Chapter 59! It took me longer to write this than I actually planned, but a friend visited me this week and I've been kept quite busy. I've just been able to edit chapters 1 to 14. But now the next chapter is here! I hope you like it and please let me know what you think! Next chapter, we'll get even more Pepperony than in this one, I promise.

I don't own the characters or places!

The next morning, Tony woke up with a headache. And his back was also hurting. When he opened his eyes slowly, light was blinding him. What time was it? And how long did he sleep?

He sat up slowly and realized that he was still wearing his clothes from the previous day. A look at the clock told him that it was already eight in the morning. The others would be up already. When he stood up, he noticed several things. He was really hungry and needed at least three cups of coffee, he had to take a shower and his phone on the nightstand was blinking.

He decided that he should have a shower first. Under the hot water, Tony felt his muscles relax slowly. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling.

That's when it hit him. The attack at the conference. T'Chaka's death. The attacker and their conversation with Craig. I killed his father. Just like I killed your parents. The sick grin on the man's lips when he told Tony this. His conversation with T'Challa.

Suddenly, Tony was starting to feel sick. After he put on some clothes, he had to sit down on the bed again and buried his face in his hands. The death of his parents hadn't been an accident. They were killed by Hydra. Everything he ever believed about the car crash was a big lie.

Breathing in deeply, he tried to calm down again. That happened years ago, he couldn't change it anymore. But if Hydra wouldn't have planned the attack, they might have lived years longer… His parents. His mother who used to love him unconditionally. She had the most beautiful smile. Would she be proud if she knew what he was doing now? Or would she be disappointed because he kept risking his life? On the other hand, his father had been working for SHIELD, which also wasn't riskless…

His father. Howard Stark. He's been a brilliant man and everyone just remembered that about him. One of the founders of SHIELD. Steve knew him from his past when Howard was still a young man. He also said that he was incredible, even if he avoided talking about Howard when Tony was around. Or about his past at all. He'd designed the shield for Steve. He always believed in Captain America. Just like he always believed that they would find Steve. They did, but his father never got the chance to see him again. And now he was one of Tony's best friends.

Was Steve also upset about the news that his parents have been killed? Tony would have to ask him later. After all, Howard had been his friend a long time ago.

With a sigh, Tony reached for his phone. He'd planned to call Pepper the previous evening, but then he'd just fallen asleep. Now there were two missed calls from her. After the second one, she even left him a message.

"Hey Tony, I just read what happened at the conference. Are you alright? They say that people have been injured. You didn't answer my calls, slowly I'm starting to get worried. Please call me back once you hear this? I love you."

What should he tell her? That everything was fine? But it was a lie and Pepper could see through them easily. Last evening, he planned to tell her everything. However, he wasn't so sure anymore if he wanted to talk about the death of his parents on the phone. Maybe he should just wait until they were back in New York…

With a sigh, he pressed the 'call' button. And of course the voicemail answered. Then he realized that it was still night in New York. "Hey Pep, I just wanted to let you know that everything's fine. We found Steve's friend, just in an unexpected way. We'll head back to NY soon, then I'll tell you the whole story. I love you."

He nodded to himself and left the hotel room. The others were already downstairs, having breakfast. Even Bucky was there, sitting in a corner next to Steve.

Tony didn't like the way they were looking at him. He hated the pity in their eyes. Only Steve smiled at him. "Good morning, did you sleep well?" Tony noticed that Steve was also looking tired, with dark rings under his eyes. Did he even sleep last night? Or did he talk to Bucky for hours?

Tony shrugged. "I'm fine." He said simply and reached for the coffee on the table. "Don't worry about me."

He ignored the looks the others exchanged. "So what's the plan for now?" He asked to avoid talking about the news they got yesterday.

"We don't have one yet." Steve explained. "We wanted to wait for you."

"We can't do much anymore. Ross and his team will deal with everything." Natasha added.

"I already expected that." Tony nodded. "And our dear friend?"

"Locked up." Clint told him. "Last night, Ross organized the transport. He'll never see the sun again."

"That's good." Tony felt a dark satisfaction, even if he still thought that shooting this man with a cannon would be even more satisfying.

"We doubt that he'll tell them anything else." Steve said now, exchanging a look with Bucky, who nodded.

"It was a surprise that he even talked to you yesterday." Bucky noted.

"He didn't say anything useful, though." Tony muttered.

"Tony, about yesterday…" Bruce started hesitantly, but Tony interrupted him quickly.

"I'm fine, guys. Alright? Just drop it. I don't want to talk about this. Possibly not ever, understood?" He glared at them and when no one tried to say anything else, he nodded. "Good, so now that it's settled, let us make a plan."

"Can't we just return to New York?" Thor asked. "Our work here is done. And we still have to deal with the problem im Alaska." While saying that, he glanced at Bucky, as if he wasn't sure if he could mention this in front of him.

"That's true." Steve agreed. He seemed to have noticed Thor's look as well. "And Bucky will accompany us." Since he was already having breakfast with them, no one seemed to be surprised by the news. "There, Tony and Bruce will make sure that Hydra can't manipulate him again."

At those words, Bucky looked down at his plate on the table. It was obvious that he wasn't feeling well in his position. Tony was surprised that he's been able to ignore Sam's deathly glances until now. It wasn't hard to miss that Sam seemed to be unhappy about Bucky's presence.

"Should be done easily." Tony added. "We already have a plan on how to do it."

Bruce nodded.

"And what about me?" Sam asked now. "Seems like my work's also done." He glanced at Bucky again.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget you." Steve said with a smile. "Actually, we've been talking about you just yesterday evening."

Now Sam looked suspicious.

Natasha laughed. "Don't scare him like that, Steve. It's nothing bad, Sam."

Tony also grinned. "You will like it, I think." The previous evening, right before Tony had left for his room, they've been talking about Sam's future. And the original six Avengers had decided that they could use someone new. "Do you remember when I told you that you'd fit into our team pretty well?" He raised his eyebrows.

When Sam realized what Tony was offering, Sam's eyes widened. "You mean…?" He stared at all of them. In the end, his eyes rested on Steve.

"We all agreed that the Avengers could use a new team member." Steve explained with a wide smile on his lips. "Of course only if you are still interested."

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Not interested?!" He laughed. "You are really asking me to join the Avengers? Me?"

Tony nodded. "Now you finally understand us." He grinned. "So I can say welcome to the team?"

Sam only shook his head, still too surprised to say anything. When they all congratulated and hugged him (well, not everyone did that), and laugher filled the room, Tony couldn't help noticing the lost look on Bucky's face, as if he was feeling completely out of place. In this moment, even Steve didn't seem to notice the discomfort of his former best friend.

Before they left, Tony wanted to talk to Ross again and thank him for his help. However, it wasn't easy to find him. It took him some time and in the end, he also needed the help of a young man standing guard in front of the destroyed conference building.

Ross was in his office, but he wasn't alone. When Tony got closer, he noticed that he door wasn't closed. And he could hear voices.

"You know that this is a horrible plan." Everett Ross said now and Tony could hear the apprehension in his voice.

"We don't have a choice." The second person said and Tony recognized T'Challa. What were they talking about? And should he announce his presence just now? "Klaue is a threat to Wakanda. We have to act as soon as possible." Tony decided to listen to their conversation for a few more moments.

"I can't just deal with him, T'Challa." Ross sighed. "That would make him even more suspicious."

"Not if you offer him enough money for the Vibranium." T'Challa threw in thoughtfully. "Together, we can get him, Everett. I need your help with this." Before, Tony didn't realize that they were this close. They were even calling each other by their first names.

"So you say that I just have to find him and then I'll be your distraction?" Ross still didn't sound happy.

"Yes, we will deal with him then." T'Challa confirmed.

"And that will happen after your coronation."

"I have to secure peace in Wakanda first." T'Challa agreed. "Without a king, my country will be weakened."

"I understand that this is your first priority. And of course the burial of your father." Ross hesitated. "I'm really sorry for your loss."

"You did everything to secure his safety." T'Challa's voice was softer than usual.

Ross sighed. "Just that the Avengers also couldn't save him."

"And I couldn't do it as well." T'Challa's voice was barely a whisper now and Tony had to step closer to hear everything he said. "I've failed him. You warned us about the danger. But in that moment, I was too shocked to act."

"Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault." It was strange to hear Everett Ross speak in such a soft tone. Especially towards the next king of Wakanda. Normally, Ross was known for being distanced and professional. Again, Tony wondered what was going on between them.

"And you will be a good king, I just know it." Ross continued. "You will make Wakanda a better country than it was before. You won't be alone when you'll try to fulfil your plans. You know that you can count on me."

"Everett…" T'Challa's voice was muffled now and Tony wondered if Ross was hugging him now. He decided that it was time to announce his presence.

He walked towards the room loudly and when he reached the door, he knocked. After a few moments, Ross told him to come in. Ross and T'Challa weren't sitting in front of the desk, but in two armchairs that stood in the corner of the room. They looked surprised when they saw that Tony entered the office.

"I hope I'm not intruding." Tony said and smiled at them. "Otherwise, I could come back later –"

"No, it's fine." Ross interrupted him quickly. "We were just discussing a few things, nothing too important."

T'Challa nodded. "If you want to speak to Agent Ross alone, I can just leave." He offered, but Tony shook his head.

"No, it's fine. I wanted to speak to both of you, actually." He sat down on the small couch that offered just enough space for two people.

"And what brings you here, Mr. Stark?" Ross raised his eyebrows.

"It's Tony." He said automatically. "And I wanted to thank you for your help." He smiled at Ross. "And I'm sure that I can speak for the other Avengers as well. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to catch the attacker."

Ross shook his head. "You don't have to thank me." He crossed his arms. "I only did my job."

"You did more than that." Tony argued. "You trusted us."

Ross chuckled. "Just because you could prove your assertions."

Tony ran a hand through his hair. "You can say whatever you want, we owe you something."

"No, you don't." Ross said immediately. "You already helped me with another important issue." He glanced at T'Challa and Tony knew that he meant Klaue.

"So we are even?"

He nodded. "I would say so." Ross was smiling at him now.

Tony grinned. "If you need our help again, just call me."

"Likewise." Ross replied calmly.

Tony turned to T'Challa, who'd listened to their conversation silently. "You will be returning to Wakanda soon?"

T'Challa nodded. "I will leave tomorrow."

"I hope you can solve your problem concerning the Vibranium." Tony said.

"If we need help, I will contact you." T'Challa said with a smile. "It is an honour for Wakanda to call the Avengers our friends."

Tony grinned. "When you say it like that, people will think that we're actually impressing."

"You are." T'Challa chuckled. "That's also why I decided to invite you all to my coronation. Just like Agent Ross."

Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise. "We should visit you in Wakanda?"

T'Challa nodded. "Of course only if you have the time."

"We will." Tony said immediately. "It is an honour to be invited. I will inform the others about this soon."

T'Challa grinned. "My sister also wants to meet you. She still can't believe that someone got into our systems that easily."

Tony laughed. "That will be an interesting meeting, I suppose."

"Of course you can also bring your fiancé." T'Challa's next words made Tony raise his eyebrows in surprise. "I found an article about it while I was doing research about you." T'Challa admitted and now he was smiling sheepishly.

"I bet Pepper would like a vacation." Tony nodded thoughtfully. "And maybe there's someone else who would like to accompany us as well. He's still a teenager, but with very impressing abilities."

They kept talking about unimportant things for a few more minutes. Then, Tony said goodbye and went to search the other Avengers again. Somehow, he had the feeling that Ross and T'Challa wanted some time alone.

On their way to New York, Tony's phone rang. A look at the display told him that it was Pepper.

"Hey Pep, how was your day?" He asked once he'd accepted the call.

"Tony, finally I've been able to reach you. How are you?" She ignored his question, but Tony couldn't blame her. Not when he could hear how tense she was.

"We're all fine, you don't have to worry. And we're already on our way back. Give us about three more hours, then we'll land at the tower."

"But what happened? And is Bucky with you? You said that something unexpected happened. And I know you're not fine. Something else happened, I could hear it in your voice when you recorded the message. What is it?"

"Yes, he's with us." Tony answered the first question. "You don't have to worry, though. Seems like he's himself again." He hesitated. "He's not dangerous." Was this true? Tony still wasn't so sure about this, even if Bucky really seemed to be harmless now. He was even joking and laughing sometimes. Could he turn into the Winter Soldier again any moment? The first thing he'd do when they arrived in New York was to have a look at Bucky. And the other files about the super soldiers. JARVIS was still busy decoding them and Steve read everything once it was uploaded on his tablet. Until now, there wasn't anything interesting. It seemed like they were all dead except for Bucky and Craig.

"And what happened to you?" Pepper asked again. "I know you're hiding something from me."

Of course she knew that. Pepper knew him so well. "Let's not talk about that on the phone." He muttered.

"I'll wait for you." Her voice was softer now. "Should I order dinner?"

"That would be great." He whispered.

"The usual for everyone?"

"We're two more people than before, but the usual is fine." He said gratefully.

"I love you, Tony." Pepper said now.

"I love you too. More than anything." He replied softly. And right now, he realized again how he'd needed to hear her voice. Even that could make everything a little better. "I'll see you soon."

Again, what a ride. I think we'll visit Wakanda soon, even with Pepper and Peter? And what is happening between T'Challa and Everett Ross?

And how will everything work out between Bucky and Steve? Now that Steve has new friends as well? Will Sam get over his hate for Bucky? What about Tony? Those are all questions I've been asking myself in the past weeks.