Across the Universe

“Can’t you sit still for just a second?” Tony followed closely behind Scarlett as she meandered around the living room of his home at the top of Stark Tower. Half of his furniture was white and her blood dripping all over over it wasn’t going to be easy to remove. Plus, the panic had finally settled right in his chest upon realizing the extent of the wound on her shoulder. The blade had pierced her flesh and had poked just through the back side of her shoulder. This meant that it had either nicked her bone, her muscle, or her tendons. Hell it could’ve hit all three for all he knew but Scarlett would not sit still long enough for him to take a look. She didn’t even look like she was in pain! Sometimes he wondered how the hell she handled wounds so serious. When he got a paper cut he wouldn’t people around him hear the end of it, nonetheless a knife to the arm.

“For the last time, you are not a doctor!” Scarlett swatted him away with her right hand and paced across the kitchen, brushing her fingers over the black countertops. The countertop flickered to life with windows of data and the Jarvis interface. A holographic keyboard appeared at the base of it. With a few quick taps the windows hovered about the countertop becoming easily maneuverable. “Do you have any camera footage during the time of the incident, Jarvis? Can you find security cameras from nearby stores? Even traffic cameras on the surrounding streets will do. Anything in the general vicinity.” Tony was right behind her but ignored what was happening on the screens. He dabbed at the back of her shoulder with a clean cloth, wiping caked dry blood away from the wound.

“I’m afraid I don’t have public access for any of those things. Traffic I can obtain but private security is beyond my basic reach.” Jarvis responded but Tony spoke over him, drowning out his response.

“Scarlett, you’re bleeding! Could you please stand still so I can take a look? This computer crap can wait.” Tony pulled her away from the Jarvis screen and then flicked it away like an annoying bug. The screens disappeared back into the counter as quickly as they had appeared. His hands were covered in blood from having taken the coat she’d been using to stop the bleeding. It was only when he saw just how much blood she’d lost that he’d begun to panic. Hell, for a short while he’d been proud that she had stood her ground the way she had! Even with a small wound on her shoulder, it hadn’t been as bad as it could have been. Coming to terms with her being without him in dangerous situations had seemed plausible for about twenty minutes. Then the coat had come off and he’d had flashbacks from Carrie.

Now it seemed impossible.

“Tony! I’m fine! The only reason it keeps bleeding is because you keep poking at it. The damn thing is scabbed up, there’s nothing you can do! I’ll go to a real doctor in the morning and get it taken care of.” Scarlett shooed him away but it didn’t work. Somewhere upon the ride home her shoulder had grown numb and she’d regained the use of her fingers. But with each motion it had caused the pain in her shoulder to renew so she’d taken to keeping her arm at her side and her hand on her stomach. With her hand elevated blood flow wouldn’t be as big of a problem. She had every intention of building a sling for it and wrapping it up once she was done typing until Tony had lost his damn mind on their way out of the car. Now he kept pulling on her arm and following her around, insisting he took a look at it. His intentions were pure but he was, in reality, only making things worse.

“I am a doctor!”

“We’ve been through this, Stark. You’re not that kind of doctor!” Scarlett shouted over him in response. It was sweet that he was worried about her but he was acting like a crazy person. Happy stood awkwardly near the elevator doors, waiting for orders to drive to the hospital which is where he thought they should have gone directly. When he’d suggested it he’d been ignored. Sometimes when Tony and Scarlett fought they forgot other people were around.

“You need to call an ambulance, Tony! Or drive to the hospital! Right now! This is insane!” Pepper shouted, trying to get in between the two of them. She pushed them apart and away from the counter, forcing them both to realize they weren’t alone. Apparently Pepper had heard Happy’s suggestion and agreed whole heartedly. “Knife wounds are serious! And it was just… sitting in there for god knows how long! Until she…” Pepper recounted though the guilt was written all over her face. Her stomach churned at the thought of how Scarlett had to tug a knife out of her own flesh. However, it seemed the two geniuses in the room didn’t notice her discomfort. They were too swept up in their own drama to notice, either that or they were oblivious. Pepper gave Scarlett credit for being able to read people a little better but sometimes it was apparent that she was just as oblivious to social cues as Tony was.

Scarlett had taken that knife to her shoulder in an attempt to keep Pepper out of harm’s way. If Scarlett hadn’t jumped in the way of the blow and worked so hard to keep her safe then Pepper would’ve been the one bleeding all over Tony’s white carpet. That was only half true, Pepper would’ve likely gone straight to the emergency room, mostly because she was not an idiot. Scarlett hadn’t mentioned the encounter to Tony even once and that left Pepper in awe. She thought for sure that she would’ve said something. After all, if Pepper had just listened to Scarlett in the first place and stayed out of the way then none of this would’ve happened!

She knew Scarlett could protect herself so why had she felt the need to try and help her? Maybe Pepper would’ve felt guilty leaving her there, who knows. Pepper certainly didn’t! Tony was always calling her a mother hen so maybe that had something to do with it. Despite their distaste for each other, Pepper and Scarlett had gotten along at one point. Had she, unbeknownst even to herself, taken Scarlett under her wing and promised to protect her? Pepper was having a mental breakdown amidst all the chaos and all she could do to keep sane was try to clean up the mess in front of her. It was her way of paying back Scarlett’s kindness.

“Don’t call an ambulance!” Tony and Scarlett echoed the sentiment and then exchanged glances and for a moment shared a smile. Then they glared at each other again once they remembered they were supposed to be irritated with each other.

“You’re both out of your minds!” Pepper threw her hands up in frustration.

“An ambulance will only fuel media speculation.” Tony stated calmly, placing one hand to his temple as if to ward off a headache and holding the other out to try and calmly explain to Pepper what he meant. Pepper stared at the bloody cloth in his hand and turned pale again. “The last time there was an ambulance in front of my house they made this huge story that I was dying. Something about liver cancer.”

“You had alcohol poisoning and you loved every single second of that publicity.” Pepper narrowed her eyes suspiciously and before Tony could respond she turned her attention to Scarlett and pushed the billionaire out of the way. “You don’t know what they could’ve done with that knife before it went in your shoulder. Be reasonable Scarlett, you’re a very smart woman! You need a tetanus shot. You need an x-ray to see if there was any severe damage! Scarlett, don’t be an idiot.” Pepper meant that in the nicest way possible and for a moment she saw the hardened woman soften and actually consider her sentiment. Ultimately Scarlett was aware that Pepper was right, but her thoughts had long since moved past her injury. She didn’t seem to think it mattered as much as how she’d gotten it in the first place.

“Pepper! I’m not suggesting we don’t get it looked at! I’m saying that she should let me take a look at it until the paparazzi leaves us alone for a little bit! Then we’ll, very discreetly, drive to the hospital.” Tony interrupted and the consideration Scarlett had for the idea, even momentarily, faded out of her thoughts.

“I don’t care about the paparazzi, Tony! I thought you didn’t either! Seriously you’ve been harassing me to go out with you in the public eye for months and suddenly you’re hesitant? What is this? Hmm?” Scarlett was happy to move the subject away from her shoulder even though she knew it had to be addressed. If Tony wasn’t going to let her try and look at the footage from the nearby security systems she was sure she was going to lose her damn mind. She had to do something! How could she let MedCo get away with burning down a whole restaurant? That place had meant something to Tony, she’d seen it in his eyes when he’d gotten up on that stage and made a big deal about officially asking her out. On top of that innocent lives had been put in danger. Once again, she was making a mess out of everything without even meaning to.

What happened to redemption? What happened to making attempts to live a normal life? That had lasted for about all of thirty seconds before it had blown up in her face and quite catastrophically too. She was just lucky that no one had gotten killed in the fray. As far as she knew, she’d had the most damage done throughout the night. On top of her shoulder she’d be covered in bruises the next day. Chiffon dresses did not exactly provide the best padding in a fight. How was it that even when she was trying to get her moral compass to stay pointed north things ended catastrophically? She should’ve just become a super villain or something, it would’ve been way simpler.

“I don’t want anyone spreading rumors that something terrible happened to you!” Tony hadn’t realized how much he’d be bothered by rumors involving her until the potential had arisen for them. He didn’t want to walk down the street and see headlines about the mystery girlfriend with a terrible illness or how she was going to die. The panic in the back of his mind was enough without those images haunting him! Sometimes he cursed his over active imagination. He felt the panic gripping his chest, like an icy cold hand around his lungs making it harder to breathe. But he wasn’t going to let it get the best of him, not now. Scarlett needed to know that this was exactly why he didn’t want her going back on the job.

“Oh, so it’s okay when it’s you?” Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him. He had a few scrapes here and there from whatever had transpired when he’d helped the civilians out of the restaurant but otherwise seemed fine. But there was something about the way he carried himself at that moment that drew her to him. He was hiding something. “I know it’s hard for you to think about how things affect anyone but you, but did you ever consider how hard it is for me to see things about you in paper? Hmm? It’s my life too! Not just yours!”

“Are you two out of your minds? Are you seriously arguing about the media right now? She’s bleeding!” Pepper exasperated, shaking her head in disbelief. For awhile she’d been convinced Scarlett was up to no good in regards to Tony. But why would Scarlett have risked her life to save her if she had intended upon using him? Pepper was beginning to think she had to reconsider her stance on Tony’s girlfriend. She was very conflicted.

“I’m used to it! It happens to me all the time. Every time I’m seen eating a cheeseburger someone thinks I’m going through PTSD because I had them at that press conference after Afghanistan! But the truth is I just really like cheeseburgers!” Tony didn’t realize how ridiculous that sounded. He walked around Pepper and back to Scarlett who was once again at the countertop fiddling with holographic screens. He twisted her around and tried to analyze the wound but it was hard to find amongst all the dried blood. “God, Linda Blair sit still.”

“The point went way over your head.” Scarlett shook him away and started at the computers again. “Jarvis, you know what I need to do. So get as far as you can with those security cameras and I’ll do the rest. Anything you can obtain legally would be a great help.”

“Jarvis, don’t do a damn thing.” Tony stood behind her and Scarlett glared at him over her shoulder. The glare was icy and shook him but only urged him to move closer to her. He grabbed her good arm and started to urge her away from the countertop. She could try to ice him out all she wanted, but it wouldn’t work. It hadn’t in the past and it certainly wouldn’t know that he knew her better.

“Jarvis…”

“Don’t talk to him. He’s not your computer. Jarvis, revoke her access. Now!” Tony shouted before the computer could argue with him. Scarlett had the feeling Jarvis did not love it when they fought like this.

“Seriously? Is that going to happen every time you don’t get your way? You’re going to throw a little tantrum and take away my computer access? This is the exact reason we’re not living together, Tony!”

“Oh, really? I thought it was because you weren’t ready.” He narrowed his eyes at her and then grabbed her hand and turned her around, away from the countertop then leaned her against it. She inhaled deeply and held her breath as she felt a shock of pain rush through her shoulder. Gritting her teeth she tried not to let it show but her face turned pale, betraying the tough face she’d put on. “Let me look at the damn thing! I don’t understand why you’re fighting with me on it! This is important! I’m not wrong for once!”

“I remember a time where you were bleeding, needed stitches, and you wouldn’t let me get near it without trying to get in my pants. Give me a few minutes to look at security footage before someone wipes the data that may still remain! Tony you know the window of opportunity here is small for me. At least give me a fighting chance so I can keep this from happening again.” If Scarlett had thought to check the security footage then so had MedCo, if it was indeed MedCo that had orchestrated the attack. For all she knew, it was one of Tony’s many enemies looking to get even with him by kidnapping his girlfriend. Only they hadn’t expected her to fight back. Yet, Scarlett was convinced beyond all doubt that the source had been MedCo or Scott. Again she regarded them as one in the same. Perhaps it was easier to think about someone she once trusted as a soulless corporation rather than a man who she’d once shared a bed with.

“You keep changing the subject and not giving me the chance to respond to your damn arguments!” Tony had turned red in the face, looking far beyond irritated. What had she meant by the reasons they weren’t living together? He’d given her the space that she needed and now she was throwing it back in his face? Maybe it was the heat of the moment but those words had dug deep.

“She’s avoiding dealing with her shoulder! For geniuses you two are really stupid!” Pepper shouted, pulling Tony away from Scarlett. He looked ready to pounce on her and whether it was primal or sexual, Pepper didn’t want to be there when that happened. Besides, Scarlett was in no shape for either scenario. Before Pepper could open her mouth to try and diffuse the situation Tony shouted at her.

“Go home!” Tony waved his hands on either side of him in frustration. “I can’t argue with both of you right now! Stop fretting like you’re my mom and go home!” Pepper stared at him in awe and then narrowed her eyes. “Now!”

“This is between me and Tony, Pepper.” Scarlett said calmly but didn’t take her eyes away from her boyfriend and the tantrum he was throwing. She knew she was being stupid and should just let Tony do what he wanted to ease his worry but she didn’t want to do it either. Scarlett had spent enough time in the last year being crippled by wounds and she was sure ignoring this one for a few more hours wouldn’t be the end of the world. She didn’t need to be babied just because she was injured. Hell, she’d functioned with far worse for much longer in more dangerous places.

“Fine!” Pepper squeaked, her voice suddenly high pitched and filled with anger. In a huff she stomped away from them and back toward the elevator. “Take me home, Hogan!” Pepper grabbed the driver’s tie and dragged him past the automatic doors. Happy muttered hesitant words to Pepper but she was angry enough to ignore them.

“She’s right, even if it isn’t her place to argue, she’s right! You’re trying to get me to argue with you so we won’t talk about your damn shoulder.” Tony didn’t wait for Pepper to disappear before he turned back to Scarlett who was desperately trying to get into Jarvis’ computer system using her phone and had slipped away from the counter while she had the chance. Unfortunately the computer had listened to its master and she’d been locked out of every system in the building. She wasn’t sure she’d even be able to get into her apartment.

“So? What if I am, Tony? You don’t want me to go to the hospital. What do you want me to do? Why are you so mad that I got hurt?” Scarlett threw her phone to the side in a fit of anger and watched it scatter unharmed onto the carpet in the living room. She wasn’t even angry with Tony. Well, she was mad that he’d cut off her access to the internet, but she could understand why he had done it. She was confused more than anything! Hell, he’d been there when she’d gotten shot. He’d seen her bleed in ways that not many people had and he’d never tried to clean her up before! What had gotten into him? She’d always pictured them side by side in battle and afterward catching a drink and laughing at their wounds until they absolutely had to deal with them. If that was changing then what else would? Physical confrontation had at once been a turn on for them both and now they were screaming at each other. Not that the tension wasn’t there but Scarlett was having a hard time getting a ready on Tony. He was sending mixed signals.

“I don’t want you to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.!” Tony shouted in the heat of the moment. Scarlett turned to face him and took a step back, clearly taken by surprise that this was still an issue. Hadn’t he come to terms with her working for them after the building had collapsed? She thought they’d at least taken a step in the right direction since then. Apparently she was very wrong. Secrets were still very much a part of their lives and here they were once again muddying the waters. “After what I saw tonight, you shouldn’t be out there! Not in the field, not in a lab, not anywhere! You should be safe… with me! Safe! I can keep you safe!”

“What the hell?” Scarlett walked away from him and clenched her fists. She then grimaced and shifted uncomfortably at the way her shoulder tugged even when she bent her fingers. She would have to seek medical attention by the end of the night to deal with the damn shoulder. It had clearly done some damage in places she didn’t want to let go. At least she could bend all her fingers and she knew the tendons hadn’t been severed. The pain she felt, however, led her to believe the muscle damage was fairly severe and couldn’t go unchecked. Still, she didn’t think going to the hospital was the smartest idea quite yet. She’d call a doctor to come see them before the night was up.

“You heard me!” Tony felt a weight lift off of his shoulders as he finally told her just how much it bothered him that she was working for the very people she had avoided for months. Not that he hadn’t made it perfectly clear where he stood on the subject before she’d agreed to work for them in the first place. Why couldn’t she just listen to him? She needed to be safe! There were too many variables still at play! The odds were against her no matter how many times he calculated it. Selfishly, he wanted her to stay with him and out of harm’s way. Was it selfish? Wasn’t he protecting her? Or was he protecting himself?

“I did! I thought you had gotten over it! You know I can’t sit in here cooped up all the time, Tony! It’s going to drive me crazy! And what the hell, anyway? Isn’t this a double standard? Half the world hates you and I was included in that number until a few months ago! You go out there every damn day in that suit and you don’t think I worry that you might not come back? And I let you go regardless of that with a pat on the ass! Just because I’m a woman you think I’m any less capable of taking care of myself?” This wasn’t the first problem she’d had with Tony in relation to her gender.

Tony had been a pig. Women were something for him to use and throw away for the longest time. While Scarlett gave him points for keeping Pepper as his assistant, he knew that he still believed he was superior on every level than anyone around him. Scarlett knew that simply was not true. Tony was a very remarkable man, smarter than anyone she’d ever met, but in some ways she had found that he was his own worst enemy. His thinking he was the best at everything crippled him. It was obvious that he seemed to think he knew what was best for her. Scarlett wasn’t going to let anyone make decisions for her, not even the man she loved. Scott had tried to do the same damn thing to a point where he’d lost his mind and hatched an overly complex plot to destroy her. Why was it that the men in her life wanted so badly to take that control away from her?

Scarlett wasn’t going to let anyone control her. Not even Tony and she loved him more than she thought possible.

“Over it? You think I’m going to get over watching you put yourself in danger every day? You’re calling me selfish? Think about me for a few seconds instead of what you need!” Tony contradicted himself, but didn’t seem to think that was the case. How could he move on if something happened to her?

“Are you kidding me?” Scarlett exhaled with a laugh. There was nothing funny about the fight they were now having. It was no longer about her shoulder or being stubborn. Now they were arguing about something far more complex. “You think that what happened tonight has to do with S.H.I.E.L.D.? And my involvement with them? You think someone caught wind of the fact that I may have signed up with them and now they’re already sending villains to stop me? I’m flattered but I’m nowhere near as important as you think I am!” Scarlett stepped away from him and toward the bar. If this was going to be where their conversation went she needed a drink.

The wine was nearly out of her system now. It was amazing how sobriety and adrenaline went hand in hand.

“Why couldn’t it be?” Tony gritted his teeth. She was talking to him like he had no idea what he was on about! Of course he knew what kind of danger she could get into with S.H.I.E.L.D. She had no idea what they were capable of! How could she be so damn blind after what had happened with MedCo and with her ex-boyfriend? S.H.I.E.L.D. was just as dangerous.

“We don’t know! That’s what I’m trying to figure out what happened here and instead you’re arguing with me about things that haven’t happened yet and wasting precious time! Honestly, what’s the point of even looking now? If I’ve thought of it, they’ve thought of it. They weren’t stupid thugs there to cause chaos, Tony! They were calculated and manipulative! They took out the lights, they started a fire but disabled the alarms so it wouldn’t alert the authorities! God, they distracted you by putting civilians in harm’s way and even went after Pepper to try and get to me! These guys knew what they were doing.”

“Well I can’t imagine that worked, Pepper isn’t exactly good bait for you.” Tony muttered under his breath. As much as he wanted the two women to get along, he knew it wasn’t that simple. Little did Tony know that it actually had worked! Scarlett hadn’t given it a second thought. Saving Pepper was worth it. She was important to Tony and even if they weren’t friends, it gave Pepper tremendous value. It had taken her awhile to come to terms with that but she had and was perfectly fine with it now. She knew Pepper wouldn’t want her to make a big deal out of what had happened so Scarlett didn’t bother. In fact, it hadn’t even crossed her mind.

“The point is Tony that they were smart enough to do all those things in an attempt to get to me…”

“Yes! To get to you! That’s the point I’m making that you don’t seem to get! This was about you! Scarlett! It was about you.” Tony interrupted her, taking a step closer to her. Why couldn’t she see that he was scared for her? Why couldn’t he tell her that he was scared? Everything became a fight because he was too stubborn to admit that he was terrified. He wished she could read his mind and find it out on her own. But instead she took offense to his attempts! He wasn’t being a sexist pig for once… was he?

“And that is the exact reason I have to put a stop to it, Tony! You can’t keep me on a pedestal safe from harm! You can’t expect me to sit inside and play house while you’re out fighting my demons! If that’s what you think then…” Scarlett shook her head and took a step away from him to clear her thoughts. She needed that drink, desperately. There had to be a resolution to this growing problem.

As she reached the bar, Tony followed her and grabbed her to turn her away from the wall of expensive booze that tempted them both.

“That’s not what I’m trying to do! Are you even listening to me? I don’t want you to get in over your head again! That’s all!”

“Again?” Scarlett turned at last to face him and didn’t back down. She’d avoided being close to him thus far because she knew what would happen with tension mounting like this. They were far better at the physical stuff then they were at the emotional. If he kissed her it’d be all over. They both knew that. They’d known it since he’d approached her at the counter. Hell, even if Pepper and Happy had still been there it likely wouldn’t have mattered.

“Yeah, again! You were being stupid with MedCo and now you’re being stupid with S.H.I.E.L.D. What is the saying, fool me once…?” Tony pulled the bottle of very expensive scotch out of her hand and set it down behind her. He’d nearly forgotten that she was bleeding but now standing close to her he could see it on her dress, dried upon her arm and over her fingers. The panic gripped his chest once more, making his breath faster.

“That’s not fair, Tony.” Scarlett spoke quietly and dangerously. Part of her wanted to end the fight by kissing him before it went too far. He’d crossed a line talking about MedCo. These two issues were nowhere near the same. She’d followed them blindly across half the globe trying to gain her freedom so she could be with him. Everything she’d done had been for him. While she admitted the way she had gone about it had been reckless, she’d had the best intentions. Now she was trying to be cautious. She was trying to be smart.

Tony wanted her to hide away and stay safe. Scarlett wanted to eliminate the problem entirely. Hadn’t he promised he’d help her when she’d agreed to move to New York? That they would do it together? Suddenly she felt alone. On top of that did he really think what happened with MedCo had been her fault?

She hadn’t felt alone since they’d returned to New York.

She hadn’t allowed it because she knew that Tony was there for her even if he was still learning not to be a selfish ass. Tony saw the gears moving behind her blue eyes but didn’t understand what she could be thinking so damn hard about.

“How is it not fair, Scarlett? Don’t forget I watched you as you let your body deteriorate just for the sake of your damn cause.” Tony spoke quietly and carefully though his eyes were sparkling with mixed emotions.

“That is not what happened.” Scarlett clenched her jaw. “I’m a grown woman Tony and I have been getting in more trouble than you can imagine since before you knew how to throw a punch. You do not get to tell me how to live my life. And I should not have to keep reminding you.”

“It’s not about you anymore, Scarlett. It’s about us.”

“If it’s so about us, then why are you making it about you?” Scarlett’s voice rose and her lip curled in anger. She wasn’t that angry. In fact, she felt guilty.

“That’s exactly what’s going to get you killed! That cavalier attitude, like nothing can touch you! You’re not invincible! You’re not standing behind a suit of armor like me, Scarlett! Hell, you are bleeding all over that beautiful dress and you still can’t see how damn fragile you are!” Tony shouted, grabbing her shoulder and placing his other hand on the side of her neck. One kiss could end it all. He knew that and it had crept into his mind a hundred times. But they needed to have this fight. She needed to see the fear in his eyes. She needed to feel the same fear that he felt. It was the only way he knew to make her understand.

“I know I’m not invincible, Tony! But what do you want me to do? You still won’t tell me! I’m not quitting S.H.I.E.L.D. And you may not believe it because all you can see is me being defiant but I signed that contract for us! It’s the only way to keep my past behind closed doors and it’s the only way I’m not going to lose my mind here!”

“What’s so damn bad about living with me, huh? You keep saying I can’t keep you cooped up, that’s not what I’m trying to do!” Tony spat in anger, giving her shoulder a shove. She immediately shoved him right back, putting him off his balance. He grabbed her and pulled her close and she shoved at him again but this time he was prepared and didn’t let her go. Her shoulder stung with pain.

“That is not what I said!”

“It’s what you implied!”

“No! God, Tony! Do you know how hard this is for me? Living a normal life, in a house worth more than I’ve ever spent on living in one place before? Hell, this dress could’ve paid for a year in the apartment I stayed in during jobs in the Middle East! This is not an easy transition and keeping me cooped up is going to drive me crazy! You know that! And you do not want to see me when I’m crazy!” Scarlett shouted, despite the close proximity. Her hands were shaking. Every instinct inside of her was telling her to push him, to hit him, to get him out of her personal space. But that would change the game entirely. She didn’t want to have a physical altercation with Tony. She loved him!

“So what, just because you’re scared of living like a normal person I should let you run into danger at every turn? No way! Not going to happen! You’re not as strong as you think you are!”

“Are you kidding me? So, let me get this straight.” Scarlett held up a hand to make her point but stopped for a moment as she stared up at Tony. His big brown puppy dog eyes were staring into her soul again, not in the usual pout he’d used when he was trying to get his way either. No, this was different. She remembered a time where she’d had to look away when they’d first met because those eyes had made her melt. They’d made her feel something and they did again in that moment. Her heart ached and she thought instead of fighting with him she could throw her arms around him and show him just how capable she was of taking care of them both. Instead she broke from the intense gaze and looked down at her hand and finally exhaled the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding.

“You were saying?” Tony whispered, tilting her chin up to look at him again. He’d felt it too. Even back then he’d felt it and it had scared the hell out of him to feel something more than the urge to drag her back to bed. It didn’t scare him so much anymore.

“You have double standards is what I’m saying.” Scarlett’s voice broke as she was forced to turn her gaze back to his. Somehow she managed to stand her ground as she once had. She wondered how on earth she had ever waited as long as she had to fall into his arms. How hell bent she must have been on his destruction to have avoided it as often as she had! She’d reminded herself a hundred times that he was the enemy just so she wouldn’t cave. But he wasn’t the enemy anymore. Not giving in was that much harder.

“Is that so?” Tony’s arms found their way around her middle and pulled her against him but she still resisted giving into his tug. He hadn’t realized he’d done it until he’d already had. When did the angry tension turn into sexual tension? Tony didn’t care. He both liked and loathed it. They hadn’t fought in a very long time, not like this. Scarlett had been treating him like a wounded puppy for far too long. There was something thrilling about getting so close to a woman like Scarlett, who when angry, was like a loaded gun. He was playing Russian roulette and the barrel was nearly full.

“You can do whatever you want. You can play hero. You can go out and make a complete ass out of yourself in front of the press and I can’t say a damn thing about it! Why? Because you’re Tony Stark and that’s what you do. That’s your reason every time. And I respect that. I don’t like it and I will tell you what an ass you are being without hesitation. And right now you are being an ass!” Scarlett shoved his hands away from her side but her shoulder stung with pain. Much to her surprise Tony then grabbed her arms. It took every bit of her resolve not to react to the nauseating pain flooding down her back and through her chest. A few seconds past and she adjusted to it. The pain gave way quickly to numbness. “Because I’m Tony Stark’s girlfriend I have to pussy foot my way around Manhattan? I thought you wanted to show me off, isn’t that the way you phrased it when I told you I wasn’t ready? Now I can’t go in public, can’t work for S.H.I.E.L.D., can’t do a damn thing at all because I’m dating you? No thanks. That wasn’t part of the deal.” Scarlett finally found her resolve and pushed him away from her. It was growing more difficult with every attempt.

She took a few steps away from the bar, down the two steps to the main floor and walked toward the elevator. It was time to go home, jump on someone else’s Wi-Fi, and see if she could find anything left over from the clean up job the men who had come after her had likely done. Her hands were still shaking as she walked, but she felt proud that she’d resisted the tug of temptation still lingering on. Tension had spread throughout the lofty apartment and followed her across it.

But Tony had other plans. He followed her to the elevator and pushed her against the wall near it, one hand next to her head, the other at her good shoulder. His eyes were alight with fire and passion as he held her in place.

“It’s not a double standard, Scarlett. I’m not a wanted man!” He smashed the heel of his palm against the wall next to her head but Scarlett didn’t flinch. She knew he’d never hurt her. It wasn’t Tony’s style. He may have been a sexist pig but overall, he loved women, and practically worshipped her. That was half the problem.

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t you think you’re kind of being irresponsible? There are people out there hunting you! Your ex-boyfriend practically wants to lobotomize you and will go to any lengths to do so! MedCo is so pissed off that you didn’t follow through with his deal that they will do anything to get their hands around your throat even for a second! All it takes is one jab of a needle before you’re gone! And I’ve lost you! Don’t you think it’s kind of foolish to be running around in public, making headlines?” Tony tilted his head to the side, looking down at her lips as he spoke then capturing her gaze again in his.

Scarlett stared at him with her mouth agape. Was he joking?

“This happened tonight because you were careless! You’re always a little careless! I think you get some kind of sick thrill out of it! Hell, it seems like a game to you sometimes! Scarlett this is not a game! You have no right to be out there when there are people trying to kill you at every turn! You made your bed, now you have to lay in it!” Tony slammed his hand against the wall again but knew immediately he’d crossed a line. He was the last person on the planet who should’ve been scolding people on being reckless.

Scarlett finally exhaled the breath she’d been holding in and shoved him hard away from her despite the tug in her shoulder of discomfort.

“You’re an asshole.” She shouted and started toward the staircase at the far end of the room. The elevator would take too long to close for her to get away and he could disable it with a word to Jarvis. She needed a better escape route and the only one she knew that would put a door between her and him was the upstairs bedrooms. Tony watched her momentarily, his heart still racing, adrenaline still pumping through his ears.

What had really stung Scarlett was how right he had been. She had no right being out there in the public eye when people still wanted to kill her. It meant she never had the right to be out in public with Tony. How could she be with someone so public if she had no right? Worse than that, Tony knew it. He’d pushed her to go out for months and now he was throwing it back in her face.

What was she going to do?