"I knew some people who pretend they got your back

Until you give 'em what they want and they disappear, fuckin' magic I guess

What the heck?

I know some people who built a reputation

But I gave 'em second chances until I saw what they're made of I guess

And they're a fuckin' mess"

- Dustin Atlas and Erin Bowman, Fake Ass Friends

Life had been a whirlwind for Anna following the events in Monaco. The media continued to cover the event three days later like it just happened and everybody had an opinion on it. As much as Anna had gotten used to media pressure and speculation from being in the spotlight her entire life, this new attention she was receiving was unlike the rest. Anna Stark was once America's Sweetheart but now she was looked at like some sort of incompetent teenager who had no idea what she was doing and shouldn't be trusted with her own inventions. She had never been deemed so untrustworthy, been told she wasn't good enough. Never scolded by an entire country for doing something good, for saving her dad! Now instead of being called Prodigy, she was being called a vigilante. And this was one incident!

Jake invited Anna to go out with him for the day, trying to help her get her mind off the press coverage. The whole thing was causing her to shut down mentally. The truth was Anna liked the feeling she got after Monaco. She liked saving people and helping them. The adrenaline rush she got was like nothing she had ever felt before. Not like in a daredevil sort of way, but it made her heart swell with pride that she actually made a difference in the world.

The two of them went out to lunch in disguise. It was kind of last minute though, so their disguises… well, their disguises sucked. Sunglasses and baseball caps were not as concealing as some may believe, despite what the movies make people think. Especially when everyone is on the lookout for the Starks. Sitting at the outside table at one of their favorite cafes, the two friends tried to remain inconspicuous.

"It's just frustrating y'know?" Anna vented to Jake. "Like, why was I America's Sweetheart simply for being my father's daughter and graduating college at the same age he did and all the other stupid insignificant bullshit. But, now, I'm not, and it's because I helped stop a frickin' Russian terrorist! Like what the hell, right?!"

Jake's eyebrow furrowed in worry for his best friend as she tried not to raise her voice but didn't quite succeed. The server dropped the checks off at the table and the two friends paid quickly so that they could get back to Jake's apartment. The duo walked down the road a bit, to where Jake parked his car, the conversation put on pause until they were in the safety of his black Range Rover that Anna helped him pick out. Suddenly, from one of the side streets, a news van pulled up and blocked their path. Jake grabbed Anna's wrist, protectively pulling her behind him as the cameraman exited the side door ahead of a reporter. The reporter immediately began rattling off questions at Anna, who was too shocked to process what was happening. Jake gently pushed her back before turning them around to try to get away. When they turned around, they were confronted by other photographers and reporters, all speaking at the same time, sending Anna into a stunned silence.

Overwhelmed by the shouting of questions, recorders and microphones being shoved in her face, the flashing of cameras, and the overall violation of her personal space, the only thing Anna could bring herself to do was grip Jake's hand so tight she believed she may be cutting off his circulation. The young Stark couldn't even pick out a single question or comment they were saying in the chaos. Jake, however, could hear what they were asking and was becoming increasingly angry as the media circus persisted.

"Anna, your suit, what makes you believe you should be allowed to handle such a weapon?" one reporter called.

"Why would your father allow you to have a suit? Is he encouraging these self-destructive tendencies?" another added.

One comment particularly angered Jake. If Anna would have been processing the information, she would be angry too. But she wasn't processing anything, so Jake got angry for her. "What would your mother think of your intervention in Monaco?"

Anna covered her face as the camera flashes became more frequent. Her breathing grew heavier, her chest ached, and anxiety filled her veins.

Jake, who was busy trying to push their way through the crowd, noticed one particular photographer push his way between him and Anna, cutting her off from him and isolating her. Jake stopped immediately and turned around to retrieve her, but was blocked off by the photographer. Anna tried to push herself away, but she was caged in by the ever-growing mob of people.

Having had enough, Jake grabbed the photographer by the shoulder and roughly shoved him out of the way, making him stumble and almost fall to the ground. "Everyone needs to back up now!" the dark-haired man bellowed out over the crowd. The questions paused momentarily at his outburst until one brave and stupid paparazzi approached the two friends again. Jake gave the man another rough shove away. "I suggest you get that camera out of our faces before I smash it to pieces," Jake growled in anger. The man's eyes widened at the threat, and the paparazzi started to back off a bit. As they gave the friends some space, Jake continued, "And if anyone else decides they want to stop us from leaving, I'll break more than just your camera."

With that final remark, he grabbed a shocked Anna's hand and escorted her to his car, trying to remove her from the situation as quickly as possible. The entire drive back to the mansion, the young Stark remains silent, something Jake is not used. He is worried about his best friend. Usually, Anna was the one who never cared what people thought; at least that's how she appeared anyway. But everyone had their breaking point and the eighteen-year-old Stark finally reached hers.

Pulling up in front of the mansion, Anna exited the vehicle before it was even placed in park. Quickly, she entered the mansion with Jake not too far behind. Vaguely, she hears JARVIS greet her and she sees Pepper and Natalie in the living room, talking on their phones and typing away on tablets. When the door shuts behind her, she knows Jake followed her in. The stress of their encounter with the paparazzi is just now settling as she replays what happened in her head over and over again.

"Anna—," he started before she cut him off.

"What were you thinking?" she snapped at him with narrowed eyes, causing his expression of worry to twist into one of confusion.

"Wait, what?"

"What were you thinking?" she repeated. "'I'll break more than just your camera.' Threatening them was the best thing you could come up with?"

"They mobbed us, Anna! What else could I have done? They weren't just gonna leave us alone out of the goodness of their hearts!" Their argument was growing louder and had effectively caught the attention of Pepper and Natalie.

"Whoa, what happened?" Pepper tried but was ignored as the two friends continued to go at it.

"You just made it worse! Don't you get that? Anna Stark, incompetent teenager exhibiting the same self-destructive tendencies of her father, now has a crazy friend who threatens paparazzi! Great, it's just great!" Before Jake could say anything else about how she was overreacting and she needed to just take a breath and listen to his side, she had already retreated to her bedroom.

Jake let out a frustrated groan and ran his hand through his hair, letting his best friend go to blow off some steam. She was self-destructing. But, not because of the reasons given by the media, but because of the media itself. The amount of pressure she was under was excruciating. Pepper stood up to follow her but was stopped before she could get too far.

"Let me try and talk to her," Natalie volunteered, surprising the other two in the room. They both allowed the young red-haired woman to follow the Stark girl, stepping back for once. As Natalie walked away, Pepper turned to Jake.

"What the hell happened?" she questioned him, not used to seeing Anna get so upset. Before he could answer her, Tony and Rhodey came up from the workshop, wondering what all the yelling was about and where Anna was. Jake took a deep breath, ready to explain what happened.

Meanwhile, Natalie stood outside Anna's door, the sound of Frankie Valli's Can't Take My Eyes Off of You drifting into the hallway. The redhead rapped on the door softly, but there was no answer or response. She slowly opened the door and poked her head inside to check on the younger girl. "Hey," she greeted gently, but Anna didn't respond. The Stark girl continued to lay on her bed, eyes closed and humming along to the music. Natalie took a seat next to her on the bed and attempted to start a conversation. "Great song choice," she tries. "I don't know many eighteen-year-olds that listen to this kind of music."

There was a moment of silence before Anna finally spoke up. "Well, I'm not like most eighteen-year-olds." Natalie glanced over at her, but her eyes were still closed.

"That's true," the redhead agreed, a soft smile on her face.

Anna opened her eyes and turned to glance at Natalie before returning her stare to the ceiling. "My dad said my mom used to sing this song to me all the time when I was little. Apparently, she was a big fan of the Four Seasons. I've been listening to them a lot lately, but I keep coming back to this song. It makes me feel closer to her." The conversation paused again.

Natalie was relieved though, that Anna actually opened up a bit. But truly, Anna didn't know why she offered up that information. She felt an odd comfort around Natalie. The redhead was not someone she expected to like originally, thinking that she just took the job to get close to Tony. However, over the last few weeks, Anna saw that there was more to her than that. She was still an outsider in the tight-knit group, family, that Anna had grown up with, but that's what Anna liked about her. Tony was her dad, and Pepper, Happy, and Jake were as good as family too. With Natalie though, she didn't have to worry about her sugarcoating things just to make her feel better. She could trust the redhead enough to be honest with her about the reality of things.

"I understand you know," Natalie tried to start conversation again. Anna scoffed. Okay, maybe Natalie was just trying to make her feel better a little bit, Anna thought.

"Oh do you?" Anna replied sarcastically.

"Yes. I know what it's like to go against the grain, go against what is expected of you. This world wants you to be the perfect daughter who will go on to inherit Stark Industries and invent things that will change things for the better. However, they also want you to do it their way and play by their rules. You found a different way to do it though. The world doesn't always see different as a good thing. You are a great daughter to Mr. Stark. I can already see that after just a few weeks. I can also tell that you're intelligent and have this goodness and maturity to you that not many girls your age have. You're right, you aren't like other eighteen-year-olds. And that's okay, because everything that makes you different, makes you a hero."

Anna sat up at Natalie's words, paying close attention to what she was saying. The redhead continued, "Stop focusing on the negative of what happened in Monaco. For every person that questions and doubts you, there are more who support you and think you're a hero too. You may not be quietly working in a lab day after day, inventing things that the world thinks it needs. You invented an amazing suit and you helped Mr. Stark stop that man. You saved people that day. Don't ever regret your decisions." As she finished, she turned the television in Anna's room on to continue to make her point.

Anna glanced at the television only to see a news anchor speaking about the incident. She quickly grabbed the remote, ready to turn it off and preparing for the negativity only for the reporter's words to stop her.

"Despite what some on Capitol Hill may think, Tony and Anna Stark were heroes in Monaco. The two of them thwarted a terrorist attack on their own. Yet, some people still have the gall to try to tell Miss Stark that she can't use her own invention. Some of these people even support her father as the Ironman. Using her age is a pitiful excuse. She's an adult. Not to mention success-wise, she is much further along than many who are much older than she is. She commits an act of true heroism, yet she faces backlash. It's ridiculous."

"You see," Natalie started, turning Anna's attention back to her. "I'm not the only one who thinks so."

"Thank you," Anna replied. "I was so swept up in the negative press, sometimes the positive comments didn't stick with me like they should have."

"Glad I could be of help. That is what I'm here for," Natalie said with a polite smile.

Anna chuckled. "Yeah. Maybe you could help me with this press stuff sometime. I know I could always ask Pepper and everything but she's been kinda busy now that she's CEO."

"She would make time for you."

"I know. But, I don't want to bother her. So, would you?"

"Of course, Miss Stark."

Anna rolled her eyes at the formality. "Please, after this whole ordeal, just call me Anna."

"Of course, Anna." Natalie stood to leave the room, but the Stark prodigy stopped her.

"Wait. Before you go, I wanted to know if you would help me with something else." Natalie gave her a nod, waiting for her to continue. "So… you still haven't taught me how you knocked Happy on his ass at the gym. Would you?" Natalie gave a smirk that matched the one Anna had on her face.

"Why not?" Natalie agreed.

"Can we do it now?" Anna asked sheepishly. She knew it was very last minute, and that Natalie was probably busy, but she had a lot of frustration from everything that she wanted to unleash.

An unsure look crossed Natalie's face, "I would have to check with Miss Potts."

"I'll work it out with her, I swear." Anna rushed out, hopeful for the stress relief.

"Alright then." The two women exited the bedroom and went downstairs. Anna was shocked to see not only Jake and Pepper in the living room where she left them, but also that Tony and Rhodey had joined them. She makes eye contact with Jake and walks over to him.

Anna wrapped her arms around him to give him a tight hug, which was gladly reciprocated. The two friends could never stay mad at each other long. Pulling back from the hug, she met his eyes again. "I am so sorry," she apologized. "I overreacted. I took everything out on you and you were only trying to help me. I know I shouldn't care what they say, but I do. And even though you said those things to support me, I cared more about what they thought then I did about what you thought. But, what you think of me is much more important, and I was such an ass. Do you forgive me?"

"Of course I do. You don't need to apologize. I get it. I just have never seen you that upset and the way they circled us like vultures put me on edge. I'm sorry I upset you. You might be an ass, but so am I. That's why we get along so well, right?" he replied.

Anna laughed and the others in the room smiled at the two friends, "Right."

"Everything good then kiddo?" Tony asked his daughter. He was caught up on what happened by Jake and worried about his daughter when he heard some of the things the reporters said.

"Yeah. I think so." Anna turned to Pepper, "So, Natalie offered to go to the gym with me today. Can we go? I know you may still need her but it would be great to relieve some of this stress." After hearing of the day she had, there was no way Pepper could turn her down.

"Of course, Anna. Ms. Rushman, you're free to go. I'll be sure to message you if anything comes up."

Natalie nodded to Pepper before Anna led her out of the living room, all too willing to learn to kick some ass.

The following four days leading up to Tony's birthday party went a lot more smoothly for Anna. Jake was called out of town for a family emergency but Anna was okay because she continued to spend more time with Natalie at the gym as well as continuing her palladium research. Before Jake had left though, Anna made sure that they had made up completely after their fight. She showed up to his apartment with all of his favorites: pizza from his favorite hole-in-the-wall family pizzeria, his favorite microbrew beer—which she hated—and a stack of his favorite movies including Office Space, Dodgeball, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Dogma, and the Blues Brothers. She stayed the night at his place while they binged on junk food and quoted the movies as if they had seen them a hundred times before… which they had.

When Jake was called out of town the next day, Anna wished him well and returned back to the mansion. There she met up with Natalie and roped the redhead into going to the gym with her again. The following days they went to the gym together. Though Anna's muscles ached from the exercise, muscles she didn't even know she had, she loved every second of it. During the breaks in between workouts, Natalie helped her work on how to blow off the paparazzi and by doing so, Anna regained some of the self-confidence she had recently lost. When Natalie was pulled away for work with Pepper, Anna would wander down to the lab and continue going through any research she could find, trying to figure out a replacement for the palladium killing her dad.

Unfortunately, Tony's big birthday bash was still a go. Anna had tried to convince her dad to cancel it after everything that had happened over the past week, but she had little luck. That meant that any free time was spent planning the party at the mansion. If anything, Anna wished he had changed the venue so her house wouldn't be a mess after the evening. Now, even if the younger Stark retreated to her room, she would still hear the pumping of the bass speakers.

Not that Anna didn't love a good party, because she definitely did. She just felt it was too soon after the Monaco incident and while she felt better about it, she still wasn't ready to face everyone. Plus, Jake, her rock, was gone and the only people her age that would be in attendance would be the same fake people she had been avoiding for three years. Her old "friends," otherwise known as the Unholy Trinity… at least to her they were.

The night of Tony's birthday, Anna looked out her window and watched as cars pulled up in front of the mansion. Sighing, she decided to finally make her appearance. Not feeling a dress tonight, the Stark prodigy instead decided to wear a nice blouse and a pair of black skinny jeans in addition to her heels. Making her way down the stairs to the party, she kept her eyes peeled for someone, anyone, she recognized. But, she couldn't find anyone. No Rhodey or Pepper, no Natalie or Happy, and not even her own dad. Great, she thought to herself as she made her way to the bar to get a drink. She opted for a Coke, deciding for once that maybe it was best if she stayed away from alcohol for the night since there were plenty of prying eyes around, waiting for her to trip up and make a mistake. With her drink clutched tightly in her left hand, she weaved through the crowds of people dancing and mingling. She had almost made it to the other side of the room when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Long time no see, Annie," a familiar British accent spoke from behind her. Shit, Anna thought, of course, she would run into him. Turning to face the man who spoke, Anna plastered on the nicest smile she could muster. It was incredibly fake.

"Mark, of course, you're here," Anna said, smile still in place, although now it could be mistaken as a grimace. Mark Atlas was the son of Arthur Atlas, the CEO of Atlas Worldwide, one of the biggest development companies in the world. Anna had met Mark when she was still in high school before she graduated early and moved on to MIT. He had also been her first boyfriend. It didn't end well. "Where's the rest of the group?" By that, she meant the rest of the Unholy Trinity.

Mark shot Anna that charming smile that had roped her in the first time she met him. She was a sucker for a nice smile. Well, she used to be. "Oh, Shelby and Jay are grabbing some drinks."

"Great, well I gotta go," she tried to make a break for it, but Mark wasn't letting her off that easily.

"Oh, wait, here they come now." Just then, Shelby Dutch and Jay Molina approached the two and Anna just wanted to die.

Shelby Dutch's father, Richard Dutch, got his fame in the fashion industry with his Duchess line that garnered worldwide attention, while Jay Molina's mother, Josie, was some big actress in Mexico. While Anna also knew Shelby through school, she knew Jay because his brother, Oscar, was an attorney that worked for Stark Industries. They were once her friends, her best friends, but that was in the past now.

"Hey babe," Shelby greeted Mark, looping her arm around his. Of course, they're dating now, Anna thought, well officially. That was what had torn them apart. Mark cheated on Anna with Shelby, which led to Anna finding out that Mark was only dating her because of who her dad was. Jay, who Anna believed would have stuck by her, apparently was so far up Mark's ass that she lost all her friends in the dispute. However, at least Oscar still gave Anna hope that not all Molina men were jerks. He had tried to apologize for his younger brother's behavior after the shit hit the fan, and not just to save his own ass either. It was genuine, Anna could tell.

However, now, confronted with her three ex-friends, Anna could feel her anger towards them increasing the longer they were in her presence.

"Anna, what's up?" Jay greeted as if they were all still friends. It pissed Anna off even more.

"Oh, not much. Just enjoying my dad's party," the younger Stark answered through clenched teeth.

"I love your outfit," Shelby complimented, but Anna could tell she didn't mean it.

"Thanks," Anna dragged out, having had enough of the niceties. "Well, I'll be going now." Any attempts to remove herself from the conversation weren't even disguised at this point.

"Wait, I just gotta ask," Jay started, "How's it feel to be a superhero now Annie?" So that's why they were being so nice because now she was not only Tony Stark's daughter but also Ironman's sidekick.

Anna decided to ignore the question and instead let out all the anger she was feeling towards the three. "And I just gotta ask you guys, are we in the Twilight Zone or something?" Anna paused as they looked at each other confused, trying to figure out the correct answer to her rhetorical question. "Because last time I checked, we aren't friends. We apparently never were friends. And, we're never going to be friends. So let's drop the act and just be real for once. This conversation was over before it started and let's never try to repeat it, okay? Remove yourself from my presence. Bye." She waved at the group in a sarcastic fashion, before pushing around them. The only response she got from them was a scoff of disbelief from Shelby, and a "damn" from Jay while Mark looked pissed at her brushing them off.

Going back on her previous rule of not drinking any alcohol tonight, Anna thought she could allow herself one drink after that encounter. She approached the bar again, setting down her old glass and ordered a drink from the bartender.

"Holy shit, I didn't think anyone was ever going to tell my baby brother off for acting like such a douche," another familiar voice said. Anna groaned, having had enough unexpected reunions for the night. She turned to her right to see Oscar Molina, the better Molina, leaning next to her against the bar. The dread left her as she smiled at him before reaching up for a hug.

"Haha, thanks," Anna said, taking a sip of her drink.

"No problem," Oscar said with a smirk. "Aren't you a little young to drink?"

"What? Are you gonna narc on me or something?" Anna teased him back.

Oscar chuckled. "Hell no. Not after that wonderful display I just witnessed." Anna couldn't help but smile at the attractive man. After Anna and Mark broke up and the whole friend group imploded, Anna grew to have a small crush on the older Molina. He was attractive and funny and nice. And she had always had a thing for older guys. Granted, nothing would've happened. She was only fifteen at the time and he was twenty-four, so that was a no-go. There was also the problem that he saw her as a younger sister, ouch. But, even now, Anna could remember why she liked him so much, even though they hadn't seen each other in a couple years.

Oscar took a sip of his drink before turning to the younger Stark. "And hey, great job out there in Monaco. I knew you were bound for great things. I mean, when you were accepted to MIT, I was proud of you, kid. Not just because it got you out of the LA drama, but also because you could make a name for yourself away from your dad a bit. Not saying I don't love your dad, he did give me this job y'know. But, it gave you time to grow up outside of his shadow. And look at you now. Prodigy doesn't cut it." Anna smiled at the praise, remembering how her MIT acceptance came only a month after her and Mark's breakup.

"Thanks, Oscar. That really means a—," Anna was cut off when her attention was drawn to the stage where the DJ was set up. Tony was stumbling around, drunk, while fully clad in the Ironman suit. He held a full bottle of champagne, which he proceeded to drop scattering glass everywhere. "Holy shit!" Anna exclaimed, leaving her glass at the bar and moving through the crowd.

Tony grabbed a microphone and started speaking as Anna got closer, "You know, the question I get asked most often is, 'Tony, how do you go to the bathroom in the suit?'" He paused for a second, closing his eyes. "Just like that."

Anna knew she must have had a look of horror on her face as she muttered, "Oh my god," to herself. Just then, Pepper got on stage and stole the microphone from Tony before he could do anything else.

"Does this guy know how to throw a party or what?" she started, throwing in a nervous laugh that could be mistaken as real. Tony bent down to say 'I love you' to the crowd in the microphone as Pepper gently pushed him back. "Unbelievable! Thank you so much. Tony, we all thank you so much for such a wonderful night. And we're gonna say goodnight now, and thank you all for coming." Groans of disappointment rang from the crowd.

Anna got to the stage and tried to usher her dad down at Pepper's words, but Tony wasn't having it. "No, no, no, we can't," he tried. "Wait, wait, wait. We didn't have the cake. We didn't blow out the candles."

Anna grabbed his attention. "No. No cake. No candles. You are acting crazy right now. Can you please get down off the stage?"

Pepper added to Anna's pleas. "You're out of control, okay? Trust me on this, okay?"

Tony was too drunk to grasp what they were saying though. Instead, he tried to kiss Pepper in front of everyone, but Pepper leaned away. "You just peed in the suit," she tried again, as Anna watched on, embarrassment filling her from head to toe.

"I know. It has a filtration system," Tony countered.

"It's not sexy."

"You could drink that water."

Anna decided to stop the back and forth, "Okay, dad, no. You need to send everyone home now. It's time to wrap this up. I'm done. I wanna go to sleep and you should too."

"If you say so," the billionaire responded to his daughter. Pepper gave him back the microphone as he handed her the bottle. "Pepper Potts and my lovely daughter, Anna. They're right. The party's over. Then again, the party was over for me, like, an hour and a half ago." Anna dropped her head into her hands, knowing where this was going. "The after-party starts in fifteen minutes. And if anybody, Pepper and Anna, doesn't like it, there's the door!" As he motioned to the stairs, he accidentally shot off the repulsor on his suit, causing the glass to shatter and all the drunk people in the room to cheer.

Anna was at her wit's end though. Protect him from himself, she recalled her mother's words. She climbed on stage and yanked the microphone away from her dad. Completely serious, she looked at him and said, "Take the suit off now. I'm far from kidding dad."

"Oh Anna, relax. Have some fun."

"It's kinda impossible to have fun when I am watching you self-destruct." Not letting him respond, she held the microphone up to her mouth, "Excuse Tony. He forgets that he's not the only person that lives here sometimes." Anna shot Tony a dirty look. "That being said. Everyone needs to get out of my house now!" People began to boo at her but she didn't give in. They were all as bad as Mark, Shelby, and Jay. They didn't care about her or her dad. Not really. "Oh yeah, keep booing me. Keep it coming. Doesn't change the fact that if you're still here in thirty seconds, I'm calling the cops!"

Tony grabbed the microphone from his daughter again, "She's just kidding everyone! The after-party is still on!"

Anna turned to her dad, seething, "I live here too. Can't you just stop and think about what you're doing for a second?! You're not the only one that's going to be affected by what you're doing right now!"

"Anna relax."

"Don't tell me to relax. You think these people are your friends? These people aren't your friends. To them, you're a party trick!" Tony frowned at his daughter just as a really drunk girl stepped forward and threw a bottle of champagne up in the air. Tony shot it with his suit, causing the liquid to rain down everywhere. Anna flinched away from the shattering glass, before getting off the stage. She was done trying to talk sense into him. The same drunk girl and her friend continued to throw things in the air for Tony to shoot down.

"I'm done with this bullshit," Anna said, pushing her way to the back of the crowd to find Pepper.

Suddenly, Rhodey's voice sounded throughout the room, "I'm only gonna say this once. Get out." Anna looked at him to see him in the War Machine armor. Everyone fled from the house, afraid to come in between the two Ironman suits. Anna went outside, meeting up with Pepper as the two began to face off.

Outside as a bystander to the fight, Anna watched as the two destroyed her house. "That's it. I can't watch this anymore." The younger Stark ran back inside the half-destroyed mansion and into the workshop to grab her own suit. Quickly suiting up, she heard the two crash through the floor above her. Returning to the ground level, she saw Happy run out to grab Pepper and bring her back outside. Tony punched Rhodey's knee out before picking him up and slamming him on the ground.

"That's enough," Anna called out in her own suit.

"Stay out of this Prodigy," Tony told her, not even looking towards her and Rhodey got to his feet.

"You made that kinda impossible dad."

Walking forward, she throws an uppercut at her dad, making him fly back and hit the ground. He got up and held his hands up. "I'm not gonna hurt you Anna," Tony tried.

"Oh, I'm counting on it." She stood between him and Rhodey. "Take off the suit and this ends now."

Tony didn't listen to her though and turned on his thrusters and launching himself at her. She ducked out of the way but doing so left Rhodey wide open. Tony clashed into Rhodey, sending them both to the ground. The two threw a couple punches at each other before Tony slammed Rhodey through the countertop. Turning to face the crowd and let out a loud yell, scaring them off.

"Congrats, dad. Now you scared off all you adoring fans," Anna quipped sarcastically. Tony turned towards her, not realizing Rhodey had gotten back up behind him with the countertop clutched in his hands. Rhodey swung the countertop at him, knocking Tony into the wall and fireplace when Anna dodged out of the way.

Tony pulled himself from the wall and pointed a repulsor at Rhodey and Rhodey did the same. "Put your hand down," Rhodey ordered.

"Whoa, guys, both of you stop now," Anna demanded as she stepped forward, but not quite coming between the two.

Tony was more focused on his friend though, "You think you got what it takes to wear that suit?"

"We don't have to do this, Tony," Rhodey warned.

"You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot."

"Put it down!"

"You gonna take the shot?"

"Both of you put it down now!" Anna tried again, but they wouldn't listen to her, continuing their standoff.

Eventually, they both took the shot and a large blast filled the room sending all three of the flying backward. Anna came to and saw the flickering of the lights overhead. She stood up, a little uneasy on her feet as her display restarted. She caught sight of Rhodey in the War Machine armor and shook her head.

"Just take it," Anna said. She didn't care what Rhodey did with the armor at this point. Turning to Tony, who stood from the rubble that was once her home, Anna removed her helmet.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Anna questioned him.

"Not now Anna," he replied, removing his own helmet.

"No. Now, dad. Are you actively trying to ruin your life? Do you just not care anymore?" Tears began to build up in her eyes. These self-destructive tendencies, the overuse of the suit, she wasn't an idiot. She knew what this was about. "What are your palladium levels, dad?"

He didn't answer her, which only made her realize how right she was. "What are your palladium levels?!" she yelled at him.

"Eighty-nine percent. Probably higher now." Anna couldn't help the light sob that escaped her. How her dad was still alive was beyond her? With eighty-nine percent blood toxicity, he could go any day now.

"Why didn't you tell me how high it got? Are you even trying anymore? You've just given up, haven't you? While I've been having JARVIS run test after test and looking into every possible way to save you."

Tony looked up at his daughter, eyes red from unshed tears. "I tried Anna. JARVIS tested every element. There is no suitable replacement for the palladium."

"So you did just throw in the towel. Okay fine. But, you decided that this was how you wanted me to remember you? Acting like an ass in front of people who couldn't give a shit about you instead of telling me so we could spend time together or going on an actual vacation with Pepper since Monaco was a bust. But no, you decided to become the old Tony that didn't give a shit about anything. Good to know." She walked outside where the crowd had once been standing. "I'm going to Jake's since you destroyed our house. Let me know when you're done being an ass."

Anna put her helmet back on and skated off to Jake's house in record time. She collapsed her suit back into its backpack shape and found the spare key outside of Jake's apartment since she didn't have any of her belongings. Shedding her outfit from the party, she changed into a pair of Jake's sweatpants and a t-shirt before collapsing in his bed and crying herself to sleep.

The next morning, Anna was woken up before seven o'clock when her phone beeped. The sun was up, but Anna was exhausted, having gotten less than five hours of sleep. Grabbing her phone from the nightstand, Anna looked and saw she had a text message from an unknown, blocked number.

Meet at Randy's Donuts in five minutes.

Wear your suit.

The text was suspicious, to say the least. Anna thought about blowing it off, but something in the back of her mind was nagging at her to go. Besides, worst comes to worst, she's in a super suit and can kick some ass. So, without even changing from the clothes she slept in, Anna donned her suit and took off to Randy's Donuts.

Thanks everyone so much for the support and patience! Meant to have this out last week and had about half of it typed but then I kinda hated it and needed to rework it. Still not completely happy with it but I wanted to get something out. Didn't help that I got sick and felt like death either lol.

ANYWAY... the next chapter will the first semi-introduction of Cap and another OC character of mine from my Bucky/OC story, Klara.

Only a few chapters left of Iron Man 2 and then some original chapters before I begin my new story for the Avenges!

Enjoy and let me know what you think!