With Martha safely squared away, Tony was able to focus on the task at hand. It was obvious from the tension within the group that the other Avengers didn't completely trust him after he went behind their backs to develop Ultron with Bruce. Despite that, all of them knew that the only way to stop Ultron and get Loki's scepter back was to band together.

Ultron took out Wolfgang von Strucker in a move that was clearly meant to lure the Avengers out. They managed to track Ultron down to South Africa, where he was seeking to acquire vibranium from arms dealer Ulysses Klaue. Matters were further complicated when Wanda Maximoff, one of Strucker's enhanced humans, plagued the team with hallucinations that took most of them out of commission and sent the Hulk into a rampage through the streets of Johannesburg. In the end, Tony was able to stop the Hulk, but not without a lot of collateral damage. With Ultron and the Maximoffs in the wind and the Avengers at the center of a media firestorm, the group was forced to go into hiding in the most unlikely of places.

Tony took in his surroundings, a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. It was surprising that Clint had brought them there to regroup and even more surprising that he had an entire family stashed away. A family that was steadily growing by the size of his wife Laura's belly.

"Is there anything I can get you, Mr. Stark?" Laura asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Call me Tony," he told her. "And I feel like I should be asking you that question." He gestured to her pregnant belly. "Should you be on your feet right now?"

Laura smiled. "I'm married to a spy turned superhero and raising two and a half kids," she joked, patting her belly. "I'm always on my feet."

Tony smirked. "You remind me of someone."

"Martha?" she guessed. When Tony arched an eyebrow, she chuckled softly. "Clint talks about you guys a lot. All of you."

"Wish I could say the same."

"Clint felt it was better this way."

"Maybe it is," Tony agreed. His thoughts drifted to Martha.

"Maybe." Laura shrugged. "Everyone's situation is different."

"Would you do it differently if you could?"

Laura shook her head. "I find it best not to drive yourself crazy with the what-ifs. Clint and I just try to make the best of each day we're given and pray like crazy that it won't be the last. For better or worse, this is our life and what matters the most is cherishing what we have while we can."

Tony only had a short respite to consider Laura's words, before the team was pulled back into the action. Bruce figured out that Ultron was planning to create another body made of synthetic tissue using Helen's Cradle device. The Avengers were just narrowly able to retrieve the cradle from Seoul, but tensions began to rise once more when Tony and Bruce secretly uploaded J.A.R.V.I.S into the synthetic body which is unwittingly activated by Thor and the gem from Loki's scepter.

Ultimately the Avengers and their new allies, Vision and the Maximoffs, were able to defeat Ultron, but not without losses. Pietro died shielding Clint from gunfire, Bruce, still in his Hulk form, disappeared in a Quinjet, and Thor returned to Asgard to learn more about the Infinity Stones. When Clint decided to leave the team to return to his family, Tony followed his lead.

So, for the second time in recent memory, Tony Stark retired from being a hero and, true to his word, he set course for Malibu to reunite with Martha.

Martha sat on the beach in a pair of denim shorts and an oversized shirt that hung off one shoulder. Her sandals sat to the side and her feet were half buried in the sand. She had her hair pulled up, except for a few loose strands blew about her face with the stirring of the wind. Her back was to him, so she didn't see his approach, but Bohr quickly bounded in his direction.

"Way to ruin the surprise," Tony playfully chastised the dog who'd gone on two feet to greet him properly. "Is it just me or did he get bigger?" He ruffled his ears as Bohr licked his face. "How much do you weigh, buddy?"

"I stopped counting once he outweighed me," Martha answered, glancing over her shoulder.

Tony extracted himself for Bohr as Martha rose to her feet. "Is this the part where we run to each other in slow motion?"

"Shut up," Martha laughed as she launched herself at him. Tony caught her, lifting her in his arms. When he set her back on her feet, she cupped his face with one hand and removed his sunglasses with the other, staring into his eyes. "I missed you."

"I missed you more," he retorted before kissing her deeply.

Martha pulled away first causing Tony to groan softly. "How are things back in New York?"

"Under control," Tony insisted as he sat on the sand and watched the waves. "Cap is doing what Cap does best."

Martha took a seat next to him and set his glasses on the sand next to her sandals. "And the Tower?"

"Still under construction. Pepper figures it'll be while until everything is back to normal."

"Are we going to stay out here until then?"

"How about indefinitely?" Tony suggested. He gestured to the beach house behind them. "I bought this place this morning."

Martha quickly turned towards to beachfront estate then stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Why not? Pepper's holding things down in Manhattan. If I get bored, Stark Industries has a facility here in L.A. You can use the jet for work, and I get to be a stay-at-home dad to Bohr. It's perfect."

"What about the Avengers?"

"I told you. Cap has got it covered. I'm retired."

"Retired?" Martha repeated with a huff and raised eyebrow. "You?"

Tony feigned offense. "Is that so hard to believe?"

She nodded. "Frankly? Yes."

"Well believe it. My avenging days are over."

"Once an Avenger, always an Avenger," Martha retorted.

"There are other ways to save the world that don't involve me flying around in a suit of armor. Charities. Foundations," Tony insisted, pulling her into his arms. "On a more personal level, I was thinking of starting a program where I provide sensual massages to overworked doctors. Know anyone who might benefit from that sort of thing?"

"My hero," she teased as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. "Plus, I reckon, you could always start another team out here if things got dire enough," she added as breaking the kiss.

Tony blinked. "Another team?"

"It's a big job saving the world. It wouldn't hurt to cover your bases."

"Another team…" Tony thought out loud. "Hmm…the West Coast Avengers…" He paused to let it sink in. "Nah." He shook his head. "That's a terrible name. Sounds like something Barton would come up with."

Martha shrugged. "It has a certain ring to it."

Tony scoffed. "Compared to what? The Great Lakes Avengers?" He rolled his eyes. "But enough about that. You wanna go for a walk? I think there's some caves a little way up the beach. We can get lost in one for a few hours."

"You have a bloody beachfront mansion, and you want to roll around in a cave?" she asked with a smirk.

"Maybe I was feeling nostalgic about your old place," Tony replied as he pushed himself up from the ground. "And technically speaking, you have a beachfront mansion. The deed is in your name."

Martha gasped softly. "Tony…"

"I told you. Real estate is the gift that keeps on giving." He held out a hand for her to take.

Martha slipped her hand into his and he lifted her up to her feet. "I thought you were over trying to be my sugar daddy."

"I'd rather be your cuddle buddy."

"That can be arranged." Martha pulled him into a deep kiss, and Tony instinctively wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"Was that a no on the caves?" he asked breathlessly when they broke for air. "We could go swimming instead."

Martha smirked against his lips. "I didn't bring anything to wear."

"Even better." Tony pulled away and bent down, reaching towards the spot where his sunglasses lay on the sand. "Although," he began, stopping short of picking them up. "I did get you a little something to wear that might suit the occasion."

Martha glanced skyward and scoffed playfully. "Do I even want to know?" Her smile faltered slightly when she glanced down at him, noticing that he had gone down on one knee. "Tony?"

Tony smiled knowingly as he reached into his pocket. "C'mon, Doc. We both knew all roads had been leading here since that first night." He pulled his hand out of his pocket and presented her with his mother's ring. "It's no Iron Maiden t-shirt, but I still think it'll look good on you."

"Tony…"

"You said relationships are about choices," he cut in quickly. "I've made some catastrophically bad ones over the years, as recent events clearly demonstrate, but the best decision I've ever made was calling you that night. I still don't know for sure if touch therapy really works or not, but you…Martha baby, I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life. So, marry me. Not because the world might end, but because my world will end if you refuse to be my wife."

Martha inhaled deeply and blew it out quickly through her nose. "You still never asked me the blooming question," she pointed out as if she were on the verge of tears. Though at least he knew they were happy tears judging by the ghost of a smile on her lips.

Tony smirked. "Getting ahead of myself." He held out his hand and she slipped hers into his. "Will you marry me?"

Martha bit her bottom lip into submission and nodded vigorously. "Abso-bloody-lutely."

Tony exhaled in relief. He fluidly slipped the ring onto her finger, stood up and had her in his arms before she could say another word. They crashed together in a hurricane of kisses and caresses, flavored by salt of both the ocean spray and tears, not just Martha's but Tony's as well.

Martha looked at him through watery, shining eyes. "Are you gonna show me this mansion I suddenly own?"

"Depends, can we start with the bedrooms?"

Martha grabbed her sandals and began to walk backwards away from the shore with a wicked grin. "How many bedrooms are there?"

Tony returned her grin as he picked up his glasses for real and followed her towards the house. "Quite a few."

"Might take us a long time to make ourselves at home," she pointed out.

"I've got nowhere else to be."

Martha beamed when they finally reached the door. "Good."