Heart • Iron Man 1+2

Chapter Eleven -Edited

Natalie kept sending glances over her shoulder at the brunette doctor. Catching even the slightest waver in confidence like she'd profiled when they'd met in Malibu would give her the reassurance she needed to know that Doctor Arabella Laker wasn't on to her. Unfortunately, Natalie couldn't find any.

Not one waver in her voice or her stride. Nothing.

It put her on edge and that made her job harder. Made her job dangerous.

"Whats on the docket?" Tony clapped his hands together jerking her out of her thoughts on Arabella Laker. Natalie looked down to her clipboard and tapped on the schedule tapped to the center of a piece of paper.

Her green eyes flashed up to the back of Tony's head. "You have a nine thirty dinner," she said pleasantly. Internally, she was rolling her eyes. She'd already created a preliminary file on Anthony Stark that he seemed to be proving with every passing second.

"Perfect, we'll be there at eleven," Tony smiled and kept moving. She nodded her head and scribbled out the original plan when Bella caught her forearm, pulling her aside and away from her assignment.

The doctor scanned over the relatively revealing pink dress she'd chosen to wear that day and sighed. "Feel free to tell him to shut the fuck up sometimes," she said offering a soft smile.

"Of course," Natalie responded immediately making the brunette chuckle. Her green eyes flickered over the woman quickly, scanning over the deep blue cocktail dress and silver heels she wore.

Bella laughed, ignoring the odd glances they got where they were hidden in a small alcove just off the main pathway. "I'm not saying this to sound condescending but Tony's, uhm, chaotic. Give him someone else bounce stuff off of," she said. Her instincts from SHIELD kicked in and her eyes caught the way Natalie tensed up as she talked to her. "Nobody here is going to yell at you for having a little sass, Natasha."

Natalie froze. Her eyes blew wide for a brief moment and she nearly stumbled backwards. "It's Natalie," she breathed clenching her jaw as she swallowed hard.

"Mhhh, no its not," Bella hummed, glancing back out at the crowds of people. She nudged Natalie back into the alcove a ways further. Brown flashed against green dangerously for a moment before green eyes flicked to the ground.

Natasha knew when to admit defeat. She didn't like to do it but she knew she'd been beaten and backed down. "How'd you figure it out?" She swallowed, bowing her head slightly with a clenched jaw.

"I worked for SHIELD a while back. Still have some friends there. I pulled a few favors."

"I wasn't informed you were a former agent," Natasha ground out, her eyes snapping up to meet Bella's. Her resolve hardened and a irritation started deep in her heart towards her boss.

Bella giggled under her breath at the thought of her ever being an agent. She could never imagine herself being able to knock someone unconscious without the use of anesthesia.

"Fury let me work under a certified doctor until I got out of school. I fixed your partners shoulder at one point, but that was after I got my degree," she explained. Bella tilted Natasha's head back up from the bowed position she still held it at. Her eyes met Natasha's and in that moment she realized Natasha Romanoff was an extremely strong but horribly broken soul. "I mean it. Relax. Be sarcastic. Have an attitude. Talk when you're not spoken to. Interrupt his dumbass if you see he's doing something dumb. You are not who you once were nor are you defined by where you were trained. This assignment will never be exactly what you think it could be. Have fun with it."

Tony stopped beside Bella as she leaned against the wall outside the bathrooms. She barely flicked her eyes up to him as she picked at her nail polish.

"Blood toxicity's at 53%," he sighed. Tony pressed an arm against the wall above his head, leaning his head on his hand.

"You're kidding!" She exclaimed, her jaw dropping open. "Tony, you need to go to the hospital." Her gaze caught his and she instantly started shaking her head. "Tony, no."

"I'm gonna drive the race."

Bella glared at him and smacked his chest roughly. "Don't you dare," she said sternly.

"When am I ever going to have the chance to drive in the Grand Prix again?" He asked with a shrug. Tony have her a grin before starting toward the exit only for Bella to swing him back around and pin him to the wall. He let out a huff starring up at how she'd managed to get both of his hands pinned to the wall. "Kinky."

Bella rolled her eyes. "I hate you," she grumbled under her breath and loosened her grip. Tony smirked down at her, quickly breaking his wrists out of her hold to land on her waist.

"No, you don't," he hummed. Tony leaned down to catch her lips but she ducked away before her could.

"I'm not letting you go through with this."

"Do I get a say?"

"No."

"Ooh, denial," Tony teased and flipped the two around so she was the one against the wall. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pressed that kiss to her mouth.

Bella jerked back. "You're not getting out of it. Don't do it or I swear to all that is holy and whatever higher powers there may be that I will never talk to you again," She snapped and ducked under his arm, heading back to the table.

Tony only smirked after her retreating back and cracked his knuckles. "Then I guess I'll never talk to you again."