code_blue | touch me, save my life [for intheread]

The key to being an interesting companion was maintaining a bit of mystery. Natasha had learned this lesson early on with men, which was why she had slipped away from her date's arm and now found herself in deep conversation with an analyst by the massive fountain. She knew her mark would find her there and see her seeming interest in this other man as a challenge.

She had prepared for the mission well enough that she felt confident that she was prepared for every possible scenario. Clint was out of sight, but well within distance if she needed backup. The thin wrap she was wearing over her evening gown could easily be turned into a strangulation device, should the need arise. She may have felt slightly vulnerable without her hip holster, but the dress had proven that to be impractical. Besides she didn't see any real threat from this mission. It was more about information reconnaissance than danger.

Still, when her eyes had strayed from the man in front of her to do a quick visual perimeter check and she spotted Pepper Potts standing a few feet away she found herself caught off guard. This was not a scenario she had prepared for. She drained her champagne glass and then reached out to touch the analyst's srm to stop his talking. "Excuse me," she said, giving him a small smile before moving towards Pepper.

She was going to kill whoever hadn't checked the guest list and noted Pepper's name. The only choice she had was to warn Pepper before she could possibly compromise Natasha, or worse herself.

"There you are," Jacob Braden said, emerging from the crowd in front of her just as she'd reached Pepper's side. He gave Pepper a once over that made Natasha's easy smile tighten the tiniest bit. "Who do we have here?"

"I have no idea," Natasha said quickly, reaching out and touching Pepper's shoulder lightly. "But I was just about to compliment you on your dress." She widened her smile, meeting Pepper's eyes. "It's gorgeous. May I ask who it is?"

Pepper only had an instant to process the situation when Natasha appeared by her side. That was enough, though she regretted the fact that she couldn't speak to the agent openly. There was a lot she had to say.

The weeks since she'd last seen Natasha had been longer somehow. No amount of endless work or rebuilding could replace the sense of something missing from the picture. When Pepper finally realized her thoughts were straying often to the infamous spy, Pepper wondered if she'd left something unsaid. Unfinished between them.

The opportunity to clear the air was sucked away by a man that looked like he belonged to one of Tony's country club meetings. Not that he ever attended voluntarily, unless the promise of a pretty caddie caught his attention. Pepper might not know this man off hand, but she's sure that she's met a hundred of him before. What's more important, is that Natasha needs her to play along.

"It's an Alyce." She smiles in an open and friendly way, not wanting to snub the man and loose this connection to Natasha that she won't be able to get back.

"It's lovely," Natasha says, pressing Pepper's arm lightly in silent thanks before turning her attention towards Braden. His eyes are on her hand on Pepper's shoulder and she slides it down nonchalantly, running her fingers over the dress as if to admire it.

Still, when she looks back at him she can practically see the thoughts running through his mind.

"I can't tell if Natalie likes you or the dress better," he says, grinning at both of them.

"Don't embarrass me," Natasha says, in a playful tone, though there is the slightest bit of edge to it. She turns to Pepper. "I'm sorry. He's incorrigible and extremely rude."

Braden holds out his hand. "Jacob Braden." He pauses and then gives a small laugh. "You're Pepper Potts, aren't you? CEO of Stark Industries. I knew you looked familiar, but I just couldn't place you until now."

Target practice. That's what the person who had missed Pepper's name had to look forward to.

The name Natalie makes Pepper think of the days when she first met Agent Romanoff. It had been a complex friendship from the very start. It's good that Braden happened to mention it first, but the glance she exchanges with Natasha could be easily misconstrued for another kind of interest. Too much intensity for a casual networking conversation.

"Yes." Pepper does her best to turn her attention to the corporate man, difficult when Natasha is standing there and there's so much that they can't say. It makes her glad she's never gotten deep into the espionage game, Pepper doubts she could manage this day in and day out. "..Mr. Braden, I'm afraid I don't know who you represent?"

She has a way of saying that without the abruptness of Tony Stark, but still implies that her good impression needs to be earned rather than freely given. Pepper is approachable, but not easily attainable.

It's all Natasha can do to bite back a smile at the deft and polite way Pepper puts down Braden. She brushes her hair back behind her ear as an excuse to dip her head. It's her way of telling the backup to stand down. If she knows Clint, she knows that he's moving into protocol for a compromised agent.

She's been working to get Braden for weeks, she's not about to let him go now. As Braden starts spouting off the names of his companies, Natasha sighs and puts on a tight smile, clearly bored.

He looks at her and pauses. She brightens under his attention, stepping forward and putting herself between him and Pepper. She places a hand on his chest as she leans up to whisper in his ear. "Let's get out of here."

He grins at her, looking a little surprised. "Tell you what, we can leave right now." She rewards him with a smile and he looks over her shoulder. "If you can get Mrs. Potts to accompany us."

She turns and looks at Pepper, slightly stunned by Braden's request. It's not much that throws this agent off her game, but that did. "I don't think that is..."

Braden tightens a hand around Natasha's waist and extends the other one to Pepper. "Mrs. Potts, care to join me and Natalie here for a drink?"

Pepper is starting to recognize the act that Natasha puts on when she's playing the part. It's not quite the same as the 'Natalie' that she'd infiltrated Stark Industries with, then she'd shown off her intelligence a bit more. Something that had been a little closer to the Natasha that Pepper had come to think of as the 'real one'.

Some might like a woman that just looks pretty though, and Pepper can't help but think a little less of Braden for that. If she had going to pick, Pepper would have wanted to hear whispers in Latin, knowing that the woman saying such things was something special. Of course, the idea of having Natasha whisper into her ear was a warm shock.

Pepper took advantage of the next tray of champagne that passed by and took a glass to hide the rising blush on her face. She doesn't have to look at Natasha to know that this isn't part of her plan.

"I'd love to." The answer comes out before she has a chance to think of a polite excuse.

In hindsight, she can probably just tell Natasha that she agreed in order not to make things more difficult for her and whatever job she happened to be working.

Pepper might be surprised at the kind of preparation that had come into play for the part of Natalie. Not only did Natasha need someone who would interest Tony, but she'd needed someone that Pepper could trust. She'd modeled Natalie after Pepper herself - smart, capable and tough with a clear sense of purpose. It was true that she and Natalie shared some aspects, but the truth was she had known from the beginning that she wouldn't be able to compete with Pepper, instead she'd tried to model herself after her.

Then again, Braden's type wasn't nearly as complex. All that mattered to him was control and attention. Easy enough to deliver even if it was boring. Natasha was looking forward to the end of this particular mission, even more so now that Pepper was involved. Though, their act of not knowing one another had gone well enough that she didn't think he would attribute her disappearance to Pepper. All she had to do now was get his mind off Pepper all together.

Once again, however, she feels herself being thrown for a loop when Pepper agrees. She doesn't like surprises, especially on the job and for a split second her mask slips as her face falls.

"There," Braden says, luckily not concerned with her at the moment, but the blonde in front of him. "It's settled then."

She wants to argue, but she can't do so without raising suspicion, or at least damaging the good will that she's worked so hard to earn. She wouldn't put it past the man to ditch her for Pepper, which would be the worst case scenario all together.

She recovers quickly, already forming a new plan and smiling at Pepper as she pushes her hair behind her ear, another sign for Clint not to interfere. "I've never been good at sharing," she says, pulling away from Barton and looking approvingly at Pepper. "But I might be willing to try this one time."

Pepper swallows a little lump in her throat. It's almost certain that she's made the wrong call. What she should have done was excuse herself and leave SHIELD business well alone. If she was so curious to find out what Natasha was doing here, she had other ways of getting that information. Ways that didn't involve compromising an active mission thing. Pepper is sure that Phil is going to come around to visit soon, and give her what amounts to a stern lecture on what aspects she's welcome to assist and what things she should keep her civilian nose out of. Not that he'd ever use those phrases exactly, not to her, at least.

But she finds herself more inclined to play Tony's part. The unpredictable element.

"Oh, I'm quite good. At sharing." Her glass emptied and set aside, Pepper finds it remarkably easy to slip on the kind of smile she's seen Tony flash a million and one women over the years. Braden is incidental to Pepper, but oh so important to Natasha, which is why she does turn that smile to him as well.

Pepper wonders what she's doing, and why, but this isn't the right moment for deep introspection. She'd rolled the dice, and now she has to see how the rest of the game plays out. If she had thought just a second more, she'd have realized that there is no way Natasha is doing this on her own. Other agents are going to witness Pepper's unusual actions, and there's some embarrassment in knowing that. Some worry too, for what they might say to Tony. Though he would find this whole situation more amusing than anything else.

Natasha is not prepared for what that smile does to her. She swallows, careful to keep up the role of the arm candy, but also develops a faint hope about what Pepper's motives might actually be. It's possible of course that she panicked and said yes without thinking, but there's a part of Natasha that actually hopes that's not the case.

The sudden want makes her uncomfortable, both because of it's implications about her real feelings and also because it makes this easy mission suddenly much more complicated. She can barely tolerate Braden's hands on her, the thought of them on Pepper is not an option. Still, there's ways to twist these feelings to her advantage.

"Maybe you can give me some pointers," Natasha says, giving Pepper a look and a small smile that usually turns most men to putty in her hands.

"Excellent," Braden says, grinning at the two women in front of him. "Let's take this night cap upstairs, shall we?"

He holds out his arm and Natasha slips her own through it easily, reaching out for Pepper's hand she pulls her close, intentionally keeping herself between Braden and her.

She smiles. "I feel like it's going to be a pleasure meeting you, Pepper."

The effect of Natasha's look isn't lost on Pepper either. This whole unreal moment has become something unexpected and a little dangerous.

Dangerous to her reputation, possibly dangerous to her relationship with Tony too. Not that Pepper thinks it would really bother him, if he were here to see it. They've never talked about what being together meant in terms of exclusivity. She suspected that Tony was being as faithful as it was in his nature to be. Though the addition of Bruce Banner into their life had been something of a shock to the balance. In fact, the whole lot of the Avengers seemed to be a temptation that proved stronger than traditional monogamous values.

If you couldn't beat them, join them?

Pepper laces her fingers between Natasha's, an intimate gesture that's more for her own comfort than anything else. While nobody in the crowd seems to be particularly interested in the three of them leaving for the elevator, the exit can't have gone completely unnoticed. Pepper is all the more aware of what technology is capable of spotting and recording, and what SHIELD might find interesting about her willingness to play along in their business.

She was never offered a position in SHIELD, though she doubts it would be for lack of qualification. Pepper's philosophy was far too civilian to mesh well in that kind of structure, but she would have gladly helped where she could.

With a bit of a start, Pepper realizes that Braden has been talking about himself, or something equally uninteresting this whole time. Luckily enough a simple nod in his direction seems to be enough from her. Pepper leans slightly more into Natasha, as if to apologize for being such an amature.

The elevator isn't glass, which is something they can be thankful for. Though the reflection of Natasha is almost as entrancing as the real one. Pepper runs the fingers of her free hand lightly down the Spy's arm. Silently questioning herself. Is this okay? Is this right?

It's hard to tell how much of Natasha's attention is an act and how much is real as she turns towards Pepper, her fingers once again tracing over the lines of her dress, though this time they border more on the bare skin of her collar than the dress itself.

Braden trails off, realizing his audience is distracted and being too distracted by them in return to carry on. With her back towards him, Natasha allows herself to meet Pepper's eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly from her concentrated pout to a tiny smile. Men are so easy.

The elevator stops abruptly and her smile fades as she turns to look at Braden. He's hit the emergency stop button and she releases Pepper's hand, preparing to reach for the knife strapped to her inner thigh. She underestimated him. She's been compromised.

Instead of calling her out though he nods towards Pepper. "Kiss her."

It's an order, not a request and Natasha looks back at Pepper, for a second before forcing a smile. "Let's go to the room and have that drink first. We've got all night. We can build up to that."

This time, Braden's tone is steel. "Kiss her."

A different kind of tension fills the small elevator. It occurs to Pepper to wonder, just what about this man makes SHIELD so interested in him? Nothing good, that can be obvious.

Nervous, but hiding it well, Pepper reaches out to tuck Natasha's hair behind her ear. Leaning in close enough to press her lips just barely against the shorter woman's cheek. "It's okay. I want to help." The words escape softly. Hardly heard even by Pepper herself, so there's no way that Braden should be able to tell what she's said. Still, it's best to convince him that it's only a matter of reassuring 'Natalie' that she wants to be kissed.

Pepper slides her hand slowly down Natasha's back, urging her closer. Until red hair and curves are all that come to encompass Pepper's world. Her eyes flutter shut and she takes in the clean, impossible to label sent that is unique to the spy.

Edited 2012-07-09 10:23 (UTC)

Natasha's temper flares, but her expression is unreadable as she stares back at Braden. The feel of Pepper's touch brushing her hair back and the warmth of her breath against her skin is unexpected but not unpleasant.

She turns back towards her at her words, her eyes silently questioning whether or not Pepper knows what she's asking for. Still, she let's Pepper's hand pull her close and when her eyes flutter shut Natasha reaches up and cup's Pepper's face lightly before moving in to press her lips to hers.

The kiss is soft, but steady and she shifts, allowing Braden a better view as she pushes Pepper lightly against the elevator wall and angles her mouth to capture more of the blonde's. Her hand slides down between them slowly, her fingers sliding off her bracelet and twisting at the metal while she keeps Braden's attention occupied.

Braden is entirely forgettable in this moment. A little less forgettable is the fact that there are probably a few SHIELD agents listening in on the kiss.

Pepper only remembers that after she made a small sound against Natasha's lips.

It surprises her, how much she wants more of this. More of Natasha pressed against her and the liberty to run her hands over all of those curves. Pepper isn't a prudish woman by any means, but she's always done her best to keep certain things professional. Tony being, as always, the big red exception to the list.

"Nat-" The broken whisper echoes in the small elevator. Pepper becomes more aware of the man staring at them with greed and lust and it changes what she intended to say. "Natalie."

There are deeper illusions in that than just this moment. A lifetime ago, when Natasha had been under cover working for her, the things that could have happened....

The sound that Pepper makes sends an entirely too recognizable thrill through Natasha and she realizes just how easy it would be to get lost in the moment and forget the mission. Just for a couple of second or minutes. She's tempted, but she is still very much aware of the mark perving behind them and when Pepper uses her cover name she shifts her priorities.

She breaks the kiss, her eyes meeting Pepper's for a brief moment before she looks over her shoulder at Braden and gives him a small smile. She holds her hand out to him as an invitation to join them and he takes it easily. One twist of the wrist and she's surprised him enough to allow her to bury the needle and the solution built into her bracelet into his neck. He goes limp instantly and Natasha struggles under his sudden weight.

She reaches out and restarts the elevator, looking up at Pepper. "Put one arm over your shoulders and follow my lead," she directs. "We just have to get him by the security guards."

She wants to say more, but the elevator doors open suddenly, revealing two security guards. She rolls her eyes at the nearest one. "Someone started the party early downstairs."

Braden isn't entirely out, not yet, but he's not forming complete words and his neck is rolling about drunkenly. The security guard grins, taking more than a little satisfaction in seeing his employer in this state. He steps aside for them to move past.

"Right." Luckily that's the only thing that Pepper has time to babble before the elevator starts to move and she rushes to the other side of Braden to help carry the weight.

She even holds her tongue around the security guards, offering them a weak smile that probably comes across more as one of the long suffering looks she's prone to. This wouldn't be her first time escorting a nearly unconscious man to his room. An old habit, when you once worked for the pre-ironman Tony Stark. Though in those cases, there had been significantly more commentary from Pepper.

When they reach the door to the suite, she let's Natasha find the key card.

"I bet you're the kind of man that keeps a gym membership just for show, Mr. Braden." Pepper can't keep all her muttering to herself, even if this isn't Tony, the opinions might do him some good in the long run. "You may want to rethink that policy."

Natasha doesn't miss the comment and she bites back a small smile as she slides his key in and out of the door. She leans in toward Braden's mouth and fakes a laugh, making sure her voice carries back to the guards. "I think we can manage that. We'll stay as long as you want us to."

She pushed open the door and moved the three of them inside, shutting it with her foot. She motioned with a nod for Pepper to drag Braden over to a rug before they unceremoniously dumped him on it so that the thud would be muffled.

Natasha was all business as she moved back to the door and locked it, then moved to the computer on a desk in the corner. Two seconds later she was pocketing the USB she'd come for and pressing into her ear with a finger. "I've got it. I can handle it from here."

She glanced at Pepper as Clint spoke to her from his vantage point. "Braden's down, information's secure. My escape route is uncompromised. I'll debrief Pepper." Her jaw tightened at the joke that came a second later. "Out," she said, her tone hard steel as she slid the comm from her ear.

Her arms were just beginning to protest the strain of Braden's weight when they did dump him down on the rug. Pepper took a few quick steps back from the man, who she hoped wasn't dead, but didn't much spare him a thought for pity beyond that.

She rubbed her wrists nervously. More for something to do with her hands than from any real pain or discomfort. Pepper waited until Natasha was done speaking with her SHIELD team before she ventured an apology.

"I'm sorry, Natasha, I didn't mean to jump in like this. It all just happened-" She flutters her hand up as if to say 'quickly' or 'in an instant' though Pepper knows very well that excuse can only carry her so far. There were moments between the sudden meeting and the elevator that she could have taken to remove herself from the situation.

And she hadn't.

It's practically impossible to read Agent Romanoff's expression when she doesn't want you to. Pepper's best guess is that Natasha is a little frustrated with how things turned out, but hopefully not angry enough to say something disparaging. Actually, Pepper doesn't think that Natasha has ever said a mean word to her. Then again, it never seemed to matter as much as it did now, what the agent's thoughts were. Particularly regarding Pepper herself.

"...what did he do?" They are here for a reason, after all. Pepper can't ignore the actual problem, even if she was never meant to be involved in the first place.

Natasha moves towards Pepper as she begins to talk, stopping a few feet away from her to watch her as she nervously apologizes. She's aware of how intimidating she can be when she doesn't want to be read, but she needs to know how Pepper wants to explain this.

There's still time and opportunity for excuses even if they would be incredibly frustrating, especially since she can't seem to get the thought of that kiss in the elevator out of her mind or the small sound Pepper had made before she'd had to get back to business. If Natasha does what she actually wants to do, there won't be any going back.

"He's built up his fortune over the last six years finding buyers for blood diamonds," she says, moving closer to Pepper. "We haven't been able to get the evidence via normal means."

She stops in front of Pepper, almost touching but not.

"Why did you really come with us?"

"Oh, that's a pretty nasty business then." But the words are only half thought through. Right now Pepper can't think clearly when the fact of the matter is, she's been thinking about Natasha for weeks. Finally with the short spy standing right in front of her, things begin to click into place.

Pepper's gaze unconsciously dips down to look at Natasha's lips. She's just kissed that mouth, but not long enough, not nearly enough for as much as she wants to. And then there is the other matter too, the way that the dress Agent Romanoff is wearing hugs every curve. It's a miracle that anyone can look away from her. Pepper can't.

Self control is something that Pepper has more than an average amount of. She isn't a trained government spy, or any kind of soldier though, so when it reaches it's limit, that's that. Her body tends to betray her desires before she's even really aware that she's doing it, Pepper leans towards Natasha. "I just wanted to spend more time with you."

Natasha knows when she's being assessed, it's something that she's supposed to encourage, to tolerate, to use but she's never quite enjoyed it as much as she does when Pepper does it.

Her eyes are bright and alert as she studies Pepper's expression. "Why?"

There's no judgement in the question, no surprise or expectation. It's soft but matter-of-fact. She knows the answer. It's her job to know the answer, but she's not sure Pepper does.

"I don't -" She was about to say that she didn't know, but that wasn't the full truth. Pepper did know. She wasn't afraid to face something different. Even if it was a bit of an inconvenience for them both.

"I think it started even back when you were 'Natalie'." Not this one, the one that Pepper had distrusted and then practically adopted for herself. There had been a certain measure of jealousy, though not towards Natasha, in the end. "It has to be a natural skill that you have, the ability to collect everyone's attention. I suppose I'm not immune either."

Pepper's face flushed a little at the frankness of the conversation.

Nat smiles slowly, taking in the color in Pepper's cheeks. Satisfied that Pepper knows exactly why she's here she leans in, lowering her voice to something just above a whisper. "Well, now you've got my attention."

Her smile softens into a small grin. "Not many people would crash a SHIELD operation just to get close to an operative. I'm flattered."

She was more than flattered. Impressed was more of the right word, but then again Pepper had her own natural ability of impressing others with her sheer capability to adapt to whatever situation at hand. It was a trait that Natasha admired and enjoyed.

She took another step forward, closing what little distance there'd been between them. "Just one thing though."

The flood of relief that Natasha doesn't seem to be angry is a heady thing. Pepper even forgets for the moment, that there's a drugged man in the room with them. She smiles at the spy, not really able to portray the coyness or flirty look that other's might.

Pepper isn't afraid or timid when it comes to matters of attraction. In fact, confidence is something that follows here as well as in business matters. But she does try to keep in mind what's appropriate. This really isn't. Not because Natasha is a woman, but because she's a dangerous woman. Already proven to have been able to meld into Pepper's life with ease.

"And what might that be?" Pepper's hand settles on Natasha's hip, her fingernails catching against the smooth fabric, her breath held wail waiting to see what the spy had to say.

Pepper's smile may not be coy, but it's honest and Natasha can feel her stomach tighten the tiniest bit at it. She wonders if Pepper knows what that smile does to her.

"That," Natasha nods towards the door and the man lying unconscious, but doesn't actually take her eyes off Pepper's. "Can't be our first kiss." If love is for children then she demands a do over.

Yet again she's grateful for the little height difference her heels remedy as she leans in, her own hand settling on Pepper's waist in a mirror of the other woman's. Without an undeserving audience she can kiss Pepper the way she wants to. She can take her time and focus her attention fully on the blonde in front of her.

A thousand small things register to Pepper while Natasha is this close. The room seems warmer, but that can't be anything more than just the effect that the red head is having. Pepper's pulse jumps to match the fluttering in her stomach, each little breath before their lips meet is counted and kept as a perfect memory.

"No, of course not." Pepper never really remembers to control her tongue at times like this. She agrees without thought because she's caught up in the overwhelming want of it all. It's not a stretch to say that Pepper is extremely easy to seduce, if you're the right person.

Slow, but not timid, this kiss is something that Pepper can devote herself to. With the focus that characterizes all of her efforts, Pepper kisses the spy.

touch me, save my life [for intheread]

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