Thaw

Two

"Alright, the party has arrived. JARVIS?"

"Yes, Sir." There was a sudden cacophony on the bridge as JARVIS followed his master's instructions to broadcast 'Back in Black' on the comms.

Director Fury rolled his eye. "Welcome back, Stark. I see Coulson managed to talk some sense into you."

"Not at all, Cyclops, just appealed to my human nature."

The Director snorted derisively at that comment and turned away. "Follow me, Tony. We've got work to do."

The mismatched pair amused Coulson as they entered the conference room. Fury -with his imposing presence and black leather everything- looked calmly annoyed, if that was possible, and Tony, well....

"Would it kill you to dress up a little? This is kind of an important meeting." Maria Hill broke the silence with a snappish comment and matching glare, as she took in the rumpled Pink Floyd tshirt and ripped jeans that covered the genius' thin frame.

Tony flashed her bared teeth in what could be loosely described as a smile, and parried with her own jab. "Unlike some people here, I'm more than just a shiny trophy on display. It doesn't matter what I look like, Hill. I get the job done."

Coulson retained his blank expression with impressive diligence as the woman slouched into the seat next to him, still shooting mental lightning bolts at Maria. He bade her good morning and she glanced at him. Letting go of the frown that had been taking up residence on her face, she gave him a halfhearted smirk and a nod before leaning back against the leather furniture and momentarily closing her eyes. He noted the darker than usual circles under them with a twinge of concern.

"Pick your battles, Hill. She's here, that is the main thing."

Tony's eyes shot back open and her expression turned triumphant. She pulled out a StarkPad and began to pull up digital copies of the files Coulson had given her. He glanced over her shoulder and saw with a raised eyebrow that she had annotated the hell out of them. There were some rough sketches for what appeared to be a repulsor beam. He wasn't sure if it was related or just a doodle.

"Late night?" he asked quietly, and received a noncommittal shrug in return. She continued working on the tablet without looking up, her thin fingers flying over the touch screen. "I've never really had an early one."

"Alright, let's get this started," Fury called out, standing authoritatively at the head of the table where Ms. Stark, Coulson, Maria, and another man Tony didn't recognize were all seated. "We all know the significance of this project, and why it needs to be kept quiet for a time. I know you are used to the limelight, Stark, but I'm going to have to ask that you leave that at home for now." He received a sneer for the comment, but elected to ignore it. "You may have noticed in the files you were given that one name came up repeatedly.

"We are all pretty familiar with the story of Captain America, aka Steve Rogers. America's golden boy, Earth's mightiest hero. Not only that, but each of us, directly or indirectly, has been involved in the search for his body. This search has been continued for nearly seventy years in what many called a pointless effort."

Tony couldn't help but grimace at the reminder. She knew Rogers' story as if she had lived it. The shadow looming over her childhood had apparently decided to follow her into adulthood. Was she ever going to be rid of that damn Captain? This thought floated briefly through her head while the Director paused for dramatic effect.

"A recent expedition has uncovered the plane Captain Rogers went down on. We did not find his remains on board. What we did find was much better."

Everyone at the table, save Fury, sat in stunned silence, awaiting the next sentence with held breath. The man in question seemed to revel in the tension because he waited for what seemed to Tony to be an eternity before speaking again. When he did, however, a wall seventy years in the making seemed to come crumbling down.

"Steven Rogers is alive."

_______

She walked home in a daze. The route she took was relatively peaceful, at least for New York. Happy had tried to drive her, but she had steadfastly refused and nearly sprinted away from the car. He'd looked a little hurt, she realized, when she'd shouted at him to go harass Pepper instead. Well, that's what I am the best at, she thought. Hurting people.

Mental note: Apologize to Happy.

Mental erase. Apologies are too awkward.

New mental note: Buy Happy a burger on the way home. A Happy Meal! Ha! ....No, that's not big enough. Then....Two Happy Meals. Three? Should I get one too? Maybe some soft serve. Happy likes soft serve. Will it melt on the way home? Maybe I should- Oh Jesus!

Tony may have vocalized the last two words in her train of thought as she walked straight into someone. She swore and backed up, but halted as she realized it was the unknown man who had been in the meeting earlier. He met her gaze with a cool expression, and stayed silent. My bad," she muttered, looking away from him and beginning to walk onward.

"Miss Stark."

She stopped, though her gut was telling her to run. There was something about his seemingly impenetrable mask of indifference that felt.... sinister. Who doesn't react when they collide with a stranger on the street? Weirdos, that's who.

Tony turned slowly to face him, and was met with a broad smile. But there was something off about it. Still, she didn't want to show her suspicions just yet. Walking back a few steps, she asked innocently, "Did I meet you this morning?" He shook his head, keeping that smile on his face. She resisted the physical urge to shudder.

"Not officially. Alexander Pierce. It's a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Pierce."