Control

by pecan_hunney

Summary:

The Fates are tired of seeing Tony's fate come to the same conclusion. They decide to even the odds for him.

Meanwhile, on earth, Rhodey decides to have someone look after Tony when he comes back from being held hostage in Afghanistan. His baby sister Jeanette Rhodes is the light of his life, responsible, smart as a whip, and the most responsible 25-year-old he knows. If anyone can help Tony it’s her. It’s not like Tony would do something crazy like fall in love with his sister that’s almost 20 years younger than them…right?

Chapter 1: Prelude- Weave(me the Sunshine)

Song- Weave me the Sunshine by Peter, Paul and Mary

 

The fates watched universe 1001, a virtually unseen universe to those who are known to watch the goings on in the vast multiverse. The three fates: Skuld of future sight, Urd of past sight, and Verdandi of present sight have watched the many lives of creatures of the multiverse.

 

None have intrigued them quite as much as the lives of the mortal beings known as ‘Superheroes’. With their knowledge of all things, present, future, and past; events seldom catch the eye of the three sisters. But these mortals with powers and abilities offered a sort of entertainment that was rarely given to them.

 

The squabbles were often petty when seen through the lens of the three sisters who’d seen the lives of many come and go. Some of the wars fought were illogical, even with their parents' offspring, in particular those that held from Asgard, finding themselves in the amusing entertainment of various escapades. 

 

Their parents and many other Gods had long since outgrown the need to watch over the beings they felt should pray to them. Leaving them to their own devices, the three sisters suspected that this abandonment had forced the hand of nature itself to provide protectors in the name of superpowered heroes to supplement the loss of protectors. Urd used her sight of the past to find a link but never could. It was one of the few things that could not be explained even to the all-knowing.

 

So the sisters watched and watched. Few things caught their interest like the lives of superheroes. Even fewer lives caught their interest than the lives of the Avengers of Midgard. Their battles were reminiscent of their siblings, the original warriors. 

 

One of these heroes and the many iterations of his life was something that the sisters watched as if it were a play or one of those television programs. His life was always full of strife. There was sadness and unfairness to all of his foreseen lives that evoked emotion from the usually stoic Skuld, who remained silent throughout the eternity they’d watched over the fates of the worlds. 

 

Tony Stark however had a life that could make even though most unattached care. There were good moments, like the moments he shared with his children. Typically Morgan Stark and an adopted Peter Parker. Sometimes, if his spouse were different, the names of the children would change, but the love that Stark would have for them never did. 

 

He had a similar love for his partners, usually Virginia Potts, sometimes they even saw him married to a younger woman known as Darcy Lewis( and those were the most fun lives to watch), but they always ended too soon. His life was determined by some other entity unknown to them his death was a foundational point in time. It distressed Verdandi the most. Even with her sister’s knowledge of his past having acceptable happy points, she felt that there could always be more. 

 

Of what? 

 

She was never really sure. She just knew that the life given to their Anthony(something she’d silently called him for a while now) had unsettled her.

 

“You are thinking of him again, sister.” Verdandi turned from her spot at their small kitchen table. Her sisters stood in the doorway. Watching. The sister of present sight placed her cup of tea down. They didn't need such substance, but at times found it comforting when faced with contemplation of lives they were tasked with seeing. Shame or embarrassment was something not necessary amongst them. Still, Verdandi found herself clearing her throat in an attempt to squash some of her discontentment at being caught wondering 

 

“Well, yes. He is the most interesting thing we’ve come across in a few millenniums.” was the faint attempt at covering up her thoughts. It was at that moment that Skuld silently came into her line of sight, blocking her view of the kitchen window. She was holding a case that Verdandi had never seen before. 

 

This was one of the few silent complaints Verdandi had with her place in the fates. Her sisters held a much more expansive knowledge of all things through time. Much more expansive than her knowledge of the near present and future. Together, they knew all, but separately, the knowledge only benefited the sole sister to know. Skuld in particular always knew more than her sisters. 

 

“You know we mustn't dwell on the lives of mortals. It would not do any of us any good, no matter how enthralling the being may be.” The sister of past sight sat beside her and placed the box onto their small table top. It was a small, intricately decorated wooden box. The wood was eons old, of that she was sure. But it wasn’t Asgardian or even Olympian in nature. 

 

“I find myself to have adopted him in ways I’ve only seen you do, sister.” The very ungodly snort from Urd was an expected response. Each sister took on the personality of their appearance. Skuld while silent, was the wisest of the three. Urd, appearing to be a middle-aged Midgardian took on a more experienced but jaded personality. Verdandi appeared to be the youngest of the sisters and had the most idealistic personality. 

 

“I’ve taken on some favorites and I’ve paid with my heart dearly for the investment each time.” Gently, she touched the top of the box sat before her. Intrigue was something that they rarely felt with their sight of all things available to see. Verdandi couldn’t help the curiosity that sparked through her as she got a better view of the intricately ordinated box. It was small. The size of a small kettle pot but crafted into a smooth cube, with no rough ends. The gold lines that decorated the box stood slightly brighter against the pale grey of the box.

 

“I have however found that those favorites do have successes. It would do me no ill well to help you achieve the same, as others have done for me before.” Verdandi found herself confused at Urd’s words. She knew of no such stories that she could recall that her sister could be referring to. Of course, all three sisters have been known to have their own journeys separately as much as they’ve had together, but they always relayed the important things once they returned to one another's side. At least Verdandi thought that they had.

 

“This, my dear sister, is a box created long ago. Possibly before our father and mother birthed us. It was created by our dear cousin Suda.” That increased her curiosity. Suda was a fellow God that was Seldom mentioned. Many had lost contact with him long ago. The sisters were not sure if he was residing on Olympus or in Asgard with the rest of the Gods. He was one of the few Gods that could be considered good. He wasn’t smiteful, or conceited, or arrogant like the rest. He was a true manifestation of his title. 

 

Interesting indeed.

 

“He left this box to Praxidice when he took off. But, in her typical ways, she thought that she didn’t need such things when exacting her terms of justice and vengeance so she left it to us-

 

“What is it, sister?” Skuld, who had sat next to Urd at the small table struck Verdandi with a withering glare. She was such a mother at times, but her glare was always enough to force her younger sisters to behave. This time was no different.

 

“This dear is a  spell, similar to that of Pandora’s, it contains all of the things our cousin found himself responsible for. I believe that he wanted Praxidice to yield it with her responsibilities; because what is justice and vengeance without the ones wronged finding peace afterward among themselves and those around them.” Urd paused and looked to Skuld, who after a moment gave a firm nod of her head.

 

“We believe that should we bestow these elements onto a mortal close or with the ability to become close to your mortal in the current universe we are watching over, well, we think that he may find himself in much better shape than his counterparts in other times.” The silence after that revelation was much longer. Verdandi found herself in stunned silence. She never knew that such a thing existed, that such a thing could be done. That such a thing could be done to help Anthony. Possibly help him survive what they knew would be a hard reality to come. Skuld had yet to pull his thread yet, and now she knew why. It would do them no wellness to know what may be to come if they had plans to alter his life, and thus his thread.

 

“If we do this will we get to choose whom will receive the spell and will the one who believes he is the only being remaining interfere?” The younger sister was thinking of all of the possible mortals in Anthony’s life that could receive this gift, and who would do well with it. Young Virginia had been a constant in Anthony’s life for many lifetimes. Sir Happy and James as well. But Verdandi feared any of the man's fellow superheroes receiving it. She’d found that she did not always care for their actions as they pertained to him. That wouldn’t do at all. Her sisters shook their heads, Skuld with a kinder smile gracing her elderly face.

 

“We cannot, although we believe that the way Suda designed the spell, it will only choose the best option if we attach it to his thread with purposeful intention. But as he is yours, we’ve decided to allow you to make the choice to do it at all or not. We would not consider an option that could be interfered with by him.” Urd growled the last part. They all truly had a rough spot for the man known originally in all lives as Nathaniel. He’d been ignored by the gods capable of making him pay for his interference, but he remained ignored. It infuriated the three gods to no end.

 

“We can find another way to help him if you would like, but we’ve found in all of our research that this will ensure him the safest path through life.” She truly did not need the extra time to think. She had an opportunity to save Anthony. To protect him for once in his life, she could ensure that Anthony Stark saw an elderly life surrounded by family, instead of a miserable death on a battlefield with radiation quickly poisoning him to death. She looked quickly into the window and saw that Anthony had just arrived back from his devastating adventure in Afghanistan and that made the decision for her.

 

“How soon will it take to complete?” Her older sisters shared a small look and smile before turning back to her.

 

“We will begin at once.”

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: What would you do?

Summary:

If "What If?" has taught us anything, it's that all it takes is a split-second decision to change the trajectory of a a timeline.

Notes:

References: Iron Man 1

Can anybody spot the decision that changed this timeline?

Song: With A Little Help From My Friends

Pepper Potts rushed to the sink to wash her hands. The pungent smell of the “inorganic plasmic discharge” was burning her nostrils. She couldn’t even complain that she didn’t get paid enough. Tony Stark paid the best salaries to the people directly under him. Hell, even the janitors made more than the normal rate. 

 

It didn’t make some of Tony’s quirks easier to deal with. More so now than before he was taken and held hostage for 3 months. 

 

Before Afghanistan, Pepper would have already planned a multitude of large and lavish parties with hundreds of faces that she swore she never saw twice in the same night. 

 

But now there was nothing. No parties. No fancy dinners. Not one single bimbo to kick out of the mansion the next morning with a ‘thank you’ and a tight smile. It was a little disconcerting because Tony wasn’t a man with a routine life. Not by any means but he did have a consistency that she’d become accustomed to. 

 

Not so much anymore.

 

Now, he tinkered. In the morning. In the night. No one knew exactly what he was working on. Even with the few products he’d submitted to the board to get them off his back for a while(the products were projected to outsell their counterparts on the market but the board members were still pissed about Tony taking away their weapons sales.). But with the amount of time spent in his labs, he could, or should have in Pepper’s opinion, created a thousand more innovative items.

 

Something just didn’t feel right.

 

He never talked much about what he’d been through in Afghanistan. There were suspicions. Almost all of the news outlets had reporters talking about the possibility of the torture he experienced. But no one knew for sure. She didn’t even know that he had a fist-sized hole in his chest until today. Pepper didn’t need to hire a mental health provider to know that Mr. Stark was probably going through the early stages of PTSD. Besides, he’d probably fire her if she did. Tony Stark had a strong aversion to Psychiatrists or any kind of “head doctors. 

 

She really should reach out to Mr. Stane with her concerns, as he’d asked her to do. Something deep in her gut told her not to. As strange as Mr. Stark had been acting since he’d come back home, it was nothing in comparison to the strangeness she felt around Mr. Stane following Tony’s disappearance. 

 

Pepper had no hard proof of anything, and frankly, Stane had done nothing out of character to prove her theories correct. Maybe she was being over-protective and it was all in her mind. Frankly, she didn’t think that was the case. She’d gotten her position within Stark industries utilizing her gut instincts. Those same instincts were telling her that Stane’s overreaching with the board wasn’t a protective maneuver as he’d like it to appear to the higher-ups in the company. It was a poaching move, one that Tony couldn’t see right now because of his trauma. 

 

Deciding to call for outside help seemed to be a logical conclusion, even though she hesitated before bringing her contact list up on her Stark phone. Mr. Stark wouldn’t care for her meddling. He might actually get angry with her if he found out. But she cared for him. For his company, no matter what he decided to do with it, Pepper Potts took care of hers. She found the contact for Colonel Rhodes and hit the dial. 

 

For a split moment, Pepper considered ending the call before anyone picked up. She wasn’t given a chance to contemplate for more than a second before someone answered. 

 

“Pepper? Is everything alright? Is Tony okay?” Pepper sighed. At least she was the only person concerned about Mr. Stark. 

 

“Hello, Jim. Tony is…fine.” There was a pause on the other end of the line. 

 

“Then what’s going on? Do I need to stop by?” Pepper shook her head even though there was no one there to see her do so. “No. I think we aren’t there yet. I’m just a little worried. He’s been so different since he arrived back, and I know that is to be expected… he has a hole in his chest, Jim. I can put my fist in his chest and he won’t see a doctor…” her words trailed off as she thought about what she’d been doing 10 minutes ago. She heard Jim sigh   

 

“I know. He showed me in Afghanistan when we made it back to the base. Kicked up a stink when we tried to get him checked out by Med-Vac. I had to kick everyone out and that’s the only way he would show me. Wouldn’t explain how it happened, what it’s for, not really. I’ve thought he would’ve just told me or you or even Obidiah by now what happened over there…” The man trailed off in thought. Pepper felt a grimace form on her face.

 

“I know that whatever it is, is not healthy. He really needs a doctor and to sleep. JARVIS won't tell me, but I know that his sleep patterns are erratic and he’s probably not eating well. I just want to get him some help.” Pepper hesitated for a moment. She didn’t know if she should tell Jim this tidbit of information. But Tony always spoke highly of his best friend; of how much integrity the Sergeant Colonial held. She felt more comfortable telling him before Mr. Stane.

 

“…Jim. Tony is going to lose the company if he doesn’t get his affairs in order. There’s been talk…”

 

“What kind of talk Pepper? A hostile takeover? Is Stane in the know?” Pepper nodded even if he couldn’t see her. 

 

“I think he’s leading the charge but I don’t have any proof to show Tony. He would be the only one who could definitively, find what we need to stop it, but right now he’s-“

 

“Recovering from possible long-term torture. Yeah, I understand." Pepper bit her lip in the silence that followed. She may not know Tony's best friend as well as she knew Tony, but she understood the silence as conteplative. Finally, after a few more moments he broke the silence.

"I may have someone who can help him. My sister just graduated from So-Cal with a Ph.D. in, well actually it’s her third Ph.D. but this one is for Medicine. She’s been doing her residency at a clinic in Compton, so the travel won’t be too bad, She’s also been complaining about looking for a new place to stay. I can get her room at Tony’s and have her keep an eye on him.” It sounded so logical. Probably the best option that they had if they wanted to keep Tony safe and help him get back on track. 

 

“Are you sure that will work? What if she says no? What if Tony doesn’t want anyone in his house right now? You know he’s been really paranoid about everything and I can’t tell him that he’s wrong with what happened. At least what I think happened because we really don’t know, you know. He doesn’t seem like he’s ready to open up, let alone a graduate student-“ Rhodes broke through Pepper’s verbal diarrhea with a chuckle, making her jaw click shut.

 

“Pepper, it’s fine. Tony’s known Jeanette her entire life, and yeah she’s young, but she’s very responsible. She was at the top of her class and really smart. Probably smarter than me but unfortunately she didn’t want to be in the Army. She helps people who can really benefit from her help. I can’t think of someone with a bigger heart than her. She will do him some good.” Pepper thought anyone that could have the very serious lieutenant colonel Rhodes sounded like a mushy but his sister seemed to be special enough to do it. She couldn’t think of a reason for James’s recommendation. Again, it was to help Tony so it was good enough for her.

 

“Give her a call. I will have JARVIS arrange a room for her, an NDA(she felt a little bad about that part, but she knew Jim understood), and a packet of information for when she arrives.” Relief flowed through her when James agreed on an affirmation on his end before ending the call. 

 

Pepper thought about what they were doing as she left the Stark mansion. She just hoped she was doing the right thing.

Notes:

Next chapter...Jeanette.

Chapter 3: You can (kind of) count on me

Song: Count on me

 

“You’re free for 20 minutes. Congratulations on the vacation Doctor.” Jeanette rolled her eyes at the receptionist/assistant Nefertiti. The woman gave nothing but snark to everyone but was also incredibly efficient, so the staff dealt with it. 

 

Besides, she dealt with some of their more complicated patients with ease. Once, she actually threw a man suspected of abusing his family out of the building by his collar. 

 

It also helped that she managed all of the doctors and nurses well enough that they got a break periodically throughout the day. 

 

Jeanette decided to take a rest in her office for 20 minutes. Such a rarity, she felt almost giddy at getting to rest during a busy shift. Shutting off the lights in her small office and letting the office chair back, she settled in for her nap.

 

Then her phone rang, breaking the silence of the room. If it were a patient, her pager would have probably gone off. Only a select few of them had her personal number and they rarely called. It had to be someone that had her private cell phone number. Which was strange. All of her friends knew her work schedule, and her parents called in on Sundays to talk for a few hours. 

 

Whatever. It wasn’t like she was looking forward to that nap. 

 

Still, in a lucid state, she pulled her phone out of her pocket flipped it open, and without looking at the screen answered before putting it to her ear. 

 

“Doctor Rhodes speaking.” She didn’t expect a snort on the other end of the phone. 

 

“Is that how you answer your phone? Your regular phone?” She recognized the voice on the other end as her brother Jim. 

 

“I give my private number to patients sometimes if they need it. Besides, most people with this number don’t call during my work hours.” Maybe her reply was a little snippy, but dammit she wanted that nap. 

 

“Oh man, I’m sorry are you really busy? I can always call you back-” He seemed to understand his misstep. 

 

“It’s fine Jim. I’m on a break, just tell me what you need.” his huff was so unbecoming of an Airman that it made her snort. “What if I just wanted to say hello? Huh? You are my little sister.” If she didn’t stop rolling her eyes they probably were going to get stuck like her Grandmother warned her about.

 

“I’m your only living sister, and you barely call me except during the holidays when the family is together in Philly. Now please stop playing with my intelligence, because we both know I’m smarter than you and just spit it out.” She was able to get that out without yelling even as she felt a slight headache behind her eyes. This conversation was working her nerves and she was a doctor! She dealt with way more difficult conversations every day. There was just something about Jim pussyfooting around that set her off a little. 

 

“Well, since you asked so politely , I called to see if you would be interested in helping out a friend of mine with some private medical care. You would be compensated nicely, of course. His personal assistant can send you more information-” The migraine behind her eyes grew in intensity. 

 

“Jim! How could you recommend me for private consultation without asking me first? I’m the only pediatric and ob-gyn in this facility. I don’t even do primary care.  I barely have time to think, let alone take on more work! How could you put my reputation on the line like that!” Now she was yelling. She had to calm down. She was at work and didn’t want her co-workers or patients to hear her yelling at her idiot brother. Taking a deep breath. She decided to let him answer her question before going off on another tangent.

 

After a moment he gave her a quieter reply that sounded less sure than before.

 

“Jeanette, it’s Tony. The things that happened to him-it’s got him in a bad way. We’re really worried about him and he doesn’t want to see a doctor. But, he might let you take a look at him, and I promise you that nothing is set in stone. This is just me reaching out to you to see if you would consider it.”

 

Well shit. She wasn’t expecting that . Of course, she’d heard all about Tony and how he’d been missing in Afghanistan for months. The first week the news covered it around the clock. She’d tried to call Jim after finding out that he’d been in the convoy that Tony had gone missing from. Her worried mother finally gave her the information she needed to settle her heart-a little. 

 

Jim was okay. He and the people in his car had been minorly injured in the firefight, but Tony had been taken. Her mother tried to get him to come home to rest during the three months but he refused to give up looking for his best friend. Her mother’s worrying for Jim and Tony eventually bled out into the rest of the family, including her father who never let anything bother him. 

 

Jeanette was relieved to see that Tony had been found alive and that Jim could finally come home when the news was released. But, none of her happiness was the same as the rest of her family’s. She didn’t see Tony as a brother or a son like her parents and Jim. She didn’t respect Tony’s “patriotism” in his providing weapons like their brother John did. She didn’t even know Tony Stark. Not really. She was only 5 when he began to come around and he was always just her brother’s friend whom she saw at family events sometimes but stuck to her brother or mother’s side. 

 

As she got older her feelings about the man grew dubious. Maybe that wasn’t the right word, but Jeanette knew that she didn’t feel the same way about Tony Stark as the rest of her family. She’d 2 years for War Aid and had seen the horrors of some of the weapons Tony and his company built. The more time she spent on the field tending to people, children, and women who were missing limbs or body parts. It was even more complicated by her feelings extending to her family who was all military aside from her. 

 

It was complicated. Very complicated, but it was something that she doubted she would find a resolution to anytime soon. 

 

But for now, she wanted to focus on Tony’s health. No matter the issues she had with Tony or her family and their business with the military, she wouldn’t let a sick man go without help if she could provide any. Maybe she could do something.

 

“What exactly would I be able to do? I didn’t see any reports of injuries and Mom would’ve told me about anything really bad.” Maybe she was thinking out loud, but she didn’t expect Jim to answer her. Not really. He didn’t disappoint.

 

“I can’t really reveal any of Tony’s health issues until you sign some paperwork. I can tell you that he would need a check-up at least. He refused medical help at the base after we found him. We just want to make sure he doesn’t have anything going on that he hasn’t told us about or maybe something he’s been ignoring. Use those three doctorates on him to help him out.” Jeanette raised a brow at that even if her brother couldn’t see. Something was off about this and she wanted to know what it was. 

 

Jeanette suppressed the groan she felt rising as she realized she wanted-no she felt that compulsion she got sometimes to help ! It’s the same feeling that pushed in her medical school and not the military. The same compulsion that convinced her to join the United Nations as a doctor in a fucking war zone to treat sick and injured women and children despite the fact that her life was in danger every second that she remained in the fire zone. 

 

“If I were to do this and that’s not me agreeing to anything Jim, I wouldn’t be able to attend to him every day. I’m an on-call ob-gyn for the clinic. If his needs aren’t immediate, I can probably swing a few days a week to spend with him. I can’t imagine needing to see him for more than a few weeks. Anything else would probably need to be escalated, but I’m sure a trusted specialist could be found. That’s all I can offer though.” She heard her brother release a deep breath. His reply wasn’t as assured as his pitch to do this. 

 

“Done. Anything you need you can just let Pepper or I know and we can get it for you.” She hoped the gratitude she heard in his voice was sincere. 

 

“Yeah, I just hope I don’t regret this. I can’t believe I’m actually agreeing to this.” Jim gave a chuckle that sounded like their Dad’s. 

 

“I don’t think you will. It’s just Tony. You know he is harmless. I’ll have the paperwork sent to you before the end of the day and have you a room set up.” That had her sitting up from her reclined chair.

 

“Room?”

 

“Yeah, we thought that you might like a room at Tony’s since you would have to travel an hour back and forth home. Trust me, he has plenty of room. It’s fine.” Jeanette felt a little bit more hesitation now. Living with Tony was not what she thought she was signing up for. It was just supposed to be a few visits.”I’ll talk to you soon kiddo.” She hated when he called her that.

 

“Watch it. Bye.” He hung up with another chuckle that had her rolling her eyes. 

 

She spent the last minutes of her break thinking of all of the possibilities that were before her. This shouldn’t be a big deal but there was something Jeanette couldn’t pinpoint but it was there.  She felt a shift. Something was different. Something she wasn’t sure she was ready for.

Notes:

Sorry about the break. Midterms for paralegal school almost took ya girl out but I’m still here! I’ll start working on the next chapter tomorrow and will be able to update more in the next couple of weeks before finals come around. Thanks everyone for the kind comments and kudos. The response has been more than I thought I would ever get with my little idea of a story. I appreciate them all.

Next up. Jeanette and Tony finally meet. Kind of….

Chapter 4: The first time ever

Song- The first time ever I saw your face by Roberta Flack

 

It was hard to not stare at the mansion in front of her. Jeanette knew instinctively that Tony lived in a mansion. Her Mother visited Tony and her brother sometimes and raved to her about the massive home. 

 

Stories about his fancy parties were always in the news or tabloids. Something she didn’t pay much attention to, but it was hard to ignore sometimes. 

 

Tony Stark host 200 people in 30th birthday swore. Articles like that always showed pictures of the house. Pictures didn’t do justice to what she was looking at. 

 

Seeing the structure was something different. 

 

The futuristic home was expansive with large windows that stood from floor to ceiling. It was a huge architectural marvel with a structure so complex that she couldn’t understand how anyone could make it from one end of the house to the other. She couldn’t understand why one man would need a house this large. As far as Jeanette knew, Tony didn’t have a girlfriend. Sure, he always had a pretty lady on his arm, but Jim would have mentioned an actual girlfriend. Not that any of that was her business. She was only here to help him.

 

During her walk to the door from her car, Jeanette did a mental check of her medical bag. They tell you in Medical school what you should have, but in this case, she wasn’t sure if she was prepared or not. The NDAs she’d been emailed didn’t really have a lot of information about the condition Tony was in. What he may need from her and how she would be expected to treat him. Only she had to keep anything she may see to herself. Even if it went against everything in her, she decided to just wing the consultation. She told herself that she could do this and that there was nothing to be nervous about. The jitters she felt coursing through her body were calling her a liar.

 

The door opened and a beautiful strawberry-blonde woman stood in the doorway. They were the same height despite the sharp heels the other woman wore. The shoes matched perfectly with her sharp dark pencil skirt suit. It was a ballgown in comparison to the blue jeans, crew neck, and walking shoes Jeanette wore. She thought the lip gloss she hurriedly applied before leaving her house helped. Looking at this woman made her feel like a frumpier than hell. Still, the was still personable with a slight smile with her hand out to shake.

 

“Doctor Rhodes? I’m Pepper Potts. Mr. Stark’s personal assistant. I’m the one who emailed you all of the documentation. Please, come in. Let me show you around.” Jeanette let go of the woman’s hand and immediately grabbed her medical bag handle like it was a lifeline as she followed behind Pepper. 

 

Looking around the spacious home, Jeanette again thought about how could one man need so much space for just himself. The inside of the home was just as beautiful, but it seemed a little…cold. It reminded her of the model homes you saw in architecture magazines. It made you want the home, but she thought the point was to make it your own once you buy it. She shook her stray thoughts away as she followed Pepper into the home. Following her into a large sitting area. There were stacks of papers stacked up neatly on the ornate table. Like, the woman had been working on something before greeting Jeanette at the door. 

 

“Before I take you down to meet Tony, I think we should go over a few things first.” Pepper grabbed one of the stacks of papers. Passing them to Jeanette. Maybe she saw some of the nervousness on the younger woman's face. Maybe she understood that this wasn’t a typical situation for most doctors. She gave a soft reassuring smile as she dropped the stack into awaiting hands.

 

“I understand that this is… unconventional.” Jeanette thought that was an understatement but allowed the other woman to continue without interrupting. 

 

“-with Tony being who he is, we felt that a higher degree of privacy was necessary. Obviously, with some of the things experienced in Afghanistan, we wanted to ensure that he is in top shape before resuming his place as CEO of Stark Industries. I am obviously not a doctor, so I trust your brother’s word and your experience as a physician to provide the best care that you can for Mr. Stark.” Jeanette found herself nodding. It was familiar to have people ask her to do her damnedest for their loved ones and friends. She intended to, once she found out what the actual problem was.

 

“Um, Miss Potts, I read through all of the paperwork and it didn’t give me any indication as to what the actual issue Tony has. Is he suffering from a specific condition or is this just a general checkup because I’m not exactly qualified for that kind of-” She stopped her prattling at the feeling of a warm hand being placed on hers. She looked at the other woman who had an amused smile on her face.

 

“I understand your limitations, Doctor Rhodes-”

 

“Jeanette. You can call me Jeanette.” Pepper’s smile warmed a little more.”Jeanette. We understand that you typically don’t deal with patients like Tony. But you have the same general practice experience that all medical doctors have. With that in mind, I think that a general physical will be a great place to begin. Now, I have some of Tony’s previous health assessments for you to look at, and then we can go down and talk to him about all of this.” One of the stacks of paperwork was passed to Jeanette. Sighing, she realized that the man hadn’t seen a physician in 5 years.

 

-

Working on the repulsors for a flying suit of armor was so much easier under the fear of death. Working on a more refined version with more options and resources was giving Tony hell. He knew he’d perfect the model. He could almost taste the fully finished suit. Right now, flat on his ass after another flight test. At that moment the music played cut off and the simulation data floating in the air disappeared. Meaning JARVIS executed the privacy protocols set in place in his armor. 

 

“Tony? Are you okay? Why are you on the floor?” The engineer tilted his head back further to get a better look at Pepper. He saw her ridiculously high heels first. He’d never understand how she walked in those things. Next, he saw her long legs. Not that he was checking her legs out. They were just always there. What a view. Even if there was someone with blue jeans ruining the view. 

 

Wait.

 

Tony sat up to get a better look at who was in his home. In his workshop. Looking at the woman-and wow! What a fox. Long legs. Thighs a little on the thicker side sitting snugly in those tight jeans. He really couldn’t see what she had going up top because of the loose blouse she wore. Hmm. It was a cute blouse too. Not even a little bit sexy. Just really cute with sunflowers all over it. Most women wore their sexiest wear around him. He wasn’t used to being cute .

 

Tony finally look at her face-holy shit she was beautiful. Not the typical model beauty Tony brought home. The kind of beautiful that caught eyes in public. Hazel eyes that sucked you in and forced eye contact. Pretty eyes that felt vaguely familiar. An adorable little button nose. Glossy full lips. They looked so soft and Tony realized he hadn’t thought about a woman like that in months. Before he went to Afghanistan. This woman though, she was more than enough to remind him that he was a red-blooded man. 

 

“Tony…”He heard Pepper say again. She seemed concerned. Which was more common for her nowadays. 

 

“I’m fine Pep. Just working on something for the company. It’s not ready yet. Who’s this?” He asked with a wave towards the woman standing behind his P.A. Pepper looked back at the woman who didn’t seem nervous to meet him. Again, it was almost as if she was familiar with him.

 

“Do you remember last week when you made me help you replace that…thing? Well, I figured you might need someone to help you do that and to give you an actual physical.” Tony rolled his eyes. This was so typical. The one time he needed a little bit of help with something and Pepper freaks out so bad that she finds him a handler. It grated on his nerves that she could do something like that. It pissed him off even more that she would bring a stranger into this situation.

 

“Oh, what kind of help is she willing to give? You scratch itches, sweetheart?” And yeah, maybe he didn’t have to sound like such a leech, and maybe the pretty lady didn’t do anything but he wasn’t exactly thinking straight. 

 

He crossed a line if the expression on the woman's face were any indication. She went from passive observer to downright pissed in a second. 

 

“My name is Jeanette Rhodes since you obviously don’t recognize me, and I’m telling Mama on you.” She didn’t yell, but she was furious. That much he could tell. Even as she turned in a huff and stomped up the stairs. Her strides with her long legs were full of anger. It only took for her to be completely out of the room and a glance at Pepper’s exasperated expression for Tony to realize who he just insulted. 

 

Shit!

 

That was Rhodey’s sister! That he just sexually harassed. Who threatened to tell Mama Rhodes about what he did. He dropped back down flat onto the ground and stared at the ceiling. If Mama didn’t kill him, Rhodey would.

 

Notes:

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I really took my time with this and let me tell you, meet cute are really easy to write. But meet hate? Super hard. Again, thank you all for the kind kudos and comments. I’ll be posting more frequently from now on now that my classes are almost over. Next up: Tony has some apologies to hand out, if Jeanette will let him, and we get to see how the Fates react to Tony and Jeanette’s first meeting.

Chapter 5: You can put that blame on me

Summary:

Song: Sorry, Blame it on me

“JARVIS, what am I missing? Why was Jeanette here?” Tony had finally moved back to his workbench after listening to Pepper rant about how he had to fix this Tony! Usually, he would give his personal assistant a vague agreement and go back to whatever he was doing. He couldn’t really do that now because he felt like he had to actually fix this. But first, he had to figure out what the hell was going on. After a moment JARVIS replied with the information he needed.

 

“Sir, it appears that Miss Potts and Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes commissioned Doctor Rhodes to give you a general physical exam to help with any issues you may have from your excursion overseas. Doctor Rhodes has signed all standard Non-disclosure agreements. I’ve provided you with all email correspondence and documentation.” Tony quickly read through the documents. They did look standard and nothing appeared out of place. 

 

“J, I don’t see how much I’m paying for this.” There was no discussion of price in what he’d read so far.

 

“There appears to have been a brief discussion where Miss Rhodes refused payment despite some pushback from Miss Potts.” Tony quickly read through that part of the email correspondence. Jeanette politely declined any form of payment,  citing Tony being an old family friend. 

 

It was at that moment that Tony really felt like an asshole. Jeanette was here to help him even if he didn’t need her help per se.  He was still irritated by his friends for doing something like this behind his back even if their intentions were good. It added an unnecessary complication to his life when he was on the cusp of a breakthrough with his suit. If he could manage to do it right, this suit; the technology involved would not just be able to stop the Ten Rings from doing more damage to the world, but it would be able to revolutionize armor.

 

He couldn’t even focus on that right now because he had to fix this. The Rhodes family was important to him. Mama Rhodes took care of him when his parents died and Rhodey, the whole family did, and well Rhodey just meant a lot to him. It really didn’t matter if he knew Jeanette the least or if his memories of her were limited to Tony vaguely seeing her during his time at Rhodey’s childhood home. She was important as far as he was concerned and he’d gone and pissed her off. 

 

“Right, JARVIS I think a nice bouquet of flowers would work. Women like that kind of stuff, maybe add a nice embroidered apology card. That should work, right?” That should be enough for her to forgive him. 

 

“Typically, I would agree but I cannot seem to find Doctor Rhodes’ address through any of my typical means, and find myself restricted by the “Creepers Peepers” protocol.” Tony had to roll his eyes at himself. He’d installed that protocol to prevent himself from snooping in on his friend's life after a blowout between himself and Rhodey years ago. It was something he installed directly into JARVIS’s code and it couldn’t be easily removed. Jeanette having her address unlisted made the problem harder because now he had to find it on his own to get around his own damn protocols and he didn’t have time for this.

 

“Fine. I’ll look her up on my own. Have the gifts on standby to be sent-” JARVIS interrupted him with a polite if not slightly robotic clearing of his throat. Which was ridiculous because his AI didn’t have a throat.

 

“Sir, if I may. From my research, I have found that the sincerest apologies are accepted when given in person. It may be best if Doctor Rhodes was presented with her apology flowers in person…for sincerity's sake.” JARVIS had was to much sass for his own good sometimes.

 

“I’m in the middle of something big here. I was in the middle of something when they walked in, interrupting my work. I shouldn’t have to do this too. I just need to send her the damn flowers and get back to what I was doing.” Tony was sure he sounded petulant to his AI, maybe even to himself, but he felt justified in his annoyance. He just wanted to complete his work and forget about this. 

 

“You can always allow for Mrs. Rhodes to communicate your apologies for your…impropriety. I’m sure that will go over well, sir.” Tony turned to one of the cameras in his workshop to give JARVIS a slight glare.

 

“You’re really close to being donated to the nearest public library, J.” Tony’s words had no real bite to them as usual. 

 

“My circuits shudder at the thought, sir.” JARVIS gave in a dry tone making Tony laugh at the wit of his A.I.

 

It was easier to fall back into working on his suit and talking to JARVIS than it was to fall into the thoughts floating in the back of his mind. Tony was ignoring that niggling thought in the back of his head that told him he wanted to see her face again. That the indignant rage that he’d caused wasn’t what he wanted to see on a face that pretty. It was easier to pay attention to the thoughts that he wasn’t allowed to think about Jeanette Rhodes in that way at all . That he would serve himself better by focusing on what he had before him and not getting sidetracked. He rubbed his eyes as he came to the realization that he was going to have to get back to find that address.

 

Howard always said he was a hardheaded bastard.

 

-

It took a few days for Tony to find Jeanette’s address only because soon after his conversation with JARVIS he finally discovered the remedy to a repulsor issue that lead to him taking days to perfect it before any flight tests could take place. 

 

After days of progressively( and not so subtle) pushing from his A.I. to find Jeanette and apologize, he put his work to the side and dug into the internet to find her. Which might he add, was slightly harder than he thought it would be. One would think that with a MySpace and Facebook profile, it would be easy to find a person. It seemed that even without being in the military Jeanette had learned some evasion techniques from the rest of her family because she was hard to find, even for someone like Tony who had a lot of access to information.

 

But find her he did. She had a one-bedroom condo in Santa Monica. The neighborhood was that Stepford kind of quiet that made Tony’s hot red Mustang stand out in the middle-class neighborhood. When he pulled up to the one-story building that housed a row of perfectly maintained condos it solidified in his mind that the area was boring. 

 

All of the doctors that Tony knew lived in mansions(nothing quite as large and grand as his) or upscale highrise condos. Hell, even Rhodey’s house was just…more than this. Tony gave an internal shrug. It wasn’t really his problem. 

 

After finding the right door and knocking for an embarrassing amount of time, he realized there was no one home. It was Saturday. What do young women do on Saturday mornings? Maybe sleeping? That’s what he did in his 20’s. Probably surrounded by multiple other drunk and beautiful women. So he figured she might still be in bed and just didn’t hear him knocking. But he really wanted to get this over with to get it out of the way. So that she could forgive him, never mention any of this to her family, and move in with life. 

 

So scaling her windows and tiptoeing around the building to find her bedroom was the next logical step in Tony’s attempt to resolve this. It wasn’t creepy at all. 

 

“What the hell are you doing?” The voice made him jerk out of his plot to break into a home. Spinning around he finally found his target. 

 

And then he almost swallowed his tongue.

 

Jeanette was by a pool(probably for the entire condo complex) laying on one of the benches. 

 

Sunbathing.

 

In a gold bikini.

 

Covered in oil.

 

The skeevy thoughts he had when he first saw her were nothing in comparison to what he thought now that he finally got to see her in full form. Her legs looked even longer when uncovered, even laying down. Hair piled on her head, giving him a nice glance at her soft neckline.  Nice and delicate muscle definition in the ab area and breast that made him want to bite his fist. Her body was sin on wheels-

 

“It’s weird to pop up at someone’s home unannounced just to ogle them…” She looked over her.

 

Her snippy words snapped Tony out of his thoughts again. He gathered himself by clearing his throat and walked towards her pulling the bouquet of flowers up.

 

“I’ve come to apologize. I’m sorry if I offended you the other day. I’ve been told you were just there to help me and give me a check-up, which is definitely still on the table by the way if you want.”He put out the peace offering down to her level as she looked them over before looking up at him again with a raised eyebrow. 

 

“If I was offended? You objectified me and then you did it again. Am I supposed to just accept the flowers and ignore the half-assed apology?” Her voice was melodic even when she was reading him a riot act. It was kind of cute-shit he was supposed to not be doing that. That’s why she was mad at him now.

 

“Right, well I am sorry. I know you and Pepper didn’t mean to interrupt me while I was working. It wasn’t your fault.” Jeez, he sounded like an asshole even to his own ears. He didn’t even need to see her pursed lips to know that he’d messed up. 

 

“You’re shit at this. Just take your funky flowers and go home. Don’t worry I won’t tell Mommy. She’d probably be on a flight first thing to ring your neck and I don’t feel like dealing with it. Just know this: when someone offers you help and wires get crossed, a simple I’m sorry will work just fine. Don’t add nothing else.” With her little speech done, she pulled her book back up to her face that Tony didn’t even notice had been settled on her legs.

 

It was pretty embarrassing to stand there with the flowers limp in his hands after being sternly told off by his best friend’s little sister. He couldn’t even make amends properly and it seemed like he was making a habit of making a mess of his relationships lately. First with Rhodey and shutting down weapons manufacturing, then with Pepper and her apparent fear of his health that was so strong that she’d hired a doctor behind his back, and now with Jeanette who apparently was the sweet little girl that he remembered anymore and he couldn’t seem to stop embarrassing himself around her.

 

To hell with it. He was already in the deepest parts of hell that is an embarrassment, he might as well go to the ground. Before turning to leave he dropped his shoulders a little bit in a sign of peace before laying the flowers at the bottom of the chair.

 

“I wasn’t convinced that I needed a doctor. Don’t really know who to trust right now, but I’m willing to go out on a limb and ask you, if I haven’t offended you enough to come by and give me a physical. It’ll give your brother some piece of mind and show Pepper that I haven’t completely lost my mind. I’ll be available on the days Pepper scheduled you for.” Before she could respond, he turned and left her on her bench to consider his offer. 

 

And hopefully, he can redeem himself for Jeanette.

Notes:

A/N: So I actually hate the song that the chapter is titled after. It’s supposed to be a song about taking responsibility and Akon pretty much blames everybody else for his wrongdoings and the song has always grated on my nerves because it's a horrible way to apologize. That’s kind of the inspiration for this chapter. Tony, in his head, is taking accountability for his actions, but all he’s done in Jeanett’s eyes is end weapons production. To her, he got a long way to go to fixing his mistakes with her and the world. Women raised in strong military families don’t really suffer fools.

Chapter 6: Helping with Hands

Summary:

Thank you all for the kudos, comments, and bookmarks. It means the world to me. Some of you have even given me a few suggestions and ideas. I love it all!

Song: Hands

 

The three sisters watched the mortal walk away from the young doctor. His subsequent retreat to his vehicle was followed by a deep exhale of air before taking off to his home. Verdandi turned to her sisters who were smirking at the window. The younger sister didn’t understand what they found so amusing. 

 

“Sister, I was led to believe that this person would protect Anthony. She seems more infuriated with him than anything!” Verdandi cried. Her frustration only grew as her sister's smirk deepened. As if she was seemingly more amused by her frustration. 

 

“Dear Sister, you must understand that the spell placed on this timeline is not a trick. It places young Jeanette in Anthony’s path, but as we have observed for so long, mortals are not perfect. Anthony is special, but he is still a mortal and will still make mistakes. 

 

“Then how will she be led to help him if they have only quarreled since their acquaintance?” The other sister only laughed lightly. That is, until Skuld placed a gentle hand upon the amused sister's shoulder, ending the laughter abruptly. The sisters had a silent conversation typical of anyone who communicated with Skuld as her eyes were as expressive as any voice. 

 

“Yes, well I suppose it is unkind to find such joy in your dubiety. We have all placed an inordinate amount of trust in dear Suda’s gift. He was always the most just of us. I do not fear what is to come. The road Anthony is traveling on will be different, but no less rugged. This is only the beginning sister. Let us not begin to despair so soon.” Urd spoke with more kindness in her eyes and voice. The younger appearing sister knew that she believed in her own words thoroughly.

 

Skuld gave a soft smile and assuring nod to correspond with her agreement. Verdandi knew her sister's words to be true. It may be that she has placed too much faith in Suda’s spell. Believed it would fix every ill that came before her charge. Verdandi thought about their long journey in viewing the lives of so many and their lives as blessed beings. 

 

She knew that no matter what this would not be a perfect life in this world for Anthony, but with time, it could be better for him. She will give the spell time to work and place her fears and worries aside for now. 

 

“I will quell my troubles for now sisters. I fear that with so many ill lives, I worry that our intervention will not be enough. This woman; seems strong. It is possible that she will be the strength that is needed to defeat the adversaries of Anthony without falling.” Verdandi returned her sister's gentle smile.  With the conversation over. They all turned back to the window to watch. 

 

After all, time has to tell.

 

*

 

“Nefi, I thought I had a 12:30 appointment. It’s been blacked out. Did Mrs. Carl cancel?” They looked up at Jeanette with confusion on her face.

 

“Naw, you told us to clear your schedule for your secret project or whatever. So I transferred her to Dr. Glen.” An involuntary grimace jumped onto the young doctor's face. Dr. Glen was a perfectly fine primary physician. His bedside manner with pregnant women, however, left a lot to be desired. Making pregnant women cry about their weight was the reason he was a reserve OBYN after one of the patient's husbands tried to “talk” to him. Sitting down next to her clerk, she grabbed the appointment book, looking it over. 

 

“I’m thinking about not going. I may be able to handle the appointment-”

 

“What do you mean you’re not going!” Nefertiti whispered, but really screamed into Jeanette’s ear. It made the Doctor look around to make sure they weren’t being overheard. Luckily all patients had been taken in and no one was in the waiting area to hear her overly loud assistant.

 

“Just tell everybody my business why don't you! I may not go because the client and I got off to a bad start. I don’t think we’re going to be compatible enough for me to work together. It’s really not a big deal.” Jeanette said without looking up from the book in front of her, but she could feel Nefertiti’s eyes burning a hole in the side of her head. Not saying anything. Just unnerving silence. Nefi wasn’t the silent type. 

 

“Nothing was set in stone. We just needed to meet to find out more information.” Still silent.

 

“I honestly think I could just stay here and do more for my already established patients, you know.” Faced with more silence, Jeanette slammed the pencil in her hand down onto the receptionist's desk and turned to the smirking face of the woman whose job was always on the line.

 

“What’s funny?” That may have come out louder than it needed to be, but she was getting irritated by the antics.

 

“Nothing, it’s just funny to see somebody get on your bad side. You are the most non-confrontational person I know. You called me to curse out your neighbors that one time.” Nefi kept her smirk of amusement up. It was definitely infuriating.

 

“I still live there so I couldn’t do it myself. Besides, that lady had it coming and it’s not the same. This was different, and no I can’t tell you why. The client was a different kind of rude. I just don’t think that kind of frustration is worth it.” With a sigh, Jeanette looked back down at the schedule book to put her appointments back in. 

 

It’s not that she didn’t want to help Tony. She just didn’t know if Tony wanted her help. Her initial hesitation in agreeing to meet with him and assess his health was born from his personality. At least, what she knew of his personality from snippets of conversations she’d heard from her Mom and Brother. She didn’t really know Tony Stark enough to know if he would charm her or grate her nerves. 

 

She still didn’t really know. 

 

First, he offended her so badly she wanted to drop-kick him. Then he brought her flowers and sincerely invited her to give him a physical. It was so sincere she ignored the way his eyes roamed over her body in her bikini. 

 

And didn’t that bring up some confusing tingles?

 

It wasn’t an apology. Not that she needed one. She knew that he wouldn’t have shown up to her home with his offering of expensive flowers if he was not sorry for pissing her off. Some people didn’t apologize with words and that was okay. But the hot and cold were making her dizzy.

 

“You know what I think your problem is?” Jeanette looked up from the book again to see the same smirk on the woman’s face from earlier.

 

“No, but I’m sure you're going to tell me. '' said in exasperation. Nefi’s smirk softened a bit as she turned to the younger woman.

 

“You have control issues. No, let me finish. You wake up at the same time every day. Drink the same kind of coffee. Jog the same route. Work the same shift and go home to read a book and go to bed. You do it like that because you don’t like things to be different. Differences make you nervous. But honey, I’m telling you this as someone who has lived a little bit more life than you-you have to take a chance. To step out of the box sometimes. I don’t want you to hit 30 and realize you’ve hidden away and not enjoyed your life.” Jeanette knew that Nefi was genuine because she grabbed her hands mid-speech. But she still felt defensive.

 

“I live. I’ve been all over the world-” Nefi cut her off with a shake of the head.

 

“You’ve worked in war-torn countries. You bandaged up women and children with acid and chemical burns. You didn't enjoy that. You did it because you’re a sweetheart who loves saving people. That’s fine, but you can do that and experience new things in life. I know technically this new client is you being a doctor, but there's something about him that has you running before you even get started. I think it’s your fear of new and exciting things. I think this client throws you out of your comfort zone. That’s why you’re going to go meet with him today and not argue about why you shouldn't.” She finished with a firm voice that showed she was serious. She gave Jeanette’s hands a slight squeeze before letting go and turning back to her workstation computer. 

 

In the silence that followed, Jeanette’s mind circled between Nefitit’s words and her own muddled thoughts. On one hand, Nefi was probably right. Ever since she’d gotten the offer to work as a primary family doctor in the clinic, Jeanette had been stuck in a revolving door of life. Her life was settled. Borderline is lonely if it weren’t for the frequent phone calls she had with family and friends. Even on the craziest days dealing with patients, she didn’t run into anything that could throw her schedule off much. 

 

But Tony did. 

 

Tony was exciting and spontaneous. Aside from the mystery of his health, there was an undercurrent of something beguiling about the way he looked at her. He didn’t attempt to hide his attraction. Not even after he figured out who she was. It made her fight feelings she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Not that she could right now. If she took Tony on as a client, she would have to remain professional. There was also the added issue of James. He would have a fit if he found out Tony had been flirting with her. None of that was worth the headache.

 

No. If she was going to help Tony Stark, she would have to show up with pure professionalism displayed. 

 

That’s when it hit her. She had already made up her mind. Nefi’s speech had sunk into her bones and resonated with her because it was what she wanted all along. She wanted to see where this would take her. She wanted to take the risk.  It may not end well, but It may save Anthony Stark’s life. She was going to find out. 

 

“So, Dr. Rhodes, should I put you back on the schedule?” The younger woman turned back to the desk attendant who was typing away on her computer with that damn smirk still on her face. She never turned back to Jeanette. Almost as if she knew what conclusion had been made.

 

“No. You can keep Dr. Glen penciled in for now. I’ll see you Thursday. Hopefully, you will have found some humility when accepting victory by then.” The woman snorted in response as Jeanette gathered herself to leave.

 

“Yeah right. I work with smartass doctors. I ain’t never letting up when I win. I’ll see you Thursday, Doctor Rhodes.”

 

Notes:

Please don't jump me y'all. Life got in the way. One more chapter and then we get back into the IM1 plot. I've been rewatching the movies to get an idea of how I want this story to go because I had it in my head and needed to get a timeline on a document. Now that I have that started, I can really get going. Apparently, I really hate SHEILD. oh well.

Chapter 7: Record Set

 

“Sir, you have recalibrated that particular carbon repulsor component multiple times. I dare say,  it is functioning properly.” JARVIS’s voice broke Tony out of his trance…or was it daydreaming? That was ridiculous. He didn’t daydream . He was just lost in thought.

 

 Again.

 

About Jeanette. 

 

Maybe a little bit about that bikini.

 

His mind these days circled through that set of thoughts about her. About how he barely remembered her when he and Rhodes were kids. Sure, he saw her around in the background from time to time, but that had been years ago. The last memory before now was of a skinny kid who wore a hooded sweatshirt at a picnic Mrs. Rhodes threw for Jim when he made lieutenant. She was sullen and quiet back then. Barely talking to anyone. A quintessential teenager. 

 

He’d heard about her from Jim and Mama Rhodes sometimes. He knew that she outright refused to join the Military like the rest of their family. It was almost a scandal the way it was put to him. The Rhodes family had been a Military family since World War 2. They either served or were members of the reserves. Jeanette had been the first person in her family to opt out, and from what Tony knew of the situation, she felt no remorse and refused to back down.  

 

He could vouch for that part of her personality. From the two interactions he’d had with her as of late, she’d shown how fiery she could be when crossed. 

 

Aside from the fact that she’d completely set his mind off track and distracted him from building his suit, Tony found himself frustrated by how limited he knew about her. He was limited by his research without breaking his protocols. The little he could find about her was what one would find in a biography section of a resume. She enjoyed reading, pilates, and swimming. She considers herself a Philly girl since that’s where the Rhodes family came from and proudly wears her Eagles jersey every football season, no matter how bad they suck. 

 

All of this information was cute, and he felt like a stalker for digging into her life and was sure that if Pepper ever found out, she’d scream his ear off about it. It just wasn’t enough. He wanted to know more. More than her degrees, likes, and dislikes. He wanted to know more about her. 

 

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he just knew there was more to the baby of the Rhodes family. 

 

Today, he might be able to get more information about her. If he could behave himself and not piss her off, then he could keep her around longer.

 

To learn more about her, of course. 

 

“I am pleased to announce an end to your current suffering, Sir. Doctor Rhodes has arrived at your front door.” Great, now his own AI was mocking him. He’d deal with that embarrassment later. 

 

“Is she? Send her to the lab and let her know that I’ll be right up.” In true sassy pants fashion, Jarvis’s static was almost reminiscent of a “hmph”. 

 

Freshening up, which included cleaning himself of motor oil, and getting his hair back into working order after lying flat under a sports car for the better part of 45 minutes. Tony made his way upstairs to the laboratory that he kept in the main part of his home. It was more JARVIS’s domain than his, as his AAI was who did his lab analysis and assessments. 

 

The fact that the lab doubled as a functioning medical lab just so happened to be a pleasant coincidence and very reassuring for Tony’s unaddressed desires at the moment.

 

After quickly sprucing himself up a bit, Tony headed up the stairs to the lab. Stopping on the way to grab an apple from the chrome fruit bowl that the housekeeper kept replenished. 

 

Walking in, the first thing he noticed was her heart-shaped bottom in her jeans. Her cute little shirt with little red hearts all over. High ponytail braids so tiny they could almost be mistaken for strands, with a sprinkle of honey brown highlights. She didn’t look like a doctor; she looked more like a kindergarten teacher. Innocent almost. 

 

Immediately, flashes of her brown skin encased in that metallic gold bikini went through his mind. Many called Tony innovative and imaginative with the ideas he came up with, but they would call him a pure deviant if they knew what the little scenario his mind conjured involving Jeanette with her hair pinned up, her golden swimsuit, and a daybed in a cabana. 

 

“-Is all of this sterilized by a processing technician, or did he just clean it in alcohol?” Snapping out of his daydream.

 

“Uh, J handles all of that. I’m pretty sure they're all cleaned.” Tony watched her lips tighten, and he failed to see what the irritation came from. 

 

JARVIS rang through the room. “Miss, I have all of the instruments related to medical treatment frequently replaced through the local hospital. The last replacement was yesterday in anticipation of your visit. 

 

What a suck-up.

 

“Oh, thank you for that. Anthony, would you mind getting up on the table so that I can take your vitals?” She seemed charmed by JARVIS and less irritated by Tony. Calling him ‘Anthony’ progressed as he was no longer ‘asshole’.

 

Getting on the table with a quick nod. She pulled out a blood pressure cuff, a stethoscope, and some other doctor gear that Tony was vaguely familiar with.

 

“Okay, let's start with you, BP. Let me get your right arm, and you can remove your shirt so that I can get a good listen to your heart.” 

 

And that’s when the record was finally scratched for him, and he was able to pull himself from gazing at her face.

 

“Doc, why do you need to see me naked?” Jeanette’s face instantly dropped. She placed the instruments down on the stainless steel counter. “Tony…let’s talk. I’m here to help you. If I’m going to do this, I need you to be honest with me, and that includes letting me in a little. I don’t ask that of you lightly because I understand why you have to be reserved around people. But I’m not here for that. To reveal your secrets or anything. Just to help. Now, can you please remove your shirt?” Her speech did something that most people could never do-render Tony speechless. 

 

He considered her for a moment. He thought of himself as a pretty good judge of character and an even better reader of people and their intentions. He surmised that she was here to genuinely help him. He’d gone over all of that with himself. But could he trust her with the literal hole in his heart?

 

His instincts told him to hide. To deny her and send her away, but something he couldn’t explain. Something new that he couldn’t identify within himself, something that terrified him and intrigued him at the same time, told him that she was safe. That he could allow her in.

 

The silence between them stretched well past a minute. Jeanette remained patient. Tony remained stoic.

 

Then he began to reach down to the bottom of his metallic shirt. Slowly pulling it up until he got to his chest. He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before finally pulling it up and over his head.

 

Jeanette’s eyes went from curious to comically wide-eyed in a second. She expected a little scarring as proof of what he’d been through. Not this. She didn’t even know how to explain this. Didn’t quite know what she was looking at. 

 

“I…what is that?” She lamely asked. Because she was at a loss as to what to say, which didn’t happen often, as a doctor who frequently helps people give birth. 

 

“Relax. It’s an arch reactor. When the bomb went off, pieces of shrapnel made it’s way into my chest. There was a doctor…he saved me.” Tony hesitated to say more about Yinsen. He hadn’t told anyone about the man and his not-so-subtle messages he’d left Tony with. “He was a good man.”

 

“Anyway, the reactor acts as a magnet. It pulls the shrapnel away from my ticker. It’s a palladium core, which is the strongest metal I could find for this.” He finished his explanation with a point to his chest.

 

She was silent again. This time, for a long minute, as she considered him, zoning in on his chest.

 

“So you have a hole in your chest. Pieces of metal in your chest cavity. A metal, non-medical grade magnet the size of a bicep covering the hole in your chest? Did I miss anything?” This was Tony’s introduction to Jeanette’s formal doctor voice. It was a little hot.

 

“Did I also mention that this all happened in an unsanitary cave in the Afghan mountains?” Her seriousness couldn’t compete with his wit. His amused smirk was returned with a deadpan look, so she didn’t take his wit like most people do. 

 

“It’s not funny. This is so many different kinds of dangerous and messed up. I’m really concerned about you. That thing can poison you. You can stretch wrong, and something can go wrong.” And she was genuinely concerned. Tony could see it in her eyes. The kind of care that drew him to her. It felt different from everyone in his circle’s concern. She almost seemed anxious and fearful for his health. She had to physically shake off her concern and pull her shoulders back.

 

“Lie back on the bed for me.” For once, he bit his lip and didn’t let out the obviously sexual remark he wanted to let fly, if only because of her stress and upset over his condition. She began to take his vitals with her instruments. She hummed very gently under her breath. As Tony watched her quietly work, he realized that this thing probably wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. 

 

“Your blood pressure is normal. Sit up and let me check your heart. I’ll be gentle.” This time, the urge was to run instead of making an inappropriate remark. He took a moment before sitting up and giving her access to his chest.

 

“Your heart sounds good considering. Your lungs are a little short, which is to be expected, but I think it’s okay for now.” She commented before continuing the exam. After 20 minutes of poking and prodding, she sat in his stool across from him as he put his shirt back on.

 

“So, I want to continue monitoring you for the foreseeable future. I’m not going to lie, I’m astounded that you are in such good shape. You should be falling off the bone like a plate of ribs.” Tony snorted because that was such a Rhodes family joke. She even laughed a little at her own joke.

 

“My contract states that I can room here. I’ll do that once a week, probably Fridays, and we’ll do this to make sure you’re responding well to that monstrosity. I want to help you figure this thing out. Maybe eventually we can get that hunk out of your chest. At least, find a better element to have in there.” Tony briefly considered that palladium could be poisonous to him. Now with her confirmation, he would have to find a solution as soon as humanly possible, and considering his brain capacity, he liked his chances.

 

“Sounds like a good idea. You don’t have to do that for little old me.” He gave her an exaggerated eye flutter that made her giggle. It rang like music to his ears.

 

“I don’t mind. When you behave, I don’t want to scoop your eyes out with a spoon-” That actually left a man who always had words speechless for a moment.

 

“How…creative of you.” He rasped finally with a slight wince.

 

“I’m joking, Tony. You’re also free to go.” He stood from the table.

 

“Let’s go eat. Do you like sandwiches? That’s my specialty.” She snorted.

 

“That’s everyone’s specialty, Tony. She replied, following him to his kitchen.

---

 

Skuld turned away from the window to her sisters. Specifically, Verdandi, with a wave that said without a word.“ See, I told you.”

 

“Oh, that went wonderfully. I just knew Anthony could do what was required. I have a good feeling about this.” Verdandi smiled in glee at her sister and what they had just watched.

 

“They will be friends soon if they stay the course. I dare say our dear cousin was able to conjure something extraordinary.” Urd exclaimed happily.

 

“I believe we may have passed on to our dear Anthony a true chance, this go around. He’s also quite taken with the young Lady Rhodes. I am curious as to how this will lead to Anthony surviving that…creature.” Verdandi spat out in reference to being known as Thanos. They despised him for the endless souls that he severed before their thread ended. Skuld gave them a nod in agreement. She hated Thanos more than anything or anyone, as she had to see the various futures filled with death and destruction.

 

Despite what many thought, the fates had emotions. But after many centuries of seeing lives begin and end, they were able to compartmentalize the fates of all beings. Most of the time.

 

Urd walked over to the kitchen sink and began to fill another pot of tea. “Let us continue to see this path. Sit, dear sisters. I am fully intrigued now.”

Chapter 8: Building

Song: Iron Man

Tony stared at the ceiling of his garage. He’d taken his suit out for the 1st time. Fueled by the anger and rage at seeing his weapons being used to terrorize innocent people, Tony finalized the production of his second armoured suit. Everything worked well. Only a minor icing issue that he could fix with some slight tweaking. He had numerous working ideas to incorporate into the suit.

 

“Sir-”

 

“I know. I know. We’ll work on it. Get those terabytes done.” Tony cut JARVIS off before he could remind him that he should’ve finished the tuning before taking off with the suit. Personally, the genius believed that practical applications worked better in some situations. Situations like this, to be specific. 

 

“You know, when JARVIS said you were occupied, I thought I would at least see a naked woman or two.” Tony looked to the stairwell where Jeanette stood. Jeanette, who was attached to those long legs. Jeanette, with a bemused look on her face. 

 

He began to slightly panic, realizing she was seeing him in his suit. It wasn’t ready. He wasn’t ready.

 

“I can explain.” Was his very, very lame response to which she raised an eyebrow.

 

He tried to pull himself up from the cavity of the suit, but it had forged into the ground. “After I dig myself out of this hole.” He grunted as he tried to reach the release lever located near his hip. Something he would have to adjust on the next iteration. 

 

Jeanette remained silent as she watched Tony struggle to work his way out of the hole she assumed he’d dug. Her mind was telling her to let him struggle for a while, but her doctor’s heart wouldn’t let anyone suffer that much because he was not getting out of this mess on his own.

 

She walked over to see what kind of damage he’d done. That’s when she noticed that he was encased in a metal suit that was almost robotic in appearance. She sped up so that she could kneel next to him.

 

“How do I get you out of this? Why are you in this? Especially in your condition. My job is to keep you alive, Tony. This is probably not going to do that. I mean every inch of you is covered in steel!” She panicked.

 

“It’s actually titanium alloy.” He added unhelpfully, he gauged by how hard she pursed her lips that she wasn’t amused by his input.

 

“Sorry. There’s a button inside the right hip plate. It’s about an inch inside the middle." With that knowledge, she crawled over his body in a way that had his pulse beating hard against his skin. Not that he was looking at the curves of her ass in her jeans or the effect gravity had on the front of her shirt as she moved over him. 

 

Click

 

Finding the release, with no additional help from him. “Have you ever considered a career switch to Engineering? You figure things out fast.”

 

He was partially joking as she pulled the front top half open and helped him out with a pull to his arms. As he stood and the blood began to flow back into his body. He was able to stand up fully. 

 

He looked down at his most recent favorite person, who was now face-to-shoulder with him, as she was slightly shorter than him. Her perfume was subtle. Fruity and flowery, something you would only get a whiff of if you get into someone’s personal space, like now. 

 

Tony took a moment to get a better look at her. Even more beautiful up close is what she was. Perfectly pouted lips. Cute round eyes that held a bit of a sparkle in them. She was perfect. “You know you need to explain this to me, right? I’m trying to come up with a reasonable reason why you were in that thing, but my mind is short-circuiting.” 

 

“You graduated from medical school at 20. Your brain doesn’t do the whole misfire thing.” Again with the pursed lips.

 

“How do you even know that, and then explain that thing I just pulled you out of!” She huffed. She raised her cute little eyebrows in impatience.

 

“I know you’re a genius because I was five years younger when I finished my first P.H.D…and I finally looked over the file Pepper put together about you.” He gestured for her to come sit next to him on his bench.

 

He pulled up the framework for the Mark II. Her eyes were transfixed on the projections before her as Tony explained everything. The kidnapping. The Ten Rings and how they had copious amounts of his weapons, which led to him ending weapons manufacturing. Yinsen and his warnings. The Hail Mary to save Tony despite Stark tech being the cause of his family’s deaths.

 

“Obie decided, after all of that, that I needed to stay away from SI for a little while. What's that look? Tony asked with her frown. She shrugged. 

 

“I just don’t understand how you can make this grandiose announcement about ending the sales of weapons and then turn around and step aside. How are you sure anyone is even doing what you want?” Tony fiddled with his hands in thought. She was right. He didn’t know what was going on at his company. If his directive was being followed. Especially with Obidiah pushing him out of the company. It’s what got him here in the first place. 

 

“I think I’ll ask Pepper for reports from all departments on their progress with the divestment. We have a lot of projects that R&D could be focused on. But I’m sure I could come up with more.” 

 

“Will you actually read them?” She asked with a smirk.

 

“I will now.” He returned her smirk. It was always lighter with her. Less need to put on a show.

 

“Will you add more projects like whatever this is?” She pointed to his suit still in the ground. Tony quickly shook his head no. “No, this is a private project. It can be really helpful, but it can also be corrupted to hell.” She walked over to the station desk that Tony worked from and began pulling out tools from her bag. 

 

“What are we working on today? Surgery? Need to take out my gallbladder or kidney?” Jeanette gave him a look.

 

“I’m taking blood for some test, and before you try to get out of this. JARVIS has already told me how you expect your bio-material to be treated and stored. Let me just say, having a private bio-lab is rich people stuff.” Shaking his head in humor, he set his bots to begin the cleanup of the lab that now had a crater in the middle of it. 

 

“You would be surprised at how much genius blood goes for on the black market.” She got a look on her face. Something new. Something guarded. “Yes, I can. I worked all over the world for Doctors Without Borders. Not much can surprise me. Even that robot suit. Now get on the table.” 

 

Which Tony did with no complaint and little flirting. The blood draw didn’t take long, and her usual checkup took a few minutes. He was proud of himself for mostly behaving himself and only getting off one inappropriate doctor joke. 

 

He clapped his hands together as she pulled her surgical gloves off.

 

“How long will it take to get those back?” Tony shrugged and hummed.

 

”I suspect no more than 3 days, Miss. The Laboratory priorities, Sir, as he owns the facility.” When JARVIS’s voice rang out in the basement, she pointed at him. “See? Rich people stuff. I’m not driving home tonight, so you need to feed me.”She rubbed her stomach, bunching up her shirt and exposing her stomach. A strip of flesh that made Tony’s mouth water, and his mind flash back to gold on soft brown skin-

 

“I’m going to change, please, don’t be that person, and just get me sausage with extra cheese.” She demanded with a look over her shoulder.” 

 

“J, can you please order two pizza’s one my typical order and the other what she asked for. Pull up the specs for the stabilizers in the right arm.” While he waited, he decided to toggle with the flight stabilizer. He noticed to slight sputter during his practice launch. So entranced in his work, he didn’t hear Pepper come down into his lab as he raised his hand with the gauntlet.

 

“I thought you were done with making weapons?” He looked over to her.

 

“It’s a flight stabilizer. It’s completely harmless.” He muttered as he released the emission valve. 

 

It blew him across the room, to which Pepper began freaking out.”Why are you so cavalier with your safety?” She demanded.

 

Tony pulled himself up while thinking about the differences in reactions from Jeanette and Pepper. It wasn’t fair to compare, but he couldn’t help it. Jeanette initially seemed afraid for him. She didn’t shriek at him. After her shock dissolved, she almost seemed resigned to accept that Tony was going to build the suit and get his weapons back. Pepper didn’t even know the details fully, but her reaction wasn’t calm and measured enough for him to tell her what he had going on. 

 

Tony decided to ignore her and pick up his fallen furniture as his mind floated back to his earlier conversation with the young doctor. He should tell Pepper about needing to get his feet back into his company. He looked around to tell her, but she was gone. 

 

He rushed up the stairs, only to find Obidiah Stane in his living room playing his piano. He then remembered the board meeting that had been called a week ago. Was it scheduled for today? Maybe? That’s why Obie was here.

 

“How’d it go?” The older man gave a look that told Tony everything. “That bad, huh?” Tony asked when he noticed the pizza box. It was a part of Obidiah’s ritual. Bad number projections? Bring pizza. Loss of a valued board member? Bring pizza. 

 

“Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn’t mean it went bad.” He almost muttered.

 

“Uh-huh, sure doesn’t.” Tony sassed. “Would’ve gone better if you were there-”

 

“Hey Tony, did you order already? Because I could go for a small salad with my pizza…” They all turned to look at her. Tony could see she was freshly showered, as evidenced by the ringlets of water still hanging from her braids. She wore an incredible pair of jean shorts that caused that mouth-watering problem he’d developed only recently.

 

She acted as if all eyes weren’t on her and zeroed in on the pizza box. “ That was fast,” She said as she took a large slice out and immediately began to eat.

 

“Well, I’ll be. Who’s this pretty little thing? Tony, I thought you were lying low. Now shacking up.” The man joked. Tony quickly stood up.

 

“That’s my best friend’s sister you’re talking about. Not a good time. Apologize and don’t mention her like that ever again.” Tony was serious. So serious, everyone in the room's jaw went slack. Jeanette and Pepper in surprise that he went on pure defensive against his long-time family friend. Obidiah, because Tony never went against him like this. 

 

Clearing his throat, Stane stood and nodded to Jeanette. “ I apologize, Miss Rhodes.”

 

“It’s actually Dr. Rhodes, but I acknowledge your apology. Tony, can you order the food, please? This pizza sucks.” Jeanette said, placing the rest of the slice in the box before leaving for the basement again, as the three left in the room watched her leave. Tony decided to push aside his irritation with his business partner so that he could figure out what was going on.

 

“Obie, you told me to lay low and that’s what I’m doing,” Tony commented as if he hadn’t just admonished his mentor. Then cleared his throat before looking away from the stairwell.”In public. The press. This was a board of directors’ meeting.” This shocked Tony to the point where he repeated the man.

 

“The board is claiming post-traumatic stress. Their filing an injunction. They wanna lock you out.” 

 

“Why, because the stock dipped 40 points? We knew that was going to happen-” Pepper interjected.” 56 and a half.” Tony grew irritated at Pepper’s interjection. She couldn’t back him up this one time. 

 

The argument continued with Obie even attempting to take the gauntlet from him that he forgot to leave in the basement. He wanted to give it to the board for presentation, and that was not something that Tony was willing to do. So, Obidiah took his cold pizza and got on his way.

 

“Pepper, I need you down here. Now!” Tony was rarely stern with her, but he needed to speak with her.”Yes, Mr. Stark.” Good. No room for informalities. 

 

“I’m not locked out yet, am I?” Tony asked her when they reached his desk. Pepper shook her head. Jeanette was across the room working on paperwork at his workbench. 

 

“Good. I’m making a company-wide memo. Departments need to produce production reports every week. I want the budget, production, and any additional productivity details. I want them by Friday at 5 p.m.” Tony dictated quickly, but Pepper seemed to have no issues keeping up. That’s one of the reasons he hired and kept her on. Despite what everyone thought. She was an extremely competent assistant.

 

“That’ll be all, Miss Potts, unless you want some of the fresh pizza on the way?” Pepper’s smile was tight as she glanced over to Jeanette, who was still writing and not paying them any attention.

 

“No. I think I will get this memo typed up. You both should…enjoy your time,” Tony frowned.

 

“It’s not like that, Pep. I know my reputation precedes me, but she really is just helping me with my health, and she's a friend who’s not connected to all of this. She’s good at being there.” Pepper crinkled her eyes at him.

 

“Did you make a friend?” he shrugged.”Maybe. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a friend who’s not a part of this world. Plus, she’s not that bad to have around. Almost as funny as me occasionally.” Pepper looked from him and then over to Jeanette, who was still entranced in her writing. Tony attempted to nip her obvious thoughts in the bud. 

 

“Pepper, it’s not like that. I meant it when I said she’s my friend.” 

 

“A pretty friend. A young friend. Your best friend’s sister!” She seemed to lose control over her volume at the end of her rant because the shriek was loud enough to make Jeanette break her concentration and look up at them curiously. 

 

“What about me are you two discussing? I hope it’s not you thinking Tony and I are being inappropriate? He’s my patient and I take that seriously.” Jeanette heard the entire conversation, but her response was calm and professional.”You asked me to do this, and I’m doing it. Don’t make it more than what it is. Maybe Tony needed an outsider with the way you all are behaving.” She finished with a huff before turning and walking away and back up the stairs. 

 

Pepper turned to Tony with a sharply raised eyebrow, and he responded with a bashful smile. It was a new smile that she’d never seen on him. It was almost boyish in nature. 

 

Pepper wasn’t sure that she liked it.

Notes:

I think I hate reciting movie lines more than going to work every day. It's awful. Don't blame me for toggling with the words from the movie. I had to make it work for this fic.

Notes:

A/N: Hi yall it’s ya, girl. I'm back with a new story even though Earned Allure is a chapter away from being completed and I haven’t published anything almost this entire year. 2022 was rough. Had a major surgery, Changed school majors. Moved houses. Lots of crappy family issues. Went through some mental health problems. But I’m…better now. Better enough to write again and I will be completing the first part of Earning Allure and working on Rumi’s story.

This story is different. It’s not going to be Team Cap friendly and I’m giving out warnings now that if you want to read something that is, read my other story. I’m just trying to diversify my portfolio and write from different perspectives.

The fates are based on the Marvel Asgardian fates. They’re pretty cool when they get comic stories so I wanted to include them in this. This story will have a complete OFC in Jeanette Rhodes. She’s Rhodey’s sister, which is something that I believe he has in the comics but she’s only briefly mentioned and not named. Correct me if I’m wrong. She won’t be a Mary Sue, people might not like her. YOU might not like her all the time, but she’s going to protect Tony Stark.

I plan to name each chapter after a variation of a song title like with Earning.
The fates:
Skuld the silent sees the futures of various beings. Appears to be an elder lady.
Urd domain is seeing the past of various beings. Appears to be a beautiful middle-aged woman.
Verdandi is seeing the present of various beings. Appears to be a young woman.