The Tale Of Two Starks

-Chapter 41-

I'm laying in my bed drifting between awake and asleep even though it's the middle of the night. I hear the door swish open then soft foot steps.

"Ash? What's going on"? I ask rubbing my eyes.

"Jarvis told me that you were good at getting rid of bad dreams" She whispers sitting with her legs crossed on the side of my bed.

"Did you have a bad dream"? I ask her taking her hand in mine.

She nods pulling her knees to her chest.

"Do you want to talk about it"? I ask sitting up.

"I dreamt that you didn't want to take care of me anymore" She says quietly her bottom lip quivering.

I pull her into my arms and hold her.

"That is never going to happen. Never" I say gently running my fingers through her hair.

"Promise"?

"I promise" I nod.

Its quiet for a while after that I almost thought she fell asleep or I did until I heard her voice again.

"So are you and Clint a thing now"? Ash asks in a hushed voice.

I blink at that I hadn't thought about it he kissed me yesterday I kissed him back a couple of times. I think we are but I will have to ask him.

"I think so" I smile.

"It's about time" She whispers before rolling onto the empty side of the bed.

It feels like only a few minutes have passed when I hear Jarvis calling my name softly.

"What Jarvis"? I whisper glaring up at the ceiling.

"You asked me to wake you so you could write a new tracking algorithm for Phantom" He explains.

I did?

"Ok don't get your circuits in a twist I'm up" I sigh carefully getting out of bed so I don't wake Ash up.

I shuffle down to the lab even more confused because it's 330 in the morning why is Jarvis doing this to me? I had a very long couple of days this doesn't make any sense.

"What's the deal J? It's 330 in the morning why is it so important that I do the algorithm now"? I ask opening the lab doors.

"You told me to wake you" He replies.

I don't remember asking him to do that. Whatever I've been a little preoccupied lately.

I spend the next half hour writing a GPS tracking system keyed to the Stark Industries car he stole from the charity ball it's a long shot I know but we are kind of out of options at this point.

I'm falling asleep at the work bench when my phone rings. Lazily I pick it up forgetting to look at the screen to see who is calling.

"Hello"? I ask fighting back a pretty serious yawn.

"Solar Flare tell me how is Iron man doing"?

And just like that I'm awake, I signal Jarvis to run a trace on the call.

"Why don't you just come out from whatever rock you are hiding under and face us" I ask while blinking into my suit.

"I'm a little busy right now actually I'm stuck in traffic. Illinois traffic" He says.

I cover the mouth piece of the phone.

"Jarvis get the team this ends tonight" I order.

"Your luck has run out Jerry, we are coming for you" I tell him.