Sipping her latte, Pepper was anxiously scanning the coffee shop, even though she wasn't quite sure what to expect. The Black Widow was a master of disguise, after all, and she had been on the run for a while. It was a great risk for her to take, to send an e-mail to Pepper last night and request a meeting here, saying she was scared for Ana's life. It was the only reason Pepper had gone behind Tony's back and come here.

Pepper was in her own disguise. With her white baseball cap and large sunglasses, she could pass for a Hamptons housewife treating herself after a yoga class or something. It wasn't long until she spotted Natasha. Her long red hair had been cut short and dyed blonde. She was wearing a black leather jacket and a pair of dark jeans, which wasn't very different from her usual style, but she could somehow look like someone else entirely and blend in the crowd. Pepper was also pretty sure she had managed to hide several weapons into that outfit. Without a word, Natasha came to sit down at her table.

Pepper didn't ask why she had contacted her instead of Tony. Whatever she had to say, she wanted to be believed, and Tony was too stubborn to believe anything coming from her right now. Even if it concerned Ana.

"Thank you for meeting me," she started.

"What's this about?" Pepper cut to the chase. Just because she had come here didn't mean she had forgotten how Natasha had switched sides. She understood her reasons, but Natasha's betrayal had hurt Tony on a personal level. It angered her to see how unwilling his teammates were to see how much he cared. Well, maybe she was a hypocrite to say that, because for a time, Pepper had refused to see it, too. Until she had found out she could have lost both him and Ana in some forgotten Siberian bunker because there had been no one to calm them down, to talk some sense to them. Pepper could have made so much difference if she had been where she had been needed.

"I think Ana is in danger."

"I figured that much… What sort of danger?"

She looked around, licked her lips nervously—the Black Widow being nervous alone spoke volumes about the severity of the situation—and began to explain, "When I was undercover in Monaco, as Tony's PA… In the restaurant, just before Vanko's attack… I heard something Ana told Tony. You were in the bathroom."

Pepper remembered those simpler times, when their problems were as simple as everything else. When the craziest thing in the world was Tony's suits… Tony was dying back then. And Pepper had failed to see that, too. Well, she had realized something wasn't right, of course, but she hadn't been able to figure out the man she loved was sick, and needed her badly. What else had she missed?

Natasha continued, "And I made a mistake. I reported it to Fury. You see, it was a book."

"A book?"

"Justin Hammer was trying to embarrass Ana in front of that reporter. He brought up her internship at Momentum Labs. She passed it off smoothly, though, and once they were alone at their own table, she and Tony joked about it. Ana said her bosses were crazy, looking for a magic book that showed you everything you wanted to know. And that was it. For them, it was just something to laugh at. But I knew there was more."

"The book was real…"

"And Fury was looking for it. So, I told him. I never thought he could use Ana to find it… or worse, read it."

"Natasha?" Pepper asked warily. An uneasy feeling was forming in her stomach. "What does this book do?"

"Nothing good. It's called the Darkhold. That's all I know. Fury was never able to find it. But recently, I've heard rumors that the book has resurfaced. And Ana's been seen around Eli Morrow, a former employee at Momentum Labs, and his nephew, Robbie Reyes… Ever heard of the Ghost Rider?"

"Oh my God…" Of course she had. They had been keeping tabs on all enhanced individuals around the globe, both for potential threats and potential recruits. There was this vigilante who was hunting down and killing thieves, rapists, gang members and such in LA. They said he had a flaming skull.

"That's all I know," Natasha said. "I'm not sure what the hell Coulson is up to these days, but you might want to bring Ana home. If she's working for SHIELD, it's bad. If she's working for Fury, it's worse. Not something I want on my conscience. That's why I contacted you."

Pepper sighed deeply to collect her thoughts, instinctively running her thumb over the engagement ring. "Tony has to know."

"Agreed. And if you ask me, he's the only one who can talk her out of doing anything stupid."

"Is he? I'm in love with Tony, but I'm not blind. He is the reason Ana is after this book. Ever since New York, she's been obsessed with the idea of ending his nightmares. They're fighting a boogeyman, Nat!"

"That's what I thought at first. That's why I wanted to get close to Ana. She was desperate, and I feared Fury might try to use her desperation to control her. I thought she could come to me for help, because she surely couldn't go to Tony if Fury told her the truth about the book. Then I realized something. Ana isn't fighting a boogeyman. She fights to be on the top of the food chain, to have the power to control everything, so that nothing can control her. She doesn't need Fury's mind games to go after that book. Most of us were often so preoccupied with Tony's megalomania that we overlooked Ana's ambitions, until she became too dangerous to be ignored. Perhaps that's why she liked living under Tony's shadow. She could hide in plain sight."

"Thanks for telling me," Pepper said, even though she disagreed about the last part.

Natasha walked out of the coffee shop, leaving an appalled Pepper Potts behind.

…

By the time Pepper returned home, still not sure how to break the news to Tony, he was already distraught. It was now public news that something wasn't right at SHIELD. The dead body of Director Mace had been found, the autopsy pointing out he must have been murdered by Daisy Johnson, and furthermore, he wasn't a real Inhuman as he had claimed. Tony had made a few calls and found out that the base had been destroyed, and Coulson's team was missing. So was Ana. General Talbot had invited them to his office, saying there was something they needed to see. Something that was highly classified.

Tony's fingers were trembling as he was trying to button up his shirt, so Pepper came to his help. "There's something else," she started. This was going to make things even worse, but he needed to hear. "I didn't go to a massage this morning. I met Natasha. She wanted to see me."

"Why?"

So, she told him. About the book, about Romanoff's suspicions… He had to sit down after she was finished.

"Whatever happened at SHIELD, do you think it has anything to do with that book?" she asked, even though it didn't make much sense. What could Ana have gained from killing Mace and framing Daisy for it? But Tony might have an idea of how her mind would work, even under the influence of some evil magic book. "Do you think Ana used it and it backfired?"

"I don't know, Pep," he said in a small voice, his shoulders sagging. "I don't know anything anymore. God, how did I let this happen?"

"We don't even know what happened. There is only one way to find out."

…

"What is that cloud?" Pepper asked after watching the footage of Phil, Fitz, Reyes, and Ana vanish away by a wave of white cloud.

"We don't know," General Talbot replied. "But we do know Ms. Stark was the only one who didn't come back from it."

Talbot had put all cards on the table, she could see it. No one was giving them bullshit, but it looked like Talbot's knowledge was limited, too.

"It's not a cloud," Tony said flatly, his face now even paler. "It's a friction, between two dimensions."

Pepper looked at him, taken aback and willing to think he was just rambling nonsense. "You're not saying…"

"That they were stuck between dimensions? Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Ana must have been pulled deeper than the others. That's why she couldn't make it back."

"So, is she… trapped?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Tony's voice was calm, but she knew it wasn't because he knew how to bring her back. It only a matter of time before he lost it completely. Over the years, Pepper had become an expert at reading him.

"Where is Phil now?" she demanded.

Talbot shrugged. "Missing, along with his entire team. Trust me, Ms. Potts, you're not the only one who wants answers. But when we get them, you'll be the first to hear, I guarantee you."

"We should've been informed a long time ago! We're her family!"

"I didn't know either. Coulson has a habit of keeping such things under wraps."

"I need a copy of this footage," Tony said.

"Mr. Stark, this is a highly confidential—"

"I need it," he repeated, and the firmness in his voice won the argument. By the time they walked out of the building, Tony had a flash drive that contained the footage.

…

Once they returned to the Compound, the first thing Tony did was to call Vision and retreat to his workshop. Pepper decided to be patient and give him some space. She wasn't feeling well either. Questions whose answers she dreaded were floating in her mind: Where was Ana? How were they going to rescue her? Or… could they? What if they were too late?

She had her suit, Pepper kept reminding herself. As much as she hated the damn suits, she had to admit that they had saved Tony's, Ana's, and Rhodey's lives countless times. Even Pepper's… How else could she have survived Killian, his attack on the Malibu Mansion, the explosion at the Expo, or Stane? How else the man she loved could have escaped the Afghan cave? Now Ana had been sucked into an unknown dimension, and her having a suit was the only thing that gave Pepper some sense of comfort.

But then, they were also the reason the whole family was such a mess.

With these thoughts, she dozed off.

FRIDAY said it was 5.35 AM when she woke up in the bed alone. She also said Tony was still in the workshop, and maybe she should go check up on him. Pepper agreed. There was a very thin line between giving Tony some space and denying him the support he needed, so she wanted to go there before she crossed that line.

"Mr. Stark, what you're trying to achieve is, in the simplest terms, impossible," Vision was saying. "An inter-dimensional rift has never been—"

"I don't care!" Tony hissed. "The others made it back, so it must have been done before! Give me a wavelength, a frequency, something, anything! This is all your fault, you know. If you hadn't snuck out to go on a date with that witch, like a horny teenager…"

No reply came from Vision. When Pepper entered, she found the android hanging his head in shame, meaning he, too, blamed himself for whatever it was they had been talking about.

"Ms. Potts," he greeted her, with a grateful look on his face, and walked out. Pepper was trying to keep an open mind, but it would be a lie to say she felt comfortable in the presence of a machine like Vision. Maybe it was her lizard brain feeling threatened by something that was much more powerful than any human could hope to become. The Starks were fascinated by it—and apparently, Wanda Maximoff, too, though hers was a different kind of fascination—but Pepper didn't see the world the way they did.

Tony had sunk deep into his swivel chair. Seeing him like this was scary. Seeing Tony in a universe without his daughter evoked the same kind of queasy feeling one would get from seeing a person with a freshly severed limb. And yet, she couldn't shake off the idea that it was also a self-inflicted wound.

"I'd been thinking," he started before she could ask anything. "What would I do, if I got trapped between this world and another, if I found myself outside the visible human spectrum… The answer is obvious: I'd seek out the creature with the widest range of perception, which, in our case, is Vision."

Pepper gasped in shock. "Are you saying… she came here after that explosion?"

"I watched the security footage, couldn't find anything. Then I made Vision watch it. He tweaked them a bit, and…" He started playing the video. Ana entering the Compound, looking for Vision, then coming into this very workshop, where Tony was working on a suit for the Parker kid, oblivious to her presence, and then something startling her and dragging her away, into the unknown…

Pepper felt like someone had reached into her chest and was squeezing her heart. This wasn't the dangerous Stark heiress with an insatiable thirst for power people believed Ana to be. This was just a scared kid.

She knew the whole Compound was monitored 24/7 for cases like this, but still… She had never thought they could actually need it one day.

"Oh my God… Wait, what's that?"

Tony paused the video. Behind Ana, there was something. A dark, hooded figure. It must have been what had dragged Ana deeper into the other dimension.

"Someone took her," Tony stated gravely. "I don't know who it is, but it doesn't matter. I have to open a portal, and go there. I'm sorry, Pep, but I have to."

Pepper gritted her teeth angrily. She wasn't angry that Tony would go, no. That had to be done. She was angry because this whole nightmare could have been prevented easily. All he had had to do was to listen to her.

"Do you now see why I wanted you to stop being Iron Man?"

"Honey, you know I can't stop…"

"Yeah, because you're preparing for a boogeyman, Tony!" she cried. "Natasha said Ana would've gone after the book anyway, but she's wrong. She doesn't know Ana the way I do! You heard what she said to that Reyes guy! You've seen how she was! He killed that woman in front of her, for reading the Darkhold! Burned her to ashes, and Ana didn't even care! She still wanted the book! Don't look me in the eye and tell me that's normal! But she's only like that because she thinks something is coming. You put those ideas into her head, Tony! She was fine before New York. You think you're preventing some disaster, but what if this is the disaster? Our disaster?"

He lowered his head quickly, but not before she had caught a glimpse of what his expression had changed into, which immediately made her regret her words. It didn't mean her opinion about the boogeyman had changed. It just wasn't the right time to discuss whose fault it was. Neither of them could bear the thought of losing Ana. They should be sharing this burden, not place the blame on one another.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's okay. You're not wrong."

She wrapped her arms around him, and pressed his head against her stomach, stroking his hair gently. She had made up her mind. "Maybe I can't help you open a portal, but once you do it—and I know you'll do it—I'm coming with you."

He straightened up, surprised. "Pepper, I can't—"

Pepper pulled another chair to sit down and took his hands into hers. "She's our daughter, and if there's a way to get her back, we're going to find it together. Besides, she once suited up for me. I owe her. Don't look at me like that, I know you have a suit for me stashed away somewhere."

She was also tempted to demand a promise from him that he would stop being Iron Man after getting Ana back, but she knew it was a promise he could never keep, so she didn't bother.

He looked at her with mock suspicion. "Okay, who are you, and what did you to my fiancée?"

"I'm serious."

A look of gratitude and admiration from Tony pierced her, then he shrugged. "I don't even know where to start."

"Well, how about having breakfast first? Come on, that big brain of yours needs some nourishment." With these words, she dragged him out of the workshop.

…

Before Tony could figure out how to open the portal, something else happened. Daisy crashed an inquiry meeting organized by several intelligence agencies to discuss the death of Director Mace, and shot General Talbot in the head. It was all over the news. As shocking as it was, Pepper and Tony were too preoccupied to pay much attention to it at first. But then, they received a call from Mrs. Talbot, saying her husband had survived and asked for Tony Stark as soon as he woke up from the surgery. So, they went to the hospital.

The doctor warned them the man was likely to have trouble speaking from now on, and advised them to be patient with him. When they entered his room, Talbot was awake. His son and wife were there, too. Mrs. Talbot greeted them, then took the boy and left.

"General Talbot, I'm sorry—" Tony started, but Talbot cut him off. He was in a bad shape as expected, but then, he was lucky for someone who had been shot in the head. He would live.

"She's back," he said feebly. "We saw her."

No doubt he was talking about Ana.

"Where?" Tony demanded impatiently, but he would be a lot more impatient than this under normal circumstances. Still, Pepper rubbed his arm to remind him to go easy on the poor guy.

"The base… We were… sweeping. Con—confiscating… She came… out of nowhere. Reyes…. Reyes was after her."

"Robbie Reyes?"

As far as they knew, Reyes and Ana were on good terms. Talbot nodded to confirm. "The phone… Her phone. I gave it to one of my… one of my…."

"One of your men?" Pepper asked when he apparently struggled to find the right word.

He nodded again. "He was bringing it to you."

"We never received it," Tony said.

"Of course you didn't. Reyes got us… He didn't kill us… He just took Ana. When we woke up, she was gone. We were… going to… tell you after… after the meeting."

"Do you know what was in the phone?"

"No."

"Tony, I think we should let General Talbot get some rest. Thank you, general, for helping us, even after what SHIELD did to you."

"I don't think it was Daisy. Or SHIELD. There was an android, built by this… book. She made the… LMDs… Yeah, the LMDs."

Pepper's heart jumped in her chest. There was only one book she could think of…

"Do you think the one that shot you was an LMD?" Tony questioned.

"Yes," he replied and closed his eyes wearily.

Pepper and Tony went out. The hallway was empty. Talbot's wife and son were nowhere in sight. Tony leaned against the wall and threw his head back thoughtfully.

Well, there was good news and bad news. Ana had made it back. There was no reason for them to open a portal to some unknown dimension. But for some reason, Robbie Reyes had taken her. And she might not have read the Darkhold, but someone else definitely had.

She was trying to comfort Tony with a kiss when Mrs. Talbot appeared at the end of the corridor, with a nurse trailing behind her. Their eyes were locked on Tony and Pepper.

"Mr. Stark?" the nurse said.

"Yeah?" Tony mumbled.

"Your daughter is here."

Both Pepper and Tony jumped in place. "What?"

"Someone dropped her at the front gate and left."

"How is she?" Pepper asked the most important question.

"Unconscious, but other than that… fine."

"I want to see her," Tony demanded.

"Of course. Right this way."

Before they left, Mrs. Talbot gave them a sympathetic look. Pepper made a mental note to make sure the Talbots would have anything they might need, and she was sure Tony would agree.

…

Like the nurse had said, Ana was fine. There was no sign of assault, no injuries… Pepper had left Tony alone with her, for Ana's first interaction with Pepper was likely to be an awkward and overwhelming one. Soon, having heard of the news, Rhodey and Happy had joined her.

It was almost midnight when Tony came to see them in the hospital yard with a deeply troubled look on his face.

"Amnesia," was the first thing he said. "Being dragged into the other dimension, it's the last thing she remembers."

The others exchanged looks. So, whatever had happened to her over there, they might never find out. Pepper didn't care. She was just glad that Ana was safe now.

"She wants to see you," Tony added with the ghost of a smile.

Pepper didn't waste any time.

Ana was sitting in the bed, hugging her knees in fear. One of the first things Pepper had noticed upon seeing her was the unhealthy amount of weight loss; she mustn't have been fed well in that other dimension, and wherever Reyes had taken her after coming back.

"Hey, Pepper," she said with a timid smile.

"Hi." She wanted to sit on the bed and held her in her arms, but something made her sit on the chair beside instead. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. Amnesia is scarier than I thought. Dad told you, didn't he?"

"He did."

She released her legs, stretched them, and leaned against the bedhead wearily. Then her gaze lingered on the engagement ring on Pepper's finger. "I know it's been a while, but… congratulations."

"Thank you."

"I always knew this day would come. You and Dad are perfect for each other. I just never imagined it would be like this."

"Neither did I."

"I'm sorry, Pep. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble, for ruining everything for you. And I'm especially sorry for being a full-blown psychopath. I just want you to know that when I joined SHIELD, it was to make things right. To fix my mistakes. Not the opposite. So, I don't know what went wrong… I can't remember. But deep down, I know it's not my fault. I just do. Please, Pepper, you have to believe me! Everything I did, I did it to protect Dad... and you, because he can't live without you. We can't live without you."

Pepper reached forward and took her hand. She could do at least this much, even though she felt like their relationship was never going to be the same. Not anytime soon. There was some invisible gap between them, and it was Pepper's fault.

"I believe you. And you were never a full-blown psychopath. I forced you to act like one. You needed me, and I failed you. I know it might not be easy to rebuild that trust, but I want you to know that I'll never leave you again."

Her smile widened, became more genuine. "Dad said you were almost going to suit up."

"Well, you did the same for me, so…"

"Technically, I was just remotely piloting it, but… Okay, I'm not going to ruin the moment with my pedantry."

They both laughed, but then Pepper became serious. "I should've never blamed you for Ultron. Neither of you."

"You just didn't want us to get ourselves killed."

"It's not just that. I was too focused on staying in my comfort zone. When I came to New York after Sokovia, I'd built a wall around me, so that I wouldn't forgive Tony the moment I saw him. And it worked. But when you and I talked, your words came so close to breaking that wall. I left, because I felt threatened," she admitted. She was ashamed. What kind of parent would feel threatened by their kid?

"Yeah, that's not your fault. I'm good at telling people what they want to hear…" she said, but then she froze, as if she had an off button and someone had just pressed it.

"Ana? What is it?"

"I think I said that before," she mumbled in confusion. Pepper didn't even think she was fully in this room with her anymore.

"Said what?"

"What I just said to you. I don't know what's happening to me…"

In the past, this would be the part where Pepper pulled her into a comforting hug and told her it was okay. Right now, that invisible gap didn't let her. She felt like she had no right to do such a thing. So, she said she would go get Tony, and scurried out of the room. If anyone could help Ana, it was him.