Where Morality Takes A U-Turn (November 1995)

Isabella finally stopped struggling and just let Frank hold her. She slowly stopped trembling. There were so many people connected to her that theses men could harm to get to her: her parents, her brother, Renee, Tony, and Frank. She didn’t want to feel scared to live her own life.

“Nathan is still out there...”

Frank let her pull back when he felt her stop trembling. He was surprised at what she said. 'Nathan is still out there...' As if she would prefer him to be dead. "Maybe you can warn your friends," Frank said just as a voice came over the intercom.

"Frank, you need to see this. Tony Stark is making some kind of announcement. It might interest your 'friend'," The voice said suggestively. Frank just looked at Isabella and they both moved down the hall and into another room. It was a fairly large room with beds, desks, chairs and a raised area with all sorts of electronic equipment. There were several televisions all set up and playing the press conference. Tony was up at the podium with a set of cards in his hand and Isabella would notice Phil Coulson from SHIELD behind him. Reporters were snapping pictures and their voices quickly died down as Tony began to speak.

"So the reports that I was taken prisoner, shot and killed, tortured...are all quite false as you can see. I helped out a friend when they needed me," Tony said. "The air force were testing..." He began as a woman's voice spoke up over his.

"What about the reports of a man in a suit attacking Terrorists in Khazakhstan? They call him Ironman," The woman reporter said. Tony struggled to read the cards before him.

"Well, if there was a man in a suit that did all that...well, quite frankly that would be, well amazing. Amazing, brave, pretty incredible..." Tony said and Phil leaned in and said something to him. Also behind him was Rhodey and he too said something to Tony, Isabella saw. Tony raised up the cards to read them again. He was about to continue and then he lowered the cards and Isabella would see it in his face.

"I am ironman," Tony said and the room exploded with reporters clamouring to get a statement from him. "Holy shit," Frank said under his breath.

Isabella followed Frank out of the interrogation room and down the hallway to another room. She glanced around a little, but then her focus was drawn to one of the TVs. She could see that Tony’s press conference was about to begin. Isabella watched as Tony appeared and she could see the notecards in his hand. He started off by reading off the cards, but Isabella could see he was struggling, particularly when one female reporter spoke up and asked him specifically about the Iron Man suit. Isabella was holding her breath as she waited to hear what he was going to say. When he finally admitted that he was Iron Man she breathed out and glanced at Frank. If Frank looked at her he would see a lack of reaction from her regarding Tony’s announcement.

“So it’s true, isn’t it?” Frank asked but he didn’t need her to tell him. “Obviously you knew he was but you didn’t know if he was going to admit it or not,” Frank said as he looked into Isabella’s eyes. “What does this change for you and him?” He asked. “Are you still going to marry him?” Frank asked her pointedly. He was fishing. He wanted to feel her out. He needed a partner. And Isabella just fit. That and it was both their lives in the balance. They had a common goal now, to survive. To survive and take out these people who were going to try and kill them. Frank did look down at that massive rock on her finger. He had never seen anything like it.

Isabella looked at Frank and then nodded. “Yes, I’m still going to marry him. I knew he was Iron Man. He and I constructed the first suit together while we were held in Kazakhstan. Then, he built the next suit to rescue me. As for what’s happening with everything else, we’ll deal with it together. I’m not marrying Tony for his money or power. I’m marrying him because I love him. I’ve loved him since we were at school together at Philips Academy.”

Frank had nothing to say about that. He knew Isabella and if she wore his ring then he knew she was really crazy about Tony. "Well, I know they dont know this place Isabella but they do know where you live. What do we do? You know these men and they sound high up on the food chain. But it doesnt change anything for me. Their responsible for killing my family. And I wont stop until they're dead," Frank said. "I know they were just using you to get to me. If you have protection, then maybe you can stay out of their hands," he said.

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Just then Isabella's phone went off in her handbag. It was Tony.

Isabella thought about what Frank said. She knew that more steps were going to need to be taken to stop these men. She needed to talk to Tony about it all. She wasn’t entirely sure what she would tell him, but she needed to at least let him know what she found out.

Suddenly, she heard her cell phone ring in her purse. She pulled it out and saw it was Tony. She flipped it open and stepped away as she answered the call.

“I bet Agent Coulson is not happy with you right now.”

"Is SHIELD every happy when its not they who call the shots? I've changed my mind, I should have really had you here with me. I don't like feeling uncertain and when you're with me I always feel certain. I can't marry you soon enough! How was your day babe?" He asked.

Frank gave her some distance. He decided to go wrap up the body and start the cleanup process.

Isabella could hear the excitement and energy in Tony’s voice. She couldn’t help but smile at it. However, her smile faded slightly when he asked how her day had been.

“Well...it was eventful. I’ll tell you about it when I get back. Am I even going to be able to get to the house, or are reporters going to be surrounding it wanting to talk to Iron Man?” she teased.

Tony smiled against the phone. He felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted off of his chest. His mind had already begun to see new paths open up for him. For him, for Isabella, for a select team of men and women, like the X-Men, that fight for those who can't. That and he had a renewed determination to hunt down the weapons that had been illegally sold by Obadiah. Her tone did make him wonder if her day had not gone well. Maybe she had difficulty finding a dress? He knew it was possible.

"I'll have Happy clear them out. Hows the Jag? I bet you look sexier than ever in it," Tony said. "How about we celebrate? Anything you want, any where you want to go. You speak it and we will go," Tony said unable to stop from smiling.

Isabella wanted to be infected by Tony's happiness, but in the back of her mind she knew that those men were still out there looking for her and Frank. That worried her tremendously.

"Uh...how about we just stay in tonight? We can order some food for Happy to pick up and just relax at home. I'm rather tired."

"Oh, ok, whatever you want babe," Tony said. He could not keep out his disappointment from his voice. Now he knew she had had a bad day. He tried to think of how he could turn that around for her. He had an idea though as he assumed it had to do with her finding a dress.

"Well, I'll be here when you get here!" he said and then hung up with her. He immediately got back on the phone though, he had alot of calls to make for tomorrow. The first was to her mother.

Frank had come back finally. "We're all cleaned up here. What are you going to do?" he asked.

Isabella could hear the disappointment in Tony's voice, but if she was going to tell him what had happened that day she didn't want to do it out in public. Nor did she feel safe at this point out in public. She hung up with Tony and then looked over at Frank.

"I'm going to go home. I'm going to have to tell Tony what happened...at least most of it. I promise we'll figure this out Frank. I don't plan to live the rest of my life in fear...and I don't want you to either."

Frank looked at Isabella and though he had things he wanted to tell her, he wasn't certain if she wanted to hear it right then. "Well, you take care of yourself," he said then he pulled a pistol from his back. He checked it to make certain it was loaded then proffered it to her. "Here, take this. You need to protect yourself Isabella. Frank said. His face was a mask of concern.

Isabella hesitated a moment before finally taking the gun. She made sure the safety was on before she put it into her purse. She then looked into Frank's eyes. "Thank you for helping me today. Please take care of yourself."

She wasn't sure if she would see him again, but she hoped that she would. She got into the Jag and headed back to the house. The reporters had been cleared away and Isabella pulled the car into the garage. She got out of the car and looked down at the knuckles of her right hand. They were a little bit bruised from how hard she had hit Gerald earlier.

Tony plopped a single ice cube into the glass like Isabella liked. He was in his black, silk robe and he had a rose in his mouth as he waited for her to ascend the stairs. He smiled and twirked his eyebrows at her and handed her, her drink. When she took the rose form his mouth he leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

"Hi, I missed you, can't you tell?" He whispered into her ear. It was obvious that he had missed her by how his robe looked. "I thought that maybe we could...lounge in the hot tub for a bit before dinner. I could give you a back rub," he added in a very sultry voice.

Isabella raised an eyebrow slightly at the sight that greeted her as she reached the top of the stairs. She took the rose and accepted the drink Tony handed her as well. She needed it after the day she had had. She hated that she was about to ruin Tony's evening, but they needed to talk.

"Tony...Gerald and Nathan found me today. They tried to kidnap me...but Frank stopped them," she added quickly.