(A/N: I decided to go for a little change of pace with this chapter. One, there's a TIMESKIP! I know a lot of you have been waiting for one. Two, the POV is from a 'new' character. I thought it was time to explore Samuel Cooper's mind. It was nice, exploring a new character and his motivations…As usual thanks to my beta-reader Lollypops101 and everyone who has reviewed, followed, favorite etc. Please enjoy!)

This was as not how he pictured his wedding. He had always wanted a small wedding. At the church he used to go to every Sunday. During the autumn. He pictured his bride, smiling from behind her veil as the pastor asked him if he wanted to take her as his lawfully wedded wife. He didn't picture it being broadcast on television, at a palace, in the middle of summer. He never pictured himself marrying a girl who was less than half his age, who looked more scared than anything else.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Samuel Cooper gave a nervous glance to the side. Loki gave him a nod and he took a deep breath. He lifted the veil. Phoebe looked at him nervously. She gave a little smile. That was another thing, he thought he was done kissing girls in braces when he was a sophomore. The kiss was quick, soft and unmemorable.

The party lasted all night. By the end, his head was aching from the loud music and alcohol, Gunnar had gone off with a group of girls, and Phoebe was sitting alone, watching the festivities.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, let me help you."

He handed Phoebe her cane. She hobbled unsurely. She still used her wheelchair a lot but Loki had wanted her walking for the wedding. Loki was very big on public appearances. When the kids were younger, they always had to be well-behaved, well-dressed, never talk back and never fidget. When Gunnar had returned from being in Rebellion custody, Loki had only waited until Gunnar was able to hold a lucid conversation before telling the press what had happened and scheduling an interview.

That had been nearly two years ago.

They hadn't heard anything from the Rebellion in that time. He knew they weren't dead. He had a good idea where they might be hiding but it had been years, he figured they must have moved to a new place by now. There was no way they were still in Stark Tower…

"Well, I should let you two be on your way. Have a good evening, my little one," Loki said and kissed the top of Phoebe's head.

"Good night, Dad."

"Samuel, take good care of my daughter. I entrust her care to you."

"Thank you, my lord."

Loki just nodded, "Of course. I am very sorry that Gunnar could not see you off. But you know how boys are at his age, Samuel. He does send his regards, and wishes you the best on your honeymoon."

"Thank you, my lord. And send Gunnar our thanks as well."

"Of course."

Why the hell was Loki thinking when he decided that he and Phoebe should marry? What the hell had gone through his mind? He buried his face into his hands. Why did he ever get himself into this mess? Why? Why couldn't he have just stayed at home? Why did he ever feel the obligation to…

They arrived at the hotel. They would stay there for the night, and then they would go to a vacation home for a few weeks and then would be sent off to tour the world. It was nothing more than a publicity stunt. He and Phoebe would be forced to act the part of a happy newlyweds.

"Do you need help taking off your brace?"

She nodded, sat on a chair and stuck out her leg. The brace was a horrific looking thing that wrapped around her entire leg, forcing the twisted, mangled limb into a single stiff line. It looked like a torture machine. She was only allowed to take it off to bathe but, of course, had been given permission to take it off for tonight.

"Thanks," she said and massaged her leg.

"Does it hurt?"

She glared at him.

He should really be more careful before he spoke. Otherwise he'd get himself into big trouble.

Well…bigger trouble than he was in now.

"Well, it's your wedding night, what do you want to do?"

"Sleep. I'm tired."

"You don't even want to watch a movie or open some presents?"

"I want to go to bed. I am tired and I want to sleep. I don't care what tonight is…I am exhausted and I just do not care."

"Okay."

He sat back in his chair. Phoebe hauled herself over to bed, refusing his help. He was secretly proud of her. Ever since he had given her the book and hard drive, she had started doing more things for herself and had even convinced Loki to let her start physical therapy so she could start walking again.

But she hadn't brought it up yet.

"Phoebe?"

"What?"

"Remember that flash drive I gave you?"

"The one that was full of porn, that you said would help me learn about my father? Was he a porn addict or something?"

"Uh…"

"Well?"

"You didn't figure it out?"

"Figure what out?"

There was no way she could be that stupid…How had she not made the connection? He thought she was smart enough to figure it out. She should be. Then again, Tony couldn't always make the connections between things.

Maybe Phoebe was the same way.

"Never mind, right now. As you said, it's late. We should get some rest. We do have a huge brunch in the morning."

"I hate brunch."

"Me too."

The worst part was having to share a bed. He knew that Loki was probably having them watched, waiting to see what he would do. He had told him, that he wouldn't do anything to her until she was ready. That was for her sake and his.

"Samuel?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you happy?"

"Why wouldn't I be happy?"

"Because you had to married a crippled thirteen year old with braces, and you're a thirty year old man…"

"I'm twenty seven. And I'm perfectly happy," he kissed her cheek.

She wiped it, "But…Never mind…"

"Okay..."

What could she want to say? What could be so important? Did she want to apologize? Or did she want him to? He had nothing to apologize for…She was well aware of what Loki could do to the both of them, if they refused. He would probably be killed. He wasn't important enough to be held prisoner or tortured.

He was selfish, marrying a little girl just so he could survive.

He was a horrible person.

Gunnar could have been killed, thanks to him…Taking him to the hideout was amazingly stupid…He had drugged him so that Gunnar wouldn't be able to remember where the place was but when Hill had started interrogating him, he panicked…And of course, Loki knew he was lying when he said he had been attacked…

Loki had told him if he wanted to regain his trust he would have to marry Phoebe. He didn't understand it at first...The same way he didn't understand why Loki had him cripple still wasn't over the guilt.

Poor girl.

He awoke the next morning with a massive hangover and was reminded why he didn't like drinking. The only other time, he had gotten that drunk was…was it his high school prom or graduation or what was it?

He couldn't remember. It didn't matter.

He popped a couple of Advil pills, and downed a glass of water. He was going to have to get dressed now, and get ready for the brunch Loki had planned. It was the last thing he wanted to do. He just wanted a cup of coffee or two and to not do anything for the rest of the day.

At least, he would have an excuse as to his appearance if he decided not to shower or brush his hair. What guy would look nice the day after his wedding? Loki wouldn't even be angry. Probably proud…Great…In nine months or so, he'd be expecting a kid…He didn't think about that before…Eventually, Phoebe would need to get pregnant…That was a thought he didn't need.

"Phoebe, we need to get downstairs…Your father will be expecting us."

"Do I have too?"

"Yes."

"Now, do you want the chair or the cane?"

"Chair…"

"You hate the chair."

"My leg hurts and I don't feel like walking."

Fair enough. He helped her to the bathroom and waited while she showered and dressed. He helped her back into her brace and sat her in the chair.

"I can wheel myself."

"Of course."

Brunch was not as bad as he thought it would be. Only Loki and Gunnar had come. Judging by their looks, they both had had a more exciting night than him and Phoebe. Didn't surprise him. Loki always slept with whores and Gunnar…well, Gunnar was a teenage boy. Hell, if he had been in Gunnar's position when he was his age, he probably would have taken advantage of it too.

It would have been over even quicker had Loki not insisted they open up all their wedding gifts there. There were the usual things; silverware, crystal, fine china, bed linens…They weren't going to use half this stuff. There was plenty in the palace. Why did they need more? Some things were just for Phoebe…There were a couple of things just for him. It just seemed too extravagant.

He didn't have a ton growing up. His family had had enough just to get buy but there was rarely enough if they wanted something more like a night out to the movies or new video games. Those had been rare treats for Christmas, Easter and birthdays.

Now, he lived in a world where more food would be served in an evening than his family would have in a month. There was more food at this breakfast than his family was able to afford in a week.

"What's the matter, Samuel?"

"Nothing, my lord."

"Then eat. It is a time to celebrate and I almost never see you enjoying yourself at parties. And this is such a joyous occasion."

"Of course."

He had to agree.

The servants put all their things into the carriage, their bags from the hotel had already been delivered to the palace and loaded. The vacation home was hours away. He had no idea what they were supposed to do for entertainment.

"Excuse me," he asked one of the servants, "Can I have a laptop please?"

"A laptop?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright. I will go fetch one, my lord."

Phoebe smiled, "He just called you 'my lord'. You're really moving up in the world, aren't you?"

"Yeah…You have the flash drive?"

"It's in my travel bag," she started pawing through a small bag next to her, "It's always with me…I just tell everyone it's full of tampons and stuff."

"Why would you need to carry around tampons? Don't you have servants for that?"

"I'm the princess and I can carry around whatever I damn want."

He smirked. This was how Phoebe would act if she was raised by Tony. He'd be proud. So proud. The servant delivered the laptop and smiled, "Enjoy yourselves."

Phoebe laughed, "Well, we do have those lovely videos."

Yep…definitely her father's daughter. He ruffled her hair, playfully. Like he used to do to his little sister..."Come on, let's watch."

"I don't actually want to watch porn…"

"Trust me…It's not…" he put the hard drive in, "…porn."

A video started playing. Music started playing and a video appeared. It was porn. Very obviously porn. He hadn't expected that. What was he supposed to do? He hadn't expected this out of the flash-drive. There had to be more than just the porn videos…Or could it be that Tony got it confused with the actual flash drive? If so where was the real one?

He clicked around. More videos popped up. All porn…The more he clicked, the more videos popped up. Damn it….Why couldn't things be simple?

"Told you it was porn. Totally messed with my laptop. I had to get a new one….Father was really upset…He almost killed me…I blamed Gunnar."

"You blamed your brother?"

"Yep."

She seemed almost proud. It reminded him of his little sister, and how much she used to get him into trouble…She loved doing that and his mom always believed her. As the older brother, he was supposed to be the responsible one…So much for that.

"Why am I not surprised?"

She smiled.

The computer continued to play the porn. Damn it. The servants were going to hear it. What would they think? Would they think they were doing? Would they really think they were both…It disgusted him to even think about the concept.

"I'm going to turn off the computer. Okay, Phoebe?"

She nodded.

The computer wouldn't turn off, "That's weird."

"Let me see."

"What do you know about computers?"

"Plenty."

He handed her the computer. He was curious as to what she'd do with it. He saw her frantically typing.

The music stopped.

"Ha. Told you."

It turned back on.

"Never mind," she said.

"If you want to learn, I'll teach you."

"Really?"

"You're my wife. I can decide what's best."

"Awesome…Now..how do I fix it?"

"I don't know."

"What if I just removed the drive? Last time, I just turned off the computer."

"That may work."

She yanked it out unceremoniously. The screen went blank. Finally, some peace and quiet. Maybe now, he could fall asleep. God knows he needed it. He definitely did not get enough the previous night...

Phoebe spent the rest of the trip fiddling with the computer.

It should be easy. But Tony had expected Phoebe Stark to be the one with the flash drive, not Princess Phoebe Lokisdotter.

Even the name sounded horrible…And his kids…Samuelsson or Samuelsdotter…That sounded horrible. Absolutely horrible…Even if he used his real name…It would still sound bad. Actually it would sound worse. Much worse….

Sometimes, he was glad to be rid of it…Other times, he wasn't. But he chose to get rid of it. Unlike Phoebe and Gunnar who were forced…Brainwashed.

He looked over to her. She was still playing with laptop. She was staring at it very intently. He wasn't sure what she was doing.

"You okay, Phoebe?"

"You said this was about…my father…right?"

He nodded.

"It doesn't make any sense."

"Why?"

"It doesn't make any sense," she repeated.

"What doesn't make sense, Phoebe? Tell me."

She just stared at the computer. Maybe now wasn't the right time to tell her. Maybe he should have waited. But until when? He thought she had figured it out by now...

"Wasn't my dad's name Robert? His name was Robert….And my mom's name was Gwennyth…"

He sighed, "Phoebe…I need to tell you something. It's really important. It's about your parents.

Your real parents. Not the man who raised you. And not the ones he told you about. Robert and Gwennyth…They never existed. Your dad…father ..your biological one…He wasn't a simple engineer. To call him that would be an insult to his memory. He wasn't the King's most loyal

follower. Think about it. How would a simple engineer become the most loyal follower? Your dad…Your dad didn't agree with any of that."

She shook… "Then everything…everything…I know…"

"Is a lie…."

"So…my dad is...my dad was…"

"Iron Man. Also known as Tony Stark," he smiled, "which makes you Phoebe Stark, more specifically Phoebe Anthony Stark."

"Anthony?"

"Your father's full first name. He hated it. That's why people called him Tony…"

Phoebe went silent for a good long time. He could tell she was thinking. She stared at the screen, "What was my mother's name?"

"Pepper. Didn't you read the book?"

"I burned it…like a week after you gave it to me."

He laughed, "Burned it?"

"Fireplace. I used the fireplace."

He smiled, "Good idea."

"There's a video on here…Can you watch it with me?"

"Tonight…I think we're nearly there."

So that night, they made a bag of popcorn and settled down on the bed. He popped open a couple of soda cans and handed one to Phoebe. She giggled and laughed at the bubbles and taste. Loki hadn't allowed her to have soda. For some reason, he thought it was funny how such a simple thing made her so happy.

The video was shorter than he thought it would be. In it, Tony looked exhausted. He had bags under his eyes, his cheeks were sunken in, like he hadn't slept in weeks.

"Well, Bruce just died last night…Steve and his wife were killed about a week ago…Natasha and Clint have been dead for almost a month…I guess I'm next. There's no way Loki would save me for last…I'm kind of surprised he waited this long…I was sure I'd be one of the first…But, that's not the point...Phoebe, I don't know how old you will be when you see this. I don't care…But remember…I love you. But, let's cut the crap…If you're watching this, you're in trouble, you're desperate…And that means its time…Underneath Stark Tower, is a room. It can only be accessed by a member of the Stark family. Any bit of DNA will do…Or fingerprint or iris scan…It has everything you need…You have to carry on the Stark legacy. I'm counting on you. You're our only hope. And I know I've already said this but I feel guilty. My dad wasn't around a lot growing up and I always wanted to be there for you. And now, I know for sure that I won't be there to see you do all the things a dad wants to see his daughter do; graduate elementary school, first day of high school, prom, drive a car for the first time...pilot your own mechanical suit for the first time…college…I'm going to miss that all and I want you to know that I'm sorry."

He paused for a moment and put his face in his hands

"There's videos for the others in here; Stevie, Bryan and Gunnar…And just in case for some reason you can't get there like you're in another country or the entire place has been destroyed or turned in Loki's summer home or something…all the blueprints are on this drive. Good luck and remember…"

"DADDY!"

He turned, "What is it, Phoebe?!"

"DADDY!"

"Just a minute!"

"NOW!"

Tony turned back to the screen, gave a little smile and sighed. The screen clicked off and turned black again. Phoebe just stared at the screen, her face solemn and her eyes tearing up. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling right now. She was shaking. He wrapped his arms around her and let her bury her head into her head into his chest.

Was she upset that Tony was her father or upset that she was lied to or upset that she didn't know that Tony was her father or was it a combination of all of them or was it something else entirely? He had no idea.

It couldn't be easy though. The girl just found out that her whole entire life had been a lie. She was taking it pretty well…Better than he would have handled it. Definitely better than he would have handled it.

"It's going to be okay…It's going to be okay, Phoebe…Everything's going to be okay..Everything is going to be alright…Okay?"

She sniffed, "Okay…but…what do I do now? How can I face my father…and Gunnar?"

He thought about it. He had never really considered what they would do once he told her. He didn't think about how it would affect her.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know. I guess I didn't think about it. But we'll figure it out."

She seemed unsure, "I do not know…I am scared. What if he figures out that I know? Will he kill me? What will he do?"

"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it, okay? It's useless to worry about something that might not even happen. It just wastes energy."

"That explains a lot."

He glared at her, "Ha ha. That was hilarious,"

"I thought it was. But Samuel…If my…If he..finds out…that I found out…wouldn't he…want me dead?"

The question caught him off-guard, "I don't know. But as I said, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Just be careful about what you say in public. You need to appear as though nothing has changed. As far as you know, you're still the daughter of Robert and Gwenneth…whatever their last name was…."

"Downey."

"Robert and Gwenneth Downey who were killed mercilessly by the Rebellion because of their loyalty to the King and then you were adopted and raised as a princess until the day you married me. Alright?"

"Alright," she took a deep breath, "I can do it."

"Good. We won't have to see him for awhile anyway. We have three weeks here and then our around the world tour…I've always wanted to travel. I never got the chance when I was a kid. I can't wait to see everything."

Phoebe nodded, "Me too. I never got the chance to see much of anything outside the palaces. I'd love to actually meet people. I've been learning several different foreign languages for the past seven years. I'd love to actually use them."

He smiled, "Lucky you. I only remember my first year of high school Spanish."

Phoebe laughed.

It wouldn't be rough for a while. A simple vacation. God knows he needed it. He hadn't had one in goodness knows how long. Between 'spying' on the Resistance and being Loki's advisor, he hadn't had time for a real vacation. This would be a nice change. He could relax on the beach, swim, go fishing, hiking…whatever he wanted. It would be nice. Even the trip around the globe would be relaxing. He could see all those places he would read about in school. The places he thought he'd never be able to see.

But that didn't change his loyalty. The only reason he ever joined Loki was to spy on him. It sucked that the Rebellion didn't trust him anymore. He had made a couple of really stupid mistakes that cost him…But they needed to get into Stark Tower. Get the weapons, the suit…Help out the Rebellion…Do the right thing, for the first time in years.

(A/N: So?! So?! What do you think? Was this the revelation you have all been waiting for? Has it? Were you surprised that Samuel is a good guy?! Do you want more chapters from him? Good chapter? Bad chapter? Meh? Feel free to tell me. Reviews are very welcome. *gives puppy dog eyes*Please? As a belated birthday gift? Next chapter is on it's way!)