As soon as Ana returned to her room, she called Happy. The recent events had forced her to shift her gaze from the skies to back to Earth. There was trouble on the horizon, and this time, she wanted to be one step ahead of the enemy.

"Hey, Ana. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that I take your warning seriously."

He grinned. "I knew you were smarter than Tony."

I can never be smarter than him, she thought. Only more cautious. Not that she cared about who the smarter Stark was. It wasn't a competition. "Anyway, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to follow the shifty guy, see what he's up to."

"Okay, but please be careful. If you see anything weird, don't get involved. Just call me, okay?"

His grin faded. "And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to call SHIELD, of course."

"I thought you didn't like SHIELD?"

"No, but they're good at what they do."

"What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know. Tell me more about Killian. What really happened between him and Dad?"

"Not much. Tony was hanging out with this chick, Maya Hansen. She was different, she was a scientist. Then Killian approached them, said he was a big fan of their work… I don't remember the details, it's been a long time."

Maybe he didn't, but Ana did. At least her own side of the story. It was one of the rare times she was excited about a social event. She had wanted to go with her dad, both because it was a science conference, and because she wanted them to celebrate the beginning of a new millennium together. He had said yes at first, but then ditched her and left for the airport late at night, while she was asleep. When she had woken up in the morning, the nanny had told her. So, Ana had celebrated that New Year's Eve at home, with Rhodey and JARVIS instead. When her dad had returned to Malibu, it was with enormous guilt, and a huge box of Swiss chocolate, a cute music box, and an expensive watch for her to make up for it. Even without the presents, Ana wouldn't have made a fuss, which had added even more to his guilt, she recalled. She knew she was the center of his world, so she was willing to look past such trivial things.

But others might not.

"What did Dad do to him?"

"He was just messing with him, you know how he was back then. I can't blame him, though. The guy was such a weirdo."

Ana frowned. "And now he's a charismatic rich scientist-slash-businessman?"

"Yeah, exactly!"

"Okay. Keep me updated. Bye."

"Bye."

Ana tossed her phone on the couch and sighed thoughtfully.

"What's on your mind, miss?" JARVIS asked.

"Do you think I'm paranoid, JARVIS?"

"I think you're seeing a pattern. But it's incomplete."

"Yeah, Killian does have an obvious pattern. He's been following Dad's footsteps. He's got the money, he's got the looks, he's got the influence. He's the government's new number one military contractor. Does it sound familiar?"

"Absolutely."

"So, the logical next step would be becoming a superhero. But how? How is he going to enhance himself? And more importantly, does he still see Tony Stark as an idol? Or, does he see him as a rival now?"

She started pacing up and down in the room.

"This would be easier to answer if we knew what he wanted from Ms. Potts today."

"I'm sure Dad's going to ask her tonight. Listen, I'd hate to invade their privacy, but will you let me know if you hear anything? This is a matter of security now."

"Of course."

"Thanks… Google Maya Hansen. Happy said Killian was interested in her, too. Who is she? What's she good at?"

"She is a botanist, and an employee at AIM. She is mostly known for her Extremis project."

"What's Extremis?"

"It is a genetic manipulation for fast cellular regeneration based on nanotechnology."

"So, basically, another super-soldier formula…"

"Hansen's formula was only tested on plants. It was too volatile for human application."

"But we're on the right track! Extremis is Killian's ticket into the superhero world. This explains the military contracts as well. They're not just to imitate Dad. They will provide him the funding he needs to improve the formula, and the influence to get permission from the government for the eventual human testing…"

"You might be right."

"Still, there's one missing piece of the puzzle. If he wants to be the new Tony Stark, he's going to need a Pepper Potts… No, he's going to need the Pepper Potts."

"Are you saying Mr. Hogan was right? That Aldrich Killian was trying to… seduce Ms. Potts?"

"For insecure men, women are like trophies. Validation. Self-esteem boost. I guess that's what too much testosterone does to humans… Anyway, Pepper Potts is an epitome of a female partner. Killian won't settle for anything less."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, can you think of anyone else who is as beautiful, smart, and successful as Pepper?"

"I actually do."

"Who?" She was curious, because she couldn't think of anyone.

"You, of course, Miss Stark."

This made her laugh. It was just JARVIS' usual humor, then. She should have known… "Thanks, JARVIS, but let's be serious about this. Obviously, Pepper won't leave Dad for anyone. So, Killian is going to be pissed when he gets rejected. That means he's going to make his move soon; we need to be ready."

"But if Aldrich Killian has waited for more than a decade to set this hypothetical plan in motion, then he is most likely to be a patient man. We must not assume he is going to start making impulsive decisions all of a sudden."

Yeah, this was why JARVIS was her favorite brainstorming partner. "You have a point, JARVIS. This might not be as easy as I thought. Still, rejection and disappointment leave any person more vulnerable. He might make a mistake soon. And if he does, we're going to see how we can take advantage of it."

"What are you going to do until then?"

"I want to prepare an emergency kit. Is that headset Dad was talking about earlier fully functional?"

"The one to remotely control the Iron Man suits? Yes."

"Good. Fabricate another prototype for me. And give me a list of all the new suits. I want to take a closer look."

"As you wish."

Ana spent the rest of the evening in her room, studying every suit in the Iron Legion, and preparing her "emergency kit." The armors were… sloppy, at least for a Stark, but in case of an emergency, they would do. So, she learned the capabilities of each suit. So much for compartmentalization.

…

According to JARVIS, Pepper hadn't talked much about Killian, but she had finally learned about the consequences of the Battle of New York. That night, Ana was feeling much better when she went to bed. No matter what her dad said, she knew she alone wasn't enough to help her father with his PTSD. Maybe Pepper could help him.

But around 4 in the morning, she woke up to muffled screams and thuds coming from the master bedroom. Instinctively, she took her gun before going out to investigate, and found Pepper storming out of the room. She froze when she saw Ana, and her eyes widened when she spotted the gun.

"Is that…"

"Pepper, it's just a gun."

"Just a gun?"

"And the safety is still on," she defended herself.

Pepper shook her head in frustration and headed downstairs. Ana went after her. "Come on, Pep! What's wrong?"

She remained silent until she entered one of the guest bedrooms. Then she sat down on the edge of the bed. "This," she said, pointing at the gun, "is not a toy, Ana! You and Tony think it is, but it's not! Neither are the suits!"

"Did you have a fight about the suits?"

"Well, one of those things just tried to kill me, so…"

"What?" Ana cried. The suits were for the protection of this family. Her dad must have made a serious miscalculation if one of them had attacked Pepper.

"Tony said he must have called it in his sleep, I don't know… He was having a nightmare."

"It must be a command error in the sensors, we'll fix it."

Pepper looked at her with a sad, almost angry smile. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about! You don't get how dangerous your stuff actually is!"

"Didn't he tell you about New York?"

"He did."

"Then you know how much he needs you right now. Please, Pepper. Just go back to him."

"No. He needs you."

"He needs you more."

"Then why is it always you, Ana? You already knew about his PTSD. You knew about the palladium poisoning, too. That's the thing. You're always the first to know, and I'm the last!"

Was Pepper… jealous? Of Ana? "I can't believe we're having this conversation…"

"Am I wrong?"

"Pepper, I only knew about the palladium because I knew what the Arc Reactor was made of. And he shared his fears about aliens with me because he wanted to have a scientific discussion about them! Even if he hadn't, I would've noticed how crappy his designs have become lately and—"

"You two speak a language I don't. So, just go make sure he's okay. I'm tired. I don't want to see another weapon tonight."

Without a word, Ana left. She couldn't believe it. How long had Pepper been comparing herself to Ana? It was a ridiculous comparison. Ana felt almost… betrayed. She didn't know how else to describe her disappointment. Suddenly, she wasn't Pepper anymore, but just a stranger who happened to be her father's girlfriend. This was the second time she realized how fragile their relationship actually was. The first was when her dad had asked her to go to his office and find proof of Stane's betrayal, and Pepper was almost going to quit. This second time hurt even more.

Ana took a deep breath to steady herself before entering the master bedroom. The door was still open, and her dad was picking up the parts of a smashed suit. She didn't want to cry in front of him. She didn't want them to have a fight because of her.

"Dad?"

He turned to look at her. He was a mess. His hair was damp with sweat, the circles under his eyes were even darker now, and he was shaking. It scared her, to see him like this. She needed to believe he could walk away unscathed from anything life threw at him. Now she was beginning to realize that wasn't true.

"Sorry, kid. Did we wake you up?"

"It's fine. Let me help."

"You go back to bed, I got this."

Ana didn't listen, and started picking up the remaining pieces. "Another nightmare?"

"Yeah."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really."

There has to be, she thought as they carried the pieces back to the shop. She couldn't just stand idly by as the fear consumed him like this.

"You know, maybe we could use some professional help…"

He looked at her with a wry smirk. "Oh, so you want to take me to a shrink now?"

"I said, we. I'll come with you if you agree. We both have issues."

"Do you really think there's a therapist who can help us?" he asked grimly.

"No," she admitted. He had a point. Pepper was right. Ana and her dad were different. Other people wouldn't understand their struggles, how their minds worked, how they perceived the world. Only they could help each other.

Which gave her an idea. A crazy idea. But a viable one, nonetheless.

"You know what, I think I'm going to give you your Christmas present now," he announced all of a sudden.

He took out a jewelry box from one of the drawers of his desk. This year's Christmas gift was a piece of jewelry, then. The black, velvet jewelry box he took out seemed quite worn and dated, though. He opened it, to reveal a pearl necklace inside.

"What do you think?"

"It's… pretty," she said. It was a bit too old-fashioned for her taste. And she wasn't even much of a jewelry person anyway. He was supposed to know that. But he was being thoughtful, and she didn't want to ruin it. She would wear anything if it made him happy.

"It was my mom's favorite necklace."

"Oh!" Damn, she should have known… He wasn't giving her just any gift, he was giving her something special. And she was internally bitching about not liking jewelry…

He held the necklace out. "Do you want me to…"

"Yeah, sure."

He put the necklace on her, then studied her in silence for a while, as if he was trying to see his mom in her. "You look like her."

"In my Hello Kitty pajamas?"

He laughed, pulled her into a hug, and kissed her temple. "She'd want you to have this. So, don't ever lose it."

"Do you think she'd like me? Be honest."

"Honey, she'd love you. And she'd be very, very thankful for taking such good care of his son."

"Dad?"

"Mm?"

"I think I might have a solution for you."

"What solution?"

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Stark?"

"I need you to hack into the Quinn Worldwide mainframe. Give me everything you can find on gravitonium." There. She had given the command. There was no turning back now. The idea had been nagging at her mind for a while, but seeing her dad like this tonight had given her the incentive she needed.

"Time-travel?" her dad gasped. "That's your solution?"

"Why not? We'll go to the future, see if you're right to fear aliens. And if you are, we'll find out what went wrong in that future, come back to the present day, and fix it."

"That only works if the multiverse theory is true."

"After everything we've seen, it has to be."

"What if it's not? What if there's only one timeline, and we are what goes wrong in the future?"

"You're afraid of creating a time loop."

"I don't want to drag you into that kind of mess."

"Dad, I'm already in this mess. Not that I'm complaining. And I know the rule: You mess with time, time messes with you back. That's why it should happen on our terms. There's no one smarter than us on this planet. I don't care how arrogant it sounds. It's a fact!"

He thought for a moment. Ana could see that he was seriously considering the option, but he was also reluctant.

"I thought time-travel scared you more than it scared me," he finally said.

"You underestimate how far I'm willing to go for you." Maybe Pepper was right. Ana was the only one who could help him. In that case, she had to take certain risks. She owed him that much.

He didn't say anything, but the look of gratitude on his face spoke volumes.

"Miss, breaching the firewall of the Quinn Worldwide mainframe will take approximately 6 hours."

"Take as much time as you need, JARVIS. Just be careful. We don't want to get caught."

Suddenly, her dad's phone started ringing. He picked it up. "Hello?"

Ana didn't know who was on the other end of the line, but his expression changed into one of shock in a matter of seconds. Then the phone slipped through her fingers and fell onto the floor.

"Dad?"

"There's been another Mandarin attack…"

"Where?"

"In LA. The Chinese Theatre."

That couldn't be all, though. Why would he get a personal phone call at this hour because the Mandarin had attacked the Chinese Theatre? There had to be something else. And deep down, Ana had a guess what it was.

"Happy… He was there."

…

She was crying as she packed a bag. They were going to the hospital as soon as Pepper was awake, and Ana was going to stay with Happy. They were the only family he had, and she didn't like the idea of him being alone in a hospital room. She knew she couldn't stay with him until he was recovered. She had a job, and other responsibilities. She didn't even know if he would wake up at all… Maybe it would take years. Maybe he would never…

She wasn't even sure what to take with her. Toothbrush, spare clothes, and the emergency kit… She decided to take Ana Jarvis' shawl, to have something that would give her comfort. Then she touched the necklace she was still wearing. Her grandmother's necklace. She wasn't sure if she wanted Pepper to see it. What if she started complaining about not receiving a sentimental gift like this?

Damn, she was never supposed to have such doubts about Pepper… What had changed?

In the end, she kept the necklace on, to show her dad how much she appreciated the gift. Then she went down to the living room to join him. He was watching the news. The lastest Mandarin attack was what everyone was talking about this morning. Ana had never seen him so furious before. It was now certain that he wasn't going to rest until he stopped the Mandarin. And to be honest, Ana wanted him to unleash hell upon that bastard. She just hoped he would be smart about it. She went to join him on the couch and leaned against him. His face didn't soften, but he started stroking her hair gently.

"Is Happy going to be okay?" She knew he couldn't know that, but she needed him to give her hope.

"Of course he is. We're going to take good care of him."

They turned their heads when they heard the footsteps behind them. Pepper was awake. She looked like she had returned to her usual self, and realized something was wrong.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Ana remained silent. If she talked to Pepper right now, she was going to burst into tears again. So, her dad did the explaining. Pepper agreed that they needed to go to the hospital at once. On the way, she apologized for having overreacted last night, though she didn't apologize to Ana directly. She probably didn't want her boyfriend to know that she had snapped at his daughter, too.

At the hospital, the doctors let them see Happy, even enter his room. His condition was critical. He couldn't breathe without assistance. There were cuts and bruises all over his body. At least the internal bleeding had stopped, and the injuries weren't permanent. Of course, none of these would matter until he woke up, and the doctors didn't sound hopeful.

Her dad had called for a bunch of security guards to keep an eye on Happy. When they arrived, he went to have a word with them, leaving Ana and Pepper alone in the room.

"I like your necklace," she started.

"Thanks. It's a Christmas gift from Dad. Grandma's favorite necklace… I can take it off if you want," she offered bitterly.

"What?"

"Oh, I don't know, I wouldn't want you to get jealous or anything…"

"Ana… What I said last night, I didn't mean—"

"I think you did, Pep. Don't worry, I won't tell Dad anything. Contrary to popular belief, I can handle my own—" She stopped when her dad returned.

"There's not much to do here," Pepper told him quickly. "I'll go home, and call in some favors, see what else we can learn about this Mandarin."

"Yeah, good idea." He kissed her lips, oblivious to the tension in the room. "I'll see you at home."

Ana fixated her gaze on Happy to avoid Pepper's. She only looked up when she heard the door being closed.

"How are you holding up?"

"There's this awful pit in my stomach…" She didn't say Pepper was partially responsible for that pit. Something had come in between them after last night, and Ana didn't know if it would ever go away.

"Yeah, I got one of those, too."

They just sat in companionable silence for hours until the evening, then he turned on the TV. Ana had assumed he wanted to watch the news again, but instead, he turned on PBS, and muted the sound.

"Do you like Downton Abbey?"

"I've never seen it." She didn't have much time to watch TV anyway.

"Neither have I. But Happy loves it."

"I know."

A nurse entered to check Happy's vitals, but she didn't notice the Starks at first. When she did, her dad said, "Hi!"

She smiled nervously. "Oh, uh."

"Mind leaving that on?"

"Sure."

"Sunday night's PBS, Downton Abbey. That's the show. He thinks it's elegant… One more thing, make sure everyone wears their badges. He's a stickler for that sort of thing, plus my guys won't let anyone in without them."

The nurse nodded.

"Ana, come with me for a sec."

They went out to the hallway, somewhere out of everyone's earshot, even the bodyguards'. "Are you sure you're going to be comfortable here?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'll be fine. And 'comfort' is the least of my worries right now."

"We don't know how long this will last. You can't stay here forever."

"I know. Just a couple of days. I've known him since I was four, Dad. It doesn't feel right to leave him alone."

"Okay. Listen. You'll be safe here. If you need anything from outside, send someone else to fetch it, or at least take one of the guards with you. You got your… gun, right?"

"Yeah, it's in my bag." It wasn't even the only weapon she had packed, but he didn't need to know that.

"Good girl." He kissed the top of her head, and left. Ana returned to Happy's room.

…

After the Downton Abbey episode ended, she switched to the news. That was when she found out her dad hadn't only threatened the Mandarin, but also given him their home address on his way out of the hospital. And the Mandarin had responded to the challenge.

All Ana could think about while watching her home being destroyed by the Mandarin was her last conversation with Pepper. If something happened to her, Ana would never forgive herself, especially for breaking her heart over something so petty. And her dad… She couldn't bear the thought of losing him, but there was nothing new about that.

Once it was over, she called them, of course, but neither of them was answering their phones. She was preparing to return to Malibu when she received a call from a blocked number.

"Dad?" she cried.

"Miss Stark? It's me, JARVIS. I'm calling you from an encrypted line to let you know that both Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts are alive."

"Oh, thank goodness!" she said instinctively, then asked, "Wait, why didn't Dad call me himself?"

"Mr. Stark is unconscious. I'm taking him to Rose Hill, Tennessee in Mark XLII as we speak."

"Tennessee? Why?"

"We'd prepared a flight plan. Mr. Stark believes the first Mandarin attack happened there. I've just e-mailed you the Mandarin database I prepared. Shall I turn the suit around? Mark XLII has barely enough power left to make it to the destination."

"But it can make it?"

"Yes."

"Keep going, then. No one will look for Tony Stark in Tennessee. He'll be safer there."

"I agree."

"Does Pepper know about this flight plan?"

"No. I figured it might not be safe to tell her right now."

"Why not?"

"Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts received a visitor this morning: Maya Hansen. She looked like she wanted to talk about the Mandarin before the attack started."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound suspicious at all…"

"She might still be with Ms. Potts. That's why I chose not to contact her."

"Good thinking, J."

"What are you going to do now?"

Ana looked at Happy, and then the sight of the now completely destroyed mansion on the TV. She started crying again.

"Miss Stark?"

"That was our home, JARVIS!" she sobbed.

"It can be rebuilt."

"It won't be the same."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked somberly.

"I don't know… What can you even do?"

"I can give you a suit."

"The Legion?"

"The House Party Protocol cannot be activated until the debris is cleared. But Mr. Stark built a secret suit for you. I flew it away from the mansion as soon as the attack started. It is now waiting for you just outside the Corral Canyon Park, concealed. I can take you to Tennessee, too, if you want."

"How many more times do I need to tell you and Dad? I can't fly!"

"The suit is equipped with micro-injectors. I can sedate you."

"He's thought everything, hasn't he?"

"It appears so."

"First, I have to make sure Pepper is okay. Then I'll call you back, and we can discuss how to proceed."

"As you wish, miss."

After she hung up, she tried Pepper again, and this time, she picked up. "Ana?"

"Hey, Pepper."

"Are you still at the hospital?"

"Yeah. Is Maya Hansen with you?"

"Wait, how do you know about Maya?"

"It doesn't matter. Is she still there?"

"Yes."

"Please just get away from her, Pepper. I'm begging you. She might be dangerous."

"Ana, what are you talking about?"

"She was in Switzerland with Dad and Killian, I think there's some kind of connection! Look, I'm so sorry for everything I said, but I need you to trust me right now."

"Of course I trust you, Ana," she said softly. "And I'm sorry, too. But I want to hear what Maya has to say. It might be important."

"Pepper, if you get into trouble—"

"I can handle myself. Are you going to stay with Happy?"

"No, I'm coming to you."

"Okay. Be careful."

"You, too."

She hung up. Damn, Pepper's mind was set. Ana had to find another way to protect her. It seemed the emergency kit she had prepared was going to come handy, after all. Maybe she was wrong about Hansen. Maybe she was just a concerned old friend. Ana hoped she was. But she would be damned if she left Pepper alone with that woman.