"I don't like the idea of you going on this trip after everything that happened yesterday," Tony told Pepper.

Pepper sighed, and telescoped out the handle of her carry-on her suitcase, leading the way out of the guest suite. "Is there any reason at all to think I might also be a target?"

"Well, no, not really, but... look, if it had been General Ross behind the whole thing, I wouldn't be worried. We know what his goals and motivations are; we know he wouldn't see you as, say, potential leverage to get his hands on Bruce again. It's a step or five too far over the line of legality even for him. But since we don't know who was responsible... we can't be sure that the same holds true for whomever was actually behind yesterday's action."

Pepper paused, looking thoughtful, then released her suitcase and turned to sit down on a nearby bench seat. "What are you suggesting, then? I can't just put my job and my life on hold indefinitely, Tony. I've already let Happy know what's been going on, and he's both flying out to meet me and has increased SI security at the facilities I'm visiting. What more, realistically, can we do?"

"Take a certain kick-ass red-haired PA along with you?" a familiar voice suggested from a nearby vent, making Tony flinch and Pepper go very still for a moment, before she relaxed and smiled widely in the direction of the vent.

"Now that sounds like a doable suggestion," she agreed. "I assume Natasha is already on her way?"

The sound of heels tapping against flooring answered her, as Natasha walked into view around the turn at the other end of the hallway, pulling along a carry-on bag very similar to Pepper's. She was dressed in a fairly classic outfit, light brown tailored pants and a silky cream blouse with an honest-to-god pearl set just a shade lighter than the fabric of the blouse. "Ms Potts, I hope haven't kept you waiting," she said, lips twitching into a brief smirk.

Pepper smiled pleasantly as she rose to her feet again. "Not at all, Ms Rushman... and may I say, it's a pleasure to work with you again." She turned and looked at Tony, one eyebrow rising. "Satisfied?"

"Yeah, yeah, go do your job, and stay safe," he agreed, then darted forward to drop a kiss on her cheek before backing off.

"You stay safe as well," she told him seriously. "I'll be back in a few days, and Natasha and I will want to have that shopping trip with Nari that we had to miss out on yesterday, all right?"

"I'll let him... her... know to expect it," Tony agreed, then accepted a swift hug and cheek-kiss from her in turn, watching with a still slightly worried expression on his face as she and Natasha departed.

"You sure Natasha will be enough?" he asked.

"If she's not, having an even more obvious bodyguard presence probably won't make any difference," Clint replied.

"Right. Get out of my duct-work, Barton."

"Hey, if you didn't want me in the ducts, you shouldn't have made them big enough for an adult human to fit in them in the first place," Clint replied. "You know these things are normally, like, 6 inches in diameter, right? And likely to pop loose from their supports with just a few pounds pressure?"

"You don't want to know the bitching I had to put up with from my contractor about that. Though he did talk me out of the load bearing drop-ceilings; too much of a security risk, really, having spaces where people could crawl around at random."

"Tell me about it," Clint's voice came back fainter and muffled as he moved away.

Tony stood there for a moment longer, watching the elevator indicator counting down, then turned and went into the stairwell, taking the stairs back up to his own floor two at a time.

Loki was finally awake, he saw as he entered his living space, sitting on the couch looking both vaguely disgruntled and rather adorably sleep-tousled, a mug of coffee held carefully cupped in both hands.

"Eaten yet?" Tony asked.

"No. Fetch me something to eat, peon," Loki said, giving him a faux-haughty look.

Tony grinned, "As you wish, Princess Buttercup," he said, taking note of the pleased little smirk that Loki immediately hid behind the rim of his mug, as Tony turned away and went into the kitchen.

He kept it simple – toasted multi-grain bread, topped with guacamole, sliced grape tomatoes, and a little freshly grated parmesan. They ate it seated side-by-side on the couch, arms bumping together.

Finally Loki leaned forward, setting down his plate and mug on the coffee table, then turned to look enquiringly at Tony. "So, what have you found out since yesterday?"

"Not nearly enough," Tony told him, and summarized what very little they'd been able to find out about Troy – who had apparently been presumed dead in the same house fire that killed his parents a little over a year ago, right down to a badly burned body of the right size and sex having being found in the wreckage of his bedroom. Troy could tell them very little about the people who'd been keeping him captive ever since, beyond some rather horrific stories about the methods they had used to train him into obedience, and rough physical descriptions of some of the people involved or places he'd been kept at.

"Professor Xavier has already agreed to take him in, whether or not he tests out as actually having the x-gene, since Westchester would probably be the most appropriate and supportive environment for him. Plus since Xavier gets along better with Dr Strange than I do, he's said take over reaching out to him for advice on finding someone to deal with the black box, if their in-house medical staff doesn't feel up to the challenge," Tony concluded. "Now as to who was behind all this... so far the only thing we're reasonably sure of is that General Ross was not behind it, for once. Amazingly. He must be slipping."

Loki frowned. "Do you have any idea who else might be interested in Bruce, for any reason?"

Tony sighed and slumped back, looking frustrated. "A painfully long list. Anyone who has an interest in his old research on the super serum. Anyone who has an interest in his more recent research on things other than the serum. Anyone who thinks they might be able to control and weaponize the Hulk. Or clone an army of little green super-soldiers out of him. Or, I don't know, use him as some sort of x-treme cage fighting gladiator or something equally ridiculous. People that come after the jolly green rage-monster aren't necessarily working with a full load of bricks, or they'd know just how stupid a decision that is in the first place."

"How's Bruce doing?"

"Surprisingly well. Annoyed and a little angry, but he's already back to work in his lab and doesn't seem to have any lingering after-effects otherwise."

"Hmmm. I wonder if him having been unconscious for most of what happened helps or hurts. He essentially dropped like a stone in New York and woke up as the Hulk in New Jersey, with nothing in between except... absence."

"So he underwent a traumatic event, but with astonishingly little actual trauma, basically?" Tony asked, sounding curious.

"Exactly. Intellectually he knows he was restrained and taken somewhere against his wishes, and that things could have become... very unpleasant, if he'd remained in the hands of his captors, but it never actually came to that. His only real memories of the whole thing are filtered through the mind of the Hulk after he broke free, and then the aftermath of having already been rescued."

"I suppose that might explain why he seems to be taking the whole thing so well. A lot better than I would have, if it had been me."

"Also, he got to smash their base. Rather thoroughly," Loki pointed out.

Tony laughed and grinned. "Yeah, destruction can be a nicely cathartic event. Especially since, he tells me, you saw to it that there was actually very little loss of life involved in the whole thing."

Loki wrinkled his nose, looking disgusted. "I cleared his path as much as I could, but..."

"...but there are always people stupid or stubborn enough to volunteer for the Darwin Award?"

"The... Darwin Award?"

"You haven't run into that concept in your research on Earth culture already? Oh, man, you'll probably love this," Tony said enthusiastically, already gesturing for Jarvis to open a display screen nearby.

By mid-afternoon, Troy had been informed of his invitation to take refuge at Westchester, he'd accepted with obvious relief, and the wheels were set in motion for his transfer.

Early that evening Tony, Bruce, and Nari all accompanied Troy to the quinjet hanger to see him off; Clint was already in the jet doing pre-flight checks, and Steve would be accompanying the pair of them to take advantage of the opportunity to touch base with the X-Men. The pair planned to stay in Westchester overnight, and return early the next day.

Bruce blushed in pleased embarrassment over the effusive thanks Troy directed to both Nari and him for their roles in his rescue, as well as apologizing (again) for his part in Bruce's capture. Nari looked like she wasn't at all sure how to respond to his thanks.

"I know what it's like to be forced to action against your own choice or inclination," she said. "Several of us do," she added, her gaze sweeping over Bruce, Tony, and then pausing at the back of the quinjet, where Clint had just appeared at the top of the ramp. "I would not wish it on my worst enemy," she finished in a subdued voice.

Clint cocked his head a little to one side, meeting her gaze for a long moment before turning his attention to Troy. "Ready to go if you are, kid," he said.

Troy nodded. "I'm ready. Thank you all again," he said, then offered his hand to Tony, who grinned at him as he shook it.

"No problem, all part of the job. Have the professor get in touch with us if you think of anything else that might help us identify those scumbags, okay?"

"Yes, of course," Troy said, nodding rapidly, then offered his hand to Bruce as well.

Bruce barely hesitated before giving it a firm shake in return, smiling shyly back at the young man. Then Troy turned to Nari. He started to hold out his hand again, then changed his motion and pulled Nari into an impulsive hug. Nari looked startled, and froze for a moment before cautiously hugging him back.

"I can never thank you enough," Troy said as he released Nari. "If it weren't for you... thank you. Thank you so much."

Nari managed a smile. "You're welcome. Be well, Troy."

He nodded, then turned away, allowing Steve to herd him onto the quinjet, Clint having already vanished back ahead to the cockpit. The three moved away as the ramp closed, and watched as it slowly rose up before gliding out of the open parking bay doors and speeding off towards its destination.

"What do you think, snacks and a movie?" Tony asked, clapping his hands together and raising his eyebrows as he turned to look at the other two. "Or maybe some late night lab work?"

"I'm still feeling pretty worn out," Bruce admitted. "I think I just want to spend some quiet time in my rooms before bed."

"Party pooper," Tony said, and looked hopefully at Nari. "What about you? Going to wimp out as well?"

Nari sniffed. "I don't think so," she said. "Though neither of the options you've suggested appeal to me at the moment."

"Hmmm. Would you prefer a night out or a night in, then?"

Bruce laughed briefly. "I'm going to take that as my cue to leave," he said. "Good night, you two."

"Good night, Bruce," Nari said, smiling warmly at him.

"Night, Brucie," Tony said, barely glancing at him before turning his attention back to Nari. "Well? Night in or night out?"

Nari's eyebrows rose as she looked at Tony questioningly.

"Stay here and do stuff... possibly stuff involving a bed... or head out and have some fun first?" Tony expanded on what he meant.

"I could eat," Nari observed thoughtfully. "And I believe you're supposed to be showing me off in public at some point, yes?"

"Wining and dining it is, then," Tony said, then looked down at the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing. "Though if I want to take you somewhere nice I suppose I'd better change first. Unless you'd prefer something more casual rather than fine dining?"

Nari looked thoughtful. "I think I'd like to try 'fine dining' – if I'm correct, most of the meals I've had since arriving here have been at the more casual end of the spectrum. Something more... impressive could be interesting."

Tony nodded. "And totally in keeping with the idea that I'm trying to woo you. All right, I need to go find a snappy suit to change into and you..." he cocked his head, giving Nari a long look from head to toes and back up again. "Well, I suppose you should change into something fancier too. Though personally I like you in pretty much anything. Or out of..."

"Tony," Nari said reprovingly. "Shut up and go change. I'll meet you down in the garage."

Tony grinned and nodded, then hurried off to go change. Nari watched him go, then pulled out her StarkPhone and carefully selected a name on her contact list. "Darcy? I need fashion advice. What should I wear when going out to eat somewhere nice?"

The squeal from the other end of the line would have been audible even without the phone being held next to her ear. Nari smiled at the flood of questions that followed.

Tony stumbled as he exited the elevator into the garage. If pressed, he would have claimed he'd stumbled over the slight difference in floor heights, but really it was due to his first look at Nari dressed up for their... well, he might as well call it a date, since that's technically what it was, after all, even if neither of them had used the word. A date. Date night. Yeah.

Nari was dressed in a dress that was both arguably modest – nearly floor length and longsleeved, with a modest neckline – and sexy as hell, clinging to her curves in all the right ways, with just enough drape to the silky fabric for easy movement. It was dip-dyed, shading from a deep green at the top to black at the lower hem. She wore a simple gold chain necklace with a matching bracelet, small gold hoop earrings, and a wider gold chain belt that sat low on her hips.

She smirked at him as he recovered from his stumble. "You like?" she asked.

"Yeah, I like very much," he agreed, giving her another head-to-toe look, ignoring the slight huskiness of his own voice. "May I say you clean up very well?"

She sniffed disdainfully. "Of course I do," she said, then returned his head-to-toe look in kind. "As do you, I suppose."

Tony grinned back at her, aware that her apparent haughtiness was a role she was putting on. "Our chariot awaits, m'lady," he said, offering her his elbow while gesturing at the nearby vehicles with his other hand. Nari smiled warmly at him as she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, and allowed him to lead her over towards them.

"Should we take something flashy, or something more restrained?" Tony asked, as he ran his eye over the vehicles.

"That one, I think," Nari, said, gesturing toward a fairly anonymous-looking grey towncar at one end of the line. "I want people paying attention to us, not whatever overpriced monstrosity you're driving."

Tony laughed, and walked her over to the indicated vehicle, opening the passenger door and handing her in with all the formality that the original Jarvis had once trained him into all too many years before, before circling the hood to get into the driver's seat himself.

They both fell silent during the short drive to the upscale restaurant that Tony had selected, based on it being nearby, usually having paparazzi present outside, but very good privacy once you were actually inside it – and very good food, of course. When he first pulled up outside, the nearby paparazzi were largely ignoring the car's arrival – until they recognized him as he got out of it and handed his keys over to the waiting valet. By the time he'd made his way around to help Nari out of the vehicle, their flashbulbs were a storm, which only increased as they recognized his alien guest. He and Nari smiled at each other and them, but ignored their shouted questions – not even as much as a 'no comment' in response – as they strolled over and into the restaurant.

Tony blew out his breath in relief and rolled his eyes once the door had shut behind him. "I hate that."

"It is rather... unpleasant," Nari agreed, then fell silent again as the host hurried over to personally greet them and lead the way to their table, tucked away in a small private room in back – though of course they had to parade past the clientele in the front of the house first.

"Shall I order for you?" Tony asked as he took his seat.

"Please, do" she said, smiling warmly at him. "I am unfamiliar with much of your food," she added, solely for the benefit of the listening ears of the waiter who was filling their water glasses.

The evening passed entirely like that, the two of them putting on a little performance, both of them aware of and amused by it, and carefully keeping their amusement hidden. There was a lot of explanations of what various foodstuffs were, and also a lot flirting, most of the latter of which was not at all an act. Tony grinned in unashamed pleasure at the expression that crossed Nari's face as she sampled the amuse-bouches, and his smile only widened when she dug into her entrée. Knowing that her appetite was on a scale with Steve or Thor's, he'd made sure to order what would normally be enough for three people; between the two of them they cleared their plates, and then tried several of the dessert offerings, the meal accompanied with suitable wines and, eventually, some rather fine coffee.

He almost regretted when the meal was finally over, the bill paid, and the two of them strolled toward the front entrance, arm in arm again, Nari leaning a little against him and turned toward him in a way that made it a fairly intimate pose. They had to run the gauntlet of paparazzi a second time – whose numbers had definitely swelled since their first pass through – and then headed home.

As soon as they reached the privacy of the garage, Nari became Loki again, his dress transforming into a tunic and pants as he changed. He grinned happily at Tony. "I enjoyed that very much. Both the food and the being shown off."

"So I can mark this one up as a successful date night then?" Tony asked, smiling warmly back at Loki.

"Mmm, yes, I suppose you can," Loki agreed, and then gave Tony a heavy-lidded look. "Now, I believe there'd been talk of 'stuff' involving a bed...?"

Tony laughed, then got out of the car, once again walking around to hand Loki out, much to his obvious amusement, before leading him off toward the elevator and their rooms.