Echoes

Her flight hadn't been commercial. Nor had it been listed at any of the local airports. Tony knew that because he had browsed their poorly built websites and found no sign of her. After that he'd very legally searched through a list of private fliers, their planes, and their planned itineraries. When that didn't pan out, Tony resorted to old school methods.

He'd called the airport and after being tossed around to a few employees who had no idea what he was talking about he gave up. Finally after growing weary of the runaround, he'd recruited Jarvis for the task. After waiting patiently for a few hours after she was supposed to arrive, Tony had become very impatient. He'd been running around Malibu like crazy all morning, buying new clothing, getting some food for his house, running errands that he was pretty sure he used to hire people to do for him. Without Pepper, Tony wasn't sure who was really responsible for those things. It was possible that in the past few months they'd even been let go. He'd been locked away in more ways than one and hadn't noticed. But now, now he wanted to impress Scarlett if he could convince her to come see his suits.

There didn't seem to be enough time to get everything done and yet he'd found himself waiting for her to arrive, practically stalking her even. He'd contemplated calling her several times but he didn't want to seem too needy. At the same time Tony wanted to talk to her and didn't care what anyone thought about it. He had been shocked when she'd accepted his offer to work with him at long last. After how long he'd waited for a response he'd been sure that she was giving him the cold shoulder.

No, she'd called him out of the blue and asked if the offer was still on the table the week before. He had played hard to get for a minute but when she'd threatened to take her business elsewhere he'd lured her back in. It was a game, of course. She wanted the job and he wanted her to take it but they continued to do that dance back and forth, the same dance they'd been doing since they'd met.

For someone whose office he'd nearly destroyed in their first meeting she sure was awfully understanding. So many people couldn't handle Tony's in your face attitude but Scarlett had and even thrived.

Tony was smiling stupidly to himself as he sat in his living room, waiting so very impatiently.

"That's it, Jarvis, you know what to do. I can't take it anymore."

"I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did, sir."

"Thank you for your confidence in me, Jarvis." Tony chuckled and then waited for Scarlett's information to float in front of him, blocking out the television that was now muted. He pushed the screen to the side and reclined on his new brown leather couch. It was a nice improvement to the white one he'd had. It was time for a change, maybe some darker colors for once. Things were too crisp and clean for too long. He was hoping for a more edgy, rugged, look to his home. The change in him needed to reflect in the change around him. It was symbolic. Also pretty comfortable.

"Hello?" Scarlett's voice sounded almost unfamiliar. Weary and weak, like she'd been sleeping. Alarm bells immediately went off in the back of Tony's mind. He contemplated getting into his suit and finding her, tracing her call, and making sure she was okay. It took an awful lot of mental coaching to keep from doing so. He was being paranoid! That's all. How many times had he prepared for situations that would never occur in the past few months? Tony thought to the dozens of suits that lined his basement and felt relieved. Yet something ate at the back of his thoughts, telling him not to let it go.

"Hey, what happened to calling me when you got in?"

"I lost track of time." Scarlett still sounded out of it and on top of that there were strange noises behind her. With a snap of Tony's fingers, Jarvis set about trying to trace the sounds.

"How are you liking your new lab setup? Impressed, I take it." Tony tried not to overreact. He wasn't allowed to be over protective. Besides, he was confident Scarlett could take care of herself. She didn't need him to protect her. Then again, he wanted to protect her, but not because she needed him to do so. He cursed mentally again that he was having all these thoughts and feelings about a woman he wasn't dating and that he couldn't date because he was dating someone else already. Sometimes it was hard being in Tony Stark's brain. It worked overtime all the time.

"I'm not actually. I'm sure I would be but we never got that far." Scarlett cleared her throat and readjusted on the other end of the line. Tony felt relief surge through him. She must have just been sitting funny or falling asleep. Maybe she was jet-lagged and needed a nap after her flight or something. That had to be it. Why did he keep getting it into his head that something was amiss? His imagination was a real jerk at times. What was the phrase? When you hear hooves think horses not zebras? Tony too frequently thought zebras.[a name="here"][/a]

"What?"

"It's funny. I went to Stark Industries and it seems they weren't expecting me." Scarlett yawned and confirmed that she had indeed been falling asleep somewhere. "Almost immediately upon arriving I was accosted by your tyrant of a girlfriend who then decided security should escort me off the premises."

"What?" Tony grimaced. No wonder she didn't call him.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I must have offended her ancestors or something in another life because god she hates me." Scarlett laughed a little and rubbed her hand over her jaw as she spoke.

Tony didn't know what to say. How could Pepper do that? He'd told her what was happening. He'd been pursuing this lead for weeks now, he wasn't going to just drop it because Pepper wanted him too. They'd fought about it over and over. Scarlett Damien and Refuge were the future and if Stark wanted to keep up the hype they were going to make a deal with her. Pepper had been dead set at keeping Refuge as their rivals but Tony thought they were better together than against each other.

It wasn't the arms race they were a part of anymore. There was no competition for whose gun was bigger or stronger. They could only benefit from working together. Since when did Pepper get to make decisions like that without his say so? Particularly when she knew how he felt about it. Yes, she had stepped in for him while he'd been struggling but he'd taken drastic measures to take the company back into his hands. Calls had all been sent to his house instead of the office and while he hadn't yet been back to the office more than to supervise the new builds, he was still the boss.

He was going to have to sit and have a talk with Pepper about her authority and how much of it she thought she had. CEO of his company had been a temporary thing. She'd quit ages ago, hadn't she? And he'd never asked her to step back into his shoes. He'd felt inadequate when she'd done so even if it was never her intention. Deep down he knew that Pepper had taken over to spare him the stress but she'd stripped him of what made him feel important.

"If you're not there then where are you? And why didn't you call?" Tony hoped to take the conversation elsewhere. He didn't like talking about Pepper with Scarlett. It made him feel like he was doing something wrong, maybe because he so desperately wanted to be doing something wrong after all.

"I knew you'd be upset."

"Upset? No! What would make you think that." Tony scoffed. "Having my authority undermined doesn't irritate me at all."

"I knew you'd react like this."

"If you meet me in the parking lot we can get this all straightened out right now."

"Tony, take it easy okay? You don't need to go boss people around. We'll get it sorted out tomorrow. The day's more than half over already anyway." Scarlett smiled. She'd long since gotten over her encounter with Pepper. It wasn't like she'd had much time to process it anyway. Besides, Scarlett was used to women being catty, she simply hadn't expected it from the distinguished Pepper Potts. Partially she wondered if the woman was struggling because of what was happening with Tony. Maybe she wasn't herself. That had to be it. Women didn't like Scarlett, but she was rarely accused of being a home wrecker by someone so intelligent.

"You were escorted off the premises by security and you're not even a little upset?"

"So your girlfriend doesn't like me, Tony. If I had to get upset every time someone's girlfriend didn't like me I would be stressed out of my skull. It's wasted energy! She was upset, she didn't expect to see me. I took her off guard and she lost her cool. I'm sure if she'd had a heads up then maybe…"

"Oh, so now it's my fault for not having warned her?" Tony almost laughed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"That's not what I said."

"It sure sounded like it."

"Aw, are you feeling a little sensitive because I didn't call you?" Scarlett teased and she swore she heard Tony curse away from the phone before laughing. "Time got away from me. I told myself that I'd get the keys to my place and then call you once I'd gotten changed."

"So did it take you six hours to get changed?" Tony was impressed with how easily she'd wormed her way out of the conversation. There was no way she was fine after Pepper had likely berated her. He'd heard her talk about Scarlett and he couldn't imagine what Pepper would say when actually face to face with the woman. It wasn't in Pepper's nature to get that flustered, she'd dealt with Tony for too many years. She must have been really upset.

Tony felt guilty.

He should have warned Pepper. For some reason he thought that not giving her the heads up would soften the blow. What kind of idiotic idea was that? Pepper was good under pressure, he thought the pressure of Scarlett suddenly showing up would force her to perform with grace. That had backfired dramatically.

"Aw, you really are feeling sensitive!"

"I am not."

"Do you want a tissue? Jarvis, get him a tissue." Scarlett shouted over the phone.

"Jarvis, no! No!" Tony couldn’t help but chuckle as Jarvis asked him if he required tissues. He heard Scarlett giggling on the other end of the line and it was infectious. "God, no, that's not it. I was worried, that's all."

"That still feels like you're sensitive."

"I thought women liked sensitive guys."

"I'm just teasing you." Scarlett cleared her throat.

"Don't say it."

"There's no reason…"

"Don't you dare."

"…to be so sensitive."

"I hate you."

"Come on! I'm trying to make you laugh." Scarlett teased. "I got to my loft and I got changed as planned. Then I looked out the window and… the beach is really beautiful today."

"That explains a lot." Tony realized now that the noise he overheard in the background had to be waves. She'd fallen asleep on the beach.

"So I took a walk and I may have gotten a little too comfortable." Scarlett ran her fingers through her hair and blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes. In truth her stomach had been upset. She'd consumed half a roll of antacids and taken a walk. Sleep had dulled the ache and while she was left with a minor headache, she felt more like her old self.

"So the beach, huh?" Tony decided if it didn't bother Scarlett that Pepper had driven her off the property then it wouldn't bother him. Besides, if she was on the beach then it meant she was likely in a bathing suit. And that was far more fun to focus on.

"Yeah, it's quite beautiful actually. I forgot how pretty the Pacific can be."

"Bluer than the Atlantic, don't you think?"

"Only if we're talking about the United States side." Scarlett smiled and flopped back down into the sand, resting her sunhat over her face to block out the fading light of the sun. "You should see it from Africa."

"Oh, international traveler, are we?"

"Like you aren't."

"So is it crowded? Must not have been for you to nap…"

"Not a soul in sight." Scarlett yawned. "Very relaxing."

"The beach can be pretty fun too, you know."

"Oh, I know."

"You just need the right company, I think." Tony hinted, walking through his house and jogging up the stairs toward his bedroom."

"Do I, now?" Scarlett sat up, curiously. There was a light warm breeze on the air.

"Absolutely." Tony teased. "I'll be there in ten minutes with my suit if you want to know just how fun the beach can be."

"The Mark XLII isn't exactly beachy."

"Oh, oh I see what you did there." Tony actually laughed out loud, swimsuit in hand. "On the other hand, it's a nice quiet place that I could show you what I've been working on. You could take a nice look at the suit and see what you think."

"Showing me your suit sounds more like third date material."

"I would say this is about a third date."

"Except that you're not single and these aren't dates." Scarlett found herself reminding him of that more and more frequently and partially wishing that she didn't have to. Not because she wanted to be the other woman but because she wished that it wasn't the case. She liked Tony Stark. As much as she denied it when Natasha harassed her about it, Scarlett knew what was happening to her. It wasn't like she'd never felt any sort of attraction to anyone before. It'd only happened a number of times this intensely and maybe even then nowhere quite near what she felt now, but still, she recognized it.

There was no way she'd say it out loud or admit it to anyone, but god if there was ever a time to live up to her reputation, she would want it to be now.

"Sure, sure…" Tony walked down the stairs, through his kitchen and into his wine cellar after punching in a code. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"Oh, now that's definitely third date material."

"I've never been a patient guy, you know."

"Really? Never would have guessed that."

"I always get what I want."

"And what is it you want, Tony?" Scarlett dared him to say it out loud, to admit that it wasn't in her head and god did Tony want to. More than ever he wanted to be single. For the first time since New York Tony felt alive. Something about Scarlett had brought him back from the dead. If he felt this alive just talking to her he couldn't imagine how alive he'd feel if he actually got to touch her, to act on impulse, to kiss her, to take her to bed.

"I want to grab my suit and meet you at the beach." Tony cleared his throat and swore his voice broke. He covered it up the best he could with a cough. Sure, he could have crossed a line. She had given him the right opportunity but he had decided against it. Tony wasn't a cheater. Though he found that he had to remind himself of that a hundred times each day lately. Then again, when he'd asked Pepper if she'd cheated she'd never given a real response. Instead she'd become flustered. So why should Tony care so much?

Tony had never been cheated on before, not in a serious relationship. He'd been in open relationships before, or relationships of convenience, but he was mostly indifferent to how it felt. There had once been a time where he'd say that cheating was no big deal but that had been before he'd dated Pepper, before he'd opened his heart to anyone.

Now even the idea of it hurt like hell. No matter how angry he was, no matter how sure he was that Pepper was off doing something with Happy, he didn't want her to feel quite like this.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Tony." Scarlett was apprehensive for the same reasons Tony was and more. She felt vulnerable. The fact that her parents had died had left her feeling sadder than she'd expected. Yeah, they'd been pretty dreadful parents but not to the point where she'd wished them death. No one deserved that. Hopefully it had been quick and painless.

"I'm already picking out a bottle of wine."

"That is definitely not a good idea."

"You just said you wanted to have some fun!"

"No, you said I wanted to have some fun, I said I had taken a nap." Scarlett laughed and ran her fingers through her hair and placed her hat down on the sand next to her. The ocean waves rolled toward her and then back again. The sound was soothing and if it wasn't for the phone she had it would be all she heard. It would be too romantic to have Tony with her at the beach. God and then he wanted to bring wine? Feeling vulnerable and with a good buzz, Scarlett wasn't sure she would have the willpower to stop herself.

"You already took a nap." Tony brushed his fingers over a few wine bottles. "Are you a red or white wine kind of woman? I'm guessing…"

"Red." Scarlett smiled. Maybe she was over reacting. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Tony was her business partner now, she would have to get used to spending time alone with him without thinking about the things she wasn't allowed to do.

"Knew it. Napa cab alright with you?"

"Tony…" Scarlett drifted off and then placed her hand to her forehead. "Seriously, what do you want me to do here?"

"Wear a two piece, preferably."

"I meant about work."

"That's way less fun, I mean you can still wear a two piece but it's kind of dangerous…"

"I have to be back in Boston in a few days for Refuge stuff. What am I doing in Malibu if I'm not working with you?"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it by tomorrow morning, okay?" Tony reassured her and tucked the wine safely away in a carry case. "Do you have wine glasses at your place?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"I'll take that as a yes." Tony started toward his garage. "So where are you staying?"

"It's not important." Scarlett felt a smile play on her lips at last. He wanted to come over, he wasn't even asking anymore. He had wine, presumably a swimsuit, and probably a really sexy car.

"That's not funny."

"The beach is really gorgeous though. Nothing but beach in each direction…" She let out a dreamy sigh and leaned her elbows on her knees.

"You're teasing me again."

"We were supposed to be working."

"Well now it's a recreational day." Tony thought again that Scarlett sounded sad. Maybe it hadn't been in his head when he'd first heard her pick up the phone. Yes, she had obviously been sleepy but it was possible she was also sad. "Do you need to talk?"

"Only if you can find me." Scarlett smiled. Had the melancholy feeling that had fell on her shoulders earlier that day come off in her voice? She hadn't meant it too. She was becoming too comfortable around Tony, her thoughts were betraying her.

"Is that a challenge?"

"What, are you not up for it?" Scarlett smirked, trying to sound more playful, less sorrowful.

"Oh, Scarlett, you have no idea how up for it I am."