Pepper opened the door to her apartment, letting Rebecca walk in before her so she could lock the door behind them. Rebecca had stayed here many times when she was younger and Tony had to do weapons demonstrations or had to go with Obadiah on a business trip for conferences. It had been over a year since she had stayed there overnight, but she had visited enough that nothing had changed drastically. Pepper's apartment was a two bedroom, two bathroom, which she insisted for guests, and it was extremely spacious. She was on one of the highest floors thanks to her generous Stark Industries wages. Rebecca put her heels over by the door and sat down on the soft couch while Pepper fussed in the kitchen, making their cups of tea. She looked down at her hands as she held them out in front of her, observing as they trembled uncontrollably from her stress levels reaching a max.

"Here you go," Pepper walked over, holding a cup out to her. "It's Chai."

Rebecca accepted the warm cup, positioning it comfortably in her hands. "Thank you."

They sat quietly together on the couch for a while, just sipping at their hot drinks, giving each other the silence that was needed. The living room light was on, but dulled down enough to make it a peaceful room for them to just sit, but their minds wouldn't leave them alone.

"How bad is it now?" Rebecca asked, knowing Pepper would understand what she was asking. She needed to know what would happen now, there was no way the government were going to let him off the hook now.

Pepper sighed. "It's bad. Rhodey's the one whose been holding the government off, but now...I don't know what will happen."

"I never thought he would do something like that." Rebecca shook her head. "Why? Why would he? What happened that made him lose it like that, Pepper?"

"I don't know." Pepper told her honestly. "I've seen him do lots of stupid things when he drinks, but never like that, and never when you were around. He didn't want you to see him drunk, he was always conscious of that."

Rebecca ran her hands through her hair, taking a deep breath. "He needs help. It's all of the pressure, it has to be." she thought. "The whole country depends on him to protect them, but at the same time they're fighting him. How can he deal with that alone?" Rebecca began to feel bad for her father, and she almost felt guilty for leaving him, but she kept being reminded of what he had done. "I just...ugh! I can't believe he would be so stupid! Look at how hard we've all fought for him during this whole thing, trying to protect him, and he does this in return!"

"Shh," Pepper tried to calm her. "Hey, listen to me, it's okay. It's over now, it's been done, there's nothing we can do to change it." she reached over and grabbed Rebecca's hand in hers. "We've been through so much over this last year, haven't we?" Rebecca nodded sadly. "Right, and we've made it through everything, haven't we?"

"But this is different-"

"I know, believe me, I know it's going to be hard." Pepper tried to keep a relaxed tone as to not overwhelm Rebecca in this sensitive moment. "We just need a while to...come to terms with everything."

Rebecca shook her head. "This is such a mess."

"It will be okay." Pepper spoke clearly.

"Pepper..." Rebecca looked over to her. "I'm not a little kid anymore, you don't have to tell me everything's going to be okay when...it isn't."

Pepper frowned, slightly guilty that she couldn't even tell Rebecca what she thought. "I know it's not okay, it's nowhere near okay." he admitted. "But you've gotta keep telling yourself it will be."

Rebecca almost laughed at the way she put it. "I've never been good at that sort of stuff, I can't say positive. I like to fix things when they break, but I can't fix this. How can I be positive?"

Pepper nodded in agreement to her logic. "Your dad's done a lot of stupid things. A lot. You've had to deal with that your whole life, all of the drama and the nonsense that comes with being his daughter, and I'll admit this is the stupidest thing he's done, but he loves you. He didn't want to hurt you."

"Then why did he do this?" she questioned. "I've seen him drunk, and that was not drunk, that was wasted. He should've known not to get in the suit!"

"I don't know why he did it. I don't know what's going on with him lately." Pepper sighed. "I honestly don't have a clue."

They both knew this wouldn't be easy to deal with, they didn't even know where to start. There was so much that needed to be talked about, and so many people to answer to.

"Come on," Pepper stood up. "Go take a nice, long shower and go to bed. What you need is a good nights sleep, clear your head. I'll bring you some pajamas to wear."

Rebecca reluctantly followed Pepper into her guest room as she showed her where she kept towels and soaps, and then she left her to the room in order to get ready for bed.

Rebecca couldn't clear her head though, no matter how relaxing the shower was. The steam from the hot water filled the bathroom as she stepped out, looking into the mirror at her tired eyes as her makeup smudged down her face. All of her worrying, her stress and her exhaustion had made her look horrible, and she knew only sleep could cure her. She pulled on the pajamas that Pepper had left out for her, and they fit loosely over her as she walked out. Pepper had her bed prepared for her. Covers pulled back, lights dimmed to allow just enough to get comfortable, and a bottle of water on the nightstand.

"I'll see you in the morning." Pepper poked her head in the doorway as Rebecca settled into bed.

"Thanks for letting me stay here."

"You know you're welcome any time, for as long as you need, okay?" Pepper gave her one last comforting smile. "Goodnight sweetie."

With that, she closed the door walking to her own bedroom, leaving Rebecca to stare out of the window at the city lights, unable to sleep. She couldn't calm her thoughts, she couldn't relax and fall asleep like she would every other night in her own bed, in her own room, at home. But her home was barely standing at the moment, having walls crashed in and everything either broken or thrown about. She threw her legs down from the bed after giving up on sleep for the time being, her body not settled enough to even enjoy laying in the comfortable bed. Instead, she sat up on the long seat next to the window, leaning against the wall as she watched the lights of the city. Cars drove around one after another, lights flashed from surrounding buildings and people roamed the street. Their peacefulness teasing Rebecca as her mind drove her crazy. She could feel a headache coming on, but she didn't bother looking for anything to soothe it, instead she co timed staring down at the city lights, her head pounding against her temples, until her eyes drifted closed.

It had been over an hour since Rebecca had closed her eyes by the window, and she soon began to softly snore as her body found a comfortably position.

"Dad!" she screamed, rushing over to the lifeless body that lay on the floor of the destroyed living room.

He was in the suit, but he helmet has been torn off to reveal his face. His eyes were closed, and there was no response. She pushed and shoved on the armor, trying to wake him up, but he remained motionless as the blood gushed from his abdomen, creating a pool around him on the floor.

"No!" she cried, lifting her hands slowly and staring at the blood that covered her hands. "You can't be..." She continued shaking his body, trying to wake him up, but he didn't react. "No! Wake up...please wake up!"

Rebecca shot up in her position, falling off of the seat she sat on by the window. She took a long breath of air, choking on the intensity as she gasped. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she controlled her breathing, slowly realizing that she had had a nightmare.

The apartment was silent when Rebecca finally emerged from the guest bedroom, yawning loudly as she looked over at the clock. It was 5.30am, and she had to blink a few times to make sure she was seeing it right. She couldn't remember the last time she woke up this early before, and she didn't know why she was even up now.

"Gone in to the office, probably won't be back until this evening. There's cereal in the cupboard, or there are eggs in the fridge. Make sure you have a big breakfast and relax for the day. Pepper."

Pepper had signed the note with a few 'x's, and it was hard not to smile at her loving message. She still had a sick feeling inside of her whenever she thought about the previous night, and she decided that a big breakfast would be a good idea.

Settling on a bowl of cereal, Rebecca made her way over to the couch and sat by the coffee table to eat, switching on the television in hopes to catch morning cartoons. As usual though, she had caught the news instead, reading the big headline that was written across the screen. 'Iron Man's breakdown'.

"It was a usual birthday party at Tony Stark's Malibu mansion, when an unexpected turn of events took place, most footage being caught on camera by surrounding guests. Tony Stark's Iron Man was brought into the party, and it was clear he was under the influence of alcohol, which made the events that followed dangerously irresponsible-"

Rebecca turned off the television, throwing the remote onto the floor. The last thing she wanted to do was listen to the reporters exaggerate everything about what happened, but in this case, it was hard to exaggerate. She quickly ate her breakfast, ignoring the nausea she felt after the consumption, and she headed to the guest bedroom to get changed. Luckily, Pepper had clothes that would fit her well enough, and she dressed in very neat, professional clothing. After making sure she had cleaned up her mess, Rebecca hurried out the door, down to the busy street and easily found a cab.

"Where to?" The driver asked, a bored tone.

"Stark Industries."

Tony hadn't slept well that night, if he had slept at all. His eyes were dark and baggy, covered by sunglasses, and he was still wearing his Iron Man suit. He couldn't bare the thought of being in his house when it was completely trashed, and especially when it only reminded him of the fact he had driven his own daughter out of her home. In an effort to ease his hangover, he went on a search for strong coffee and carbohydrates.

Tony sat on the roof of Randy's, lounging on the large donut, enjoying the large box of donuts he had ordered from a very shocked worker, not that he was in the mood to deal with people. As he sat there eating, he couldn't help being reminded of her younger self. Trying to ease a hangover, the stench of alcohol still strong on his breath, completely shutting out the world and hating himself for everything he'd done.

"Sir! I'm gonna have to ask you to exit the donut!"

Tony looked down at the figure requesting him, and he had trouble believing who it was. It was the same mysterious man who had come to see him after he revealed to the world that he was Iron Man. He was dressed in black all over from his leather boots to his long leather jacket, and what was most peculiar about the man was his eyepatch, and it was clear who he was. Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. The man then simply walked off into the store, leaving Tony to make his way in behind him. For a few seconds, he debates going in, suspicious of what he wanted, but eventually that suspicion got the better of him.

After walking in the store, Tony was greeted with a cup of coffee on the table where Fury was sitting, and he didn't hesitate to take a sip immediately. This man seemed like the real deal, although Tony couldn't be sure. SHIELD had helped him with many things, mainly through the work of Agent Phil Coulson, but this time it was just the director himself.

"I told you, I don't want to join your super secret boy band." Tony muttered, referring to their last conversation.

Fury chuckled. "No, no, see I remember you do everything yourself. How's that working out for you?"

Tony grumbled, not wanting to admit defeat. "I'm sorry, I don't wanna get off in the wrong foot. Do I look at the patch or at the eye?" he asked, trying to avoid the topic in mind. "I'm not sure if you're real."

"I am very real. I'm the realest person you're ever gonna meet." Fury assured him.

"Just my luck." Tony grumbled, picking up his coffee before looking around the now empty store. "Where's the staff here?"

"That's not looking so good." Fury ignored his question, looking directing at his neck and the 'high-tech crossword puzzle' that continued to grow.

Tony didn't give him a response, instead he just looked at him with a blank expression, most likely unreadable as his glasses were still on.

"We've secured the perimeter but I don't think we should hold it for too much longer."

Tony looked up at the voice next to him, and he was in shock at who it was. Natalie Rushman, now decked out in a holster and gun, leather suit and threatening bracelets. It then occurred to him, based in the situation and what she was saying, that she was a SHIELD agent.

"Huh." Tony mused. "You're fired."

"That's not up to you." she smirked, taking a seat next to Fury.

Fury seemed to be enjoying watching Tony's shock. "Tony, I want you to new Agent Romanoff."

Tony shook his head in disbelief, her name wasn't even Natalie Rushmore, she was a completely different person. "Hi."

"I'm a SHIELD shadow, I was tasked to you by director Fury." she explained bluntly.

"I suggest you apologize." Tony told her, giving her a disapproving glare as he watched her eyes stay on his.

Fury had grown tired of this situation. "You've been very busy." he stated, leaning forward. "Made your girl your CEO, you're giving away all your stuff, you let your friend fly away with your suit. I'd I didn't know better-"

Tony cut him off there. "You don't know better, I didn't give it to him, he took it."

"Whoa, whoa, he took it? You're Iron Man, and he just took it?" Fury asked, getting on Tony's nerves. "The lil' brother walked in there, kicked your ass, and he just took it?" Fury seemed to like spelling things out for Tony, making everything he said seem like lies. "Is that possible?" he asked Agent Romanoff.

"Well according to Mr. Stark's database security guidelines," Agent Romanoff began. "there are redundancies to prevent such issues."

Tony really wasn't in the mood. "What do you want from me?"

"What do we want from you? Nuh uh, what do you want from me?" Fury asked, seeming to have grown aggravated. "You have become a problem. A problem I have to deal with. Contrary to your belief, you are not the centre of my universe. I have bigger problems than you in the south west region to deal with." Fury seen Agent Romanoff approaching, and he signaled a hand to Tony's neck. "Hit him."

Tony jumped back as soon as the needle pierced his skin, injecting something into his neck. It stung like a bee, but it soon wore off, although that didn't stop Tony from overreacting.

"Oh god! Are you going to steal my kidney and sell it?" he held his hand to his neck before turning to face the woman who had blindsided him. "Could you not be awful for 5 seconds. What did she just do to me?"

"What did we just do for you" Fury corrected, assessing his neck. "That's lithium dioxide, it's gonna take the edge off. We're trying to get you back to work."

Tony knew exactly what Nick Fury meant by that. The country needed him, they needed him to defend them, and here he was sulking away and ignoring them, granted he was dying.

"Great. Give me a couple of boxes and I'll be as right as rain."

"It's not a cure." Agent Romanoff informed him. "It just slows the symptoms."

"Doesn't look like its gonna be an easy fix." Fury told him.

"Trust me, I know. I'm good at this stuff. I've been looking for a suitable replacement for palladium." Tony looked to Fury with a seriousness he had lacked during the conversation. "I have tried every combination, every permentation of every known element."

Fury knew Tony was good at this stuff, probably one of the best, but he was missing something. "Well I'm here to tell you, you haven't tried them all."

Rebecca walked through the corridors of Stark Industries, making her way to Tony's office. No one ever went in there when he wasn't in his office, and she just hoped anything that he had worked in was still somewhere in there. She needed to find out what was going on with her father. Ever since she heard Pepper admit to not knowing what was going on with him, it sparked something inside her to find out what it was. Pepper always knew what was going on with Tony better than anyone, even himself sometimes, ad the fact that not even she knew meant that there was something to worry about.

"Rebecca," A man's voice called from down the hall beside her. "What a pleasant surprise."

Rebecca cringed at the sound of his voice, recognizing the forced politeness. She turned to face his direction, putting on a fake smile of her own.

"Justin Hammer." she spoke with very little enthusiasm. "I would hardly think that my presence would be a surprise considering where we are."

Rebecca was taken aback by her quick attitude change. She reminded herself of Pepper when she became serious and professional like that, yet she lacked Pepper's many years of experience in pretending to care what people like Justin Hammer had to say.

"I suppose you're right." he flashed a smile as he walked closer, obviously intending on a conversation. "So how've you been?"

Rebecca narrowed her eyes at the man. "Wonderful. Now, what do you want?"

Hammer chuckled. "I guess you like to hold grudges."

"I wouldn't waste my time with a grudge against you." Rebecca out her hands on her hips with a serious look on her face, albeit tired of lowering herself to actually stand there and listen to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Rebecca, you're obviously not very up to date with your company's events and scheduling." he pointed out. "The Expo. I'm just here to confirm my slot."

Rebecca let out a slight laugh in hopes to insult him. "You're presenting at the Expo?"

"That's right."

"You do know you have to able to make something that works, right?" she asked bitterly.

Hammer only smiled politely at her jabs. "Your dad seems to have some faith in me since he got me the gig and approved it."

"Well of course, who would deny America the chance to see you're humiliating attempt."

Hammer knew he wasn't getting a civilized conversation out of this, but he remained polite and poised. "I must admit, I was rather disappointed when you didn't get back to me on my offer."

"That's too bad." she shrugged.

"Yes, things could have gone very differently." he gave her a sympathetic look. "Maybe if you'd only agreed to work with me, your dad wouldn't be fighting off the government."

"If you have something to tell me Hammer, say it." Rebecca looked at him with a serious glare.

"Oh no, I think you know what I'm talking about." he smiled. "And now with what happened at his little party last night, I'm guessing Homeland Security and the Government will come after him like hungry vultures. It's a shame, really, to think that you could change that for him with one simple favor." Rebecca had never wanted to slap someone in the face so much before, but she did her best to keep calm. "I bet I know what your father would do if the roles were reversed. Too bad you don't care to make the same sacrifices for your loved ones."

Hammer was manipulating her, she knew that and she tried so hard to ignore everything he was saying. He knew what he was doing though, using all the words he knew would hurt her and comparing her dad's love with her own.

"What do you want from me?" she asked through her teeth.

Hammer only smirked. "I told you, think back to Monaco. I'm sure you remember our little conversation about helping out your dad. He seems like he could use it at the moment."

"There's nothing you could do to help him." Rebecca shook her head. "You don't speak for the government."

"No, honey, I don't." he agreed. "I speak to them. I am in control of everything that is coming for Tony Stark." Hammer informed her, noticing that in this moment she was vulnerable. "You've got my card."

With that, Justin Hammer strode off down the hall in his expensive suit, a slight bounce in his step for what he had achieved in the last few minutes. Rebecca stood there in the hall by her dad's office door, staring into nothing as she kept replaying Hammer's words.

"...your father would do if the roles were reversed. Too bad you don't care to make the same sacrifices..."

I hope you liked this chapter. This is the beginning to the tangent I'm going off on with this story. This is a movie-verse story, and until now I've been following closely and intend to come back to doing so, however, this is where I'll be writing completely new stuff (hopefully you guys will like it!) into the story and creating new subplots and all kinds of stuff. It's basically so I can prolong the story and write in my own stuff. Anyway, I won't be giving away any details, only that from now on things will be a bit different but hopefully enjoyable all the same. I hope you continue to read, and please review! Thanks!