Carol Danvers pensively looked out of the window and wondered why Reed Richards had called her to his office in the Baxter Building. She thought fleetingly about the incident that had apparently happened last week, while Tony and Reed were on a mission. She hadn't really gotten any details out of Tony, but apparently something had gone amiss. Carol sighed, opened the window and flew off, a worried crease between her eyebrows.

Within mere minutes she landed on the roof of the FF's headquarters. Captain Marvel registered with surprise that Reed already awaited her, his arms slightly stretched as he beckoned her over in his usual awkward fashion.

„Captain Marvel, thank you for coming."

„No Problem, Reed, and call me Carol, for God's sake."

She smiled at the confusion appearing on Reed's Face.

„Alright, Carol. I called you here because I need your expertise."

„The all-knowing Mr. Fantastic needs my expertise? Next thing is probably Vic von Doom admitting a mistake!"

Reed had a thoughtful expression on his face. „Actually, Victor did that once... But that is not important right now. It's about Tony – I think he drinks again."

„W-what?", Carol stuttered. She did not know what to think. Was Reed really serious about that, and what on Earth had made him think so? If there was something to that suspicion, it would be really bad. Tony was one of the main people who had helped her overcome her own addiction, she really didn't want to see him go down that route again.

Reed looked at her nervously.

„Look, Carol, I know you have a history yourself, I thought you'd be the right person to judge the situation."

„Are you certain? " she asked, not willing to discuss her personal issues with someone alluding to them so insensitively. Actually, it was strange that a man so aloof of everything ordinary would even register that Tony had problems. Carol had never understood why a compassionate and warm man like Tony would bother to befriend Richards. He had struck her as a cold and distant man who felt himself too important to burden himself with the problems everybody else had to face.

„Well, no", Reed admitted, looking contrite. He fell silent, obviously not knowing how to breach the subject.

„Let's go inside and then you tell me everything", Carol said, her pragmatic nature taking over. Reed nodded and led the way inside. She had expected him to lead her into the living room, but instead he showed Carol to his lab. Reed gestured towards a chair and started to walk back and forth. Carol didn't sit down, she crossed her arms and looked at him.

„Well?"

„I'm not good at this, Sue always says that..." He absentmindedly rearranged a few pens on his desk until they were absolutely symmetrical. „We were in space last week and Tony was unusually distracted. He lost on all five boards, he never loses on all of them."

„Seriously? Tony loses some board game and you think that means he is drinking again?"

„I'm not good at this, but I'm telling you, he has lost his focus."

Carol shook her head disbelievingly. „Come on, there must be something more to it than that!"

If anything, Reed seemed to become even more fidgety. Something was definitely wrong.

„I... Carol, we lost Peter out there, and with his history, I think Tony might be blaming himself."

„You lost... Peter? But I saw him just the other day!"

„We saved him, retrieved him only a short time after our encounter with Annihilus and the trouble with the portals, but it was a close call. Peter Quill and his guardians showed up in the nick of the time."

„So? In our business that's hardly a rare occurrence. Tony certainly wouldn't be driven back to the bottle because of something like that, he can handle close calls. He's a tough guy, Reed, you know that." Carol became impatient.

Reed seemed out of his depth. "But I thought… Maybe it being Peter, who looks up to him as some sort of mentor…"

Carol interrupted. "Look, I can tell you care, and it's a fine sentiment. But I really don't think we have anything to worry about if that's all we have to go on."

Reed frowned and shook his head slightly, clearly disagreeing with that statement; it would almost have been funny had he not looked so troubled. "But almost from the moment when Tony left the ship to get Peter back and entered the wormhole Annihilus had opened into another dimension, he seemed… changed. Maybe he has been exposed to something out there?"

Carol frowned. Stranger things had happened, she had to admit that. "Have you asked him about it?"

Reed grimaced. "I tried. But he just laughed and said something like: 'Reed, I'm okay, it's mood swings, not everyone can have your sunny disposition at all times.'"

Carol smiled. „Well, that does sound like Tony."

Reed opened his mouth and looked as if he were about to comment on Carol's remark. Carol hurriedly continued. „I'm really not sure whether you aren't overreacting, Doctor."

Reed looked shifty and Carol wondered briefly if she still hadn't heard the whole truth about that story. „Just, Carol, can you promise me you'll look into it? Please."

Carol sighed. „I don't really see why you can't do it yourself, you do call Tony a friend, after all" – another shifty look – „but I'll see what I can do for you."

When Carol arrived back at the Tower, Tony was locked into his lab, as usual. She knew of course the access codes and entered them into the computer. Once she was in the lab, Carol strode towards Tony's workplace, only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight of her friend hunched over his desk. An all too familiar stench surrounded Tony: Whiskey and vomit.

„No, no, no – that can't be happening! Tony!" She rushed to him and shook him. Damn it! I won't let him go down!

The man only groaned and said: „Jarvis, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't know that she..."

What the Devil was he talking about? Carol Lifted the semi-conscious man and carried him to the stretcher Tony usually used when he made a self-diagnosis. Carol had some experience with Tony's tech, an she was puzzled by the readings as she induced a scan. Everything was slightly off, a few numbers didn't make sense at all. Should she alert the other avengers? No, much as she loved him, Steve at times had little understanding for that kind of weakness − to him, everything was a question of will. But Steve didn't know how alluring the alcohol induced oblivion was. Carol took out her communicator and called Reed.

Even though he sounded more than reluctant on the phone – another man not good at dealing with weakness, evidently – Reed arrived only a couple of minutes later, leaving the Fantasticar on the roof. All the while, Tony had been lying on the stretcher semi-conscious. Seeing his friend almost passed out, Reed paused in the doorway. However, he got himself together quickly and strode towards the stretcher, all the while talking to Carol. „So you have taken his vitals? Have you taken into account the leftovers from the extremis-enhancements? Tony's biology works on overdrive, he is now less stress-resistant than the average human..."

„Of course, because in this room, I am the one with the doctorate in biology", Carol said sarcastically.

Reed looked slightly offended. „Actually, I have a honoris causa doctorate in biology because of my research in the field of..."

Carol sighed. „NO, Reed, I don't know enough about his biology to take such things into account. Hence I called you to help."

Suddenly, they heard a groan from the stretcher. Tony stirred. „No help needed", he pressed out.

Carol and Reed just stared at him for a moment. He sat up, quickly typed something into the console Carol had been working on, and got ready to get up.

„Now, WAIT a moment", Carol said. Tony was swaying a little on his feet, but looking at them with alert eyes. „What the HELL is going on?"

„Carol, darling, everything is just fine!", Tony said, putting on what he obviously thought of as his most charming smile, but looking rather pained.

„FINE? You call drinking yourself into oblivion FINE?!"

„Ahhhh, that, why didn't you just say so! I was just running some tests, stress, endurance and the like, you know my biology has undergone some rather radical changes of late."

Carol gritted her teeth. „Tests like the ones whose results you just deleted?"

„Well, yes, dear, just more professional."

Carol opened her mouth to protest, but Reed interjected, a pleading look on his face.

„Tony, are you alright?"

Tony turned his eyes on him, and they were surprisingly cold.

„Well, yes, Reed, I am just peachy. Now I would appreciate it if you could leave."

„I'm worried about you, Tony, let me just have a quick look at These readings." With these words Reed stretched his arm with the clear intention to place his hand on Tony's shoulder. Carol noted that Tony froze at the gesture.

„Don't touch me!" Tony slapped Reed's hand away, but this rather abrupt movement made him lose his equilibrium and he fell onto the floor. His armour made a dull sound when it collided with the ground. Carol grabbed Tony and put him back on his feet.

„Stop it, Tony! You're clearly not peachy!"

He turned to face her and said quietly: „That's none of your business, sugar."

Carol simply slapped him, surprising herself at the harsh gesture, but this whole situation was setting her on edge. „I've had enough of your derogative nicknames!"

Tony didn't answers, he just put his helmet back on and walked towards the exit.

Carol immediately felt bad; she knew she shouldn't have slapped Tony, and the silent rejection he showed her by not reacting hurt.

„Tony, I am sorry, I..."

But he didn't even seem to listen as he entered the airlock. Carol considered stopping him by force, something she should be well capable of with him in the state he was in, even in the suit, but she hesitated a moment too long, fearing the damage she might do to the tower, not to speak of their friendship. And already Tony had taken off, disappearing into the grey afternoon skies, a lightning bolt quickly getting out of sight.

Carol gave an exasperated sigh, deciding to go with anger instead of the more complicated and hurtful emotions she felt boiling inside. She turned to Reed, who seemed dumb-struck.

„He – he slapped my hand away. Why would he do that? He's always the one initiating physical contact and telling me I'm a stiff when I don't reciprocate..."

„Really, Reed? That is your biggest worry here?"

„I mean, there's also the drinking, but why would..."

Suddenly, the Avengers priority alert went off, and the face of Captain America appeared on a screen off to the side, looking supremely pissed off.

„Tony, I've had enough. Natasha got hurt in battle today because you apparently couldn't be bothered to fulfil your duty as one of our heavy strikers and turn up when you're needed. I've asked before, when I was in a more benign mood, but what the hell is wrong with you?! You've been acting off..."

Carol, who had been taken by surprise by the tirade, interjected. „Steve, he's not here."

Steve faltered.

„Carol?"

„Yes, Steve, I am in Tony's lab, with Reed Richards. Listen, something is up..."

And Carol filled him in while Reed started fiddling with Tony's equipment, quietly muttering to himself. Carol didn't even want to know what he was going on about now.

When she had finished, Steve looked appalled.

„He's DRINKING again?! My God, I never would have thought... Carol, we have to find him!"

Reed looked up from the console he was working on.

„I think I might be able to help with that, Captain..."

Carol turned towards Reed. Cap also directed his gaze as well as his bad mood against Reed.

„I appreciate your help, Dr. Richards, but this is strictly Avengers-Business. Tony is our responsibility, I assure you that we will handle the situation."

Carol was baffled that Cap would turn down Reed's help – did he still hold a grudge against him because of his participation in Prison 42? Strange, after all he had forgiven Tony (or so she thought, one could never be sure with those two), why shouldn't he do the same with Richards?

„Steve, Reed could actually expedite things with his knowledge about Tony's tech."

Cap hesitated and finally said: „All right, I suggest that we keep this between the three of us, I want to hear Tony's side before informing the other Avengers."

„I've triangulated his signal, Captain, but Tony scrambled his readings before I could pinpoint his exact position."

„Well?" asked Cap impatiently.

„I'm transmitting the coordinates now."

Carol looked at the search grid Reed had laid out on the monitor. „Damn, that is a lot of ground to cover – he could be anywhere in Manhattan. We should split up and search for him – a duperhero in gold and red armour can't disappear like that."

They assigned respective areas and Carol was ready to fly off, but she was called back by Reed. „Carol, what should I do if I find him? I'm not really good at talking to people and he seemed quite agitated."

Carol snorted. Quite agitated, indeed. So that's what „completely out of his mind with drink" sounded like, coming out of Reed's mouth. But even though she couldn't help but feel bewildered at Reed's lack of social sensitivity, she appreciated the fact that he was seriously trying to help and felt a little sorry for him, seeing how out of his depth he was.

„Reed, don't worry. If you find him, just call us in, you don't even necessarily have to approach him. We'll get there as fast as we can."

Reed nodded, his jawline tight. Carol turned, deciding that the issues of one super-genius were decidedly enough to deal with, for a lifetime, entered the airlock and took off.

She had roamed the city for more than half an hour when the communicator in her ear rang. Steve was on the other end.

„Carol, I found him."

His voice sounded strained. Carol frowned.

„And?"

„You'd better come and see for yourself."

Carol checked the coordinates and took off to the position that Steve had indicated as fast as she could.

Steve waited for her in a deserted back alley, arms crossed, posture tense. When she landed, he simply nodded towards a dingy little bar almost hidden behind a construction wall. Carol carefully approached one of the dirty windows.

Inside, she made out some customers standing in a group, laughing. At the bar, however, there was a lone figure bent low over a drink. She recognised Tony's thick mop of black hair.

Carol turned to Cap.

„You haven't talked to him yet?"

Steve shook his head wordlessly.

„Have you informed Reed?"

Steve winced.

„Carol, I'm not sure he's the right person to be dealing with this..."

Carol laughed bitterly. „As opposed to us, who have made such splendid experiences with drunks, especially with ones called Tony Stark? Come on, Steve, he might be an insensitive egghead, but he really seems to care. What is your problem with him?"

Steve sighed and looked momentarily lost in thought. „Well, alright, let's call him. It's just that I don't much like his arrogant demeanour, and him and Tony are just..." He shook his head, but there was a slight smile on his face. „Let's just say I am sure those two are gonna blow up the world and everything we hold dear when no one's watching."

Carol smiled back, relieved at Cap being okay with informing Reed; also, she couldn't help but kind of agree with Steve's statement, those two together were a catastrophe.

„Let's just hope they never plot to take over the world..."

She activated her communicator and called Reed.