He can't feel any part of him; his whole body is limp. His head feels like it has been drugged correction drugged to the point of overdose. He wants to open his eyes, but he can't. He can hear voices in the distant, but can't make out words.

"Tony…" a person whispers. Tony finds the strength and opens his eyes expecting to see either Pepper or Rhodey, but is shocked at who he is looking at.

"Mum?" he says.

Maria Stark smiles at him and runs a hand through his hair. Tony slowly turns his head to look around, but all he sees is white surrounding him as if he were floating in clouds. With Maria's help, he is able to sit up. He looks down and sees he is in his favourite pair of jeans and his MIT shirt. The last time he looked at himself he was in his suit about to fight the Mandarin. Suddenly panic sweeps through his mind and he looks at his mother.

"Am I dead?"

Maria smiles and shakes her head, "Not yet, you still have some time to decide."

Decide? Tony slowly stands up and looks around. What was there to decided? He didn't want to die.

"Where am I?"

Maria looks around and then at her son, "Where do you think you are?"

Tony shakes his head. Typical his mother would answer with a question. Even in spirit she is just as she was when she was alive.

"If I'm not dead then it can't be heaven," Maria shrugs. Tony studies her to see if he can get any reaction, but nothing. "Why am I here? What happened? Did we win the battle?"

Maria smiled and began to walk away. Tony frowned and ran to catch up with her. She found a white bench and sat down. Tony sat beside her. Tony sees she is wearing the outfit she wore the day she died; her favourite pink blouse with black business pants and heels.

"I can only tell you oh so much, but what I can say is that you've won."

"The battle?" He asks to make sure he understands correctly, but she doesn't clarify. Instead she jumps topics.

"I always feared you would never find someone to settle down with. Even before your father's death and mine you were a playboy. Sadly, I must take some of the blame for that."

Tony shook his head and took her hand, "No, I made my own choices. Some being bad. None of that is your fault."

Maria gave a small sad smile and shook her head; "I should have paid more attention to you when you were little. It was my job to make sure you were raised properly and I failed," Tony didn't know what to say because he knew she would argue back. "I should have kept you away from all the alcohol and drugs. I should have kept you at home and go to college at eighteen like everybody else not graduate it then."

"I chose to go when MIT asked and you and dad agreed it would be best."

A tear slides down her face when he mentions his father.

"Your father and I made many mistakes when raising you because we had so many mistakes between us. Don't misunderstand me I loved your father, but being his wife was not easy."

Tony nods, "I know."

Maria brings a hand up to his face and cups his cheek with a smile. "And now my baby is having a baby."

Tony blushed a little and looked away, "If I can go back."

Maria sniffed and Tony looked back at her. "Do you want to go back?" she asks.

"Of course!" Tony answers right away earning a look from his mother to not shout. "Sorry, but I can't die yet. I can't leave Pepper."

Maria smiles when he mentions Pepper. "That girl is too good for you."

Tony smiles and laughs a bit, "I told her that is what you would say." Maria smiles at him. Her hand then goes to his chest and she can feel the arc reactor through his shirt.

"I know you have a heart underneath this metal. Even in your playboy years I knew part of me was still in you and alcohol didn't completely take over your mind."

"I haven't had more than a glass since Afghanistan." He says firmly. Maria raises her eyebrows.

"Oh? Do I need to remind you of the night you conceived your baby?"

Tony goes red and Maria laughs. "I wasn't drunk. Pepper was definitely, but I wasn't."

Maria is still laughing and shakes her head. "Are you sure about that? You may want to ask her about that night," Tony frowns and goes to reply when his mother stands up. "I know I'm not the one you want answers from."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't be daft son." A voice from behind says. Tony turns and sees his father standing there in his favourite suit.

"He isn't daft Howard, just stubborn," Maria answers. Tony looks at her. "If you want answers honey, best ask them quickly. You're time is almost up. I love you baby and tell Virginia 'thank you'".

Tony stands up to go to his mother, but when he reaches her she had already faded away. Tony sighed and put his hand out to where his mother was.

"She'll never be gone son," Howard Stark says. Tony turns and looks at him. "She lives in your heart now."

Tony's jaw tightened. "Since when did you become philosophical?"

Howard sighs and sits down on the bench. "You heard your mother your time is limited. Do you really want to spend it like this?" Tony sits next to his father and just looks at him. "You're scared at becoming a father."

Tony shrugs. "Natural."

Howard sighs, "Don't give me that bullshit. You've already said it to Virginia, you're scared of making the mistakes I made with you."

Tony shakes his head, "No I promised her I wouldn't make the same mistakes."

"I said the same thing to your mother about my grandfather, but look what happened. It comes with the territory of being a billionaire. My father said the same thing to my mother."

Tony stood up and clenched his fist. "That doesn't mean I will fail Pepper."

Howard stood up as well, "No it means mistakes run in our blood. What makes you any different from the rest of us? From the rest of humanity?"

"You want to lecture me on humanity?" Tony snaps. "This coming from the man who built weapons for a living? The same weapons I saw kill innocent Americans?"

"I made a living and money to raise you and support your mother. Don't you dare complain about the luxuries you've had in your life."

"If you hadn't built a company on weapons…" Tony began.

"You never would have met Virginia. You would never have met James. You have what you have because of my mistakes. Tell me, can you imagine your life without Virginia?"

Tony unclenched his fist, but his jaw remained clenched. "No."

Howard sighed and sat down, but Tony remained standing. "I know you blame me for many things that have happened in your life. Do I regret being a shit of a father? Yes. Do I regret building my company? No. If I could go back and change some things would I? I would have treated your mother better. It's a miracle she stayed with me just like Virginia has. I can't give you the answers you're looking for son because the answers you want lie within you."

"Shit is an understatement," Tony says coolly. "You abandoned me and left me to fend for myself. I would never abandon a child and I won't with mine."

Howard sighs. "Whether you forgive me or not is your choice. I cannot take back what I've done, but I stand by what I said. My greatest creation is you, just like your son."

Tony's eyes snapped into the direction of his father, but he was gone. If he heard correctly, his father just said his baby is a boy. Tony sat down on the bench. He didn't know what would happen next.