I spent a lot of time deciding if and when Erika discovered the Iron Man suit, and I think I made the right decision.

Again, big thanks to everyone reading/following/favoriting/reviewing this so far! Your love means so much to me!


There were three basic things that summed up Tony Stark's life—drinking, one-night stands, and disappearing into his lab for days a time. Since being rescued from Afghanistan, there'd been less drinking (kind of), and almost no one-night stands, but he still spent plenty of time in his lab.

More time that usual, actually.

One night, Erika's curiosity got the better of her. She walked down the stairs and entered the access code for Tony's lab.

"I wouldn't recommend that" Jarvis sounded.

"Why?" she asked. "What's my old man been up to down here?"

. . . .

"Jarvis . . . ."

"Sir has informed me that this is a private project, which excludes all but him knowing full details."

Erika sighed. "You're lucky I'm not in the mood to hack you," she muttered.

"Believe me, I am very much relieved."

Okay, now he was being a smart-ass. Erika was about to snap at Jarvis to watch the attitude when something came crash-landing through the lab's ceiling and landed on one of Tony's cars. Erika shrieked and threw herself away from whatever had fallen. When the dust cleared, she gaped at the gray armored figure now pushing them self upright.

"What. The Hell!" she cried, still backing away.

The armored figure reached out a hand and said in a synthysized voice. "Erika, it's okay! It's me!"

Erika watched as various robotic limbs began taking the armor off piece by piece. The helmet came off and she gaped.

"DAD?"

After several minutes spent calming her down, Tony managed to get her calm enough to explain himself. He explained about the Mark I, about escaping the cave with Yinsen's help, and how he'd had the idea to remake the suit—the Mark II.

Erika couldn't speak for a few minutes. While she stood there, gaping, Tony fixed himself a cup of coffee and sat down, blinking several computer screens to life. "Notes," he began, viewing specs of his suit. "Main transducer feels sluggish at plus 40 altitude. Hull pressurization is problematic. I'm thinking icing is the probable factor."

"A very astute observation, sir," replied Jarvis. "Perhaps, if you intend to visit other planets, we should improve the exosystems."

Tony hand wave was non-committal. "Connect to the sys. co. Have it reconfigure the shell metals. Use the gold titanium alloy from the seraphim tactical satellite. That should ensure fuselage integrity while maintaining power-to-weight ratio." Silence, then "Got it?"

"Yes," was the AI's dry response. "Shall I render using proposed specifications?"

Tony sipped his coffee. "Thrill me." He glanced at Erika, who'd moved closer to look at the computer screens.

"This is what you've been doing," she said incredulously. "Making armor." She gaped at him. "What the hell do YOU need armor for?"

Tony shrugged. "You never know; like it?"

Erika shook her head. "Oh, I love it, but that's beside the point. Again I ask—what does Tony Stark need armor for?"

"And again I say, you never know," was his response.

At some point the TV had come on, and the reporter's voice caught both their attention. "Tonight's red-hot red carpet is right here at the Disney Concert Hall, where Tony Stark's third annual benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund has become the place to be for L.A.'s high society."

"Ooh, the benefit," Erika muttered. "I knew I forgot something.

Tony blinked and tilted his head. "Jarvis, we get an invite for that?"

"I have no record of an invitation, sir," said Jarvis.

"Huh." He looked at Erika. "How do you know about it?"

Erika bit her lip. "I may or may not have been told about it by Pepper, and then forgot about it," she said sheepishly.

"... hasn't been seen in public since his bizarre and highly controversial press conference," the reporter continued. "Some claim he's suffering from posttraumatic stress and has been bedridden for weeks."

Tony and Erika snorted.

"Whatever the case may be, no one expects an appearance from him tonight."

"The render is complete," Jarvis chimed.

"A little ostentatious, don't you think?" asked Tony, still focused on the reporter's words.

"What was I thinking? You're usually so discreet."

Tony Hmm'd "What do you think, Kiddo? Maybe a little hot-rod red?"

Erika held her hands in front of her. "Hey, it's your metal man," she said.

"Alright, Jarvis, throw some hot-rod red in there, will ya?"

"Yes, that should help you keep a low profile," Jarvis snarked.

"Hey, save the sass."

"The render is complete," said Jarvis.

"Huh," said Tony. "Hey, I like it. Fabricate it. Paint it."

"Commencing automated assembly. Estimated completion time is five hours."

Tony swiveled his chair and looked at Erika. "Still planning on making an appearance?" he asked, standing.

Erika grinned. "Wouldn't miss it," she said. "And, it so happens, I've got a new little number, just waiting to be worn."

"Oh really, and where did that come from?" He enquired.

Erika blinked. "What, a daughter can't get tasteful things from her father once in a while."

"I don't mean that, I only meant that when I do get you something, it would be nice to know about it."

The bickering continued up the stairs until they went to their respective rooms to change. (They both tried not to think about how long it had been since they'd been this comfortable around each other).

Tony cleaned up in a crisp black and white tux while Erika wore her new dress, a strapless knee-length in a lighter green, with gold strappies to match. Her usual emerald necklace was clasped around her neck and she had a small gold handbag.

"Not pinning your hair up?" Tony asked.

"Nope," she replied, running her fingers through her hair. The blonde streaks were fading—she'd have too re-do them sometime soon.

Erika guessed nobody expected Tony to show up, and she guessed that her so-far absence meant nobody expected her to show up, either. Both sent the paparazzi in a roar with their arrival, and Erika preened while Tony handed the keys to a valet. She followed Tony up the red carpet and smiled smugly as a young woman's "Hey Tony, remember me?" was met with "Sure don't."

Okay, so Erika would admit to loving this new-found not-bringing-random-girls-home thing that was going on, though she guessed (correctly) that a lot of it had to do with the Arc Reactor now planted firmly in Tony's chest.

"Looking good, Hef," Tony commented to an older man in a smoking jacket surrounded by women. The man looked around, confused, before giving his attention back to the ladies.

Obie was there, and was talking to a reporter about Stark Industries' latest upheaval. "Weapons manufacturing is only one small part of what Stark Industries is all about, and our partnership with the fire and rescue community..." he trailed off as he saw Erika and Tony.

"What's the world coming to when a guy's gotta crash his own party?" Tony asked him, clapping him on the shoulder.

Obie smiled. "Look at you. Hey, what a surprise."

"I'll see you inside," said Tony, heading past him.

Obie held out a hand. "Hey. Listen, take it slow, all right? I think I got the board right where we want them," he said.

Tony clapped his shoulder again. "You got it. Just cabin fever. I'll just be a minute," and then he proceeded inside, followed by Erika.


A/N: These next few chapters were a bitch to write *bangs head on desk*