Hello,

This chapter turned out shorter than I thought it would be, because as I wrote it, I realised I had copied two chapters worth of movie text into one document and hadn't separated it. It was only when I was writing that I picked up my error.

Please do, enjoy! :)

Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man

SEVEN

In Afghanistan, two men were trying to roughly piece the suit back together. Raza stood by watching them as he smoked, annoyed at their lack of progress.

"I'm going to guess they succeed in some way," said Sam.

"What makes you say that?" asked Bucky.

"I could be wrong… but I do remember an incident at Stark Industries involving a big suit of armour. There were photos on the paper the next day of a suit." His eyes flickered to Tony. "And yours was photographed too. It caused quite a stir with my regiment, especially when you revealed it was you in the smaller suit, Stark."

"We couldn't cover it up though SHIELD tried its best to. I… kinda…"

"Interrupted their plans?" Natasha's left eyebrow rose, knowingly.

Tony's revelation that he was Iron Man had caused quite a stir in the media for weeks.

No one had expected the billionaire playboy to become what he had.

"To put it bluntly, Romanoff, I did."

The screen focused on the original helmet, lingering on it briefly before it merged into a digital mask on a computer screen in Tony's workshop.

Tony was narrating notes out loud, sitting at his desk, with an ice pack on his left shoulder. The computers scattered around him all had schematics on them. He was removing a bandage on his hand. Tony noted the hull pressurisation was problematic and it was likely due to icing being the probable factor.

"Already addressing the problems," noted Steve. "Any problem you had with the suits you improved?"

Tony nodded. "I did. That way the same weakness couldn't be used twice."

"Smart," agreed Bruce.

"Why do you think I never stop tinkering? I'm always trying to improve my work." Tony pointed out. "You may not believe it, but despite the fact the Avengers are toast, I've already been working on improving some of your gear from the previous upgrades I did."

Steve was surprised by it. "You are?"

Tony caught his eye. "Something is coming, Steve, and we are not prepared for it. I don't want any of us to be unprepared for what is out there."

There was a sombre silence in the room. Steve marvelled, that despite everything, Tony was still trying his best to protect them.

Maybe he had underestimated Tony after all.

JARVIS told him it was a very astute observation and that if he intended on visiting other planets, they should improve the exosystems.

"Never ever will I visit another planet," shuddered Tony. "Going through the wormhole was enough."

Wanda bit her lower lip. "What did you see?"

Tony dipped his chin and caught her eye. "I think you already know."

Bruce's eyes followed the exchange. "Tony… what do you mean?"

Tony sighed and sat back. "You'll find out… and then you'll know why I've done the things I have."

The only one who looked dubious about that was Clint, but Tony chose to ignore the archer. What Clint thought didn't matter to him, just as long as he was able to keep the Earth safe.

Tony leaned back in his chair, asking JARVIS to connect to the sys co and to use the gold titanium alloy from the seraphin tactical satellite. He assumed this would ensure fuselage integrity while maintaining a power-to-weight ratio. JARVIS wanted to know if he should render the new design using the proposed specifications.

Tony affirmed and sipped from his drink. "Thrill me."

"Once the base design was done, JARVIS could make alterations?" asked Bucky.

"He could, yes," affirmed Tony. "It was quicker and easier rather than I edit it myself. JARVIS evolved with everything he did. It made creating the next Mark of the suit a quicker process. Plus, my mind was forever working on other things, and with JARVIS' help, I was able to tackle other problems as well. JARVIS was good like that…" He sighed, missing JARVIS.

Though JARVIS was a part of Vision, and the android could still remember his time as Tony's A.I, it wasn't the same.

JARVIS was gone forever, and he was never coming back.

FRIDAY was a good replacement but, as JARVIS had been, she was still learning. It would take her years before she ever caught up with what JARVIS had once been.

As the render was drawn up, Tony's attention was drawn to the TV in the background. The presenter was talking about the third annual benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund, and that it had become an event for the place to be for L.A's high society.

"JARVIS, did we get an invite for that?"

JARVIS confirmed he had no record of one.

Rhodey frowned. "Wouldn't have Pepper told you about it?"

Tony would have thought so. "Maybe she was told not to tell me."

From what he had learned at the benefit, Tony could only believe Stane had been behind it, to keep Tony out of the loop as much as possible. Pepper had been an unwilling pawn, believing she would have been doing the right thing in helping Tony adjust back into life following his captivity. She had no reason not to trust Obadiah Stane.

If he had asked her not to tell Tony…

He wasn't expecting me to show up anyway…

Tony picked up the prototype Iron Man mask. The TV continued on in the background. They were now talking about him, stating that he hadn't been seen in public since his bizarre and highly controversial press conference. He rose the mask in front of his face. It was marked with mathematical diagrams.

"Some claim he's suffering from post-traumatic stress and has been bedridden for weeks."

"SHIELD was concerned about you," explained Natasha. "These reports were worrying…"

Steve was surprised. "Why?"

"We had yet to debrief him. The longer he stayed out of the public eye, the less likely we would get an accurate debrief from him." Natasha shrugged. "Not that he did give us the full story when SHIELD finally managed to catch up with him."

"Actually, I did," said Tony, "I just hacked into your systems and edited the report. I didn't want people knowing details. And, what I did was for my own protection. With HYDRA being involved with SHIELD, it gave me an element of protection by doing so. Any dirty laundry SHIELD had on me when you did your data-dump, Nat, had already been deleted or altered. I was very efficient in keeping myself protected."

"In hindsight, hacking their system was a good idea," added Bucky. "HYDRA couldn't use anything against you."

Steve frowned. He'd always hated Tony hacking into things. When he'd first found out he'd done it on the Helicarrier, the soldier hadn't been impressed. But Tony's words had made him find out details for himself as to what SHIELD had been planning with the Tesseract. In some ways, Tony was right in doing what he had done.

Tony lowered his mask.

"Whatever the case may be, no one expects an appearance from him tonight."

"That's gonna change," grinned Sam. "If you're not turning up, I'll be surprised."

Tony glanced at his computer as JARVIS informed him the render was complete. On-screen showed the new prototype design for the new Mark II, shining gold. Tony commented it was a little ostentatious. JARVIS mocked that Tony was usually so discreet.

"JARVIS really did have his own personality…" admitted Wanda. She could see it now. Vision wasn't JARVIS, albeit having some of his memories.

"We were very close…" said Tony quietly. "He knew me very well. He wasn't just a creation of mine. He was a friend."

Guilt flooded through her. She wanted to apologise. Her actions had forced Tony to restart the Ultron project. She had wanted him to create something destructive. Something which would ultimately destroy him. But as she learned more about him, she found she'd badly misjudged him. A part of her wanted to apologise for being indirectly responsible for JARVIS' 'death'. But the words could not come.

When they had started the movie, she hadn't expected to feel sympathy for Tony Stark.

It surprised her that her anger was lessening.

His gaze was drawn to one of his old-fashioned cars, which had an open top and it was painted matte black, with bright red flames. "Tell you what, throw a little hot-rod red in there."

"That's how you picked the colour of the suit?" Bruce asked incredulously.

Tony shrugged. "It was inspired."

"Good choice," nodded Sam.

"Yes, that should help you keep a low profile," sassed JARVIS.

The personality quirks of the A.I did cause a few of them to giggle at his words.

The A.I altered the design, adding in the red to complete the new render whilst Tony sipped at his drink.

"The render is complete."

Tony's answer was instant. "Hey, I like it. Fabricate it. Paint it."

"You didn't even look at it properly…" Sam coaxed Tony.

"Didn't need to. You kind of know when it works… And a red and gold suit works."

JARVIS confirmed he was starting automated assembly and that the estimated time for completion was five hours.

Tony pulled out his watch, glanced at the time, and said: "Don't wait up for me, honey."

"And off you go to the benefit," mused Nat.

A silver Audi sports car with the number plate STARK 4 sped down the road, slowing down as he reached the venue of the benefit, pulling up by the kerb where he was greeted by a car handler. He climbed out of the Audi and Tony handed him the keys and began to walk boldly up the red carpet. He'd made sure to dress smartly, wearing a business suit.

Obadiah was conducting an interview, discussing how weapons manufacturing was only a small part of what SI was all about, and that their partnership with the fire and rescue community was important equally as well, however, he was cut off from finishing when it became apparent the media had noticed Tony's presence.

"He's not going to like you being there is he?" observed Steve.

Tony declined to answer.

Tony walked through the crowd, trying to ignore the blonde woman who approached him and wanted to know if he remembered her. He didn't.

"Should have remembered her name, Stark," muttered Clint.

Tony rolled his eyes. Sure, he had been a jerk when it came to sleeping with women but they shouldn't expect him to remember their names. "Considering I hadn't slept with anyone since before Afghanistan, and that woman is not Everhart, why would I remember her name?"

Clint cringed.

"Did you forget I spent three months in captivity? The names of women I had a one-night stand with were not important!" added Tony, feeling a bit of anger over how Clint was continuing to talk to him and degrade his every action.

"Clint…" Steve sighed. "I know you are angry at Tony…"

"Of course, I am! He didn't help us when we were thrown in prison! I have a criminal record because of him!" Clint pointed at Tony with his finger.

Tony sighed, hanging his head. Barton just didn't get it. "You got yourself a criminal record when you attacked Vision at the Compound. That had nothing to do with me."

"You were keeping Wanda prisoner!" spat Clint.

Tony wanted to scream. "The Compound was the only safe place for her at the time! People wanted her head! And she wasn't a prisoner! She had the run of the entire Compound and its grounds!"

"You should have told me though," whispered Wanda, "instead of leaving it to Vision."

"I know," admitted Tony. "But… you don't like me. Would you have listened or believed me if I had spoken to you?"

Wanda wasn't sure she would have. She would have probably ignored him.

"Wanda, what I did was to try to protect you. To keep you safe, so you wouldn't go to prison. I didn't know about the collar that they used on you. That wasn't of my design."

"They said it was," stated Clint, his eyes flashing angrily. "Trying to abdicate responsibility again, Stark?"

Tony gritted his teeth, his fists clenched. "The collar they used on Wanda was not Stark Tech. Ross was already working with an independent group to construct devices which could hold each of us, including me! Just because I was the Avenger's 'tech guy' does not mean I was working with the Government either!"

The archer mumbled under his breath.

"Clint, we may not be in agreement with Tony on certain matters, but your comments have gone too far. If you can't say anything nice, don't-"

"Don't say anything at all." Clint shook his head, rolling his eyes. "I'm not your child, Cap."

"But you are part of this team," stated Steve firmly. "Just as much as Tony still is. And you can't keep on blaming him for mistakes we all made."

Clint cast Tony a glance but didn't say anything.

He tapped an elderly gentleman on the shoulder, telling him he looked great as the elder turned to look at him. Obadiah was attempting to salvage his interview when Tony approached him, interrupting the interview. "What's the world coming to when a guy's got to crash his own party?"

"Didn't you always do that, Stark?" teased Natasha.

Tony couldn't deny it. He had always been the type to make a big impression at parties, even ones that were his own.

Obadiah laughed. "Look at you! Hey, what a surprise."

Tony nodded and smiled. "See you inside."

Obadiah stopped him, catching him by the shoulder, advising him quietly. "Hey, listen, take it slow, all right? I think I got the board right where we want them."

Rhodey frowned and muttered quietly. "Right where you want them to be to take advantage." None of the others heard him, but there did seem to be a genuine disquiet amongst the team whenever Obadiah was on screen.

"You got it," nodded Tony. "Just cabin fever. I'll just be a minute."

Obadiah watched him as he walked off.

Inside the venue, Tony approached the bar. He ordered a scotch. A man approached Tony. It was Phil Coulson. Tony recognised him, sipping from his drink. Coulson reminded him he was from the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. Tony commented they needed a new name for that, in which Coulson admitted he heard that a lot.

"We did have a name. SHIELD," reported Natasha. "It was in our regulations to use the full name rather than the abbreviation. If people were curious about us, and searched up 'Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division', they were led to a website that told them what we did."

"Though it didn't tell them the truth," added Clint. "We were supposed to be an anonymised agency but gradually became public over the years. Our actions became public."

"The year you became Iron Man changed everything for us," said Natasha, looking at Tony. "We started to use SHIELD openly, and the world knew more about what we did as an organisation."

"Which is exactly what HYDRA wanted," growled Steve.

Natasha nodded. "So, they could bring down SHIELD."

"But you bought HYDRA down at the same time," pointed out Bucky.

"Maybe," admitted Steve, "but HYDRA still had pockets around, working to achieve their goal. They never faded away, unlike SHIELD. We spent a year rooting out all the old Hydra hotspots." His lips twitched. "Those were the good times. That year we spent together, the original team…"

"Then Stark ruined it with Ultron," snarked Clint nastily.

Tony rolled his eyes, dutifully ignoring the Archer.

He continued to add that they needed to debrief Tony as there was still a lot of unanswered questions regarding his escape, and time was a factor with these things. He offered Tony a time and a place for a meeting.

Tony was distracted, hardly noticing as his eyes focused upon Pepper, who was wearing a bare-backed blue dress, her hair trailing down her back in ringlets. Absentmindedly, Tony held out his hand to shake Coulson's, agreeing to the meeting, but he was still starring at Pepper.

"You didn't take it in at all what he was saying, were you?" said Sam.

Tony shrugged. "Pepper was very distracting in the blue dress." It was one of his favourite dresses of hers. He loved it. "I was partially aware though." But not enough to remember the appointment… If he had turned up for the interview… The Arc Reactor would not have been taken from him. But it may have been too late to stop Stane with his suit. Nor would Pepper have found evidence of Stane's betrayal.

"I'm going to go to my assistant, and, we'll make a date."

Rhodey cast Tony a knowing glance. He knew how much Tony was besotted with Pepper, and she him. No one could deny the love they had for each other. He was glad they had sorted the issues between them that had led to their temporary break-up. They were back on track, stronger than ever before.

Tony walked towards Pepper, coming up behind her. "You look fantastic. I didn't recognise you."

Pepper turned, her lips were bright red with lipstick, and she was astonished to see Tony. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Oh, someone is in trouble…" Clint muttered, making no effort to keep his remarks to himself.

Tony shrugged. "Just avoiding government agents."

"Are you by yourself?"

"Yes. Where'd you get that dress?" he queried.

Steve shook his head. "You just went straight to the point. One thing on your mind, Stark, as always."

"She looked nice," defended Tony, annoyed at Steve's criticism of him. "Besides, the dress she wore would have been too expensive for her to buy, therefore…" He trailed off, hoping the super-soldier would catch on.

"She used your money…" Steve realised. "Oh."

"It was my gift to her for her birthday," clarified Tony.

"You didn't mind how much she used?" Bruce queried.

Tony shook his head. "No. I didn't. It took her a long while before she started to buy herself expensive stuff for her birthday. If I didn't want her to, I would have put a stop to it." He shrugged. "What Pepper wants, Pepper gets."

"And is that still true today, Tones?" joked Rhodey.

Tony pulled a face. "Well… erm…" He was not very good at buying presents. The giant rabbit he'd bought her for Christmas one year had been an epic disaster. But then, that whole Christmas had been an epic disaster, what with Killian and Extremis being on the loose. "I'm not very good at the whole presents lark."

"Oh, it was a birthday present," she clarified, looking down at herself self-consciously.

"Look's great."

"From you, actually," she elaborated further.

"Looks like she's a bit embarrassed to be found to be wearing such an expensive dress when you're around…" Sam pointed out.

"Well, I got great taste."

"Yes."

"You want to dance?" Tony offered.

Rhodey put his head in his hands. "You're actually going for it."

Tony frowned. "What's the problem?"

"Pepper isn't the usual woman who flings herself at you, and you're just doing your usual routine of 'I'm here, they'll want to do anything with me'!" explained Rhodey. "And if someone says no, you make them do it anyway…"

Tony felt uncomfortable. He did have a tendency to force his own way on others. But he'd spent the majority of his life getting what he wanted. "Maybe I shouldn't have pressured her…"

Pepper seemed rather alarmed by the prospect. "Oh, no. Thank you."

But Tony guided her onto the dance floor as Pepper nervously looked around. "All right, come on."

"You just disregarded what she said!" Steve was shocked, yet he felt he shouldn't have been surprised.

"How can you be surprised?" snorted Clint. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Stark only cares about himself. Not of others."

Pepper bit her lip, unsure whether she was enjoying the routine Tony was putting her through or whether she should feel like she wanted to be as far away from this place as much as possible. They swayed to the music, and she kept smiling nervously.

"She really doesn't want to be there," observed Wanda, feeling sorry for Pepper.

Tony winced. He could see his actions had been wrong. He should have respected Pepper's wish to not dance instead of forcing her into it.

Tony noticed. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"YES!" Almost everyone shouted at the screen.

"No. No," she denied hurriedly, "I always forget to wear deodorant and dance with my boss in front of everyone that I work with in a dress with no back."

"She's nervous," noted Sam quietly.

"You look great. You smell great," complimented Tony.

Embarrassed by his words, Pepper avoided eye-contact. "Oh gosh!"

"But I could fire you if that would take the edge of," he reasoned.

"I actually don't think you could tie your shoes without me," bantered Pepper, getting into the swing of things.

"You wouldn't last a single day without her." Rhodey clapped him on the back. "I know you. Pepper keeps you focused."

"I'd make it a week," Tony guessed.

"Really?" Pepper wasn't so sure.

"Sure." He was pretty confident.

"What's your social security number?"

Bruce leaned forward and glanced at Tony. "You don't know it, do you?"

"I had no need to know it," defended Tony, though now he had made the effort to remember it. The few months he had spent without Pepper had been some of the hardest of his life. Dealing with the Accords and the aftermath of Siberia had been… challenging. But he'd made progress, and Pepper had come back to him. He didn't want to disappoint her ever again.

Tony danced in silence as he groped for the answer, whilst Pepper smiled expectantly, clearly knowing that he didn't know those nine simple numbers.

"Five."

"Five? Great. You're missing just a couple of digits there."

"The other eight," laughed Tony. "So, I got you for the other eight."

"You might not always have her though," said Steve.

"I know," sighed Tony. "But I know it now."

Clint was about to make a remark but Tony stopped him.

"I'm not repeating it Barton, just to prove I do know it!"

"Wasn't going to ask that," sneered Barton, but it was clear from the tone of his voice, that would have been his question if Tony hadn't interrupted him.

Pepper laughed quietly. An awkward silence fell between them, and Pepper continued to look nervous as she noticed Tony watching her, his eyes soft.

Bruce muttered under his breath. "Awkward…"

"How about a little air?" suggested Tony.

Pepper agreed. "Yes, I need some air." She cleared her throat as they walked away with Coulson watching on.

"Tension breaking, thank god!" breathed Bruce. "How did you two manage to work together for so long?"

"Pepper was very… patient." It was all Tony could say. The sexual tension between them had increased over the years to the point where they had become comfortable with one another in private but embarrassed when in public. It had been unspoken between them for years. "She put up with a lot of stuff I did or said. I'm honestly surprised she's still interested. Still here."

"Pepper came back?" perked up Steve.

Tony shifted in his seat. He'd told Rogers that he and Pepper had been taking a break. "Yeah, she did. Shortly after Siberia."

"I'm glad she came back to you, Tony. She's good for you."

She is, thought Tony, but she's too good for me. How have I still got her? It surprised him, after all these years, that Pepper still stood by his side. All the shit he had pulled, and she still refused to stay away. She was loyal.

Outside on the balcony, Pepper and Tony stood in the cool breeze air.

"That was totally weird," said Pepper.

"Totally harmless," reasoned Tony.

"Doubtful," commented Sam. "Both of you clearly harbour feelings for one another. I know you are together now… but back then… You two definitely needed to get it out of your system."

Tony couldn't deny it. When they had eventually got together, they'd decided not to jump straight into bed. They both wanted to make sure a relationship could work between them before they made that final step. When they had eventually done so… it had been amazing and totally worth the wait. "It might be a while before we get to that point."

"I hope we don't see it!" commented Clint harshly. He ignored Steve's glare.

But Tony decided to have some fun. He'd had enough of Clint's comments. "Sex tapes, Barton. They do exist."

Clint pulled a face. "Did not want that image in my head." He looked sick.

"Then stop making horrible comments," warned Steve, arms folded across his chest, glaring at his team member. "You deserved that."

Clint pursued his lips.

Tony smirked, glad he'd been able to make the archer feel so uncomfortable after all the derogatory comments he had been making throughout the viewing so far.

Pepper corrected him. "It was totally not harmless, by the way."

"We're dancing. No one's even watching."

Pepper didn't agree. "Everybody who I work wi-. No, you know why?" She swiped her hair out of her face.

"I think you lost objectively. I think they just… People… We just danced."

"But could look as favouritism," pointed out Bruce. "Dancing with your personal assistant is the best way for rumours to spread."

"On Asgard, it was common to dance with everyone!" stated Thor. "Dancing and drinking, no matter your status!"

"Earth isn't Asgard though, is it?" Bucky said.

"Romances between the boss and an employee can be problematic in the workplace," explained Sam. "It can lead to people believing they have an advantage of everyone else when it comes to promotions."

"Which is why when I made Pepper CEO," Tony interrupted, "I was no longer an employee of the company. I was no longer the boss."

"It didn't stop the rumours though," pointed out Rhodey. "A lot of places reported Pepper had slept her way to the top. Very uncommon for the Personal Assistant to suddenly be promoted to CEO."

Tony shrugged. "Pepper had been running the company for years. She knew it better then I did. I was just the face of the company."

"Statistically, there is a 0.5 percent chance of a PA ever becoming CEO without using their connections to rise to that position," stated Vision. "JARVIS ran the statistics shortly after Mr. Stark pronounced Miss. Potts CEO. Those numbers are retained in my memory."

"But… technically… wouldn't she fall in the 0.5 percent?" queried Wanda.

Tony shook his head. "No. I promoted her on my own decision, no pressure from her. I'm sure you'll see it. Pepper did not use her position as my PA to force her way into the role of CEO. Anyone who thinks otherwise are wrong." He briefly glanced at Clint, aware that the Archer probably believed it. "Pepper worked hard to get where she did. I'm incredibly proud of the years she served as my PA. No one could ever live up to her."

"Not even me?" eluded Natasha.

"Ah… erm…" Tony stumbled over his words.

"Wait, when was Nat your PA?" Steve asked, surprised flitting across his features.

A slight smile pulled at Tony's lips. "You'll find out."

"No, it was not just a dance! You don't understand because you're you. And everybody knows exactly who you are and how you are with girls and all of that, which is completely fine. But, you know, then me, you're my boss, and I'm dancing with you."

Tony protested, deflating a bit as he tried to defend their dance. "I don't think it was taken that way."

Sam winced. "If your reputation at the time was to dance with girls and then take them to bed, Pepper is exactly right in her analysis there. People would have noticed you were dancing with her, and they would have made that conclusion."

"Not many people would have known your experiences in captivity changed you," said Rhodey quietly. "They assumed Tony Stark would be fine."

"Even with the news reporting I was suffering post-traumatic stress?" questioned Tony.

"Stane was quite good at defending you on that…" replied Rhodey hesitantly. In public, Stane had made a show of supporting Tony, but privately, he hadn't been.

"Because it makes me look like the one who's trying to…" She trailed off, noticing the soft expression on Tony's face.

"I just think you're overstating it," admitted Tony.

"You know, and we're here, and then I'm wearing this ridiculous dress, and then we were dancing like that and…" Pepper shook her head.

Tony's face had been stripped of all the masks he had ever worn. In front of her was the real Tony Stark, the one who cared deeply about her but hardly showed it. Without realising it, they both took a tiny step forward.

"I know you didn't kiss her. Pepper would have said. Pretty sure I was there for your first kiss," remarked Rhodey.

"You were."

Pepper started to lean forward, and she pulled him close, their bodies pressed close together. Her eyes closed. Electricity was in the air and their lips moved closer.

They were about to kiss when reality came crashing down and Pepper opened her eyes and pulled away, breaking the awkward silence between them. "I would like a drink, please."

"I bet you were disappointed, Stark," muttered Clint.

Tony decided not to comment. He had wanted to kiss Pepper then but watching it back now it had seemed very awkward and forced, whereas their first proper kiss had been fiery and passionate.

Tony nodded. "Got it, okay."

"I would like a Vodka Martini, please."

"Okay."

"Very dry with Olives, a lot of Olives. Like at least 3 Olives," Pepper requested.

Sam laughed. "Definitely does not want you to try to kiss her again, does she, with that many olives!"

"I am a good kisser," said Tony. "But Pepper knows that now…"

At the bar, Tony ordered two Vodka Martinis, extra dry and with extra olives and quickly. He added for one of them to be made dirty. He put the cash he had in the wine glass. The barman walked off, leaving Tony to lean at the bar as a woman walks through the crowd towards him from behind. She wore a black dress. She was surprised to see him at the event.

Tony couldn't remember her name. It was Christine Everhart.

She informed him he had a lot of nerve showing up at the Benefit, and that she wanted a reaction from him.

Tony pulled a face, commenting that panic was his reaction.

Steve frowned. "I'm guessing that isn't the type of reaction she was after…"

"No, she wasn't," affirmed Tony.

"Because I was referring to your company's involvement in this latest atrocity."

"Yeah, they just put my name on the invitation. I don't know what to tell you," admitted Tony.

Christine stared at him, a hard expression on her face. "I actually almost bought it, hook, line and sinker."

"Whatever she wants your reaction of, she believes you are complicit in whatever she has uncovered," noted Natasha.

Tony didn't look impressed. "I was out of town for a couple of months, in case you didn't hear."

"Is this what you call accountability?" Christine asked, handing him a selection of printed photos.

Now, Tony realised what she had really been talking about.

"It's a town called Gulmira. Heard of it?" she asked.

Sam paled. "Shit."

Steve gasped. "This isn't going to go well, is it?"

"That's where that Yinsen was from, wasn't it?" remembered Thor.

"It was," confirmed Tony. "This is when I discovered the truth." His eyes briefly caught Wanda's, and she glanced at him, curious.

Tony's gaze was intent as he glanced at Christine, flicking through each of the photos, showing his weapons in the hands of the terrorists, including the Jericho, the weapon they had wanted him to build but he'd refused. They still had obtained one. How? "When were these taken?"

"Yesterday."

"I didn't approve any shipment," stated Tony.

"Then who did?" whispered Wanda, surprise flicking across her features.

"Now you'll know," answered Rhodey gently.

"Well, your company did," Christine pointed out.

"No…" whispered Steve, the obvious answer hitting him.

Sam swallowed. "He didn't just sell weapons illegally, did he?"

Tony shook his head, realising Sam meant Stane. "No, he didn't."

"Well, I'm not my company." Tony strode past Christine and out the door.

The next scene showed Tony standing in front of Obadiah, showing him the pictures Christine had taken. "Have you seen these pictures? Huh? What's going on in Gulmira?"

Obadiah was shaking his head. "Tony, Tony… You can't afford to be this naïve."

"He is double-dealing!" Sam's expression was hard, his eyes flashing angrily.

Wanda's breathing quickened.

Tony's face was hard. "You know what? I was naïve before, when they said, 'Here's the line. We don't cross it. This is how we do business.' If we're double-dealing under the table. Are we?"

A photographer shouts out for a picture as Obadiah scrutinised Tony. "Let's take a picture. Come on. Picture time!"

"He's avoiding the question." Bruce didn't look happy.

Surprisingly to Tony, he could see most of them there seemed to be angry of what Stane had been doing behind Tony's back. Even Clint looked a little green, but the Archer was fighting not to show it.

They stood together on the steps, Obadiah smiling brightly however Tony's stony expression did not change. His eyes were burning with anger. He didn't have time for this.

Obadiah leaned in close, murmuring quietly as the cameras continued to click in front of them. "Tony. Who do you think locked you out? I was the one who filed the injection against you." He continued to smile, patting Tony's arm. "It was the only way I could protect you."

"No!" vented Sam. "He wasn't trying to protect you! He was trying to oust you!" He was angry enough that he leapt out of his seat. "Everything makes sense now!"

"It does?" Clint seemed dubious.

"I've been suspicious of him since the start. Haven't you? The way he has looked and acted through this whole time? Now, instead of trying to help Stark, he's trying to push him out of the company. I would lay bets Stane was involved in Stark's kidnapping too. Was he?" He wanted clarification of his theory.

"You'll find out," said Tony. "My missiles only got into the hands of terrorists because of Stane. He was the one double-dealing and profiteering from it. At the same time his actions ensured my own fortune increased. I never questioned it. I trusted him to make the right decisions for the company." Tony looked at his hands. "So much blood is on my hands for not noticing. Every action I take is to make up for the fact I am directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. I never noticed. I let him get away with it because I wasn't interested. All I cared about was where the next party was and the next one-night stand! I was the public face of the company whilst Stane ran it behind my back, doing what he wanted."

Tony leaned forward, wiping his hands over his face. "Wanda… Stane was the one who sold weapons to HYDRA. HYDRA used them against your people." He shook his head, his shoulders shuddering. "Stane didn't just double-deal in genuine Stark weapons, he also dealt in fake weapons too, pretending they were Stark missiles."

"How do you know the difference if its genuine Stark or not?" enquired Steve.

"Because every Stark missile has the words 'Stark Industries' printed upon it. The weapons sold to Sokovia did not," explained Tony.

"They just had the word 'Stark'…" whispered Wanda, her face blanched, picturing the missile in her mind.

"Genuine Stark missiles were ones that worked properly. Never had any faults. They were manufactured precisely. JARVIS monitored it. Any fault, he told me. Stane bought cheaper missiles and passed them off as Stark weaponry. He made a fortune. The missile which hit your home was not a genuine Stark missile, Wanda. It was one Stane had bought and then sold to HYDRA on the pretence it was one of mine. It wasn't my weapon which killed your parents, nor frightened you for days after the second hit and didn't explode… But I'm still to blame because I didn't know."

Tony looked away, hardly able to look at Wanda. He didn't know what she was thinking. Nor was he sure if he wanted to know. "I know why you hate me, Wanda. But I was not the one to fire the missile at your home. Nor was it my missile. But it is my fault that I did not know Stane was profiteering elsewhere and using my name to do it. I was interested in honest business dealings. That was how I was raised. And, that is how I thought Stane operated too. I'm sor-"

"Don't say it." Wanda interrupted him, holding her hand up. "You do not need to apologise." She bit her lower lip. "I've misjudged you, haven't I?" Her voice was quiet, filled with uncertainty. "I think… maybe… once this is over, we need to talk." She smiled lightly at him.

Tony cocked his head to the side slightly. "Okay."

"Later," Wanda promised.

Obadiah pulled away from Tony, leaving him standing numbly on the steps, now aware of the betrayal of his father's once close friend.

Behind Tony, Christine turned away.

Tony shifted in his seat. "Now you all know how naïve I was. Everything I've done, and everything I continue to do, is to make up for what I missed for years. Even if you disagree with my methods, they are carried out with good intentions."

All of them, save for Clint looked thoughtful, though the Archer's stony expression was beginning to break.

Perhaps Clint would soon see and understand, just as Wanda had done.

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

Wanda is finally making progress and realised she may have been wrong about Tony. They've still got a way to go. Clint is still being quite stubborn, but his team are starting to get fed up of him.

In Iron Man, Phil Coulson talks to Tony about SHIELD. It's heavily implied that the name SHIELD didn't exist back then. However, in Captain Marvel, Nick Fury calls himself a part of SHIELD, so the name existed then. I tried to make up a reason why Phil spoke to Tony without calling it SHIELD, so I decided to use the idea that SHIELD was already its name... it just wasn't in the public eye until a bit later on, allowing for the fact that SHIELD was in fact used back in Captain Marvel.

We've got three more chapters to go...

Until next Sunday,

the-writer1988