Tsunade's Treatment (A 5000-character chapter, please vote with monthly tickets)

Over on Charlotte's side, Christmas party night was still underway, while Tony Stark, after an intense round of applause-worthy exercise, had drifted off to sleep with Pepper Potts.

Lying in bed, however, Tony dreamed himself back to the Battle of New York, controlling his Iron Man Armor as he attacked the Chitauri Soldiers pouring out of the spatial portal.

Because he was fighting in his dream, Tony kept making small movements in bed, and his actions woke Pepper Potts, who was sleeping beside him.

Pepper Potts watched Tony's body tense and twitch as if he were having a nightmare. Worried, she wrapped her arms around him and called softly, "Tony."

"Tony, Tony."

But just as Pepper Potts was trying to wake Tony, Mark 42 suddenly appeared beside the bed and grabbed Pepper Potts by the arm, pinning her down on the mattress.

"Ah!"

The sudden turn of events frightened Pepper Potts into screaming, and she was left completely terrified. Her cry also woke Tony beside her.

Tony woke up and immediately rolled sideways, sitting up in bed. When he saw Mark 42 beside the bed grabbing Pepper Potts, he was shocked and instantly moved to stop it, shouting:

"Power down."

At Tony's command, Mark 42 immediately released Pepper Potts, stood to the side, and shut off its power. Tony quickly stepped forward and, with a set of gestures, made Mark 42's components automatically disassemble.

Seeing Mark 42 turn into parts scattered across the floor, Tony let out a breath of relief. He looked at Pepper Potts beside him and said, "I must have summoned it in my sleep. This shouldn't have happened."

"I'll recalibrate the sensors."

"Can we just... let me..."

Pepper Potts calmed the panic in her heart a little, glanced at Tony, then immediately got out of bed