlett couldn't stop laughing. Dammit, why did they have to share a sense of humor? Also, the situation was just funny. She was now pantsless and drenched in dark with Tony Stark because her leg had nearly caught fire! For the first time in her life, someone had rescued her. Why did it have to be Tony Stark? Yes, he'd saved her in the desert but it was different now. Because now she knew him. And because this wasn't the same. Even after Afghanistan, she'd saved herself. There'd been no comfort. She didn't need anyone. She'd always told herself that.

But maybe she wanted someone.

And that was funny too. It was funny that she had a crush on Tony Stark, a man she was supposed to hate.

She really did deserve every bit of punishment she got.

"I see how it is. That's how you thank me for saving your life. Again, I might add. I'm beginning to think that you don't understand how gratitude works." Tony took the towel and brought it to where Scarlett sat in the shower. He urged her away from the wall and wrapped it around her shoulders. Then he used the corners to gently dry her face. Scarlett's smile fell as he did.

Scarlett wanted to tell him.

She wanted to tell him that she was being punished. That her life had been spent dodging consequences and ruining everything she touched. Scott reminded her in her head that it would catch up with her someday. She'd tried to do good but could she justify it all because of that? The road to hell was paved with good intentions, right? That's what people said. But Tony might understand. He'd carved a path to redemption off of a road of ruin. If anyone would understand it would be him.

"What?" Tony stopped drying her off. "Scarlett, what is it?"

No. She couldn't do that. Because maybe not everyone deserved redemption. With her body falling apart alongside her mind, maybe she should just accept her punishment. "Nothing."

"...that didn't look like nothing." Tony looked to her lips seriously and then furrowed his brow. Then he cleared his throat. "Were you hoping I'd take my pants off in solidarity? I mean, I could but… might be too tempting for you."

"Keep dreaming." Scarlett managed a tired smile. "I was just thinking."

"About?"

"How poorly I handled that." Scarlett moved her arms as Tony tucked the towel around her. She began to dry herself off and watched as he went to grab himself another towel.

"And how exactly were you supposed to handle it? Your leg was on fire."

"I froze up. I've never frozen up before." Scarlett used the metal bar in the shower to help pull herself to her feet but she couldn't put much weight on her right leg.

"Never? I think it's pretty normal. You were in pain."

"I'm not a stranger to pain." Scarlett scoffed. "What would I have done if I had been alone? Curled up and died because it would have burned me alive? Pathetic." It was all catching up to her. Just like Scott warned her it would.

"No. Not pathetic. Human. You would have figured it out." Tony offered her a hand and she struggled internally with whether or not to take it before she decided to. Then she stumbled out of the shower.

"I don't need comfort." Scarlett managed to step away from him. "Thanks. If you weren't…"

"Stop." Tony pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You would have managed. I don't know what to do with actual gratitude from you. Come on… let me carry you over to a chair or something. It'll take a year to get out of here with you hobbling like this."

"Just give me a minute. I can do this." She swatted his hand away and then stumbled and her leg collapsed under her again. Tony caught her and held her against his chest, arms around her waist. She frowned. Hubris.

"You were saying?" Tony smiled softly. Her eyes were filled with turmoil. Something bigger was happening to the woman he'd saved in the desert than he could ever have realized. He'd expected gratitude, maybe sex, willingness to help him and instead he found… her. The first person in years who he could consider to maybe be a new friend. It'd happened so fast. It was strange, like she'd always been there with him. Just missing.

He wanted to know what was wrong but he knew it wasn't his place to ask. He would be patient and work to keep her around.

If anyone had pushed him to talk about what went on inside his head, he never would have talked. Give her time. She needed time. He could tell she needed time. He was waiting for a snide remark.

But instead, she just stared up at him. He swallowed the lump in his throat again. Dangerous blue eyes lost in his. He fought the shivers. It was just the cold of the air against his wet skin. But he wasn't cold. No, he was incredibly warm, especially with her pressed against him.

He tilted his head curiously and pushed her hair back from her face. She was warm now too and he thought of her in his arms dancing to Bing Crosby the night before. Yes, he had been trying to seduce her at points but he hadn't meant to in that moment. He'd just wanted to hold her and sing that song. Then feel her lips, and pick her up. And then after she'd cleaned his wound.

All he'd wanted to do was apologize, in the most physical sense. And it had eaten him alive all night long to know that it wasn't just physical. This was different. Different than it'd been when he'd dated in the past. Different than a one night stand. Different than a need being fulfilled. It was even different than it'd been with Pepper. This was what he expected things with Pepper to feel like. But they never had.

He thought the problem was her at first but now he realized it wasn't. It was him. And Scarlett was dangerous, he knew that. What if she hurt him? What if he finally found something and it backfired? And worse, what if he hurt her? He'd already hurt her. He'd held her captive. That hurt had been real last night. And then earlier with her leg, he'd never seen anyone in that kind of pain. He'd felt helpless. And there she was crediting him with saving her.

And if he kissed her now, would it be taking advantage of that undeserved gratitude?

He wanted her to kiss him because she wanted him, not because she felt she owed him.

"...I should have Pepper bring us a change of clothes." Tony slipped his phone out of his pocket and every muscle in his body complained that he was resisting a very obvious attraction. "This is all very sexy but… wouldn't want to catch cold. I'm a big baby when I'm sick."

Scarlett averted her eyes at once and looked confused. He made the right choice. She was vulnerable and struggling.

"Good idea." Scarlett's voice was barely a whisper. She couldn't stop thinking about how badly she wanted to be held. To feel loved. To taste his lips. To hear him in a moment of passion- for her. Rebellious thoughts, but also genuine. Her heart and mind were so conflicted, she didn't know what to do.

"Potts?" Tony held out the phone, putting it on speakerphone. "I need a favor."

"What is it Tony? I'm busy." Pepper was obviously distracted.

"Get a hold of Happy and meet us here with a car and a change of clothes. No pants for Scarlett though. A dress. Something that doesn't constrict her." Tony left it without an explanation, smiling at Scarlett knowingly. She went to explain and ruin his plan so he covered her mouth and he felt her laugh against his palm.

"Honestly, Tony, give the woman a break. You're constantly humping her leg." Pepper shuffled papers and then there were the echoes of her heels. But as Tony pulled his hand back from Scarlett's lips she didn't look away. It turned out breaking that tension wasn't so simple. "She's working for you…"

"With me, remember?" Tony corrected and Pepper sighed. "Just… do it. It's not me being a pig. We need clothes and a ride. And churros." He looked to her to ask silently if she wanted them. She considered it and nodded.

"Fine, Tony." Pepper hung up and so Tony slipped his phone back into his wet pocket. He readjusted Scarlett and pulled her upright. Then he pulled her closer with every intention of setting her on a gurney at the far end of the room.

"What's wrong?" Tony wanted to help. "You look…" He wasn't sure. Was it tension? Upset? "Upset." Good guess, he thought.

"No, it's not that." Scarlett tried to correct herself. To get her thoughts together. She couldn't do this. Not without answers. Or it would never be honest. "I'm just uncomfortable with your arms around me when I don't have pants on."

"If you think you're uncomfortable now then you're lucky my pants are still on." Tony smirked. She gave his shoulder a playful shove. Then he carefully lifted her into his arms again and set her down on the gurney. She sighed but didn't argue with him.

"I really can walk. I'm just a little wobbly. I don't need you to carry me around. Or to have another excuse to feel me up." Scarlett smiled despite the accusation. Then she grabbed his wrist when he began to pull away. He was respecting her space. She couldn't believe it. Tony could have very easily taken advantage of her and he had chosen not to.

"I told you that if your leg gave out I'd carry you and… you couldn't complain if I copped a feel. Remember? Part of the deal." Tony chuckled at the memory.

"I never agreed."

"You didn't object."

"No wonder Pepper doesn't argue with you, it's exhausting." Scarlett laughed, hand still on his wrist.

"These are mixed signals… do I or do I not feel you up? Make up your mind." Tony stepped closer with a smile.

"I'm trying to have a conversation with you."

"I know we just met yesterday but… I kind of thought you adjusted to how I am." Tony cleared his throat. He liked making her smile. That felt weird. But good.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to you."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"I mean, you're definitely not boring." Scarlett let go of his hand and shook her head. "I know I said it already but I was still… coming down from all that. Thank you."

"Stop. I know I said I wanted your gratitude but this is just weird."

"I know you think that I'm just being soft because of… all that, but I'm not. I've been rude and unkind and… borderline cruel and you've really helped me. I just… I'm a sarcastic bitch sometimes. But I really am grateful."

Tony waited for a follow up. She didn't blame him? It was Tony who had taken her home instead of to a hospital. Tony who had administered a chemical that likely caused this. Tony who insisted she wear jeans. But she didn't seem to think this was his fault. At all.

"And not just for this." Scarlett seemed to be bracing herself. "You saved me in Africa. They were going to put me in another prison cell and put me to work. Or kill me. You could have left me to die. You didn't. I woke up and panicked. So much bad has happened and I don't know… how to deal with it." She felt very much uncomfortable discussing this. "And you've helped me. Or at least tried to."

"I've also been a pest. Trying to get you into bed every few minutes."

"Yes, to no avail." Scarlett laughed. "Do you think maybe that's why no one's grateful to you?"

"I don't. Still a complete mystery." Tony smiled softly. He understood. He more than understood. "Really, I know that you're grateful. I could tell when you stuck around. And you saved me last night. I was… a complete dick about it and you still took care of me." He tucked some of her wet hair behind her ear, a thing he'd grown fond of doing. Most of her hair was still pulled back. He wanted it free.

"That's true, you were a real ass last night." Scarlett leaned a little closer. The tension was so thick it made it hard to breathe. Her leg was throbbing with pain and she was drained, but those brown eyes locked her into place. His lips begged to be kissed.

And he would be fun too. She knew he would be.

"I only learned how to be that big of an ass after watching you. Honestly, you've taught me all sorts of bad behaviors. I might not need pants tomorrow because of how good you make it look. A terrible influence." Tony teased, resting his hands on either side of her on the gurney. Scarlett laughed.

It was too tempting. He went to talk and she silenced him.

"Shut up." Touching his cheek, she just did it. She stopped fighting her instincts and urges and embraced them. Her lips brushed just against his before kissing him at long last.

And Tony had been just about to do the same. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, kissing her deeply. Her lips were soft and sweet, a thing he couldn't have imagined after the ghosts of kisses they'd nearly shared before this. They were like the last drop of whiskey before bed. A hot meal after not having one in three months. The most delicious thing he'd ever tasted, and something his body needed more than he realized.

It made him tingle all over from head to toe, like the moment he realized he created something genius. A better feeling than when he'd created the element that saved his life. He'd never felt a kiss quite like that before. Reaching behind, Scarlett, he pulled her wet hair free of the ponytail and threw it aside.

Scarlett pulled back at once as her wet hair fell into her face and she looked to him in disbelief. "Seriously?" Her heart was in her throat. Every part of her wanted to pull away, to turn away, cover her face, and hide. Was this what romance was supposed to feel like? Yes, of course she'd been romanced before. Hell, Scarlett had even slept around for a bit there because Scott had a way of leaving her feeling very not sexy. But none of those hot nights felt even close to that kiss.

Tony nodded and then made to return to her lips. It was addicting. Enough to make him an addict, even. He wanted more of that kiss, more of her touch. Because if just a kiss felt like that, then what would the rest feel like? But then there was a solid rapping at the door and he grunted and hung his head in frustration. Finally. Finally, they'd broken the tension. He thought it would fade but no. No, all he wanted was to kiss her again. And again.

Scarlett leaned her head back against the wall and exhaled deeply. They made eye contact and stared.

"You called for a change of clothes?" Pepper shouted from the other side of the door. Tony pulled away and ran his fingers through his hair. Usually he wouldn't stop. He'd just tell Pepper to come back in thirty and let him do this thing. But not with Scarlett. No, this was different. This was special.

One step at a time.

"I'm going to start a tally of how many times she interrupts me." Tony whispered and while he was frustrated that he had to ignore his body's obvious needs, he was also pleased that she'd made a move. It proved that this thing wasn't just in his head.

"Is everyone okay? The guard at the front said you called asking for a doctor. Why would you need a doctor?" Pepper pushed open the door, a bag in her arms, worry on her face. She saw them both soaked and Scarlett on the gurney, obviously pale, and without pants. "Do I want to know what happened?"

"You tried to find a doctor?" Scarlett was oddly touched.

"Yeah, you were writhing in pain. I uh… didn't handle it the best either." Tony looked almost sheepish.

"I'm sorry, writhing in pain? What did you do?" Pepper narrowed her eyes at Tony.

"Why is it you assume I did anything? How is this my fault?" Tony frowned then sighed. "Well, this time it wasn't entirely my fault. And it wasn't sex, obviously. No one writhes in pain when they have sex with me, you know that."

"I don't need to hear that, Tony. What happened?"

"Scarlett had a bad reaction to something on the wound on her leg. If you could carefully, with gloves, collect her jeans from the shower then I can unravel what happened when we get home." Tony explained, turning back to Scarlett. The memory of her lips made him want to return to them. "She needs help getting changed. I'll get cleaned up next door." Tony's lips curled into a smile. "Unless…" He pulled at the hem of Scarlett's shirt and she swatted his hand away with a smile.

"It's bad enough that you've seen me this naked, Stark. Go get dressed. In privacy." She shooed him away. Kissing him had created a strange longing. Like something that she'd been missing out on her whole life. It was bad for her. Scarlett only did things that were bad for her. Another bad habit in a life of bad habits.

"Come get me when she's done, Pepper. I'll help her out of here. I assume Happy is waiting outside?" Tony took one of the bags from Pepper's arms.

"Yes, he's out front with the car." Pepper still looked confused.

"Good. Don't take too long or I'll use my imagination as to why you are. I'll send it into penthouse forum. You know I will." Tony left the room to go get changed. While he joked, his mind was still in overdrive. Scarlett had kissed him. Vulnerability? Gratitude? He didn't know. Whatever the reason, it'd been wonderful. His hesitation was gone. This was different and now he was determined. She was worth the work. Whatever she'd gotten herself into, he'd help her out of it.

"So… what happened?" Pepper was confused. She set the bag down with the clothing for Scarlett in it. Pepper made no effort to actually help her when it was made clear that Scarlett could do it on her own. Pepper brought her a pale blue dress with short sleeves and a short skirt but it was comfortable and for that Scarlett was grateful. There were dry underthings in there too, thank god. Pepper turned away while Scarlett changed.

"It's exactly as he said, actually. My wound had a bad reaction to something. It started smoldering. Completely burned through the gauze and jeans. It's way better now but I'm still… shaky." Scarlett glanced back at the shower. She'd never had that kind of panic attack before. And she'd never had anyone hold her while she needed it. That pain had lasted an eternity. She knew it was only a few minutes, but it felt like hours of torture.

"It must have been bad."

"Yeah, it was. I panicked. He brought me here. I was pretty useless, actually. I might have made it worse with the panic." Scarlett felt embarrassed that she'd needed help but also relieved that someone had offered it. She wouldn't let that happen again though. Never.

She said that, but she was certain her life was at a big turning point.

Things had changed.

"Are you alright?" Pepper looked concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine now. Let's go meet up with Tony before he makes up stories about us." Scarlett took each step slow and then used the bag to grab the soaking jeans from the floor, careful not to use her hands to touch them. "I'll carry them. I don't want you to get burned by it too." Scarlett had flipped the bag inside out so they could keep them at a safe distance. "I'll be honest though… I need to see a doctor about my leg. I'm really worried."

"Yes, we'll do that. I promise." Pepper held open the door and they walked out together.