Glass Heart

When Scarlett had walked through the Malibu mansion, guided by Jarvis, she’d been far too preoccupied to take note of the opulence of the home. Some of it had been impossible to ignore, but still she pushed it to the back of her mind. There were far more important things no her mind.

It wasn’t a question of why Tony made her so angry but rather why she allowed it to bother her.

Of course he angered her!

After the atrocities he'd committed it was a wonder she’d had any restraint at all. The terrorism, the deceit! Even to Scarlett, who was no saint, it seemed despicable. To top it off it seemed he expected gratitude! He even played the martyr. Scarlett had never allowed one singular person to get under her skin this way. At least she hadn't in years. Lost in thought, Scarlett came to when Jarvis instructed her that she had walked past the guest room that had been designated as hers.

Upon opening the door Scarlett was finally forced to observe just how beautiful Tony Stark’s home actually was. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, the man seemed to have impeccable taste. His reputation had always led her to believe that his place would be filled with tacky paintings of half naked women leaning on sports cars. Scarlett decided that this must have been Pepper’s doing. There was no way Tony could’ve possibly had the eye for such exquisite artwork.

The room she would be staying in was far more extravagant than Scarlett had anticipated. Then again, she hadn't put much thought into it. Since she'd woken up everything had been a blur. The wall closest to the door was lined floor to ceiling with large windows facing the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Not seeing any blinds, Scarlett wondered curiously if they were in fact screens that would darken given an order to Jarvis. It wouldn’t surprise her, everything in Tony Stark's mansion was state of the art.

She couldn't help but think that if she chose to settle down someday she would live in a place eerily similar. Why did they have to have so much in common? It was frustrating to see parallels in someone she was supposed to despise.

“There are fresh towels in the bathroom along with the finest shampoos and soaps money can buy. Would you like me to start the water for your shower, Miss Damien?” Still startled by the omnipresent Jarvis, Scarlett glanced upward, searching for someone to talk to. It felt nothing short of odd to speak with such incredible technology, but somehow thrilling at the same time. Oddly, she felt rude not making eye contact with this disembodied voice.

There was a large and comfortable looking bed decorated with various dark linens, an excess of pillows at the head of it. Scarlett had never thought a bed had looked so appealing in her entire life. Her back suddenly reminded her of just how uncomfortable sleeping at a desk had been. Against the opposite wall hung several abstract paintings and a series of clocks, each with a different time set for various countries. Turning she closed the door behind her and walked toward the bed, taking note of the regal looking dresser at the far end of the room and the two nightstands on either side of the bed. It looked like the guest room had been untouched for a long time.

“Yes, please Jarvis,” Scarlett finally responded, pushing her filthy hair out of her face. After observing the lavish and modern looking furniture throughout the bedroom and tossing around the clothing magazines Pepper had left for her to look through Scarlett meandered into the bathroom. She felt like she was floating and not in a good way. Not surprisingly, the bathroom was just as lavish, even in the dark. “Make it hot, okay? I really need it.”

“Right away, Miss Damien.”

She searched for a light switch near the door but instead the lights came on before she could find it. Having small everyday tasks eliminated was not something she had expected. Not only had she never lived with such technology at her disposal, she’d gone from living in a dark room with next to no food or sleep for the past few weeks to being in the extravagant mansion of Tony Stark. It was a big enough adjustment from normal life anywhere in the world, nonetheless captivity.

There was a long marble counter along the left wall, two round mirrors above two modern looking sinks. Even the toilet looked high tech. Scarlett wondered if any aspect of life was normal for Tony Stark and guessed that it wasn’t.

“Answer something for me, Jarvis.”

“If it is within the allowed perimeters, I shall Miss Damien.” Scarlett closed the door to the bathroom behind her and locked it just in case Tony was feeling brave. While he’d joked with her about the tension and sparks he'd alluded to between them, Scarlett knew there was something far more serious bubbling just beneath the billionaire’s playful exterior. It was incredibly unlikely that he would try to sneak into the bathroom but at the same time Scarlett didn’t feel like giving him more credit than he deserved. Besides, if he was malevolent enough to use his wealth and intelligence to murder countless people in foreign countries for a profit then what was stopping him from chasing her in the shower? Or maybe she was paranoid. Who could blame her?

“You’re the whole security system for this place, am I right?”

“Yes, Madame, you are indeed correct. Is there something that concerns you?”

“Are there cameras in every room of the house?” Implying her concern was a lot easier than outright asking if Tony was a voyeur.

“No, Miss Damien there is not a camera in every room. If you are concerned about your privacy you should be pleased to know that while the bedroom has security functions and limited camera use, all the bathrooms in the house are free of cameras and sensors.”

“Huh… Consider me surprised. I would’ve expected Stark to have all the cameras and sensors in here… given his taste level.” Scarlett, feeling as though she could trust the computer system to a fault unzipped the side of the dress Pepper had allowed her to borrow for the time being. It was tight on her hips and chest, but it still fit better than the tattered jeans had. Pepper was thinner than Scarlett was, or at least not as curvy. Folding the dress neatly, she placed it on the counter and looked at herself in the mirror.

She didn’t look as terrible as she had expected after weeks of captivity. While she was far thinner than she’d once been, she still looked rather nice despite the obvious lack of personal hygiene she’d been deprived of. Luckily, Scarlett had always been the type to abandon such things when she’d become engrossed in her work so it hadn’t bothered her too much for the first few days. Though now that she’d had time to think about it and the immediate danger had passed, she felt rather disgusting.

She found herself staring in the mirror but not at her reflection. Her stomach churned.

Finally she turned to the shower, opened the glass door, and stuck her hand beneath the spray of warm water coming from one of four shower heads on the ceiling. How long had it been since she’d been even granted access to a shower nonetheless a proper bathroom? Leaning her head against the glass door, Scarlett only realized her hand was trembling when the water from one of the shower heads splashed her face. Pulling her hand back, she closed the shower door and leaned against the opposite wall lost in thought.

Clenching her trembling hands, she folded her arms over her chest and took deep breaths. Why was she shaking so terribly? Closing her eyes in an attempt to clear her mind, she immediately opened them again when she saw the flash of an explosion on the back of her eyelids.

She could name a thousand situations from her past that had been scarier than the one with MedCo so why was this one hitting her so damn hard? Stepping away from the cool touch of the tiled bathroom wall, Scarlett tried to think of anything else to calm her racing heart. Her leg stung at the memory of the explosion that had so severely damaged it.

It wasn’t like this had been the worst thing that had ever happened to her. On a job in the Middle East, Scarlett had been hired by a private company to sneak behind enemy lines, sabotage a rebel groups targeting system for their missiles, and to make digital copies of their back up files to give the company that had hired her an advantage against their adversaries. Scarlett had done her research on the company before accepting the job. She’d never been the type to lie in bed with a company or corporation without doing her research.

This had been the first time that Scarlett had simply taken anyone’s word on a contract. And she’d only done so because Scott had talked them up and encouraged her to work for them. He had promised that he knew all about the company thanks to some old coworkers. He’d assured her that their work was truly revolutionary and above all benevolent. Had Scott really known what he’d been talking about? Maybe there was a chance he’d known about the darker side of MedCo and had tricked Scarlett into being hired. But why would he do that? He wouldn’t. Scott betraying her was out of the question. He was a good man. She'd been the monster.

“Damnit.” Pushing her hair out of her face Scarlett paced across the bathroom in an attempt to clear her mind of the darker thoughts she refused to consider. At last she resigned to get on with it and take her shower, removing her undergarments and the bandages that covered her wounds. She’d begun to think about the work she’d done in the Middle East as an attempt to console herself so why on earth had she started thinking about MedCo again nearly immediately? Out of all the awful experiences she’d had why couldn’t she shake this particular one?

“Are you alright, Miss Damien? Your heart rate has very suddenly spiked multiple times. Is there cause for concern? Should I send for aid?” The sound of Jarvis’ voice nearly made Scarlett jump out of her skin. It was easy to forget that there was a computer making note of her on a constant basis.

“I’m fine,” Scarlett spoke after she regained her composure. She then touched her palm to the wall. Why did she feel the need to comfort the damn computer? “Thank you, Jarvis.”

“You are most welcome, Miss Damien.”

Opening the glass door of the shower once more, Scarlett stepped inside and closed it behind her. Hesitantly she stepped beneath the spray of hot water and while she’d expected her wounds to burn and sting, it was nothing in comparison to the absolute comforting feeling of the clean water on her dirty skin.

With a heavy sigh she rinsed the dirt and muck out of her hair, not bothering to look down at the water for fear of how disgusting it might actually be. Rinsing herself off was the first step to feeling better. The stinging of her wounds was a temporary relief from the thoughts of Africa plaguing her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, some new horror waited to flash before them. Not only was Africa on her mind but now so was Afghanistan.

Of course her plan to forget MedCo had backfired! Why did she pick that particular job to think about anyway? She’d been on countless fun and exciting jobs! Naturally she had to concentrate on the ones that ended in torture and death instead of the ones that ended in mystery and intrigue.

Once she’d properly rinsed off Scarlett quickly located the shampoo and soaps that Jarvis had mentioned and was grateful for them more than anything else. While she was usually not concerned with her physical appearance when she was working she did take pride in her beauty most other times. She had never let herself go this long without showering or caring for her hygiene before and the idea of feeling clean sounded like it could be a huge comfort from what had happened. Then again, it wasn’t like she’d been this filthy by choice. She hadn’t exactly been staying in a five star resort.

While she cleaned her long curly hair she continued along that line of thought. Maybe the sudden monotony of waking up in a safe environment after the constant terror and intensity of the situation in Africa had shocked her system. How could she drop her defenses now that she was essentially safe? She had no idea where to begin. Every turn and every word still felt like a manipulation or an attack that she had to defend herself against. Why couldn’t she shake the feeling of danger and fear?

Suddenly she realized why she’d thought of the Middle East. What had happened there had been a lot more horrifying than what had happened to her in Africa. It had been the last time Scarlett had been in serious trouble before she’d taken the job with MedCo. She figured if she could get past what had happened in the Middle East without blinking an eye then she should be able to handle what had happened in Africa without a second thought.

She was careful to avoid thinking of details of that mission in particular since she seemed to have stirred up enough unpleasant memories thus far. But had she handled that situation very well back then when she’d returned to India after all had been said and done? She’d managed to stay away from the more dangerous jobs after that at the very least, despite the fact they had once been the only sorts she’d accepted. Her reputation underground had been of one that had sought out danger.

The problem was that taking safe jobs had always bored the hell out of her. Scarlett was terrible when she’d been given too much free time. She’d found other ways to get into trouble which had only succeeded in adding to her criminal record for drunken and disorderly conduct and causing fights in bars with guys twice her size.

Scarlett had always been a thrill seeker.

The one time she hadn’t been looking for trouble by taking a job with MedCo had been the one time she’d gotten in far more danger than she’d expected. Maybe that was what bothered her. She had been trying, for once, to do the right thing. But she had wound up in way over her head, which was something she rarely admitted. At least when she’d made a deal to go to the Middle East she had known what she was getting herself into and what the risks were. Her job with MedCo wasn’t supposed to turn into a hostage situation.

Rinsing out her hair, Scarlett instantly felt lighter and cleaner than before but the heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach hadn’t dissipated in the slightest. Cleaning the rest of her wouldn’t take very long even though she had to be careful around her various wounds. She noticed then the impeccable job that had been done caring for her wounds. Eventually she would have to say thank you to Tony for what he’d done for her and she dreaded every second of it.

She didn’t have time for any of this post traumatic stress garbage she was sure she was experiencing. There was still too much at stake for her to give into the cloud forming above her head. What was she supposed to do? Sleep it off? Drink it away? As far as she was concerned, she was still being held hostage. No matter how many times she told herself the situation had changed, her mind couldn’t switch gears.

She had to realize that Scott was dead and there was no saving him anymore. She’d heard Erick give the order to shoot him and if that hadn’t done the job then she was sure that the explosions that had brought down the building had been the end of him. Still, she could save Scott’s memory by bringing justice upon Tony Stark for what he had done.

She knew what Scott would say to her if he knew what was going on within the confines of her mind. Leaning against the wall of the shower underneath the spray of water she slid to sit on the floor, her leg throbbing and stinging from the soap and hot water she’d irritated it with.

Scott would tell her to back off and do something else to occupy her rage. He would tell her that there was no way she could fight against Tony Stark and all his money and popularity. Why was she fighting so hard for someone who had always told her to give up when things got too dangerous?

Because she knew fighting for him was the right thing to do. It wasn’t just for Scott, either. This was for her and for the many people that Stark had manipulated over the years. The world would’ve been a better place with the advanced prosthetics she had been originally planning to create with MedCo, but it would have been even better without the technological grip of Stark Industries and its corrupt CEO.

How many people before her had been tricked into working for Stark Industries thinking they were honestly doing some good for the world only to find out they were being manipulated? How many families had been taken captive and held as collateral to keep people working for Stark’s subsidiary companies in the middle of the desert where there was very little law to help them even if they managed to escape?

That was enough to solidify her decision. She had been doubting what she had to do in regards to Stark Industries and doubting that she could put up with Tony Stark and his attitude for long enough before she had accomplished what needed to be done. But now that she’d really sat and thought about the situation, she knew she could do it.

Tony wasn’t as insufferable as she had expected upon first meeting him. She was suffering from some kind of mental trauma which had only made it that much harder to deal with Tony. Not to mention, she was having a very hard time separating what he’d done in Africa from what he was telling her. There was a very small part of her that was grateful that she’d been saved from the desert sands by Iron Man but there was a far bigger part of her that was so angry that Tony Stark had been responsible for her being there in the first place that she couldn’t overcome. Now he was feigning innocence and trying to manipulate her into telling him what she knew.

That was why she had been so angry at him. That was the source of the rage she couldn’t shake. Running a hand through her soaking wet hair in an attempt to untangle it, Scarlett hung her head and looked at the floor of the shower, the droplets of water moving toward the drain in the center of the tile temporarily distracting her.

How was she going to go get past Tony to get into his computer systems and secret files so she could expose him for what he really was? How was she going to disable Jarvis and the security system in general? On top of that, how would she accomplish any of those things when so consumed with anger?

Scarlett didn’t doubt that she could do it. The hardest part would be getting Tony off of her tail long enough to give her the opportunity to do the job correctly. He was just as wary of her as she was of him and she was sure that he would be monitoring her every move. Even if she got up while he was sleeping, Jarvis would let him know she was out of bed and in his computers before she got the chance to shut the system down.

But Tony Stark had an incredibly obvious weakness. Scarlett knew the weakness very well, as did most of the world. Could Scarlett really exploit that just so she could get the proof she’d needed?

It wasn’t his arrogance, it wasn’t even his ego that was his weakness. It was his libido that would do the trick. If she could get him to trust her enough to get him into bed then she could take advantage of him and get exactly what she needed. If she played it right, she could play it off as an elaborate prank even. While he slept, she’d be able to take his phone and disable his computer system from his bed and then get into his files in the basement. Maybe if she could get him to drink enough, he’d pass out entirely and she wouldn’t even have to sleep with him.

He wouldn’t have to know what she wanted to get from his computers instead she could explain to him that she just wanted him to feel as used for sex as the women that he left behind after his many one night stands. Considering how she’d been talking to him since she’d woken up it would sound like an incredibly viable excuse. With the Jarvis system turned off he’d have no idea what files she would have accessed.

She could simply copy all of the files hidden on his drive then look them over later on. While she was sure that it wouldn’t be easy to get past the security Tony had built into his home, she knew that with a good four hours alone in his lab she could do it without question.

But could she really do something as despicable as lure Tony Stark into bed? That was low, even for her, and Scarlett had done a lot of nasty things in her life up to that point. Using her body in such a manner had never been out of the question even if she’d always only exploited men visually, never physically. There had never been the need to push it further than that in the past.

It was hard not to use feminine wiles to her advantage when she was in a field predominantly run by men. In fact, it had always felt sort of pathetic to Scarlett, how easy it was to manipulate the male species with a pretty face and the right attitude.

Unless she could think of another way to get into Tony’s files that didn’t require months of working for him and gaining his trust, Scarlett would stick with her plan. When given the chance she would let Tony make a move on her and she would do what she could to avoid the actual act of sex, but if she had to, she would go through with it until the end.

It wouldn’t be her first one night stand, though she wasn’t sure she could hold back her disgust with the man long enough to let it happen. She’d had plenty of drunken one night stands before she’d promised Scott she’d stop, but it would be the first calculated and planned one. Alcohol certainly couldn’t hurt the situation, as long as she didn’t drink enough to stop her from being able to hack his computer system without fucking up. Once it was over with it would be worth the little sacrifice she had to make to be able to expose Tony Stark to the world as what he really was: a money hungry, blood thirsty tyrant manipulating those less fortunate and forcing them to bend to his whim under the guise of a super hero.

What would Scott think of her for the decision she’d made? Surely he would tell her how disgusted he was with her for even considering doing such a lowly thing. Using sex for personal gain was just as bad as using it for financial gain in Scott’s eyes. Scarlett reminded herself why she was doing this. Scott was dead and the only way to get justice for him was to take down Tony Stark. She’d have to remind herself that she was doing it for him.

But was she really doing it for him? Or was she doing it out of guilt since she couldn’t save Scott? It wasn’t like she thought the world had lost a terribly brilliant mind. It was simply the principle of the thing.

Deciding she’d done all the thinking she could do without causing a migraine, she stood up, hands still trembling for whatever reason, the rock still sunken in the pit of her stomach. There was a brief moment of confusion as she searched for a way to turn off the water before she recalled that Jarvis had controlled it for her in the first place.

“I’m done in here Jarvis.” Scarlett looked up at the ceiling, which she had decided was better than talking to the floor. Despite the way her life had panned out, she’d been raised to be a lady and it felt weird not looking at the person she was addressing.

The water turned off on its own only a moment later.

“You’re amazing Jarvis.”

“Thank you Miss Damien,” the house responded politely. Scarlett got to her feet and stepped out of the shower, her leg throbbing, causing her to. Wrapping the towel around her body after drying off, she contemplated the situation at hand once again while she attempted to steady her hands.

Tony Stark would regret the day that he’d saved a woman he knew nothing about in the desert and invited her into his home. At last she had a plan. Or at least she thought she did. Something still ached in her mind.

Why the hell did she still feel so awful? She had a plan and a concrete goal. Her motivation should’ve returned. Deciding it best to ignore the nagging doubt and the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Scarlett didn’t bother with her reflection in the mirror and instead started the process of drying her wounds without making them bleed.

Tony kicked his feet onto his desk and leaned back, browsing the holographic records he’d been browsing when Pepper had interrupted him with her feminist rant. Scarlett Damien had not been an easy person to track down, as the last half an hour had proved. Finally in Germany he’d found some records of her existence. He'd begun to think that she was a figment of his imagination.

Feeling rather successful for finally locating something, he smirked to himself and opened the private files he’d stolen from the police in Germany. He was looking forward to telling the stubborn woman that he knew all about her and her promise that he wouldn’t find a damn thing on her would be broken. He didn’t know why he felt that he had to beat her so badly. Maybe it was because she’d shown him up on his own project. While it hadn’t initially bothered him that she’d come up with a solution to something he’d been working on for weeks, the more he thought about it the more it irked him.

Or maybe it had been because Pepper had told him that he should offer her a partnership instead of the already incredibly generous job offer he’d made and it still rubbed him the wrong way. Mostly because he knew that his assistant was right and Scarlett had probably been offended that he’d assumed she should be his subordinate when she’d shown him up only moments beforehand. Maybe it was a combination of these two things that had bothered him so much. Or maybe it was because Scarlett was a whole different game to play.

When he read through the file he’d found after translating it, he kicked his feet off of the desk and back onto the floor. Then with a sigh he slammed his fist against the top of his desk in frustration.

“Not what you were looking for was it, sir?” Jarvis interrupted after Tony simply sat cursing and shaking the hand he’d now injured on his desk out of annoyance.

“What makes you think that Jarvis? Was it perhaps all the cursing or was it the slamming and yelling that gave me away? Are there any other files on this woman? There has to be some information lying around in the world for Scarlett Damien!” Tony grimaced.

The file he’d opened that he’d stolen from Germany was a police report where no charges had officially been filed. Apparently she’d gotten into a bar fight near the airport a few years prior and had broken a beer glass on some poor guy’s face. When the fight had been investigated further the bartender had vouched for the pretty woman and the case had been considered self defense since the man in question had become rather hands on with Scarlett against her will and she was simply defending herself. At least that’s what the file had claimed, somehow Tony knew it couldn’t be right.

“Why do I doubt that’s the whole story?” Tony muttered, crumpling up the holographic file and tossing it into the goal post that Jarvis brought up habitually for him when he started crumpling up files he didn’t need. A ringing bell went off and a point total popped up above the target Tony had hit with his shot.

“Sir there is another police report in London filed under Scarlett Damien. She served three months in jail for property damage and minor drunken and disorderly charges,” Jarvis read the file aloud rather than bringing it up for Tony since he predicted it would be discarded.

“How the hell doesn’t she have a birth certificate on record somewhere? Why aren’t there any college records or accomplishments? Tax records? Job history? Nothing! It’s impossible that this woman is completely untraceable.” Tony had even looked through the records of various engineering companies and college programs at reputable schools and then less than reputable schools when he had found nothing and had only continued to strike out.

There had been hundreds of women enrolled in schools and hired by companies named Scarlett Damien but there were very few photos or physical descriptions paired with them. Not to mention, Tony didn’t know how old the woman was or her middle name so he couldn’t narrow his criteria. He was searching for a needle in a haystack, which was a phrase he hated to use but he couldn’t think of a better way to describe his strife.

“I cannot answer that, sir. It seems you do not have all the facts required to locate Miss Damien’s digital signature.”

“Damien must be an alias. I would’ve found her already if it was her real name,” Tony tapped his fingers on the desk with one hand and took a sip of the protein shake he’d made Pepper bring him earlier with the other hand, contemplating his next move.

“My guess is it is not an alias, sir. There was no hint of deceit in her voice when she revealed her name to Miss Potts.”

“Maybe the whole name is an alias.”

“Sir, there was no…”

“Yeah, I heard you but maybe she’s a really good liar. Or maybe she’s just been lying so long that she’s started to believe the damn lie. It’s complicated, Jarvis,” Tony interrupted his computer and then spun around in his chair to face the table he’d had kept Scarlett on. He leaned his elbows on his knees, one hand over his mouth while he sat in thought. Finally Tony stopped pondering the very little information that he’d found on the femme fatale he’d saved.

It seemed to him like Scarlett was far more trouble than he’d anticipated she'd be when he’d carried her out of the desert that day. Though, equally she could be far more fun than expected. If nothing else, she was definitely not boring. It wasn’t like Tony didn’t have his own criminal record that he’d paid his way out of over the years. It had only been recently that he’d managed to stay out of trouble, or at least keep the trouble he’d gotten into within the confines of his home.

He’d been arrested for drunk and disorderly behavior on more than one occasion, not to mention public nudity and property damage. The internet was filled with videos that proved his sexual appetite was insatiable and showed off his various bad behaviors. It was surprising to Tony, that with a record like Scarlett’s that was so similar to his that there was no proof of it other than in police reports.

Had fame and fortune really been the reason his illicit activities had become such popular fodder for the media? Of course it was. When normal people got into the same kind of trouble it was irresponsible or no one cared. Maybe Scarlett was good enough with computers that she’d erased her digital imprint. He’d been impressed with her engineering knowledge and how quickly she’d learned to manipulate Jarvis’ interface, so perhaps she had other skills that would assist her in such a thing.

That was impossible, Tony realized after a few moments spent in thought on ways she could’ve accomplished erasing her identity. Once something was on the internet it was impossible to get rid of entirely. No matter how good someone was with a computer, information always left traces.

“Bring up those records we copied from MedCo’s servers before they locked us out and disappeared,” Tony whispered with his hand still over his mouth. Despite how muffled he’d been Jarvis obeyed his command. Turning in his chair to face his holographic screen, Tony continued to browse through the files for what felt like the thousandth time in search of anything regarding Scarlett Damien or the contracts that had been made with employees.

While he found plenty of financial information for standard company supplies, he was beginning to think that the files he’d found were doctored in case someone like him came hacking into their system. There wasn’t a single mention of outsourcing employees for large projects in any of the fifty pages of information Tony had managed to get his hands on.

“Sir, I found more police reports involving the name Scarlett Damien in my continued search. Unfortunately the information within the files is just as vague as the ones you’ve already seen.” Jarvis reported after minutes of silence had passed while Tony read through the recovered MedCo files.

“Copy them to the hard drive for me to look at later. I doubt they’re going to tell me very much, other than the girl knows how to start a bar fight. So much for her being a model… Make a note of when they were filed and the locations on a map under my private drive and name it Red04. It’s about time I started a file on her anyway. If it kills me, I’m going to figure out something about this woman.” Tony didn't bother to look away from the MedCo files.

“Yes, sir. File created. Shall I make the folder red, for your convenience?” Jarvis responded curiously.

“Yeah, I guess you don’t have to name it then either. We’ll just refer to it as Red04, alright? Thanks Jarvis.” The computer remained quiet while Tony browsed through the files though it had followed orders immediately. Increasingly frustrated that he couldn’t find a damn thing on this mystery woman outside of drunken bar fight reports in various countries, Tony continued his search through the MedCo files in hopes of anything he’d missed. Even one word out of place could change things entirely, but the files had been exactly how he’d remembered them and just as helpful.

Finally, Tony pushed the files away, then clapped his hands together while he watched the file instantly close at his command. He put his head in his hands, messing up his already messy hair before straightening it once again and staring into space with his hands over his mouth, habitually caressing his thumb over his goatee to feel the stubble.

“Is there something on your mind, sir?”

“Other than the obvious?” Sighing, Tony continued to stare, pulling his hand away from his mouth. “This woman is… nothing short of a mystery.” Tony narrowed his eyes, thinking of what connections he could make with the police reports, if any, that would lead him to further information.

“Is she, sir?”

“I know she was working for MedCo in Africa, Jarvis. Why else would she be there if not working for them? I can’t find a damn record on what they were building or what the company even does. It’s all… rhetoric! The whole damn file is simply… run around and conjecture. I’m beginning to think we’ve been led astray again, Jarvis. These files… were fed to us to try and throw us off the trail. MedCo is a lot smarter than we thought they were.”

“It is a possibility, sir,” Jarvis responded simply.

“I know. I’m usually right about these things. I’ve gotten pretty good at this, you know.” Tony sat up straight and took a deep breath, puffing out his chest before he slouched back in his chair, leaning his head back and spinning while he looked up at the ceiling. He had never been very good at sitting still. “How doesn’t she have any records? That’s what I can’t figure out. I can’t even find her damn phone number.”

“That is indeed a mystery.”

“And why the hell won’t she tell me what she was doing down there? She was clearly being held against her will and was working just as hard as I was to destroy that building. I’m an ally!” Tony grimaced and side-eyed, leaning his head once again in his hand while tapping his finger against his forehead. “You’d think she’d want to help me take this company down but instead she has given me the brush off at every turn. I don’t get her. She doesn’t make sense.”

“Sir, I have a theory if you care to listen.”

“Go ahead Jarvis. I’ll listen to pretty much any advice right now that’s not Pepper’s.” Tony couldn’t figure out how to get this woman to even flirt with him. Perhaps he found that more frustrating than anything. Pepper’s voice echoed in his mind, reminding him that if he perhaps treated her like an equal rather than some sort of subordinate simply because she had breasts and wonderfully long legs he would get a better response. He pushed it away again. Tony didn’t have it in him. The woman was gorgeous and he was not going to miss a single opportunity to charm her into his bed.

“Sir, if she was being held captive like you assume then perhaps she is suffering some post traumatic effects from being held in captivity for an extended period of time. Not to mention the physical damage done to her could be taking its toll.”

“What… you think she has PTSD? Come on Jarvis, you saw her… she’s… feisty that one. If anyone can handle what she went through then… it’s gotta be this chick. She’s calculating and cold whenever we start on the subject. You can’t tell me that she’s actually scared stiff.”

“That is not what I’m suggesting, sir. You were held captive yourself, don’t you recall? You didn’t want to think that it changed you but it turned your whole life around, did it not? Sometimes no matter how strong one is, trauma has an effect.”

“I guess so.” Tony pouted but knew that it was true. When he’d been held for ransom, betrayed by his long time partner Obadiah Stane Tony’s whole life had turned upside down. Every so often he still woke up in a cold sweat, the words of the man he’d been held captive with still ringing in his ears. Yinsen had saved him by hooking him up to an old car battery to keep the shrapnel from destroying his heart. He’d told him before he’d died in the caves not to waste his life. He was the man who had everything and nothing at the same time and though he’d tried to change what his life was about it hadn’t been easy and it still occasionally plagued him.

Sometimes he still had phantom pains from the attack. His hand unconsciously brushed over the arc reactor in his chest. The magnet kept the shrapnel from destroying what was left of his heart after all this time. Realizing what he was doing he put his hand immediately at his side.

“So what are you actually suggesting, Jarvis?”

“Perhaps she is afraid to trust anyone after what she has been through.”

“I guess you could be right about that. It would make sense, if nothing else.” Tony looked toward the glass door, thinking about how he could bring the wall down that the stubborn woman had put up to keep herself safe without driving her out the door since she found all his usual methods of charm irritating.

“It is a great possibility that whatever was happening in Africa had been something she is struggling to deal with and still hasn’t been able to cope with. Obviously she was in over her head and maybe… sir, it is a long shot but I’m sensing that she is wary to talk about what happened to her so soon. Perhaps all she needs is time.”

“You’re saying that she’s purposely being mean to me and distant because she’s trying to find a way to cope without needing anyone’s help. Right?” Tony grumbled in realization and scoffed, surprised that he hadn’t thought of that earlier.

“Yes, sir.”

“Why didn’t I see that?” Tony laughed a little.

“I am guessing it’s because you were distracted by other things.”

“That’s for damn sure.” Tony leaned his elbows on his knees again and then thought about his next move. If Jarvis was right and the stubborn vixen he’d saved in the desert was having a hard time coping with the damage that had been done to her body, then he would have to take a completely different approach to dealing with her.

“The last thing she’s going to want is to get into more trouble after she’d been in an explosion and shot at. Who knows what else happened to her or how long she’d been held captive… Or why she was being held captive in the first place.” Tony grimaced. All of these things remained a mystery to him and while he wanted to know the answers to a thousand questions, he now knew it wasn’t as simple as asking her and getting what he wanted and needed.

He’d have to be more creative and compassionate. If anyone could sympathize with what she’d been through then it had to be him. They had something in common, Tony realized. Why he hadn’t seen the thread between them from the beginning he wasn’t sure but now that he saw it was as plain as day. He’d avoided dealing with what had happened to him in the desert by taking on the role of Iron Man and even after a large amount of time had passed, Tony still hadn’t properly dealt with the things that had happened to him.

“The first thing I wanted when I was saved by Rhodey was a cheeseburger.” Tony laughed, wondering how long it had been since Scarlett had a proper meal. Even the shower she was taking now would perhaps soften her up a bit.

“And a press conference, if I recall,” Jarvis added.

“It was more to right the wrongs my company had made. I knew I couldn’t take back what had already been done, Jarvis but I knew that I could stop it from happening again if I tried hard enough.”

“And you have done remarkably well so far, sir.”

“Sometimes I think you have more emotions than I programmed you to have, Jarvis.” Tony smirked slightly. “So what made you realize she was suffering, huh? When did you become the genius?”

“Simple observation, sir. Her hands have been trembling since she walked upstairs and her heart rate keeps spiking at odd moments. It is not caused by some medical condition that we know of so what else but fear?” Jarvis stated simply.

“Damn. I can’t believe you figured this out for me. Thanks Jarvis.” Tony, knowing now what he had to do, got up from his chair, letting it spin behind him. Snapping his fingers in the direction of his desk he headed toward the door. “Clean this up for me, will you?” Tony smirked.

“Yes, sir.”

Tony took the stairs two at a time, holding his hand up as Pepper walked past him and tried to talk to him. She had that look on her face that Tony knew meant he would not get away from her in less than five minutes and currently he had very little to say.

“Not right now, Potts, busy!” Tony rushed up the stairs, behind the waterfall display in his living room and toward the guest room. Not bothering to knock he walked into the room where he knew Scarlett would be, partially hoping to catch her at an awkward moment. Much to his disappointment, the water was still running in the bathroom so he sat down on the bed to wait for the woman to finish cleaning up.

“Jarvis, let me know when she’s finished in there,” Tony whispered, picking up the catalogues that Pepper had left for Scarlett to go through so she could pick some clothing that was more appropriately sized for her than Pepper’s borrowed dress.

“Yes sir, shall I warn her that you’re out here waiting for her in case she’s not prepared for you to be?”

“No, let her find that out on her own. It could be fun.” Tony shrugged his shoulders, flipping through the catalogues quickly which he didn’t find at all interesting until he started picturing the woman he’d essentially kidnapped in the various articles of clothing within the catalogues. “You know what? Bring up this website for me. Let’s pick out some clothes for Scarlett.”

“Yes, sir.” Tony began browsing the catalogues and ordering things in the sizes he had guessed the woman wore while he waited for her to finish cleaning herself up. He’d have to help take care of the wound on her leg anyway so he could use that as his excuse to be in her room. “While you’re at it, tell Pepper to bring my first aid stuff up here too, okay?”