Thank you all so much for all your support for this story! It truly means a lot! I hope it continues to live up to your expectations!

To everyone still curious to know when this story takes place in the MCU timeline, I hope this chapter answers your questions! :)

Enjoy! :D

Previously:

So… What was to do? I needed my arm fixed but giving it up was not sitting well with me at all at the moment.

"Give me a week," I finally stated. "A week to decide whether I let you look at me arm or not." That would give me the time to determine whether or not I could actually trust Tony. He may not have been as much of an asshole during our conversation, but, bringing up Steve seemed to hit a nerve. Add that to how he reacted when I had arrived, I needed to determine where Tony stood.

"Fine, fine," he muttered, waving me off. "I can keep busy with another project. Now shoo."

The image of my arm vanished as Tony walked away from the table, heading towards the boots. He caught me staring and actually motioned me away, towards the stairs.

Great… Asshole was back.

5 days left before deadline

I rolled onto my back on the bed, sighing heavily as I stared at the ceiling. I had spent most of the day, like the other one, going through the 'tablet' Pepper had left for me. My brain was reeling with how much information I had read up on since I had started.

So much had changed…

I had thought going from Amestris to the 1940s here had been something of a challenge but I had been wrong.

The end of the 20th century and now, the 21st century, ha advanced so much faster than anything I could have expected or even imagined.

Just this tablet! Information on nearly everything in the world was right at my fingertips! I never would have thought something like that would be possible! I was used to going to the library, getting my information from books. I was thankful that those still existed but, having an instant access to anything you needed was beyond practical.

I still missed going to them though… Since I had arrived here, I hadn't left the property and I didn't think it would be a good idea to just venture off either.

I wouldn't know where to go…

I flopped my head to the side, staring out the window, squinting at the sunset over the ocean. I had to admit, it was a nice sight: the sun half gone over the horizon, the sky coloured in hues of red, orange, and pink.

At least sunsets were the same no matter where I was.

But, I had never seen one over such a large body of water before arriving here.

I continued to lay on the bed as the sun disappeared over the horizon and I went over once more whether or not I could trust Tony with my automail arm or not.

On one hand, I needed my arm repaired and Tony seemed to have the technology and the knowledge necessary to figure out how my automail worked. From the robots and JARVIS that he had built, he was gifted. Also, the Gate dropped me with Tony specifically. There must have been a reason for that!

But…

There was still the fact that Tony didn't like me. Our conversation in the lab the other day had gone well for the most part. That is, until I mentioned Steve. For a reason Tony still refused to share, he did NOT like Steve or myself.

How was I supposed to trust someone who harbored some unknown negative feelings towards me?

I groaned, not liking the situation I was in and how complicated it had become compared to the first time the Gate had dropped me on this side.

"I'm getting no where," I mumbled, sitting up and glancing around.

My stomach decided at that moment to growl loudly. Well, that settled what I was doing next. I got off the bed and headed towards the door, thinking about what I could eat from what I had last seen in –

"Miss, I would suggest waiting before moving around the house," stated JARVIS, making me jump in surprise, stopping a meter from the door.

"And why is that?" I asked, glancing up at the ceiling.

"A visitor has arrived and it would be prudent to not make your presence known."

A visitor? I think that was the mistake he made. JARVIS told me NOT to do something so… I was going to do it.

"I'll be careful," I replied, opening the door and peeking down the corridor.

"Miss –"

"I'm hungry and I want to at least see or hear someone else," I countered, walking down the corridor. I was almost sure that, if he could, JARVIS would have sighed at my actions. At least he hadn't locked the door before I was able to leave the room…

As I shuffled through the house, I began hearing voices coming from the living room. I slowed down, hearing Pepper's exasperated sigh near the end.

"He isn't answering," she said with a hint of frustration. "He must be busy. I'll go down and get him."

"No worries, Pepper," replied a man. "We both know how he is: he's always working."

"I'll be right back."

I heard her heels click away and I slowly moved down the corridor, curious as to who was here to see Tony specifically. Since I had arrived, I had only seen Pepper come and go. Had others been here while I was in my room or asleep? A part of me doubted that.

I heard the man moving and I wondered where he was going. Maybe a little –

A blue rectangle that looked too much like the screen of the tablet I had been using appeared on the wall next to me, at eye level and I stopped. Was there no part of this house that didn't have anything technologically integrated into it? There was a message on said screen and I squinted, leaning closer.

'You will be seen if you get any closer, Miss.'

JARVIS…

I glanced up at the ceiling and mouthed out, "Fine," hoping I looked as exasperated as I felt. I made a face just to be sure, just as the man began playing the piano.

Ok… He must know Tony well enough to not only be visiting but to also use the stuff in this house. Who the hell was he?

A few minutes later, I heard Pepper return. "He's coming," she said, sounding tired. What did Tony do this time?

"Thank you, Pepper," said the man. "He was working, I'm guessing?"

"Always."

"Anything interesting?"

Pepper's footsteps slowed almost unperceptively before her previous pace picked up again as she answered, "I don't particularly pay attention to that."

The man hummed before continuing to play the piano and it sounded as if Pepper went to the couch, with her… small computer. Laptop? I could hear her typing as they both waited. That had been an… interesting conversation. Something had made Pepper hesitate. Was it what Tony was working on?

Maybe listening in on this conversation would answer some of my questions! All of waited and I was almost tempted to sit down. Who knew how long it would take Tony to come up from his lab?

"How'd it go?" speak of the devil. Tony was climbing the stairs but the man hadn't stopped playing the piano. "It went that bad, huh?"

What went bad? And how did he know that? The man hadn't said anything…

"Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad," answered the man and my stomach growled at the mention of pizza. The problem with this situation was that I couldn't get to the kitchen without crossing the living room so getting anything to quiet my stomach was out of the question. I was going to have to wait it out and hope it was worth it.

"Uh-huh. Sure doesn't," said Tony, not sounding convinced. There was a pause followed by an, "Oh boy."

"It would have gone better if you were there," stated the man. Why hadn't he stopped playing the damn piano?!

"Uh-huh," replied Tony with finality. "You told to lay low. That's what I've been doing. I lay low and you take care of it all."

Partway through Tony's rambling, the man had finally stopped playing that piano and was moving. I, however, got curious about why Tony needed to lay low. What had happened? Was that why he hadn't left the house since I arrived? Why no one else had shown up? How long had it been before my arrival?

And what was this man supposed to take care of?

"Hey, come one," said the man. "In public. The press. This was a board of directors meeting."

A what? And why would Tony need to avoid the press? I paused, remembering that it wasn't the first time the press had been mentioned. Tony hadn't wanted to press to know I had landed in his house. Was Tony a public figure?

"This was –?" This was a board of directors meeting?"

Tony, of course, knew what that meeting was and he sounded slightly concerned. If this meeting had been so important, shouldn't someone have told him?

And, if I understood correctly, if this man was left in charge of… of whatever he was in charge of, shouldn't he have been the one to tell Tony? Or at least tell Pepper so she could relay the information?

"The board is claiming you have post traumatic stress. They're filling an injunction," explained the man.

Almost none of those words meant anything to me… What board? What is 'post traumatic stress'? And what the fuck was an injunction?!

"A what?" asked Tony in disbelief.

"They want to lock you out," explained the man. Ok, that was probably what injunction meant. But why would they want to lock Tony out? And lock him out of what? There seemed to be a big piece of the puzzle I was missing in all this…

"Why?" snapped Tony. "'Cause the stocks dipped 40 points? We knew that was going to happen."

Stocks…?

"56 and a half," cut in Pepper as I heard her still continue to type away at her laptop.

"It doesn't matter." Tony sounded impatient at that point. Not that I necessarily blamed him… "We own the controlling interest in the company."

Oh, that was new information. That was maybe what they meant about stocks. So…? They owned a company? Or was it Tony and the man? Or just Tony? Because I gathered that Pepper worked for Tony so she didn't seem to be a part of the decision making. This was beyond confusing considering I didn't understand what most of the terms they were using actually meant…

"Tony, the board has rights too. They're making a case that you and your direction isn't in the company's best interest." The man's voice appeared calm but… Something didn't exactly sit right with me. He almost sounded condescending. Tony may be many things but stupid wasn't one of them. The man didn't need to speak to him like that.

"I'm being responsible!" replied Tony quickly on the defense. "That's a new direction for me – for the company." That last part was stuttered out and I was actually surprised. What had happened? Why did Tony want to change? To be more responsible?

And… how had he been before? I shuddered at that though…

"I mean me on the company's behalf," continued Tony, trying to sound more confident. "Being responsible for the way that…" The rest of the sentence died, tapering off to nothing and I inwardly cursed. Whatever he was about to say may have helped me understand what the hell was going on! "This is great."

"Oh, come one, Tony. Tony!" The man seemed to be calling out and I guessed Tony was walking away.

The man and Pepper may not have believed him… About the new direction, about being more responsible, for himself and for the company. Well… If they knew him, maybe he didn't change easily. But… That didn't mean Tony didn't deserve a chance to prove that he could.

Deserve a chance…

"I'll be in the shop," said Tony, his voice getting fainter.

"Hey! Hey! Hey, Tony, listen. I'm trying to turn this around," explained the man, his voice growing softer and fainter, so much so that I needed to strain myself to hear the rest of the conversation. "But, you gotta give me something. Something to pitch them. Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs."

I stiffened. Take a look at what? Had – had Tony or Pepper mentioned something about my arm to this man? Had I fucked up showing it to them?

"No, absolutely no," replied Tony with finality. His tone had me untensing in surprise. Could…?

"It'll give me a bone to throw the boys in New York," said the man, sounding almost desperate.

"This stays with me. That's it, Obie. Forget it."

"Alright, well, this stays with me, then," stated the man, Obie – I guess that was what his name was… There was a moment of pause before he continued, "Go on. You can have a piece. Take two."

"Thank you," replied Tony, his voice different than before. What exactly was the dynamic between the two of them?

"You mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?"

"Goodnight, Obie!" Tony's voice grew fainter as he said that and I heard footsteps going down the stairs.

I guess that was the end of that conversation.

I heard Obie shuffle around and something getting placed on the table. Oh, maybe it was the pizza. Unless there had been something else in the living room that they hadn't verbally mentioned. Well, if it was the pizza, I could maybe grab a slice if Obie left the box here.

"He truly is in the creation zone, isn't he?" asked the man and Pepper finally paused in her typing.

"He's been keeping busy from what I've gathered," she replied after a moment.

That was a vague response. Obie truly was fishing for any information he could get and he wasn't being as subtle as he probably thought he was. He had pestered Tony and now Pepper for the second time.

Did that mean they didn't trust him? Was there a reason not to?

And why was it that, every time I got a little closer to understanding what was going on, something happened and I ended up even more confused than before?

"Hopefully coming up with something that will help the company," said Obie with a sigh.

"One could hope."

"Alright, I won't keep you, Pepper. I'll just make a pit stop and let you enjoy your evening."

"Thank you."

I huffed. I wasn't going to get anymore information it seemed. But, at least I was going to be able to get some food and not hide in the…

I then spotted another message on the wall.

'Move.'

Oh shit. I realized then that Obie was heading in my direction. I may not have cared at first but now, not knowing if this Obie character was trusted by Tony or Pepper, I didn't particularly want to meet him.

Especially if what he wanted to see, to let the engineers take a look at what, may or may not be my arm. I was not going to take that chance. I spun around, making a beeline for my room, hearing Obie's footsteps not far behind me.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

I slid into the darkened room, dashing on the other side of the bed and crouching down, falling on my ass and pressing my back against the bed. Obie's footsteps slowed as they got nearer to the door and I held my breath, squeezing my eyes shut.

Don't come in! Don't!

The footsteps stopped close, too close, and I was tempted to hide under the bed. However, knowing my right arm was hanging loosely at my side, I realized moving it would make too much noise and I wouldn't be able to manoeuvre myself fast enough to pull it off.

I settled for staying as still as possible.

Come one, keep moving!

It felt like forever before Obie finally continued down the corridor but I didn't celebrate just yet. I stayed where I was, quiet and unmoving. Obie would need to pass by the same way to leave so…

I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

I closed my eyes as I waited, straining to hear him pass again. I had wanted to go over what I had learned but, I also didn't want to miss the sound of Obie's footsteps.

Too bad I didn't have his full name or I might have been able to search for some information on him, to see if I could get any information on him.

Or… It could end up like with Tony and Pepper. Even though I didn't know Tony's full name, I had Pepper's from the day I landed here. However, even tough I tried searching for her on the tablet nothing came up.

Unlike when I tried with any of the Howling Commandos. Contrary to what JARVIS had shown me, there hadn't been as much information available on the tablet, on what the public could look up.

So what made Tony so special? Why couldn't I find anything on Pepper?

Why were there SO many damn questions?!

It was then that Obie passed by once more and I tensed, holding my breath. Just like before, he slowed down at the doorway, as if he was looking inside the –

Fuck!

His footsteps entered the room, heading in my direction. Why? Why couldn't you just leave the house?!

I began seeing a vague reflection on the windows in front of me and I hoped he hadn't noticed mine… He was a taller, heftier man with a thick beard and a bald head and I was almost relieved to notice his focus was on the bed and not on me. He had slowed down, reaching for –

Damnit! My tablet!

I had left it on the bed when I had decided to head off to get food!

Obie picked it up, turning it over, frowning at it before looking around the room. Please don't tell me I had left other things laying around…. And, if I did, that it was too dark in here to notice them.

"Sir, your driver is ready," stated JARVIS, making Obie and myself jump in surprise.

"Yes, thank you. I'll be heading out," replied the man, turning heel, my tablet still in his hands. Not good!

"And you may leave the tablet with Miss Potts," added JARVIS, making Obie pause. "She had left it here earlier today."

"Of course," he replied but I sensed the hesitation in his voice.

He may not have believed JARVIS but, at the same time, would he think JARVIS was capable of lying? Besides, the A.I. seemed to be able to see everything in this house so Obie wouldn't be able to leave with the tablet either.

I waited until Obie's footsteps faded away and waited several minutes more just to be safe: I didn't need another close call!

I had just wanted to eat…

When I figured I had waited long enough, I began hearing heels hitting the floor, getting louder as they neared my room. Please let her be alone.

"Ed? Are you here?"

Oh… That sounded promising. I slowly peeked my head over the bed, spotting Pepper standing at the doorway, my tablet in her hands.

"He's gone?" I asked, shifting onto my knees and straightening.

She nodded, entering the room and flipping the switch, opening the lights. I blinked as I stood and stretched.

"Were you behind the bed the entire time?" she asked, handing over the tablet.

I debated for a moment whether to tell her or not that I had witnessed their entire conversation. On one hand, they may be more cautious about what they discussed from here on out. On the other, maybe I could get some clarification on what I had heard and maybe even have at least a few of my MANY questions answered.

"No," I finally answered, flopping onto the bed. "I got hungry and headed towards the kitchen as you went to get Tony downstairs."

Her eyes widened at that explanation as she slowly took a seat not far from me on the bed. "Did you cross the living room?"

I shook my head. "I stayed hidden like JARVIS suggested. But… I did hear the whole conversation."

Pepper took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Of course, you couldn't just go back to your room and wait it out," she mumbled, shaking her head. "Alright, fine. Try not to eavesdrop again?"

"I can't make any promises," I replied with a shrug. Especially considering I didn't have much information on anything going on in this house… "I didn't understand most of what was going on anyway." Pepper may have tried to hide it but she almost looked relieved by those words. "But who was that man? He seemed to know Tony well enough."

She hesitated a moment before answering. "Obadiah. He was a friend and business partner of Tony's father. Now he helps Tony."

"With what business?"

"It's not my pace to tell," she replied softly, shaking her head.

I sighed heavily, leaning back and laying on the bed. I didn't feel like I was any closer to figuring out what was going on… Not only do more questions keep appearing but I haven't exactly been able to get clear answers either.

"Are you still hungry?" wondered Pepper suddenly.

I turned my head, glancing at her. "Always."

That got a smile from her as she stood. "Good. I can drive you and we can get some take out. I haven't eaten either."

I blinked, confused as I sat up. "To get some what?"

"Take out. Fast food." Nope, those words didn't exactly ring any bells for me and the confusion must have been clear on my face. "Anything they can prepare quickly or we can take to eat here. Like hamburgers and fries, pizza, Chinese food. Anything in particular that you'd like?"

My stomach growled as she listed the food and I nearly said 'yes' to all of them before my mind caught up with what was happening. "But, I don't have any money to pay for the food…," I said softly, a little irritated. I had remembered what Tony had said about me 'mooching' off of him and it didn't sit well with me.

Well, it didn't sit well AFTER I searched for the meaning of that word.

Pepper, however, waved me off. "Nonsense. Of course, you don't have any money but it doesn't mean I can't buy you some food. I have an idea, we can pick up some food and go eat it near the pool outside. It's a nice enough evening."

Honestly, even if my stubbornness on not wanting Pepper to pay for me was pushing me to refuse, just the idea of heading outside the walls of this house outweighed any stubborn guilt I could have. Besides, maybe while eating, I could get some clearer answers.

One could hope.

"Hamburgers it is then," I stated, bouncing off the bed.

I heard a faint chuckle from Pepper as she stood and headed towards the door.

As much as I was excited to get food, a part of me was nervous about seeing what the future looked like outside these walls.

Well, whatever I was expecting or imagining did not live up to anything I was physically seeing.

Honestly, I don't even know how long we were in the car for but, after I finally pulled my eyes away from the dashboard, I was transfixed by everything outside the windows.

And everything was so damn BRIGHT!

Just the amount of cars on the road had probably doubled, even tripled and there were so many different types. So many choices and possibilities, small and big with multiple colours too.

And those buildings… When I had arrived in New York with Dr. Erskine. I had thought those skyscrapers were tall and impressive. Even though these ones didn't seem as tall, they were so much more… sleeker? They had more metal and glass integrated into them, most with less details than what I was used to.

"Any particular hamburger you'd like, Ed?" asked Pepper as she drove down the busy street.

I couldn't pull my gaze away from the passing shops, confused by some of them as I thought over the question. "There's more than one type?" I managed to ask as I glanced back, eyes wide. That was not what I thought it was… was it? There are shops for THAT now? How? WHY?!

"Yes, actually Normal hamburger. You can get a cheese burger. One with bacon. One with chicken instead, or fish. Many different choices actually," she explained and I nodded, thinking it over.

"Normal, cheese, and bacon sound good," I replied as I stared at a group of teenagers crowding at a corner. Well, I had to admit, the fashion styles have changed a lot since the 1940s. Just like cars, there seemed to be more choices and there was definitely a lot more colours available.

"Alright, a hamburger with all that, coming up."

"I actually meant one of each." I finally glanced towards Pepper as her eyes widened slightly. "I said I was hungry," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks warm up in embarrassment.

"No, no worries. I forgot about teenagers and their insatiable appetite," she replied, still looking a little stunned.

"I'm 19, technically an adult in most countries."

"Still a teen," was her quick response.

I couldn't help but smile at that as I turned back to look out the window. It was at least a step up from being called a 'kid' for so long. Further ahead was a brightly lit building with a line of people just outside. "What's that place?"

Pepper took a moment, probably taking her eyes off the road to scan around her as I stared in surprise at what the people in line were wearing. On top of having more colours, apparently fashion had drastically… shortened…

I felt my face flush once more as I stared at the VERY short, skin-tight skirts and dresses the women were wearing along with the highest heels I had ever seen.

"It's a club," said Pepper, making me jump, pulling my gaze away from the line of people. "That brightly lit building is a club."

"And that is?"

"Where people go to have fun, drink, dance, that sort of thing."

I slowly slouched in my seat at that explanation. "Oh…" A modern dance hall. I knew those well… Sadly the person I usually went with to those… "Ok, thanks."

If Pepper noticed my change in attitude, she thankfully didn't say anything.

Honestly, it was a struggle heading back to the house with a lap full of food that engulfed my sense of smell the moment it the bags entered the car. My mouth didn't stop watering and I just wanted to get back to eat!

Once Pepper parked, I followed her around the front of the house, towards the back where a large patio and pool were set up. She took a seat on one of the lounge chairs, pulling a small metal table closer. I took the other chair, placing the bags of food on the table between us.

"Thanks, Pepper," I said as I began pulling out what we had ordered.

"My pleasure. Enjoy," she replied, opening her only hamburger while I placed my three in front of me, choosing one randomly to start with.

Well, I had to admit, the food in the future tasted SO MUCH BETTER!

I nearly scarfed down one hamburger and was halfway through the other one – the bacon one! – when Pepper cleared her throat, catching my attention.

"Had you eaten since this morning?" she asked, watching me with wide eyes.

I paused in my eating, shrugging. "I forgot."

She bit back a sigh, staring up into the night sky. "Between the two of you… I'll have JARVIS remind you tomorrow," she added, shaking her head. "I can't have both of you skipping meals on my watch."

Both…? Well, the other person that I could think about was Tony. "Why does he skip meals?"

"Why do you?"

"I was busy," I replied, taking a bite of my hamburger. "There's so much to catch up on in the last 60 years…"

Pepper nodded, lowering her hamburger, eyeing it carefully. "It's still hard to process for me, I can't imagine for you," she said softly.

I shrugged once more, finishing my hamburger and grabbing the last one. As I unwrapped it, I swung my legs onto the lounge chair, leaning back and staring up into the night sky. "We can't see as many stars now can we?" I asked as I took a slow bite.

I saw Pepper look up from the corner of my eye. "Light pollution, actual pollution. It blocks them out sadly."

I nodded, continuing to eat, as I studied the night sky. "Things have changed… Just being able to see the stars is just one of many but I need to adapt, to figure out what to do."

"If you need any help, let me know," added Pepper and I turned my head towards her, thinking over that offer.

I may or mot not get a straight answer from her but the least I could do was try asking my question and see what comes out of it. "Do you trust Tony?"

She looked surprised and I didn't particularly blame her. "Yes, I do."

"Then why didn't you believe he was changing, to be more responsible?"

Her mouth hung open for a moment and I raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"It… It wasn't that I didn't believe him," she began slowly. "I want to, I truly do. It… I've known him for many years and I had rarely seen him be responsible."

"But…?" I sensed there was more to this story and I wanted – needed – to get more information.

"But, since he came back. He's changed. He may actually be more responsible but I'll need to see it to believe it."

Damn… It didn't exactly help my situation… I mentally noted that he had gone somewhere that had changed him before deciding to just outright ask the biggest question that has been nagging me for the past 2 days. "If you were in my situation, would you trust him with your broken arm?"

There was a glint in Pepper's eyes, as if she knew something more then she had shared. "If I were you, I wouldn't worry about your arm with Tony."

I frowned. That didn't provide me with more information as to WHY I could trust him. Maybe it was because he had built those robots? That he was a good mechanic?

Pepper's trust only went so far considering I barely knew her as well…

"Fine. I'll think about it," I mumbled, going back to staring at the sky. "Thanks, Pepper."

"Anytime, Ed. Hopefully the two of you will eventually get along."

I only shrugged, going back to my hamburger.

Thank you all again! Hopefully this chapter cleared up when Ed landed in the MCU! Let me know what you thought or if you have any questions!