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Previously: After a driving lesson with Tony and Rhodey, a leaked photograph exposing Ed has been published and the rumors are FLYING!

April 2010 - Day of the photo leak

I stared at the amount of papers in front of me, all the lines and symbols blurring together. I couldn't exactly focus on making out what was actually written on it.

Fucking paparazzi…

I groaned heavily as I messed with my wet hair, my annoyance distracting me enough that I knew I would not be able to get anything done. I had thought taking a shower after my run would have helped but it just had my mind reeling the entire time. Even my research in front of me was doing absolutely nothing to distract me from the situation.

Pushing away from my desk, I walked over to my bed and flopped onto it, groaning again.

There was nothing else I could do, I just needed…

"Oh, I was going to see if you were busy but…"

I lifted my head enough to see Pepper standing at my doorway, cell phone still in her hand and a tired look in her eyes.

Shaking my head, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. "Couldn't concentrate," I mumbled before motioning towards her cell phone. "I'm guessing it hasn't stopped since this morning?"

Pepper sighed as she walked into the room. "Mind if I sit?" she asked tiredly and I quickly made space for her. She almost flopped onto the bed next to me, glancing at her cell phone as she did. "It hasn't really but we're managing to slow it down a bit. I have a few people from S.I.'s P.R. department making calls as well."

I frowned slightly at all the acronyms. I knew S.I. meant Stark Industries but… "P.R.?"

"Public relations. They get involved with anything relating to the company's image and even Tony's. This is right up their alley. I just forgot how exhausting it all was."

I lowered my gaze at that, guilt worming its way up. All that extra work for Pepper and the others was caused –

"Oh, don't worry about it," said Pepper quickly, placing a hand on my cheek and making me look at her. "This isn't your fault. This had actually been the norm for Tony in the past. Paparazzi are to blame. NOT you. Understood?"

I took a deep breath, slowly nodding. "Still sucks."

Pepper smiled softly, nodding as well. "Yes, it does. But I should have seen it coming, it was almost inevitable."

My eyes widened slightly at that. "It was?"

"Tony's been in the spotlight nearly his entire life since he was little. You just happened to have landed -" I scoffed at that wording which got Pepper to smile too, "- literally at a quiet time."

"That's why he had mentioned the press," I said, remembering how he had been adamant about keeping my arrival as secret as possible.

"Exactly. They hadn't had a scoop since he announced he was Iron Man. Considering how little the picture actually shows, it may all blow over sooner than later."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "That's good. I didn't exactly want everyone to know about me. Too many questions and probably too many problems that go with them…"

Pepper smiled softly as she sighed. "That's what happens being associated with Tony Stark. So, to make sure this goes away…," she paused for a second, eyeing me carefully, "I think you staying here, inside the mansion, for the time being may be the best course of action."

Fuck… "Makes sense," I mumbled, not all that happy about the suggestion.

"Safest way to not give them more ammo to print and to let this fizzle out. JARVIS has called the police twice already to get the paparazzi away from the gate and that was just this afternoon," explained Pepper.

I flopped onto the bed face first, annoyed, not only that the picture had been taken and published but that people were going out of their way to get even MORE pictures. Why did people think it was okay to stalk others and take a photograph of them? To SELL that picture on top of everything?

And why are people so damn interested in a complete stranger's life? What's it to them? Why is it so damn important?

"So, no more runs, I'm guessing?" I mumbled, my voice muffled by the covers.

"Maybe take them away from the gates?" suggested Pepper. "The walls are high enough to hide you and JARVIS can tell if someone is climbing them."

I paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as I thought over the solution she gave. "I guess that's some good news," I sighed, turning my head towards her.

She patted my shoulder before standing. "It'll get better, don't worry. I'll get some burgers for dinner, how's does that sound?"

My stomach already growled at the word hamburgers and I felt a blush creep up. "That sounds good, thanks," I managed to say evenly. "And thanks for everything else too."

Pepper smiled down at me. "Anytime. I'll see you later for dinner. Maybe grab a snack before that though."

I just blushed deeper at that.

A week later

I leaned heavily on my left hand, almost slouched over a desk in Tony's lab as he did… something to my automail arm. He had mentioned that he had made an upgrade for my arm and had pestered me to do the switch. To be fair… Fine, he didn't exactly "pester" but he was his annoying self about it. He had attached the new arm and had been tinkering on it ever since.

And it's been a while now…

The main issue I had with the situation was… Tony refused to not only tell me WHAT he had done to my automail but even to let me look at what he was currently doing. Any time I tried to sneak a peak at my arm, Tony would poke me with that annoying stick of his that even sent a small jolt of electric shock into me.

I swear… I would eventually find where he usually kept it and I would break it in two.

But… Knowing him, he either had extras or would just get another one…

"How are you handling being under house arrest?" asked Tony after several minutes of silence between us, pulling me away from my plan for the demise of that stick.

"I am NOT under house arrest," I mumbled, shaking my head in annoyance.

I heard Tony scoff next to me. "You were suggested to NOT leave the house. Nearly the definition of house arrest."

"Nearly. But I could," I replied with an eye roll.

"And where do you plan on going exactly? You didn't leave the house before said suggestion of staying here. Did you magically decide to be sociable or a shopaholic?"

I bit the inside of my cheeks to stop myself from snapping at that very true statement. Was it because someone now told me 'no' that the overly rebellious part of me just wanted to defy that suggestion?

And it was all because of that stupid picture some damn paparazzi had managed to take at the racetrack and the explosion of rumours and theories that had sparked from it. Sadly, they haven't died down as fast as any of us had hoped so…

I was still staying inside.

I didn't particularly like the idea but followed through none the less.

At least the people around me had helped with the craziness of the last week. Pepper and Rhodey had been very understanding and Tony had been… very distracting. It was at least something if I was being honest and it had made a difference.

Even on the other side of the country, Peter, Ned and their families had heard about the picture and all of them had checked up on me through email and even through a video call.

It had felt… nice.

Even though I had – almost – forgotten about the video call because I had been too engrossed in my research. The sound of the call on my laptop made me jump enough that a few papers went flying around me.

Thankfully the Parkers hadn't noticed or, if they had, they hadn't mentioned anything.

And, of course, Peggy had not been too happy about the 'breach in privacy' as she had stated and had even offered to find out who had taken said picture. I wasn't entirely sure how she would have done that but it had made me smile. On the other hand though, she had found amusing the different rumors on who exactly I was and what they had evolved into.

Apparently, there had been WORSE ones than child or lover and I shuddered at the thought. I didn't even want to know how that was even possible…

Thankfully, things had slightly gotten better since the photograph had been published, even though paparazzi still had to be chased away from near the gates of the property. That sadly meant…

"It sucks that we have to be so damn careful," I grumbled under my breath.

"I think you're madder that one of the rumors they've been spreading was that we're related," replied Tony and I could very clearly hear the smirk as he said that. "I told you it would have been more realistic and yet you still don't believe me even with all the proof."

He truly wasn't going to let that one go, apparently… Ever since pretending to be his psychologist to fool Stane, Tony always managed to point out that pretending to be his kid would have worked better.

And Rhodey, the Parkers and even the media had just been fueling that notion and possibly – most likely – inflating his already overly large ego in proving that he had been right.

Well, I just flipped him off instead.

Besides, out of all the rumors that had been flying around, I was more okay with a family relation than the thought of being Tony's new love interest.

I couldn't help but shudder at that thought.

"The media will find something else eventually and it'll then be all in the past," added Tony as he

continued to tinker on my automail.

"Yeah, but until then… we need to be careful. Or more, I need to be careful when we go out in public. If ever I do go out…," I mumbled, massaging my forehead. I had already gone over the possibilities many times – maybe even a hundred times – but they were always the same ones.

The same limited ones…

Leaving the property by foot and taking the open main road would clue people in that I was staying at Tony's place considering this was the only house in either direction for at least 100 meters each way. If I left with either Pepper or Happy, I would need to hide out in the back seat to avoid being seen with them. And when we did get to our destination… would they need to exit first? Would I need to hide for a bit? And then we carry on like we don't even know each other?

It was all a damn headache and, what added to all this was…

I couldn't drive anywhere myself either.

So… All in all, limited and unappealing options all around.

"How much longer is this going to be?" I wondered stopping myself just before turning to face Tony so he wouldn't shock me with that stick of his again.

"So impatient," he mumbled before I heard him rolling away. "But timing was good. Time to freak out."

I frowned at those words, almost worried about what exactly he had done to my automail – which, to be fair, had still been in good condition and in working order up to that point. With a huff, I turned towards him, squinting in suspicion as he wore an overly large grin as he held up a large cup of some weird green liquid that didn't… didn't…

Wait.

"What. The. Fuck?"

I stared at my right arm, my mouth hanging open.

No metal.

I couldn't see ANY metal.

"How…?"

I sat there gaping at my right arm that looked REAL, skin and hair and all. It… It even had faint scars. I held up both my hands, studying them carefully, all the details looking…

Pretty much identical?

The scars were in the same place so…

I turned towards Tony, my eyes wide as I gripped my automail wrist, still feeling the metal even though, visually, it wasn't there.

"How did you…?"

"Holographic technology that I've been developing," he began putting down his now empty cup before rolling closer with his chair and he did something near my shoulder. "I needed a guinea pig to test it out and your arm seemed like a good idea. I added tiny projectors in specific spots all over the arm to cover the metal with preprogrammed images of your real arm, just mirrored. And voila."

The 'skin' on my automail shimmered into pixels before metal was revealed underneath. The new automail looked similar to the other one he had made but slightly more… round. Possibly to imitate as much as possible the shape of a real arm.

"Blade is still there, by the way," continued Tony, pointing towards the wrist with a wave of his hand. "I wasn't about to change it and get an earful from you about it."

A small smirk spread across my face before… a full smile formed. I couldn't help it.

And it wasn't just about the blade.

This technology was AMAZING! I hadn't heard of anything like it before and –

I needed more information on how it worked.

How long has Tony been working on this?

What else could it be used for?

I was nearly shaking in excitement to find out… everything that I could!

But also, this meant I didn't need to be careful in public as much anymore. Yes, prosthetics have come a long way since the 1940s but nothing had yet to reach the level of my automail. It had been one thing for people to take second glances at it if ever my sleeve got pushed up by accident but now, with the media snooping around so much and the rumors that spark ridiculously fast, I was almost certain my automail would eventually be over scrutinized.

And I didn't want that: I didn't need even MORE reasons for people to look into me and discover my past.

Camouflaging my automail from time to time would help so much!

And I could almost imagine how it would have been… would have been getting back my real arm…

That sobered me up way too quickly.

I had promised Al that we would get our real bodies back… I had promised…

But…

I – I still had no idea what had happened to him: if my sacrifice had been enough to get his body back while I was allowed to live on this side of the Gate.

Did – Did I even deserve to get this 'holographic' technology? I knew it wasn't my real arm but… it was a step in that direction, to PRETEND it was.

Did I get to pretend to be normal when Al…?

When my own little brother could…?

"Didn't realize you didn't like the upgrade that much."

My attention snapped towards Tony who was studying me a little too carefully, his gaze fixed on my face. I tried to control my expression as much as possible, knowing how much people could potentially read off of my reactions.

Tony opened his mouth but paused for a moment, closed it, huffed and then stood.

"Now that that's done, come here for a sec," he said as he walked away towards another part of the lab. "I have a query."

I took a deep breath, pushing away the dark thoughts as I stood and slowly made my way over to where Tony was standing. I gripped my automail wrist tightly, taking another deep breath, almost happy that he did not pry.

I was sure he noticed something off in my demeanor but he had chosen not to say anything about it and I was damn grateful.

Yes, we had opened up more since I had been dropped in Tony's lab several months ago but we weren't at the point of ASKING about things like that.

Getting too personal with emotions was still new to us.

"Thanks, by the way," I said, trying to keep my voice strong once I was next to Tony

"Took you long enough to say it," he remarked, giving me a look.

Fair enough…

I didn't reply to that comment because that would imply me explaining WHY it had taken me that long to thank him and eventually sharing some dark thoughts.

It wasn't like he was going to be able to help me with them considering the answers were in a parallel world neither of us had access to. I just let the whole conversation go instead...

I wasn't in the mood to argue with him.

"So, what was your question?" I wondered, going back to the change of subject Tony had brought up.

He had been bringing up some screens while I had been lost in my thoughts and he finally stopped, turning slightly in my direction. "Let's see if we can put that chemistry knowledge of yours to the test," he said, pointing towards a screen. I moved closer, reading what was on it as he continued, "You've heard of palladium, right?"

It took me a moment, not for 'palladium' but for why Tony brought up that particular element. It wasn't that common, wasn't used in my automail nor in the structure of the suit of his.

But…

Palladium was used in the arc reactors Tony had created.

"Yes, I've heard of it, what's this about?" I asked, frowning slightly.

Tony shrugged, glancing at the screens once more. "I wanted to see if a test for you could be beneficial: finding an alternative for palladium. You have boasted about your chemistry knowledge so here's your chance to prove yourself." He paused for a moment before smirking. "And it'll keep you busy during your house arrest."

I huffed but I was thinking more about that that the 'chemistry' knowledge I possessed was more geared towards alchemy than whatever Tony had in mind.

"To replace it in what exactly?" I asked, crossing my arms. "To power the suit?"

Maybe I didn't see it properly but I could have sworn Tony had almost unperceptively tensed at that question. However, he sent me a look, raising an eyebrow as he did and whatever I thought was him being tense… vanished.

Maybe I had imagined it…?

"Should I take that as you not wanting to try? Or do you already know you won't be able to find a replacement?" asked Tony, crossing his arms and leaning against the desk.

"You're baiting me."

"Is it working?"

I crossed my arms as well, not exactly happy to admit that it actually was. It was a challenge and also a shot at my knowledge on chemistry – alchemy technically. But, at the end of the day, the basis of replacement palladium with another element could be done with alchemy basics and some research.

Besides… I did owe him for having created my new automail, the previous version and now this one.

"But why replace it? It's for the arc reactor, right?" I asked, motioning towards said arc reactor with a tilt of my chin.

It was odd enough that Tony was asking for my help with something – even though he would most likely deny doing that if I pointed it out – but add to the fact that it was for the arc reactor of all things, the whole situation raised many questions.

"So nosy but yes," he replied, rolling his eyes. "It's expensive using palladium and I wanted to see if there was a more cost-efficient alternative."

Even though it was a decent answer, I still scoffed, shaking my head. "Did you go bankrupt and I didn't know? Spend all your fortune?"

"You are not as funny as you think you are," he said, pushing away from the desk and heading towards a suit he had been tinkering on. "And no, far from broke. Or else I would be asking for some rent from you."

"Pepper won't let you charge me rent," I remarked with a smirk.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

"It may hurt you though."

"I may just take that arm back."

We stared at each other for a moment before I uncrossed my arms and motioned towards the screens. "Fine, I'll do some research. Only fair considering you made this," I lifted my right arm and waved it a bit, "equivalent exchange."

Tony eyed me for a moment before shaking his head and focusing his head on the suit in front of him. "You say the strangest things sometimes…"

I just flipped him off as I walked out of the lab.

Tony's POV

Tony hovered over his unfinished suit as he watched the enigmatic young adult leave the lab and climb the stairs, thankfully never looking back as she did.

She didn't notice the relieved slouch from Tony after her departure.

That had been close. Too close.

He knew before bringing up the conversation that he must have been desperate to ask for help from Ed for finding a substitute for the palladium in the arc reactor but… He had exhausted all other possibilities on his own. With JARVIS' help of course.

This… This may be his last chance.

Tony reached for the small device laying on the desk and used it to prick his finger. He waited a few seconds before the bright red number of 80% appeared.

It had gotten worse… Ever since February when he had first discovered the beginning effects, the toxicity in his blood had just increased.

Tony massaged his face, taking a deep breath as the implications set in: the palladium poisoning was only getting worse and it wouldn't stop any time soon if the arc reactor core continued to run on said palladium. The spread even increased the more he used his Iron Man suit.

That, however, was not an option to change. He WAS Iron Man. That wasn't going to stop.

So… That only thing left to change was the palladium.

If Tony couldn't find an alternative and Ed had no luck either…

He groaned in annoyance, leaning back in his chair. The last option was a dreary one and he did not like it. He could only imagine the others' reaction to the news and to the possible outcome but he never dwelled on it for too long.

He didn't need that at the moment.

Besides…

Tony had caught a hint of the reaction from Ed when she had been looking at her new arm. He knew she was an easy read concerning her thoughts and emotions but that afternoon…

She had gone from elated to downright miserable within moments.

The last time he had seen her looking so depressed was when she had been drunk in NYC.

He wasn't going to lie and say he wasn't curious as to why she had those strong reactions but he was also not going to be the one to outright ask her about it.

Tony massaged his arc reactor, taking a deep breath. He knew he wasn't going to help in getting Ed to feel better, that was best left to Pepper or Peggy. However, there were other things he could do, like distract her with that research.

It was a start.

And… If ever that research was deemed fruitless, well…

"Might as well make sure they'll be alright," he mumbled to himself, scooting closer to his suit and continuing to tinker on it, plans already forming in his mind.

Let me know what you thought! Thank you again! :D

P.S. If anyone remembers the beginning of Iron Man 2, they'll think, wait, the palladium poisoning level wasn't that high to begin with, what's going on? Well, I have decided to tweak the poison spread a little because I found it VERY fast in the movie :P Tony discovered the poisoning in February and it's been steadily increasing since then. Voila!