MONACO, 2008

Just as Whiplash's attack at the Grand Prix was underway, Pepper & Happy rushed out in Stark's vehicle, while Zach went off to get into his suit, which he always had on him, and flew off above the city, and saw Happy was driving like a madman on the racetrack, dodging and weaving cars left & right.

The civilians were being evacuated, as Whiplash waited for Stark to approach, so that he may end his life, and fortunately for him, Tony had come into the way where he was, where the man whipped his tendrils at the neck of Tony's race car, making it flip over and crash upside down near the other car.

Whiplash slowly walked forward to the defunct car, and multiple other race cars collided into each other behind him, causing an explosion. A cloud of smoke fogged over Vanko, and Zach's scanners couldn't pick up where Whiplash was, making him land, and grabbed his father away from his attacker.

"Give me the case!" Pepper commanded to Happy, who was also navigating through the racers, and Happy passed her the red and silver suitcase, along with its key. Yet Whiplash sliced more of the car, expecting Tony to be cut in half, with copious amounts of blood coming out of him. But Tony wasn't there.

Tony walked up from behind, and hit Vanko in the head with a piece of spare metal, who turned around, and whipped it out of his hands, while preparing another strike whipping down, but Zach had caught it, shocking him a little, but still able to fight, while Tony tried to escape.

Vanko threw his arm back, releasing Zach, and spun both arms in circles, making him more dangerous as his whips would kill any normal person. Zach's eyes glowed at Whiplash, and he shot a finger gun charged with cosmic energy at his harness, but it was reinforced with a strong metal, surely not Vibranium.

Yet thankfully, Happy had finally showed up, and rammed Whiplash against a mesh fence, knocking him unconscious for a few.

"Are you both okay?!" Happy yelled at them, as Tony had a bit of blood on his face, and Zach had a slight electric burn, while Pepper screamed in fear for nearly killing someone. "I was trying to scare him," Tony explained, out of breath.

"Dad, you were also about to be minced meat from him!" Zach reasoned. "That guy is a fuckin' meance!" But still Pepper was screaming at the top of her lungs, and turned to Tony with a scary glare. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?!" She yelled. "GET IN THE CAR RIGHT NOW!"

"I WAS ATTACKED!" Tony yelled back, pointing to the unconscious tattooed man having been rammed. But amidst their arguments and rambling, Vanko had woken up. "First vacation in two years," Tony muttered to himself as he opened the door to the Rolls Royce, only for it to be cut in half with another crack of a whiplash.

"Oh, hell no!" Zach ran over to Whiplash, trying to subdue him, as Happy put the car in reverse, freeing Vanko, but only to ram back into him, while Zach began punching the manifolds to the exosuit, trying to stop power from entering at least one whip. "Football!" Tony called out to Pepper, handing him the metallic suitcase. "Take the case!" Pepper yelled. "Take the case!"

"WILL YOU JUST GIVE HIM THE CASE FOR FUCK'S SAKE!?!" Zach yelled back at the both of them, successfully breaking some of the armor, but not before he cut the entire car in half. Pepper tossed the "Football" to Tony, which landed by his feet, and it began to unlock and open to reveal slots for Tony to place his hands into, which then locked in as he raised the entire piece onto his chest, breaking his arms off the centerpiece as the amor began to assemble itself, locking it's joints and protecting Tony, and a silver and red helmet completed the set, folding over his face.

Tony, after armoring up, with a push of his leg, pushed the half of the car away, and faced Vanko, who growled in anger as he whipped his remaining lash at him, throwing Tony off balance, causing significant damage to his new suit. "Hey, dumbass!" Zach yelled at Vanko, as he unmasked himself. "Come at me, bull!" Vanko smirked, and threw his whip at him, but Zach coyly caught the wire and pulled back on it, with a straight face, not letting the electricity burn him.

Tony then grabbed ahold of Vanko from the back, and Zach then smirked, letting go of the whip at the same time Tony flipped him in the air, landing Vanko on his back, and kneeling down to rip out his Arc Reactor, for now Whiplash was now an ordinary man.

Monaco Police arrived just seconds later, to arrest and detain Vanko, who smiled with bloodied teeth, and spat at both Starks. "You lose!" Whiplash roared and laughed in a thick Russian accent. "You lose, Stark!" Tony looked down to the duplicate reactor, and crushed it in his hands, throwing it off, with Zach then blasting it for good measure.

But one man's "trash"... was Justin Hammer's "treasure".

MONACO PRISON – HOUR LATER.

"Mister Stark, On a vérifié ses empreintes et on n'a rien trouvé,"* A officer spoke to the father-and-son in French. "Même pas son nom." Yet Zach somehow still hear the man's voice in his head translate to English, not like how someone who learned the language would understand, but his mind had already translated it.

(a/n: anyone guess what this means? some would say, "it's a surprise tool that will come around later"...)

"Où allons-nous?"* Tony asked him back in French. The officer explained that they weren't sure if Vanko spoke fluent English, cause he didn't say a word since he was incarcerated. Tony asked for five minutes with Vanko, with his son accompanying him, to which the officer repeated to his subordinates.

In a sole room, Vanko was in nothing but his garments, showing off his tattoos to the world. One wrote, "Give me a blonde, a bottle, and a boat, and I'll sail away" in Russian on his chest, his other ones detailed his heritage & background, and an interesting one on his neck, a tattoo of the Norse God of Mischief, Loki.

(fun fact: mickey rourke, who played Vanko, had a tattoo of Loki, but it was removed in post-production so people wouldn't assume he had a connection to the character)

"Pretty decent tech, cycles per second were a little low," Tony listed off his list, and walked to Ivan's right, while Zach just watched him from behind. "You could have doubled up your rotations. You focused the repulsor energy through ionized plasma channels." Tony went on his tangent, trying to get something out of Whiplash, who was still quiet. "It's effective, not very efficient, but it's a passable knock-off."

"This could have made you money," Zach whispered from behind him. "Replica Stark tech? Buyers would just pop up in North Korea, China, Iran, or even the black market, just like that." Zach looked through his tattoos, and found one that may have associated him in prison societies. "Maybe your buddies would wanna make some money off that too."

"You come from a – family of thieves and butchers," Vanko finally spoke up to either of them. "And now, like all guilty men, you Stark, try to rewrite your own history." The terrorist turned to Zach, and chuckled at him. "And you see all the lives your family – the Stark family – has destroyed."

"Speaking of thieves, where did you get this design?" Tony asked him, regarding the scraped exosuit. "My father. Anton Vanko," Ivan answered with pleasure.

"Well, I've never heard of him," Tony answered bluntly, and Vanko's eyes hardened with rage. "My father is the reason you're alive." He scowled at him, but of course as Stark did, he played it off sarcastically. "The reason I'm alive is 'cause you had a shot at us," He stated. "You took it, you missed."

"Did I?" Vanko sincerely asked with a smirk. "If you can make God bleed, the people will cease to believe in him." His statement made some sense to Zach, if someone truly powerful was cut down, all of their supporters would no longer believe. It was what Vanko wanted to do to Tony. Kill him, and no-one would believe in the era of Iron Man anymore. "And there will be blood in the water," Vanko continued. "And the sharks will come. The truth... all i have to do is sit here, and watch – as the world will consume you."

"Where will you be watching the world consume me from?" Tony asked rhetorically, and answered his own question. "That's right, in a prison cell. We'll send you a bar of soap." Tony stood up to leave with Zach, but Vanko turned back with one last thing. "Hey, Tony." Ivan called back. "Before you go." He stopped, and gave him some advice.

"Palladium in the chest — painful way to die."

—-------------------------------------------------

After their delightful meeting with Tony's attempted murderer, they retreated back to their private jet, where Senator Stern, the one heading Tony's previous court hearing, was on the news, addressing the attack on his life in Monaco as they were about to take off.

"It's just unbelievable, it proves that the genie is out of the bottle and this man has no idea what he's doing! He thinks of the Iron Man weapon as a toy! I was at a hearing where Mr. Stark, in fact, was adamant that these suits can't exist anywhere else, don't exist anywhere else, never will exist anywhere else, at least for five to ten years, and here we are in Monaco realizing, "These suits exist now"."

"Mute." Tony commanded, and Stern's annoying voice had shut up. "He should be giving me and the kid a medal, that's the truth." He walked in, holding a platter covered by a lid, and placed it down on Pepper's table. "What is that?" Pepper asked him, as he took a seat in front of her. "This is your..." Tony paused for a second, revealing a very well done omelet on the plate. "In-flight meal."

"Did you make that?" Pepper asked once more, as Tony nodded. "Yeah, where do you think I've been for three hours?" Pepper sighed, and looked back at Tony, not knowing what to do about the man's on-and-off behavior. "Tony, what are you not telling me?" She asked sincerely, and looked him in the eyes. Stark looked outside the jet, and then back to Pepper, seeing the worry in her eyes.

"I don't wanna go home," Tony said. "At all." He shook his head, as Pepper made a small smile. "Let's cancel my birthday party and... We're in Europe, let's go to Venice, Cipriani. Remember?" The two still went on to bicker like an old married couple, as Zach was in another part of the cabin, dressed casually, and on a call with a very angry Amara, who was angrily swearing at him.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" She yelled on the phone. "I have been worried sick since I saw you were holding a fucking live wire in your arm!? I swear, when you get back here, I am going to kill you! I'm gonna kill you, you got that!?"

"Sorry, sorry..." Zach apologized, while looking at the burn. It was healing quickly, no doubt, but it was still visible. With what he and Amara know, his healing would have his injuries go away, the Lichtenberg marks would fade away after a guess of a day. "Please don't crucify me, Mimi..." he whined back to his sister. "I'm fine, nothing bad, just a burn that will go away in a day."

"It better!" Amara yelled again before calming down, and speaking up again. "I'm sorry, Zachy, but you know how I get when you're hurt. When you get back, get rest. For me?" Zach listened and nodded. "I will, Mimi. I love ya, sis."

"I love you too, champ," Amara whispered with a small peck sound, and ended the call, allowing Zach to look at his burn scars, scaling on his skin like a burnt snake. "Jesus, thank god I can resist electricity," He muttered to himself, just as Natalie walked in, finding him looking at his scars, and immediately grabbed a couple of medical wraps. 

She then walked back over to Zach, who tried to kindly decline them, but she shushed him again and began wrapping them on his arm. "Uh... thanks, Natalie." Zach said kindly, still not forgetting she had kissed him hours ago.

"It's no problem, Zach," Natalie answered just as kindly, and with a sweet smile as she finished up. "You and Miss Potts are also my bosses, so I should make sure you both are fine." She still held onto his arm, looking down at it. "That was really brave of you to face that guy like that," She admired and looked back into his eyes. "You were a hero today."

Zach's eyes softened back at hers, and put his other hand on hers. "That's what I'm trying to do these days," He chuckled, making her do so too. "Just trying my best to help people."

"I know this must be a little inappropriate between you and me, Zach, since you're one of my bosses," Natalie explained as she brushed her hair behind her ear. "But would you like to get a drink with me some time?" Zach was taken aback by her request, but nodded yes. "I don't mind," he answered. "We have some nice drinks in the foyer, just for the two of us."

ELSEWHERE...

Vanko sat alone in his cold cell, now in prisoner garments, as a guard clanged his bars, showing him his grub outside the slot. The guard then left the cell, and Vanko approached his food, taking his cup, but found a small piece of paper on the plate, which he took to his bed, and read the note to himself, finding the message;

"Enjoy the potatoes."

After seeing the cryptic message, he looks to his potato, and picking it up, to find it was no ordinary potato, but a bomb with a countdown. The criminal looked over his shoulder, checking for guards before turning back to the "potato". The same guard however had come back with another prisoner, but yet, dressed exactly like Ivan down to the hair. Vanko, now realizing what was going on after noting the same prisoner ID, then knocked out his duplicate with a slam into the wall.

The guard came back yet again, this time he put a key on the tray. Ivan took the bomb and molded it onto the wall, and activated the countdown, ticking down for 35 seconds. He rushed to the key, and struggled it in to free himself. In mere moments he would be free, if not for a different guard to notice. He shouted at him to return to his cell, but Vanko twisted his arm, and snapped his neck, just as the explosive went off.

He fled down a stairwell, only noticing the guards coming up, which prompted him to go back, but the guard who freed him stuffed his head in a damp sack and rushed him out.

Hours later, the sack was removed off Ivan's head, now finding himself in a clean place, and a plane in the area, with a table set up and a man sitting at the edge of it.

Ivan's handcuffs clicked, and the man called to him as he walked slowly to him. "Hey, there he is!" Justin cried with glee. "There he is." He stood up, with a napkin tucked into his shirt, arms raised out to welcome the terrorist. "What an absolute pleasure. Welcome!"

He looked down to Ivan's arms, which were handcuffed from his transit. "Oh goodness gracious, can we get the handcuffs off my friend here?" He asked his undercover henchman, who did as he commanded and undid his cuffs. "Forgive me, I'm sorry." Hammer apologized. "I'm such a huge fan of yours. I didn't wanna – make a first impression like this. He's not an animal, come on," He scolded them lightly, "He's a human being. Thank you."

He brushed off the security detail, and put his arm out for Vanko to shake. "My name is Justin Hammer," Hammer formally introduced himself, which Vanko put a toothpick in his mouth and shook the man's hand. "I'd like to do some business with you." He invited him to sit, and asked his personal chef what they were having, that being some salmon carpaccio.

"Anything you want, we got it," Hammer explained as Ivan had one of the best meals he'd ever had in his lifetime, digging into some ice cream. "I like my dessert first, had this flown in from San Francisco. It's Italian though, organic ice cream. I got a sweet tooth. Apparently you do too, for Tony Stark."

Vanko remained just as silent as he was with Tony. "What I saw you do to Tony Stark and his brat kid on that track, how you stepped up to him in front of God and everyone that was... Wow." Justin awed in wonder, but probably doesn't believe in a god. "You spoke to me with what you did. And I know that you knew that I'd be listening. This is why I couldn't bear to have you shipped off to God knows where. It would have been such a waste of talent."

"But if I might make a suggestion, you know," Hammer rattled on, but Vanko still remained quiet. "You don't just go and try to kill the guy. I think – if I may – you go after his legacy. That's what you kill." Vanko nummed on something, continuing to listen to the industrialist. "You and me, we are a lot alike in a lot of ways. The only difference between you and me is that I have resources. I think, if I may, you need my resources. Someone behind you, a benefactor. I'd like to be that guy."

Ivan chuckled, showing off his golden teeth, and sighed, speaking up in Russian. "Если меня убьют, не буди меня. лучше умереть, чем жить в своем мире."* Justin nodded, but failed to understand, as this idiot didn't speak one bit of Russian.

(If I'm killed, don't wake me. it is better to die than to live in your world.)*

"Okay, do you speak English?" Justin asked insensitively. "Because I can get a translator? I don't know, have you understood everything I'm saying?"

"Very good, man," Vanko uttered in English, validating that Hammer was an idiot to realize he would be getting played. "I want my bird." Hammer stammered in confusion. "A bird? You want a bird?"

"I want my bird."

"I can get you a bird, I can get you ten birds!"

"I want my bird," Ivan emphasized heavily, wanting his bird, the very same bird he gave vodka to. Justin sighed, and flourished his arm in the air. "Well, okay, nothing is impossible," He confirmed. "Are we talking about... is this a bird back in Russia?"

MALIBU – TONY'S FOYER.

The Starks & Natalie had arrived back at the Malibu Mansion, where Tony had secluded himself, and Pepper was now busy with Stark Industries. However, since he had no current doings as Co-C.E.O. with Stark Industries, Zach decided to have his little date with Natalie in the foyer, pulling up a bottle of Tony's finest, and preparing a drink for the two of them. He then pulled two glasses from under the table, and began pouring for them, as Natalie sat at the bar, watching quietly.

"How long have you had those?" Natalie asked Zach, who passed her drink to her. "The powers, I mean. They're pretty incredible, if you ask me." She smirked flirtatiously and drank up, her eyes not leaving Zach. Zach shrugged, but still answered. "Since I was little, I guess." He answered. "My birth mother and I were in an accident, and according to the Air Force, I was the only survivor."

Granted that last bit was a lie, but no-one, to Zach's knowledge, knew Carol Danvers was truly alive. But no-one would believe she was a soldier for an alien race, would they?

However, Natalie's eyes shifted back to him, but with sympathy, as she placed her hand on his. "I'm so sorry that happened to you at such a young age," Natalie fretted and rubbed her thumb across his palm. "We'll all experience some kind of trauma in our lives, I definitely have."

Zach squinted and turned to her, as he took one swig of his drink. "If I may ask, what happened to you... Miss Rushman?" Natalie took the bottle and poured herself another drink. "Familial problems, we'll say." Natalie muttered. "Dad was a dick, and I haven't seen my sister in a long time. Speaking of..." A smirk grew on her face again. "That woman you were around the day we met–"

"The day where you kicked my ass?"

The two laughed, and Natalie put her drink down. "That's true," She chuckled. "But that lady... you're not seeing her, aren't you?" Zach nearly spat out his drink, but held himself together. "You mean Amara?" He asked, as she nodded. "Oh no, of course not, she's practically my older sister."

"Really?" Natalie questioned. "How'd that happen?"

"It's a long story," Zach replied. "I met her at M.I.T when I was 15, and she was 18. We were dormmates, and I thought we were just that, but she was so nice to me!" Natalie smiled at the young man's stories and leaned in, as he continued. "Like we became friends the moment she spoke a single word, it was crazy. And over time, she was always checking on me, and she even let me call her, "Mimi", only me shockingly."

"Sounds like she really cares about you, doesn't she?" Natalie smirked. "Even with –"

"Monaco?" Zach spoke up, and held his wrist, newly healed. "Oh, she was having none of it. Absolutely not, she sounded like she was going to rip me a new one." The two shared another laugh, as Zach wiped his eyes, and Natalie readied herself to ask another question.

"But tell me honestly, Zach" Natalie asked, as his head perked up. "Do you ever feel vulnerable at times? Like at some point in what you're doing, you're thinking, "This could be my last breath of life." or "This could be the day I die."." 

Zach pondered in thought, it was truly a question to think at any point, he could drop dead. He didn't know his weaknesses, and it could even backfire. Especially with what happened in the past for him, having gone through it all.

"To be frank, yes, I do," Zach answered. "I've had these powers all my life, and they kick in by my early 20's." He twisted his cup in his hand, and kept thinking. "And it's not just my vulnerability, I can't get shot by bullets, I can withstand electricity, but I don't know what can actually kill me. I don't know my own kryptonite. And mentally, I've gone through so much that I could be close to breaking mentally."

Natalie spotted tears coming out of his eyes, and walked around the bar table, wiping his tears off his face. "We're all vulnerable at times, Zach," She whispered to him. "We're not all invincible, but we go on with what we can." And to Zach's surprise yet again, she placed her soft lips on his, and kissed him gently. Her arms went down to his neck, and Zach wrapped his arms on her back, continuing their prolonged kiss. It was good that no-one was there.

However, things became even hotter from there. Natalie's snogging started getting more intimate from there, and she got closer to Zach's body, pressing on his chest through their embrace. They stopped for a brief moment, and Natalie bent down to undo the straps of her heels, and took them off, throwing them to the side of Zach's room. And without talking, Natalie jumped into his arms and went back to make-out with him, as Zach held her by her thighs to his room.

(INSERT LEMON WARNING HERE)

a/n: In accordance to the new Guidelines, I will reiterate that both characters are above the age of 18.

As the two continued their steamy embrace, Zach threw himself and Natalie on top of his bed, and moved his lips from hers and down her jaw, and lower to her neck, making her moan softly in his ears. Natalie's arms reached from behind Zach's back to his front, stopping their kiss to unbutton this shirt to reveal a set of abs, to which she smirked and looked back at Zach with a flirty grin. "What a show I'm getting tonight..." She husked. "And this is just the opening act..."

Zach smirked back and leaned forward to kiss her, while trying to remove her top. However, in the build-up of their heat, he had ripped her blouse open, revealing her porcelain skin and a black lace bra, both were surprised that'd happen. "I'll buy another one," Zach said quickly, before taking note of a small unnatural mark near her navel. "Don't worry about that," Natalie whispered. "Had a bad experience there." She then pulled him by the openings of his shirt as she fell back on the bed.

"I'd say you're living life very dangerously, Miss Rushman," Zach teased as he now found himself hovering over Natalie's clothed breasts, and looked back at her, grinning with pleasure. "And I'm definitely being dangerous now, aren't I, Mr. Danvers-Stark?" She flirted back, and pulled Zach's shirt off his body.

Zach disregarded Natalie's now ripped blouse and threw it to the side, while Natalie scooched up the bed so Zach could join her on the bed, and through another kiss, Zach's pants and her pencil skirt were off in the corner, leaving them both in their undergarments. 

Natalie sat on Zach's lap, continuing to deeply kiss him, grinding herself against him and kept her hands on his neck, while Zach reached around her back to eventually undo her bra, revealing her breasts to him. Zach licked his lips and as he kissed Natalie, he fondled her left breast and squeezed it, releasing a moan from her. "Fuck..." She moaned in his ear. "That's good... but I want m-more."

She took Zach's hands near her waist and together, they removed their last remainders of their clothes. Immediately, Natalie threw herself over Zach and rolled them in the bed, so that she was on top of him, but she hovered her lower half above his manhood. "You ready, Zachy?" Natalie leaned in and lightly placed her right hand on his chest, while also pecking his neck.

"Y-Yeah, I'm ready," Zach smiled as Natalie continued to kiss his neck, turning her head to lay her lips back on his. Natalie got back up, and slowly inserted Zach's cock inside her, softly moaning as Zach took hold of her hips. She bobbed up and down, titling her neck back in pleasure, but Zach had begun thrusting inside her, making her moan even more. "God, you're so good," Zach moaned as he started kissing her from her neck down, from the valley between her breasts, right to her midriff.

Natalie moaned harder as Zach kept thrusting in her, and her head leaned back in to stick her tongue in Zach's mouth. "Don't stop..." she gasped in a whisper. "Come on, baby. Fuck me good..." The teasing aroused Zach even more, as his hands trailed down her hips to her ass, and gave it a squeeze as he kept it there. "That's what I'm talking about..." Natalie gasped in pleasure.

"You're so tight..." Zach exalted, still pumping inside her, but realizing he was about to be near his climax. "Fuck! I'm so close–" "I don't care about how long it lasts," Natalie tilted his head down, still enjoying the pleasure. "I am there too– keep going..."

In the climax of their highs, Zach still thrust harder inside Natalie, who was screaming in pleasure. Thankfully, Zach's room was soundproof, so they could be as loud as they could without anyone knowing. "Oh god– yes, right there," Natalie kept groaning. "Fuck! Zachy, cum... cum with me..."

Eventually, Zach felt Natalie's walls tighten around his shaft and released all the tension within as his eyes glowed blue, his load pulsed inside her, and excess dripped out as Natalie dropped her naked body on top of Zach, holding onto him from the neck. "Well, don't you know how to make a girl special, huh?" Natalie muttered as she cuddled him from the side, while Zach pulled the blankets over them . "And what a tease..."

"Says you of all people," Zach flirted back while snaking his arm around the naked redhead. "Haven't you noticed that you're very, very attractive?" Natalie thanked his compliment with another kiss and straddled him with the sheets covering them. "Oh, I know," She teased. "But guess what..." Natalie devilishly smirked and leaned in.

"I still got energy left in me." Natalie smiled and bit his ear, trailing her hand gently down his jaw. "What do you say we go a few more rounds... maybe even all night." Zach perked up from the bed, and from beneath Natalie, she felt a slight twinge underneath her. "I'll take that as a yes," Zach agreed with Natalie, snogging one more time, before diving into more nightly escapades.

(Y'all still here? Good, on with the story before that perv Deadpool comes back.)

"I heard that, you fuckin' nerd!"

(Fuck off, Wade.)

The following morning...

Zach opened his eyes to find sunlight coming through his windows, brightening his surroundings. He looked around his room, discarded clothing all around, and most notably, Natalie Rushman was sleeping sound asleep in front of him, and completely naked.

Zach turned to grab his phone from the other side of the bed to check what time it was. '11. A.M...' he thought to himself. 'Jeez, we really went more than one round last night...' He placed the phone back on the bedside table, and laid back on the bed as Natalie rolled to his side. "Hey..." Natalie whispered as she put her arms around him. "It was nice yesterday..."

"I'm glad you thought so. Hope you're not regretting anything?" Zach complimented as she placed her lips on his, passionately kissing him just as Zach rolled above her, continuing their embrace.

 Zach had found himself with a number of hickeys near the base of his shoulder, but could easily be covered, along with a few scratches but none too bad. Natalie however, was still as euphoric as the night before, sporting love bites of her own on her chest and grip marks on her thighs, but still sore.

"No, why would I? Plus... I think I need a reminder of last night," Natalie teased as she held his neck, biting his lip. "Come on, I'm all yours." However, just as they were about to engage into another passionate display, Natalie's phone rang, making the user close her eyes in frustration, huffed for a moment, and turned to her side, picking up the phone as Zach cuddled up closer behind her.

A few moments later, Natalie put her phone down, and turned to Zach. "That was your mom, she's wondering where either of us are," Natalie said cautiously to him. "I'll go first, then you go. Let's hope they don't assume anything." "Yeah, that's alright," Zach answered, just as Natalie kissed him again before leaving the bed, grabbing her clothes and beginning to put them on, just as Zach watched.

"Don't mind me, just watching the show," Zach grinned, right as Natalie smirked, throwing her now ripped blouse at him. "I'll steal a shirt of yours," she decided as she raided his closet for one. "But you owe me a new one."

"I'll do you one better, I'll get something better than a blouse," Zach smiled as he got up and grabbed a pair of briefs to slip on. As he slipped them on, Natalie couldn't help but look and lick her lips, eyeing his physique even more. "I'm guessing rain check on that reminder?" Zach chuckled as he slid on a shirt and pants, covering up any lipstick marks on his body, and slipped on a light jacket.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Mr. Danvers-Stark," Natalie smiled as she buttoned up her shirt, now fully dressed. "And I'm expecting it to be just as good as last night." 

Natalie pressed her body against his, giving him another passionate kiss. "There's some motivation for you..." She whispered quietly, and flirtatiously smirked as she exited his room, checking to see if nobody was around for her to leave.

Zach placed his hands on his lips, looked down as he walked in a circle, and bit his lip. "Fuck, that was so hot..."

STARK MANSION – DOWNSTAIRS.

"Yes, but the fundamentals of the company are still very, very strong, despite the events in Monaco," Pepper argued, speaking to someone as Natalie sat across from her, also on a phone. "Yes, of course," She answered before leaning in. "The AP wants a quote."

"Don't tell him, fax them..." Pepper whispered to her, just as Rhodey barged in behind them. "Where is he?" He interrupted.

"He doesn't want to be disturbed." Natalie answered, while Pepper had another answer. "He's downstairs."

Rhodey ventured down into the workshop, finding Tony at his hot rod with displays of newsreels around him, all going back to Anton Vanko, and Zach was hunting through old blueprints of the Arc Reactor and other technology made by Stark and Vanko.

"Query complete, sir. Anton Vanko was a Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963." Jarvis explained. "However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967.

"His son, Ivan," A graphic of Vanko's mugshot appeared on the screen with more news attached to him. "Who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling Soviet-era weapons grade plutonium to Pakistan, and served 15 years in Kopeisk prison. No further records exist."

Rhodey walked forward to him. "Tony, you gotta get upstairs and get on top of this situation right now." Tony simply looked down and said nothing. "Listen, I've been on the phone with the National Guard all day, trying to talk them out of rolling tanks up the PCH, knocking down your front door, and taking these, and they're gonna take Zach's." Rhodey pointed to the four suits on display to the right of the workshop, but Zach had looked up, but Tony hadn't.

"They're sick of the games," Rhodey ranted. "You said nobody else would possess this technology for twenty years! Well, guess what? Someone else had it yesterday. It's not theoretical anymore." Tony still stared at Vanko's mug, haunting him from beyond his grave. He breathed heavily, with sweat protruding his face.

"Are you listening to me? Are you okay?" Rhodey asked, as Zach left everything, and looked at his father. Tony looked tired, as if he hadn't slept, but deep down, he knew he was dying. That was what was haunting him, the last words that Vanko said to him.

Palladium poisoning. Painful way to die.

"Let's go," Tony stumbled out of the Hot Rod, but had fallen to his feet, causing Rhodey & Zach to rush to his aid and help him up. "Hey, hey, hey!" Rhodey yelled. "Zach, is he all right?!"

"Hold him steady, get him to his desk," Zach advised Rhodey as he rushed to find the cigar box Tony kept his reserve palladium. "He just needs a new plate in the Arc Reactor." Zach grabbed it, as Rhodey sat Tony down, who took out the Reactor, ejecting a now-tarnished palladium plate, but the Reactor was smoking too.

"Shit, it's not supposed to be smoking," Zach said.

"It's neutron damage," Tony explained, pointing to a specific section. "It's from the reactor wall." Rhodey looked agasp, as Tony handed Zach the Reactor, who replaced the plates quickly and patted off the smoke.

"You had this in your body?" Rhodey asked as Zach showed him the used-up version, and looked back to Tony, noticing the veins on his neck. "And how about the high-tech crossword puzzle on your neck?"

"Road rash, thank you." Tony stuck back the Reactor in his chest, lighting up through his shirt, and chugged his green liquid. "What are you lookin' at?" He grunted to Rhodey, now wanting more answers on why Tony was acting like a madman.

"I'm looking at you. You were doing this whole... long gunslinger act and it was unnecessary," Rhodey drafted. "But your son is doing this too, but I don't know if you've seen it, but Zach's a bit more stronger in the powers area. I'm saying it doesn't have to be the two of you."

LATER THAT NIGHT.

Tony once again stared at himself shirtless, looking down to his chest. More veins had spread out around the reactor that Tony looked hard-wired from the inside. It's getting worse than he imagined.

In the past seven days, his palladium concentration had spiked to 89 percent.

He quickly covered up and buttoned up his shirt. This could be his last birthday ever. "Do you know which watch you'd like to wear tonight, Mr. Stark?" Natalie asked as she walked in.

"I'll give them a look," Tony answered as Natalie set down the watches and prepared a drink in a nearby shaker cup. "I should cancel the party, shouldn't I?" He asked her, as she now held a martini in her hands. "Probably," She answered quietly, but quickly.

"Yeah, 'cause it's –" Tony walked forward to her, as she answered yet again quickly. "Ill-timed." The manner of which she spoke told Tony she knew more than what she led on. "Right, sends the wrong message."

"Inappropriate," Natalie reiterated, just as she handed him the martini. Tony took one sip and looked directly into his assistant's eyes, never breaking eye contact. She didn't even flinch at all. "Is that dirty enough for you?" She asked, knowing how Tony liked his drinks.

"Uh– gold face, brown band. Jaeger – I'll give that a look. " Tony answered her other question. "Bring it over." Natalie went back to hand him the box of watches, but he had taken it from her. "I'll take that... why don't you–" He began, as Natalie looked over at him, taking some make-up to cover his bruises, simply smiling.

"I gotta say," Tony spoke up as Natalie kept on covering the marks. "It's hard to get a read on you. Where are you from?"

"Legal," She answered. "Can I ask you a question, hypothetically?" Tony asked, as she looked back at him. "Bit odd– if it was your last birthday party you were ever gonna have, how would you celebrate it?"

"I'd do whatever I wanted to do, with whoever I wanted to do it with," Natalie simply answered." Tony looked back at her, holding his chin. "Noticed you were around my son a lot recently," Tony peered. "What's been going on there?"

"Respectfully, sir, that's only for me to know, and for you to... dot, dot, dot," Natalie said as she left him to finish his drink.

—----------------

Moments later, Tony was in his Iron Man, twisting a track, and very clearly drunk as a skunk. Cars were pulling up outside, and numbers of people entered the Mansion and cheered for the Iron Man. Pepper watched in horror at how many people were there, and found Tony close to the DJ.

Outside, Rhodey was in his car, speaking to a higher-ranking member of the U.S. Army. "Yes, sir, I understand." He replied. "No, sir, that will not be necessary. I'll handle it. Sir, I personally guarantee that within twenty-four hours, Iron Man will be back on watch." Rhodey had left his vehicle to the valets entering the party, just as Pepper left. "Hey, Pepper–"

"I'm going to get some air," Pepper cut him off.

Yet, Zach however was in his room, trying to piece together a puzzle of something that was racking his mind. Something that had him going through every bit of Stark history. Trying to find out who the other Stark that Stane said he put out.

Old newspapers filled a board in his room, with headlines of Howard and Maria Stark's death, Tony getting attention through his age, the newspaper which revealed Zach as Tony's son, the death of Edwin Jarvis, but nothing at all. Zach didn't bother to ask his dad, he was going through too much anyway, and at the moment, he was too drunk.

"What are you up to?" A voice asked from behind him. "You're still trying to figure out who the other Stark was, aren't you?" Zach turned around to face Amara, holding Jayden in her arms.

"Did you find anything with your contacts in the Army?" Zach asked, as Amara shook her head. "Nothing at all, pequeñín," She answered. "All they have is your dad."

"And what are you doing here?" Zach asked. "You should be home, this much noise isn't good for Jay!" Amara tilted her head. "Well, I haven't seen my little brother in a while, so I thought I'd come and see him." She retorted. "But you're right, I do need to head home."

"Sorry about that," Zach apologized. "Everything's been hectic with that guy in Monaco."

"And I'm really glad you're okay!" Amara answered back. "If not, I would have been on you for days. But I'll see you tomorrow, Zachy." She quickly pecked his cheek, and smiled at him. "Love you, little brother." She whispered.

"Love you too, Mimi," Zach whispered and pecked her forehead, and pecked his nephew's forehead. "And I love you too, little man!" He cooed to the baby, who giggled in glee. "You ready?" Natalie asked from behind Amara, startling her a bit.

"I am, yeah," Zach said. "I'll see you soon, Mimi." He took Natalie's arm in his, and the two left for the party, but Amara watched Natalie suspiciously.

BACK IN THE FOYER

"You've gotta be kidding me," Rhodey complained to himself, watching Tony make a drunken fool of himself. "That's it, I'm making–"

"No, no, no!" Pepper stopped him. "Don't call anyone."

"Pepper, this is ridiculous." Rhodey said, pointing at him. "I just stuck my neck out for this guy!"

"I know, I know, I get it." Pepper reasoned. "I'm gonna handle it, okay? Just let me handle it." Rhodey looked directly at her. "Handle it." He growled. "Or I'm gonna have to."

"You know, the question I get asked the most often is, "Tony, how do you go to the bathroom in the suit?"." Tony spoke aloud to the crowd. He held his mouth open for a minute, closed his eyes, and softly moaned. "Just like that." The crowd cheered with laughter, but certain members, like Zach who had just entered, were questioning themselves.

What the fuck.

Pepper had taken herself to the stage. "Does this guy know how to throw a party or what?" She uncomfortably asked the crowd, who didn't notice how uncomfortable she was.

"I love you." Tony drunkenly slurred.

"Unbelievable! Thank you so much. Tony, we all thank you so much for a wonderful night, and we're gonna say good night now, and thank you all for coming."

"No, no, no, we can't... Wait, wait wait! We didn't have the cake! We didn't blow out the candles!"

"You're out of control, okay? Trust me on this, okay?"

"You're out of control, gorgeous." "It's time to go to bed, it's time."

"Give me another smooch." "You're not going to be happy about this – you just peed in the suit!"

"I know, it has a filtration system – You could drink that water."

"Just send everybody home, okay? It's time to–"

"If you say so."

"Okay, I'll take this, you take that," Pepper said as she exchanged his microphone with another bottle. "Pepper Potts, she's right, the party's over." Tony slurred. "Then again, the party was over for me, like an hour and a half ago. The after party starts in fifteen minutes. And if anybody – Pepper – doesn't like it, there's the door."

Tony pointed to the door, but had accidentally shot the glass which was just replaced a few months ago. Someone in the crowd cheered and tossed a bottle in the air, which Tony shot down, raining glass on a group of people. "Pull!" Tony exclaimed. "I think she wants the Gallagher!" he shot another beam at a flying watermelon, exploding into little bits and pieces, while Zach left to escape everything.

"I'm only gonna say this once," Another voice boomed as a second Iron Man suit walked into the scene. The helmet was flipped up to reveal Rhodey inside the suit, just as everyone evacuated the foyer. "Get out." The helmet shut over his face, as yet again, another pair of blue eyes glowed at Stark. "You don't deserve to wear one of these!" Rhodey shouted at him. "Shut it down!"

"Goldstein," Tony motioned to the DJ, who looked at him on a whim. "Give me a phat beat to beat my buddy's ass to!"