Yay, the 3rd chapter! And I only posted chapter 2 a few days ago! Hopefully it's worth all the work I put in.

I really want to thank all those people that reviewed, it makes me happy :)

And, as RonWeasleyismiking pointed out to me, I did make Tony an ass. And I know that perfectly well. In all fairness, a lot of the time he is. (Still such a cool guy, who cares if he's an ass?)


Previously in Left Behind

And then, in a voice so soft I could barely hear it, Stark suggested, "Why don't we start from the beginning?"

"All right, then," Mom said, her voice nothing but professional, trying to avoid his glance. Then she looked at him apprehensively. "Please, minus the details." Stark smirked, and I felt a sense of foreboding. I could tell that he was struggling against saying whatever was on his mind, for I knew the expression only too well.

"Is that an insinuation, Potts?" he asked, an air of what was presumably his younger self appearing in on the surface. I was out of my seat in seconds, ready to fight it out. And I would have, if Mom hadn't held my hands back. She gently pushed me back down onto the couch.

"We need to hear him out," she insisted quietly. "You do. It's not Tony's fault."

It's all his fault, I argued silently. But you've always been in love with him. You can't see it, Mom. Am I alone?

"Everything's his fault," I muttered, glaring daggers at him. I left the room and slammed the door, taking off at a run.


I wiped sweat from my forehead and continued to run, looking at the watch on my wrist. I had been at the local high school's track for three hours. Slowing down, I coughed and flopped down on the shady grass to the side. I closed my eyes, feeling the cool air blow across my face. But as I put my hands behind my head and was about to relax, I tensed. Something…different…was in the air. I didn't know how…but I felt something. Something wasn't right.

I opened my eyes and stood up, slowly turning around. There was a man standing on the other side of the street, and he was staring straight at me. I tilted my head in confusion and took a few steps backward. He took a few steps towards me. I frowned. See, it's not unusual for people to look at me; I've gotten a lot of double takes over the years, whether it was because of my mechanical talent or my face, which looked strangely like Tony Stark's.

But I had a feeling…just a gut instinct…that his stare wasn't good…and definitely not innocent. He had these eyes that pierced my skin with ice-cold daggers. I had a feeling like I was missing something…but there was one think I did know.

I was in deep shit.

I backed up a few steps more and then dashed. Running at my full speed, there was no way some bald, old, bearded guy could catch me. But even as I was running, his face, that hard, cold face remained etched in my brain.

Yet, I had the strangest feeling…like I knew him. I'd seen him before…somewhere. Maybe not in person…but I knew that I recognized him.

Taking a few detours and less-known roads, I finally reached my house, my heart bounding with (though I wasn't sure why) fear. I burst through the front door, gasping for breath, not even remembering why I'd taken off in the first place.

Once I looked up, I remembered, but Tony Stark hardly mattered right now. My mother stood up immediately, her eyes wide, the worried look on her face vanishing. As she wrapped her arms around my waist and stroked my hair, I looked over her shoulder at the man who I knew to be my father and glared at him. My feelings toward him had not changed…but somehow I knew it was the wrong time. Stark was watching me intently, his friend Rhodes looking at Mom and I with something similar to sympathy.

"Never…never do that to me again," Mom whispered into my ear. She was shaking, and I felt tears on my cheek that I knew weren't mine. Now I was confused.

"Mom…" I said slowly, "What's going on? Does this-"

I stopped, realizing what I was about to ask. Does this have anything to do with that man I saw?

I looked into her blue eyes that were wide with fear…and I knew this went beyond me running out on them. Stark stood up and walked over to us. His face was grim, and I faced him, my heart beating loudly in my chest. Whatever he was about to tell me…I knew it wasn't going to be good.

"Look…I know you don't care much for me," he said quietly. "And I understand. But you…you've drawn attention from all angles." I shrugged, nonplussed.

Oh…kay…

"So?"

"You're in danger," he said flatly. "You need to keep your eyes open." My mouth slid open, a million questions resting on the tip of my tongue.

"Danger?" I managed to ask, my eyebrows rising.

"A fifteen year old college sophomore, doing things at MIT that haven't been done before," he said, staring into my eyes as if he could read my thoughts. "He's not stupid. He's not ignorant. And he can damn well add two-and-two together. I should know-he was my most trusted friend…long ago." He bit his lip and his eyes quickly darted to my mother. "It's only a matter of time before he comes after you." Mom grasped my arm, but I hardly noticed. Something was happening in my mind…something had been triggered.

Trusted friend…long ago, a voice that I recognized as a ghostly version of my own whispered into my ear. Stane, it said. Obadiah Stane.

I frowned and blinked, figuring it was better to stay as dumb as possible. The image of Stane staring at me was still etched into my brain.

"This man…was he bald?"

"Yes," Mom intervened. And then her eyes widened again. "Oh, God. Jason, you've seen him." I nodded silently, my eyes avoiding hers. Stark looked at her meaningfully.

"There's no other option, Pepper," he said, his voice shaking. "He knows where you are." He looked back at me. "You need to come with me." I stayed still, staring at him, wide-eyed. "Now!"

Rhodes, Mom, and I followed Stark out of the house, and climbed into his limo. As we worked on strapping ourselves in, the driver looked back and smiled at Mom with disbelief.

"Drive, Hogan," Stark ordered, his voice holding none of the warmth that I had subtly detected earlier. Now, it was full of worry. "Step on it." As we sped away, I looked back longingly at our house. I had no idea when we'd be back…if we ever would.


The next few hours were a blur. Everything seemed to go so fast…but time didn't seem to be moving.

We were whisked onto a plane bound for Los Angeles, California. I'd had to leave everything behind. On the plane, I think I might've fallen asleep, but I'd noticed Tony Stark staring at my mother and then at me. I also noticed…that my mother was staring back at him. It was almost like…they had been lovers. Not just…I dunno. I'd always assumed I was the product of a one-night stand, and my mother hadn't had the heart to get rid of me. It sucks to think of yourself that way, trust me, but it's always what I'd thought.

But the way he looked at her…was it hurt? Was it disbelief? And the way she looked at him…well, Mom was a mess. Her hair was in disarray, her normally neat clothing wrinkled. She looked at him like she was about to burst into tears…but she couldn't. Rhodes was still staring at me with pity. I forced a smile, but I don't think he expected me to. After all…a man believed to be dead showed me that he was very much alive…and hungry for revenge. How would he get that revenge? We didn't know, but we did know that it had something to do with me.

And, according to Stark, that was why I was being uprooted to Los Angeles, where a closer watch could be kept on me. Neither Mom nor I would be able to leave his Malibu mansion.

We landed on a "secret" platform at Edwards Air Force Base, able to slide pat the radar. We were driven to the mansion in an "inconspicuous" car. (Hogan, Stark's driver, apparently owned a '04 Honda.) Not exactly on my favorite car list, but I understood the need for it as much as the next guy. Driving around in all these fancy cars, you'll stand out. But with a regular car, you'll blend in with the rest of America's working class. And that was exactly what we wanted.

I was given a room and told not to go outside, if it could be avoided. Some of my stuff had been hauled out from New York so I could still somewhat have a life. What was most important…was absolute secrecy. No one could know that Obadiah Stane, Stark's old enemy, was after me, Stark's only son.

Why? Who knows, right? We'd basically agreed that it couldn't be to get to him. Stark hadn't known of my existence until a few years ago, at most. He probably knew when I started MIT. Mom…well…when she agreed for me to attend college, I'm sure she knew it was only a matter of time before he sought us out. We never thought that it would be for another reason. I never thought I would need my father to keep me safe.


I know that there wasn't much dialogue, and bringing Obadiah back was a stupid thing to do, but I justify that as homage to Jeff Bridges, who recently won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. And I wanted to congratulate him on that, so here he is as awesomely evil as Obadiah Stane/ Iron Monger.

And I wish also that I had made Tony a bit better than I did, but as this is from Jason's point of view, and he basically hates Tony's guts, so of course he's going to make him out to be a bit of an ass.

That will change, though.

Eventually.

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing-

William D. J. Watson