Tony was appalled to say that the story being run about him and Anna was quite possibly the most destructive media scandal he'd ever been involved in – and that was saying something considering the life he'd lead. Things had gone from bad to worse for both Tony and his company. Employees were quitting with immediate effect left, right and centre. Investors were pulling out of deals, abandoning contracts at great financial loss to themselves just so to not have anything to do with the Stark name and even New York's finest had come knocking at his door asking questions. Pepper had done what she could, but in hindsight, there was only so much she could do. New crews mobbed the street below the tower day and night, hoping to catch a glimpse of the billionaire, but they never could. The one-time Tony actually had to leave the tower during the last week, he'd done so from the roof. While the press caused problems for those working on the first eighty-five floors, they also caused problems for those living and visiting the tower. Within a couple of days, it became apparent – the private garage beneath the tower would become their friend.

It had been six days since the story had first run and Annabelle was due to fly in to New York to spend her birthday with him. On one hand, Tony was happy she was coming as he hadn't seen her since dropping her off at the airport for her flight to London, but on the other he was worried. He'd only spoken briefly to her once whilst she was away, and that was when she'd asked him about the job he'd left open for Sam Carrol. He'd spoken to Gina a couple of times since the story had broken, to keep her updated; though he hoped she wouldn't reveal all to Annabelle. He'd wanted to wait until after Gabbie's anniversary but when that had come and gone, he couldn't bring himself to make the call. He kidded himself in to believing she would be better off not knowing until after her birthday; he hadn't had the heart to ruin the build-up for her. Not speaking to her directly meant he wouldn't hear her voice and break, spilling the secret. When Pepper or Rhodey questioned him on it, he simply told them Annabelle deserved some uninterrupted time alone with her Godmother. They didn't agree with him.

Tony had once again gotten her flight plan from JARVIS, finding that her plane was due to land in just over two hours. The AI had been surprisingly forthcoming with the information this time round. It gave him enough time to call Pepper and have Happy drive him over to collect her. Happy was readying the car before he'd even answered the call. That man had a sixth sense and he deserved a raise. It had taken three attempts in a minute to get hold of Pepper, which was surprising seeing as Tony knew she had no meetings scheduled for that morning.

"Are you ignoring me?"

Tony could hear the faint smile in her voice as she spoke. He could also hear the unmistakable sound of papers rustling. "Some of us are busy running your company."

"And you're doing a marvellous job at it, Honey," Tony said as he grabbed his jacket and sunglasses, slipping them both on as he left their bedroom.

"Mm," she hummed. "Someone has to do the work around here whilst you sit tinkering in the lab day and night."

Tony laid a hand on his chest in mock hurt, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "I do not tinker; I create." He sensed her smile again - it was familiar dance they did they did whenever he had the audacity to interrupt her day, sometimes, it was his highlight. "And if you must know; I'm not even in the lab."

"Oh?"

Tony checked his watch. He still had ten minutes before he had to hit New York traffic. It was only when he paused to check his reflection in a mirror that he remembered why he'd called Pepper in the first place. "I'm on my way to the airport - Anna touches down in two hours."

"Oh Tony," Pepper said as she sighed, disappointment laced in her voice. Tony heard her dismiss someone and a door close. Oh boy, he was in for it now. "And you still haven't told her."

It wasn't a question. She knew he hadn't told Annabelle and she didn't agree with it.

"No," Tony said, reaching the elevator and waiting for it to announce its arrival. "But I will."

"When?" Pepper asked, her voice sharp and biting. "Before or after she's cornered getting off the plane?"

"Pep, please -"

"No, Anthony," Pepper said. Tony froze. She was pissed but... at least she hadn't used his full name, right? "You should have told her about what was happening the moment that photo was released by the media. You might have just made this whole thing worse for her by not saying anything."

"This time of year is hard enough for her as it is. I'm letting her have her birthday, then I'll tell her."

When she didn't instantly reply, Tony knew the argument was not won per se, but dropped for the time being in his favour. She was right, of course she was right; she was Pepper freaking Potts. He waited patiently for both the elevator and for his girlfriend to respond. Finally, Pepper sighed.

"At least tell me you're not taking the fucking orange car, Tony. Please."

Tony stepped in to the elevator before the doors had even fully opened. "I'm not stupid." Something that sounded suspiciously like a snort was the response. He scowled. "I'll have you know, Happy's firing up a nondescript car that is so normal, plain and unlike me that I'll be uncomfortable the entire time. Happy?"

"Not in the slightest."

It was Tony's turn to sigh. A pissed off Pepper was not a good thing, not a good thing at all and he would inevitably pay for it later. He hoped JARVIS was putting in an order for her favourite flowers as they spoke, it was such a common occurrence the AI normally had it done before the thought even entered his mind. Tony wasn't able to say anything more on the subject, for the elevator stopped on one of the private levels below his own, the doors opening to reveal two spies and a super-solider. Tony groaned.

"I have to go."

If Pepper noticed the change in his tone, she didn't mention it. In fact, it sounded like she was no longer really listening, as though she was now being distracted by something on her end. They rustling of the papers was back. "Okay; I'll be home before you are. Love you."

"Love you to."

Tony had not been in the same room with, or even seen, Steve in the last six days, and to say there was an undeniable tension between the two of them was an understatement. Steve kept shooting sideways looks, ones that were being outright ignored by the billionaire. Tony nodded stiffly to Clint, who was glancing between the other two men and then Natasha, unsure what to say. Natasha, however, was expressionless, keeping herself out of the middle. The silence was deafening, and Natasha decided to break it. She turned to Tony.

"Heading out?"

Given present company, Tony kept his tone clipped. "Airport."

The revelation seemed to surprise everyone but Natasha. It appeared as though Steve seemed the most… interested. The super-soldiers eyes widened as he himself turned to face Tony. "You're taking a trip?"

Tony, tone still clipped, didn't even spare him a glance. "No."

A few seconds passed, and Tony felt eyes on him. He finally looked at Steve, the other man's gaze faltering. "Tony, I …"

Tony, for one single second, thought something of worth and meaning would be coming out of Steve's mouth but alas, as soon as the man trailed off, he knew it wasn't be. Clint and Natasha were glancing between the two of them out of the corner of their eyes. Neither wanted to be involved, but both wanted to see how the interaction continued. Tony sighed internally, not giving away the frustration he was feeling and turned away from Steve once again. "Yes, Captain?"

Steve didn't immediately answer, but it was clear to all that he wanted to say something to the billionaire. They were still a fair few floors from the lobby, and after opening and closing his mouth multiple times, whatever Steve originally planned on saying died in his throat. Instead, he turned from where he was still facing Tony, staring now at the steel doors. "I have a meeting with Fury."

Tony wasn't the only one to give an inaudible groan; Clint and Natasha were just as frustrated with the lack of… well, anything. Tony shook his head and checked his phone. "And I need a rundown of your schedule because…?"

It was Steve's turn to shake his head. He jabbed the button for the next available floor, muttering to himself about taking the stairs. He gave a brief nod to Natasha and Clint before glancing once more at Tony before bolting through the now open doors. It took all of two seconds after the doors closed on Steve's retreating back and the elevator started moving again that Clint rounded on Tony, eyebrows raised.

"Are you ever gonna not be pissed at him?"

Tony's response was instantaneous. "You and Bruce may have apologised for your accusations, but he hasn't." Steve's exit may have dissolved some of the tension in the small space, but there was still plenty left. Clint went to say something, but Tony stopped him with a look. "I'm still on the fence about you, Barton. Just be thankful I haven't kicked any of you out."

Tony, and probably everyone else for that matter, knew he would never kick them out. He'd sooner remove himself from the tower than demand they all leave the place they'd come to call home. They had other places they could go, at the very least Clint and Natasha definitely did, but the tower was somewhere they could be together. Not only was it better for when they were called in for missions; them all being on the same page as the same time, but the knowledge that there was always someone else in the tower he could call company was… strangely comforting. They'd long since reached the garage now and Tony could see Happy standing beside a plain, black car, waiting rather impatiently for him. He made to move away from the archer and join Happy but a hand on his arm stopped him. He looked down as Clint retracted his hand.

"Steve has a harder time apologising for his mistake than I do."

Tony turned and signalled at Happy to give him a minute. Happy responded by tapping his watch to let the man know he was cutting it close before getting in the car and starting the engine. Tony waved him off, turning back to Clint. He glared at the archer.

"Rogers not only accused me of cheating on Pepper, but of doing so by sleeping with a woman nearly twenty years younger than me."

"So did me and Bruce!" Clint exploded, his voice reverberating off the walls and parked cars.

"But," Tony said, fighting to keep his voice low in contrast to Clint's outburst. His anger towards Steve became steadily more apparent as he spat each word. "You both had the audacity to invade my lab and shove your apologies down my throat while he chose to sit in the comfort of his room sketching the New York skyline."

Clint raised an eyebrow, trying not to smirk. "How'd you know he was doing that?"

Tony chose not to rise to the bait, rather, he checked his watch to find he was now running behind. He'd now have to face the wrath of Happy as well as Pepper. Traffic laws would need to be broken if he had any hope of reaching the airport before Anna landed. He threw his hands in the air in exasperation, turning on his heel and marching away. "And now I'm running late, thank you very much." It was only when Tony neared the car and he caught sight of Natasha's reflection in the window that she'd be present through the entire exchange. He opened the car, not looking at her. "There a reason you're following me, Romanoff?"

"Steve is sorry."

"I know," Tony sighed, finally turning to her with one foot in the car. "But it needs to come from him directly for it to mean something." Tony checked his watch again, noting how much more time was passing. "I have to go."

Natasha nodded and took a step back. "You should be clear for the night; we'll all be out."

Though they hadn't discussed the fact that she knew about his daughters existence, he appreciated her continued silence. He nodded in thanks. "Noted."

Tony got in the car properly and closed the door, shutting himself away from Natasha, the tinted windows shielding him from view. He felt completely drained, just as often did often after a confrontation like that. He shouldn't let it get to him, he really shouldn't… but he did. It was always going to be hard for Tony where Steve was concerned. Tony had grown up playing second fiddle to the great Steve Rogers in the heart of Howard Stark. For years Tony watched as his father built his empire during the weeks and searched for the fallen solider of a weekend, sparing little to no time for his son. He'd learnt to accept it, but he never quite got over how favoured Steve had been, even though he had long been legally declared dead.

"You're late."

The sound of Happy's curt voice cut through Tony's thoughts, snapping him out of his daze. They'd already pulled away from the tower, and in to the mid-morning New York traffic. Tony closed his eyes, laying his head against the back of the seat, wanting nothing more than to sleep the journey away. "Drive, Happy. Just… drive."

Somehow, between Happy's impeccable driving skills and Tony's blatant disregard for basic traffic laws, their car pulled in to the airport ten minutes before Anna's plane was die to land. Tony spoke to various people, pulling strings that allowed them to park just off the tarmac, meaning they'd be able to collect her straight off the plane. A message was to be passed on to her, saying a car was there to collect her, and she would be escorted off the plane before anyone. If she had any luggage in the hold, airport staff were under strict instructions to have it delivered to the tower by the end of the day. Tony had a lot of pull, and he worked it in his favour. They were parked a safe distance away from where the plane was pulled in and once they were given the all clear, Happy brought the car up as close as he could get. A few minutes passed and they both watched Anna descend the steps before exiting the car.

"There she is," Tony called as she reached the last step, carry-on slung over her shoulder. He could tell she was shocked at him being there, but not displeased. She bounded up to him, dropping the back from her shoulder to her feet and flinging her arms round his neck.

"Hey, Dad."

Tony held her close, savouring the warmth and comfort for having his daughter by his side again. "Please, please, don't leave me again; my heart can't take it."

"Don't exaggerate," Anna said, trying to detangle herself from Tony, but he only held her tighter. "You're being melodramatic; it's only been a week."

"Too long," he mumbled in to her hair before finally releasing her.

Once out of Tony's vice like grip, she shook her head at him, unable to keep the smile off her face, though Tony noticed it didn't quite meet her eyes. It could just be given the time of year, or the stress of travelling, but something inside him niggled. He would have to get her alone to ask her. Anna turned to Happy, holding her arms open to him, inviting him for a hug.

"Hi, Happy."

"Anna," the man said, stepping forward and wrapping his arms round her, squeezing gently before letting go. "Good to see you."

Anna shot an innocent glance to her father, before locking eyes with Happy. She tilted her head towards Tony. "He been keeping you on your toes?"

Tony and Happy shared a look that did not go unnoticed by the woman between them. The look went as quick as it came, both of them schooling their expressions before she could question it. Happy gave her a tight and strained smile. "As always."

"Just put her bag in the car, will you?" Tony demanded, not unkindly.

Noises behind them indicated that the rest of the passengers would soon be disembarking the plane. Happy did as he was told with a roll of his eyes. Anna shook her head at Tony, but he ignored it, opening the car door, ushering her inside before yet another story is leaked about them. Tony joined her in the back, Happy getting behind the wheel. They pulled away before anyone could recognise them. Tony watched Annabelle as they slid in to traffic. She looked a lot more like her mother today than she had done before. He noticed something else, too. It was as though she was caring the weight of the world on her shoulders. Due to his lack of communication whilst she was away, he had no idea what she'd been up to or what had been happening with her aside from reacquainting herself with Nurse Carrol, but something was weighing heavily on her. Anna caught his staring and raised an eyebrow, but his gaze didn't waver, he only smiled.

"What?"

Tony shook his head, still smiling. "Nothing. I just… missed you, that's all."

"I've missed you, to," Anna said, returning the smile. Tony noticed it disappear though, and he knew instantly that she wanted to ask him something. He didn't have long to wonder, for she looked him dead in the eye and asked him outright. "Why didn't you tell me about the photo?"

And in that moment, one of Tony's fears became a reality – Annabelle already knew. He caught Happy glancing at him through the rear-view mirror, but the man turned away, leaving him to deal with this alone. Anna was looking expectantly at him, wanting him to explain but he couldn't quite meet her gaze. This was not how he had this conversation planned out in his head. He'd wanted to be alone with her, for it to be private, where he could show her the photo and explain properly what had happened and how they were going to sort it. He did not want to have this conversation in the back of the car with Happy sitting in front of them. He glanced out the window, wanting to buy himself more time but knew it was futile, he'd have to talk – now.

He wasn't sure how to start, so he simply voiced the name of the one person who she could have heard it from.

"Gina."

Annabelle nodded, though she didn't look quite as mad as he thought she would. "I was bound to find out for myself sooner or later," she paused, leaning over and grabbing his hand. There was disappointment in her eyes and Tony hated how she was looking at him in that way… however much he deserved it. "But you should have been the one to tell me. It's plastered everywhere, Dad, and twitter is going crazy over it."

Tony gripped on to her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles, trying to convey how sorry he was for not telling her. "I wanted to wait until after your birthday," he said quietly. "With everything you were going through this week, I- I was hoping we'd be able to sort it by then – how, I don't know, but the intention to was there."

There was a brief silence amongst all parties after his earnest admission. Anna was taking it all in and Tony was fretting over what she was thinking. Sometimes it was hard to read her as, like him, she played all cards close to her chest and wouldn't let people know how she was feeling. It took a few seconds but eventually Anna shook her head, holding his gaze with her own.

"You should have still told me, Dad." Anna sighed, though Tony still couldn't detect much anger coming from her. "You know you should have, especially after last time. I'm almost twenty-three – not the teenager I was six years ago."

Tony nodded, agreeing with her completely. "I know, I'm sorry. Forgive me, my sweet darling child."

Anna laughed as Tony batted his eyelashes at her, a sweet innocent grin on his face. She could help laughing at his performance. He meant well, he really did, but sometimes he just managed to not get it quite right. "How can I not when you give me those eyes?" Her smile faltered and disappeared, taking Tony's with it. She looked down at her lap. "How bad is it?"

Tony sucked in a breath. "It's bad. Anna… these rumours, what they're saying about me…" He couldn't look at her. He wasn't sure how much she knew, whether she'd looked in to it in depth and read some of the articles and watched the news segments herself of if Gina had sugar coated the details. He didn't want to voice what was being said about him out loud, especially not to his daughter. "It's – I'm not sure how long Pepper can keep them at bay before I'll be forced to release a statement. There's no hiding from it this time."

"You're not releasing a statement."

Tony rounded on her, gaping. "Annabelle -"

"Dad," Anna said forcefully, getting him to stop. "I'll be releasing the statement. Eyes on the road, Hogan!"

"Sorry!"

The car has swerved violently before Happy regained control. Try as he might, Tony knew the man behind the wheel just couldn't not listen to their conversation… and it seemed Happy was as shocked by the revelation as he was. He never expected those words to come out of Annabelle's mouth, much less at a time like this. She'd never been up in front of reporters or the cameras before. Never been in front of the flashing lights to blur her vision and the intensity of the questions being thrown her way causing her to lose her train of thought. She'd never been prepared to face the scrutiny of American press. This was not how he wanted her to be introduced to it. This was the worst possible way to introduce her to it. He didn't want this for her, not now, and he certainly didn't want her to take this on. Tony removed his sunglasses, rubbing his eyes.

"Anna –"

"I'm going to ask Pepper to arrange a press conference with select reporters of my choosing," Anna said, cutting him off. She wasn't looking at him, choosing to stare at the back of the seat in front of her. "I'm going to tell everyone that I'm your daughter. I've thought about it while I was in Boston, but quite frankly we are out of time. It was always going to come out at some point, we all knew that, but I wanted it to be on my terms when it finally did. Now I have a very limited window to do it, so I'm thinking tomorrow if Pepper can arrange it. Sooner rather than later, right? Dad?" Anna looked at him when he didn't answer, only to find him staring at her open-mouthed. She poked his leg and waved a hand in front of his face but gained no reaction. She'd never seen him react like this before. She managed to catch Happy's eye in the mirror. "Happy, he's not saying anything… I think I broke him."

"That'll be a first."

The remaining hour or so drive was filled with nothing but silence on Tony's end while Happy and Anna talked about everything but the predicament they found themselves in. Very few people were able to render Tony speechless, but that was not for lack of trying. Those who could, were his nearest and dearest. He spent the rest of the ride mulling over what Anna had said. Why did she have to be so… logical? She was right in what she said, of course she was. Why did the two most important women in his life have to always be right? He didn't like it, not one little bit. He wanted to protect his daughter, not shove her in front of her very people destined to ruin her life. It wasn't right for her to be forced to do it, to out her own existence to placate the curiosity of others. Tony was so involved with his own thoughts that he hadn't even realised they had arrived back at the tower until…

"Anna!"

The three of them turned to find Pepper rushing barefooted towards them, her arms open to welcome Anna. Tony moved off to the windows, looking out. He didn't want to intrude in their greeting, needing the time to gather his thoughts. He was still shocked, that wasn't about to change anytime soon. He was content for now to just listening to the two women in his life reunite, focusing on how happy they both were.

"Pepper!" Anna said, and Tony watched through the reflection of the glass his daughter diving to the woman and settling in to her hold, head against her shoulder. They stayed like that for a minute until Pepper held her at arms-length.

"Welcome home," she said, smiling. "I've had Gerry from legal to work on the paperwork for Sam, it's being couriered over for him to read over as we speak."

"Thank you," Anna said, sighing in relief. "I have so much to tell you on that front. He's having a such a horrible time."

"Well, he'll be able to make an informed decision," Pepper said matter-of-factly, and Tony noticed how she was in business mode. "How's Gina doing?"

"She's finally taking Kirsten for every penny they have – even the fish."

Pepper and Anna both laughed, Tony chuckled internally with them. "She hates the fish."

"I know," Anna laughed. "Poor fish. It's still alright for her to come stay next month, right?"

"Of course, it is, you really don't have to ask," Pepper reminded her.

Tony tuned out the idle chitchat of catching up that came after as they both moved to the couch. He hadn't moved from his place by the window and had no immediate plans to. The sun was high, reflecting off the windows of some of the cities highest buildings, lighting up areas immediate to them. It was nice knowing he was so high up, that no one could see him. Not even a camera would be able to penetrate the windows. With his life on display almost ninety-nine percent of the time, he enjoyed the smidgen of privacy the tower gave him. Tony had gotten distracted, not realising Peppers focus had switched from Anna no himself. "

"Tony?" She called, yet he didn't turn. "You're being surprisingly quiet."

"She shocked him," he heard Happy say, a smirk in his voice. Tony hadn't even realised he was still there; having thought he would have returned back downstairs by now. Evidently, he was wrong. "He hasn't spoken in the last hour."

"How on Earth did you manage that?" Pepper exclaimed. Tony watched her reflection as her head bounced round all members of the room in turn. She was both shocked and amused. "I've been trying for years."

There was a brief silence, in which Tony watched through the reflection in the window Anna and Happy share a look. He smiled as it only confused Pepper further.

"I told him I was going to ask you to set up a press conference because I'm going to publicly announce that I'm his daughter," Anna said slowly, gauging Pepper's reaction. "Tomorrow if possible."

Pepper had ceased being surprised by a lot of things years ago, pretty much, Tony figured, around the same time he took her on as his personal assistant and she'd had to deal with all manner of things he got himself in to. After he'd outed himself as Iron Man and handed over the role of CEO to her, she'd seemed to just take everything in her stride, dealing with it all with a professionalism that came naturally and was envied by many.

"I can do that," Pepper said after a moment of silence, a broad smile on her face. Her phone was in her hand within seconds, her contacts list already on the screen, thumb hovering over the call button. "Let me do that. I'm gonna go do that. Happy, with me."

Tony heard the two leave, Happy trailing behind while Pepper was already in deep conversation with one of her many, many contacts in public relations. She was in her element. Tony stayed by the window, still looking out. A few seconds passed before he felt Anna beside him. She linked her arm with his, resting her head against his shoulder, he kissed her head in response before resting his head atop of hers. They stared at each other's reflection in the window before Anna pulled away, turning him to face her.

"Dad say something," she said, her voice soft. "Please."

Tony smiled at her, leading her back over to the couch. He pushed her to sit, though he chose to remain standing. "Do you remember the first time you called me that?"

"No," she said honestly. He knew she didn't, but he had a point in still asking. "But I remember you telling me, and JARVIS showed me the footage proving it."

Tony nodded. He took a moment before responding, remembering the feeling of being called 'Dad' for the first time. He looked at her, still smiling, though his voice lowered to almost a whisper. "I never thought you would, you know."

"What, call you Dad?" Anna asked, confused. She was titling her head at him as though she truly didn't understand why he thought that. "Why?"

"You'd already had a Dad," Tony stated. "Alan raised you."

He'd come in to Annabelle's life after she'd had and lost two parents who had raised and loved her. Though he was her father, Tony knew she'd looked up to and loved her step-father as though he was more than just that. He had been the one to read her stories at bedtime and held her when she cried. He'd been the one to hold her hand and watch her grow, not him. When she'd first came to live with he felt like he had no right to swoop in and try and be that man, but he'd come to realise over the last few years that both he and Alan Cooper had the right to be called her Dad.

"And you've been raising me for the last six years."

Annabelle's words snapped him from his thoughts. He found her staring at him, smiling in earnest. He smiled back but shook his head. "You're an adult; you don't need raising."

"I'll always need it," she said, a glint in her eye. "You still need it and you're –"

"Don't even go there."

They both laughed. Tony threw himself down on the couch next to her, and she slipped her hand in his. They both held on tight, as though if either one was to let go the other would drift away. They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes, both reflecting on the past half a decade. Annabelle eventually squeezed his hand and Tony looked up at her, finding tears in her eyes. He wiped away the stray one from her cheek with his thumb.

"We've been over this, so many times," she said, and Tony knew she was willing him to understand. She had a fire in her eyes, one that was demanding he believe her, and he did… just sometimes he needed reminding. "You're my Dad, and you've been doing a pretty good job at being one."

"Yeah, well," Tony said, clearing his throat and trying to rid himself of the overwhelming emotion he was feeling. He waved a hand in the general direction he knew Pepper had disappeared off to with Happy. "I've had Pepper to keep me in check."

"She is practically my step-mother," Annabelle nodded, agreeing with his statement.

"Reckon I should make it official," Tony said offhandedly, more to himself than to Anna. He'd been thinking about it for a while, far too long for it to be acceptable and then not do it. He'd mentioned it to Rhodey months ago; the man had clapped him on the back and told him he was growing up… and then demanded on being the best man. Part of Tony reckoned his friend hadn't actually believed him and considering nothing had come from the conversation, and Tony hadn't mentioned it to him again, Tony couldn't blame him for not doing so. He'd even ventured in to looking at a few ring designs but stopped when he he'd gone through so many and still hadn't found anything that stood out.

It seemed as though Anna had latched on to the idea, for her eyes widened and she tugged sharply on his hand to get him to look at her. She was grinning at him as he turned to face her. He had to blink a few times to focus on her face, as she was now bouncing up and down on her knees like a child.

"Are you serious?" she asked, and he looked her dead in the eye, gazing unwavering. She seemed to realise that, in fact, he was. He didn't think it possible, but her eyes widened even further. "You are, aren't you?"

"Been thinking about it," he said with a shrug, gauging her reaction.

"Finally," Annabelle exploded, throwing her hands in the air and jumping off the couch. She started dancing, jumping from side to side. Tony could only stare at her. He figured she'd be happy for him, but this happy? He honestly wouldn't be surprised if she pulled out a binder filled with venues and bridal magazines and helped him plan the whole thing without Pepper ever getting wind of it. She caught him staring and stopped dancing, a hand on her hip. "Oh, come on, the woman deserves it – she's put with you for long enough."

"I resent that."

They both started laughing. Annabelle started listing off all the things he would need to consider, but Tony was only half listening, knowing JARVIS would be making a list for him to consult at a later date. He figured that, now that Anna knew he'd been thinking about it, he would actually do it. There was no way she'd let up and let him get away with not doing it. He knew she'd keep on at him until he got off his ass and actually did it. It was a good thing, as he knew it would probably take another couple of years before he actually proposed.

"Sir, Dr Banner is on his way up. It seems urgent."

They both jumped as JARVIS spoke. Tony wasn't expecting anyone to be in the tower, Natasha had told him they'd have the place to themselves. He wondered what the man wanted: it must be important if he's seeking him out. Tony turned to Anna, expecting to find her wide eyed and fearful of the impending arrival but instead he found her staring at him, head titled to the side and frowning. Tony stood to stand in front of her, hands on her shoulders.

"Up to you what you want to do," he said, giving her an out if she wanted it. "But you don't have a lot of time to decide."

"No time like the present," Anna shrugged. "Right?"

"Come here," Tony said, pulling her to his chest.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, both holding each other in a tight grip, knowing that when Bruce turned up, things were going to change. Neither heard the ding of the elevator, or the scientist thanking JARVIS as he exited. Neither noticed the man standing there with a mixture of pure confusion and uncertainty. Both Anna and Tony jumped away from each in surprise, though Tony pulled her back and wrapped an arm round her shoulders.

"Sorry, I didn't know I'd be interrupting," Bruce said, clearly embarrassed by the encounter. He scratched the base of his neck and made to take a step back. "I'll come back."

"Don't be silly. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Dr Banner," Anna said, extracting herself from Tony's hold and stepped towards Bruce, holding a hand out. He took it and they shook, Anna giving a smile. "Tony's told me so much about you."

"And Tony's told me absolutely nothing about you," Bruce said slowly, still holding on to her hand.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Anna said once Bruce had released her hand. She gripped it with her other in anticipation to what reaction they would get. "Introduce us."

Bruce looked between the two again, if possible, even more confused that he was before. Tony stepped up to Anna again, once more wrapping an arm round her shoulders, squeezing tightly.

"Anna, you know Dr Bruce Banner. Brucie," he said, waving a hand between his friend and Anna. "This is Annabelle Cooper – my daughter."

Silence. To both Anna and Tony, it was a relief for someone outside their little circle of knowledge to know. For Bruce… well… it just brought a whole lot more of confusion to the forefront of his brain. He stared between the two, and it wasn't only Anna who was apprehensive… Tony was definitely feeling the tension too.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

Tony gave his friend a look as if to say 'surprise', but it soon morphed in to one of exhaustion, as if keeping the secret as been the thing holding him up. He kissed the top of Anna's head and looked at Bruce, pleading for him to believe.

"She's my kid, Bruce, not my secret lover."

"That is just wrong on so many levels;" Anna said, breaking the tension and cringing away from Tony. She shook her head, looking to the two men then away again, screwing up her eyes. "I'm gonna need hypnosis to forget the things I've read."

"No hypnosis while you're under my roof," Tony joked, though Bruce could see the memory of what had happened to Clint behind his eyes and knew the man was being serious.

Tony watched as Bruce focused his eyes on Anna, following her as she moved to the couch and sat with her feet folded beneath her. Nothing was said as the scientist continued to watch Anna, who was trying not to pay too much attention to the fact she was being watched. Finally Bruce sighed, moving to sit on the opposite end from her. He rubbed his eyes.

"You're his daughter?"

"In the flesh," Anna nodded, glancing quickly to Tony, who smiled. "We have DNA to prove it."

Without being asked, JARVIS brought up the results of the test Tony had run a few months after her arrival in his life. They had both wanted the confirmation, though neither denied it in the first place… it just made it all the more real. It was brought up on the holographic screen built in to the coffee table before them. Bruce pulled out his glasses, putting them over his eyes to give the results a quick glance before nodding and replacing them in his pocket. He had all the proof one needed, and upon seeing the similarities in both looks and personality between the two, Bruce sighed and rounded on Tony.

"You kept this from us," Bruce said, a mild feeling of hurt lacing his tone, though Tony could tell he wasn't all that annoyed. "All of us?"

"Well, Natasha knows," Tony said, shifting from one foot to the other and shrugging. It was Anna's turn to round on him now, eyes narrowed and not at all happy. "Don't look at me like that; she's a spy, spies know things."

Anna continued to try and look annoyed that their secret was out to someone else without her knowledge but in the end, she conceded, knowing Tony was right. If anyone was to find out, it would be Natasha… and seemingly, she hadn't told a soul and Anna was thankful for that. Tony watched his daughter as she deliberated how to continue the conversation. She sighed.

"I haven't been ready for anyone to know," she said quietly, almost guilty that the man hadn't been in on the secret, regardless of whether she knew him other by name or not. "A few people do, but it's something we decided to keep private."

"For twenty-two years."

"Hey," Tony said, not wanting the slightly bitterness now in Bruce's tone to upset Anna, and he knew it would do. He came to stand behind her, sitting on the back of the couch and placing a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "She's twenty-three tomorrow."

"I didn't meet Tony until six years ago…" Anna said slowly before sighing, knowing it would take a while to explain it all to the man, and it was not something she wished to do at this precise moment without much warning. "It's all complicated."

Silence preceded Anna's statement. Neither she or Tony added anything, and it seemed Bruce didn't want to ask anymore questions at that particular moment. The trio continued to sit in silence, it becoming almost deafening before, once again, JARVIS interrupted them, making both Anna and Bruce jump.

"Miss Cooper, Ms Potts requires your presence in her personal office."

Annabelle both physically and mentally sighed in relief, jumping up and shrugging off Tony's hand. He raised an eyebrow at her, she only grinned at him.

"That'll be about the press release. Can you tell her I'm coming, J?" she said, while still grinning at Tony.

"As you wish."

"How about I cook tonight," Anna said suddenly, causing Tony to raise an eyebrow at her again, completely and utterly surprised at her suggestion. "And you can invite the others. We'll tell them ahead of it being released, rather than them finding out with the rest of New York. Are they in the tower tonight?"

Tony cocked his head to side, wondering why she was so insistent in letting the rest of the team know that night. Was it because she just wanted it out in the open, or because she didn't want the same accusatory tone that they'd received from Bruce if they left it until tomorrow? He'd have to ask her when they next got a moment in private. Tony cleared his throat.

"Natasha said they wouldn't be, but they might be up for coming back."

"Okay then," Anna said loudly, clapping her hands together, something he still wasn't sure whether she got from him or her mother. She made to leave, giving a glance at Bruce as she passed. She looked from man to man, before rolling her eyes and walking towards the elevator. She caught Tony's eye before she let the doors close. "Get the man a drink, Dad; he looks like he's in shock."

Tony waited until she'd disappeared before shaking his head and moving towards the bar. He hadn't expected any of what had happened in the last few hours. He'd been looking forward to and expecting a nice simple and quiet day with Annabelle, welcoming her to New York and spending the evening enjoying dinner with her and Pepper for the first time in who knows how long. But when has anything to do with his life even been simple and quiet? He is Tony Stark after all. He hadn't expected his daughter to come home already knowing about the little predicament they were in. He hadn't expected her to blurt out that she was ready for the world to know her relation to him, and that he was completely fine with that, now was he expecting his friend, his science bro to walk in on the two of them without more than a minutes warning. All in all it had been a very interesting day so far and it was far from over. That evening looked to be very interested if the team agreed on joining them for dinner. Tony sighed to himself, pouring himself a single shot of whiskey and pulling a small bottle of orange juice from the mini fridge for Bruce. He walked back over to the man, taking the seat next to him and holding out the bottle.

"Here."

Bruce stared at the bottle for a full ten seconds before taking it. He downed the bottle before placing it on the coffee table. He shook his head at Tony, and though he knew there was no doubt in the possibility, he still spoke with disbelief in his voice. "You have a child."

"Yes," Tony confirmed, downing his own drink and placing it next to Bruce's empty bottle. "I do."

"A fully grown," Bruce said, shaking his head. "Walking, talking, has her own mind, adult child."

"Yes."

Bruce gave an exasperated laugh, unable to contain the information that had been presented to him the moment he'd walked off the elevator. He was shocked, to say the least. Tony waited patiently for him to calm himself.

"Explain, please," Bruce all but begged, shaking his head again. "Because I'm so confused. I've spent most of the last three years with you and I had no idea."

"To be fair," Tony said with a not so guilty smile. "She doesn't often come to New York."

Tony sighed as Bruce gestured eagerly for him to continue. He stood and moved away, crossing his arms and choosing to face away from Bruce. "I dated her mom when we were seventeen. I loved her, my parents died, I pushed her away and she… went. I was too much of a coward to go and find her." He paused, waiting for the judgement, but he was pleasantly surprised to find there wasn't any. He turned and raised an eyebrow to Bruce, who simply nodded at him to continue, and continue he did.

"I honestly didn't know anything about Annabelle until after her mom died and a hand-written letter was delivered to me. They were in a car accident in London less than a week before her seventeenth birthday. Gabbie – her mom – had measures in place for if she died before Anna turned eighteen." Tony paused again, remembering the feeling of finding out he had a daughter nearing her late teens that he knew nothing about. Remembered the feeling of familiar that he hadn't supported either her or her mother while he could. Remembered the feeling of regret he still often felt about not fixing things with Gabbie while he still had the chance and knowing there was nothing he could do to change that. He cleared away the built-up emotion from his throat and moved to pacing in front of the window.

"I became her legal guardian and only family overnight. Less than three hours after finding out I had a daughter, I'd signed the papers and was in the air, on my way to London to get her and bring her home." The frown that had been on his face was replaced with a smile now. A smile so genuine and honest that he found Bruce smiling back at him. "Took a while but me, her and Pepper have been a family ever since. I let her decide what she wanted to do when she was ready, and she didn't want our relationship to each other known. I respected that, so I made sure no one did.

"That story they run – about 'oh nine, that happened a few weeks after she came to live with us. It ran the day after her mom's funeral," Tony swallowed, and Bruce closed his eyes in understanding. Tony knew his friend was starting to realise why it had been so hard for the two of them. Tony couldn't help the anger and bitterness that crept in to his voice, and it took a fair amount of self-control not to raise his voice. "The photo was taken by some trigger-happy attendant at the airport who caught us getting off the plane from Boston. As if she needed the stress of anything else added at a time like that.

"It terrified her, Bruce," Tony said, spinning round the face the man, running a hand through his hair. "She'd not long lost her mom, was living with strangers in a place and lifestyle so unlike what she'd been brought up in and she was still physically and mentally recovering – it was too much for her. So," he said, wringing a hand in the air in no particular direction. "I wiped everything connected to her, had JARVIS run a programme to periodically do the same. I'm both sorry and not sorry I didn't tell you, but contrary to what anyone would believe, my daughter and her happiness comes first."

Tony finished his speech and collapsed back on the couch, his head landing near Bruce's thigh. The man looked at him upside down.

"Wow."

"Really, 'wow'. That's all you're gonna say?" Tony jumped up, slightly offended at the lack of anything radiating from the man. "I spill my biggest secret and that's all you got?"

"Give me a break;" Bruce said, waving a hand at him and closing his eyes as he leaned further in to the couch. "I've just found out my best friend has a secret daughter he never told me about."

Tony smirked at him. "I'm your best friend?"

Bruce looked at him as if to say, 'shut up'. It only made Tony laugh. They reverted back to silence for a few seconds, Tony waiting for Bruce to say something else now. He didn't have to wait long.

"She seems nice."

"Heart of gold," Tony agreed, nodding. "Not a bad bone in her body – just like her mom."

Bruce looked at him now, nothing but sympathy in his eyes. Tony knew the man knew him well, well enough to know when he truly felt something. Like Pepper, Rhodey and Anna, Bruce was one of the only other people that could see the real him. Just like he could now.

"You really did love her, didn't you?"

Tony sniffed and turned his face away. "Only woman other than Pepper." He shrugged. "Guess in a way I never stopped."

"And how does Pepper feel about that?"

"She understands," Tony said truthfully. It was a conversation the two of them had had at length after Annabelle had gotten settled in at the Malibu house. For hours they had sat as he explained his relationship to his daughters mother, the woman he never stopped loving but never went after. Pepper had listened to his reassurances that he loved her and that would never change. She understood, she had helped him to understand that he would always love his ex, but he was in love with her. It had strengthened their relationship tenfold. "Knows how I feel about her. She wouldn't have stuck around for as long as she has if she didn't"

"Has Annabelle been living here," Bruce asked, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Right under our noses the entire time?"

"Nope.," Tony said, popping the 'p'. He made his way back to the bar, pouring himself another drink and offering Bruce and second bottle of orange, which he refused. Tony shrugged it off. "I wasn't lying to you when I said she didn't come here often. She lives in California; stayed there when I set up shop here. What?"

Bruce had a look of pure realisation on his face and he started laughing, shaking his head.

"Kind of makes sense now." Tony raised an eyebrow in question, Bruce chuckled again. "Your frequent trips away. So, any other children no one knows about?"

"Just Anna," Tony said, smiling.

They lapsed back in to silence, though there was no tension or uneasiness in the air this time, it was fairly… pleasant. Tony finished his drink, placing his empty glass on the bar and clapped his hands together, remembering that Bruce hadn't arrived expecting to revelled in Tony's family history.

"So, what did you actually come up here for?"

Bruce, to his credit, was confused by the question for barely a second before a frown appeared on his face. He shook his head.

"I… I have no idea."

Though everyone had, in fact, had plans that night, they had all dropped them surprisingly quickly. Tony had had JARVIS contact each of them, save from Bruce, and ask them to meet in the communal lounge at seven. They had all agreed with little to no questions, and Tony was glad… he hadn't wanted to argue with any of them before the night had even begun. After his chat with Bruce, the both of them had gone down to the lab, only to be joined by Anna and Pepper not long after. They'd sorted out the press conference for late the next afternoon, right out front of the tower. Pepper want to go through some of the details with Tony and the two had left Anna alone with Bruce. Tony hadn't seen either of them since, for when he returned to the lab, both had disappeared. He'd asked JARVIS, but the AI had informed him the two had left the tower to get lunch.

He'd wanted a chance to speak to Anna before everyone had turned up, but by the time he'd left the lab again and made his way upstairs, he found himself in the presence of his team mates with his daughter still nowhere in sight. There was once again awkward silence as he entered the space. It was clear the two men had no idea why they were meeting but it was plainly obvious given her grin that Natasha knew full well. He nodded at her as he moved to the bar to pour himself a drink. He held to bottle up to them, silently asking if anyone wanted a drink but they all shook their heads. He shrugged and returned the bottle to its place; it was their loss.

"Are you going to tell us why we've been summoned here tonight?"

Steve's voice rang through the large open space. Why was is so hard for the man to keep any sort of accusation out of his tone? Tony didn't immediately answer. Instead Tony downed his drink and poured himself another before moving to sit on one of the couches. He leaned in to it, arms spread across the back with drink still in hand and ankle crossed over knee. He smiled at Steve, though everyone could see it was as fake as they come. "Keep calm, Capsicle; all shall be revealed."

Natasha took a seat next to Tony but keeping a respectable distance so not to crowd him. She gave Steve a genuine smile. "Trust me, Steve; you're gonna be glad you waited."

"Thank you, Natasha." Tony saluted her with his glass before taking a sip. "Tell me, how did you find out?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes," Tony said, narrowing his eyes at the smirking woman, curiosity getting the better of him. "I would actually."

"Wouldn't we all…" Clint muttered. Everyone looked at him, Natasha going as far as throwing a pillow at his head. He glared at her but relented, tossing the pillow back on the couch. "Alright. Come on, Stark."

"All in good time, Legolas."

Tony took another sip of his drink, indicating to the archer that the conversation was over. A tense and uncomfortable silence fell over the team. Steve stayed standing where he was, avoiding glancing at Tony, though the billionaire could tell the man wanted to. Clint and Natasha seemed to be having a silent conversation amongst themselves, only their eyes giving away that they were communicating. Tony wanted to return to the comfort of his lab, away from the tension surrounding him. He wanted to spend the evening with Anna and Pepper, just the three of them, as they used to do when they were all in the Malibu house. He missed those times. He'd never regretted the move to New York per se, always knowing that it had been necessary at the time, but had he always been happy about it? Tony sighed, tilting his head back till he reached the back of the couch. He noticed the others murmuring amongst themselves, but he didn't care enough to pay attention. He was starting to wonder if Anna had bailed on him, regardless of it being her idea to gather everyone for dinner. Just as he was considering asking JARVIS to call her, demanding her to come back and rescue him, the elevator dinged and opened. Tony's head turned, and he instantly jumped when he realised Bruce and Anna were walking towards the group of four, but his eyes narrowed on his daughter when he caught the end of their conversation.

"No, really, he did that?" Bruce gave a hearty laugh.

"He did; straight through the wall," Anna laughed with him, gripping on to his arm as they made their way further in to the room, seemingly oblivious to the people around them. "It was embarrassing. JARVIS can show you if you ask nicely."

Tony could only imagine what one of his many mishaps Anna had been indulging Bruce in, whatever it was, it didn't seem to be painting him in a brilliant light. He sidled up to them, stopping a few steps away and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.

"JARVIS will not be showing anyone anything without my approval."

Anna turned to him now, laughter still on her lips and a sparkle in her eyes. She'd obviously had a good time with Bruce, seeming at ease with him. Tony noticed the same air about the scientist, noting he was far more relaxed than he'd seen him in a long time, rather, than he'd ever seen him. Annabelle had that ability about her, Tony had found. She was able to draw the tension from ones shoulders after only a few minutes of conversation. It was no surprise to him that she'd managed to do the same with Bruce.

"I'm afraid that's not true, Sir. Miss Cooper has complete access."

Tony rolled his eyes as JARVIS spoke. There were only three other people besides himself that had full capability to override the AI's programming. Anna, Pepper and Rhodey were all able to bypass his controls if they so needed to. Rhodey and Pepper both have done, but no in recent years. Anna, however, never has. Tony tilted his head at his daughter, smirking. "I can remove that."

"But you won't," Anna said, smirking right back at him, knowing he never would.

The two shared a smile and it was only through catching movement out of the corner of his eye that Tony remembered the two weren't alone in the room. He could feel the stares of the two people who didn't happen to know who Annabelle was. Given the twitching Clint was doing, Tony know he was itching to know what was going on, especially with the knowledge that Natasha already new. Steve had stepped closer, looking from Anna to Tony, trying and failing to make a connection between them.

"Stark, care to explain?"

Tony rounded on Steve, plastering a fake look of shock on his face. "Oh, I'm so sorry, where are my manners?" Tony could feel Anna roll her eyes at him as he threw an arm out to her, wrapping it round her shoulders and pulling her close when she stepped next to him. He gave them all a genuine smile. Bruce and Natasha both smiled back whilst Clint and Steve both still looked confused.

"Everyone, this is Annabelle – my daughter."

Originally this chapter was over 3000 words in dialogue alone, so I thought it would be better splitting the dialogue in to and creating two chapters. Can you imagine how long this would be if I'd of left it?

I hope you all enjoyed this, I've really enjoyed writing this one, it's truly been one of my favourites. Some of you will be pleased to know that I've got chapter summaries written up to chapter 24 and it's nowhere near finished planning, so this is looking to be a nice and long fic for you!

Please, please review. I love to know what you're all thinking after reading each chapter, whether you agree with the plot or the characterisation. I'm currently suffering with a really bad case of the common cold, with the added possibility of a chest and ear infection added in for good measure (I shall be consulting with a doctor in the morning) and i could really use the confidence booster.

Much love all xx