Eight months after New York, and Tony was still on a tinkering binge. Every night, after Pepper fell asleep, he came down to the shop. His brain was overloaded with ideas. He had never needed much sleep, he kept reminding himself. But after the Mark XLII test ended with him being sent flying onto the floor and the suit getting smashed to pieces, he had to admit that 72 hours was a long time between siestas.

He decided to turn on the news to distract himself. Watching boring news always made him drowsy. Unfortunately, the news was far from boring tonight.

The Mandarin, the mysterious leader of the Ten Rings had finally revealed himself to the world. He had attacked the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait 39 hours ago. Tony knew this wasn't his problem anymore. The government had their War Machine—no, it was Iron Patriot now. Whatever. But he didn't think he could just sit this one out.

The next thing he knew, he found himself standing in a dark, ugly room full of Chitauri soldiers. They had gathered around some kind of altar. Tony heard the piercing cries of a baby. He went to take a look. Indeed, there was a newborn baby on the altar. The aliens were poking the poor thing with needles.

Ana.

"Hey, that's my daughter! Don't you dare touch my daughter!" He tried to push past the Chitauri, but he couldn't. He was only a ghost here. He couldn't even touch them. And they couldn't see or hear him.

Except for one. Loki, who was watching the Chitauri experiment on Ana from his throne. He grinned maliciously. "You're at my mercy, Stark. You always have been. I could've taken her from you years ago, and you'd never know."

He knew it was Loki who had told Sigyn that Howard Stark had a grandkid. According to Sigyn, Loki had grown to care about Ana back then. Not because she was an innocent human baby or anything, obviously, but because he had seen her as a tool to mend his wife's broken heart.

When he opened his eyes, he was back on the couch in the workshop. Ana was crouching beside him.

"Dad?"

He rubbed his eyes. "Ugh, hey."

"Bad dream?"

He nodded. He had nothing to hide from her at this point.

"What happened to your face this time?" she asked, examining the bruises.

"Just another lab accident."

She smiled sweetly. "On the bright side, you managed to get five hours of sleep. That's progress."

"I suppose it is… Where's Pepper?"

"At work."

"It's Saturday," he recalled.

"She wants to wrap some things up before the Christmas holiday starts. She told me you had a date tonight?"

"Yep."

"Are you going to tell her about your PTSD? Because she knows something isn't right."

"I probably should."

"Yeah, you should. I'm doing whatever I can to help you, but I'm not enough."

He sat up on the couch, so that she could sit next to him. When she did, he said, "No! You're amazing. I'm building tin cans, but you… You came up with a brilliant strategy. I actually feel safer when you're around."

She laughed.

"I'm serious!" It was true. She seemed to know what she was doing. Unlike him.

"Okay, I'm flattered, but don't sell yourself short, Dad. This is compartmentalization. You're Iron Man. And I'm… Well, I'm not really sure what I am. But I know what I'm not. I'm not a superhero. I can never fly in one of those suits."

"I find that hard to believe. If you really want to overcome your fear of heights, you can."

"What if I don't want to? What if I'm just a coward?"

"You're not."

"Are you trying to make me Iron Girl or something?"

"No. I just want you to be able to handle yourself in case of an emergency. For which, you don't even have to physically be in the suit anymore. Want to try out the new headset?"

"Compartmentalization, Dad," she reminded softly. "It's more effective."

Ana had always had a mechanical mind, but after New York, she had almost turned into a robot. Every detail in her life was planned beforehand, and she never strayed from her schedule. Saturdays and Sunday mornings, for example, were dedicated to her personal projects. It also hadn't escaped his notice that she was using the Christmas break to take better care of him. He was a lucky man.

"Speaking of, what are you working on these days?" Her attempts to make the unit recognized as a foreign currency on Earth hadn't gone well. She had had meetings with the Federal Reserve, President Ellis himself, IMF, and even the United Nations. Most governments and economists had scoffed at the suggestion. The world wasn't ready for it.

"Sigyn taught me about the principles of intergalactic coordinates and Jump Points. I'm planning to integrate my teleportation tech into the Universal Neural Teleportation Network. But first, I need it to be 100% reliable on Earth."

"That definitely sounds more exciting than remotely controlled Iron Man suits…"

"Don't get too hopeful, this is a long-term project. But I gotta start from somewhere. Logistics is one of the main obstacles in our way to make business connections with aliens."

"Maybe I can—"

"Dad…"

"Right, compartmentalization."

She got to work, and Tony went upstairs to take a shower. Then he returned to the shop. He wasn't done with Mark XLII yet.

When Ana saw the newest suit, she gave a sharp look, but made no comment. Instead, she said, "JARVIS told me you were worried about the Mandarin."

"Are you not?"

"Rhodey can deal with him."

"I can't just ignore it, kid."

"I thought you'd let go of the Ten Rings?"

"You're using my lines against me. That's not fair."

"No? Because everything I know, I learned from you."

Tony gave in. It was impossible to keep bantering with her while she was being so sweet. "Okay. You won."

"Sir, you have a lunch appointment with Colonel Rhodes in fifteen minutes," JARVIS reminded.

"Thanks, J. Ana, want to tag along?"

"Are you guys going to talk about the Mandarin?"

"I hope so."

"Then I'm coming," she said, much to his surprise. In the meantime, JARVIS had readied Mark VII for him.

Ana laughed. "Is the mighty Iron Man too good for cars now?"

"I just want to be prepared for anything. Tell you what, why don't you pick a suit? Let's race to the diner!"

"Dad, pretending like my acrophobia doesn't exist won't make it go away."

"In that case, I'll see you there," he replied, and donned the suit.

…

The main reason Tony wanted to meet Rhodey today was because he wanted to talk about the Mandarin. Luckily, he didn't have to try too hard to brought up the topic, because the Mandarin and the Iron Patriot were all over the news, and the TV in Neptune's Net was on.

"It tested well with focus groups, alright?" Rhodey defended his new superhero name.

"I am Iron Patriot," Tony mocked him. Ana chortled. "See? Even she thinks it's funny."

"Even me? Wow…"

"Yeah, because you take everything too seriously. That's a fact."

"Listen. 'War Machine' was a bit too aggressive, alright? This sends a better message."

"What about this new military contractor?" Ana asked. "Advanced Idea Mechanics? And its CEO, Aldrich Killian?" As usual, she looked like she had done her homework.

"What about him, sweetie?"

"I just want to make sure he's not another Justin Hammer."

"No, no. You got nothing to worry about."

"So, what's really going on?" Tony asked. "With Mandarin? Seriously, can we talk about this guy?"

"It's classified information, Tony." He was hesitant at first, but when Tony and Ana leaned closer, he went on, "There've been nine bombings."

"Nine?"

"The public only knows about the three. But here's the thing: Nobody can ID a device. There's no bomb casings."

"You know I can help. Just ask. I got a ton of new tech. I got a prehensile suit. I got bomb disposal. Catches explosions mid-air."

Rhodey knew about the Iron Legion. Tony had shared his concerns with him shortly after New York. He just didn't know how many more suits Tony had built since then.

He seemed worried, though, not impressed. "When's the last time you got a good night's sleep?"

"Einstein slept three hours a year. Look what he did."

"That's just urban legend, Dad."

Rhodey nodded in approval. "People are concerned about you, Tony. I'm concerned about you. Ana, too. We're trying to help you. Just let us, buddy."

Ana nodded eagerly to bolster his argument. Tony hated it when these two teamed up against him. It was for his own good, he knew, but still…

"You're going to come at me like that?"

"Look, I'm not trying to be a dick—" He paused when two kids approached their table. "—tator."

"Would you mind signing my drawing?" the girl asked.

"If Richard doesn't mind. You alright with this, Dick?"

Rhodey and Ana laughed. "Fine with me," the former said.

"What's your name?" he asked the girl.

"Erin."

"I loved you in A Christmas Story, by the way," he told the boy, so that he wouldn't feel ignored, though he wasn't sure if he got the reference.

He looked at the drawing he was supposed to sign. Shit. It was him carrying that nuke into the wormhole. It's just a kid's drawing, he reminded himself. Just sign and be done with it.

"Listen," Rhodey went on. "The Pentagon is scared. After New York, aliens… Come on. They need to look strong. Stopping the Mandarin is a priority, but it's not—"

"It's not superhero business," he said, ignoring the pain in his chest.

"No, it's not. Quite frankly. It's American business."

"That's what I said, I—" He sighed and covered his face with a hand. He had pressed the crayon too hard and broken it.

"You okay?"

"I broke the crayon…"

"Are you okay, Mr. Stark?" Erin asked.

He certainly wasn't okay. Maybe all that stress had taken a toll on his body. He wasn't young anymore. And just when he realized he didn't want to leave Ana alone in the world…

"Don't go, Dad. Don't leave me."

Rhodey had put a hand on his shoulder, and was calling his name, but Tony couldn't answer.

The boy came closer and whispered, "How did you get out of the wormhole?" This was the last straw. He didn't know how he had got out. The last thing he had seen was the nuke destroying the Chitauri ship, and then, he had woken up to the Hulk's roars, on a Manhattan street.

He scrambled to his feet and rushed outside. He needed JARVIS to do a health check.

"Check the heart," he said as soon as he was inside the suit. "Check the… Check the… Is it the brain?"

"No sign of cardiac anomaly or unusual brain activity."

"Okay, so I was poisoned?"

"My diagnosis is that you've experienced a severe anxiety attack."

"Me?" Insomnia was one thing, but an anxiety attack? He was Tony Stark, the most reckless and carefree person in the world. He couldn't have an anxiety attack.

"Dad?" he heard Ana ask. Rhodey was standing right beside her.

"I'm fine," he forced himself to say. He must have scared the shit out of her.

"Come on, man, this isn't a good look. Open up," Rhodey said impatiently, but Ana pulled him back and told him to wait.

"Sorry, I gotta split. I'll see you at home, kid." He took off. He didn't want anyone to see him like this, especially his daughter.

…

By the time Ana returned home, Tony was feeling much better. His Christmas gift for Pepper had just arrived, and he was preparing the shop for their date tonight.

"JARVIS told me you had an anxiety attack," Ana said the moment she entered. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, really. I don't know what came over me."

"I think you do, Dad. We both do."

"I guess we do," he admitted.

She hugged him. "Gosh, kids are so stupid…"

"Please tell me you didn't snap at those poor kids after I left."

"No, but maybe I should have."

"They couldn't have known."

She released him to look at his right hand. He had strapped an ice pack on it. It reminded him of the way his mom used to examine him after he cut, burnt or electrocuted himself in his dad's workshop when he was a little boy. Ana was certainly nothing like his dad right now. "Rhodey was wrong," she said. "You don't have to look strong all the time."

"That's ironic, coming from you."

"I know. Still, I'm going to keep an eye on you until Pepper's home. Do you need my help with anything?"

"Yeah, you can help me clean up this mess."

"Okay."

They tidied the place up in silence, so that Pepper wouldn't notice it was even messier than usual. Ana had said he needed to tell Pepper about his issues, and Tony had agreed, but she wasn't being pushy about it either. This was one of the best things about Ana. She knew when to dote on him, and when to give him space.

"You don't happen to know when Pepper will be home, do you?" he asked Ana at some point. He was getting hungry.

"No. What's the deal with that bunny outside, by the way?"

"That's Pepper's Christmas present."

"Where's mine? What do I get this year?"

"Since when do you ask for presents? Are you jealous or something?" he joked. She rarely wanted anything for herself.

"Dad…"

"Don't worry, I got something for you, too. It's a surprise, so don't ask."

He took his phone as he made his way down to the cellar to choose a bottle for tonight's occasion. If Ana didn't know when Pepper would be home, maybe Happy did. But when he answered the call, all Tony could see was his forehead.

"Hello? Is this Forehead of Security?"

He lowered the tablet. "What? You know, look, I got a real job. What do you want? I'm working. I got something going on here."

"What? Harassing interns?"

"Let me tell you something. You know what happened when I told people I was Iron Man's bodyguard? They would laugh in my face. I had to leave while I still had a shred of dignity. Now I got a real job, I'm watching Pepper… Is Ana with you, by the way?"

"Yeah, where else would she be?"

Ana waved at Happy.

"What's going on? Fill me in."

"For real?"

"Yeah?"

"So, she's meeting up with this scientist rich guy, handsome. I couldn't make his face at first, right? And you know I'm good with faces."

"Oh, yeah, you're the best."

"Yeah, so I run his credentials. I make him Aldrich Killian. We actually met the guy back in… Where were we in '99? The science conference?"

"Uh, Switzerland."

"Right, right, exactly."

"Killian, I don't remember that guy."

"Of course you don't remember, he's not a blonde with a big rack. At first, it was fine. They were talking business, but now it's like getting weird. He's showing her his big brain."

"His what?"

"Big brain, and she likes it. Here, let me show you. Hold on. See?"

Of course, Tony couldn't see anything because Happy hadn't flipped the screen. "Look at what? You're watching them? Flip the screen, and then we can get started."

"I'm not a tech genius like you, just trust me, get down here."

"Flip the screen, so I can see what they're doing." Damn, how hard could it possibly be just to flip the screen?

"I don't know how to flip the screen! Don't talk to me like that anymore, you're not my boss. Alright, I don't work for you, and I don't trust this guy. He's got another guy with him, he's shifty."

Tony decided to find out who this Aldrich Killian was himself. Okay… Handsome and rich, check. The CEO of Advanced Idea Mechanics, check. Right... Ana was asking Rhodey about him earlier today. His company was now working on the Iron Patriot suit. That was probably why he had met Pepper.

"Relax, I'm just asking you to secure the perimeter. Tell him to go out for a drink or something."

"You know what, you should take more of an interest in what's going on here. This woman is the best thing that ever happened to you. And you're just ignoring her."

"A giant brain?" he scoffed.

"Yeah, there's a giant brain, there's a shifty character… I'm going to follow this guy, I'm going to run his plates and if it gets rough, so be it."

"I miss you, Happy."

"Yeah, I miss you, too, but the way it used to be. Now you're off with your superfriends, I don't know what's going on with you anymore. The world's getting weird."

"Hey, I hate to cut you off, do you have your taser on you?" Tony asked evasively. He didn't want to talk about New York again.

"Why?"

"I think there's a girl in HR who's trying to steal some printer ink. You should probably go over there and zap her." He placed the phone in the fridge and closed the door.

Ana was frowning.

"What?" he asked. "Come on, you don't think Pepper's got a thing for this Killian guy, do you? Because that was what Happy was implying…"

"Of course not! Pepper is not like… other people."

"What is it, then?"

"What really happened between you and Killian in Switzerland?"

"I don't know. I shook hands with a lot of people that night, I don't remember. And I was drunk, so…"

"I'm sure you were."

"It's probably nothing. Happy's just being paranoid. And you're worse than him."

"I don't know, Dad. Pepper has visitors all the time, Happy never made so much fuss about any of them before."

"Relax, I bet they're just talking about Rhodey's suit. Maybe he just wants to work with me, and sucking up to Pepper…" Suddenly, something clicked. He remembered Killian. His looks had improved since Tony had last seen him. "Oh, right, I remember him now. We were in the elevator, and… He was a fanboy, so I might have messed with him a bit."

She frowned again.

"Don't look at me like that, he was annoying!" Tony defended himself.

"Dad, how familiar are you with Pepper's resume?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Killian was her former boss."

"What?"

"Yeah, she used to work at AIM before she applied for a job at Stark Industries. And I'm surprised she's being nice to him now, because from what she told me, that Killian guy was creepy. Like, really creepy."

"Was he giving her a hard time?" Tony clenched his jaw angrily. He had always suspected Pepper might have experienced some kind of harassment. "Is that why she left?"

"As far as I know, Killian didn't take it too far. And he had a physical disability, so Pepper kind of felt bad for him, and didn't sue him. Instead, she got a new job and met us."

"Huh… How do you know all these?"

"Pepper used it as an example when she told me why I should always stand up for myself if I got harassed at work."

"Someone was bothering you, too?" he cried. "Who?"

"Geez, Dad, no! It was just one of her lectures, okay? She wants me to prepared for anything. Relax."

He reminded himself not to overreact like this. If he did, she would never come to him if she actually got harassed. And they all knew what happened when she tried to handle the harassers on her own. "Sorry."

"You didn't hear this from me, though, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks for the heads up, kid."

"Anytime."

"Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been ignoring Pepper, haven't I?"

"Not really, no. But you need her help, now more than ever, and you're not letting her know. That's not good."

"I suppose it's not," he agreed thoughtfully.

"I'll be in my room. You get ready for your date."

Former boss, Tony thought after Ana left. That was another thing he and Killian had in common. Maybe Happy was right to be worried. It was ridiculous, he knew, and yet, the possibility was now gnawing at his mind.