AN: Any recognisable dialogue belongs exclusively to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios; Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Road to Hell (is Paved with Good Intentions)

Tony Stark; genius, billionaire, philanthropist. Tony, because Howard wanted a son, Natasha, because Maria birthed a daughter instead.

Chapter I – Revelation

"I am Iron Woman."

She wonders what possessed her; what was it that caused those four damning words to slip from her mouth before she'd even contemplated the consequences, before she'd truly allowed herself to react and reacclimatise to her new reality. It wasn't arrogance or pride that caused her to discard the cue-cards written to provide her with a reasonable explanation; it was defiance, an abject refusal to be seen as less than the man in the suit, an abject refusal to be seen as a damsel, an abject refusal to remain in the shadows and never be able to step into the light. It was desire… the untameable, irrefutable need to be recognised as something better than she was.

Something better than the careless weapon manufacturer that was so uninvolved with her own company that she allowed a man hungry for power to deal on both sides of the table. Something better than the daughter Howard Stark didn't want, something better than the wayward teen who graduated M.I.T at seventeen to spite her Father, rather than out of any real love for the technology she was creating. Something better, than the headlines that told of an alcoholic party-girl who opened her legs at any opportunity, something better than the helpless woman trapped in a cave in Afghanistan with only a car battery keeping her heart beating.

Tony wanted, needed to be the hero of her own story… and now she can't even save herself.

The lab is dim when she enters, powered down whilst she was opening the Stark Expo; it's good to be home, she muses idly, sitting comfortably behind her expansive desk and clapping briskly. "Wake up, Mama's home."

"Welcome home, Ma'am. Congratulations on the opening ceremonies. They were such a success, as was your Senate hearing. And may I say how refreshing it is to finally see you in a video with your clothing on, Ma'am."

Tony smiles wryly and raises her glass to ceiling. "Yes, thank you J.A.R.V.I.S, now tell me, exactly how much of this muck am I supposed to drink?"

"We are up to eighty ounces a day to counteract your symptoms Ma'am."

Tony frowns; that was seventeen ounces more than yesterday. "Check Palladium levels."

"Blood toxicity, twenty-four percent. It appears that the continued use of the Iron Woman suit is accelerating your condition. Another core has been depleted."

She pulls the collar of her singlet down, and lifts the Arc Reactor nimbly from her chest, the Palladium core smoking dangerously. "God, they're running out quick." She murmurs, retrieving the cigar box filled with spare cores. The inky black lines spreading outwards from her chest seem somehow worse without the Arc Reactor locked into place.

"I have run simulations on every known element, and none can serve as a viable replacement for the Palladium core." Tony inputs the new core as J.A.R.V.I.S continues to speak. "You are running out of both time and options. Unfortunately, the device that's keeping you alive is also killing you."

Tony tugs her singlet back up, hiding both the Arc Reactor and the black lines spreading further and further across her chest. She knows she's dying, she knows the Palladium core is turning her blood to poison in her veins, but she can't, won't give up the suit, not for the senators who want to profit off it, not to the military who want to weaponise it against their enemies, not to Nick Fury and his Avengers Initiative.

"J.A.R.V.I.S-"

"Miss Potts is approaching, I recommend you inform-"

Tony glances over her shoulder and sure enough she spies Pepper through the glass; she looks furious, and Tony rubs the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Mute." She downs her cup, and spins in her chair. "Hey Pepper! How nice to see you in my Lab'."

"Don't you 'hey Pepper' me Natasha! What are you thinking!"

Standing up, Tony smiles. "I think I'm busy and you're angry about something." Pepper sniffs and she backs away. "Do you have the sniffles? I don't want to get sick!"

"Why, did a delivery truck turn up on my doorstep this morning containing our entire modern art collection?"

Tony notes the 'our' with a smile, it took her a lot of years to get Pepper so comfortable with claiming ownership of things she helped cultivate. "It was a tax write off, I needed that."

Tony catches Pepper's exasperated expression in the reflection of her hot-rod. "You know, there's only about eight thousand and eleven things that I really need to talk to you about."

She rolls her eyes at Dum-E as she passes. "Dum-E. Hey, stop spacing out. The Bridgeport's already machining that part."

"The Expo is a gigantic waste of time."

"I need you to wear a surgical mask until you're feeling better." Tony decides, turning around to face Pepper. "Is that okay?"

"That's rude."

Tony rolls her eyes again. "No, that's smart, I have no desire to get sick. Besides, there's nothing more important to me than the Expo. It's my primary point of concern. I don't know why you're-"

"The Expo is your ego gone crazy."

"That's rude." Tony frowns.

"Stark is in complete disarray. You understand that?" Pepper growls.

"No." She shakes her head. "Our stocks have never been higher!"

Pepper agrees. "Yes, from a managerial standpoint. Let me give you an example."

"Let's move onto another subject!"

Pepper disagrees, and Tony fights the urge to put Pepper on mute in the same way she did with J.A.R.V.I.S… if only Pepper was an A.I. "We have already awarded contracts to the wind farm people."

"Yeah. Don't say "wind farm." I'm already feeling gassy." She jokes.

"And to the plastic plantation tree, which was your idea by the way. Those people are on payroll…"

"Everything was my idea." Tony murmurs even as Pepper continues.

"…and you won't make a decision.

"I don't care about the liberal agenda any more. It's boring. Boring! I'm giving you a boring alert." She singsongs. "You do it."

Pepper raises a single perfectly manicured eyebrow. "I do what?"

Tony grins. "Excellent idea!" She grips Pepper's shoulders tightly. "I just figured this out, you ready? You run the company."

"Yeah," Pepper returns, "I'm trying to run the company."

"Pepper, I need you to run the company. Stop trying to do it and do it."

"You will not give me the information…"

"I'm not asking you to try…"

"…in order to…"

"…I'm asking you to physically do it. I need you to do it."

"I am trying to do it!"

"Pepper, you're not listening to me!" Tony shouts.

"No, you're not listening to me!"

Exasperated, Tony throws up her hands. "I'm trying to make you C.E.O! Why won't you let me?"

Pepper stares at her blankly. "Have you been drinking?"

"Chlorophyll." She deadpans. "I hereby irrevocably appoint you Chairwoman and C.E.O of Stark Industries effective immediately. Yeah, done deal. Okay?" Pepper opens her mouth, but no words come out. Tony smiles kindly, even as U appears at her shoulder, a bottle of champagne and two crystal flutes balancing precariously atop a sliver tray. "I've actually given this a fair amount of thought, believe it or not." Tony continues, quickly relieving U of the incredibly breakable items."Doing a bit of headhunting, so to speak, trying to figure out who a worthy successor would be. And then I realised it's you. It's always been you." She pours the champagne, awkwardly cradling the glasses and the bottle when she realises Pepper's knees are shaking. Tony helps her into a seat and sits across from her. "I thought there'd be a legal issue, but actually I'm capable of appointing my successor. My successor being you." Tony smiles, offering the glass. Pepper doesn't take it however, and Tony wonders whether she's capable of moving at all, shocked as the red-head is. "Congratulations? Take it, just take it."

Finally, Pepper speaks. "I don't know what to think." She murmurs.

Tony grins, and pushes the glass into her open hand. "Don't think Pep, drink." Pepper almost drains the glass. "There you go."

"Why?" Pepper asks, tapping her empty glass against Tony's.

She sips her drink and tries not to think about the poison in her veins or the barely hidden black veins criss-crossing her chest. "I never wanted to run Dad's company, hell Pep, you've been running it for me for years, why not make it official?"

Pepper smiles and shakes her glass. "Well, if we're celebrating, fill me up. That bottle is worth fifteen hundred dollars, we're not wasting a drop."

Tony laughs and does as she's told.

"Iron Woman. That's kind of catchy. It's got a nice ring to it. I mean it's not technically accurate. The suit's a gold titanium alloy, but it's kind of provocative, the imagery anyway."

She's in the ring with Happy when Pepper interrupts her next.

"The notary's here! Can you please come sign the transfer paperwork?"

Tony almost groans. "I'm on Happy time." She complains, and twists, raising her arm and hitting Happy sharply in the face with her elbow.

"What the hell was that?" Happy growls, rubbing his nose with his gloved hand.

She bounces on the balls of her feet. "It's called mixed martial arts. It's been around for… uh, three weeks?"

Happy shakes his head. "It's called dirty boxing, there's nothing new about it."

"All right, put them up. Come on." Happy's attention shifts, and Tony nails him solidly in the centre of the padding protecting his kidney. He groans, clutching his side. Tony rolls her eyes at his dramatics and turns to Pepper.

The red-head smiles. "I promise this is the only time I will ask you to sign over your company."

"I need you to initial each box." Tony's attention turns to the third woman in the room; another red-head, she notes with amusement.

Happy regains her full attention when he taps her on the back of thehead. "Lesson one." He smirks. "Never take your eye off-" Tony turns, and kicks him roughly in the chest, sending him flying backwards into the corner of the ring.

"That's it." She shakes her head. "I'm done. What's your name?"

"Rushman." The woman looks at her oddly, as though Tony is familiar and she can't quite place where she knows her from. "Natalie Rushman."

"Front and centre." Tony demands. "Come into the church."

"No. You're seriously not gonna ask-"

Tony grins. "If it pleases the court, which it does."

Rushman doesn't baulk at the challenge and Tony is grudgingly impressed. "It's no problem."

Pepper shakes her head, embarrassed."I'm sorry. She's very eccentric."

She watches Rushman as she climbs into the ring. The woman oozes sexuality; it's not overt, it's not subtle, it's simply there, another facet of her personality and Tony isn't sure what to make of her.

She turns to Happy. "Can you give her a lesson?

"No problem."

Tony climbs out of the ring easily and takes a seat beside the impatient Pepper. "Pep,who is she?"

"She is from legal. And she is potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if Happy keeps ogling her like that."

Tony nods absently, watching the two people in the ring carefully. "I need a new assistant, boss."

Pepper nods, now perusing the pile of paperwork. "Yes, and I've got three excellent potential candidates. They're lined up and ready to meet you."

"I don't have time to meet. I need someone now." It's a bold-faced lie; she has no want, nor need for an assistant, not with Pepper taking over as C.E.O, but she wants this woman close, out of the company and at her side, where she can keep an eye on her. "I feel like it's her."

"No, it's not." Pepper shakes her head.

Tony leans toward the table, a modified glass touch-screen, and calls out to Rushman. "How do I spell your name, Natalie?"

"R-U-S-H-M-A-N."

"What," Pepper scoffs, "are you gonna Google her now?"

"Don't be ridiculous." She murmurs, typing quickly on the screen. "You won't believe the kind of dirt the N.S.A has – not as comprehensive as S.H.I.E.L.D's database I'm sure but I haven't cracked that yet." Pepper makes an unimpressed noise in the back of her throat and Tony fights a laugh."Wow. Very, very impressive individual."

"Did you do this with me too?" Pepper asks, now curious.

Tony smirks. "Of course I did Pep, I've done this with everyone I've ever met… It was harder with Rhodey, so much paper." Pepper rolls her eyes, and Tony offers her a grin. "She's fluent in French, Italian, Russian, Latin. Who speaks Latin?"

"No one speaks Latin."

"No one speaks Latin?"

"It's a dead language. You can read Latin, or you can write Latin, but you can't speak Latin."

"Did you model in Tokyo? 'Cause she modelled in Tokyo."

"Well…"

Tony gapes, "Virginia Potts, have you been holding out on me?"

Pepper offers her an incredibly smug smile.

"I need her. She's got everything that I need." Tony decides. Pepper hates the idea, that much is clear, there is no doubt in her mind that the three candidates Pepper has lined up have vastly more experience than Natalie, but there's just… something about the woman that makes her gut scream. A loud crash draws their attention back to the ring, and Tony withholds a laugh at Happy's affronted expression as he picks himself up of the springy floor.

"Oh, my God! Happy!" Pepper exclaims, on her feet and moving toward the ring.

Tony grins widely. "That's what I'm talking about."

"I just slipped." Happy assures with a pained wheeze.

"You did?"

"Yeah." He nods, though from his expression, Happy can tell he's fooling no one.

"Looks like a T.K.O to me." Tony smirks, ringing the bell at the edge of the ring as Natalie exits with ease.

"I need your impression." Natalie asks, offering the fingerprint pad.

She nods and wets her thumb with the ink. "Well, now that's done, Natalie, congratulations are in order."

Natalie nods and offers Pepper a smile. Tony dislikes it immediately, the smile is too secretive, too like her Father's when he spoke about the Second World War, too like Nick Fury's when he spoke of the team he was putting together. "Congratulations Miss Potts."

Tony shakes her head. "Oh no, Miss Rushman, I meant you."

"Tony, no." Pepper groans.

"Tony yes." Tony mocks with a remorseless smile. "Congratulations Miss Rushman, you just got promoted, you're my new personal assistant."

Natalie gapes, and the cynical part of Tony that's all Howard Stark, thinks perhaps Rushman hadn't thought it would be this easy to infiltrate Stark Industries. She's in for a rude shock. "Uh, thank you Miss Stark."

"You start now." Tony states, and heads for the door. Natalie doesn't follow. "With me, Rushman, we have things to discuss; first, my Birthday, second, Monaco. Scratch that, reverse the order, Monaco first, Birthday second."

"I do anything and everything Miss Stark requires. Including occasionally taking out the trash. Will that be all?"

"Happy have you got the case?" Tony asks as they enter; the room is crowded, round tables surrounding a fully stocked bar, overlooking the pristine streets turned Grand Prix track.

"Have I got the case?" Happy scoffs, even as he double checks for the shining ruby case in his hand. "Of course I've got the case."

"Pep, you all good?" She asks over her shoulder.

Pepper straightens her back; it's a miniscule movement that causes a rush of pride in Tony. Never give them an inch Pep. "Good is relative." Pepper answers, a smile plastered on her lips.

Natalie meets them halfway across the room, the pink dress she wears is only just professional, the neckline just a little too low and the fabric just a little too tight; Tony thinks it's like looking into a mirror… if only her hair were red, she muses.

"Miss Stark."

Tony nods, and Natalie falls into step beside her. "Hello."

"How was your flight?"

"It was excellent. Please make sure the bar is restocked before we take off." Tony requests, and smiles prettily at the waiter offering her a glass of scotch. She sips it, the familiar burn more comforting than it should be.

Natalie nods. "We have one photographer from the ACM, if you don't mind." Tony sighs, but gestures yes. "Okay?"

Her glass is removed from her hand and she feels Pepper tense at her side. "Smile. Look, right there. Relax. Don't flare your nostrils."

"This is the part of the job I had forgotten about." Pepper murmurs after the photographer has gotten his shot and moved away.

"Right this way." Natalie directs, and returns their drinks.

"Chanel?" Tony asks curiously, eying the coral dress.

"Roland Mouret." Natalie answers, and Tony raises an eyebrow.

"Interesting." She replies; expensive, but likely not out of budget for an ex-model turned executive assistant. "What's on the docket?"

"You have a nine-thirty dinner."

"Perfect. I'll be there at eleven."

To her credit, Natalie takes it in stride. "Absolutely."

Tony stops at a table in the corner, the neighbouring windows floor to ceiling, with a perfect view of the track. "Is this us?

"It can be."

"Great." She grins. "Make it us."

Natalie nods, and grudgingly, Tony's impressed by her gumption. "Okay."

Pepper taps her lightly on the shoulder as she passes, a perfect smile on her lips as she greets the seated investor. "Mr Musk. How are you?"

Elon stands, an easy grin on his lips. "Hi, Pepper. Congratulations on the promotion."

"Thank you very much." Pepper replies happily.

Tony appears at her shoulder and shakes the man's hand. "Elon, how's it going. Those Merlin engines are fantastic."

"Thank you." Elon says, and lets her hand go. "Yeah, I've got an idea for an electric jet."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"Then we'll make it work." She decides, and Elon nods gratefully, returning to his seat. Pepper rolls her shoulders as they continue through the throng of A-List guests. "Relax Pep, you're doing great."

"Natasha, you've been schmoozing since before you could walk, this is all new to me." Pepper groans but makes an effort to relax nonetheless.

"Firstly, I've been behaving myself so no need to Natasha me, Virginia, and as someone who's been schmoozing since before I could walk, I'd say I have the authority to proclaim that you're doing great without an argument."

"My god you're infuriating." Pepper grumbles.

"Natasha!"

Tony groans and leans heavily on the bar. "Will it be too obvious if I just, I don't know, run?"

Pepper smirks viciously. "Yes."

"Natasha, is that you?"

"My least favourite person on Earth." She whispers to Pepper, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"I'm gonna break his nose." She scowls and turns to face the idiot. "Justin Hammer."

"How you doing?" He asks, sidling up to her. "That dress should be illegal. You know

Christine Everhart from Vanity Fair? Do you guys know each other?"

"Hi, yes." Christine looks like a shark, and Tony vaguely remembers her shoving a stack of photographs under her nose and accusing her of being a criminal.

"Hi." Pepper returns the greeting uneasily. "Yes."

"I don't recall." Tony declares and turns around, signalling for the bartender. "Scotch, a double please."

"B.T.W, big story." Justin says, leaning into Christine and pointing rudely at Pepper. "The new C.E.O of Stark Industries. Congratulations."

"I know, I know." Christine simpers, waving her notebook around dramatically. "My editor will kill me if I don't grab a quote for our Powerful Women issue."

"Oh?"

"Can I?"

Pepper puts her drink down and nods. "Sure."

Pointing again, this time at Christine, Hammer interjects again. "She's actually doing a big spread on me for Vanity Fair. I thought I'd throw her a bone, you know. Right?"

"Oh, I'm sure she is." Pepper returns mockingly. "She did quite the spread on Tony last year."

She chokes – that's why she's familiar. "Oh, that wasn't good." Tony downs her scotch and Christine's smile becomes fixed.

"I'm gonna go wash." Pepper murmurs.

Tony reaches for her, scowling when all she grasps is air. "Don't leave me." She moans as Pepper smirks and wanders away.

Hammer sidles closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. Tony tries to push him off, but his grip is firm, and she's unable to escape. "Hey, sweetheart. How you doing?"

She glares. "I could be better."

"You're looking gorgeous."

"Let me go Hammer." Tony demands, attempting to pull away again, but is foiled again as Hammer directs her into a passing Photographer's path.

"Can I ask you…"

"No, you cannot." Tony answers.

"Is this the first time…" Christine continues, ignoring her.

Hammer pulls her closer again and poses. "Fromage!" He exclaims brightly, even as she scowls. "Say Brie".

"…that you guys have seen each other?"

Tony stamps on his foot and finally, Hammer releases her. She steps closer to the Photographer. "If you don't delete that photograph, I'll have you sued six ways from Sunday."

Christine impatiently calls for their attention once more. "Hey, you guys, listen! Is it the first time you've seen each other since the Senate?"

"Uh, since he got his contract revoked, when he was attempting to-"

Hammer interjects. "Actually, it's on hold."

Tony raises an eyebrow as she walks way. "That's not what I heard." She calls over her shoulder. "Christine, what's the difference between 'hold' and 'cancelled'? The truth?"

She's reminded of a shark again as Christine responds to her jab. "Yes, what is it?"

"No." Hammer continues, following her. "The truth is… Why don't we put that away? The truth is, I'm actually hoping to present something at your Expo."

Tony rolls her eyes. "Well, if you invent something that works, I'll make sure I get you a slot."

"Miss Stark?"

She breathes a sigh of relief as Natalie appears. "Yes?"

"Your corner table is ready."

Thank God, she thinks.

"I actually have a slot this year." Hammer bullshits. "Yes, I do."

"Hammer needs a slot, Christine." She calls over her shoulder as she follows Natalie far from the idiot masquerading as an inventor. Pepper is sitting comfortably when she arrives, and Tony fixes her with a glare. "I can't believe you, my best friend of ten years, would leave me alone with that self-important fraud."

Pepper hides her mirth behind a sip of champagne. "I would never."

Tony shakes her head and plucks the flute from her hand. "Mine now." She says, downing it in one gulp. "Now, I'll be back. Natalie, please ensure Miss Potts has a drink in her hands at all times; water and soda do not count."

Natalie nods. "Yes Miss Stark."

Tony turns on her heel and moves through the crowded room easily, heading for the bathrooms. The room is empty when she enters, and she locks the door behind her; the last thing she needs is more rumours. She's always been fond of dresses with more revealing necklines, and that did not change after the Arc Reactor was installed in her chest, but as she stares at it now, the bright blue light reflected cheerfully in the mirror, she wants nothing more than to cover it up, and hide it away. She pricks her finger on the reader pulled from her bra and scowls. Fifty-three percent.

"Fuck me." She mutters, gripping the edge of the bench tightly. "Got any other bad ideas?"

It springs to mind instantly; after all, Howard had done it, years ago, why couldn't she? She slips from the bathroom with ease and casts her eyes across the room; Pepper is still seated, Natalie is by the bar and Happy has his back to her, staring out the window with the case in hand.

She's greeted joyously in both French and English as she enters the pit box baring the Stark Industries branding, a flute of champagne is pushed into her hand that she immediately sets delicately on a bench before making her request. It only takes bribery of course; a spoken guarantee of continued sponsoring for the next five years, in addition to access to any relevant inventions that could spur them onto the podium at every track. It only takes seconds for them to usher her into a change room with a suit in hand and as she vaults over the barrier and onto the pit lane, she marvels at every thunderous beat of her heart as adrenalin pumps through her veins.

A camera man shouts her name and she bows ,before rising and giving a jaunty wave to the assembled crowd. "Well, what's the use of having and owning a race car if you don't drive it?"

Tony smiles charmingly as the driver scowls and climbs out of the vehicle, throwing his helmet on the ground in an accurate approximation of a toddler's tantrum, and storms off the track. She takes the offered hand of a technician, stepping easily into the race car, and accepts the helmet she's passed, pulling it over her braided hair without difficulty. She's used to red and gold, but finds herself enjoying blue and black, as she catches sight of herself on a jumbo screen; the straps holding her in place are tightened and she familiarises herself with the controls quickly, raising her thumb quickly when the technician completes his pre-race check.

The lights countdown, and she floors it, her adrenalin spiking as she keeps pace with professional racers, moving from sixth to fifth to fourth in seconds. It's Monaco like she's never seen it before, the cheering crowds and the beautiful city fading into a blur as she drives; it's faster than any car she's driven before, but it's nothing, compared to the suit in flight. Tony's reached third, when the chatter in her ear becomes indiscernible; her mind refuses to process the sight she's faced with as she rounds a corner, and is suddenly airborne, the nose of her vehicle severed.

"J.A.R.V.I.S, what the fuck?" She wheezes, the breath knocked clean from her lungs as she lands. Too long, it takes, for her vision to clear and her mind to recall just where she is; in the wreckage of a race car, and not cocooned in the suit she's grown so used to. She tugs the helmet from her head and tries to focus through the ringing in her ears; how the hell, had that man gotten an Arc Reactor.

Tony loses sight of him as three of her competitors collide, exploding in a fireball so hot she fears her skin will melt from her bones. She pulls at the restraints keeping her in place, grunting as they release and she faceplants the bitumen with all the grace of Pepper, drunk on Champagne. She rolls from the vehicle and not a moment too soon, for the electrified whip the man wields slices through the metal of the car like a knife through warm butter. His confusion is clear; he expected that blow to be her end.

Fury bubbles in her chest; he wears a stolen design, her father's design, her design, and has the audacity to weaponize it and use it against her? She picks a broken side panel off the ground and swings it at his head, the satisfying thud it makes as the metal connects with flesh causing a vicious smile to cross her lips. He answers with a crack of the electrified whip against the panel, and her smile is knocked from her lips as she's thrown backwards and hits the ground hard. Breathless she rolls, his next crack of the whip narrowly missing her as she scrambles out of his path; what she wouldn't give, for a suit she could call to her at will. He brings the whip down between her legs, and she jumps back, clambering to her feet and attempting to run, only for the whip to catch her boot, and send her face first into an upturned car.

Dazed, she fights to regain her breath, blood obscures her vision in one eye and her nostrils burn, the scent of petrol inescapable; she hears him behind her, sees him in the cracked mirror of the car, every crack of the whips sound like thunder and in an instant she moves, diving over the car and is thrown into the air by the exploding fuel tank. Tony lands in a roll and staggers to her feet, turning back to stare at her attacker through the flame. Her arm burns, and she yelps, smothering the fire on with a gloved hand; some vacation this is. Tyres squeal, and Tony fights a grin as she spies the Rolls Royce rounding the bend; the man steps closer again, and Tony turns, scaling the barrier and chain-link fence with speed she didn't know she could reach.

She almost laughs as Happy sticks his head out the window. "Are you okay?" He yells, and Tony drops from the fence.

"You have the worst timing." She says breathlessly, and staggers toward him, leaning heavily on the car. "Were you heading for me or him?"

"I was trying to scare him." Happy responds and Tony shakes her head.

"Cause I couldn't tell." She shouts, her limbs shaking and her heart thundering.

"Are you out of your mind!" Pepper yells furiously, and Tony notices her in the backseat for the first time.

A hysterical laugh bubbles from her lips. "Oh, hey Pepper, we need better security."

"Get in the car right now!"

"I was attacked, we need better security!"

"Get in the fucking car Natasha!"

"You're the C.E.O!" She yells, matching Pepper's tone decibel for decibel as she rounds the car. "We need better security! God, this is embarrassing." She mutters opening the door. "First vacation in two years."

Tony blinks; she's holding only half the door in her hand. "Fuck me."

Pepper screams, Happy reverses, before slamming back into first gear and attempting again, to crush the man against the barrier. "I got him!" Happy yells, and Tony drops the door.

"Hit him again! Hit him again!" She bellows, and looks to Pepper, still screaming in the back seat. Happy reverses again. "Football!" Tony demands, reaching for the shining red case in Pepper's hands.

"I got him! I got him!"

"Take the case!" Pepper yelps as Happy rams the man against the fence. "Take the case!"

"Give her the case!" Happy squawks, shifting back into reverse.

"Stop banging the car!" Pepper shrieks and Tony again fights the hysterical urge to laugh as Happy's airbag explodes and the man moves, the whips lighting as he brings them down viciously on the Rolls, the roof giving way under the crushing blows. He cracks the whip, and Pepper screams, a cross-section of the Rolls cut from the vehicle.

"Pepper! Give me the case! Please!" Tony yells. "Throw me the case now!"

Pepper throws the case from the remains of the car and Tony calms as the football slides across the asphalt; she raises her foot, locking the case into place and simultaneously flipping it upright as it expands, the gloves popping up and open. She leans forward, her hands slipping easily into place, and lifts the expanded case, spreading her arms wide and allowing the suit to contour to her body, the familiar sound of the metal clicking into place and the phasers electrifying makes her smile; a life without her suit, would be no life worth living.

The crowd roars, the visor drops on the suit, and Tony's grin widens, as J.A.R.V.I.S's voice sounds in her ear. "I am unsurprised that you have found trouble on this trip Miss Stark."

"Hello to you too J.A.R.V.I.S." She responds, stepping forward and kicking the remains of the Rolls out of the man's path. Turning back to face him, she raises her palm, the mechanical sound of the phaser beginning to fire is music to her ears; he cracks the whip and hits her arm soundly, spinning her around. She raises her other arm even as he swipes her across the chest, and fires, growling as he bats the beam away. She fires again and he does the same, before raising the whip as the cowboys in the old movies Edwin was so fond of, lassoing one around her arm and the other around her neck. Tony grunts; he hasn't cut through the metal, but it's hot, uncomfortably so. "J.A.R.V.I.S-" She is cut off as her attacker yanks the whips, and she's thrown, once again, through the air.

Tony tucks into a roll and lands heavily on one knee, barely managing to drag herself to her feet, before she's hurled through the air and lands brutally on the hood of the irreparable Rolls Royce. "Motherfucker." She moans. She can feel the suit buckling around her neck, she can hear Pepper crying and hear Happy bellowing for her to stand but she fails to do so before she's jerked from the hood, and hits the ground again, landing roughly on her hands and knees.

Tony braces herself on one hand as she stares up at the man; he glares at her smugly, and her anger flares as her display blinks in and out of focus. The suit is damaged, she can't hear J.A.R.V.I.S in her ear or use the blaster on her left hand, she's aching and bruised and burnt; Tony is livid that this man with stolen tech and a self-righteous grin on his lips has brought her to her knees.

She stands, wrapping the whip around her arm twice and steps forward, doing the same with her left until she's before him, and the grin is wiped off his lips by a solid left hook. Tony sees the surprise in his eyes as she returns the favour and flips him into the air. She strides forward, scowling even as he wheezes on the ground and pulls the glowing Arc Reactor from his chest.

The world seems to slow around her as she stares down at the blinking device in her hands, her mind whirrs through the possibilities; she doesn't hear the roar of the crowd, see the police as they surround the now laughing man… how did this happen?

"You!" The man laughs through bloodied lips. "You lose!" He's picked up by his arms and dragged from the track. "You lose! You lose Stark!" His laughter grates like razors on her skin, and her attention is drawn back to the Arc Reactor in her hand; it's an almost perfect replica. Her fist closes and the device buckles, glass and metal cracking loudly between her fingers.

Sirens echo in her ears, and distantly, she hears her name shouted through the din; Pepper, her dress somehow still immaculate, has Happy leaning heavily on her shoulder. Tony moves in an instant, her visor opening on her first step and slips Happy's arm off Pepper's shoulder, wrapping it easily across her own.

"I'm fine Tony." He protests half-heartedly.

"Be thankful I'm not carrying you bridal style Hap." She murmurs softly, leading the way off the track, and back to their suite. "J.A.R.V.I.S?"

"Yes Miss Stark?"

"Two things. I want wheels up in four hours, maximum, get us stateside as soon as possible."

"And the second Miss Stark?"

"Find whatever hole they've put him in. We have things to discuss."

AN: Natasha Stark begged to be written after watching Infinity War, so, here is the first chapter of what promises to be a very long story.

May 23rd 2019: Revisited to fix a few things