This is not the chapter you want. But the chapter you want was getting too long. So have a double update. It counts the same, right?

Avengers: Astounded
Part 2: You Sent us Back in Body Parts
Chapter 12: Never Think You Know Why?

Blank. It was… blank. Blank, blank, blank. Just blank. He sat at his desk, staring off into… nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Nothing was there. No one. He just stared. And…

"Sir…"

He heard the voice that time. He might have heard it the other dozen or so times. But that last time, he was certain he heard it. Certain he…

Slowly, really slowly, like really, really slowly, Tony blinked and shook his head. He opened his mouth but… He was thirsty. That was his first thought. He was really thirsty. And tired. "Dum-E…" He rasped out. He didn't get a response.

The bot was sitting beside the couch, doing nothing. He didn't move or acknowledge he heard his name.

"Dum-E!" Tony said louder. Had he run his battery out? How? Just how long had Tony been sitting there? "U! Get me some water please."

The bot rolled across the room towards the tiny fridge. He pulled out a bottle of water and brought it over to Tony.

"Thank you." He said, taking it. He drank the whole thing and U zipped off to get him another. "Jarvis." He said loudly, leaning heavily on the table. "Is Dum-E dead?"

"He is fully functional, sir." Jarvis answered. "He's just being stubborn. His battery is at 18%."

Tony nodded slowly to himself. Dum-E certainly could be stubborn. Really stubborn. How the fuck did he get so stubborn? "Uh… low long have I been sitting here?"

"3 hours and 37 minutes, sir."

Tony nodded again and suppressed a shiver. The metal desktop was cold. He sat up slowly. "What was I doing?" He looked around the desktop. But it was bare.

"Nothing, sir." Jarvis said. "You finished the schematics Miss Potts requested 3 hours and 30 minutes ago."

Tony rubbed at his forehead. "I did?"

"Yes, sir."

"Did I… do it correctly?"

"Yes. I sent them to her. She sent a thank you message back for completing it ahead of schedule."

Tony glanced at his monitor as an email from Pepper appeared on screen. He pushed against it and nodded slowly again. He didn't remember any of that. "Jarvis… what's wrong with me?"

There was a pause before the AI replied. "I do not understand the inquiry, sir. Nothing is wrong with you."

"Something is very wrong." Tony stood up and stumbled. Yeah, he'd definitely sat there, unmoving, for hours. He felt… sluggish, dazed, lethargic, confused… Something had to be wrong. "Full body scan." He said lifting his arms. "Emphasis on the brain and reactor." Blue light lit him up and passed over him from head to toe.

After a moment, Jarvis answered. "I can find nothing wrong with you, sir."

"The reactor?" Tony glanced down and poked at it. "Is it running slow?"

"No, sir. There is no fault anywhere."

Tony sighed and rubbed at his head. "Maybe I'm just… tired…"

"You haven't slept in two nights, not since…" Jarvis stopped.

Tony rolled his neck, popping out a few kinks, and scratched at it mindlessly. "Since what?" He mused, leaning back against his desk.

"Since Captain Rogers was last in here."

"Steve…" Tony crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Really, Jarvis? Are you suggesting I'm… what… going through some kind of Captain America withdraw?"

"No, sir." Jarvis said with a hint of laughter. "That's not what I was suggesting at all. But now that you mention it…"

"No." Tony shook his head. "That's fucking ridiculous." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. It was fucking ridiculous. But… had he really not been up here in two days? Had Tony not seen him in that time? Did it really matter? Well… it mattered a little bit. Tony'd just gotten used to the Captain being around. It was… a comfortable routine.

"So…" Tony started after a few silent moments. "He hasn't been up here at all? In two days?"

"No, sir."

"What's he been doing?" Tony asked slowly.

"He and Natasha have been watching TV with Thor and training with Clint together."

Tony nodded and shrugged. That was good. Wasn't it? He was hanging out with the others. He wasn't isolating himself. But… "But… where's he sleeping?"

"In his bedroom, sir."

"And his… nightmares about me?"

Jarvis paused. "He hasn't had any dreams about you dying." He said slowly.

Tony frowned. Well… that's what he wanted, wasn't it? Help Steve with his nightmares. If he was able to sleep two nights in a row… maybe the Cap was fine. But… "If he… uh… has one… can you… let him know he's welcome up here?" Tony asked awkwardly. "To uh… watch movies… with the bots…"

"Certainly, sir."

Tony nodded as he walked over towards the couch. Dum-E still hadn't moved and he still didn't when Tony sat down. He had something clamped in his claws. "Dum-E…" Tony reached for it and Dum-E let him take it. "This is Steve's sketch book."

Dum-E turned towards him and rotated his claw. He beeped softly and reached for the book again.

Tony set the book back down on the table and sighed. "This is ridiculous. It's only been 2 days, Dum-E. You can't miss him that much."

The bot rolled closer and pressed himself against the side of the couch.

Tony rolled his eyes and sighed. "He'll come back and play with you, okay?" He threw his arm around Dum-E and leaned back. "Jarvis, turn on that stupid robot movie with the floating fat people."

"Right away, sir."

"Dum-E." Tony wagged a finger at him. "I want you at your charging station before you get below 10%, okay? I mean it."

The bot beeped as the movie started.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Sir…"

Tony opened his eyes. It was early. The sun was just beginning to peak in the window. Why were there so many windows in his workshop? Why didn't he have curtains? He should buy curtains. Lots and lots of long curtains. Or he should paint the windows black. That would work too.

He blinked a few times, adjusting to the bright light. He must have been tried. Really tired. He sat up slowly and realized Dum-E was still beside him. "Dum-E!" He snapped.

"He did charge, sir." Jarvis answered softly. "Briefly."

Tony rolled his eyes and pointed towards the wall where the line of charging stations sat. "Now, Dum-E." He said sternly. "And don't move until you have a full charge." He watched as the bot rolled across the floor. Then he nodded to himself. He rubbed at his forehead and eyes and let out a sigh. "U… can you make me a pot of coffee?"

U dropped the… wrench? Tony didn't know why he had a wrench. But he dropped it on the floor and rolled over to the coffee maker.

"Sir."

Tony stood up and walked over to where U had been. "Yeah?" He bent over the pile of tools and began to pick them up.

"I've found him, sir."

Tony stilled and dropped the tools. "Where's Cap?"

"He left about an hour ago to visit with Miss Carter, sir."

Tony jumped up and headed to the monitors. "On screen." He said. "Where is he?"

"Point Lay, Alaska."

A map of Alaska appeared and Tony gawked at it. A dot lit up along the north western coast. "What the fuck is that?"

"It's a small place in North Slope Borough of Alaska." Jarvis explained. "Population is 190."

"Thousand?"

"No, sir. 190 people in the entire area."

"Damn." Tony shook his head. "Yeah. I'd classify that as small." The images changed to landscapes, factories, houses, and other things that were boring him.

"It housed a cluster of radar dishes that were a part of an early warning line installed during the cold war." Jarvis continued on. "It was decommissioned in 1990 and dismantled in 2004."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thanks for the history lesson." Tony grumbled, waving the images away. "I don't care about that shit. What about him? What's he doing there?"

An image of the man that haunted his – his? – Captain appeared on screen. His hair was longer and pulled back in a loose ponytail. He wore a hat pulled too far forward and a long, thick overcoat. He looked like he was hiding.

"What is this?" Tony asked.

"This is from the surveillance camera at a factory." Jarvis explained. "He's working as an electrical equipment mechanic."

"Does he know how to do that?"

"Apparently so, sir."

Tony shook his head slowly as he stared at the man on the screen. "Is there any proof that he knows we found him?"

"Not that I'm aware of, sir."

"Any sign he's still under Hydra's thumb?"

"None, sir. He appears to be… living a very small and transparent life."

Tony drummed his fingers against the table loudly and bit his bottom lip. Now that he had this information, he didn't know what he wanted to do with it. The end result would be to get him and Steve together and repair their broken friendship. If that was even possible. Steve had been certain he'd seen a glimpse of the real Bucky in the Winter Solider. But...

"Sir?"

"Yeah…" Tony bit his lip for a moment and then nodded. "Let's keep an eye on him for now." He flicked the images away. "Make sure he remains off everyone's radar. Especially Fury's."

"Will do, sir."

U rolled over and set a cup of coffee in front of Tony. He picked it up and immediately emptied it. "Oh wow that's hot!" He coughed and shook his head. That helped. He handed the cup back to U. "Another one. More sugar." Absentmindedly, he began tapping on the arc reactor in his chest. He was trying to remember what he had been doing before. Surely he had to have been doing something. He was always doing something. And now… His mind was blank. "Jarvis, what were we doing before the whole Cap issue?"

"Plans for a hanger and the Quinjet."

Tony nodded slowly like he remembered that. "Yes." He didn't remember that. "Did we acquire the necessary permits?"

"Yes, sir."

"And the building next door?"

"The property has been bought and the building vacated."

"That's fantastic." He said as U set the refilled coffee cup beside him. He quickly emptied it again. "Just get a second cup and keep them coming." U picked up the cup and Tony watched him for a moment. "Dum-E, you still charging?" He glanced over to confirm the bot was still there. "Good. Uh… when is Fury's party?"

"Tomorrow night, at 7, sir."

Tony groaned loudly and took sip of his coffee. "Do I have to go to that?"

"Yes." Jarvis said. "You do."

"Damn." Tony leaned back slightly and shook his head. He didn't want to go. Not that the chance to embarrass Fury wasn't tempting… "But if I go… surely everyone else…"

"Yes, sir." Jarvis answered. "Captain Rogers will be there."

"I didn't mean him!" Tony snapped.

"Then who did you mean, sir?"

"Uh…" Someone else, someone else. Like who? A name, a name. Just say a name. "Bruce?" Tony said awkwardly.

"Ah. Sorry, sir." Jarvis said. "I didn't know you were going through withdraws from him as well."

"I'm not having withdraws from Captain America!" Tony snapped again. He emptied the cup and picked up the second that U set in front of him. "The topic of Bruce, though, brings up another concern."

"And what is that, sir? Do you want me to get him up here so you can sleep in his lap?"

"Enough already!" Tony shook his head. "My concern is… where the hell is he? Like all the time? What's he been doing?"

"I don't know, sir."

Tony frowned. "Why not?"

"Because the idea of being watching makes him nervous and you removed the security camera and my access to his lab after he moved in."

"Ah. Yes." Tony nodded. A nervous Hulk would be a bad thing.

"You really should try to remember these things, sir. It's just embarrassing having to keep reminding you."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Do you know if he's in the tower at least?"

"He is." Jarvis answered. "He came down earlier this morning, made breakfast, and went back upstairs. He has yet to emerge since."

"So he's in his room?"

"That's what I just said."

Tony accepted another steaming cup of coffee from U and stood up. "Send the hanger files to Fury for approval."

"Approval, sir?"

"I'm playing nice." He said, heading towards the door. "That's what everyone keeps telling me to do." He hopped on the elevator and hit the button for Bruce's floor. "Banner." He called, knocking loudly on the door. "Hey Banner. It's Tony."

A few minutes passed before there was a click and the door was pulled open. "Hi." Bruce said uneasily. "Can I… uh… help you? With something?" He shifted and rubbed at the back of his neck. Looking nervous. Looking way too nervous.

"Yeah. You can tell me what the hell you've been doing. You haven't let our green friend make an appearance in…" Tony shrugged. "Okay, I don't know how long it's been. But it's been a while. You didn't even get to see me get eaten. It was awesome." He paused for a second and his eyes widened. "Don't tell Cap I said that!" He said quickly. "Getting eaten is bad. Very bad." He paused again and tilted his head. "Actually, can you tell him I said that?"

Bruce rubbed at his forehead. "Tony…"

Tony continued on. "You're a part of this team but you're not acting like it."

"I've been… busy." Bruce said slowly.

"Doing what?" Tony asked, sipping his coffee.

"Teaching."

Tony rolled his eyes. This was like pulling teeth. "Teaching what?"

"At the high school…"

"The high school?" Tony interrupted. "Like around kids? Bratty, annoying, hormonally driven teenage kids? This is a good idea?"

Bruce narrowed his eyes. "I have a lid on it."

"Bruce…"

"Look…" Bruce snapped suddenly. "I'm not…" He shook his head and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I've been too busy. But you guys have been handling it find without me. You don't need me."

"Bullshit."

"Goodbye Tony." He slammed the door.

"What the fuck, Banner?" Tony glared at the door for a moment. "Jarvis… would it be underhanded to reinstall you and the security cameras back on Bruce's floor without him knowing?"

"Yes. It would be very underhanded."

Tony turned to head back to his workshop. "But… he's lying!" He whined loudly. "And I don't know why he's lying! Or what he's lying about. And it's driving me nuts!"

"Breaking his trust is supposed to stop the lying?"

Tony's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Fine. Tell me when Cap gets back."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Tony returned to his work shop and started tinkering with the TV boxes. He needed to increase the recording space. Because Thor kept filling the damn thing up. Honestly… did he really think he was going to watch it all? Who had the time to sit down and watch that much TV?

"Sir, Captain Rogers has returned. He's headed up to his room."

Tony set the TV box down and turned. Dum-E and Dickhead were playing, chasing a robotic, rolling mouse across the floor. "Dum-E, the cat!"

Tony returned to the workshop a few minutes later, the cat still in hand. He set the cat down on Dum-E and crossed his arms. "There are giant bolts in the vent. Like giant." He stressed. "Who fucking bolted the vent to the wall?"

"Captain Rogers did, sir." Jarvis answered.

"When?"

"3 days ago, sir."

"Why?" Tony asked really slow, turning to look at Dum-E and the cat.

"Because, sir, you aren't nearly as sneaky as you think you are."

"Yes I am." Tony said deadpanned. "I'm awesome."

"The last time you shoved Fluffy…"

"Not you too?" Tony groaned. Why was everyone calling the thing Fluffy? That was not its name!

"The last time you shoved the cat in the vent, Captain Rogers saw you."

"Shiiiiiit." Tony breathed out. He leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling. He knew he should have had U watching the videos. Or Jarvis. Damn Jarvis for not telling him. Tony tried to run it through his mind. So the last time Steve had come up with the cat, that's when they started their nightly movie fests, wasn't it? And Cap had known. And now he was avoiding him and he had sealed the vent, which he knew Tony would eventually find…

"Sir, just go talk to him. Please."

"No." Tony snapped out at him. "If he doesn't want to talk to me, fine. I don't want to talk to him." Tony could hear the eye rolling in the silence. If Jarvis had eyes. It was a good thing he didn't.

So for the rest of the day, Tony continued to tell himself he wasn't going through 'Captain America Withdraw,' because that was just stupid. Nonsense. Illogical. Baloney. Twaddle. Gobbledygook. That was a funny word. He tried not to think about it. Although if he did think about it, it almost made sense. The whole withdraw thing… but he wasn't thinking about it. Because it was stupid.

So he played more with the hanger plans. And the Quinjet plans. He finished the TV boxes. He watched the stupid robot movie again with the bots. He drank the coffee U kept bringing him and the smoothie Dum-E shoved in his face.

"What was in that?" He asked, staring at the empty blender cup. "No, seriously. What the fuck? Dum-E, you know I can fire you. Do you want to be fired? I will fire you."

"Sir, Director Fury is on the line."

Tony shoved the cup back at Dum-E. "Make me another one. Jarvis, put him on screen." He leaned back, smiling. "Nick."

Fury glared at him. "Stark." He snapped. "When can we start on the hanger plans?"

Tony's smile broadened. "Next week." He said, rocking back in his chair. "As soon as we're done with your little party thing, I'll get a demo team out here to level the place."

Fury nodded. "Good. Keep me updated on it."

"I take it you approve, then? Director Fury?"

Fury rolled his eye and shook his head. "Yes. I approve." More softly, he added. "I would be lying if I said I didn't miss my helicarrier."

Tony piqued an eyebrow. "You want a new helicarrier?"

Fury nodded slowly. "Eventually."

Tony laughed. "I gave you an office building. Including you and Hill, you have like 15 people down there. That's so not enough people to run one."

Fury tilted his head slightly in a shrugging manner. "I'm reluctant to trust my old payroll."

Tony leaned back and laughed loudly. "Yeah." He shook his head, still laughing. "Can't fault you there."

"SHEILD was founded on the right side. Peggy Carter, Dr. Erskine, Colonel Phillips, your father…" He shook his head sadly. "I want to rebuild it." He said. "With your help." He mumbled.

"Aw. Nicholas. I'm honored."

Fury rolled his eye and shook his head. "I want you down here, sober and presentable, at 5 tomorrow."

"In the morning?"

"Evening."

"That's worse!"

Fury narrowed his eye at him. "Just be here on time."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Author's Notes: I think I will stop making promises and hyping up chapters. Because really… it's probably a bad idea. I'm not half as good a fanfiction author as I pretend I am. And I'm a good pretender.