Glass Heart

The cold, clammy feeling of nausea overwhelmed her. It started in the depths of her stomach and crept slowly through her chest, tightening around her lungs and spread up into her throat making it harder and harder to breathe. Just keep sleeping and it can’t bother you. Scarlett lay still on her back, but knew it was too late to fall back into the fitful slumber she’d found. Now that she was awake she’d have no choice but to get up and battle the nausea she felt, which she was sure was a direct result of the medicine she’d been given in combination with the stress of the weeks past. Bracing herself for what usually followed her bouts of nausea, Scarlett slowly sat up.

Much to her surprise, the surface beneath her hands wasn’t the warm plush mattress she’d expected to find but instead the cold and uninviting tile floor of a bathroom she didn’t immediately recognize. When she opened her eyes and things finally came into focus after the fog of sleep had lifted, it was all too familiar. Was she having another nightmare or had she manifested some horrible hallucination?

She was sitting near the wall, painted a pale green, filthy from age and chipping in places. The light above her flickered unsteadily due to the unstable power of the city she was in. Her arm itched and burned so she looked down to find the source of her pain which was an IV within her arm near her elbow by the joint. The flesh around the IV was bruised painfully, the gauze bloody and clearly in need of changing. How long has she been in the hospital this time? Had Tony grown tired of her causing trouble in his beautiful home and decided to finally bring her to the hospital to be dealt with by someone more tolerant? It wouldn’t have surprised her but something didn’t feel right. Her gut was telling her this wasn’t the case.

Carefully, Scarlett used the wall behind her and pushed to her feet which were sore and stiff as though she hadn’t walked in weeks. The muscles of her legs twitched in objection to her sudden movements and she nearly fell back to her knees. Leaning heavily against the wall once she was upright she looked to her feet and saw her toes bleeding through gauze they’d been wrapped in. Why hadn’t she noticed that when she’d first woken up? Now that she thought about it several more things around her seemed amiss. It was like her surroundings continued to manifest as time passed.

Her arm was in a sling close to her body, the fingers of her left hand swollen and purple. There were stitches on her side; she could feel them pulling uncomfortably. Without having to look, Scarlett knew just what other wounds she’d find. She was in the hospital in Afghanistan. After a job had gone wrong she’d escaped, and just barely, with her life. She’d walked as far as she could out of captivity but eventually she’d been unable to keep going with the severity of her wounds and had collapsed in the street. Someone had saved her and brought her to a hospital in one of the more developed cities.

There she’d remained unconscious for weeks. But that had been so long ago, what was she doing there now? The fog in her mind wouldn’t allow her to think further than that. Panic gripped her chest and constricted her breathing but instinct helped her quickly overcome it. Why hadn’t she been able to do that with Tony while she’d been working with him? It hadn’t been the first time the severity of a situation had terrified her, so why had it been so hard to get past the pain when she’d been in a safe environment with able assistance? Had she really allowed herself to become that incredibly vulnerable in a few short days?

Her thoughts quickly faded from Tony and the beautiful mansion she’d been permitted to rest in and back to the bathroom where she’d clearly spent an extended amount of time on the floor. The sink was dripping annoyingly and as she moved to turn the handle to get it to stop she saw the liquid red and congealed, reminding her of blood. Leaning heavily on the cart that held her IV she hunched down to get a better look at the sink. Instead of the filter she expected to see in the faucet, she saw something pink and fleshy oozing disgustingly.

Nausea washed through her again, the hot clammy feeling of illness overwhelming for a few seconds before she could get a handle on it. Turning away from the sink, Scarlett was about to reach for the door when the IV in her arm started to ache worse than it had before. It felt like it was stabbing her over and over again within her flesh, against her muscle. What hell had she woken up to? And if it wasn’t real then how come it felt so incredibly vivid? Her logical mind was telling her that she was having another nightmare but her subconscious wouldn’t allow her to accept it without proof.

The walls around her were pulsing, throbbing and soon enough they echoed with the beating of a heart. Beeping, much like what would be heard through a heart monitor echoed through the room and soon became earsplitting. Unable to cover her ears because of the sling, Scarlett hunched over and tried to shield herself from the obtrusive sound.

Pain in her arm reminded her of the stabbing discomfort of her IV. Becoming increasingly frustrated with her surroundings, she reached to grab the IV and without a moment of hesitation she pulled the tape and gauze away and freed the needle from her skin. Much to her surprise, it wasn’t a needle at all but rather something long, flesh colored, and covered in small spines. No wonder she’d been in such pain. Gagging as she struggled to pull herself free of her spine covered tether, Scarlett’s hands began to tremble with fear. Despite her disgust, she knew she had to keep pulling until it had been removed or the process would only become that much more horrifying. Once free of the IV that wiggled around on the floor without her help, much like a fish out of water, Scarlett could no longer resist the urge to vomit.

For some reason, the toilet seemed off limits to her and she didn’t question it, so she used the sink to her disposal. Knowing that turning the faucet on wasn’t an option she finished up, the bile hot in her throat and making it sore, then wiped her mouth on the back of her arm to rid her lips of any remnants. It was disgusting, but better than using whatever fleshy substance the sink was covered in.

Reaching for the doorknob, Scarlett knew what she’d find on the other side of the door. It would be the hospital room she spent weeks in trying to recover from the extensive wounds she’d suffered while being held captive. It had been uninviting but she’d been too fragile for weeks to attempt escape. Once she’d gotten past the infections that came from lying around in a filthy cage, she’d broken free and gone on her way.

Unexpectedly, the room on the other side of the door wasn’t the hospital room at all. In front of her was a small living room with one or two pieces of clean furniture. There were no photos on the wall and a small television in the corner. Scarlett had never been one to plant roots so every place she’d ever lived in for the past ten years had only ever had the necessities. The only reason she’d ever had a television or a couch at all was because Scott had insisted she get one when they’d started living together.

Confused, she glanced behind her and saw the dark streets of the city in India she’d lived in during her time in the Middle East. How had she gotten there from the hospital? Her head was pounding. The pain was splitting and horrible. Stumbling forward and away from the door she dropped to her knees on the linoleum and then succumbed to the urge to lay her pulsating head on the cold floor.

Closing her eyes she tried to get it together, just as she had when she’d first returned home. Her body was still mangled and sore but she’d found her way to safety at last. How long had it taken her? A week? Hospital band still around her wrist, she reached in front of her to try and push herself off of the floor and back to her knees. If she could get to her bed, perhaps she could return to sleep and escape the confusion of her mind. Maybe Scott would be there and maybe he’d hold her and she’d, if nothing else, feel less alone.

Footsteps approached and she slowly tried to push herself up again. Opening her eyes she saw the familiar sneakers that Scott often wore around the house, since he’d always been afraid of bugs crawling on him in the night. Scarlett had always told him it was silly to be afraid of something so much smaller than him, but he hadn’t cared.

“Scott…” Her voice was weak and broken. She was clearly in need of help. If he’d just kneel down, brush her hair away and tell her she’d be okay it would be all she needed to find comfort. But no comforting touch ever came, no kind or soothing words that she so craved.

He knelt down, grabbed her shoulder and pushed her onto her back. His green eyes were accusing her as they often did when she came home in the night without a word. But what more lay behind those eyes? What else was he blaming her for this time?

“Scott, please.” Her mind was growing hazier by the second. The ache within her body made her twitch and tremble. All she needed was a helping hand, someone to tell her it was okay but instead she received quite the opposite.

“What did I tell you?” Scott peered over her, adjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose. He shook his head in dismay after observing her wounds. Grabbing her hand he touched her swollen fingers. Pain shot through her arm and up to her shoulder and a small cry of anguish escaped her lips. Furrowing her brow once the pain had passed, Scarlett wasn’t sure what Scott was referring to. “I told you this would happen.”

“What?” Scarlett’s voice was broken but she’d heard this speech a thousand times.

“You were going to get what was coming to you one day. You keep playing with fire and expect not to get burned.” Scott was leaning close to her. Scarlett held her head up, hoping beyond hope to receive one small comforting touch. “This is what happens when you cover yourself in kerosene and light matches.”

Without another word, Scott stood up and walked away from her. Scarlett laid her head back on the floor, frustrated with herself. Was this a memory? Was this some terrible nightmare? Scarlett couldn’t figure it out. Her thoughts had become too muddled and nothing felt real. Regardless of the surreal nature of her nightmare, she knew one thing was real. The coldness she felt after Scott had left her on the floor to rot.

Swallowing her discomfort, her anguish, her exhaustion and pain she pushed herself so she was sitting upright and closed her eyes. Hazy memories of misery, beatings, and fighting for her life followed by escape attempts flashed into her thoughts only to disappear entirely as though they’d never happened in the first place. There was no time to deal with what had already happened, all she could do was deal with the road in front of her and take it with both feet on the ground.

Then the earth beneath her began to shake violently, the linoleum splitting. Hurrying to her feet, Scarlett knew there was no use trying to run for cover. Before she could reach the door to the bedroom where she was sure Scott was waiting for her to come and apologize, the ground gave out beneath her and she was swallowed by darkness.

Scarlett’s eyes snapped open just as she hit the heated marble floor next to the bed in the guest room of the Stark Mansion. Laying face first on the floor, Scarlett stared for a long moment at the ground before leaning her head down on the floor and closing her eyes. With a loud and anguished groan of misery she shifted to make sure her body was intact. What hell was her mind trying to put her through? Her body was stiff and heavy, like she’d slept for too long but she continued to shift anyway until she felt secure enough to push herself up. The wound on her arm was nearly completely healed and the bandage had been removed. She guessed the wound on her side was about the same.

Her leg however, felt new. It had been sore and pained from the moment she’d woken up in the lab downstairs. While it still ached it was nothing like it had been days prior. There was no quivering or weakness when she adjusted her body. Whatever the doctor had done had helped her drastically. Pulling at the gauze with tired hands once she’d sat against the bed frame she peeked at the wound. It wasn’t pretty but it was finally looking normal. The bloodied parts had scabbed over and started to heal at long last.

“Good morning, Miss Damien.” Jarvis spoke overhead in a quiet and soothing voice. For some reason the voice of the artificially intelligent computer system was comforting for her. Nuzzling her cheek against the blankets that hung off of the bed near her head she smiled slightly.

“Morning, Jarvis.” Scarlett’s voice cracked tiredly. Slowly she got to her feet, being careful with how much weight she put on her bad leg. Much to her pleasure, she found that her leg was supporting her much as it had done before she’d injured it at all. With a little stretching she guessed that she would no longer be limited by her wound in her movements.

“Shall I alert Miss Potts that you’re awake?” When no further instruction came from the room, Jarvis felt compelled to ask for some.

“No, I’m okay Jarvis. Let me get dressed first before you call anyone, okay?” Scarlett sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to figure out what the hell had happened to her hair in the night. She must have been tossing and turning during her nightmare. What had happened to her while she slept? The memory of it was hazy but she could remember the terror she’d experienced.

What had triggered the nightmare this time? Maybe it was because of how helpless she’d become when her leg had collapsed beneath her while she was working with Tony. Or perhaps, it was because for the first time in her life, someone had been there to catch her when she fell. For years, she’d fought to handle things on her own and had insisted that she’d not needed any help to a point that when she finally found help and comfort it had crippled her. Then again, it could still be from the post traumatic stress she’d suffered through after her captivity.

Shaking the thoughts of what had happened with Tony the day before and in her nightmare from her mind she started to make the bed beneath her out of habit. She’d always been meticulously clean when she lived on her own.

“That will be taken care of once you’re awake, Miss Damien.” Jarvis instructed when he realized what she was doing.

“I don’t mind doing it.” Scarlett made no attempts to stop making her bed.

“I am programmed to have the rooms cleaned when you are absent from them.” The computer continued to speak. “Should I get you some coffee or perhaps some tea? Your adrenaline levels and heart rate were unusually high during your sleep. If you like, some warm milk can be prepared to help calm you.”

“I had a bad dream that’s all. It’s nothing Jarvis. I could use a first aid kit if you have that on hand though.” Scarlett finished making the bed, despite how she was sure that it would be completely redone once she’d left. A computerized butler and every luxury at her disposal was not something she would easily adjust to. And seeing as she assumed her residence at the Stark mansion was temporary, she figured she shouldn’t get used to the five star treatment.

“Should I alert Miss Potts or Mister Stark that you are in need of some assistance?” The computer whirred overhead and something moved within the ceiling. As she had requested, first aid supplies laid out neatly on a tray emerged on a robotic arm from the ceiling just as it had the day before when Tony had helped to take care of the same burn on her leg.

“No, I’m fine Jarvis. I’m feeling much better now than I did before I went to sleep. I can handle changing my gauze on my own. If I need anything or my vitals are off you can alert them but otherwise leave this to me.” Stretching her limbs, Scarlett took the tray and set it down on the nightstand nearby. Jarvis didn’t immediately respond and for whatever reason Scarlett got the feeling that the computer was considering still contacting Tony or Pepper to try and help her out, just in case. She’d bothered them enough with her leg and it was feeling far better than it had in days so Scarlett found it unnecessary to ask for assistance.

Carefully she pulled the old, dirty gauze off of her leg and away from her wound. Someone must have changed it while she’d slept because it wasn’t as covered in blood as it should’ve been had it been applied directly after the procedure the doctor had performed before she’d gone to bed.

“I’m really okay, Jarvis.” Scarlett smiled as she discarded the old gauze and started to apply antiseptic to the rest of the wound. The Jarvis computer was still remarkable in her mind and she found herself enamored by it. It felt like there were eyes filled with concern with her in the room.

“If you insist, Miss Damien.” The computer eventually spoke, sounding skeptical of her but reluctantly allowing her independence.

“You can call me Scarlett if you like.” Her leg stung and twitched with the application of the disinfectant.

“If you insist, Scarlett.” The computer repeated. Chuckling quietly beneath her breath, Scarlett observed the wound on her leg. It was smaller than it had been before she’d gone to sleep but she guessed that the swelling had finally started to go down once the offending chemical had been removed. Thankfully it was nowhere near as disgusting as it had been when she’d last been awake, as well. Any worry she’d felt in regards to the wound was finally starting to dissipate. It was one last thing for her mind to obsess over. Now all that was left was her situation with Tony, not to mention the events that had led up to it.

“That’s all, huh?” Wrapping fresh gauze around her wound she pulled it tight to make sure it was secure and wouldn’t slide down her leg throughout the day. After taping the gauze securely she looked around the room in quiet contemplation. Why was she having nightmares every time she closed her eyes? She couldn’t exactly remember this last one so she couldn’t try to work out what fear had manifested itself in her subconscious this time. Once she was able to get her own cell phone she’d do her best to record her dreams so she could later interpret them. It wasn’t an exact science, but Scarlett couldn’t live without being able to fitfully sleep every night either. If her past was finally coming back to haunt her she’d have to find a way to combat it.

With her wound taken care of, Scarlett addressed the IV still in her arm. The haunting memory of the IV that she’d had in her dream that had so disgusted her flashed in her thoughts for a split second before she disregarded it. Carefully, she disconnected the bag of fluids from the IV and then removed the needle from her skin. She covered the small wound on her arm with a piece of gauze and taped it into place.

Getting up from where she sat on the bed, she collected the dirty gauze and tossed it into a trashcan in the bathroom. Then she picked out a casual blue dress to put on. When she worked she usually wore pants but perhaps she’d learn to get used to walking around in dresses or skirts constantly. After the discomfort the jeans had caused her the day before, she wasn’t eager to give them another chance even if the felonious chemical had been completely removed. She found walking around far simpler than it had been the day before. Maybe, if she was allowed, she could have some time in the gym she’d seen in Tony’s home in passing so she could strengthen her muscles a bit before she put herself back in harm’s way.

She took a quick shower, sorted out the tangled curly mess that was her hair and then got changed. Deciding she’d done all she could do to procrastinate going downstairs to see Tony, she started out of the room. What was she supposed to do now that she’d kissed him? Could she chalk it up to the trauma of what had happened? Maybe she could tell him it had been her simply showing her gratitude for what he’d done. He could’ve left her to deal with the horrible pain on her own or just called a paramedic and left it at that. Even after she’d verbally attacked him time and time again he’d taken care of her and had stayed with her until he was sure she was alright.

No one had ever done that for her before in the past. The fact that it was Tony Stark who had done it only made it that much more conflicting. Wasn’t he supposed to be some dastardly villain? On top of that, wasn’t he supposed to be the greatest of all heartbreakers? The man she was with now was nothing like the man she’d read about in the papers. Stopping halfway through the hallway she considered that.

No, he was exactly like the papers portrayed him but the interpretation was all wrong. He was a snarky, clever, self centered, chauvinistic pain in the ass but that had been all that was ever reported. Or perhaps no one had ever seen the reality that was Tony Stark. It seemed the only people who spent more than a few minutes during an interview with him were his assistant and his driver. She’d heard rumor of him having a friend in the military that was now helping him out with super hero related matters, but she’d seen no proof of him since her arrival.

And now there was her. She’d spent nearly every waking moment with Tony over the past few days. Leaning against the wall near the staircase, Scarlett considered that the papers and reports had it all wrong when it came to Tony Stark. Of course, it was his own fault for the way he handled first impressions but she wondered if that was perhaps by design.

He couldn’t get hurt or be betrayed if he never let anyone past that wall of sarcasm and perversion he held up so well. Laughing under her breath she headed down the stairs at long last. Unraveling the way Tony’s mind worked was part of what she had to do in order to get what she needed. At least that’s what she was telling herself to justify her Tony consumed thoughts. As she approached the bottom of the staircase, over the rush of water from the sculpture behind the couch, she could hear voices and stopped to listen so she could know what she was getting herself into.

“I’m not going anywhere, not with Scarlett upstairs still sick and so much work to do here.” Tony’s voice was muffled, like he was holding something in his mouth.

“You’ve completely repaired the new Mark Tony and I saw you messing around with the Mark V this morning. You’re running out of things to tinker with. What else could you possibly do?” Pepper’s voice was much clearer and sounded far more irritated than Tony’s.

“Oh, only about a thousand things I can think of off of the top of my head. Have you heard of Stark Industries? I don’t know how much you know about it but it’s a pretty big company and there’s always something for me to do there considering it’s my company.” Without needing to look, Scarlett could imagine Tony gesturing at his assistant. Wiping the smile quickly off of her face, Scarlett considered that she had developed Stockholm Syndrome. Her fondness for him had gone far out of her control and seemed unnatural to her.

“Of course I have, don’t you remember that time when you made me CEO?” Pepper spoke over Tony as he continued to ramble on through a list of things he could possibly be doing that were better than whatever Pepper was trying to get him to do.

“And you only lasted for a week, Potts!” Whatever Tony held in his mouth, he’d removed because now his voice was clear.

“Don’t get me started on that Tony, because we all know why that only lasted a week.” Pepper was pacing back and forth. Scarlett could hear the click of her heels on the floor.

“Incompetence? I’m just guessing but I’m sure there were a number of other reasons.” Scarlett couldn’t tell if Tony was joking or not, but she was guessing that he was considering all that he entrusted Pepper to do for him on a daily basis.

“Incompetent? No Tony, we’re not going to argue about something else. You promised you’d go to this event tonight and you’re not getting out of it.” Scarlett was impressed that Pepper had managed to get around Tony’s attempt to change the topic of conversation. She guessed that after working for him for so long it had become second nature to avoid his diversions.

“No one’s going to notice if I’m not there.” Tony’s voice started to drift, as if he’d gotten up and started walking across the room. Scarlett quietly continued to descend the stairs, wanting to listen in on as much of the conversation as she could before making herself known.

“I don’t think I can even dignify that with a response.” Pepper had stopped walking. Scarlett could picture her with her arms crossed over her chest in annoyance.

“The right answer was of course people will notice that I’m not there. I’m Tony Stark! But on that same line of thinking, Pepper, I’m Tony Stark and if I don’t want to go to this damn thing then I don’t think I have to, now do I?” A sarcastic laugh echoed through the spacious living area.

“You promised. The people from MIT are counting on you being there.” Pepper sounded exhausted and Scarlett wondered how long the two had been arguing over this event Tony didn’t want to go to.

“Since when does that matter? I’ll do what I want, not what’s expected of me just as I always have.” Tony’s voice came closer again.

“And you wonder why everyone thinks you’re such an ass.” The sound of Pepper’s heels picked up again.

“I am an ass Pepper, no one’s wondering about that except for you.” She could hear the humor in Tony’s voice. Scarlett peeked around the stairs and saw the back of Tony’s head and Pepper pacing the way that she’d envisioned her doing.

“You made this obligation months ago. Do you know what Rhodey’s going to say when he finds out that you’re bailing?” Pepper was trying to play to Tony’s guilt, but Scarlett guessed that wasn’t the easiest feat.

“That he’s uh, not surprised?” Tony shook his head then took a sip out of a water bottle. He had tape wrapped around his hands and Scarlett guessed that he’d been in his gym not too long ago.

“No, he’ll come over here and make me feel guilty because he isn’t coming tonight because you promised to go and represent the both of you! Remember? You told him that he could go on vacation for a week for the first time in years because you would take care of this for him.”

“It’s a charity event not a meeting with the Department of Defense.” Tony cocked an eyebrow. “It’s going to be boring, stuffy and all those idiots at MIT are going to harass me and tell me how brilliant I am while shoving compliments down my throat the whole night. That’s exhausting!”

“When have you turned down the opportunity to stroke your ego? That’s your life’s work Tony, making people know you’re brilliant and shoving it in their faces annoyingly.” Pepper scoffed, staring at him in disbelief.

“My ego isn’t what needs stroking right now, Pepper!” Tony had clearly stopped taking things seriously.

“You’re disgusting.”

“Saying that repeatedly won’t make me care anymore than I did yesterday.” Tony muttered, turning his attention to something in his hands again. Pepper sighed heavily and paced the floor once more, seeming to consider the situation at hand and trying to find a more convincing argument.

“It could be fun, Tony.” Tony stopped what he was doing and looked at Pepper skeptically before turning his attention back to whatever he held in his hands.

“So could a root canal, but I’m not jumping up to get that done either.”

“It’s a masquerade ball! They’re clearly set up to party for the night. It’s been how long since you went to a good party?” Scarlett had a feeling that eventually, Tony would agree to go only to shut his assistant up. She wondered though, how reliable Tony’s word was in a situation like this. What would stop him from ditching the party after agreeing to go?

“If I wanted to have a good party, Pepper, I’d just throw one. Masquerade is a good idea though, I haven’t done that in a few years. Maybe this Halloween…” Tony contemplated, but clearly his mind hadn’t changed.

“Why would you throw one when you can go to one tonight?” Pepper scoffed in annoyance. Tony sighed heavily and leaned against the back of his couch, moving both arms onto the back of it.

“Scarlett is upstairs. I need to be here in case something happens. Just send them a check for a contribution for however much you think is necessary to apologize for my absence.” Tony leaned his head back. Scarlett averted her eyes and wondered if he was using her as an excuse or if there was genuine worry in his voice.

“Invite her! What if she went with you?” Pepper was grasping at straws to try and make the night seem appealing. Finally, Tony didn’t object but seemed to consider her proposal.

“She’s been out of it for two days, Pepper. If she doesn’t wake up tonight I’m probably bringing her to a hospital. As fun as bringing her to a party sounds, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“It was a terrible idea anyway.” Pepper finally stopped pacing. “After what happened to me and Happy out on the highway, I’d be worried about you bringing her in public and causing another scene.”

“Well now that you’re worried about it, I kind of want to go.” Tony jeered and got up again, setting down the small electronic device he was working with on the couch. “I’ll go check on her again.” Deciding it was time to stop hiding, Scarlett made her move.

“Check on who? Me?” Scarlett walked down the remaining stairs and into the living room. Tony’s eyebrows shot to the top of his head and Pepper seemed amused by her timing.

“Yes, actually.” Tony wiped his greasy hands off on his jeans and walked over to her, offering a hand to help her walk which she ignored as she had during his prior offers. She saw a smile on Tony’s mouth behind the annoyance he expressed when she rejected him.

“Well, no need then. And before you ask me I think that it’s a terrible idea that you invite me out to whatever it is you don’t want to go to tonight. So don’t bother.” Scarlett walked around him and sat herself down on the couch near whatever Tony had been working on. It looked to her like a dissected version of his cell phone.

“Why not? We’ve been cooped up in this house the last few days and you could use a good time after what happened.” Tony sat down next to her on the couch with that look Scarlett found so annoying constantly on his face. The look that told everyone he knew how cute and charming he was and was going to use it to his advantage. She hated that it only seemed to make him more endearing.

“Just yesterday you were telling me that we were taking ugly inconspicuous cars to and from places because you didn’t want to draw attention to me and now you’re telling me I should go to some event just because you’ll be bored if I don’t?” Scarlett pursed her lips in amusement.

“Two days ago you mean, you slept forever and it’s true, I don’t want you in the limelight until we figure out what those men wanted but at the same time… it could be fun.” Tony bit his lip and concentrated. “You all dressed up in a sexy dress with a dark mask on… You’ll be the dark mysterious girl in a room filled with science geeks. Come on, it’ll be a blast.”

“What, so you can show me off on your arm like some prize? No way, Stark. I’m a lot of things but arm candy isn’t one of them.” Scarlett couldn’t deny that the idea of a party sounded fun, but in the back of her mind she worried about how she’d handled being in a room crowded with strangers.

“Jarvis, I need you to start looking up evening gowns. Maybe something with a nice slit right up the leg… you know, so Scarlett’s wound can breathe.” Tony added in after both Pepper and Scarlett gave him a look that clearly disapproved.

“I’m not going anywhere with my leg still such a mess, Stark.” Scarlett corrected him. “Cancel that order Jarvis, it’s not worth it.”

“You’re doing much better obviously. The doctor came to check on you yesterday and said that you could walk around and start to recover at long last. Plus, he left you with some pretty awesome pain medication. That will make you fly to this damn place… not that I would know or anything.” Tony averted his eyes when Pepper glared at him accusingly.

“Even without all of that, I’m not going to a party with you.” Scarlett tried to make her point clear.

“What’s so terrible about going with me somewhere? I’m, by far, the best person to take to a party.” Tony knew why she was resisting, but it was fun to mess around with her.

“I’ve seen you at events with women in the papers and while a lot of your press might be falsified or conjecture, that’s most certainly the part that isn’t. I’m not some brainless bimbo for you to show off.” Scarlett itched at the gauze on her leg and felt Tony grab her wrist to make her stop.

“Brainless bimbo? No way, not you… I would never call you that. I have a lot of other things I could call you that you probably don’t want to hear but brainless and bimbo are not the words I would’ve chosen.” Tony let go of her hand once he was sure she wasn’t going to scratch again.

“It’s out of the question, Stark.” Scarlett furrowed her brow then recalled something he’d said earlier. “Wait, I’ve been asleep for how long?”

“Two days.” Pepper sat on the loveseat across the room picking up the stack of papers she had left there earlier and pulling them into her lap.

“Thirty six hours, she’s exaggerating.” Tony gently nudged Scarlett’s arm then reached over her to tug on the hem of her dress. Immediately Scarlett placed her hand over the bottom of it so Tony couldn’t lift it any higher. Pouting he tugged on it again. “I’m just trying to look at your wound. It probably needs cleaning.”

“I took care of it already and it’s doing much better than before. Why did you let me sleep for so long?” Scarlett swatted at his hand again but he didn’t pull away.

“Um, because you were tired?” Tony shook his head as if this were the obvious answer.

“Scarlett, please.” Pepper interrupted much to their surprise. “If you don’t go then he won’t go and I’m going to have to apologize to about a thousand people and listen to how disappointed they are that Tony didn’t show up. I swear they tried to make this interesting just so that he would want to go.” Pepper held her hands clasped together in front of her. Scarlett stopped to consider the notion of actually going to the event.

On one hand, Scarlett would have to go into a room filled with people once again and the last time she’d tried that she’d panicked and there was no chance that she wanted to relive that again. On the other hand, she couldn’t avoid crowds forever and the sooner she got herself used to going back into them the easier her recovery from the post traumatic stress would be. Scarlett had never been the type to let her fears consume her. If she went as they asked, perhaps Pepper would trust her a bit more than she had.

She knew the woman was being kind to her and was fond of her in a sense, but she was sure that the suspicion that had been aroused when those men had come after her in the club was still there lingering in Pepper’s thoughts. Then there was Tony who clearly wanted to go out with her and have a good time. If she did them this favor and asked for nothing in return, perhaps in the scheme of things, it would make getting what she needed a bit easier.

“Fine, I’ll go.” Scarlett nodded her head and offered Pepper a soft smile. The assistant sighed in relief and set down her papers.

“Thank you, it means a lot. It’s a big event so I don’t think that whoever was coming after you, if that was the case of course, is going to dare to show up there. It would be far too much bad press plus security is usually crazy at those things considering most of the people invited are millionaires at the very least.” Pepper reassured her.

“Wait, just like that? You agreed to go just like that?” Tony interrupted before Pepper could continue on as she had obviously been planning to do. “If I had asked you we would’ve fought about it for an hour at the very least and probably ended up screaming about what a pig I was and I would’ve been in the dog house.”

“She asked me nicely.” Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. “And you are a pig, there’s no argument there.” Tony laughed and shook his head in dismay.

“Alright, so we’re going to need costumes then Pepper. You and Happy should come with… You know, in case I need someone to get me away from the people who are inevitably going to want to talk my ear off about things I have no interest in.” Tony tapped his fingers on his knee.

“Hold on a second.” Scarlett held her hand up in front of Tony to get him to stop talking. He furrowed his brow and tilted his head curiously at her. “Since I’m going to this thing I need to lay down a few ground rules.” Scarlett turned to sit sideways so she could look at Tony and pointed an accusing finger at him.

“Pepper, she’s trying to give me boundaries.” Tony pouted and looked to his assistant for help.

“I am not your date.” Scarlett instructed.

“But I’m so cute.” Tony exclaimed dramatically a smile on his face.

“I’m going as your colleague and there’s no further discussion on the matter. You will not parade me around like some piece of ass you’re proud of tapping and under no circumstances will you allow anyone to believe that such a thing has happened.” While Scarlett did her best to sound stern, she couldn’t hide her smile.

“You like me.” Tony grabbed the finger she held in his face and pulled it out of his line of sight. “Why are you trying so hard not to, hmm?”

“This has nothing to do with whether or not I like you. It has to do with respect, Stark and there’s an automatic assumption about women who are on your arm and I refuse to be one of them. I have worked too hard to become one of the masses who has just tossed her panties out the window for a date with Tony Stark.”

“God you’re sexy when you’re using colorful metaphors.” Tony hashed his teeth together playfully, mocking a growling sound.

“I’m never going to get out of this without looking like a slut, am I?” Scarlett turned her head to look at Pepper.

“I think if you talk the way you are now, you’ll be just fine.” Pepper laughed, enjoying the exchange between the two. Despite her objections, even Pepper could see the spark between the duo in front of her.

“I really don’t like you two being friends.” Tony didn’t make a move to let go of Scarlett’s hand.

“You should be glad that we don’t hate each other.” Scarlett pulled her hand free and then got up to walk over to Pepper. “And if you don’t mind, can I pick out my own dress? I don’t want to trust Tony with such a task. If you let him pick something out for me… I honestly don’t want to know what will happen.”

“Of course you can. Let me make a few phone calls and then we can start working on that for tonight. Why don’t you have Jarvis get you something to eat so you can take the medicine the doctor gave you while I get things ready?” Pepper stood up and turned to glance at Tony. “You be on your best behavior.” Before she walked away she turned to look at Scarlett one last time with a smile on her face. “Thank you again.” Scarlett nodded in acceptance of her gratitude.

“Always, mother.” Tony rolled his eyes and watched his assistant leave the room. After she’d gone he peered over at Scarlett who was now standing across the room from him and smiled mischievously.

“What?” Scarlett turned her gaze away from him and sat on the couch that Pepper had been seated on only moments ago.

“You look better.”

“Thanks… I think.” Scarlett turned her eyes away from Tony again and toward the water sculpture behind him. She fought off the chills, not wanting to let Tony know she was getting them. Why did things feel different when she was with him? It was damn frustrating, that was for sure. When she was without him the situation seemed so simple, but when they were together was when things got hairy. Tony leaned his elbows on his knees and stared at her still from across the room.

“How come every time I try to take you somewhere you have to go above and beyond to make sure it’s not a date?” Tony got up, picking up the small device he’d been working on and starting toward where Scarlett now sat. She continued to look past him.

“It’s not a date Stark because we are not dating.”

“Well, obviously. A woman I was dating would more than likely call me Tony.” Widening his eyes for a moment while he spoke, he continued to approach.

“See, you just proved my point.”

“So, you’re this girl I’m not dating.” Tony sat down next to her and placed his hand on her knee.

“That’s what I just said.” Scarlett pried his hand off of her leg but couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t mean to flirt with him, it was just something that happened when she was with him. “I’m not looking to join the masses, Stark.”

“Well, I’ve had a lot of women I’m not dating kiss me before, you know.” Tony fought to get his fingers free of her hand that was prying him away.

Scarlett didn’t respond but simply stared at Tony instead. When she tried to pull her hand back and away from his, he grabbed it and held it close to his chest. She could feel the metal of the reactor beneath his shirt against her knuckles.

“Regardless, you should reconsider… because I’d hate for you to be like those masses you keep talking about.” Bringing her hand to his lips he kissed her knuckle, let his scruff purposely brush against her skin then let go of her hand. Standing up, Tony waved the small electronic device he was working on. “I’m building you a phone. It’ll be done before the party tonight.” Scarlett simply stared at him, daring him to make another move or to continue talking. When she said nothing and they simply stared at each other Tony cleared his throat and smirked. This was partially why he liked her. Whenever he thought he knew what her next move was she surprised him. On top of that, the tension that had built up between them simply continued to intensify. All he’d done was kiss her hand all she’d done was smile at him but his heart was in his throat.

“Jarvis, get her something to eat. I’ve got to get finished with this and get cleaned up.” Turning to look back down at Scarlett he showed her his filthy hands. “I’ve got two days worth of grease on me now.” Leaning down to brush the back of his hand over Scarlett’s cheek he left a kiss there beneath where he’d touched. He hesitated after the cheek kiss and contemplated finding her lips with his again but instead pulled away. If they were going to go to the party that Pepper had pushed on them that night, he had a lot of work to get done in a short amount of time. When things stressed him out, Tony generally immersed himself so deeply into his work it was sometimes hard to pull him away. But now that he saw that Scarlett was doing well he was confident enough to take a step back.

Scarlett turned toward him and held her breath without realizing it. When Tony saw just as much conflict behind her blue eyes as he felt in his own mind, he stood up straight and walked away, wiping his hands again on his shirt. There would be plenty of time for him to make his move at the party and at least there he’d be in his element.

Watching him walk away and back to his lab Scarlett finally exhaled and caught her breath. Flopping backwards onto the couch she wiped her face with her hands and groaned in disapproval. What the hell was she doing? Every time she left the room she’d strengthen her resolve when it came to dealing with Tony and then she’d completely abandon any plans she’d had when he smiled at her. It felt like a school girl crush she’d developed and she didn’t like it.

The more time she spent with him, the harder it was becoming to get past the feelings she’d developed for him. So, Scarlett decided it was finally time for her to move forward with her plan. The party was the perfect opportunity for her to take advantage of her position. If she waited any longer, she would lose the upper hand. She’d get the truth tonight one way or another and find out where to go from there.

“Jarvis, could I get some coffee with whatever breakfast you’re cooking up? I have a feeling I’m going to need it.” Sitting up straight again, Scarlett pushed her hair out of her face. She hoped Tony wasn’t the villain she’d initially made him out to be and for more reasons than her own selfish ones. If he wasn’t, she could find out who was responsible and still get revenge for Scott while leaving Tony to build a better world.

But for now, Scarlett would only have to worry about keeping what she needed to do professional. Unfortunately, she knew she was already far more emotionally invested than she’d ever intended to be.