Chapter 22

Needless to say, the clean-up of New York did not go as smoothly as some would have wished it did.

Unlike prior alien invasions on the planet, there was nothing SHIELD could do to simply wipe it under the rug and tell people to move along as if there was nothing to see.

The fact was that the Chitauri had attacked one of the largest cities in the world, and there were plenty of witnesses to the invasion. And if that weren't enough, news outlets were still covering the story for days to come.

She and the team had been out there nearly day, trying to clean up the damage to the city. She could see the exhaustion in her hometown as they struggled to move forward. And she didn't blame them. Even with the Iron Woman suit, she was exhausted from all the heavy lifting and from being out for as long as they were each day.

But New York was her mother's city. The city Jarvis had raised her in. And she refused to let it fall apart because a few aliens believed they were more powerful than humans.

They had won the battle in the end, and she would not let the aftermath be what destroyed them.

"Toni, you need to take a break," Ava told her softly, as she entered the lab where Toni was trying to design a new system to help clean up the messes. If they just had more man power that couldn't get tired, then it would be easier for all of them. If they had some sort of superpowered suits akin to hers that didn't need her to pilot it, then it would make all their lives easier.

"Not now," she said, waving her had at her cousin, "I'm working on something huge Ava. If I can only get the calibration on these suits to function correctly then I could make revolutionary changes to the technology sector as we know it! I just need to get this right. I know I can do it."

"Toni," Ava said, moving closer to her, "You haven't slept in nearly forty-eight hours. Take a break. I know you're worried about the city, but it's recovering. It might be a slow effort, but every day they're healing slowly. It's not on you to singlehandedly save the city. You have an entire team now for that. Take a break. I know Bruce wants to leave and go back into hiding. Barton keeps climbing in our vents, trying to make sure your security is up to snuff. Romanoff keeps trying to get me to train with her. And Rogers keeps giving Harry and I looks like he wants to talk to us about Mom and I can't face all of it alone. I need you to help me with all of it. Please."

She turned to see Ava's face, and saw genuine worry, both for herself and as the girl tried to cope with everything that life had thrown her way.

She forgot sometimes that Ava was the youngest of them all. Even with the age difference between the two of them, Ava had grown up in a loving home. She'd never been forced to grow up quickly because her father wanted her to know just how much he hated her. She'd never been subjected to abuse of the physical and emotional kind. She'd never cried into Jarvis' arms in pain, both from broken bones and from the fact that she couldn't understand why Howard hated her.

But Ava, sweet Ava, had never gone through any of that. She'd been loved unconditionally by her parents. And for how much Harry would tease her, he'd sooner hurt anyone who made his sister than see her cry.

So she took a deep breath as she nodded at Ava.

There had been so much going on lately. And while Ava might not have been involved in the fighting directly, she'd seen her brother get mind controlled, and nearly lost Toni to the wormhole.

It was a lot for any of them to handle.

And if there was anything she could do to make things slightly easier for Ava in the aftermath of the invasion, then Toni would do so.

"Let's go see what these so-called Avengers are doing to my tower," Toni winked at her cousin, and Ava beamed at her as the two headed to her private elevator.

"You should also know that Peter wants to come by later today," Ava told her as JARVIS sent the elevator up to the common floor that she'd set up temporarily for them. She knew the tower was going to be rebuilt anyways and she'd keep her new guests in mind when she did so. But for now, they'd just have to share. "He sounded on edge and I think the attack has shaken him up."

She closed her eyes slightly. A naïve part of he had hoped that there was a chance that Ben and May had managed to keep him away from all of it. But she knew with the extent of the damage that there was no way Peter wouldn't know exactly what had happened in New York.

"Okay," she murmured as the elevator doors opened. "Tell him he can come over later. Maybe he can even meet some real superheroes."

"Toni," Ava said warningly as Clint shot an arrow that narrowly missed her.

"You better not be actively damaging my tower, Brenton," She said, scowling at the man, who shot her a sheepish smile.

"I was bored," he said, a slight grimace. "You've been hiding Stark, and a man's gotta keep himself occupied somehow."

"By shooting arrows into my walls," she deadpanned. "Didn't anyone ever teach you that it was impolite to impale another person's house, especially when said person has taken you in?"

"I've been trying to tell him that all morning," Harry said, as he sat up lazily on the couch. "But no one ever does listen to me."

She sighed slightly as she moved towards the kitchen. "JARVIS, do we have any leftover pizza from last night?"

"No, Miss," JARVIS responded, "Mr Odinson and Dr Banner finished the rest of it late last night."

Of course they had.

She supposed it was asking for too much for there to be food in her own house.

"Mr Rogers made breakfast a half hour ago," JARVIS continued, "A plate of eggs, sausages, and toast has been left for you on the counter."

She grinned as she turned to the plate, covered by foil.

"If this is empty, I'm kicking everyone out," she told them all with a serious face.

"Maybe if you just came to eat with us at normal times there would be food left for you," Ava shot at her, and Toni pouted.

"I'm being bullied in my own home," she said with a sigh. "JARVIS these ingrates are being mean to me."

"Would you like me to place a call to Miss Potts?" JARVIS asked her, seemingly amused.

"No!" Toni said quickly, as she looked up from pouring herself a cup of coffee, "Pep would take their side if she found out I haven't slept in two days."

She winced as the words left her mouth, as Rogers came into the room just then. Of course he did.

"What do you mean you haven't slept in two days?" he asked her, looking disapproving of her actions.

"Things to do Capscicle," she said with a wave of her hands. "This is normal for me. Besides, I once went ten days without sleep when I was trying to work on DUM-E to get him to at least pretend to listen to what I wanted him to do."

"And if I remember correctly, you were nearly hospitalized at the end of it," Ava told her with a frown. "It took Mom calling you finally to get you to sleep Toni. Just because you've gone longer without sleep doesn't mean that it's good for you to continue to do it."

"Sleep is for the weak," she said lightly, and Harry simply shook his head at her.

"You should go to bed after you eat," Harry said, trying to push the cup of coffee away from her. She scowled at him, as she brought it in closer, holding it tightly.

"Mine," she said, glaring at him. "How dare you even think about taking it away from me?"

"Should you really be drinking that?" Rogers asked, as he sat down beside her, looking at her worriedly.

"It hasn't killed me yet," she shrugged, "Besides, out of all the ways I've almost died, I've decided that if coffee could kill me then it's the way I want to go. At least I'll die by the hands of something I love."

"You're being dramatic again," Harry told her as she saw Romanoff glance furiously at Barton when one of his arrows skimmed her hair, dropping half an inch of it to the ground. Barton immediately ran out of the room, as Romanoff looked like an animal about to pounce on her prey.

Meaning she was alone with the Carter-Sousas and Steve Rogers, their Mother's once wartime flame.

Great.

"I'll have you know that plenty of things have tried to kill me," she glared as Ava picked up a fork and took a bite off her plate. "There was the Ten Rings and Obie, Vanko, Hammer indirectly with his own stupidity. The Arc Reactor with the palladium core, the missile I just launched into space and fell from that high of an altitude. And honestly, if it weren't for Jarvis, I'd probably be dead many times over while growing up. So I'd take the coffee thank you very much."

Rogers glanced up at her, "Just because you've nearly died doesn't mean you can continue to run yourself ragged, Stark. You need sleep just as much as the rest of us. The clean-up effort is nearly done. Go take a break and let us handle the rest for today. You've more than done your part."

"No," she said, looking up at him.

He looked at her in confusion, "Toni-"

"I don't want to go to sleep, Captain Rogers," she said firmly, "And you have no authority to make me do so."

"Toni," Ava said softly, gripping her hand.

"I see them," she whispered slightly, "I see the ships in space every time I close my eyes. You weren't there. You didn't see how many there were. You think the damage the ones who came through did was bad? That was a mere scouting party for what was up there. Fury wasn't lying when he was we are hopelessly outmatched. We would have had no chance if it weren't for us closing that portal. Because otherwise they would have decimated us."

"But they didn't," Steve told her softly. "We can't get lost in the could have beens. We won, Toni. One way or another, we won. And you need to take a break. A genuine break."

She sighed, as Harry gave her a soft smile.

"Dad wants you to go visit them," he said softly. "Mom's been asking after you, and Dad couldn't keep what happened from her. Too many of the staff were talking about it. And on her good days she remembers every word of what they say to her. If you think you're going to keep her from finding out, then you have another thing coming."

She sighed, "I just got chewed out by Mama Rhodes. I had to promise to go visit them this year for Christmas to get her to stop crying. And Uncle Daniel wasn't pleased either. I don't know how much more of this that I can take."

"Just ask what you've been meaning to," Ava said, as Toni watched her look up straight at Steve Rogers. "I know you've been dying to."

Steve looked like a deer caught in headlights and she nearly laughed.

"You've been giving Harry and I glances for the better part of the last few days. And even on the ship you used to look at me unsure of whether to talk about whatever it is that you've wanted to ask," Ava said with a roll of her eyes. "You want to know about our mother, Peggy Carter-Sousa."

"Yes," Steve said finally.

"She moved on," Harry said without holding back. "She lived a life, Rogers. A good life. She didn't spend the rest of her life pining after you."

"Harry!" Ava hissed and Toni simply sighed.

"I know she did," Steve told them both. "Look, I know this is strange for you three. I don't want to come in an assume I have any place in any of your lives. I know she moved on and met a new guy and had a life even after I was gone. And I'm not going to lie and say that it doesn't hurt, because it did, it does. I loved her, and if things were different maybe I could have had a life with her, or maybe the two of us wouldn't have worked. But that didn't happen. I went in the ice and everyone thought I was dead. And now I'm almost seventy years in the future and the world I once knew was gone. Everyone I knew then is now gone. Bucky, Howard, the Commandos. All of them are gone now. But Peggy isn't. She's the last link I have to the life I once knew. And I just want to know about her, and maybe get to know her as friends, as I try and move on and adapt to this new life I've been thrown into."

Harry looked unsure still, but Ava nodded.

"Mom used to tell us stories about you growing up," Ava said softly. "Dad never asked her to stop or pretend that there wasn't a part of her who didn't once love you. She loves my father with her whole heart, but she did care about you once."

"She'd tell us all about Captain America and his best friend Bucky Barnes who'd saved the world," Harry said finally. "I used to think you were so cool when I was growing up. All I wanted to do was help try and make the world a better place. It was why I followed in Mom's footsteps and joined SHIELD."

"Does she know?" Steve asked after a moment. "That I'm back?"

"She knows," Toni said softly, "We told her on one of her good days. She'd like to see you, if you wanted to visit her."

"Good days?" Steve asked, with a slight frown.

"She's getting older, Captain," Harry told him. "Her memory isn't quite what it used to be. She has Alzheimer's, and there are some days when she looks at us and can't even recognize our faces. It's hard, and nothing about it is easy. But she's getting the best care she can get."

"She's in a home?" Steve asked, sounding somewhat disapproving, and Toni cut him off almost immediately.

"It's not the same as it was back then, Rogers," Toni said. "She needs a lot of assistance for her condition. She needs constant medical care. It's not that we don't want to take care of her or that we're unwilling. I'd gladly let her live her with me if it would be what was best for her. But she needs proper care that we're unable to give her."

He sighed, "There's a lot of catching up that I need to do, isn't there? About this new modern world that I've found myself in."

She grinned at him, "Not to worry, Captain. I'm something of a futurist, if you will."

"Meaning?" his eyes narrowed at her.

"Meaning you're right," she told him firmly, "A lot has changed since you went under. Segregation ended. There was the Cold War, the Korean War, The Vietnam War, Panama, 9/11. Homosexuality was decriminalized. A lot has happened in the last seventy years, and if you're going to live in this century, you're going to need to know exactly how much has changed beyond a few pop culture references that the others insist you catch up on. The world is a lot different than it was back then. And I've been named the greatest futurist of our generation. If anyone can get you up to speed, it would be me. Besides, Aunt Peggy asked me to help you."

"She did?" Rogers asked, relaxing slightly.

She nodded, "She did. So let me put together an educational video for you documenting exactly what's changed since you've been under so we can get you up to speed. See about getting you reintegrated back in society, if you will."

"Besides, Toni makes the best toys," Harry nudged her lightly. "If anyone is capable of crash coursing you into the twenty first century, it would be her."

"Okay," Steve nodded slightly, "Thank you, Stark."

"My pleasure, Captain," She said, and he gave her a soft smile.

"Ms Stark," JARVIS said, and Steve jumped slightly, "Mr Parker, alongside his aunt and uncle have entered the building. They should be on your floor shortly."

Steve stood up suddenly, as if he was worried that she was in danger and she shook her head at him almost comically. He seemed to fear that quite often when it came to those in her life who cared about her.

"Toni!" Peter said, as the elevator door opened. His aunt and uncle stood behind him, looking worriedly at her. "You're okay."

"I'm fine, Peter," she said, as she stood and moved closer to where the boy was. She looked him over, trying to see if he'd been hurt at all in the invasion, and she gave Ben a quick nod as she looked down at the boy.

He threw his arms around her, and she bent down to hug him tightly. The eleven-year-old was growing quickly, and she wondered just how long it would be before the boy was taller than her, even in the heels she often wore in public.

"You took the missile into space!" he said quickly, lip quivering slightly. "And then it closed, and you didn't come out! I thought you were gone! I thought something happened to you. What if you got hurt? What if you died?"

"I know, Peter," she said softly. "I was scared too. But I did it because it was the right thing to do. Because it kept you and your family safe. Because it kept Ava and Harry safe. It wasn't an easy decision to make, Peter, and I didn't make it lightly. But I did it because I wanted my family to be safe."

His arms tightened around her, and she rubbed his back gently.

"He's been worried about you for days," May told her. "He wanted to come over right away, but we wanted to give you some time to recover, and for the tower to be safe again before we came by. I know you've had your hands full, and I didn't want us to burden you any more than you're already facing."

"You're never a burden," Ava told her, and May smiled at her cousin.

"Toni's been worrying about you all week," Harry nodded, and she glared at her cousin.

"What if you died?" Peter asked again softy, shaking as he tried to hold back tears, and she knew that the boy was especially shaken up given the fact that he'd lost his parents a few years ago. Death was a sore subject for the young boy, and she knew he didn't want to lose any more people he'd cared for. "What if you died and I lost another person I cared about. I don't want to lose you, Toni."

She smiled softly, as she pulled away from him so she could look at his face. She glanced up at May and Ben, wanting to make sure they weren't uncomfortable with the interaction. But neither seemed to mind, given the fact that she'd been in their lives for last few years.

"Peter," she said softly, wiping away one of his tears. "I would do anything to keep the people I care about safe. I would carry a hundred missiles off into space if it meant making sure you didn't get hurt. But I also promise that I'll always be there for you. I will do everything in my power to make sure that I come home safely. I won't ever leave you willingly if I can help it."

He nodded slightly, and she saw Steve looking over at them curiously.

"Say, Peter, would you like to meet Captain America, and the other Avengers?" she asked, as the boy seemed to realize there were others in the room. He pulled back from her, and she stood as she carefully guided the three Parkers to where Steve was standing.

"Peter, meet Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America," she said as the boy's eyes lit up. "Steve, meet Peter Parker. My prodigy, and my favourite lab assistant."

"Hey!" Ava argued playfully, and Peter stuck his tongue out at her.

"Nice to meet you, Peter," Steve said kindly, as Peter shook his hand, looking awed.

Of course at that moment, Romanoff chased Clint back into the room, as Banner came out of his quarters looking exhausted, and Thor flew in through her landing pad.

"Peter, meet the rest of the Avengers," she said drily, as they all froze, realizing a civilian family was in her tower.

"Bruce Banner?" Peter said, looking up at the other scientist avenger in shock. She sighed dramatically as Banner looked over at the boy, slightly guarded.

"That's me," he said tiredly, clearly waiting for the Hulk questions to be thrown his way.

"Wow I can't believe you're here," Peter gushed, practically bouncing. "You're one of my favourite scientists of all time! Your work on gamma radiation is amazing! We have your poster up in class and I did a report on you for my last paper."

"You read my research?" Bruce asked, sounding slightly surprised.

"Genius," Toni gestured to the boy and Peter lit up. "I thought I was your favourite scientist, Kid."

"I can have more than one!" Peter argued, "He does research with biophysics and radiation! Your work is based on mechanical engineering! Why can't I just like all the science fields?"

He pouted slightly at that and she heard Clint lean over to Natasha, "Are we sure he isn't her kid?"

She shot a glare at him as Ava grinned at Bruce.

"Fine," she said with mock hurt. "I guess you don't want to see the newest additions I added to the lab."

"I do!" Peter said quickly, snapping his focus back on her. "Please can we go to the lab?"

She looked over at May and Ben, wanting to get their permission and the two nodded. "Just don't be too late. Tomorrow still is a school day after all."

"Of course," she nodded. "I'll get him home by seven."

"Can Dr Banner come down to the lab with us?" Peter asked, and she sighed, knowing she'd lost this round.

"Fine," she grumbled as rest of the Avengers watched her gather up her little science family and headed down to the lab.

"Don't forget that you need to sleep at some point!" Harry yelled after her and she followed Peter's lead and stuck her tongue out at him.


It took SHIELD almost a month of poking and prodding at Loki's brain for them to come to a decision on whether or not he was truly guilty of the crimes they wanted to place on his shoulders. And it took her constant badgering and Thor's insistence that Loki be returned to Asgard before they finally gave in and came to a decision. Without it, she was certain they would lock him in the deepest hole they could and throw away the key.

"I owe you my thanks, Lady Stark," Thor said to her, as SHIELD brought his brother towards them. They were in Central Park, and she knew the onlookers were watching them curiously, trying to find out just what was going on with the man who almost conquered New York. "If it were not for your assistance, then I do not think my brother would have been found innocent."

"Earth was attacked," she told him carefully. "And I intend to punish those responsible. If Loki was not at fault, it means that there is still someone out there pulling the strings. Someone that we do not know of. And we need to know who that is because I have a feeling that this is far from over."

As Harry brought Loki over to them, he released the handcuffs that were on his wrists, freeing the man.

"Thank you," Loki said, as he looked at her directly in the eyes. "If not for your power of observation, then my guilt would be determined, regardless of what defense I try to use for myself."

"Next time you come to Earth, perhaps you can try a more peaceful approach," Toni said giving him a smile. "But I do intend to pick your brain on your magic and just how it works. There must be some scientific basis behind it."

"Perhaps you can even be my guide on the planet," his eyes twinkled, practically purring, "I have a feeling we have a lot we could learn from each other."

Steve stepped in front of her slightly, but she simply laughed.

"Oh I don't doubt that," she said smile widening.

"We must go," Thor told them all, with a slight sadness in his eyes. "I wish I could stay longer, but I need to return to my planet. If there is a greater threat out there, then we will need all the time and knowledge we can get to prepare for it."

"Don't hesitate to visit," Harry told them both. He looked slightly warily over at Loki, and she knew it was hard for him to accept that the man had been controlled. But he had seen the footage of what he'd done while he was under and knew that none of them had acted like themselves due to the staff's power.

"I will return," Thor told them, "When the time comes for our next battle, I will gladly raise arms with you against our foes."

"Looking forward to it, Point Break," she clapped him slightly on the shoulder.

Bruce nodded at them, as Clint carefully opened the suitcase he'd been carrying. Bruce turned to it, as he used a pair of metal tongs to lift it up and seal it in a special container to ensure its safety through their transport.

She knew it was for the best if the Tesseract left the planet. SHIELD had already proven incapable of safeguarding it, and whoever was coming was after it. Let Asgard deal with the Alien invasion next time; they were apparently far more advanced than Earth, according to Thor anyways.

Thor took the Tesseract, holding on to one side of the container, as he offered the other side to Loki.

"Until next time," Thor nodded at them. He turned the handle he was holding, and she watched in near awe as the two materialized away.

"Well, that's that then," she said with a sigh. She watched as Natasha handed Bruce a bag of his things and she wondered who had gotten them for him.

"I heard you asked Bruce to move in with you," Steve said, and she turned to face him.

"He's still on the run technically from Ross," Toni said with a sigh, "But the people of New York know that he's a hero. And besides, I can protect Bruce from Ross. I might not have any more weapons contracts with the Military, but I still produce all their armour and hold other defense contract. I have enough sway to get the government to drop whatever vendetta Ross has against him."

He looked at her carefully, and she tried not to let it get to her

"It took a while to convince him," she admitted. "But I know a thing or two about what it's like not to feel in control of one's life. He knows he's free to go whenever he wants. I'm sure he's mainly agreeing for Ava. The two of them seem to have gotten close lately," she said, gesturing to the two scientists talking. But hopefully he feels at home at the tower."

"He's agreeing for you too," Steve told her gently, "You're doing a good thing, Toni. You're giving Bruce a home; something he hasn't had in years. And not because of whatever publicity you can get out of it, or because you think he'll be beneficial towards Stark Industries. But because you're a kind person."

"The same offer extends to you too," she looked up at him. "I know you want to tour the country and catch up on the life you've missed. But there is always room for you in the Tower if you want it."

He smiled at her, looking thoughtful.

"What?" she asked, growing self-conscious.

"You're nothing like the press says, are you?" he said after a moment. "The persona they paint of you: spoiled socialite who parties too hard and sleeps around. It's all made up by them isn't it?"

She sighed, "Yes. Something you'll do well to remember Captain, is that the Press' number one goal is to sell papers. Stories about me being trashy make more money than the non-profit work we do in Africa to bring clean water and food to those without it. No one wants to read about that. They want to read about whoever they think I'm sleeping with or to make up another story about me spiralling out of control."

"I was wrong about you," he told her softly, "And I'm sorry. I let biases cloud my opinion of you and judged you before I even got to know you."

"It's okay," she said lightly, "You already apologised for it, remember?"

He shook his head, "It's not. But I would like to get to know you properly, without the threat of the end of the world looming over our shoulders."

"Consider it a date, Captain," she winked, causing him to blush.

She climbed into her sports car, with Bruce in the passenger seat, and Carter-Sousa's in the back. She watched as Steve Rogers climbed onto his 40s style motorcycle and start his engine as she grinned back at him.

This was the beginning of a brand new journey, and she had a feeling it was going to be an interesting ride.