Fuel To The Fire (November 1995)

Tony’s smile faded abruptly as Isabella began to elaborate on what happened. The wonderful feeling he had felt died abruptly. It was killed, butchered and put on a spit for cooking by Tony’s angry expression. He knew that this was Frank Castle’s fault but his idea of how he wanted his relationship with Isabella to be was becoming more and more strained. No woman had ever caused him this much trouble and consequently he never allowed a woman to cause him trouble. Ever. This was precisely the reason he was like he was. He met women, he had sex wiht them, then he turned them out. That thought never crossed his mind with Isabella though he was nearly at the end of his rope with her and Frank.

“This was PRECISELY why I wanted things between you and Frank DONE!” Tony yelled. He touched his temple and rubbed it. He felt a headache coming on as he stepped away from her with a scoff. He set his drink down on the table then he picked it up again, downed it then set the empty glass down again and kept walking to their room. He needed to change and make some phone calls. He needed to fix this before they managed to get Isabella. He could guess what they would have done to her and that only fueled his anger.

Isabella could not believe that of everything she had just told him that he had decided to focus on Frank. She followed Tony as he walked down towards their room. "I am done with Frank! I wasn't out with him Tony. He was apparently following me and I'm actually grateful that he was because who knows that Gerald and Nathan would have done to me if he hadn't been there. The thing you need to understand Tony is that what is happening right now involves both Frank and myself and I can't help that."

Tony paused in getting dressed. His robe was on the floor next to his dresser and he had a pair of black boxer shorts in his hands. "Wait...so you were attacked?" he asked as all kinds of thoughts and questions popped into his head. He scrutinized her appearance and his eyes focused on how red and angry her hand was right then.

"So...what happened to these men...Gerald and Nathan?" Tony asked coldly. "Who are they?" He asked.

Isabella sighed. "Yes, I was attacked. I was in a bridal shop looking at dresses when the power was cut and a stun gun was used on me. As I was being taken to their car Frank attacked them and stopped them. Nathan got away, but Frank and I questioned Gerald. Gerald and Nathan are people the CIA uses to make problems go away essentially. Gerald gave up two names: Jered Filmore and Michael Dresdon. Jered is a consultant, but Michael is #3 in the New York office."

Tony's mouth worked soundlessly as he tried to think of what to say. Isabella would be able to tell he was beyond furious. Not necessarily at her but at the entire situation. He put on his boxers then his jeans and a black t-shirt. The act of dressing had allowed him to think though. His face was still angry however and he gestured toward her.

"You do not leave this house!" he said commandingly. He didn't mean to be so forceful in how he sounded but he couldn't help it. "You don't go anywhere near Frank Castle nor the CIA. I will handle this," Tony said. "If he calls you do not answer the phone. Do you understand me?" Tony said with a face that dared her to say otherwise.

Isabella felt her own anger growing at Tony's reaction and what he said. She shook her head and looked away before looking back at him. "Tony, you need to learn to trust me when it come to Frank. We're supposed to be getting married but a marriage that isn't built on trust is nothing. I love you so much Tony, but if you don't trust me then we shouldn't be going through with this wedding. I need you to really think about that."

She had no plans on sleeping in their room that night. She grabbed her pillow and some clothes and went down to the rooms Tony had set up that were just hers. She was hungry, but was too upset to eat.

Tony had made several calls, one was to the assistant director of the CIA, William Blake. Tony had helped him out in the past and now he called in his favors. He had had a long talk with Bill and Bill assured him that he'd look into it. That very evening Bill called him back to tell him that Jered Filmore and Michael Dresdon had become scarce. That and the police found the other agent Tony mentioned dead in his hospital bed. Poison was suspected there by the doctors that tried to revive him.

None of this made Tony feel any better though. This Jered and Michael knew Isabella knew Frank Castle. He needed to find them but knew that they likely went deep into hiding if the CIA couldn't find them. Couldn't or wouldn't, Tony wasn't certain of anything at this point. He also didn't like Isabella attitude about what he was trying to do. He knew she and Frank were over but she was so stubborn about it that she thought that 'he thought' she was messing around somehow behind his back. He knew she wasn't but Frank continued to pop back into their lives. He loved Isabella, he wanted to marry her but he wasn't certain if it was all going to work out in the end. He felt he had a right to be concerned and angry. If he couldn't protect his own wife, what good was he really? He couldn't answer that but obviously Tony Stark wasn't going to stop it. Maybe Ironman could? He wondered. He needed to search the GPS memory of her phone. he needed to find Frank Castle and put an end to it.

That evening he let her do...whatever she was doing. He had a few modifications to the suit to work on and he was determined NOT to seek her out to make up. Not this time.

Isabella did not come out of her room that night. She was rather hungry since she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, but she was too upset to be around Tony right then. The thought of their wedding being called off was gut wrenching for her. She had never cared about another man the way she did Tony. She felt Tony was over-reacting about Frank. Her interaction with him that day had not been intentional. She didn't know what she could do to make Tony trust her. Trust was the foundation of any marriage and she wasn't going to marry Tony without that.

Around 2 am, Tony would be awoken by the sounds of Isabella screaming. The fact that she had been nearly kidnapped again had brought back up memories of Kazakhstan that invaded her dreams and turned them into nightmares.

Tony was still in the lab when he heard the screams. He didn't know what was happening but he fluttered up the stairs and ran to Isabella's rooms. He tossed the door open and ran to her bedroom and up to her bed.

"Isabella...what is it? Are you hurt!? What's happening!?" He asked as he leaned onto the bed and took hold of her. It was dark in the room but her screams had seriously unnerved him. He thought she was being attacked but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Isabella suddenly awoke with a start. She found herself looking up at Tony's worried face. She wanted to be strong in front of him...to not appear weak, but she had reached a breaking point. She broke down and started crying. She then suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She got up and rushed to the bathroom. Her stomach was empty because she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, but she dry heaved until she felt better. She sank down to the bathroom floor as tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"I'm fine..." she lied to Tony as he walked into the bathroom. She wouldn't look at him though. She felt ashamed of how weak she appeared right then.

Tony said nothing as Isabella wretched into the toilet in her bathroom. He waited until she appeared to be done then came up to the opened door. He pursed his lips as Isabella said she was fine. He didn't believe that for a moment.

"That CIA Agent...Nathan...somebody. He was found dead in his hospital bed.  Jered Filmore and Michael Dresdon have gone missing and are considered wanted for questioning by the CIA and other law enforcement officials. I made a call," Tony said simply. "I doubt they'll bother you again, it sounds like they have their own troubles now," Tony said in hopes it might alleviate some of her anxiety over this.

"I do trust you Isabella. It's Frank Castle and what he's doing that concerns me. Anything that compromises your safety concerns me. If I don't know whats happening I can't protect you. If you're going to be angry at me for being upset and concerned over you than maybe we aren't a good fit because I will always be concerned about you. You are the single most important person in my life. If that is too much for you, if you can't respect what that means then you need to tell me now," Tony said. His tone had gotten softer the more he spoke and the last bit he was very soft.

Isabella was trembling a little. That nightmare she had had had seemed all too real to her and had brought back a lot of horrifying memories. She listened to what Tony said without saying anything. Fresh tears came to her eyes and she looked up at him from where she sat on the bathroom floor. "I have never stopped loving you Tony. I tried dating other men after you, but none of them could compare to you. I don't want to lose you now that I have you again. I felt incomplete without you. The thought of not marrying you ties my gut into knots."

Before she could blink Tony had moved up to her and had gone onto his knees. He put his arms around her and let her shifted onto him. He held her cradled in his arms as he kissed her temple and her hair. "Then why are you fighting me so much? I'm not going to take anything away from you Isabella. The only thing I want is your companionship and your love. That's all I've ever wanted. But if you marry me you will have alot more to lose too," he said as he tried to avoid her bad breath.

"You're so stubborn and independent. Not everything needs to be a battle between us," Tony said as he kissed her head again.

Isabella and Tony spent the next hour talking things through. By 3 am they had both said everything they needed to say and Isabella felt closer to Tony than she had before their talk. They fell asleep in each other's arms in her bed and when Tony awoke late the next morning he would smell the sweet and savory smell of pancakes and bacon. Isabella loved to cook and was quite talented at it. She was warming up the real maple syrup when Tony walked into the kitchen.

"I thought you might be hungry," she said with a smile. "I am. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning."

Tony yawned as he stepped from Isabella's room. The smells from the kitchen had called to him. He never really ate very much and almost never did he eat carbs but his stomach growled at the smell of the pancakes and syrup. He was still in the clothes he slept in. he and Isabella had stayed up late talking. And he honestly thought they had come to an understanding. At least a tentative one. Part of that involved her staying away from Frank's troubles though the fact that his troubles fell upon her was not lost on Tony.

Tony stepped up to her and gave her a kiss on her cheek. He rubbed her bottom as well and she turned to kiss him on the lips. "Mmm, good morning," He said as he got down a white mug then filled it with coffee. "Coffee?" He asked and got down another mug. "So she cooks too, well, I won't say no to a pancake," He said as he leaned back against the counter and watched her cook.

Isabella definitely needed some coffee. She accepted a mug and flipped over the pancakes that were cooking. She then checked on the bacon and moved the ones that were cooked onto the platter. She did the same with the pancakes and then prepared two plates.

“I’m assuming from how clean the kitchen is that you don’t cook.”

"Well...I use the blender!" Tony said defensively as he took a seat at the breakfast bar. He took a sip of his coffee then set the mug down. "Well I do, I make health smoothies," Tony said. "You know, spinach, kale, beets, blueberries, good stuff for the bod," Tony said. When Isabella cringed in disgust Tony rolled his eyes. "Well, some of us could stand with a little more 'meat' on her bones. Though I bet you'd fit into a nice Wedding dress just fine," He said and then looked at her oddly but didn't say anything. He had almost forgot what he set up for her today. He wondered when her mother would arrive. He left a message with Renee, her friend at work but didn't get a response back yet.

Isabella took a bite of a bacon slice and then cut into her pancake stack. There was butter and syrup cascading down the sides. She missed Tony’s odd look because she was focused on her plate for a moment, but then thought about her wedding dress.

“Well since I’m confined to the house I won’t be able to go out shopping for a wedding dress,” she commented sadly.

"Well that will make finding a dress more difficult I think," Tony said as he took a bite of a pancake. It was good! He bit a piece of bacon and then checked his watch. It was almost time for the caterers to show up. He had several designers coming to the house for Isabella. Bakers, the best in New York for her to taste their cakes and several florists for the flowers. Caterers to feed everyone and hopefully her mother and her friend Renee and Alonzo...whomever that was. He looked at her calmly.

"I do have to step out for a while Isabella. I have people coming by to drop off several things for the lab," He told her. It was a lie but just a little white lie to hide the surprise. He sipped his coffee.

Isabella looked at Tony when he said he needed to step out for a little while. She didn't question him because what he said sounded reasonable enough to her. She nodded a little and began to think about what she had in her closet that she would use as a wedding dress instead. She had no idea what Tony had in store for her that morning.

"Ok, well maybe tonight for dinner we can order in some Japanese and watch a movie."

"That sounds nice," Tony said as he slipped another bite of pancake into his mouth. He then took one last sip of his coffee. "Ok, those were wonderful babe," Tony said as he shifted to give her a peck on the cheek. He set down his napkin and got up to get ready to go. As Isabella was putting the dishes away and cleaning up the kitchen Happy brought Her mother into the house and into the kitchen. "Mrs. Corsetti," he said and nodded his way out with a smile. "The caterer is here, I'll go help them set up," He said and as he stepped away the Bakers had arrived and also Renee and Alonzo.

Isabella finished eating and drinking her coffee and then began to put away the dishes. Suddenly, she looked over and saw Happy walk into the kitchen with her mother. She blinked in surprise, but thought that maybe her mother was just there to check on her. However, when she heard Happy say that he was going to help the caterer set up she became extremely confused. She looked at her mother.

"What's going on?"

Elena was not certain of her daughter's decision to become a CIA agent but she was still very proud of her. Isabella had that Italian drive that her own mother had to be a renown doctor and surgeon in her own right. She smiled at Isabella and gave her a great big hug. "Well didn't Tony tell you?" Elena said just as Renee and Alonzo appeared.

Renee was all smiles when she laid eyes on Isabella. She was delighted to finally see Isabella getting married. Alonzo was all smiles as well."Hey hey beautiful," He said to Isabella and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek along with Renee. Happy began to direct the caterers and Isabella saw several men and women bringing in several cakes that look suspiciously like wedding cake samples.

Isabella hugged her mother back, but she was still extremely confused over what was happening. However, it appeared that her mother knew what was going on. Before she could question her though, Renee and Alonzo walked in. Isabella's mind was desperately trying to figure out what was going on. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the caterers and the wedding cake samples.

"Ok, someone needs to explain to me what's going on."

Alonzo just chuckled and Renee smiled brightly at her. "Hey, I was invited to accompany you to a dress fitting, I don't know anything about cakes...or flowers," she said and gestured at the men bring in large boards with pictures of flowers and large books or flowers. The main living area just beyond the kitchen was filling up and then she saw them. Several slim, beautiful women and an older woman she had seen before but couldn't place her face just then. Racks of dresses were being rolled in as well.

"Miss Wang, where do you want these?" Someone said. The asian woman pointed to a spot behind the sectional. It was the old man she recognized. Ralph Loren himself. And then Gianna Versace waltzed in. Alonzo goggled at the models and Renee slapped him on the arm. "Don't even think about it!" She snapped but she was smiling too.