Avengers 1. Chapter 1

**#Authors note:**

**Coulson didn't die. I don't care what you say, he **_**didn't die.**_

**Steve Rogers/OC pairing. Hope you enjoy, any constructive criticism would be appreciated. Much love! Xo**

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I was sat in a very large, very posh, boarding room. The majority of it was taken up by a long glass table, surrounded by black leather chairs, one of which I was perched upon, nervously tapping my feet. I knew nothing of my new job, only that it paid gloriously well, due to certain, undisclosed, "safety aspects".

I had arrived here an hour ago, and had been immediately ushered into the room in which I now sat, and had not had a word said to me since. I sighed, and once again straightened out my pencil skirt, looking around me. The only decoration the room contained was a circular panel on the wall, with a very minimalist image of an eagle.

I jumped slightly as the door suddenly opened, and a small, kind looking man entered the room. He wore an expensive looking suit, had blue grey eyes and a receding hairline. He regarded me with a most sympathetic expression, as if he knew I had some horrible fate in store for me. I stood up, held my head high and held out my hand. "Valerie Keyes." I was relieved to hear that my voice sounded calm and level.

He shook my offered hand. "Agent Coulson. It's a pleasure to meet you at last Miss Keyes, I've heard a lot about you."

"All of it good, I hope." I smiled gently.

"Yes," he moved over to the chairs, gesturing me to sit down. "You have a most impressive CV. Graduated university at the age of eighteen, I gather." After briefly looking down at the file he was carrying, he continued; "Since then, you have worked your way up your chosen carrier ladder, first offering counsel to the average American citizens, then moving to a more, ah, affluent clientele."

I smiled. It was no secret that the larger the pay check, the more likely it was that I was to do the job. I did not however, keep all the proceeds to myself. I was paying my nephew (orphaned at the age of 9) to get through college, and paying my grandmother to be looked after in a senior citizens home.

Jarring me back from my memories, Agent Coulson continued; "Ah, I see you've worked with Miss Potts."

I frowned. "That information is classified." I said, through gritted teeth.

He smiled sadly. "I'm afraid nothing is classified to us Miss Keyes." Resisting the urge to snatch the file out of his hands, I tightened my ponytail.

To my relief, he closed the file and set it on the table. "Well, you'll be pleased to know you'll be working with her partner, Tony Stark."

I raised my eyebrows. "You've brought me here to offer counsel to Tony Stark?" From what I had heard from Pepper, this was certainly going to be... Interesting. How she put up with the man is beyond me, he sounded very much like my nephew when he was younger: an easily distracted toddler.

"Well, not just him i'm afraid." He cleared his throat. "I'm sure you're aware of all that has happened recently."

Ah- the 'Aliens.' I smiled. Whilst in session with Marcia Cross, she had completely broken down, the idea of these 'aliens' returning terrified her beyond belief. Tom Cruise, on the other hand, had ran around the room shouting "I knew it! I knew it! I told you!"

"So i'm to be attending to the other.. Ah.." I didn't want to use the word superhero.

Coulson chuckled. "The rest of the, uh, team, yes. They may not take it very well though."

My eyes widened. "You haven't told them?"

"I believe they are being told at the moment, so don't worry."

As if on cue, I heard a gunshot being fired, followed by furious shouting. I sighed. For one of the first times, I was apprehensive about coming into work the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

Tentatively, I open the door and peer into my newly appointed office. Almost everything was made of glass, or a matt silver metal. I take a deep breath, and stride into the room. No one was around yet, as I made myself come in an hour early, in an attempt to try and get myself organized.

After storing my files in the bookshelves, setting up my laptop, and placing a framed photo of my nephew on the shelf behind me, I sat down. There's an envelope placed directly in front of me, on the centre of the desk. It looks so precisely placed, that I wonder whether someone measured it to get it in the exact spot.

Inside the envelope, I find my scheduled timetable for the day. Typed into the first slot is_; __Anthony "Tony" Stark. Born to__Howard Anthony Stark__and__Maria Collins Carbonell Stark__, owners of the prominent US firm, Stark Industries... _Blah blah blah... _At the age of 15 Tony entered the undergraduate electrical engineering program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and graduated with two master's degrees by age 19. Tony went to work for Stark Industries.. _blah_... At the age of 21, Tony inherited__Stark Enterprises__when his parents were killed in a car accident secretly orchestrated by rival corporation Republic Oil... Currently cohabiting with one Virginia "Pepper" Potts, his executive assistant in Stark Industries...__  
_

And of course, I knew all about his personal life from Pepper. I had an awful premonition this _wasn't _going to go well. Billionaire playboys aren't usually partial to confessing their darkest secrets. Except, perhaps, to prostitutes.

An hour and three cups of coffee later, Tony Stark entered my office. His arms were folded, his expression defiant, and I was betting he'd been threatened at gunpoint to come here.

"Please, Tony- may I call you Tony? - take a seat." I tried to keep my voice as confidant, and as pleasant as possible. The last thing I wanted to do was let him know how nervous I was, as that'd give him fuel to attack.

"Well, Tony _is _my name, so I'd be surprised if you were to call me anything else.." He shrugged, and sat in the chair opposite me.

"I'm Valerie Keyes. I'll be working with you over the coming months." I smiled.

"Yeah sure, whatever you say, Rusty," I raised my eyebrow at the quip about my hair. "Listen, there's gonna have to be some ground rules here. One- under no circumstances, are you to utter the phrase 'And how did that make you feel?' Two- I refuse to partake in any 'team building' exercises. And three- Just, don't expect me to do any of this, touchy-feely stuff. M'kay?"

I tried to keep my expression neutral. "Got it. Would you like some coffee?" I gestured to the coffee machine.

"Got anything stronger?"

"Espresso?" I smirked.

He scowled. "That's not quite what I meant."

I laughed. "So, Tony. Tell me about yourself."

"You already know everything."

"I know all the facts, yes. But i'm interested in your personal opinion of yourself."

"An unreliable genius, with more than a dash of raw sex appeal."

I chuckled. "You know, it's often said that your opinion of yourself reflects what you think of humanity. _Is that_ how you perceive the human race? Clever, but unreliable?"

"Veering more towards the 'unreliable'."

"Well, i'm with you on that one. Right!" I took off my glasses and started putting all my notes into the relevant files. "That'll be all for today."

Tony looked amazed. "Wait- that's it?"

I looked up at him. "Yep."

"No talking about my childhood?"

"Nope."

"You're not even going to mention my father?"

"Nope."

"... I don't even get any drugs?"

I laughed. "No drugs today Mr Stark. And im not interested in the slightest about your childhood." I was lying, the key to everyone's psyche lies somewhere in their childhood. But if I stood any chance of getting Tony to open up to me, he had to be able to relate to me. And that meant none of this "touchy feely stuff" as he had so eloquently put it.

"Well... I'll be going then." He got up to leave.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Tony". I said, deliberately re-shuffling papers, and not looking at him. I had to pretend I wasn't interested. I had to get _him___to come to _me._ Upon hearing the door close, I sighed, and leant back in my chair.

Well, it could've gone worse. I looked down at my next appointment, and grimaced. The next name said "_Natasha Romanov". _


End file.

Avengers, Humor, Romance