I left the living room shortly after. Tony wanted time with Rhodey and Pepper, and likely wanted time to adjust to having a sister. Besides, I was on sensory overload and needed a break from everything. I let myself sink to the floor next to my bed, resting my head on my knees.

Now that Tony was home, the plot was going to move fast. Iron Man only took place in the span of six months, and three of those were spent in a cave. I didn't have time to go gently, I had to just push ahead.

I needed to get rid of Stane, but I knew Tony was still emotionally attached to him - not that I blamed him for it. The biggest problem was that I didn't have proof. I decided to try and talk to Tony about it in a day or two, see if he's willing to trust me on it. I wanted to avoid Iron Monger if I could. Not to mention Tony getting hurt because Stane ripped out the reactor.

"Tony doin' alright?" I asked Bucky as he walked in my room. He sat above me on the bed, letting me lean tiredly against his leg.

"Yeah, Doll, he just wanted a few words with me about what happened," Bucky said softly. "Actually, threatened me over you."

I snorted a bit, laughing at the incredulity of Tony threatening the Winter Soldier over me and my wellbeing.

"Over me? That's hilarious," I muttered dryly.

"What's runnin' through that mind'a yours?" Bucky asked, gently running cool metal fingers through my hair.

"Stane has to go. Tony's under my protection, which means that sonofabitch can't be allowed to stay alive." I sneered at the ground in front of me, remembering the look of betrayal on Tony's face in the movies. "He needs shot."

I didn't want to think about the fact that I was preparing myself to kill a man. A bad man, and one that I really didn't like, but I wasn't a killer - not yet. And it wasn't just going to be Stane. Hydra agents too. I didn't fool myself into thinking there wouldn't be innocent blood on my hands by the time I finally died.

"Killed, not arrested?" Bucky asked lightly. I wondered what he was getting at.

"He's got too many connections. The Ten Rings? Hydra? He's dealing Stark Weapons on the black market. Hell, he's the reason Sokovia has access to Stark Tech," I pointed out, shrugging. I looked up at Bucky. "He's going down, I'm going to make sure of it."

"You?" Bucky asked. "You would do it? Could you?"

"I have to. Tony is my family and I'm absolutely not letting him put his life in any more danger than necessary."

"Even at the cost of yours?" I looked away from Bucky with a grimace as I thought about Endgame. I knew that if I had any say in anything at all, Morgan wasn't going to lose her father. Pepper wouldn't lose her husband. "You're not Atlas."

I made a disgusted noise in the back of my throat. How many times had I taken on every single responsibility because no one else could - or would? How many times had I thrown myself off the deep end because something was necessary? Too many times.

"Here, in this time, in this place, I am. For some reason, I was given the ability to make a difference in this world." I hadn't noticed that I'd gotten up and started pacing. I hadn't noticed that I'd started shouting. "What do I care if it costs my life? What's my life worth to me? I'd give that and more for their happiness, for your happiness."

I came to a sudden halt as Bucky wrapped his arms around me. He sat us back down on the ground, leaning against the side of the bed as I cried. I didn't notice doing that either.

I did notice the tight, vice-like grip his left hand had on my thigh. Normally he was great at controlling his strength with that arm, but this grip was hard - and likely meant he'd lost his emotions.

"Hey, honey, what's wrong? Look at me, what's wrong?" I leaned back enough to see his face. I placed one hand on his chest, just over his heart. "Talk to me, Sug, I can't read minds."

"Can't lose you." Was all Bucky managed to get out through clenched teeth. "Not because of me. Not for me."

I huffed and twisted around so I was straddling his lap, but not sitting on him - I didn't want to start anything or take away from what I was saying. I was steadfastly ignoring the pain from his grip as he let go. It was going to bruise badly. He flinched briefly at my change of position before he hesitantly put his hands on my hips. I forced my mind to focus - and not on that! Get your head out of that fanfiction, Gods Damn!

"You listen here Barnes! You couldn't get rid'a me if you tried! What did I tell you from day one?"

"That you can't live without me."

"I don't say that lightly." I softened, relaxing onto Bucky's lap. I moved my hand up to sit lightly on the side of his neck, keeping him looking at me, and not at the ground like he was trying to. "You mean everything to me; you have always meant everything to me. I will always come for you, always be at your side. Even if you tell me to leave, I'll still be there, just out of sight. I've got your six."

Bucky moved one hand to pull me against him, resting his forehead on my shoulder. I swallowed an oof from the force and started carding my fingers through his hair. Some small part of me was astounded that Bucky was so worried about me, worried for me. That was the same part that piped up every time I felt like downloading a dating app because I was lonely. Telling me I'm not good enough, that people don't like me.

The rest of me was crying. Finally, someone cared? Was this what it felt like? It felt like someone set my chest on fire. Bucky's arms were banded around my back, keeping me in place. This was my home now. Not just with Tony, but with Bucky.

We sat there long after my hips started, and then stopped screaming in pain from the position, but I never made a sound, I just held him and let myself be held. I could've fallen asleep there if Jarvis hadn't spoke up.

"Miss Stark, Sir has ordered dinner, and wishes for the two of you to join the rest in the living room." I huffed against Bucky's neck before I tried to move. As I got half up, Bucky slid out from under me and stood, waiting for me to move.

As we both seemed to expect, the moment I put weight on my left leg, my knee buckled, and I dropped. Only Bucky's enhanced reflexes stopped me from hitting the ground.

I clicked my teeth together in frustration as I tested my weight on my leg. Shooting, searing pain from ankle to hip, but no worse than usual.

"I'm fine, Buck." I pulled slightly out of his grip, grinning wryly at him. I forced myself to bounce up and down lightly on one leg, waiting for the muscles to warm up enough to balance. "I just can't stay in that position for too long."

"So, you won't be on top anytime soon," Bucky teased, grinning when he saw my bright red blush.

"Love, I wouldn't know what to do if you put me on top. Never for me, remember?" He made an unhappy noise at the reminder, causing me to giggle. I was probably too used to that part of my life, but it didn't matter to me anymore. I had Bucky now. And he would take care of me, just like I'd take care of him.

Bucky glowered at me until I let him wrap his arm around my waist so I could lean on him to walk until my leg relaxed. It caused startled looks when I came limping in, but I waved the concern away. "This is typical, although usually I'm too stubborn to accept help."

"Like this morning?"

"What did you do this morning?" Tony shouted, immediately sounding like an older brother. I blinked in surprise. Even he looked slightly surprised with himself at the outburst. I forced myself to ignore the lingering warmth in my chest. Today was just a day of surprises.

"I had her start training with laps this morning. She had about one and a half left when her leg buckled."

"I finished my laps, only for him to dismiss me."

"Then she collapsed on the stairs." I flashed them a sheepish smile. "And don't you dare say that you've had worse or that you're used to it, Grey, or I'll smack you into the wall."

I stuck my tongue out at Bucky, before leaning over for the pizza. I snagged a piece and nearly inhaled it, not caring that it was pepperoni or that there wasn't ranch. I was starved, I hadn't gotten around to eating today. Again.

"Perhaps we should also consider putting Sir and Miss Stark on set diets. They have the same eating habits."

"Is Jarvis throwing shade? That's rude." Tony and I looked at each other before we burst out laughing.

"Oh, God, they actually are siblings," Pepper whined. That only made Tony and I laugh harder. I smiled to myself as everyone laughed and talked. I could do this. We could do this.

Shifting Universes

"Miss Stark, as requested, I'm bringing to your attention, Sir's distress," Jarvis said into my earpiece, waking me up. I sat up and looked around in the dark, not having a clue what was happening.

"Huh?" Well, that was intelligent. But at least it didn't wake up Bucky, who was doing his best starfish impersonation on the other side of the bed. I gave him a fond smile, even though he was only a shadow in the dark.

"I believe he is currently having a panic attack in his bathroom."

I swore and bolted out of my room, tugging a shirt on as I ran. I walked into the room and immediately knew what happened.

"Alright, hunny, hey, look at me."

"Grey?" Tony was looking at me, but he wasn't seeing me. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping my big brother. C'mon." I stood him up and walked him over to the bench at the far end of his shower. "Water set you off?" He nodded. "I figured. Okay, here's what we're gonna do. We have two options; I can help you get clean using a cup and staying over here, or we can try getting under the spray again."

Tony looked at me with wild, not-quite-there eyes. I cupped his cheek and forced him to look up at me. I waited until I was sure he was seeing me before I leaned over a bit more, pressing his forehead to mine. I held him there until his breathing slowed to match mine.

"Grey..."

"It's alright, kid. What do you wanna do? Back under the spray?" Tony nodded slightly against me. I smiled, taking a half-step back. I moved so I was under the spray, ignoring the soaked shirt that was clinging to me, and guided Tony after me. He was clutching my hand in a death grip, but he shuffled forward until he was nearly under the spray. "I'm so proud of you, Tony. Now, I'm going to move behind you, and start with the shampoo, okay?"

It was harder than expected to wash his hair, with him being taller than me, but I'd made it work with a boyfriend that stood a foot above me. I could manage with my brother standing six inches taller than me.

I helped him rinse, talking to him the entire time so he could close his eyes without fear. The rest of the shower went easier, once he was calm.

"Thank-you," Tony whispered, sitting on the floor of his bedroom in his MIT sweats. I looked at him, seeing the scared kid that he really was. I smiled and leaned back against his bed.

"When I was raped, I couldn't handle having someone I didn't trust behind me for weeks afterwards. So, my best friend would always stand behind me in public until I could handle it." I didn't think anything of the story, it was already a decade ago that it'd happened, but Tony stared at me in horror. "It's okay, T, it was ten years ago now. I've adjusted."

"You were fourteen?" I nodded.

"Freshman in high school. I've had time to come to terms with my... past with men." I rolled my eyes. Sure, most of my life was trauma after trauma, but I was so bad at coping with things that I didn't even think about it. It worried the few friends I had when I joked about things I shouldn't joke about.

Shifting Universes

"Ugh, don't ever get old, Atalie," Robbie, my manager complained, rubbing his back and his knee. I snorted, trying not to laugh at him. He wasn't even five years older than me, but I would bet my next six paychecks that my body hurt more in a week than he did in six months. "I mean it, don't get old, it sucks."

"Well, I'm trying, but I keep surviving the attempts." I turned back to the wine case I was unloading, not even thinking about what I'd said.

"Are... Hey, are you okay?" I looked at him, confused.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" He stared at me, worry, confusion and fear dripping from him. "What did I do this time?"

I started looking myself over, trying to make sure I hadn't managed to give myself a head wound without noticing again. I turned back to him, looking at him in expectation.

"Your response... It wasn't what I was expecting. Just surprised me." I frowned, before realizing what he was talking about.

"Oh, that. Meh, it was what... five years ago? Five months ago? No big deal. I'm still here, Gods must not be done with me yet." I shrugged. Sure, I'd tried, but they failed, so I continued on, laughing at my trauma to stop myself from going on a downward spiral.

Shifting Universes

"If I don't laugh at the bad things that have happened to me, I'll shatter. Although, eventually, something's gonna hit me that I can't laugh at. I pity whoever's around me when that happens." Because I knew, one day, something was going to happen that I couldn't cope with. Something I couldn't laugh off or hide from. And it was going to destroy me. It wasn't an if. I didn't get lucky enough to have ifs. I had whens. When the world tries to kill me, when my friends decide they hate me, when I fuck up again. When my new family realizes I'm running blind, trying to stay afloat.

"When?"

"I'm not naïve, Tony. I know what my life is gonna look like from here on. And it's decidedly not peaceful and calm. I don't have a choice in my path, if I want to protect those I love." Not if I wanted to finally be successful. If I finally wanted to prove that I was worth something.

"So, you'd rather hurt yourself than others."

"I'd rather drag a rusted knife across my throat than let those I love suffer. Especially if there's something I can do to stop it."

"What about you?" I gave a cynical laugh.

"Bucky asked me the same thing. He told me that I'm not Atlas. Maybe not. I might not be carrying the world on my back, but I know how everything turns out for the next twenty years. That makes me the closest thing to an omnipotent God this world has." I rolled my eyes at the thought. "And I refuse to stand by and let people suffer when I can help."

"So, you want me to make you a suit?" The look I gave my brother would've frozen the hearts of stronger men. "Then let's get to work."

"Tomorrow. You need to sleep. C'mon, to bed with you." I stood and grabbed at Tony, hauling him to his feet. I nudged him toward the bed.

"Grey... I can't - the nightmares-"

"Are gonna have to get through me. Bed." I glared at him until he was in bed, then curled up next to him. "Try and sleep Tony. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Talk to me? Until I fall asleep?" Tony sounded so small; it broke my heart. Here I was with two men - both of them so close to being shattered beyond repair, and neither of them were supposed to feel like this. I knew I had my work cut out for me, but there was nothing I'd rather do.

"My junior year of high school, I took a topical literature class. My teacher had been my English teacher previously, and she knew what I was like as a student. Which was to say, a bad one. So, one morning, she was asking me if I'd done my homework." I paused and snorted at the memory. "I hadn't, of course, and she knew it. But she jokingly thumped me with the bible she was holding. Said the power of Christ compels you to do your damn homework."

I talked about high school, my pets, the stupid fish tank I only got because my boyfriend at the time loved fish. I told him about when the entire color guard had to apologize to me because they started a rumor that I was skipping practice to screw my boyfriend - when I was just trying to get caught up on homework.

When I looked over at Tony, he was asleep, breathing as deep as he could with the arc reactor. I smiled at him and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Then I dozed off right next to him.

Shifting Universes

Time moved, as time always does. Two weeks passed since Tony made it home. The Iron Man project was still in the works, but it was mostly just conversations and half-hearted sketches while I made sure Tony was recovering alright. The doctor's Pepper threatened us with came and went, one of them sliding me a familiar prescription that I tucked away in my bra to gaze at when I was alone. Perhaps not this time.

I was balancing a giant basket of garlic bread and a glass of red wine on my way to the dinner table, Bucky ahead of me with the lasagna I spent the afternoon slaving over.

"Hey, Grey, I've been wondering about something," Pepper said as I dropped into my chair at the table. I leaned forward and grabbed a piece of garlic bread before looking at Pepper. No conversation was important enough to distract me from my lasagna. "You're supposed to be Tony's sister, right? But... I've been thinking about it. Maria wouldn't have been able to have kids in '86. Aren't people gonna notice?"

Everyone fell silent around the table, glancing around, trying to do the math, trying to figure out if our story would hold water. Bucky spoke first.

"Shit, she's right, Doll. All it takes is one question - one person asking the wrong questions and we're caught." I rubbed at my face with my free hand, admitting, if only to myself, that Pepper and Bucky were right. In my defense, I did come up with everything on the spot. This was why you always wanted to outline your fanfiction's timeline before you publish it. I made that mistake with my Arrow fic, at least three different times, in the same fic. (It was actually three times in the same chapter. I hate attempting to write for time travel.)

"Alright, but then what? I'm sure as fuck not gonna be his wife. And both Howard and Maria were documented only children. There's no way I can fake being a cousin."

"Well, what if we dropped four years off your age?" Rhodey asked, glancing between me and Tony like he had an idea.

"What, make me twenty instead of twenty-four? What does that do me?"

"It makes you young enough to be Tony's kid," Rhodey said. Tony choked and spat out a mouthful of lasagna, coughing and sputtering while glaring at his best friend. Even I was startled at the suggestion. My hand froze an inch away from my glass of wine. "No, Tones, hear me out. You were at MIT at sixteen, and every single paparazzi was writing stories every other week about you sleeping around and drinking even though you didn't start with the drinks until after '91. No one would be surprised to hear that you've got a daughter you've kept hidden away."

"You think people would buy it?" I asked, glancing at Bucky, who shrugged.

"You're talking about Nadia, aren't you?" Tony asked Rhodey, looking hurt.

"I know she's taboo, but Tony, you can't deny it would work." Rhodey sounded apologetic but didn't bend.

"Am I the only one confused?" Pepper asked, looking around. Tony sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"Nadia was a woman I... dated my second year at MIT. She was everything I thought I wanted in the world, especially at fifteen. I didn't think I was too naive, but she proved that wrong." Tony flicked his hand at Rhodey, who picked up the story.

"Nadia was playing the long game. Tony was head over heels for this woman. And then one day she came to him, crying that she thought she was pregnant." My mouth fell open in shock. "Exactly. Tony, surprisingly to some, was ecstatic. But Howard was smarter than she was. Demanded a paternity test. She freaked."

"Nearly killed me," Tony said. "She's where the peeve came from - about being handed things? She handed me what I thought were the test results, laced with poison."

"If I hadn't gotten home when I did?" Rhodey shook his head. "Nadia wasn't even pregnant. She was arrested, and Howard hushed everything up. Her plan was to get the engagement ring, lose the baby, and be set up with the Stark billions. Because not even Howard would be able to force Tony into having her sign a prenup if she was a grieving would-be-mother."

"Oh, fuck," I breathed. I got up from my chair and sprinted over to Tony, pulling him into a tight hug. Tony laughed weakly and ruffled my hair. I pouted and tried to blow it out of my face. It didn't work.

"Oh, Tony, I'm sorry, I didn't know, I didn't even think..." Pepper trailed off, not knowing where to go.

"No, you're right. All it takes is one person asking a question, and Grey's identity falls apart. Sure, we look alike, but that's not gonna hold water if someone actually looks at the timeline." Tony took a deep breath and thought for a moment before nodding. "There was a story, in Vanity Fair, in what, eighty-nine? Where I was caught on camera holding a friend's baby - Rhodey, remember Jackson?"

"Quiet kid from engineering, right? Married that bombshell from stats?"

"Yeah. They couldn't get a sitter one day, so Jackson brought the kid to class. We were discussing a project for our capstone, when he realized he'd forgotten something or other in the lecture hall. I held the baby for him while he ran back to get it." Tony paused and tried to remember what the article had said. "Jarvis, can you pull that piece for us? Maybe we can work with that."

"I have it here, Sir. Vanity Fair from August of 1990. Speculation as to the identity of the mother of your child, and whether or not Stark Senior was going to accept the child as heir to the company." I blinked in surprise, standing up and looking at the ceiling. "There was a follow up piece several months later, wondering where the child was, and if it had been hidden away to hide the shame of a teenage father with the Stark name."

"Oh yeah, I remember that one," Tony said. "Dad gave me the thrashing of a lifetime. Thought he'd never stop yelling at me."

"So, what? I'm your kid now?" I asked, dropping back down in my seat. Bucky grabbed my chair and pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. He dropped another piece of lasagna and garlic bread on my plate with a whispered order to eat. I picked up the bread and did as I was told.

"Jarvis? I need your opinion, buddy."

"There is a less likely chance of Miss Stark's identity being called into question if she's known as your daughter, rather than your sister, Sir. In 1974, when you were born, the world spoke of nothing else for a month. There is no way they could hide another heiress. And that is even if Mrs. Stark was biologically able to have children in 1986, as we'd originally dictated."

"'S'at mean I gotta call you Dad, now?" I asked with my mouth full.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Tony said absently. Bucky and Pepper looked at him in mild amusement. There was a pause until Tony realized what he'd done, then he turned red. I burst out laughing, nearly falling out of the chair. Bucky had to reach over to catch me by the back of my shirt.

"Well, that settles it then," I huffed when I finally stopped laughing. "Jay, make the changes to my identity. This is a good thing. It'll cover our ass for the times I forget I'm supposed to be a secret and start talking about shit mom and I did together. They'll pass it off as my biological mom. As long as we're vague on who raised me-"

"I raised you," Tony said firmly. Everyone except Rhodey looked at him in shock. "I'd never let my child out of my sight. Not if I knew about them. You'd have grown up with me. And I won't let anyone argue that."

"Alright, Dad," I sassed, smiling. Tony nearly beamed. "That's gonna take some getting used to."

"I don't care if you don't approve - I'm not gonna stop dating your daughter," Bucky teased. I turned red in mortification, even as I melted inside at the fact that Bucky was claiming me. Typical me, always doubting reality. But he said it first.

"You have my permission, Manchurian Candidate. But if you break her heart, no one will find your body," Tony threatened.

"Dad!" I whined.

"And that's only if Tony gets to you first," Pepper said cheerfully. Bucky looked at her warily. Everyone was more afraid of Pepper.

"See Grey, you'll be able to call him Dad easily," Rhodey joked. I covered my face. Pepper glared at Bucky until he nodded. He got the message.

Shifting Universes

"Where were you this morning?" Bucky asked as he dropped in the chair next to me, a mug of half-caf coffee in his hand. I held up a finger, trying to finish the thought I had before I lost it.

"I was in the lab with Tony - er, Dad. We're trying to figure out how to get the nanotech to work. And how to store it in something unobtrusive. I'm thinking thicker bracelets for me and Pepper, maybe a bracer for you. I don't want anything on your left arm until I can have Shuri redesign it." I paused, twisting the pencil in my hand, trying to find the last bit of that thought. "I want to increase our hand to hand for a while, Jarvis and Bambi can take care of the weapons in the suits, and while they're definitely able to help with fighting, I need to know that Tony and I can still fight without them."

"Let's pretend I understood that?" I laughed, dropping the pencil on the table and flipping the notebook face down. I wasn't gonna find that thought again for a while, it ran and hid somewhere in the void.

"Tony - Dad and I are designing Iron Man suits for the five of us. War Machine for Rhodey, Rescue for Pepper, Iron Soldier for you, unless you wanna change it, and I'm thinking Iron Peacemaker for me." I tilted my head, scrunching up my nose in thought. Bucky smiled and tapped my nose. I batted his hand away, laughing. "I'd like to give each suit a specialty, so War Machine will be more militaristic. Rescue will be more for defense than offense. Depending on what you want, I've had two ideas. Brute force, or sniper. Or some combination - if you want to fight."

"If I want to fight?" I grinned; glad he'd picked up on that.

"I'm not gonna assume you want to fight with us. I'd like you to, I know I have a better chance of making it out of somewhere alive if I've got you on my ass, but if you want to retire that's your call."

"You mean that." It wasn't a question, even though it came across as one. Bucky was shocked that I was giving him a choice.

"Bucky, Sugar, I didn't pull you from Hydra just to make you my own personal Winter Soldier. If you tell me you don't want to fight, then Dad and I shuffle things around to work for the four of us." I put my hand on his arm and pressed a kiss to his cheek as I got up from the bar top. "You're free to make your own choices. No matter what I think, or what Dad thinks, you get to make your own decisions."

I smiled at him and headed back down to the lab, snagging a granola bar on my way. Eventually he'd get used to being allowed to make his own decisions.

"Dad? Where'd you go?"

"I've got it!"

"The nano-tech? Fuck, already? It's only been two days!"

"What, no? For you!" I frowned, having absolutely no idea what he was talking about. "Come here. Look, it's a brace for your leg. I can get one fabricated, and then once we see if it works or not, I can work on making a less bulky version."

"For me?" I was stunned. "Tony - Dad, that's sweet, but you didn't have to do that."

"Grey, you're my daughter. It's my job to take care of you." I had to blink a lot to make sure I didn't start bawling. It was a wasted effort when Tony wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "I've always wanted a family."

I threw my arms around Tony, trying very hard to stop crying on his shoulder. Mom meant well, but she'd always dismissed my leg problems. I never blamed her for it, but her solution of "walk it off" was a bad one. Tony was actually acting like it's a problem and not a convenient excuse.

"I'm not usually this emotional, I promise, I'm just adjusting to the new meds." I wiped my face off and turned back to the hologram. Tony let me keep the illusion that I was put together, and I was grateful for that. "Okay, cool, if you want to get that started, we can. Where are we at with Bambi, and the suits?"

Bambi was going to be my version of Jarvis, designed to help me with everything from flying to homework if I needed it. She's going to be a learning AI, according to Tony. When I asked what that meant, he just said that she might quote pop culture as much as I did. I felt insulted by that, even though I didn't know why.

"Bambi is being coded by Jarvis to make sure she's as much like him as we can manage. As for the suits, here's what I was thinking."

I looked over the blueprints, comparing each to the one I knew from the movies, and what I thought we'd need. I pulled my pencil out of my hair and leaned over the worktable, making a note here and there on the suits. Mostly just design ideas, like Rhodey's big gun, and a similar idea to Natasha's widow bites. I made a note to the side about Deathlok technology, things like his scatter-tech eye would be useful. But I didn't want a cybernetic eye, so it was definitely something that would have to be included in the Head's Up Display, or HUD.

"How's the reactor?" I asked quietly a bit later. Tony absently pressed his hand to it, something he knew he didn't have to hide from me.

"Burning hot. I need to update it, use actual parts."

"We can switch to that. The suits can wait - that thing is keeping you alive, fixing it is top priority."

"Jarvis still hasn't found a proper element to switch the palladium with," dad muttered. He sighed, already expecting it to kill him sooner rather than later. "It won't matter long term."

"Oh! No, I have that. I have the solution for that, actually." I ran to the other side of the lab, leaping over Butterfingers and bouncing in place on one foot to stop at my stack of papers. "No, no, no, no, yes! Got it! Ow, papercut. Ha! I thought I'd lost it. Watch it, Dumm-E."

I ran back to where Dad was still standing, staring at me in bewilderment. I held out the pages for him to see, grinning like a dog waiting for their owner to throw the ball again.

"This is the old Stark Expo plan."

"Yep! From 1974." I threw it out across the table before sticking my finger in my mouth, ignoring the sting of the papercut. I was tempted to be a baby about it and track down a band aid. "Jay, can we get a projection to play with?"

"Of course, Miss Stark." Jarvis scanned the blueprint and gave Tony and I a 3D projection sat between us. I waited until it was finished, and moved it over to the workspace, spinning it slightly, before tilting it vertical.

"What's this look like, Dad?" I was more excited than I should've been at this moment, but I didn't care. I was in Tony Stark's lab, helping him with his new element, for the arc reactor – before the current one even became a problem! I was dragging Iron Man 2's entire plot through the mud, just for this moment.

"An atom?" Tony muttered hesitantly. I could see the gears churning away in his mind as he frantically put all the clues together. The look on my face was feral.

"Exactly! Jay, can we lose the footpaths? And the landscaping, shrubs, trees, if it's green drop it." I tilted my head, trying to remember what else he dropped. "Parking lots, entrances and exits, too, please hun."

"Jarvis, structure the protons and neutrons using the pavilions as a framework," Tony said, taking over. I sat down on the stool and pushed myself out of his way. Tony threw the hologram out, expanding it so we were in the middle of it. "Dad did this?"

I nodded, knowing Howard was a... difficult subject for Tony.

"Dead for almost twenty years and still taking me to school," Tony said. I smiled at him, standing up to walk over to him. I leaned against his back, wrapping my arms around his neck in a hug. He clapped his hands over mine and beamed.

"He'd be proud of you," I said softly. Tony turned toward me. He knew that me saying that meant more than anyone else saying that. Because I actually knew it.

"Miss Stark is correct, the proposed element would serve as a viable replacement for the palladium," Jarvis announced. Tony laughed, picking me up and spinning me around. I couldn't help but laugh along, just as excited as my father. Once he sat me down I wavered in place until I caught my balance. "Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesize."

"Jarvis, sunshine, when are you going to learn? Starks don't like the word impossible." Dad threw his arm over my shoulders, pulling me against his side. I tilted my head up to the ceiling, smiling at Jarvis' camera like the sun.

"Let's get ready for a remodel, back to hardware mode." Tony took his arm back and clapped his hands together, migrating over to a computer monitor to pull up a set of blueprints for the next project.

"Jarvis, can you call for the rest of the family to come down - we might need the extra hands. And make sure Pepper doesn't come down here in heels."

Shifting Universes

I was useless at machinery, and arguably worse at science, but I knew how to tear shit up, and was surprisingly good at heavy lifting.

"You shouldn't be able to lift that, Doll," Bucky said, watching me carry one of the conductors on one shoulder without stress.

"Haven't we already had this conversation? Hun, I was the oldest child in my family in a farm town. I was the default oldest son. I did all the heavy lifting, all the construction, all the physical work. My sister was the smart one, I was the strong one." If I could lift a hay bale without the proper hooks, I could handle a conductor.

"If you're not gonna be a smart division, you'll be a strong division," Rhodey shouted across the lab, a mischievous look on his face.

"Hoo-Yah Zero!" Bucky flinched slightly at the enthusiasm we had for boot camp jokes.

"I keep forgetting you're Navy, Doll."

"Really? How can you forget that I'm better than you?"

"Oh, is that how it is?" I dropped the conductor where Tony wanted it and turned back to Bucky. Despite the seriousness of what we were doing, this was family bonding at its best.

"That's how it is, Barnes," Rhodey said, walking past, reaching out for a high five. I smacked his hand with a grin.

"Hey now, Chair Force - pipe down over there, I'm better'en you too."

"Grey, over here, I need a hand," Tony called. I winked at the boys and ran over, casually avoiding debris. "See that, I need you to hold it steady for a minute while I get this connected."

I pancaked to the floor to shove my arm all the way up the conductor, having to half stick my head in so I could reach until Dad had everything fastened. It pulled at my shoulder uncomfortably, and the floor was like ice against my chest, but Dad was fast and got it done.

"They actually look like family," Pepper muttered to Bucky. "You'd think that Tony actually raised her. Even if you knew better, they're so similar."

"I knew Howard, before," Bucky said. "Tony is just like him. Actually, Tony is less annoying than Howard was. Grey is the perfect combination of Steve and Peggy; I'd swear she was their kid. So confident like Peggy, but stupid and brave like Steve. She's got Tony's sense of selflessness. Got his heart."

"Okay, to make this work, it needs to be perfectly level, and we're not gonna make some ghetto shit like stacking books on a motorcycle. Jarvis, can you get the peanut gallery over there started on scaffolding?" I called; my hand still stuck in the coil. "I swear Dad, a spider runs across my hand in this thing, and I'll kill you. Well, once I finish screaming anyway."

Shifting Universes

"We ready for this?" I asked, nearly bouncing on my toes. Tony slid the prism into place, waiting to hear the click. "And hey, let's get it aimed before we start it up?"

Tony nodded like it was the best idea he'd ever heard - which, considering how the movie went... it probably was.

"Jarvis, run a harmless light through it so we can get it centered," Tony called. I ushered everyone to a safe (ish) area in the lab. When the light went through, and Tony saw where it was aimed, he nodded at me in thanks. "Alright. Now let's get started."

The temperature in the lab jumped ten degrees as a blue light ran through the coil and to the tiny triangle. Bucky pulled me back against him with his left arm, trying to keep me safe, even though I wasn't in danger.

"Congratulations, Sir, you have created a new element," Jarvis said. I was the first one to run over to Tony and nearly tackle him into a hug.

"Let me get it settled first, then nearly kill me, yeah?" Tony pushed me off, a smile on his face, and turned to the new reactor. He was very careful as he set it in the new casing.

"The reactor has accepted the new core," Jarvis said. "I will begin running diagnostics."

"This one will work, it'll taste weird, but it's not only more powerful, it's less deadly," I explained, unable to shake the smile off my face.

"Right, I'll push a few more into production once Jarvis makes sure this one's up to his standards," Tony explained. "I'll need one for Rescue and War Machine. I don't know how I'll manage it with the nanotech, but I'll figure it out. And the Iron Soldier..."

Tony turned to look at Bucky. His hair was tossed up in a sloppy bun with the scrunchie he stole from my wrist. Bucky was still checking over the physical construction of the coil, making sure it wasn't going to shake apart.

"Buck?" He looked over at us, a wide-eyed expression on his face, like a kid caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing.

"I'm in. Grey's not doing this without me, and neither are you, Stark," Bucky said forcefully. "You're family. I haven't had a brother in close to sixty years, now I have two, and a sister."

I knew he didn't see me as a sister, just from the look he gave me. We were something else. But above all, we were still family. I turned away from everyone for a moment to recollect myself. Stupid meds, screwing up my emotions. I gave Pepper a watery smile when she saw me. I was okay. I had a family. One that accepted me for who I was, for what I wanted to be. A family that accepted me, faults and all.

Shifting Universes

"Grey Maria Stark!" Dad shouted from down the hall. I froze and debated hiding under Bucky. That was the same tone mom would use when I didn't turn in homework assignments back in middle school.

"Oh shit!" I squeaked. Bucky looked at me with wide eyes.

"What did you do?" He whispered.

"I didn't do it!" I shouted, loud enough for Dad to hear. I dropped my voice back down to a whisper as I dove for my shirt, hoping to be dressed before Dad got to Bucky's room. I was already in trouble; I didn't need to make it worse. "I don't fuckin' know! I don't think I did anything!"

"Get your ass outta Barnes' room and explain this to me!" Tony demanded, banging on the door.

"Heyy Dad," I greeted, forcing a smile while I tried to figure out what I'd done. It couldn't have possibly been anything to do with Bucky, could it? Dad said he didn't care if we were together as long as I didn't get pregnant. Tony looked at me, completely unamused.

"Explain this." Tony held up a piece of paper.

"It's a piece of paper."

"Don't sass me, Grey. What the hell could you have possibly spent fifty million bucks on?!" I relaxed and started laughing.

"Oh! Fuck, Dad, I thought I'd done something wrong." I started laughing and leaned against Bucky, who was wary in the face of Dad's anger.

"You did something wrong! Fifty million?" Tony waved the statement in my face again.

"Yeah, I know. It's a bunch of zeroes. I know. Stark Industries - specifically me - now owns Marvel Comics. I needed property rights," I admitted. And it wasn't like I just did it randomly. Pepper had lent me a few people from Legal at SI to help me with it. I told her what I needed, and why I needed it, and she assigned people to make sure it was done properly.

"Ain't those the people that own the rights to Captain America and the like? Didn't they make me a literal child?" Bucky asked, joining the conversation. I nodded. "Why d'ya need them?"

"Because eventually, we're all gonna be public figures. And if I own the rights to us, all the money from the merch and the like come to us - to pay us or put towards repairing the shit we inevitably break." I shrugged. "And, this way, I can eventually produce the scripts I've got stashed away and introduce this world to the movies."

"You would do that?" Tony asked. I shrugged.

"More money for the team. Being a superhero doesn't exactly pay the bills, Dad," Grey said. "We're good because we've got SI making billions, but Steve? Sam? They ain't gettin' shit outta this. And once SHIELD shatters, Nat and Clint are jobless too."

"You know, kid. I hate how much thought you've put into this. I'll warn Pepper, she's gonna be pissed," Tony muttered, turning on his heel. "Buy her something nice - doesn't she like strawberries?"

"No, Dad, she's allergic to those. She likes gingersnaps. I'll make a batch, even though she already knows. She helped me with it." I turned to Bucky. "After I make another cup of coffee. Gods I need a nap."

"You've taken to calling him dad pretty quick," Bucky said. I grumbled wordlessly and flapped my hand at him as I walked off. He chuckled. "And he's taken to scolding you like his child just as fast."

"I don't have candied ginger in the cabinet, I gotta go to Kroger's, wanna come?"

"The fuck's Kroger?"

"It's a grocery store. Well, it's one in Ohio, but people in the Midwest call every grocery store Kroger."

"I think you're full'a'shit."

"Shut the fuck up and get in the damn car, Barnes. Bambi, tell Dad I'm going to the grocery and if he needs anything he better tell me now."

Shifting Universes

"Grab me a buggy, will ya?" I asked, waving in the general direction of the cart return. "I'mma get too much shit for a basket. Plus, I'm not carrying it."

"Buggy?"

"I'm going to shoot you," I grumbled, locking the car over my shoulder and jerking a cart out of the return. "This is a buggy. It's also known as a shopping cart. But I'm from Ohio, and the Midwest is awful."

"Why have I never done this with you before?" Bucky asked thirty minutes later. "This is the funniest thing I've ever seen."

I glared at him and shoved my box of toaster strudels over to the side to fit the chicken breasts at the bottom.

"Stark," I grumbled as I answered my phone through my comms.

"Hey, kiddo, Bambi said you were at Kroger's?" Rhodey asked.

"Yeah. Dad seems to think I need to bribe Pepper with cookies since I dropped fifty mil on Marvel Comics. So, I'm gonna channel the manic episode that's been itching for the past week into enough sweets to overwhelm a PTA bake sale."

"Right... Can you do me a favor?"

"I'm sure I can, what do you need?" I sighed, straightening up and pulling a notepad out of my pocket, and my pen out of my hair, sending it falling down past my shoulders.

"Two things. I've got a desk sergeant here that's pregnant. Can you please put something together for her? She's the only woman in an office of men."

"Big yikes on that one," I mumbled. "Gender?"

"She doesn't wanna know."

"Heard that. Second favor?"

"My mom's birthday is next week. And I forgot."

"I'll pull your ass outta the fryin' pan. I gotcha. Allergies for either?"

"Not food allergies." I sighed and nodded, even though Rhodey couldn't see me. "You're the best, Princess!"

"Eat my ass, Rhodes." I ended the call. "Alright, I need two bags of almond flour, powdered sugar, at least another carton of eggs, gel food dye, piping bags..."

I trailed off and kicked the side of the buggy to turn down a different aisle.

"What are you talking about?" Bucky asked, trying to read the notepad over my shoulder. I tilted it for him to see. "Well that definitely cleared things up for me."

Pregnant lady - unknown baby. Mama Rhodey. NKDA

"I didn't write down what I was gonna do - I'm runnin' blind on that, I just needed the basics. Come on. I'm already tired of being here."

Shifting Universes

"What the fuck happened here?" Pepper demanded as she walked into the kitchen. I looked over at her and shrugged.

"That's on me," Bucky said, coughing slightly. "That's my bad. She asked for the flour, then swore, I startled, squeezed the bag too hard - it exploded."

"Nope." Pepper turned on her heel and left the kitchen, leaving me covered in flour.

"That is very fair. Alright, go get the broom, you're cleaning this up while I try to wrangle the biscuits off the parchment paper. And then get me the other bag from the top of the pantry. I've almost got the dough to rise. Almost." I shook my head, knocking most of the flour off of me and to the floor.