"I just need to approve the new schematics then I can send the converter for the arc power to fabrication. It's been in limbo since we went over the plans which… I was reminded by my lovely assistant that there could be some legal issues if I didn't have your cooperation to work on it. You wouldn't sue me, would you? Don't answer that." Tony led Scarlett back downstairs after their breakfast. "Once the contracts are signed, that can all get going which I can have happen by this afternoon. Something about lawyers, I wasn't really listening." Tony snapped his fingers. "Everyone up, we've got work to do." Much of the mess from the night before had been cleaned up.

The only remaining evidence of the chaos was the dent in Tony's classic car and the partially rebuilt Mark VII sitting on the gantry. One by one, screens lit up at his desk and the various robotics around the office came to life.

"Good thing your assistant is more thoughtful than you are." Scarlett walked past Tony and admired the room. She really hadn't gotten the best look around, all things considered. There was so much to see. She could probably spend weeks there and still be surprised by what she found.

Taking the job alongside Tony Stark was the only path forward that made sense. Scarlett was at a crossroads, she'd decided. She could either bail and go back to her old life, hunting down MedCo, and probably getting herself killed in the process just for a shot at revenge. Or she could help Tony with something that would do some good- and find out the truth of his involvement. That and maybe get some extra information on MedCo in the process. At this point she highly doubted Stark had any involvement in what she'd gone through. No one was that good an actor.

She lingered in front of the collection of cars and motorcycles. A collection after her own heart. It'd been years since she'd gotten a good look at any current models. She bet that if she asked Tony to refamiliarize her with what the newest and most exciting vehicles were, he'd be happy to oblige. But she couldn't give him that pleasure, either. Not at this point. She had to remind herself that they weren't friends.

They both knew they were using each other.

"So, partner, where do you propose we start if we don't have the pieces we need to put the converter together yet?" Scarlett turned away from the cars and approached Tony at his desk.

"Partner now, am I?" Tony walked around the desk to stand alongside her, sitting on the edge of it with his arms folded. "Not sure that's better than my last name but I'll take it. At least until it sounds like an old western in here." He smirked. "You could just call me Tony. I know you're capable. Just stubborn… which isn't necessarily not hot…" He then approached the hall of armor behind his desk and then tapped at the air and several holograms appeared. "As for proposing, that seems a little too soon. I do think we have a few options."

Scarlett followed Tony and stood on her tip toes so she could peer over his shoulder while he worked. These were a shiny new toy that she wanted to play with so badly. But she couldn't let him know that. Honestly, if he'd let her mess around with Jarvis, he could get her to do almost anything. He was an incredible piece of technology. The things Scarlett could accomplish with as grand a setup as Tony had made her head spin. She'd always worked from dingy little holes in the wall or in a pinch.

"What exactly have you been using to test this, Stark?"

"Wow, demoted immediately. Or promoted? I can't decide. Why can't you just call me Tony? Everyone else does." Without turning, he flipped through the screens, scrolling through information. "And you know I've been using an amplifier up until this moment. So why ask?"

"Because I meant what you were using as your power source. I know you're looking to turn the arc technology into a widely sourced energy solution but the only one I see here is the one in your chest." Scarlett walked around to Tony's side to get a better look. She was very much entertained by the holograms.

"I don't like being ignored." Tony narrowed his eyes at her.

"Hmm?" Scarlett feigned disinterest but then smiled with delight. The awkwardness from that morning was gone. This was a stressful situation not just for her, but for everyone involved. While she didn't have a whole ton of sympathy for over privileged Tony Stark, she understood it wasn't easy for him either. In fact, if he'd gone through everything the media said he did, then maybe he deserved more sympathy than she offered.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, she supposed. To get what she needed she'd have to hurt Tony. He'd never just give it to her. And if she asked him for it, she'd always be wondering if it was real of fabricated. She had to do it herself. She hated that she did. She hated herself for it.

"Very funny." Tony flicked through several windows and then pulled another close. "I've been using this one." Tony tapped his chest. "For now."

"Why the risk? Why not just create an external reactor to work with?" Scarlett touched the holographic window to enlarge it and Tony swatted her hand away.

"Because the creation of the element required to power it has not yet been streamlined." Tony turned away from her and then pointed behind him. "Jarvis, show her the creation video. High speed. You'll see why I haven't gotten around to it yet."

Just to spite Tony, Scarlett urged the screen to expand and was pleased that it listened. Just as he commanded, the video played out for her in high speed. Tony walked away from her as she watched him go through the creation process of the element from beginning to end.

He didn't need to see it. He'd lived it. The lights dimmed and he sat at his office chair again. Dum-E came over with a protein shake and held it out for him. Tony looked at it, confused.

"Did I ask for that? Honestly, you're a robot and you got used to a routine? You're supposed to follow commands, Dum-e." The robot made a sad sound and then began to retreat. "I didn't say I didn't want it." Tony teased the robot quite frequently, but he truly did love it or he wouldn't have kept it around. He wouldn't tell anyone that. God forbid anyone figure out that he was sentimental. Tony took a long drink of the shake and then turned to admire Scarlett as she watched the video.

The creation of the element was probably the biggest news in physics in years. Probably since the invention of the H-Bomb. What he hadn't shared in all that celebration was that he'd only made it because he was dying. The palladium in his chest had been slowly killing him. The man with everything and nothing, dying because of his toxic battery powered heart. It was why he'd kissed Pepper. Why he'd dated her. He thought he was going to die without a legacy to leave behind. Sure, there was his company. There was the science. But that was all there was. That relationship hadn't worked out though. Things like that rarely did.

Once the video finished, the lights turned back up and the screens disappeared. Tony kicked his feet onto the desk as Scarlett turned back to him.

"Well, the next step seems obvious." Scarlett scoffed.

"Does it?"

"We streamline the process. You don't want to trash this place again just to recreate the element. You need a proper setup." Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him. "Why did you make it here anyway? You have all the resources money can buy."

She was too smart for her own good. Not many knew what he was about to share with her. "Before the creation of the element I was using palladium cores to fuel the magnet in my chest." Tony knocked on the reactor and took another drink of the shake, pretending it wasn't a big deal to share the truth.

"What?" Scarlett approached quickly. "Stark, that's insane. That's suicide." She looked to the reactor in horror. Was that concern he detected?

"Yeah. It was killing me." Tony placed down the protein shake, got up, and stood in front of her, resting his backside against the desk. "I was working the problem as I went. Taking steps to counteract the symptoms and slow the toxicity. But I couldn't keep up. That's when all of that happened. I hit my rock bottom and in those moments, I finished my dad's work. Lucky for me it was the perfect substitute for palladium." Tony didn't take his gaze away from her blue eyes. "That being said, I haven't begun the process of streamlining it." It'd only been a few months. Less than three months actually and he'd been considerably busy since then.

"It was a volatile process, so I can see why you've put it off. That being said, I'm not comfortable using you as a component of our test. You're not a battery, Stark." Before Tony could object, she spoke over him. "We need a stable, reliable power source that will create the same kind of numbers that you'll see when this machine is in practice. That and if you short out because of some error then what next? I won't know how to fix you. I'm smart, Stark, but this is your family's life's work. I can't learn that on the fly."

"I'm not so sure of that." Tony shrugged. "You figured out how to restart the Mark VII in about five minutes. I think you could handle the reactor." He picked up the shake and offered it to her.

"No, thanks. I make it general practice not to share my glass with a human battery. Also it smells horrid." Scarlett urged the glass out of her line of sight.

"Your loss. Most women would be happy to swap spit with me." Tony took another pointed drink of the shake. "It does taste like lawn clipping though." He looked down at the putrid color. "I was going to argue that you're just delaying the process but since you seem so concerned from me, I think you're right. We streamline this."

"It's not concern, Stark. It's a liability. That and we won't get accurate results. You're technically a contaminant to the process."

"You don't have to hide your true feelings, Scarlett. You can confess that you're human. As… terribly romantic as it'd be for you to mourn my untimely death if something went wrong, I'd prefer to keep living." Tony grabbed her hand and noted that she had some of the shake on her fingertips from touching his glass.

"Oh yes, I'll dress in black and sob at your grave. Or… more likely… never visit." Scarlett decided, trying to wriggle her wrist free and sighed in frustration as he didn't let go. "That and we need a clean test for this. Sterile, predictable environment. You know as well as I do that we have to be able to recreate exact conditions to do proper testing."

"Yes, I know. I've actually built a company on knowing that." Tony then brought her fingers to his lips and decided he would clean the protein shake away for her.

"Absolutely not." Scarlett pulled her hand away from him with a laugh of disbelief. "You keep that tongue in your mouth, Stark."

"I'm helping."

"You are not helping. You're being gross."

"I don't know about you but I don't waste food so…"

"Oh, stop. If that tongue gets near my fingers again I'm going to grab it and pull." Scarlett was trying not to like him, but he could tell she was warming up to him. He grabbed her other hand and urged her closer and she laughed, though she tried to hide her smile. It was actually quite cute. Extremely reinforcing.

"I don't see what the problem is. I have licked far worse things in my life. This is… pretty harmless."

Instead of arguing, she wiped her dirty fingers right on his t-shirt. His mouth hung open, he ran his tongue over his bottom teeth, and then looked down at the mess.

"Problem solved." Scarlett walked away, wiping her hands together. "You were saying? Before we were interrupted by all this?"

"I was trying to help you and you interrupted me. And no, now we have a new problem." He gestured to his shirt, then pulled at the bottom so he could get changed.

"Will you be stripping everyday? Is this part of your process? Because I don't have any singles and this isn't doing enough for me to give you a twenty." Tony couldn't hide his delight. She was flirting with him. He wasn't sure she realized it, but there she was, and he was delighted.

"I could make it worth a twenty. Hell, I could make it worth a c-note." He couldn't help but chuckle. Maybe this partnership would be fun after all. Though if Pepper could see how they were behaving, she would be appalled and send them both to HR.

"...I'm not sure how we're ever going to get anything accomplished together." Scarlett laughed, despite it all. Her cheeks were a delightful rosy color.

"What do you mean? This is great progress." Tony began to shut down his computer. "I have a space at Stark Industries prepared for this. A safe, clean environment on its own grid, with many of the tools required to streamline the creation of the element. After we do that, we can begin the converter fabrication and testing. See? I know the process, I just haven't done it."

"Does that mean we're taking a road trip?" Scarlett, for the first time since their dinner last night, sounded like she might be enjoying herself.

"Yes. I recommend sneakers." Tony looked her over slowly and sighed. It pained him to mention it but he knew it was the right thing to do. "And pants. Unfortunately. Such a shame to hide something so pretty but…"

"Stop there. I'll go get changed." Scarlett started away from him, but then stopped. He admired her curiously. "Is there any chance we could stop somewhere at some point? I'd like to build my own laptop so I can try to… get my life in order a little. And some amenities."

"I can just give you a laptop." Tony followed her toward the door. "I need to change too. For some reason, I was used as a towel when there was a perfectly good alternative."

"Keep your tongue away from me, Stark."

"Boring." Tony whispered after opening the door and holding it for her. "If you insist, then sure. We can stop somewhere. But I have everything you might need."

"I don't want to owe you anything else. That and I need some privacy." Scarlett followed Tony upstairs and through the house. "The last thing I need is for you to read through my things in your free time."

"First of all, what makes you think I ever have free time? Secondly… I assure you that there is no porn so weird that'll turn me off… well, I take that back, there is, but it's a very small margin." Tony turned to face her as he walked up the steps to the second floor.

"I'd hate for you to be disappointed by the lack of love letters dedicated to you. I'm sparing your feelings, really." She sighed and then walked past him to the guest room door. Tony leaned against the wall nearby.

"Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if I found you on Reddit talking about how much you hate me and what a slimeball I am."

"Trust me, I don't think about you that much." Scarlett opened the door to the room but didn't walk inside. "Besides, I'm perfectly capable of telling you what I think of you right to your face."

"Funny enough, I appreciate the brutal honesty. It's refreshing not to have someone kissing my ass." Tony smirked. "Though, you could use some help on the delivery. Sugarcoat it a little or something. Follow up with how pretty I am."

"Why? Your whole life has been sugarcoated, Stark." She leaned against the frame of the door. "Something tells me that you're not crying yourself to sleep because I don't like you."

"Never slept better, actually." Tony turned to face her, still leaned against the wall. "I'd offer to help you get changed but I'm a little tired of threats about my face being beaten in."

"Oh, wow, you are capable of learning. Good boy."

"I know. You should be proud."

"Not even a little."

"I'll meet you downstairs in ten." Tony walked to his room and stripped off his shirt, tossing it into the laundry. On second thought, he put it aside. It was a good memory. He really was sentimental. Then he went downstairs and had Jarvis get them a driver and an unmarked SUV to bring them where they needed to go.

Ten minutes later, Scarlett was alongside him in a tank top and jeans and they were walking out the front door of the mansion. The sun was shining, like most days in Malibu, and the air was warm and dry, but not overly so. It was a nice day for August.

Tony sighed dramatically and gave her the once over from above his sunglasses. "I miss your legs."

"They're still there. Just covered appropriately." Scarlett rolled her eyes and pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail. A black SUV was waiting for them. The driver stepped out and opened the back door for them.

"...you could just leave your hair down."

"It gets in the way while I work."

"It's sexy that way."

"I know. But you're having enough trouble with this dynamic without me looking like I've just rolled around in bed." Scarlett got into the back of the SUV, letting the driver assist her inside.

Scarlett's leg was sore. Her side and arm were feeling better already but the leg was worse than ever. Tony stared at Scarlett from outside the door. "What…?"

"Just enjoying that thought there."

"Like you needed my help with it or something. Get in the car."

"It's different when you paint the picture."

"How is it different?" Scarlett laughed in disbelief. Why did she like all of these stupid jokes? Why did she want to flirt with him? Why was she letting herself? God, she was the worst.

"It gives my fantasy validity." Tony shooed the driver away and leaned against the door, arm above his head.

"You're gross. Feel better now? Get in the car."

"If you insist." Tony climbed in next to her and then closed the door. "Too stifling in here. Set the AC to a cool 68 if you will." Tony glanced over at her, prepared to make another terrible joke but her smile stopped him.

"If this is a joke about how hot I made it in here, so help me…"

"Well, that's no fun."

"Actually, Stark, I'm way more fun than you can handle."

"Is that… a request? Because I'm pretty sure I'm incredibly capable of handling you." Tony fiddled with his phone. "Pepper keeps texting me." Tony sighed heavily and let the phone record his voice. "I don't text unless it's in exchange for sex and we don't do that. You know that."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and watched the world pass by the window. He was gross for show, she was certain. With a curious glance, she saw that was, in fact, what he'd sent to his assistant and scoffed in disbelief.

"Awfully nosy for someone who doesn't like me."

"I just needed confirmation that you weren't… saying that shit to get a reaction out of me." Scarlett rolled her eyes at him again. "Besides, that… your phone is unique."

"Right." Tony held it out for her to take. She looked at it suspiciously. "Go ahead. Play with it. The vibrate feature is pretty impressive, I assure you."

"Gross." Scarlett took the phone and flipped the screen sideways. Tony rattled off the features of the phone he'd built and designed himself. Scarlett was impressed with the technology. Seamless, see through, but still had a privacy mode. Technology felt limitless in Tony Stark's presence. It was strange. Conflicting. To admire him and fear him at the same time. Because that's what the apprehension was, she decided. Fear. Fear that he was everything she thought he was before this and that she was just another fly caught in the trap.

"It's remarkable." She handed the phone back to Tony as it buzzed to let him know he had a message. It wasn't her business.

"I'm surprised you know how to pay a compliment. It is." Tony was delighted. "Powerful vibration, right?" Laughing, he opened the message. "It's… more a multifunction device than a phone. It does a bit of everything."

"Please… don't tell me that phone has done gross things and you just let me touch it."

"What would you do if I said it was? Spank me?"

"Possibly boil my hands. Possibly boil your face. Who knows?" Scarlett wiped her hand on his sleeve in disgust.

"Trust me, I don't need the assistance of my phone to have a good time. the worst place its been is in my pocket and if I recall, you reached right in there yesterday." Tony flipped through the screens.

"Yeah, well, you're a pain in the ass and I was drunk." She shrugged. Silence fell between them, comfortable silence too. He was happy to just sit next to her, it seemed. And she was wishing she had anything but racing thoughts. Oh, god, she liked him. Something was deeply broken inside of her. A man she'd initially planned to setup for a fall and now she couldn't bring herself to even consider it. It felt like failure.

She turned her attention to the SUV. Nice, but nothing like the sexy car they'd taken out the night before. "So, what's with this car? No flashy sports car today?" Scarlett scratched at the wound through her jeans. It was uncomfortable beneath the denim.

"I figured we didn't need the unnecessary attention."

"I'm sorry, but did you just say you didn't want attention? Are you ill?" Scarlett wondered if it was more him trying to hide the bruises from the night before. Or avoid being seen with her.

Tony looked her over and his expression softened. "I like the attention. But no, I'm trying to keep it off of you." Tony looked out of the opposite window. "I don't know what those people want from you. And after last night, I can't risk that happening again."

Scarlett turned away, uncomfortable. Guilt. She'd changed so much in just a day and she hated it. Why couldn't she just get his pants off, get him unconscious, and take what she needed? Then leave and never look back!

Because he was a good man. Despite the arrogance. She didn't want to hurt him. Tony went above and beyond to offer her safety, comfort, and meet her halfway. Her head hurt. Think about anything else, she told herself.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the frame of the door.

Scott's blue eyes stared her down, judging her, condemning her for all her sins. And she deserved it. He was dead because of her. People died because of her. She couldn't save everyone. Why was that stuck in her head? Sergei said to save herself. But she wasn't worth saving. If anyone knew that, it'd be Scott. That was why he was in her dream, reminding her of the truth.

Scarlett recoiled at once as she felt a hand around her wrist and looked startled as she found Tony holding it tightly and looking to her with concern. She searched her surroundings and realized she'd forgotten for a moment to breathe and so she gasped for it. Where were they again? That was right.

The back of an SUV. She'd been scratching at her leg. Tony stopped her. He let go of her hand and studied her. She avoided his eyes and looked out the window, blinking the emotion away. God, she was falling apart. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"You don't have to tell me anything yet, Scarlett." He was back to his phone, but she noted he was just scrolling up and down to seem busy.

"Why?" Scarlett furrowed her brow. She didn't understand. If the roles were reversed, she'd be furious. She didn't understand what she was feeling or why. She didn't understand.

"Because I get it." Tony put his phone in his pocket. She was glad one of them did, because she was completely lost in her head. His brown eyes were serious, despite the amusement in his smile. Scarlett furrowed her brow. She pulled her other hand away from where it was nervously playing with the collar of her shirt. She had to stop this. "I still don't talk about what happened in Afghanistan." Tony offered her knee a squeeze, true compassion in his voice. "It takes time. Work."

Scarlett, without thinking, placed her hand over his on her knee in gratitude. He hooked his thumb over hers and didn't take his eyes away from her. She could feel him. Feel those eyes. Then she pried his hand off of her knee and set it aside.

He smiled. "You'll be okay."