First, let me ask you guys a question. Are you excited for Iron Man 2? I WAS going to go to the premiere, BUT I have a damn AP test on May 7, that I'll fail if I don't show up for the test. And since it's 25% of my grade or something, I can't miss it, or I'll fail out of history. :( I'm deeply saddened, but I can always go to the movie after the test :). It just won't be at Grauman's Chinese, the best theater in Hollywood.

Anyway, this story is basically...well...I don't want to spoil it. But you'll see.

"Jason!" I heard my mother call my name up the stairs, but I didn't respond, too focused on the motorcycle engine I was fixing. "Jason, don't make me come up there," she warned. I accidentally hit my head on my desk, and swore loudly as a few of my tools crashed down to the floor. I sighed and stood up, wiping my oily hands on my already dirty jeans. I walked downstairs, running my fingers through my messy dark hair. I yawned and smiled at my mom.

"Yeah?"

"You should be dressed," she noted. I raised my eyebrows.

"I am dressed," I said, and before she could respond, I remembered, "Besides, it's Saturday." I settled myself on the couch and took the TV remote. "What'd you wake me up for?" I knew she wouldn't believe that I was actually sleeping, but it was always worth a try. Mom laughed. She hadn't believed it.

"You weren't asleep and you know it," she replied.

"Maybe," I answered, my face impassive. Like I was going to contradict myself. Yeah, right. Mom rolled her eyes.

"You were just playing around with that car engine again," she said. I sighed visibly and turned around, a look of exasperation on my face.

"I don't 'play around' with machinery, Mom," I said, shaking my head in despair. "I fix it. And it's a motorcycle engine, for your information," I retorted.

"Jase, I have a meeting."

"There's a shocker," I mumbled. She sighed.

"All right," she said, grabbing her keys and heading for the door. "Bye!" I lay back down on the couch, closing my eyes.

Wait a minute…

"Mom!" I called out the door. "Mom, wait!" She turned at the sound of my voice.

"Jason, I'll be late."

"Is this…a Board of Directors meeting?" I asked cautiously.

"Yes," she answered, unlocking the car. She opened the door.

"Well…okay," I said. "Have fun. Tell Tony Stark hi." Mom's smile wilted, but the next second, I figured that I must've imagined it, because she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"If he's there," she said quietly. "I'll see you later." I gave her a slight nod and stood back.

All right.

After watching her car disappear into the distance, I heaved a sigh and walked inside, closing the door behind me.

What does she keep hiding from me?

Hearing a car engine approaching, I frowned.

There's no way she's home yet. It's way too early.

I laid the TV remote back on the couch and looked out the window. A dark-skinned man wearing the suit of some army general was talking to a man inside of a black limousine. My dark eyes widened.

Damn.

The man waved to whoever was driving, and headed towards the house. He hesitated at the foot of the stairs, biting his lip.

What's he waiting for? I wondered. I heard him knock on the door, and I walked over and opened it, staring into the face of the man I had been watching.

"Um…hi…" I said, confused. "Who-"

"-Are you?" he finished, looking at me with equal confusion. I said nothing as he scanned my black hair, pale skin, and deep brown eyes. I continued to frown, even when the man smiled at me. "I'm looking for a Ms. Virginia Potts."

My body immediately tensed. Why did some guy from the army need to see my mother?

"She's not here," I said coolly, starting to close the door. But before I slammed it in his face, the man caught it.

"Hang on, kid," he said. "Who are you?" I eyed him warily, remaining silent.

"I asked you first."

"Colonel James Rhodes," he said gently. "I'm an old friend of hers." And I did vaguely remember Mom mentioning the name Rhodes, so I let him in.

"My name's Jason," I said shortly, showing him to the couch. "You want anything to drink?" He shook his head, so I left, grabbed a Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator, and headed up the stairs to my bedroom.

I sat down across from the colonel, trying to stay focused on the motorcycle engine in front of me. You see, I've always had this 'gift'…as my mother calls it…for fixing machines and car engines and stuff. I've actually gotten some good money for fixing things for people. The motorcycle engine in question belonged to a rough biker who looked as if he would knock me out if I refused to fix it.

Anyway…this guy…Colonel Rhodes…was staring at me like I was some exhibit in the Smithsonian, or something. Even weirder, it seemed like he was interested in me. I mean, not like that, but who I was. Like…I was some mystery that needed to be figured out. Let me tell you, it's the strangest thing, to feel like someone's gaze is piercing your skin. So I looked up and set my tools at my feet. I raised my eyebrows at Rhodes.

"Could you stop staring for at least a minute?" I asked exasperatedly, relaxing in my usual chair by the TV. He blinked and then smiled at me.

"I'm sorry," he said with a slight laugh. "I just haven't seen your mom for nearly seventeen years, now. I didn't realize she had a son."

"Well, goody for you," I grumbled.

"Pepper was always a great friend," he continued, as if he hadn't heard me. "Always kept Tony in line." I frowned at that. Pepper? I knew vaguely that before I was born, my mother had been Tony Stark's Personal Assistant and sometime CEO of Stark Industries. But then she had me…and moved out here to New York to be with her parents. She got a job at the New York branch of the company and had been on the Board of Directors since I could remember. So…if he knew her as Pepper…and knew Tony Stark…the colonel could only be…

"You're from Los Angeles," I said after a second, "From Stark Industries. What do you want with my mother?"

"I just wanted to see her," he said simply. My eyes flared.

"Bullshit," I said quietly. "Tell me the truth."

"Well…I wanted to see for myself that the rumors were true," Rhodes said. I frowned, my eyes darkening. Somehow I knew that this had to do with me.

"What rumors?"

"That Pepper Potts had a son. Since I don't remember you, you must be about…fifteen…sixteen?" he asked. I nodded silently.

"Sixteen this May," I said, picking up my screwdriver and toying with it. I didn't feel like looking Rhodes in the eyes. When I chanced a small look at him, he was smiling, satisfied, as if I had just confirmed something that he had known, deep down, all along.

"So…you're a junior?" he asked neutrally.

"Sophomore," I replied, not looking up from my screwdriver. Then I smirked. "In college." I slightly looked up to see his reaction, and to my disappointment, he didn't look surprised at all. Had he been expecting it? I frowned again and laid my screwdriver on top of the engine. For the first time, I didn't avoid his glance and looked straight at him. I didn't know what to be looking for, exactly, but still… "Why are you here?"

"You've never met your father, have you?" Rhodes asked me. I raised my eyebrows.

"That's none of your business," I said harshly, looking away once again.

"But you haven't," he prodded.

"You don't know my father," I said heavily. "My mother barely knew him. I've never met him. And I don't care."

Maybe Rhodes had given up, because the next thing he asked me was, "You like mechanics?" I nodded.

"The one thing I'm good at," I replied. "Plus, the pay is considerable. I dunno…it's always been my strong point. I'm all right at English, but math and stuff…huh. I sound like the typical geek. But it's true." I sighed heavily, feeling a weight lifted off my chest. Maybe because I felt like I could never talk to my mother. As much as I hated to admit it…Rhodes had me pegged from the beginning. I had never met my father…and if I ever did…I would want to punch him in the face for leaving my mother.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, that I barely noticed another man coming up the stairs. This man had salt-and-pepper hair and deep brown eyes…like mine. He was probably in his early fifties, or so. As I stood up, he pushed the door open. I quickly ducked behind the stairs that led up to my room. I wasn't sure if he'd seen me. I turned my head slightly as the man turned to Rhodes.

I heard him ask, "What's taking so long?" And then the man slightly rotated, and his face was put into my line of sight. My heart pounding in my chest, I stared, convinced my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Tony Stark was standing in my living room.

Well, I thought it was a clever idea, at least. I know it's confusing, since I've already written the storyline differently, but I wrote this last summer, and couldn't resist posting it.

Anyway, let me know what you think.

Thanks-

Nestaron (Jason)