Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. I do not make any profits from it.

"How mad is he?" asked Tony, walking into the kitchen of the old Stark mansion.

His mother was slicing french bread by the island.

"Oh, he'll get over it." Maria dropped the knife and kissed her son's cheek. She took the bottle of scotch in his hand and deposited it inside the refrigerator. Returning to her task, she said, "You brought alcohol to lunch instead of a woman. Why am I not surprised."

"Hey, I've stopped sleeping around. That's a major improvement." Tony took one a piece of bread but a slap to his fingers made him let go of it.

"You should have invited Virginia at least. We could have had a celebratory lunch for her promotion."

Tony brightened. At least his mother approved of his decision to make Pepper CEO.

"And risk dad blowing up in her face? No, thanks." Maria deposited the sliced breads to a basket and Tony picked it up to bring to the table.

When he turned around, his mother was studying him. Tony knew he should've taken some measures to cover the dark circles under his eyes or at least tried looking less gaunt. It's a good thing that his mom couldn't see the veins creeping all over his chest.

"Are you alright, honey? You look stressed. Between your superhero duties and those to the company, have you gotten any sleep?"

"Yeah," Tony lied.

Maria pressed her lips together in a firm line, clearly seeing through his words but not calling him out.

"Is he here?" came a gruff voice from the living room. Howard Stark marched in with a scowl on his face.

"Hello to you too, dad," Tony said dryly. He pulled out a chair and took his seat around the table.

His parents did the same.

"Do you know how disappointed I am in your latest corporate decision?" asked Howard as he picked up a slice of bread.

Tony lifted the bowl of pasta and transferred a generous amount of noodles to his plate. "Really? I didn't know that at all. Not after the hundred voicemails you left me." He rolled his eyes and took a forkful into his mouth.

"Tony, I'm serious."

Once he had chewed and swallowed, Tony said, "I don't know why you're so mad. Is it because I didn't ask for your permission? Gee. I wasn't aware that the CEO of the company had to ask his daddy for successor approval."

Howard huffed. "It's not that."

"Is it because Pepper's a bad choice? Dad, you like Pepper! You even said she's the reason Stark Industries is still standing! Or is it because she's a woman? Come on, dad. It's the 21st century. Women hold positions of power now."

Howard banged his fist on the table, but it wasn't as hard as Tony remembered it to be in his youth. "Damn it, Tony! You know perfectly well why. There should always be a Stark in Stark Industries."

Maria opened her mouth to add in a word but decided now wasn't a very good time to talk about grandchildren. Plus, she knew better than to interrupt her husband when he was in one of his moods. She continued to eat.

"A Stark ensures that the business stays firm and pure, that it isn't going to get run to the ground for the purpose of monetary gain! You saw what Obadiah did!"

"And there is a Stark! I'm not leaving, dad. I just vacated a higher position that I never enjoyed, and frankly was never good at, and remained as head of R&D."

Her husband's face was turning quite red prompting Maria to lay a hand over his curled fist and say in a level tone, "Howard, Virginia has been loyal to the company. We all knew she was the true person behind Tony as CEO. She helped him with Obadiah and even handled the stock performance very well when we stopped weapons manufacturing. She's a good choice, better than Obadiah you have to admit."

Tony thought that anybody was better than the murderous, conniving, already dead Obadiah Stane. But he didn't mention that seeing as both he and his father were still coming to terms with Obie's betrayal.

His mother used logic to defend his case and Tony decided to add some more helpful facts. "The stock prices doubled after the announcement." He shrugged. "People are saying Pepper's a sign of stability especially since I have a history of being volatile." He twisted his fork and noodles pooled around it. "And this gives me more time to focus on the Expo," he said as he ate.

Mentioning the Expo was a surefire way of getting his dad to let go of his misgivings.

Howard propped up his elbows and rested his chin on his hands. "I understand the reasoning behind it... And I have to admit that Virginia is a logical successor."

Tony breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment there he thought his father would ask for the reasons why Tony decided to resign in the first place. He didn't want them to find out that he was dying and trying to leave the company in good hands. He sipped his water.

"But to solidify and strengthen your decision, not to mention Virginia's position as CEO," Howard went on, "you should marry Virginia Potts as soon as possible."

Tony choked and Maria brightened at the thought. Tony's nose stung and he coughed, tears springing to his eyes.

"That way there are two Starks within the company and there is at least a chance of your mother and I becoming grandparents. Then, I can die happy knowing that there is an heir to Stark Industries."

Not that again, Tony thought. A child and a widow are definitely not something he should leave behind when he dies.

"You have got to be kidding me," Tony sputtered. "Pepper is— Pepper and I— She's not— I respect Pepper too much to force her to marry me. And I can't believe you would make my marriage to her a business decision! Whatever happened to your insistence that I settle down with a woman I love? This is unbelievable! You guys are unbelievable."

A small smile escaped Howard and Tony realized his dad was only teasing.

The superhero shook his head again muttering "unbelievable" as his parents guffawed at his expense.

The topic changed to address the stunt Tony pulled at Capitol Hill. Maria frowned upon his actions, saying there was a better way to reject the senators while Howard wholeheartedly supported his son.

"Screw the government," said Howard. "And James! Why in the world did he not give you any warning!"

"Pepper and Rhodey think I'm just overreacting."

"Well, you are right to overreact, son," stated Howard, pointing his fork firmly at Tony. "The Iron Man suit isn't a toy that anybody can just borrow. And that Justin Hammer snake had the nerve to name-drop me! He's no different from his own father!" He took a deep drink from his glass.

"His father was a gentleman, darling. You just didn't like that he courted me."

"Damn right I didn't like it!" growled Howard, grabbing his wife's hand and bringing it to his lips. "You're mine."

"Ugh, get a room," Tony grumbled. In spite of his verbal reaction, he was silently glad his parents still had a strong and loving relationship. He prayed to whatever god that was listening that when the time came, it will be steadfast enough to withstand the news that their only son died from palladium poisoning.

After lunch, Howard handed Tony a sheaf of schematics regarding the Arc Reactor technology. Ever since it was successfully miniaturized and its power harnessed, Howard was excitedly and enthusiastically coming up with a dozen uses and applications for it. But Tony couldn't bear to look at the designs; his chestpiece was slowly killing him going against its purpose to keep him alive and breathing. He rolled the papers up and promised he'd take a look. He also told himself he'd break the bad news to his parents soon.

But Tony didn't.

The next time Tony talked about the Arc Reactor with his father was through the phone and regarding a man named Anton Vanko.

"Does the name Anton Vanko ring any bells?"

There was a pregnant pause before his dad answered. "Why?" Tony noted he didn't say yes or no.

"Because his son, who also attacked me in Monaco—I don't know if you follow my life as closely as mom does—said he got his Arc Reactor tech from his father Anton Vanko. I'm on the plane home right now and I don't want to have to wait until I land to ask Jarvis to do a query for me. So, care to share, dad?"

He could hear Howard sigh on the other end of the line. "Anton Vanko was a physicist who worked the Arc Reactor with me. He wanted to make money out of it while I wanted to use it to save lives. He was later arrested for espionage and sent to Siberia."

"And his son?"

"Ivan was a brilliant man. Just like his dad. But the apple didn't fall far from the tree and he wound up selling things that weren't supposed to be sold." There was a sound of shuffling movement. "Tony, Anton was furious at me for taking all the credit of the Arc Reactor and the ice cold weather of Siberia did nothing to stamp out his flame of loathing. No doubt his anger was all his son grew up with and now Ivan wants to avenge his father's death."

"Anton is dead?"

"My sources report that he is, yes. Anton must have shared the knowledge of the Arc Reactor with Ivan. And if Ivan is anything like his father, then you can bet that his hatred for you is just as deep as his father's is for me. Tony, you're looking at a worthy opponent."

"I can really feel the support, dad. Thank you." Tony hoped his voice relayed the sarcasm well. "Listen, I want you and mom to keep a low profile for now."

"He's in prison, Tony. We'll be fine," protested Howard.

"And he found a way to get to me! He targeted me first, dad, but it's clear he has a beef with the whole Stark family. Please, just stay at home. No fundraisers, no public appearances, no parties. Tighten the security."

"Alright, alright. Does this mean we can't come to your birthday party tomorrow night? I would've thought Virginia told you to cancel it."

"Yes, it's still on. And no, I did not let her talk me into canceling it. I'll see you on Sunday, okay?" Tony ended the call before Howard could even say 'Happy birthday.'

It wasn't Sunday yet when Tony was speeding to his parents' home two days after the phone call.

Howard was in his private study when he heard a commotion and angry shouts of "Dad? Dad!"

He exited the room to see his son glaring at the butler while behind him was Agent Phil Coulson who held an apologetic look on his face.

"When were you going to tell me?" bellowed Tony, stalking up to Howard.

"Calm down," said Howard to him and then dismissed the butler and politely greeted the agent.

Coulson waved back awkwardly, wishing that he was anywhere far from the pending argument.

The exchange of pleasantries only seemed to fuel Tony's ire. With hands on his hips, he asked, "Did it just slip your mind to inform me that you founded S.H.I.E.L.D.? That you were a spy!?"

"Ssh! Come here." Howard excused himself and Tony from Coulson who was only happy to hang out by the living room. Howard half-pulled his son to his study.

Closing the door behind them, the father asked, "What is this really all about?"

Tony pointed an accusing finger at Howard, glowering. "You lied to me!"

"I hardly think not informing you about a secret organization can be called lying. I didn't think it was worth mentioning seeing as I no longer involve myself in running S.H.I.E.L.D. and neither do you."

"Not involved?" Tony's nostrils flared. "Phil Coulson is my babysitter, Fury visits whenever he pleases, my hot, new PA is an undercover agent!"

Howard sighed and leaned back against his desk. "Tony, what's going on? First you drunk called your mother last night and gave a speech about living life to the fullest and now you barge in here and demand for answers as if you have a right to them. You can't be this upset just because you found out I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. only now."

Howard's words rang true. It didn't bother Tony that his dad was a former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. If the timing was any different, he'd hound his old man for some stories. But the timing wasn't different.

The timing was that Tony had spent half a year trying to come up with anything, any chance at all, to save his life, to make sure that his parents would be alright once he was gone, that the company was going to be well looked after. He had even hit a low where he contacted an adoption agency to give his parents the one thing they ever wanted.

The timing was that he resigned himself to the fact that he was dying, fought with his best friend over a suit of armor, and blown up his house only to find out from the really annoying one-eyed man that the solution was staring at him every Sunday over lunch?

Damn right this wasn't about S.H.I.E.L.D. It was more of the refusal to accept that he had been so blind, that the answer was so close.

Tony walked over to the door and turned over the knob to lock it. Turning back around he instructed, "You can't tell mom."

Howard's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the statement. "Not tell mom what?"

Tony unbuttoned his shirt and finally revealed what Rhodey referred to as a high-tech crossword puzzle on his chest.

Howard's eyes widened and he came closer, leaning forward to get a better look. "Is that..."

"Terminal? Yeah. The palladium core is poisoning my blood and the technology to remove the shrapnel in my heart doesn't exist yet." Tony ran a hand over his face and then buttoned everything back. "I don't have much time left. Maybe a year, two at the most." He watched his father move to the liquor cabinet in the room and take out a bottle of scotch. It was the one he brought over a week ago. "I've tried everything, dad. Every element, every possible permutation of a replacement. But they're not viable."

Howard poured the drink down in two glasses and handed one of them to his son. He stared grimly at Tony who drank the entire thing. The so called genius son of his kept his illness a secret. Howard longed to go back to the days when Tony could still be threatened with boarding school or no allowance.

"From among all of your brilliant ideas, keeping this from us is not one of them," Howard said through grit teeth, trying to put a hamper on his emotions. "Did you even think of what this... this secret could do to your mother if she finds out too late? This could kill her! And me!"

"That's why I didn't want to tell you until I was absolutely sure I don't stand a chance!"

"And when was that going to be?"

Howard received no answer but the air between them said it just as clear as if Tony did reply: not anytime soon.

"We're your parents! I don't care if you had our interests at heart. We're not too fragile and senile to know our son—our only son—is dying!" The glass in Howard's hand shook. "This explains a lot, your erratic behavior, making your PA CEO. You come in here demanding the truth from me. Well, we deserve the same from you!" His chest heaved up and down as he gathered his bearings once more. It's been a while since Howard has had to give his son a lecture. Once he had calmed down with the aid of the glass of scotch, he asked, "Nick give you my notes?"

Tony nodded curtly. This was how they ended arguments; they'd get the weight off their chests and move on to the next matter at hand. It saved a lot of time which was something Tony didn't have an abundance of at the moment.

"I might have something," Howard said.

"Fury said as much."

Howard put a hand on his son's shoulder in a gesture of support, his expression turning into fierce determination rather than exasperation. "We'll find something, Tony. I'll never forgive myself if I let you die and neither will your mother."

...

Tony didn't die.

Together, father and son managed to replace the palladium, just in time to defeat Ivan Vanko. Maria continued to remain unaware and uninformed of the danger her son had come so close to and Howard and Tony agreed never to let her know of it.

Come Sunday, Pepper and Tony were at the mansion for lunch.

"Tony, we should have called first," said Pepper, hesitating by the foyer. She had both hands firmly gripping Tony's right one, holding him in place next to her so he wouldn't be able to leave her side.

To say that she was nervous to meet his parents didn't even come close. She had met them before, gotten along with them even. But that had always been in the context of them being her boss' parents. Now, they were no longer that. They were her boyfriend's parents and the reality made her insides tingle.

Would they like her, disapprove of her? Pepper wasn't a socialite or an heiress to a multinational corporation. She was just... Pepper.

"Pepper, relax. This is my house too. I don't need to call to visit my own house." Tony tried to drag her further into the house but she wouldn't budge.

"You do when you're bringing an unannounced guest!"

"You're hardly an unannounced guest. You're my Pepper. And they want you here. Trust me."

Getting called his Pepper was enough of a distraction and Tony was able to get her to stumble a few steps forward. The nervous expression on his girlfriend's face, however, made him take pity on her. He grinned smugly. "I never saw you so disconcerted. It's a good look on you. Humbling."

She narrowed her eyes at him, nerves momentarily replaced with annoyance. "I hate you."

"You love me."

That was when Maria Stark appeared. "Are my eyes deceiving me or did my son just bring a woman home?"

"Ha ha," said Tony impassively. He glanced at Pepper to see her slipping on a mask of graceful composure. His heart swelled with pride.

"Virginia! What a surprise!" His girlfriend accepted his mother's warm hug and was escorted to the dining room. "When Tony told the cook to prepare for one more mouth to feed, I thought he'd be bringing James. It never occurred to me that he'd bring you. But you are just as welcome, of course. I told Tony last week that we should invite you over for lunch and I'm glad he finally listened to me. "

"It certainly took some convincing," said Pepper as she graciously accepted a glass of wine her host handed her. "Thank you, by the way, for the gift you and Howard sent me." They sent her rare set of fountain pens, one that she assumed must have had a backstory attached to it. The card that accompanied it wrote 'For you to make history.'

"It was well-earned, Virginia. Not only are you the first and only woman my son has ever brought home, but you are also succeeding magnificently with Stark Industries. The response alone to your hands-on clean up of the Expo is entirely positive; you were on the scene, overseeing rescue and reconstruction. I could not have handled it any better myself."

Pepper brightened. Maria Stark's compliments and good feedback weren't without value. Howard and Tony weren't the only geniuses in the family; the matron was also a force in her own right, finding and managing Stark Industries' numerous charities, foundations, and benefits.

"Well, it was all Tony's idea to blow up everything so I could show the world how well I clean up after him," said Pepper coolly.

Maria tinkled with laughter and Tony had the decency to look a tiny bit ashamed over what happened even though the destruction wasn't totally his fault.

"That's why we love you girls. We Stark men have never been good with cleaning up our own messes."

They turned to see Howard join them. Pepper shook his hand and they all settled in their seats.

Tony's act of pulling out a chair for Pepper did not go unnoticed by his mother.

Conversation in the table was Expo related and as they chatted, Maria continued to observe that Tony and Pepper exchanged far too many furtive glances which were always followed by a faint blush rising to the latter's cheeks and an impish grin on the former's. By the time dessert was served, her son's chair had somehow stuck right next to Pepper's and he was stealing pastries from her plate.

There were only three conclusions that could be drawn. One was that a decade of friendship between the two has made them comfortable with one another which would explain the lack of personal space between seats and the thieving of dessert.

Second, the sly exchange of looks and subsequent blushes and grins are indicative of a secret being kept in her house. Did something other than clean-up occur the past few days?

Lastly, Tony was just a gentleman helping a female friend to her seat. Come to think of it, Tony was also the gentleman holding his female friend's hand in the foyer. And Maria heard the word 'love' before she made herself known to them. Were these two...?

Maria decided she liked all of those suppositions and that she needed to have them confirmed as soon as possible.

She quietly cocked an eye at her son who trailed off speaking mid-sentence, staring at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Her pirate face unnerved Tony; it was the one she wore when she wanted him to spill something he would rather not reveal.

"Do you two have something you want to tell me?" she asked.

Tony gulped and looked to his father. She knows! he tried to say with his eyes. Howard's mouth turned down and Tony knew there was no hiding anything from his mother now.

Tony's shoulders sagged. "Mom, I'm sorry we didn't tell you. We didn't want you to worry."

Maria's eyebrows shot up. "Worry? Why would the fact that you and Virginia are in a relationship cause me to worry?"

"What?" asked Howard and Tony in perfect unison.

Pepper blushed at having been prematurely found out. She and Tony were waiting until after lunch to break the news.

"In fact, I'm ecstatic!" cried Maria, eyes lighting up. "Do you know how long I've been dying for this moment?"

Please don't mention dying, Tony thought bitterly.

Maria closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her chest. "Oh, my fluttering heart."

Howard patted his wife on the back, recovering from the scare, and feigned a comforting "There, there." He gave a subtle nod of his head to Tony who let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Maria planted her gaze at Pepper. "You don't know how happy you've made me, Virginia. I cannot imagine a woman more suited for my son. Now, I know he can be difficult—he gets that from his father—but I believe that you are just what Tony needs."

A smile tugged at Tony's mouth. "Mom, don't scare her away, please. I actually like this one."

Pepper's face flushed once more as Tony took her hand under the table and visibly settled it on the surface for his parents to see.

Maria gave an authentic, delighted gasp. "Oh, I've always known you love her, sweetheart! I told you! Didn't I tell you?" She hastily got up and rounded the table to plant a kiss on her son's head and another on Pepper's.

The joy on her face was infectious.

"Well, it's about time," said Howard as Maria returned to her place by his side. He, unlike his wife, was not aware of the interactions going on in his table. "The two of you have been dancing around each other for so long that I wondered if it was going to take your mother to fake a heart attack for you to do what she says." Maria smacked him on his arm.

"I know it's early days but have you and Tony settled on a date yet?" asked Howard.

"Date?" Pepper echoed, not understanding. She looked to Tony to explain.

Tony shook his head. "Wedding date," he explained the inside joke to her. "Dad, Pepper and I just—."

"We're thinking a beach wedding," said Pepper suddenly, giving her boyfriend a coy smile. "That way I don't have to wear high heels. Tony doesn't like it when I'm taller than him. Or maybe a winter wedding, what do you think?" The look on Tony's face was enough to undo anyone and they all burst out laughing.

"Very funny." Tony poked Pepper's side as punishment. "You fit right in with them, you know."