173 Chapter 172: The Day before the Wedding. 

Note: The wedding episode will be of 3 chapters and it will be more focused towards Tony and Pepper.

"As usual, it wouldn't be a wedding without the usual drama." Ryan muttered in a tired voice. He had a headache today as troublesome things keep piling up.

Wearing a black groomsman suit, Ryan looked towards the sky from the rooftop of the rebuilt Stark Tower. Taking out a cigar that Stark gave him from his coat's inner pocket, he put it in his mouth. He snapped his finger together, and sparks of fire came out, lighting the cigar.

Ryan inhales the cigar smoke, and then exhales it. He then muttered as he jumped from the rooftop of the tower. "I guess. This is the fate of a superhero huh."

One day before it all happened.

Thursday.

"Come on PEOPLE. MOVE!" Gwen said sternly toward the staff hired for the wedding. The longer she started to be in command of the entire wedding, the more frustrated she was becoming. After all, they didn't have much time to plan for this wedding properly.

"Damn Stark! He wasn't of any help either!" Gwen cursed out loud, not minding the stares she was receiving from the rest of the crew. The crew was actually the islanders who had created a business outside of the island.

They just smiled when they saw the panicking Gwen, not minding her aggressiveness at all.

The rooftop garden of the Stark Tower was decorated for the wedding event on the next day. Gwen picked a rustic, but modern theme for the wedding, and integrated the two themes properly.

The round table was replaced with a rectangular farm table, but the setting was kept clean and modern.

"Come on Ryan, where's the flower arch?" Gwen ambushed Ryan who was stealing some strawberries for tomorrow's event. Ryan choked on the fruit and coughed.

"I-I already did it. Calm down Gwen. It's only a small wedding." Ryan said. However, the moment he said that, he realized that he had said something wrong.

"ONLY A SMALL WEDDING?! Do you have any IDEA… how much work I've put into this…" She mocked his previous speech, "'...Small wedding'? I swear to god, if you say things like that about our wedding… Then..."

Ryan popped some sweets into her mouth before she could continue. She was stunned and started to chew hurriedly before swallowing it.

He asked with a smile, "When was the last time you ate?"

After living with her for years, he knew exactly how to placate her. Especially at times like this where she was more frustrated than angry.

"Don't do that. I'm not angry cuz I'm hungry." Gwen said, becoming more meek when Ryan saw through her.

"Really?" Ryan said teasingly. "If you're not hungry, then the special cooked meal that I specifically prepared for you will go to waste."

"Well, I'm a little hungry. But that wasn't related to the reason why I was angry!" Gwen said hurriedly and picked up the picnic basket from Ryan.

5 minutes later. "Yeah, I was angry because I was hungry." Gwen said as she ate the small sandwiches he made. Ryan chuckled and held her hand.

"By the way, has the dress for Pepper arrived yet?" Gwen asked. Ryan was responsible for the cake and the dress. She knew he always delivers his promise, but she was in charge of the whole thing and she needed to ask.

"I've sent it to her place. They're sleeping away from each other tonight right? The cake will arrive tomorrow at noon, one hour before the wedding."

"Make sure that it will. Promise me!" Gwen said seriously. Ryan chuckled and kissed her. "Yeah. I promise."

Gwen didn't know it yet, but Ryan had gone all out in creating the cake. It will be a 4 Tier cake, with Tony's and Pepper's sculpture on the top.

The couple settled the logistics for the event in just two hours. It all went smoothly as Ryan was there. The broken stuff was fixed with a wave of his hand, and even the ice sculpture can be stored until tomorrow.

Gwen opened up the energy shield on the garden rooftop in case it would rain that night. Even Happy was stationed there to take care of the wedding venue.

Then, Ryan and Gwen split ways to help their prospective bride and groom. That's where the real trouble starts.

…

Baron Strucker Castle in Sokovia.

"DAMN IT RED SKULL!!!!" Baron Strucker swiped all the stuff on his desk toward the floor. Loud clattering sound was heard, and the robotic head of Arnim Zola recorded the entire thing.

Baron Strucker's veins were popping out from his forehead because of his extreme anger. In the short while Red Skull was there, he didn't contact any of the Hydra heads nor did he share his galactic level technology with them.

"If he did! We could've conquered the whole world in no time! That Damned corpse!" Baron Strucker yelled again. Not only him, Gideon Malik who was in hiding, Madame Hydra, and John Garret also had to swallow the bitter pill from the Red Skull's decision.

Not only the dying attention on Hydra was reignited, but Skull possessed a unique kind of charm that no one on Earth wanted him to have. His short reveal had caused mayhem among the Hydra's inside of the other head's faction, and they had betrayed their head to work for Red Skull.

The problem is, Red Skull was nowhere to be found. These Hydra's faction migrators caused a lot of trouble for the other heads. Red Skull was the only one who was able to survive, and even considered winning during the infection night.

Baron Strucker was still laying low, Madame Hydra was caught once, Zola was just a head, Clairvoyance John Garrett's identity was unknown, and Gideon Malik was a coward.

The hydra members ran away and rallied under the name of Red Skull, and brazenly attacked in public! They even instigated the Avengers and tried to fight them!

Skull's re-emergence had raised the dignity of the Hydra organization. Something that no other Hydra head was able to do.

Too bad for them, Skull was now a slave in the Arcadia Pirate Ship, and he will be forced to fight against the Skrull for his freedom later on. An obedient disk was forced on his neck, and Dawn was keeping the trigger with him at all times.

Baron Strucker summoned Dr. List to his study after he calmed down.

"What is the progress for the research on Loki's Scepter?" Baron Strucker asked.

Dr.List pushed his glasses upward, and started to explain. "I find out that there is a near infinite source of energy inside the jewel of the scepter. If we can open the jewel and expose the energy toward a human cell, we may mutate it into a superpower."

"MAY? We have no time for 'MAY'. We need results now. Otherwise, Red Skull will become the sole head of the Hydra!!" Baron Strucker said angrily.

…

Thor and Hulk were together on the streets of New York. They were sitting at the outside table of Domingo's restaurant, and were being gawked at by the passerby.

"Tell me Hulk, why are you pouting?" Thor asked.

"I'm not pouting." Hulk said gruffly. He turned toward Thor and glared at him. "Ask me that question one more time, and I'll smash you!"

"Is this about the She-Hulk, your cousin?" Thor asked, not worrying about the smashing in the slightest.

"Shut up. And let me write in peace!" Hulk threw a burger wrapper on Thor's face, warning him for the last time.

Thor picked up the wrapper stuck on his face, and said calmly, "What are you writing anyway?"

Hulk grinned and replied, "A wedding speech."

Thor's eyes shook, and he felt extremely dissatisfied. "Why did they ask you to give a toast but not me? I'm more coherent than you!"

"They didn't ask me." Hulk said unexpectedly.

"Then why are you writing? Are you practicing your language skill?"

"No. I get a feeling that I will be needed. Call it…" Hulk grinned at Thor and pointed to his temple,"....instinct."

Thor looked at the monster with a weird look.. "Anyway, don't you need to be with Betty?"

Hulk was silent for a while. "Banner should. Not me. I only have an hour left on the clock. Banner will go with her at that time."

An Hour later, Banner and Betty arrived at the Vault Prison where The Red Hulk was kept.

Betty walked toward the containment area of the surprisingly docile Red-Hulk, and started to call out to the beast. The Red-Hulk was sitting with his back against the door, only showing his backside to the visitors.

"Dad."

The Red-Hulk snapped his eyes open and turned his head to look at the door hurriedly.

"Betty. How?" Red-Hulk eyes shook. Then, his body started to let out steam. After a few days being in this state, Thadeus Ross finally turned into human again after finally meeting his daughter.

"Why would you do that Dad? I thought…you've changed…" Betty said in a heartbroken voice. After being demoted, Ross had worked very hard to fix his strained relationship with his daughter.

They had become close, and Betty even contacted Ross periodically. However, for her to find out that Ross was only using her to find out Bruce's schedule and location, had shattered her trust.

Ross was silent after hearing the question. He didn't have anything to say to defend himself. He knew his action was wrong the moment he found out about the attack on the city. He was played by the Red Skull, and he wasn't following his own free will the entire time.

There was nothing the Skull unleashed that wasn't there in the first place.

After waiting for a while, the visiting time was over with Ross not saying a word to his daughter. She waited for his excuse. But it never came.

Before the door was closed, Ross managed to let out a word after muttering all of his strength.

"I…am sorry."

Ross already knew that his action was inexcusable. His obsession had grown even stronger than his love for his daughter at one point. But now, after going through what Hulk and Banner had gone through, he know the power he has is a curse instead of a gift.

Betty turned back to see her dad, but the door was fully closed when she did. Banner was there for Betty the whole time, and she decided to do the same thing for him.

"We need you to talk with Jen." Betty said while wiping the tears pooled up in her eyes.

…

Ryan arrived at Tony's Malibu Mansion in California. He rode his Bat Jet to the mansion to get there early. Tony had been acting weirdly, and it bothered him.

"Tony. Why aren't you answering your call-?" Ryan muttered as he walked through the mansion's door. However, he was stunned when he saw Tony with a woman that wasn't Pepper, and a small child together with them.

"Ryan. This is Maya Hansen. And that is…" Tony was having difficulty continuing his word, so Maya Hansen did it for him, "His child."

"Allegedly. And why are you here? Why today of all day?" Tony said while ruffling his hair in frustration.

Maya Hansen tilted her head in puzzlement, "Is there anything important today?"

She didn't know about it as the wedding was kept a secret from the public – Otherwise, the venue will become a target for countless villains that wanted to seek revenge on Tony and the Avengers. If she does know, maybe she'll do something else other than bringing a fake son with her so that Tony will talk to her.

Ryan narrowed his eyes at the AIM scientist in front of him. Then, he let out a long sigh. "Don't worry Tony. That kid isn't yours."

Maya Hansen smiled wryly after she heard Ryan say that with confidence. His reputation was so high that she actually felt it was useless to lie in front of him.

"What? I need to do a DNA test to be sure.." Tony said hurriedly. His mind was in disarray that he didn't hear what Ryan had said. He was extremely surprised when Maya brought a kid that looked exactly like him when he was younger. Maya did a good job in disguising the kid that Tony was deceived by her.

Ryan walked next to the kid, and asked him a question.

"Is this your mother?"

"No. She is my mother's colleague." The kid answered honestly.

Ryan turned toward the scientist, "What is your true purpose of coming here, Maya Hansen from AIM?"

"AIM?" Tony narrowed his eyes. AIM was a newly emerged villain organization that had created havoc in the city. They usually wear a full yellow radiation suit and carry an energy gun with them along with a lot of advanced machinery. Even him, the great Tony Stark, had some trouble dealing with this organization.

"Your Oracle nickname isn't just for show. Yes. I am from AIM. and this kid isn't Tony's child. I needed this as an excuse to come and talk to him. He won't let me in if I don't bring the kid. " Maya Hansen said calmly. She placed her hand on top of her chest, trying to calm down her beating heart.

"DAMN IT!" Tony yelled. He felt extremely angry and wanted to throw Maya Hansen out, but Ryan held him back and stopped him from doing so.

"If you feel that you have to give yourself the reminder that you've slept with Tony. And even use that shameful night to make excuses to come by, I'm sure it's a matter of life and death…" Ryan said.

"Yes, it is shameful for me to be reminded of that night. However, some things needed more priority."

"Why did you actually come here Hansen?" Tony asked directly.

Maya looked at the child, and asked him to go play someplace else. After he was out of earshot, she turned toward the Avengers member and shared her true purpose.

"As you know, the basis of AIM is to create new technology…"

Ryan added something, "and overthrow the government using it."

"That too. However, I have no part in that. I only entered this organization because my boss funded this research. I came here to warn you about AIM's latest project as I fear…They will destroy the world if they finish it."

Tony was solemn for a while. Ryan already knew what the project was, but he wasn't worried in the slightest.

"What's the project about?" Tony asked.

"Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. I am not sure about the specifics, but they will finish this project today." Maya said in a scared tone.

Ryan scoffed inwardly after seeing her acting. Maya didn't come here because she got a change of heart after Aldrich Killian became the shadow mandarin and commence terrorist attack on the country.

She wanted to stop the project because her research on the Extremis Virus depends on it. Once the MODOK project is complete, her funds for her research will be cut down. AIM scientists are fanatics in their own research, and they will do everything they can to disrupt the others. That's how they grow.

Led by the Scientist Supreme, the cutthroat organization had achieved countless new and dangerous breakthroughs using this method.

After giving the details, Maya Hansen took the kid and drove away from the mansion. What she said was the truth, the project is dangerous. She wished that the Avengers would come by and solve the problem for her before her research was interrupted.

Ryan and Tony were left alone in the Mansion.

"Come Ryan. Let's knock on their front door, and see what we can find." Tony said and wanted to contact Captain America, before Ryan stopped him.

"If you are forgetting, you have a wedding to attend tomorrow. You can't brush off the events like usual, as you're the most important guest. "

"If we wait, and the project is completed, then a new threat will be unleashed in the world. Pepper will understand it."

"Will she really?" Ryan said insinuatingly. Tony realized what he meant.

Deep down, even he realized it. In these few months during Pepper's pregnancy, he wasn't always there. And when he was, something always came up. There will be an incident where he will be needed, or an incident that needs his help.

"So What should I do? Ignore it? Let them complete the project?" Tony said agitatedly.

Ryan held his arm before he could go toward his suit's storage area. "Just trust us. We will handle it. You stay here. Work on your vows."

While Ryan was having trouble with the groom who wanted to fly toward danger, Gwen was facing a similar situation.

She walked into Pepper's house, only to see the wedding dress was ripped, and the bride was crying on the sofa.

"It's just cold feet Pepper. You know you love Tony." Gwen tried to comfort her.

"Yes. I do love him. But am I prepared to marry him? Him, being the way he is now."

Her pregnancy hormones had created a very difficult situation for her. Her emotional states combined with Tony's negligence had allowed for this type of situation to happen.

"Maybe…I should just call off the wedding." Pepper said while looking determined.

Gwen shuddered, and tried her best to change her mind. After a few hours of convincing, Gwen managed to make her attend the wedding tomorrow.

She tried to contact Ryan to tell him, but he was preoccupied with his own problems.

"I said. Sit down!" Ryan said coldly toward Tony who wanted to suit up.

"Like I said. We need to go there now! JARVIS had read a massive energy reading coming from that location. If we don't move now, we'll be too late."

Ryan shook his head after seeing Tony's stubbornness.

"I already sent a team there. Don't worry about it. Even Kai is there. You need to learn how to delegate Tony. If you don't learn to cooperate with others, how will you take care of your daughter when she is born?"

Tony was agitated, and brushed off the advice. He equipped his suit, and flew towards the location despite the warning Ryan gave him.

"Well, MODOK can control tech, that's why I sent a team of skill based characters instead. If you want to create more havoc there, suit yourself. I won't even help you this time." Ryan said in frustration. He peeked at the wedding vows that he had forced Tony to write.

"None. Hmm… Wonder if Pepper had finished her vows." Ryan mumbled to himself as he picked up the paper.

At Pepper's place, Gwen was freaking out.

"W-w-w-wh-where did you go Pepper? Don't do this to me. This is my first time becoming a maid of honor! I don't know what to do!"

There was only a piece of paper left in the room when she got back with dinner for her. The paper that was supposed to have the vows written on it, only has one sentence.

[I'm sorry. I'll be going to my parents' place. I can't do this now.]

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