A/N - Thank you for the reviews/follows/favourites. This is my first time writing for Ironman/Avengers and I know some parts may not be canon in their world but I will get around to explaining it all. :)

Here's a long chapter - sorry for the delay in getting it out. Because it's late, I doubled it up in length. I know that it seems that it's taking a while to get them to go back in time...I want to establish who Daniel and Anna are away from the other canon characters first before sending them back to a place before they were born.


Time seemed to fly by as he sat there when he noticed the last of the children getting out of the pool and their respective parents leaving the bleachers to attend to them in the change rooms. He was the only one remaining on the bleachers. Coulson watched as Anna interracted with the other instructors; smiling and laughing before parting ways. He watched as Daniel walked up to, giving no indication that he knew what was going on and spoke a few words to her. She glanced past him at Coulson sitting on the bleachers and nodded before walking around Daniel and made her way towards him. Rogers gave a glance over his shoulder at Anna's retreating back before grabbing his own towel and headed for the change rooms.

Coulson watched as she came closer, for the first time really getting a good look at her. Her wet hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail and she had a smile on her face.

"Hi," she said, extending her hand towards him. "I'm Anna Hogan. You wanted to speak with me about your son."

Coulson stood up and shook her hand, smiling lightly at the facade that Daniel had told her.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Coulson began, sheepishly. "I don't have a son."

He could see the questioning on her face as he spoke. "But I do need to talk to you."

She watched as he opened a file. Noticing that he was well-dressed man in a suit in the middle of a hot day made her realize what was going on.

"If you're wanting to sell anything swim or pool related, it doesn't go through me," Anna said, sharply. "You're going to need to talk to the supervisor. In the meantime, I suggest that you not use lies in order to get what you want. It really ticks people off."

Anna turned and began to walk away.

"It's your birthday today, isn't it?" the man suddenly called out. When she paused and glanced back at him, he smiled. "Happy birthday."

Anna heard him and was about to keep walking away but her curiousity got the better of her. She turned slightly and regarded him skeptically.

"How did you know that today is my birthday?" she asked. Just as Coulson was about to answer she smiled. "Oh, Danny put you up to this, didn't he? I saw him talking to you when you arrived. If this is his idea of a joke..."

"Actually, he didn't," Coulson told her, interrupting her. "I know that it's your birthday because I was there the day you were born."

This time, she turned completley and crossed her arms, really debating if the guy was for real. She wondered if he was possibly a doctor.

Knowing he at least had her attention, Coulson continued.

"You were born 21 years ago on this day at 8:23pm, in a jet somewhere over the eastern seaboard," Coulson said. "I don't know exactly what city we were nearest at the time since it was obviously not a priority, but I'd guess we were near D.C."

She shook her head. "Sorry, but I was born at Jackson Memorial in Miami. In fact I've lived in Florida my whole life and the only time I've been on a plane was going back and forth to school in California."

"Caltech," Coulson added with a nod. "You had a 4.6 grade point average and yet you dropped out partway through your second year. Your professors stated that you were brilliant but you were bored of the classes. Some even stated that you were smart enough that you could teach the courses."

Anna blanched slightly. This joke wasn't very funny. "How did you know all that?"

"I have your school transcripts right here," he said, opening the folder.

"Wha..? Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Phil Coulson, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D," he stated. He took a quick breath, knowing there was no going back now. "We're needing your help in figuring out and completing an algorythm that was started two decades ago and is still unfinished. With your background and IQ we're hoping you can help."

Anna scoffed.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.? It doesn't exist. It was a governmental publicity stunt back when Earth was being attacked by aliens and Gods twenty something years ago."

Coulson smirked. "It does exist. Although the membership is much smaller these days and it's been around for much longer than 20 years. In fact, your grandfather was one of the founding members."

"My Grandfather?"

Coulson nodded, swallowing before saying the name. "Howard Stark."

"I don't know where you're getting some of your information from, but I don't have a grandfather named Howard Stark."

With a sigh, Coulson reached into the file and pulled out a sheet of paper. He glanced down at it before holding it out towards Anna.

"This your birth cerficate," he said softly, watching her face as he spoke. "Your original one."

"Original...?"

As confused as she was, she reached forward and took the document. At the top of the page was a name, similar to her own - Anna Virginia Stark

She paused, looking at the name once again before quickly scanning the rest of the document for anything that makes sense. When she saw her own Mom's name, Virginia Potts, typed above the heading for mother alongside the name Anthony Stark for father, she shook her head.

"This isn't mine. My Mom's maiden name was Porter and my father is Harold Hogan. You have the wrong person," Anna said.

She held the document back at him.

Coulson nodded, knowing that convincing her would actually have to take a little more time and would have to involve her desire to determine the truth. As much as he needed her assistance with the project that her father began before the Chitauri arrived, he wasn't about to force her. He was already going against Tony and Pepper's wishes. So, rather than insisting that she'd believe it, he tried a different method.

"Have you ever seen photo's of yourself as a child with your father?"

"Of course."

"How about when you were baby?"

Anna shrugged and rolled her eyes. "What are you getting at? Just because there aren't dozens of photo's of myself with my Dad when I was baby doesn't mean that he's not my father."

Coulson smiled weakly before he reached into his pocket and held out a USB stick towards Anna. She didn't take it from him.

"Take it," Coulson encouraged. "It has more proof of what I'm saying is true along with that algorythm. So, in the very least if you still don't believe me, you can at least take a peek at that code. Tony Stark started it before he passed away."

Again she didn't take it.

"I could really use your help, Anna," Coulson said gently. "More than you can possibly know."

Finally, Anna cautiously took it from him, not entirely certain if she should be taking it. Her mind couldn't get past what he had just told her and she had seen.

"This just doesn't make any sense at all," she said softly.

"I know it sounds crazy and it's hard to believe," Coulson said, sympathetically before he turned to leave. "But like I said, take a look at the info on that USB stick if you're wanting to know more. Just remember to keep an open mind. I'll be in touch."

Anna watched as the man walked towards the gate. In her hand, she held the USB stick. It felt like it weighed a ton and she couldn't help the feeling of curiousity that the man had provoked within her. At the same time, the foolishness of of it all made her want to throw the stick away.

She knew who her family was. Yet the fact that this man knew so much about her and then also had information that contradicted everything she knew.

A moment later and she turned on her heel and quickly made her way into the change rooms to get out of her wet clothes. She moved fast, not making eye contact or speaking to anyone. Anna wanted to get out to her car as soon as she could.

She ended up being one of the first instructors out of the change rooms.

In fact, Daniel walked out of the men's room just as he saw Anna take off down the road in her car.

"Damn it," he cursed, knowing he'd have to follow her. He had hoped that he would have made it out in time to speak with Coulson to see what had happened. Now, he could only venture to guess what happened.

Daniel tossed his bag into the back seat of his car before quickly getting into the driver's seat. He pulled up the S.H.I.E.L.D issue private GPS system and brought up Anna's tracking device.

He started the car and made his way to follow the path she had taken. When he saw that she was not heading home but further away from Boca Raton and home and into Boynton Beach, he was not only confused but concerned.

Finally, he pulled up alongside the curb across the street from where the tracking system stopped. He looked at the building where Anna had disappered into.

The Boynton Beach City Library.


Anna walked through the quiet library making her way to the first vacant computer terminal. She found one with no one else nearby. Somehow she knew she'd need privacy when she saw the contents of that USB stick. Anna knew that it would be quicker to just head home, but she had to figure this out first an on her own.

Within the USB stick there were 5 files - one PDF, 2 jpg's, 1 document and 1 video. She clicked on the PDF, realizing that it was that algorythm that the man, Coulson had told her about. The first few lines intrigued her and she was about to read a bit more of it when she noticed the video file. It wasn't long; 5 minutes at most. Anna was about to click on it but thought better than doing that and instead turned to the document. It was that same copy of a birth certificate that Coulson had shown her.

She reread it over and over. She had never heard the name Virginia Potts before but she certainly knew who Anthony Stark was.

Everyone knew about him, what he had done in his life and that he had died many years ago. To her, he was nothing more than a man who was occaisonally referred to in the media. Stark Industries had long ago gone bankrupt and was no longer an operating company. If his name was brought up these days, it was as an example. She had learned a lot about him during her time at Caltech. Of course, everyone remembered him in history as the man who declared that he was Ironman.

Anna quickly searched her Mom's name, Virginia Porter. After trying variations of spelling, each time, nothing came up. It wasn't until she searched for Virginia Potts that links connecting this woman with Tony Stark appeared. She felt her breath hitch in her throat when she saw the woman being referred to as Pepper Potts. Pepper was a nickname that she knew her father called her Mom. There were many news articles featuring Pepper Potts and Tony Stark. It wasn't until she actually found a image of this woman called Pepper Potts that Anna felt her heart beating in her chest.

She was looking at a younger image of her Mom on the cover of a Fortune magazine with Tony Stark at her side. Anna didn't know how long she stared at it but finally she went back to her initial search and saw a featured article from the New York Times from 18 years ago with the headline, 'CEO and Owner of Stark Industries Dead'.

She clicked on it and a large image of twisted metal, that one could only presume was once a car filled the main page. Her eyes scanned the article and quickly read parts under her breath.

"...when the car they were travelling veered off the Sunrise highway around 2am. Police investigators have yet to determine a cause for the crash. There were no witnesses at the time of the incident. Tony Stark was travelling with his long-time girlfriend and Stark CEO, Virginia Potts and their daughter, Anna. A representative from Stark Industries has stated that they are sadened by the news of the untimely deaths of the owner and CEO and will release funeral information in time."

Her eyes scanned the rest of the article and found an image that was obviously taken from a distance away and was stated to have been taken two weeks prior to their deaths. It featured a shirtless Tony Stark on board a large yacht. In his arms, he held a small child in a bathing suit who was saving back at the cameras while Tony held up a peace sign at them. Beside them was undoubtedly, her Mom in a bathing suit, wearing sunglasses and a large beach hat.

Anna wasn't certain if she was going to be sick or if she was about to pass out. Had she stopped breathing for a moment? Did she actually believe it?

As the feelings of shock wore off, confusion set in.

Why didn't anyone tell her? She was an adult and could have handled knowing that her father wasn't the man who raised her. Not once had she heard the name Tony Stark in their household.

And why did a man off the street, who claimed to not only know her but was there when she was born, feel the need to tell her all of this? And why now?

She was angry. Not at her parents, but at this man for turning her life upsidedown.

Anna quickly closed the video file, and opened the document, seeing that it was a scanned copy of that same birth certificate she had seen earlier.

Her eyes went back to the JPG files and she opened one of them.

It was a candid photo of her Mom sitting beside Tony Stark on a bed. Neither one seemed to notice that someone was taking a picture of them. Tony was smiling broadly at the small bundle in his arms while Pepper reached over, as to tuck the blanket down that was wrapped around the newborn. Anna closed it and clicked on the other one. She was instantly looking into the smiling face of that same man who she had met at the pool; Phil Coulson. He held that same wrapped up infant in the same blanket, but this time Anna could see the face.

Anna put her hand to her mouth.

That was her. In their hallway at home, Pepper had hung Anna's newborn photo; one of the few she had on display in the house. It was undoubtedly the same baby.

The feeling of anger seemed to bubble up a bit more as she quickly shut down the files and paused at the birth certificate. She sent the document to the pirnter and pulled the USB stick from the computer. Anna had seen enough.

She got up and headed straight for the printer, grabbing the copy that she had printed moments earlier and walked out of the library. She didn't even pause to smile or exchange a 'have a good day' with the library staff. Anna was oblivious to everyone around her. Her mind was still reeling over what she had just seen, trying to make sense of it all. When she finally got to her car, she sat down and let out a breath before putting her head down on the steering wheel. The sound of a vibration caught her attention and it was then she realized that in her rush to get into the library she had left her cell phone in the car and someone was calling. She reached for it, preparing to answer when she saw who was calling. The words, MOM illuminated on the screen. Anna let it go to voicemail and then realized she had five missed calls, all from her Mom.

Everything she knew was wrong.

Tears of hurt filled her eyes as she clenched her teeth and squeezed the steering wheel. After a few seconds, she wiped her eyes and turned on the car. She couldn't go home; not yet. She had no idea how she was going to walk into her house and confront this. She didn't want to.


The rear yard had been cleaned up, the grass was mowed and the pool was open. Pepper knew that Anna never liked having large parties; she was never the life of the party and preferred having a few people over. So, the setting was perfect. Their closest friends whom they would always refer to as their family were the only ones invited. Although Anna didn't know it, they were all instrumental in helping Pepper and Anna those first few years after Tony had died. Natasha had been a great friend, with whom Pepper could express her motherly concerns with; after all, Natasha had a son of her own, Daniel, who had been a welcomed surprise in her life. It wasn't long after that, that both Natasha and Steve had decided to leave S.H.I.E.L.D altogether for the sake of Daniel's safety. They had seen firsthand how their lives could affect their small family.

Also as a surprise, Happy and Pepper had flown Bruce Banner to Florida for the party, inviting him to stay with them for the week as well. He was initially reluctant but eventually agreed. Bruce used to make yearly visits to their Boca Raton home. As Anna grew up, he kept record of her blood analysis; all of which he did inhouse at his lab. It had been a few years since they had seen him last. He had felt confident that Anna would be fine with nothing more than her allergies and asthma to bother her.

Her Uncle Rhody had made it as well. Next to Happy, he had been the closest father figure she had after Tony's death. He had been Tony's closest friend and he had already felt a kinship towards Anna long before Tony passed away.

As Happy was busy calling Anna once again from Pepper's cell phone, Rhody put a glass of cold water in front of Pepper.

"She's probably fine," he told her as he sat down.

Natasha nodded as she glanced over her shoulder to where Steve was on his own cell phone by the otherside of the pool.

"Steve is calling Daniel," she told her. "Chances are, they had a meeting at the pool after work and they're running behind. It is her birthday so the pool might have surprised her with something."

Pepper nodded and smiled. "You're probably right. It's just that...I worry. I've worried about her her entire life."

And it was not just about her health, but the fear that someone would recognize one of them, throwing their entire cover of 18 years out the window. But as Anna grew up and Pepper herself had changed with age, the likelyhood decreased.

Natasha shrugged. "You're a Mom. It's your job. I can relate."

Pepper knew that Natasha could. She couldn't imagine Anna leaving for two years to a far off country and only hear from her every few months. She knew Natasha was a wreck during that time, even though she held her composure and optimism so well. She had been trained to deal with stressful situations, but nothing compares to that when it involves your own child.

"You said that she knew about the party," Bruce said from where he sat. "Is there any chance that she'd not show up?"

Pepper shook her head. "If she knew this was a big party, then perhaps she would. But not this one. It's just not like her."

She looked up as Steve made his way towards the patio table where they were sitting by the pool.

"Well, Daniel said he left work shortly after Anna did," he said grimly. "He's already been home to get changed and was on his way here when I called. He said he'll take a quick drive around and see if he can find her."

At that same moment, Happy walked up to them.

"Anything?" Pepper asked, hopefully.

He shook his head. "Rings a bit and then goes to voice mail. I'll give her another half hour and then I'm going out looking for her."

"I'll join you," Steve stated.

With a nod of his head, Rhody added, "me too."


Anna sat on the beach. She had long abandonned her shoes and dug her toes into the sand. She loved the beach and had for as long as she could remember. Her parents had taken her to the ocean nearly every weekend throughout the summers when she was a child. Pepper would comment many times how grateful she was that Anna never inherited her ability to burn so easily in the sun. The child would tan nicely and sit by the waters edge, digging for hours with Happy while Pepper would lather herself up in high SPF sunscreen.

Now, she wondered if it was Tony Stark whom she had inhereted that trait from. She wondered how much she was like him. Things, like her sense of humour, Anna always assumed was a trait she got from her Dad. Happy and Anna would find certain things to be funny while Pepper would just roll her eyes. Now, she wondered if it was actually a trait that she had inherited from Tony Stark. It threw everything she had ever thought about herself into question. One thing that would never change was that she loved her father.

She wished she could go back to that time where she didn't have a care in the world. Happy was her Father, as much as anyone tried to prove it otherwise. He always has been. She had no recollection of Tony Stark in her mind. But what she had seen and heard began to confuse her. She wished she hadn't seen them. She just wanted to forget.

Anna reached for the can of Heineken beside her and downed a good gulp before setting it back in the sand beside the other empty one.

She was an occasional social drinker, but when one discovers their entire life isn't what it was supposed to be, that goes out the window. It had been years since she was drunk; last time being the night she dropped out of Caltech when she vowed she'd never get drunk again. But here she was, already feeling that buzz and it felt good. Anna laid back in the sand and closed her eyes, listening to the calm, soothing sound of the ocean waves.

The beach had been vacant except for the occasional dog owner walking their pets along the shore. So, when she saw a shadow suddenly come over her face, she squinted and looked up.

"You do know that drinking is prohibited on this beach," Daniel said, blocking the sun from her face.

"Don't be such a party pooper. It's my birthday. I can drink wherever I want! Want to join me?"

She held up a can towards him.

"Not today." He smiled and sat down in the sand beside her.

"Who sent you to find me?" she asked.

"Your parents are worried," he told her.

Parents.

Anna scoffed as she began to chuckle. 'If only he knew.'

She put her arm over her face, preventing the sun from going into her eyes.

"What's going on with you?" he asked, knowing full well that it had something to do with what Coulson had told her. Even though he had an idea what Coulson approached her for, he hadn't a clue as to what it was or why he was assigned to protect her for the past few years. He knew Anna was smart and S.H.I.E.L.D had been keeping track of her grades over the years. Whatever it was, it had to be big.

"Nothing is going on," she told him.

"You're lying. I know you that well," Daniel said. He paused for a moment. "Was it something that man at the pool said to you?"

Anna opened her eyes and squinted at Daniel.

"Why? Did he say anything to you?"

Daniel shrugged. "Just that he wanted to speak with you and that it was urgent."

Anna closed her eyes again and sighed.

"What did he tell you?"

Anna groaned. "Things I'd like to forget."

"Like what?"

She took a deep breath and sat up in the sand, brushing the dust off her arms before looking at Daniel. "Have you ever heard of this organziation called S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D? Can't say that I have," he said, feigning confusion.

"Aparantly, according to this guy it was my grandfather who founded S.H.I.E.L.D and now S.H.I.E.L.D is wanting me to help them with some sort of algorythm that my father started."

"Your father?"

This time Daniel was genuinely confused. He had known his Uncle Happy for his entire life and not once was he aware of any connection between him and S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I didn't know that Uncle Happy could work a computer on his own, much less create an algorithm."

Anna nodded in agreement and laughed as she picked up the Heineken beside her and swallowed another big gulp.

"He can't," Anna confirmed. "He isn't my father."

When she saw Daniel's confused face, she continued.

"Well, he is my father, but biologically, he isn't."

Anna herself, still had trouble believing it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the awkwardly folded piece of paper. Anna handed it to Daniel.

Daniel looked at her wearily as he unfolded the paper and began to read. Anna watched his expression and then held out the can towards him.

"Want a drink now?"

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed, re-reading the birth certificate over again.

When Daniel didn't accept the Heineken, Anna took a gulp in his place.

"You're telling me."

After all these years of working with S.H.I.E.L.D, taking on the assignment to keep an eye on Anna Hogan and then protect her, he had never been told who she really was. Yet, it had began to make sense.

"This is your Mom," he said, pointing at the paper. "And Tony Stark."

"Explains my genuisness," she stated, slightly slurring as she spoke.

Daniel glanced over at her, seeing her eyes taking on a glazed look.

"How much have you been drinking?"

"Not much," she replied. "I'm totally in control."

Daniel looked past her at the two cans and sighed.

"Come on," he said as he stood up. "I'll drive you home. You're missing your own birthday party and I've been instructed to bring you home."

She waved him off.

"You can go to the party."

"I'm not leaving without you," he told her, as he looked out at the Atlantic ocean sitting just a mere twenty feet in front of them.

"I don't need a baby sitter, Rogers," she quipped, reverting to using his last name as she often did when she was getting ticked with him. "I'm a big girl."

"Says who? Your friend, Mr. Heineken here?"

Anna actually laughed out loud at the bad joke and raised her hand, slapping Daniel on his leg. "That's a good one - Mr. Heineken!"

"Yeah, I think you've had enough to drink," he told her as he reached down and grabbed her wrists and pulled her up to stand, nearly effortlessly.

He wasn't certain if it was the alcohol or her suddenly being pulled to her feet that caused her to sway. Either way, Daniel held onto her, steadying her in the deep sand as she grabbed ahold of his shirt to keep herself upright.

"I think I drank too much," she affirmed, causing Daniel to smile before he bent over to pick up her shoes from the sand.

As he stood back upright, he noticed Anna run away from him towards the treeline, her hand over her mouth. For a moment, he didn't know what was going on until he heard the tell-tale sound of someone throwing up.

Daniel sighed as he walked after her. When he reached the tree that Anna held onto to keep herself upright, he pulled her hair back from around her face.

"Thanks," he heard her mumble, as she caught her breath.

"Can't hold your liquor, huh Hogan?"

His attempt at lightening the situation caused her to chuckle lightly.

"Not funny Rogers."

Daniel smiled and put his hand around her waist before he ushered her back towards his car in the parking lot.

"Let's get you home."


Anna had sobered up a bit on their way back to the house, but she still felt aweful. She rested her head against the passenger side window and closed her eyes, not wanting the reality of the situation to sink back into her life. Anna wanted answers, but those answers frightened her.

When Daniel pulled the car into the driveway, Anna felt sick to her stomach once again, and it wasn't because she was beginning to feel hungover. Not only were her parents going to be there, but there were a few other cars, some that she didn't recognize. This wasn't the way her 21st birthday was supposed to be.

Daniel paused and looked over at her, seeing as Anna hadn't moved when he turned off the engine.

"You can't stay in the car forever," he told her, softly.

Silently, she nodded and opened the car door. All the while, Daniel watched her. As she walked towards the backgate, tears already in her eyes, he was right behind her.

"I don't want to do this," she whispered as she put her hand on the wooden gate. Behind it, she could hear the sounds of conversation and music coming from a radio. Daniel put his hand on her shoulder and Anna closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she pulled it open.