Starks Daughter

by MsDaHedgehog

After the death of an ex-girlfriend, Tony learns that he has a daughter. With the help of Pepper he learns how to be a father to a seventeen year old, but not without difficulties - especially when his lifestyle puts her in danger. - First few chapters set in 2009 with it then jumping to 2015 (before Ultron ever happened)

14. Chapter 14

Note at the end will contain Endgame spoilers after the **

You have been warned.

---

By the beginning of July, Anna had almost become completely accustomed to living full time at Avengers tower. Though strange for the first couple of weeks, Anna found that the entire team had welcomed her with open arms. Each and every one of them had been more than happy to include her in their daily household discussions and dinners, even rostering her in to do her share of the cooking – and she did not mind one bit. Though each Avenger still liked to maintain their privacy, they each offered to show her glimpses in to their everyday lives. She could tell how happy it made Tony, seeing her being welcomed willingly and so freely. After her birthday and the announcement, Anna noticed Tony had a much more relaxed attitude. Most people would assume nothing had changed, but most people didn't know him like she did. Life inside the tower was good, far better than she'd imagined. Outside however…

Outside the tower was a completely different story. News outlets were finally starting to tire from running the same story about her announcing her relationship to Tony, but that still hadn't stopped reporters from camping outside the tower, just waiting to get a glimpse or her or Tony. It had become such an inconvenience; it was causing problems for the employees of Stark Industries that used the lobby on a day to day basis. Their presence had gotten so bad in the last few weeks that Tony had had to allow company employees to use the private entrance underneath the tower usually reserved only for the inhabitants. It wasn't ideal, but it would do until the reporters tired of getting nothing from them day after day. Luckily, the day to day activities for the Avengers wasn't disturbed too much; if they needed to leave, they'd take the quinjet from the roof.

Anna hoped it would die down completely soon and the reports move on. She's managed to get herself a part time job at the community centre on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, working with teenagers. She was looking forward to it and it was something new. She hadn't been able to do anything since moving in to the tower and it was starting to get her down. Hopefully that was about to change.

---

Two weeks passed and Anna was feeling more and more like her old self. She enjoyed the three afternoons she spent with the teenagers at the community centre and she was happy that they'd warmed up to her quite quickly. She may have only been working there for two weeks but she was already getting a sense of fulfillment from just being outside doing something, no matter how small it seemed to some people.

Today was Monday and, though she'd had a late night the night before, Anna woke feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead. She wasn't due at the community centre until one that afternoon and deciding to forgo showering and getting dressed. She took the elevator upstairs, planning to eat breakfast with the early risers. Stepping out of the elevator, she expected to find Steve or Pepper propped up against the breakfast bar. She was not, however, expecting to see Tony slouched on one of the stools, forehead pressed against the bars surface, a mug of steaming coffee beside him.

Anna scanned the large room but found no one in the immediate vicinity. She skipped over to him, wincing at the wafting aroma of Tony's far too strong coffee and took the seat next to him, poking at his shoulder with her forefinger.

"So…?"

"So…?" Tony mumbled; his face still plastered to the cool surface of the bar.

"Have you put anymore thought in to it?"

She was referring to the engagement rings for Pepper the two of them had been looking at the previous night. They'd spent hours combing through various catalogues and searching online before she'd grown tired and gone to her room, leaving Tony to continue on his own. When he didn't instantly answer, Anna poked him in the side. He jerked back and shot her a filthy look before folding his arms across the bar and resting his head against them. She barely heard his muttered response.

"In to what?"

Anna raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously?"

"Anna, it's," he repositioned himself enough to see the time on his watch. "Seven-thirty in the morning. I have my first board meeting in years in less than two hours and I haven't even had a sip of coffee yet."

It was only then that Anna noticed the way he was dressed. A tailored suit, and crisp white shirt completed with his trademarked sneakers and tinted glasses lying next to his phone on the bar. She hadn't noticed before because of the way he was slouched forward, but he did look rather smart. It was weird. What was weirder was the admission that he was actually up early to do work.

"Since when do you attend board meetings?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Since my girlfriend decided it was time that I took an active role in my company again."

"She has a point." Tony turned and gave her another filthy look, though she knew there was no heat behind it. She still rolled her eyes at him and reached over to try and tame the unruly hair atop his head. She dodged him when he tried to swat her hand away. "Don't look at me like that, Dad, you know I'm right."

He shrugged and grabbed his coffee mug, inhaling the steam and sighing in content.

Anna clicked her fingers in front of his face "You still haven't answered my question."

"Which was?"

"Dad." She fixed him with a glare.

"Sweetpea, I'm running on empty," Tony groaned out. "How can you possibly expect me to have any idea what you're talking about."

"Honestly," Anna said, shaking her head and running her fingers through her hair. "You are unbelievable."

Tony smirked at her. "I try."

Anna shook her head at him again. "I literally left you reading the catalogues before face-timing Sam and going to bed.

"Oh," Tony said, finally realising what she was talking about. "That."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Yes, that." When he again made no attempt to answer, she poked him once more in the ribs. "Well?"

"Quit it. I made some calls," Tony said with a roll of his hand as he drained his coffee in one go. "Someone's coming when Pepper's in California next week."

"Progress," Anna said, nodding in approval. She reached to the fruit bowl for an apple. "Can I be here?"

"Well, yeah," Tony said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I have no self-control."

---

Having finished her couple of hours at the community centre, Anna found herself making the fifteen black walk back to the tower alone. It made no sense to her to be picked up by Happy (or one of the other drivers Tony kept at hand) when it would be quicker to walk given the traffic at that time of day. She liked the walk; it was decent exercise. Sure, she had access to the Avengers gym back at the tower, and Pepper had even offered the services of her personal trainer, but it wasn't the same as physically being outside. She'd always preferred to walk to high school rather than take the bus, sometimes she'd even cycle. When she'd lived in the Malibu mansion, she'd walk for hours on the beach and swim in the open ocean. There had been no chance for that now she lived in New York so walking to and from work was all she managed to do.

Six blocks down and nine to go, Anna felt her cell vibrate in the back pocket of her jeans. She knew who it would be without even looking at the caller ID. Gina had made it a habit to call at the same time every day she knew Anna worked at the community centre. In theory, she would normally catch Anna once she'd already gotten home and showered but Anna had stayed later at the centre this particular Wednesday afternoon, talking to a young girl who had recently lose her mother. Anna swept the screen to answer the call, placing it to her ear.

"I'm heading back to the tower now; I'm only nine blocks away."

Anna heard Gina freeze, the pen she could hear her godmother writing with dropped against what sounded like the wooden desk in Gina's office. Anna sighed; she knew what was coming.

Gina cleared her throat down the line. "Alone?"

"Yes, alone," Anna said, rolling her eyes as she waited for a car to pass before jogging across the road. She shook her head to herself before replying. "I'm a big girl, Gina, I don't need a babysitter or a bodyguard every time I go to work - or whenever I go out in general."

"But it's New York." Anna shook her head again. It was a familiar argument between the two of them, sometimes even Tony added his opinion, more often than not siding with Gina, though Anna told him to butt out most of the time. "You're not exactly a normal person anymore either, Anna."

"Gee, thanks," Anna said, trying and failing to sound offended.

Gina laughed softly down the line. "You know what I mean, baby girl; I'm only trying to look out for you."

"I know you are," Anna smiled as she said it, knowing her godmother was just fulfilling the promise she made to her mother when she took on the role all those years ago. "And it's appreciated."

"But not warranted." Anna knew Gina well enough to know the woman was rolling her eyes. "I've got to go. I'll call you later?"

"You can try…" Anna said, turning a corner, and side stepping a woman with a pushchair. "I might ignore you though."

"Funny, Annabelle."

"You love me, Gianna."

Gina growled down the line, making Anna laugh. "Unfortunately. Keep it up though, sweetheart, keep it up."

Anna bid her godmother goodbye and ended the call, replacing the cell in the back pocket of her jeans. She had seven blocks left to go, and the closer she got to the tower, the busier the roads and sidewalks seemed to be. She kept her walk to the brisk pace she'd adopted years ago, though her steps faltered once she noticed a group of people rushing in her direction. The nearby crosswalk was green in her favour, and once to the other side she hoped the group would stay on the other side of the road. They didn't.

No sooner had her feet touched the concrete, the group were only a few feet in front of her, and it was only then she noticed the cameras round their necks, and phones in hand.

"Shit."

Despite walking to and from work for the last few weeks, and living in New York for nearly two months, Anna had not yet been able to figure out the many different routes back to the tower. The route she normally took was straightforward and got her from the community centre back to the tower quickly, but evidently word had gotten out where and when people would be able to find her. She really needed to expand her knowledge of the side streets. There was no avoiding these people now. Anna tried to keep her head down and pick up her pace once more, pushing past the group now blocking the sidewalk.

"Miss Cooper, can you tell us anything about –" The woman was cut off as another spoke over her.

"Anna! Anna! Is it true that –" She found herself unable to answer that even if she wanted to because these people were incapable of letting others speak and waiting their turn.

"Are you going to be actively pushed up the ladder in to Stark Industries?"

"Are you being groomed to take over as CEO?"

Honestly, where did these people get their information from? While it was true, the topic of her working for SI had come up over dinner with Tony and Pepper a few time in recent years, it had never been more than an idea she had shot down. In fact, there hadn't been a single been a single mention from her dad and should-be-step-mother since a couple of months before her move from California.

Anna found her path completely blocked, forcing her to stop. She looked around, people had stopped and were staring but no one seemed the least bit inclined to help her out of her situation. She groaned as she tried to push past the eight or nine people all throwing questions at her unmoving.

"Did your mothers never teach you to respect women?"

Anna knew that voice. An instant sense of calm and relief settled through her veins and she stopped trying to force her way through and turned around. Steve was standing there, tall and imposing, bike parked behind him and helmet dangling from his hand. His gaze found Anna's and he tilted his head slightly, silently asking if she was okay. She nodded, but she knew that seeing her surrounded told him otherwise. His gaze narrowed as one reporter broke away from the group and approached him, a smirk on his face as he raised his phone to film. He looked between Steve and Anna.

"Captain Rogers, Sir, are you and Miss Cooper –"

"Son," Steve said, cutting the man off. He raised a hand at the man and turned his head away. "You do not want to finish that sentence."

The questions came from all of them in full force once more, evidently taking Steve's refusal to answer as an answer in itself. In their effort to get to Steve, to question him more, one of them knocked in to Anna, sending her hurtling to the floor. She didn't hit it however, for Steve had seen what had happened and reached her before she hit the ground. With his arm still wrapped round her shoulders, Anna looked up at him to thank him, but she noted the hard set of his jaw and the darkness clouding his eyes. He pulled her tighter against him, not painfully, but enough for her to know that he would not let her be knocked down again.

"Annabelle, let's go." His hand moved to the small of her back as he guided her away from the reporters and to his bike. He picked his helmet up from the floor (where she suspected he'd dropped it when lunging for her) and handed it to her. "Take this and hop on."

He helped her on to the back of the bike, then ensured the helmets strap was safely secured under her chin before climbing on the bike himself. Anna immediately wrapped her arms round his waist as he kicked the bike to life and rode away from the sidewalk and the reporters in to the late afternoon traffic. He weaved alongside the cars until they were more than a block away before slowing down to a more appropriate speed, which Anna was very much grateful for. She'd never been on the back of a bike before and though she trusted Steve, it failed to quell the uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. Anna could feel the tension radiating off Steve and, given what had just happened, she didn't blame him.

"Riding without a helmet, Captain?" she said lightly, tutting.

"I only have the one and I'd rather you be safe." Steve raised his voice slightly so she could hear him, and she could hear the anger still in it. "I can take a hit if needs be."

"I hope you don't have to," Anna said softly, not wanting to think about the possibility of them crashing.

Steve seemed to notice this, because she felt him physically trying to relax and some of the tension drain away from where her head rested against his shoulder. "Hold tight."

The rest of the journey was made in silence, neither speaking. It only took a few minutes, and soon they were pulling in to the underground garage of the tower, parking in Steve's designated space. He switched of the engine and climbed off the bike first, helping Anna off after. Her fingers numb from gripping to Steve's shirt so tight, she fumbled for the strap of the helmet, Steve saving her once more by reaching over and unclipping it for her. She yanked the helmet off her head and left it resting on the bikes seat and run her fingers through her hair.

"Thanks," she said, gratefully, not only meaning the ride home to the tower but from rescuing her in the first place. He nodded but didn't respond. Anna could tell the incident was bothering him. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Where'd you even come from?"

"SHIELD."

"Ah," she said. "Anything interesting?"

"That's classified."

"Of course it is." She rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling at him. He returned it. Anna sighed inwardly in relief. She jabbed her thumb towards the private elevator used by only the residents of the tower. "You coming up?"

Steve shook his head. "Just dropping you off. I've gotta head back out, or Fury will have my –" He stopped himself suddenly, causing a grin to spread across Anna's face. He rolled his eyes and muttered. "Backside."

"Don't worry, Steve," Anna said, patting him lightly on the shoulder as she jokingly looked around to see if anyone could hear them. "You can say ass around me – I won't tell anyone."

Anna laughed as his face reddened. It had happened one day last week, during an argument with Clint about doing the dishes, Steve had slipped up and called Clint an ass. The slip of the tongue had caused not only Steve to freeze, but everyone else who had been present at dinner to as well. The red-faced Captain had profusely apologised to all ladies present and immediately left the room, but not before Tony and Clint had broken in to wheezing laughter. The two had proceed to mock Steve every time they saw him, which meant the man head taken to avoiding the communal areas whenever he could.

Steve groaned, head in hands. "I'm never gonna live that down am I?"

"With Dad and Clint around?" Anna said, patting him once more on the arm. "Never."

"I grew up in a different time…" he trailed off, his face turning an even deeper shade of red.

"Aw, you're blushing!" Anna said, laughing. She could tell Steve was feeling embarrassed, so she stopped laughing, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable. "Don't worry, Steve, they'll forget about it… eventually."

Steve looked at her sceptically. "No they won't."

"No they won't," she agreed. "Sure you don't have time to come up, I can make you something for lunch?"

"Honestly, I can't," he said, standing straight and reaching to take his helmet off the bikes seat. "I really do have to head back out."

Anna nodded. "Is there anything I can do to thank you for saving me from those vultures?"

"Annabelle, it was my genuine pleasure, no thanks needed. We've all had our run-ins with them." He smiled brightly at her, and she returned it. He secured the helmet and climbed back on the bike. "Now I really do have to go. I'll see you at the weekend."

"Bye, Steve."

He kick started the bike and she watched him ride away back out of the garage. Once he'd disappeared, she made her way to the private elevator, JARVIS activating it as soon as she stepped on. She leaned against the mirrored wall; arms spread out behind her to hold on to the rail. She was thinking. Steve had done her a real favour when he'd suddenly turned up and safely led her away from the reporters. She knew the stories likely to be printed over the next few days, but she found she didn't care. She knew he would stop and help anybody in distress, but she still wanted to thank him properly. She mentally listed all the things she knew he liked and instantly an idea came to mind.

She tilted her head up to the little camera positioned in the corner. "JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Cooper?"

"Put in an order at the place Steve usually orders his art supplies from, that little shop in Brooklyn," she said, knowing JARVIS would already be adding everything to the stores online basket. "A big bundle of everything he buys; pencils, sketchpads, watercolours, brushes – everything. Charge it to my private account, not the one my Dad set up – I don't care of the price."

"Very well. Would you like anything else included?"

"No," she said. Her eyes widened when a sudden thought crossed her mind. "Wait, yes. Can you see if they gift wrap? I know some places do."

A second passed. "I can confirm they do, indeed, gift wrap."

"Then pay the extra for that and have them write 'thank you' on the card." She smiled to herself. "He'll know who it's from."

"Order has been confirmed. Anything I can help you with, Miss Cooper?"

"No thanks, J, just drop me off on my floor," Anna sighed and leaned against the elevator wall, groaning as the stress of the journey home worked its way through her bones. "I need to shower."

"Very well."

Just two days later, Steve opened the package delivered to him, to find countless items gift wrapped especially for him. There was no card, but he didn't need one, for he looked straight at Anna, mouthing his thanks before taking the package to his room.

---

The day after the incident with the reporters, Anna had continued to maintain that she would not be driven to and from work. Tony had insisted after the first article, accompanied by a large image of her and Steve, with his hand on her lower back, appeared online. Gina had also pleaded with her to rethink the idea, but Anna had shot the both of them down, reminding them that she is an adult. She did however, without either of them knowing, ask Happy if he would be willing to take her round New York for the day to show her the best routes to take to certain places, the best side streets she could duck down to avoid another incident. The man had been more than willing, taking her out in one of Tony's lesser known of cars and even her take notes of everything he said in the notebook he'd prepared for her. She appreciated it.

Friday came, bringing with it Peppers departure for a two-week conference in California. Her bags were packed and waiting by the elevator, the woman off somewhere finishing something before joining Anna and Tony on the communal floor to say goodbye. Clint was there to, having returned from a SHIELD briefing ten minutes before. Anna had made them all a snack, giving that both men looked dead on their feet from lack of food. The three of them discussed the work Anna had been doing at the community centre, with her animatedly telling them how much more could be done for teenagers suffering through loss when the tell-tale sounds of expensive stiletto heels against tiled floor announcing Peppers arrival. They looked up as she rounded the corner leading from the concealed staircase that led to her and Tony's private floor. StarkPad in hand as she walked towards them, she looked up and locked eyes with Anna, grinning.

"I come baring good news."

"You're finally taking that well deserved vacation," Tony said, throwing his hands in the air. "Where are we going?"

"Tony, you know as well as I do, there's no time as CEO to take a vacation." Pepper rolled her eyes at him as she bent down to kiss his cheek. "Besides, the good news wasn't for you."

"I'm deeply hurt," Tony said, a hand placed against his chest.

"You'll live." Pepper typed something on the StarkPad, her fingers skimming the screen quickly before she flipped the case closed. She reached over and stole Tony's coffee from the table next to him despite his protests. "Anna, Sam's paperwork came through."

"What!" Anna all but shouted, jumping up from her place on the couch. "Seriously, when?"

"Who's Sam?" Clint asked, though he was completely ignored by the three of them.

Pepper grinned at Anna again, taking a seat on the couch and pulling Anna back down with her. She flipped the case of the StarkPad back open and, after a few clicks, handed it to Anna. The younger woman took it, the screen clearly displaying Sam's contract. She skimmed it, her grin widening the further through the offer she got. She looked up as Pepper spoke. "I've known it was cleared since last week but officially everything was signed off this morning."

"I love you, Pepper," Anna said, putting the StarkPad down on the couch next to her and flinging her arms round Pepper's neck. Pepper squeezed her back just as hard.

"I know you do, Honey. I've already spoken to him; he's thrilled." The two women released their grips on one another. "He was on shift when I called but I heard him hand in his notice then and there."

"Seriously?" Anna asked. Pepper nodded in confirmation. She thought back to when she went to the hospital to see if Sam still worked there. She remembered him telling her about the run ins with co-workers and the stress his getting his promotion caused. They'd talked almost every day since she returned to the States, her keeping him updated with the progress of his job at SRF, and he informing her of every new incident between him and someone he works with. Anna bit her lip; she need to make sure he was ok. She jumped up. "I need to call him, like right now."

"Hold on, not so fast," Pepper said, throwing a hand up and pulling Anna back down next to her with the other. "He said he'll be free to take your call in… an hour and forty-five minutes. He was very specific about that, something about laying everyone out?"

"Yeah," Anna said, thinking it over. Many times during their countless conversations, Sam had mentioned with fierce determination that, when the time came, he would quit on the spot and call every single person who'd given him hell out on their bullshit. He had it all planned out, and Anna knew how much it meant to him to be able to do it now. She nodded at Pepper. "I'll wait… he had a pretty big bone to pick with some people."

The clearing of a throat drew the two women's attention away from each other. They both looked over at Tony as he sipped the remainder of his coffee, slouched back in his seat, watching them. "So Sam's good to come to New York?"

"Yes, Tony," Pepper said, rolling her eyes. "He is."

"Again, who's Sam?" Cint was ignored once more.

"He'll be arriving at the beginning of September," Pepper said, bringing the contract back up on the StarkPad before standing and handing it over to Tony to glance at. He nodded at the StarkPad, seemingly happy with what he had read. Pepper continued. "And he's on SRF payroll two weeks after he flies in."

"He got a place to stay?" Tony asked Anna directly.

"I know he said something about apartment hunting when he arrives."

Anna turned to Tony, a frown on her face. It was true – Sam had said something about apartment hunting when he got Stateside… but she had also told Sam that when the time came, she would ask Tony if he could stay with them until he found somewhere suitable. Since he hadn't been cleared to start working yet, she hadn't done so. Now she could. She looked up at Tony, tilting her head slightly to the side in an effort to appear deep in thought. It was a tactic she'd used a number of times before, in a bid to get her own way when she first started living with him. She gave it a few seconds before crinkling her forehead. She could see Pepper smirking slightly at her. The woman knew her play.

"There's no need to look at me like that, Annabelle; you already know I'm gonna let him stay on your floor." Tony said, rolling his eyes and waving her away. He shook his head at Pepper, the woman laughing at the both of them. "I'll need to make renovations though."

"Thank you, Dad. Love you," Anna said, walking over to him, hugging him round the middle when he stood for her and mumbling in to his chest.

"Love you to, Sweetpea."

Tony reached towards Pepper and pulled her in to the hug, wrapping his arms round both of their shoulders. Momentarily, the trio seemed to have forgotten that Clint was still in the room. The archer looked back and forth between the three of them.

"Can someone please tell me who the fuck Sam is?"

---

Tony paced his lab, running a hand through his hair every few minutes as JARVIS brought up pages upon pages of engagement ring designs. Tony must have looked at thousands of rings, yet he could not find a single one that he thought would suit Pepper. He'd tried designing his own, but that had gotten him nowhere. He'd been thinking about proposing for months now, he could even argue with himself that he'd wanted to for years, yet he now found himself no closer to being able to do it. Of course, he could do it without giving her a ring, and let her chose her own but it felt wrong.

Tony moved to his desk, rifling through the mountain of rough designs sketched out on scrap pieces of paper before dumping the entire lot in the trash, groaning and slumping forward, head in hands. He couldn't understand why it was so hard. No decision had ever been this hard for him before. Tony made to grab for his abandoned coffee cup, only to find it bone dry. He groaned again, checking his watch. It was barely eight in the morning, but he knew he needed a caffeine hit if he was going to continue his search for the perfect ring.

He glanced up at his computer screen as he pushed away from his desk, catching sight of the picture on the screen before it faded out. It was the photo of him and Anna that had been released to the public, the one that had caused them all the trouble. He loved it. The two of them were carefree, happy… and that's when it hit him to actually ask his daughter for help. Tony shook his head as he left the lab, wondering why he hadn't thought to ask her before.

Once upstairs, Tony scanned the common room, frowning when he couldn't see Anna. It should have occurred to him that she favoured having breakfast on her own floor. It also should have occurred to him that she may not even have been awake yet. Both of these things however, had seemed to slip his mind as he poured himself a fresh coffee.

"Why so down Stark?"

Tony's body did not betray him and flinch as Natasha appeared over his left shoulder. "Romanov." He nodded stiffly to her as he sipped the scalding contents of his mug, using the action to mask how uncomfortable he left about being sneaked upon. She gave him the faintest hint of a smirk as she passed by, going to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water. Tony gave her a second to drink before calling for her attention. "You seen my daughter anywhere?"

She regarded him for a moment before shaking her head. "Can't say I have."

Tony turned at the sound of someone moving behind him; he hadn't noticed Steve had arrived with Natasha. He nodded at him. "Rogers?"

Steve, to, shook his head. "Not this morning."

Tony groaned. His mind was so overrun with his failure to find a suitable ring for Pepper that he had forgotten to use the easiest method of finding anyone in the tower. Tony mentally smacked himself when he finally realised he hadn't asked the one person who would know. "JARVIS, where's Anna?"

The faintest hint of amusement could be heard in the AI's voice. Tony resented that. "She's currently making herself breakfast on her private floor, Sir."

Given the time of day, Tony realised now that it was logically the most obvious place she was likely to have been. He refused to let himself dwell on wasted time, just shook his head and gulped down a mouthful of coffee.

"Open up a line, J."

"Line's open, Sir." JARVIS responded almost immediately.

Tony tilted his head towards the ceiling, closing his eyes as he bellowed. "Anna!"

"Jesus fucking Christ, Tony."

The unmistakable sounds of a glass shattering in the background caused not only Tony, but Steve to, to wince slightly. A string of curses followed, and Tony looked at Steve, finding him blushing. Tony smirked at him and would have commented but the sounds of a sharp gasp of pain came from the ceiling.

"Anna, are you okay?"

The three of them waited a few seconds as Anna let out another string of curses before answering.

"Oh yeah, I'm great. Just sliced my hand open on a two-inch shard of glass because my Dad's an asshole."

Tony, at least, had the decency to look guilty. "Someone's woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he muttered to himself, though everyone could hear it.

"Someone's had too much coffee," Anna responded. Tony ever so slightly resented that. He was only on his third cup… granted the strength may equal three cups each but hey ho. They all heard the sounds of a tap running and cupboards being thrown open and closed. Anna sighed down the line and Tony could just picture her slumping her shoulders forwards as she spoke."What do you want?"

"I need you in the lab," Tony said, rolling his head even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Like, yesterday."

"I'm about to eat breakfast."

Tony knew Anna wasn't happy about being called down to the lab at this time in the morning. She never had been. Back when they'd lived in the Malibu mansion, Anna had made it clear very quickly that she did not appreciate early morning calls down to lab. She didn't mind going down there to see his latest invention, or going down just to talk about their days, but one thing she wouldn't be doing was being in there at the crack of dawn and spending the entire day confined inside the walls. Despite knowing this, Tony had very little care at this precise moment in time. He was in the middle of a crisis – and only his daughter could help him.

"Bring it with you."

"But," Anna said slowly, in obvious disbelief at his words. "You don't allow food in the lab, not since –"

"I'll make an exception," Tony said quickly, shutting her down before she could reveal the time he'd instructed U and Dum-E to carry a bowl of soup away from his desk – only for the two of them to fight each other for the job, spill the soup over the holographic table and destroy not only that but six months' worth of suit designs. All food had been banned from that point forth. Tony clicked his fingers. "I expect you there in two minutes. Cut it, J."

With that, he turned, refilled his mug and left the room, giving Steve and Natasha a nod each. Both looked at him with confusion, neither of them having any idea why he had summoned Anna to his lab in such an urgent manner, though Tony suspected the spy would have a pretty good idea by the end of the night. She always ended up finding out and Tony had long since come to terms with the fact that, around her, he would never have secrets. He made it to the lab before Anna and set about pulling all the scrap pieces of paper back out of the trash. He had JARVIS pull everything back up on the screens ready for when Anna joined him. He was looking back over everything when she let herself in to the lab, still dressed in pyjamas and carrying a bowl. Tony noticed instantly that she was holding the bowl in her uninjured hand, for the other had a bandage wrapped round the palm. He was up in a second, taking the bowl from her and leading her over to the workbench in the corner which had unofficially become a medical corner. He unwrapped her hand and inspected the cut; it was long, but not deep. "It doesn't need stiches, thankfully."

"Good. Now wrap it back up."

"Yes ma'am." Tony did as he was asked, ensuring the bandage was to the right tightness before releasing her hand and handing her back the bowl. He gave her the once over as she ate. "Nice pyjamas. Do you just have every single Avengers themed ones to ever have been made?"

Anna looked down at her Captain America theme tee and shorts. She rolled her eyes. "All bought on your card. What can do you want that can't wait until I've finished my oatmeal?"

Tony looked between Anna and his computer, before shaking his head and covering his face with his hand, mumbling. "I can't do it."

"Sorry, didn't quite catch that."

Tony groaned and moved his hands away from his mouth. "I said – I can't do it."

Anna frowned at him. "Do what?"

"Propose to Pepper."

Anna froze for a full five seconds before she dropped the bowl on the desk, rounding on Tony. "Why the fuck not?"

"I don't have a ring."

Again, Anna froze. Tony looked up at her when she didn't say anything to him, only to find her glaring at him with narrowed eyes. He tilted his head at her, about to ask her what was wrong before she stopped him by punching his shoulder. Twice.

"Don't do that," she said angrily, punching him for the third time. He winced as she ground her teeth together. "Do not do that."

"What the - oh," Tony said in sudden realisation that she may have come to the wrong conclusion. You thought -?"

"What else am I supposed to think when you spring that on me ten minutes after I've woken up?" Anna said, her voice raised. She threw her hands in the air and started pacing. "Jeez, Tony."

"Sorry?" Tony said, only half apologetically.

Anna continued her pacing for another minute, muttering under her breath about how one day Tony would cause her to go grey and give her heart issues. Tony let her pace, marvelling once again at how much she was actually like him. He watched the wheels turn in her head and witnessed the precise moment his predicament registered for her. She paused her pacing, straightened and turned to stare directly at him, a look of puzzlement on her face.

"How can you not have a ring yet?" Tony shrugged half-heartedly at her. "You've been looking for weeks."

"I know that," Tony said, standing and running a hand through his hair. He started pacing himself. He gestured to his desk. "I just haven't been able to find one that's, well, Pepper."

He pointed again to his desk, motioning to Anna to actually go over and have a look. He kept glancing at her as she filtered between flicking through the countless papers he'd taken from the trash and the tabs open on the screen. He watched her closely as she kept swiping through, her nose scrunching in disgust and her eyes widening in delight at others, but in the end, not a single one of the ones she'd actually looked did she comment could be the one. He took that as a bad sign.

Groaning, Tony came over to join her, slumping heavily down in his chair. "The ones I've seen are either too simple or too flashy and she's a perfect balance in between."

"So," Anna said slowly, shifting a few things around on his desk to make space for her to sit down. "Why don't you design one yourself?"

"I've tried," Tony whined, gesturing once more to the designs on the scrap pieces of paper. "I just… come up empty."

"You?" Anna said in utter disbelief, her mouth falling open.

"I don't get it," Tony exploded, jumping up so suddenly the chair flew away from him. He resumed his pacing. "I can create suit after suit, kit the team out in all manner of new tech, create any and everything, yet when it comes to an engagement ring for the woman I love?"

He stopped abruptly, staring at Anna. She had a look he knew all too well on her face. He'd been told time and time again by those closest to him that they all knew when he had an idea he was so determined with that he got a look on his face and that there would be no arguing with him when he did. He understood what they meant now, because Anna had the exact same look fixed on her features right now. He narrowed his eyes at her. "I know that face. That's your 'I have an idea' face."

Anna jumped slightly, as though she had forgotten where she was and who she was with. She shook her head in denial. "I'm not making a face!"

"You are, you get it from me." Tony almost smiled, proud that he'd passed yet another of his traits on to his daughter. Instead thought, he rolled his eyes. "Spill."

"I might know someone who could help," Anna said slowly, biting her lip. Tony's eyes widened. He was about to question her further, wanting to know who but she held a hand up at him, apparently anticipating what he was going to do. She tilted her head in thought. "Give me… I don't know… a day or two to figure it out?"

Tony thought about it, but ultimately decided he had no other option. "I don't have a choice either way."

"No, you don't," Anna said, standing directly in front of Tony and placing her hands on both of his shoulders, looking serious but her eyes were smiling at him. "I'm taking this over, Dad."

Tony deflated in relief, tension releasing from every pore, as he slumped in to Anna's embrace.

"Thank fuck for that."

---

Anna wouldn't tell Tony about her idea, purely because she knew he'd put his foot down and say no before she'd even finished pitching the idea. Even though his relationship with Steve had improved slightly since they'd spoken the night she introduced herself to them, things were still very sensitive between the two men. While she and Steve got on fine, and Tony argued nowhere near as much as they used to, Anna knew not to push it was something as important as this. Tony may follow Steve's lead on missions, but he didn't like the man being privy to the goings on in his personal life. Anna cared about how Tony felt, she did, but she also knew that, given how much research Tony had put in and still come up empty, she needed someone who knew Pepper but at the same time didn't know her all that well. She also needed someone who could draw.

Anna went back up to her floor to shower and change, making sure to replace her bandage once it got wet. She grabbed a hoodie, one with extra long sleeves that ended up resembling 'sweater paws'. The tower wasn't cold, but she liked the comfort. After asking JARVIS where Steve currently was, she proceeded to head down to the gym where she was happy to find him finishing his training regime on the bags completely alone. She waited patiently, watching him throw each punch, the muscles in his back flexing beneath the shirt he wore. When he finally stepped back, she grabbed his towel, bring it over to him. When he turned to face her, he didn't seem at all surprised to find her standing there – perhaps he had heard her come in but chose not to let it distract him. She held out the towel for him.

"Hey, Steve."

"Annabelle," he greeted, taking the towel and wiping his face, then his neck. "Thanks."

Anna tilted her head at him. "You know you can call me Anna, right?"

"I know, but I like Annabelle," he said, smiling at her before he suddenly frowned, unsure of himself. "Would you rather I call you Anna?"

"Whichever is fine, I don't mind," Anna shrugged. It had never mattered to her before if someone called her Anna or Annabelle – as long as it wasn't Annie or Annabella. A teacher in elementary school had called her Annabella for three years straight until her mom had come in and had a word her him. He then called her Annie for the next year until she left. She shuddered at the memory. "But my name is not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"I guessed," Steve said, walking over to one of the benches and taking a long drink from the water bottle he had there. He gestured for her to take a seat next to him. "What can I do for you?"

Anna bit her lip and considered his question for a minute. On the one hand, Tony would skin her alive if he knew she was asking Steve for help on his behalf but on the other, she didn't feel they had another choice given the amount of effort Tony had already put in to his search. She shook her head. She told Tony she was taking over, and this is what she was choosing to do. She just hoped he wouldn't moan and throw a strop when she found out… and it was a very really possibility that he would. "How well do you know Pepper?"

"Quite well, I think. I don't see her much, but I can hold a conversation with her," Steve said slowly, taking a moment to think it over. "Why do you ask?"

Anna jumped up and stood directly in front of Steve, glancing over her shoulder to ensure they were still alone. She really hoped Clint wasn't in the vents and Natasha wasn't hidden in the shadows. Once she was as sure as she could be that they were alone, she lowered her voice. "You can't tell anyone, or Tony will kill you."

"Okay…" Steve said slowly.

"And me. He will kill me."

"Okay, Annabelle," Steve laughed out, though he gave her a serious look after. "You have my word."

Anna nodded, that was as good as it gets. She lowered her voice further. "He's gonna propose to her, to Pepper."

Steve stared at her for a few seconds and she was honestly worried that for some unknown reason he didn't approve, not that any of their interactions before today had given her that idea. The more time that passed without him speaking, the more Anna started to worry that she'd made a mistake in thinking that he could help her. Suddenly, Steve let out a bark of laughter, startling her. "About damn time."

Anna's eyes widened and she smirked at him. "Language."

"Funny." Steve rolled his eyes at her. "I'm happy for the both of them."

"Me to," she said, moving back to sit next to him on the bench. She sighed. "He's been looking for a ring for weeks but had no luck."

Steve frowned for a moment before looking at her. "Why doesn't he design something himself?"

"That's what I said!" Anna blurted out, throwing her hands in the air before dropping them down in to her lap. She groaned and shook her head. "He's tried, but he can't come up with something he likes, something that will suit her."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Tony? The guy who designs things for a living can't design an engagement ring for the woman he plans to propose to?" Anna shook her head. Steve blew out a breath. "That's… hard to believe."

"Well you better believe it," Anna said, shifting to sit cross-legged on the bench and leaning on the wall behind them. "I've seen the evidence, and I'm pretty sure he pulled the sketches out of the trash this morning after he summoned me to the lab. This is where you come in."

Steve looked at her, confused. "I do?"

"You do," Anna said, grinning at him. "Can you see if you can come up with something? Even if it's a basic design I can work with it. I looked at everything he did and nothing jumped out at me. I'm hoping someone else's perspective, someone who knows Pepper, might help somewhat."

Steve nodded, understanding where she was coming from. "When would you need it by?"

"As soon as possible," Anna declared. She twisted her body to face Steve, her eyes wide in anticipation. "You'll do it?"

"I can certainly try." Steve nodded at her.

Anna couldn't help it. She jumped to her knees and threw her arms round his neck, hugging him close. She was so happy that he'd agreed to help… she also knew the likelihood of him saying no to her was small; Steve rarely said no to anyone. She did feel fractionally bad for exploiting that trait of his, but she would make it up to him another time. Right now, she was too focused on thanking the man. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Steve seemed to freeze in shock, but relaxed after a couple of seconds, hugging her back.

"Anytime."

---

It had only been twenty-four hours since Anna asked Steve to help her, but every time she saw the man, he had his sketchbook in hand. She'd caught him briefly that morning before she left for work, flicking back and forth between a few pages before finally settling on one. She hoped he wasn't putting off doing anything in aiding her. She hated to think that there was more important things he could be doing other than helping her find an engagement ring of Pepper. She hadn't seen him since getting home though and when she'd asked JARVIS, the AI had told her he was on his floor.

She was currently on the communal floor with everyone but Steve. Clint had arrived from wherever it was he spent his free time shortly before she'd gotten home and was silently conversing with Nat in the corner while Bruce and Tony were discussing the possibility of creating indestructible clothes for when the big guy comes out to play. Anna was happy to curl up on one of the couches and close her eyes. It had been a tough afternoon at the community centre; a fight had broken out between three of the teenagers and the cops had had to be called. She'd tried her hardest to stop it escalating but, at the end of the day, she couldn't stop the three of them being arrested. She knew Tony could sense something was wrong because, while still in discussion with Bruce, he moved to sit next to her, putting her head in his lap and running his fingers through her hair. She must have drifted off, because the sound of someone clapping their hands together jolted her awake.

"Whose turn is it to cook?"

Anna groaned and sat up, trying to working out the crick in her neck from where she'd laid awkwardly. She caught Tony glaring at Clint.

"Yours, birdbrain."

"No, I did two days ago," Clint said, shaking his head furiously. "It can't be my go again. Peppers?"

Anna and Tony shared a look. Anna shook her head at Clint. "She's out of town," She said, stretching. "Conference in California."

"Again?" Clint said in disbelief.

"Bane of being the CEO," Tony said, rolling his hand. He wrapped a blanket from the back of the couch round Anna's shoulders. She thanked him. Tony turned to raise an eyebrow at Clint. "She's been gone for nearly two weeks, how have you not noticed?"

"Haven't been in the tower much," Clint said, shrugging.

Anna was about to agree that he had a fair point when she remembered something. "You were here the day she left."

Clint shrugged again before turning to Natasha. "Nat?"

"No." Natasha glared at him. Clint raised his hands in surrender.

"Anna," Clint said, drawing her name out. "Would you like to cook?"

Anna groaned. She knew it was coming. Aside from Steve and Pepper, she was the only other person who could throw together a decent meal. Tony could cook certain things, pancake being one of them and Bruce was able to throw together the simplest of pasta dishes. Anna was sure Natasha could cook, given her immense skill set and the number of undercover roles she'd had to take on in the past, she found it hard to believe she hadn't learnt at some point. Clint tried, bless him, but cooking was not his strong suit. She sighed. "Not particularly, but if no one else will…"

"She's not cooking for everyone again," Tony said sharply, glaring at Clint. It was true, she'd cooked more than her fair share over the past week.

"Dad, it's -" she tried, only to be cut off by him.

"No, you cooked last night, and twice this week already," he said, shaking his head at her. "You're not doing it again because no one can keep to their end of the deal. And technically, it's my night tonight, which means -"

"Take-out," everyone answered for him.

"Exactly. How's everyone for Thai?"

Tony instructed JARVIS to take everyone's order and to take Steve's as well. He did and informed them that their food would arrive in approximately forty-five minutes. Anna leaned back against the couch, feet in Tony's lap this time. Her head was resting on a cushion and the blanket that had been round her shoulders was draped over her. Tony told her to take a nap, offering to wake her when the food got there but she refused. She knew that, if she fell asleep now, she wouldn't be waking up again until tomorrow. Instead, she spent the time waiting everyone else. Clint and Nat was back to conversing with each other, though every now and again they switched out to Russian and back. Tony was now messing round with his phone while Bruce had pulled a booked out from somewhere and was deep within. The ding of the elevator ceased everyone's individual actions, with Clint and Tony going over the collect the food (which had been put in the elevator by whoever had taking it in down in the lobby. They all moved to dish themselves up their chosen dishes until only Steve's was left.

"J, tell Spangles foods here." Anna hit Tony lightly on the arm.

"Captain Rogers is on his way up."

Tony decided they should all watch a movie and while he and Clint debated on what they should watch, Anna made herself comfy on the couch once more. Less than two minutes later, the elevator dinged again, signalling Steve's arrival. He went straight to the bar to dish his food up but opted to sit and eat right there rather than join them. She watched him and Clint talk, though she couldn't hear what was being said, before the archer came to join the rest of them, standing as he rearranged everything on the side table where he would be sitting for easy access. She wanted to ask, but Bruce beat her to it.

"Steve not joining us?"

Clint shook his head as he plumped up one of the cushions. "Said he will do when he's finished eating. He's got a sketchpad with him though; think he's working on something while he eats."

Again, Anna felt bad. If he was actually working on a ring design, then he seemed to be putting a hell of a lot of effort in to it.

"Sit down, Legolas." Tony's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Shut it, Stark."

"Boys," she said, rolling her eyes and sharing a look with Nat. The woman winked at her.

"Brucie-bear," Tony called to Bruce, putting on a faux English accent. "Be a dear and pass me that pillow, not that one the other – yeah, that. Thanks."

Once they were all settled, Tony selected a random movie and the lights automatically dimmed. Anna paid little attention to the film she had no idea what it was but seeing as it was Tony that chose, it was no doubt something that heavily featured elements of the action genre – it normally was. The five of them slowly finished eating, each of them piling their plates on the coffee table for someone to clean up later. While everyone else was focused on the movie, Anna sneaked a peak over at Steve. She wasn't surprised to see his own small pile of dishes neatly stacked beside him, but she was surprised to find him still sketching away, his pencil moving back and forth in quick motions.

A loud bang from the TV drew Anna's focus away from the super solider and back to the screen. She wasn't particularly interested in keeping along with the plot-line but she enjoyed the company. She curled up underneath her blanket, trying to get comfortable when Tony tossed one of his pillows to her. She smiled in thanks, leaning forward to put it behind her. Another ten minutes passed before Anna sensed a presence coming up behind her. She looked round and found Steve making his way over, slumping down in the empty space beside her. No one paid him any attention and he slipped his sketchbook in to her lap.

"Here," he murmured so no one would hear.

Anna nodded in thanks and opened it, flicking through until she found multiple pages all full of ring designs. Some were unfinished and some had fine details. Some pages held more than one design, all basically drawn while there were only three or four pages that held just one design. Every single one of them was beautiful.

"Wow, that's – hold on," Anna stopped short. The ring he'd drawn on the last page didn't look like anything she or Tony had looked at, but she was so sure she'd seen something very similar before. It had the most detail filled in and was the only one to have annotations down the side of the page signifying the metal used, the carat and the colour. It took her a few minutes of looking the sketch over and over before her eyes widened and she gasped. "I've got it!" she shouted.

Everyone was now looking at her, but she paid them no mind, she was too busy trying to unwrap the blanket from her legs. "Dad! Get up, come with me." She jumped up, kissing Steve quickly on the cheek and grabbing Tony by the hand, pulling him along with her. As they reached the stairs that would take them to the lab, she looked over her shoulder. "Thanks Steve!"

"What the – Anna, slow down." Tony panted as she all but threw him in the lab, turning to find her pulling the door closed behind them. "What's going on."

"Lock it down, J." JARIVS did as he was instructed. There was the unmistakable sound of the door locking and the glass windows frosted over. Once JARVIS affirmed they had complete privacy, Anna handed Tony Steve's sketchbook, still open on the last page. "Look at this."

Tony took it, looking it over. "It's a ring."

"Nothing can get past you, can it?" Anna said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

Tony smirked at her. "This for Pepper?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"You had Steve design it?"

He gave her a look she couldn't decipher, and his tone held no emotion. Anna honestly couldn't tell what he was feeling, whether he was upset or angry, or even just surprised that going to Steve had been her big idea from the day before. She would understand if he wasn't happy, but she would rather he not be. She bit her lip.

"I asked him to design something he thought Pepper would like," she said slowly. She tried to catches Tony's eye, but he wasn't looking at her, his gaze still focused on the sketch. "But this isn't the ring."

Tony looked up at her now, confused. "I don't get it."

She grinned at him, tapping the page. "It reminds me of Maria's ring."

Tony stared back down at the page, but she could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't seeing what she was. "Huh."

"You showed it to me, remember?" Anna said. "Years ago when you told me about your family, showed me things that belonged to your parents and their parents and whatnot." He'd done this a couple of months after she had come to live with him and Pepper. She had finally started to settle in, making their home hers while being home-schooled by a tutor for her senior year. She'd had a genetics project of some kind and upon asking Tony for his help, they'd ended up pouring through almost everything Tony's parents had left to him when they'd died. They'd spent hours going through the most random things before Tony had pulled out a small collection of personal items; his dad's watch that had belonged to his dad before him and his mom's wedding and engagement rings. "Do you remember telling me about your moms will?"

Tony sighed. "She wanted me to have her engagement ring in the hopes that I would use it to propose to the woman I planned to spend the rest of my life with," he recited.

"Exactly," Anna said with a grin, snapping her fingers at him. She poked a finger in to his chest. "Do you plan on spending the rest of your life with one, Virginia Potts?"

Tony nodded. "I do."

Anna smiled softly at him. "Then it's time to get the ring out of storage."

"Anna…" Tony trailed off with a sigh.

"What's stopping you, Dad?" Anna asked, placing her hands on his shoulders. "You're happy with Pepper, you love her – why can't you give her that ring?"

"Because," Tony sighed, sitting on the edge of his desk, pulling down with him in a one-armed hug. "I'm pretty sure my mom intended for me to give that ring to Gabbie."

"Dad…" Anna understood his dilemma now, and she could only imagine how he must be feeling.

"Her will was updated less than three months before she died, around the time I told her I could see myself marrying your mom," his voice was low and quiet. "I feel like I'd be betraying both of them by giving it to Pepper."

"Dad, listen, okay?" Anna said, shrugging out of his hold and standing in front of him. She really did get where he was coming from, but Pepper was the love of his life. She deserved this. "Trust me when I say my mom would be happy for you. She'd see that you were marrying the woman you love, just like she married the man she did." Tony opened his mouth to say something, but she shushed him. "I didn't get the chance to know Maria, but I know from you that she loved you, and that she'd want for you to be happy, no matter who you were marrying. Neither of them would resent you for giving Pepper that ring. I think they'd both want you to."

"This is a really big thing, Anna," he said, pushing away from the desk. He rounded on her. "Shouldn't I at least pass it on to you, let your future husband give it to you?"

"Who said I'd ever get married?" she scoffed. Marriage was not something she wanted to entertain at this point in her life. "And besides, one; you'd ward off any potential suitors until he'd had a full background check and thorough interrogation. Two; I actually have to have a boyfriend before marriage is even thought about, and I am not currently in a relationship."

Tony thought about it for a moment before nodding. "True."

"I don't see that happening anytime soon. The ring's going spare," Anna declared. She stepped closer to Tony, wrapping her arms round his middle. He returned the embrace, holding her tight against his chest. When she spoke again, her voice was muffled by the fabric of his shirt. "This is the right thing to do, Tony. She deserves it. It'll be like showing her that she got your moms seal of approval."

Tony snorted. "My mom would have approved of her the day she stood up and pointed out the error in my calculations. No one dared to, but she did." He was quiet for a moment, and Anna knew she was lost in thought, thinking about the woman he'd lost all those years ago. He rested his chin on the top of her head. "My mom would have liked that."

"There you go then!" Anna pushed away from him, breaking free of his hold. She clapped her hands together. "Where is it?"

"Hold on," Tony said. She watched him disappear down one of the far corners of the lab. She knew the lab had a few secret rooms, hideaways where he kept things he wanted kept safe. It didn't surprise her that the ring had been in the lab the entire time, or that Tony had never considered it himself. He was gone just under two minutes, carrying back with him a small, red velvet box. He held it out to her. "Here."

She took it, opening the box and admiring the ring rest on the cushion inside. One tear drop diamond in the centre surrounded by tiny sapphires. It was in no way flashy, but it certainly wasn't simple. It was both elegant but a statement piece. Looking at it now, Anna realised just how perfect it would be for Pepper. It would complement the woman beautifully.

"It's truly beautiful, like -"

Tony was smiling at her. "Pepper."

Anna closed the lid of the box and held it out for Tony to take back. She dropped it in to his open palm, before pulling his other hand over to cover it, placing her hand on top. "You know it's the right thing to do."

Tony nodded but groaned at the same time. "I hate it when you're right."

"I know," Anna said, grinning. She pulled Tony in to a tight hug, them holding each other for a minute before she stepped back. She shooed him away, telling him to out the ring back where it came from until it was needed. Once he was back, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Now that's sorted, let's go upstairs and finish the movie. J, open it up for us."

"Lead the way," Tony said, bowing her out the door, which had been unlocked for them, the glass windows slowly becoming clear once again. She hadn't even cleared the door when he suddenly stood straight, eyes wide. He threw an arm out, stopping her from moving. "Wait, wait, wait."

Anna sighed and threw her head back but refused to look at him. "Yes, father?"

Tony pulled her round to face him, both hands gripping her shoulders. "How should I do it?"

Anna stared at him now, mouth open, dumfounded. "You don't even know how you're gonna do it?" she asked him in complete disbelief.

Tony rolled his eyes, as if it was completely obvious. "I wanted to get the ring sorted before I made arrangements," he stated, brushing her off. "Now I've done that, I can work on the actual proposing."

Anna narrowed her eyes at him when she recognised the expectant look in his eyes. She shook her head, walking about from him. "Don't look at me, I've done my part."

"Spoil sport," she heard him grumble behind her as he followed her back to the living area.

When they got back to the others, Anna notice no one had bothered to pause the movie for them, not that she minded – she hadn't been particularly interested in it in the first place. She took her claimed place back on the couch, plumping her pillows before covering herself with the discarded blanket once more. It wasn't until Tony finally sat down that Clint paused the movie, giving both of them a pointed look.

"Welcome back." Anna and Tony both nodded to him. He narrowed his eyes at each of them in turn. "What the hell was that about?"

"Nothing, Birdbrain," Tony said, using his phone to control the Tv, unpausing the movie.

"Must have been something – Steve's been blushing ever since Anna kissed his cheek – OW!"

"Ignore him," Natasha said, jabbing Clint in the side.

Clint hissed in pain as Natasha's elbow connected sharply with his ribs. The air around them seemed to thicken with tension. Anna racked her brain – had she kissed Steve on the cheek? She couldn't quite remember, having been too excited about the possibility of finally finding the perfect engagement ring for Pepper. She glanced at Steve only to find that he did indeed have the faint remnants of a blush along his cheeks and down his neck. It was enough to remind her that she had, in fact, given him a quick peck in her excitement. She gave him an apologetic smile, knowing the hell he'd probably get from Tony now thanks to Clint's big mouth, but he waved her off, dismissing it with slight smile of his own. Bruce remained indifferent, choosing to sit out of it while Tony shot glares between Steve and Clint. He turned and raised an eyebrow expectantly at Anna.

"You kissed Spangles?" Tony asked lowly.

Anna rolled her eyes, hoping Tony wouldn't overreact. "On the cheek, as a thank you." She sighed, waving her hand at him and pointed at the still playing movie. "Get over it and finish watching the film – we've already missed half of it."

The six of the lapsed back in to silence, though Tony kept shooting Steve the occasional stare until Anna tossed a pillow in his face. The movie was winding down, not as much action being played and the soft mutterings of opinions about it from the others started to lull Anna to sleep. She curled further in to the couch, slipping down until she was almost completely laid flat, only being propped up by the pillows behind her. It wasn't unusual for her to fall asleep when they watched a movie together, seeing as it normally ran far past the time she normally found herself going to bed. Tony would more often than not wake her when it was over; sometimes he'd throw a second blanket over her and shoo everyone out and leave her to sleep. She was just flittering in to a state of unconsciousness when the sound of Tony's voice jolted her awake.

"I've got it, Anna!" he reached over and shook her until she sat up, glaring at him. He was beaming at her, pleased with himself. "I'm going to throw a party."

It took a moment for her brain to catch up, but she rolled her eyed and groaned when she realised he was talking about his plan to propose to Pepper. She considered it for a second before coming to the conclusion that it would be a terrible idea. Pepper would hate it. She shook her head. "No you're not."

Tony pouted. "Why can't I? Everyone can be here, and I'll have J cut the music, pull Pep in to the middle of the floor." To some people it would appear as though he'd given it a fair bit of thought, but Anna knew her father. It will have taken him all of five seconds to come with the idea before he blurted it out, believing it was the right thing to do. Anna shook her head at him again and it was Tony's turn to roll his eyes this time. He tilted his head to the ceiling, a smug look on his face. "You'd help a guy out, wouldn't you J?"

There was a brief moment of silence before JARVIS answered. "I'm believe that would be against my better judgement, Sir."

Anna laughed at the look of betrayal on Tony's face. "Thank you, Jarvis," she said. She pulled her legs under her, yawning. "Dad, that is a terrible idea. Pepper would hate all the attention being on her." She gave Tony a pointed look. "She'd most likely tell you no just for that."

"Okay," Clint said, pointing between Tony and Anna. "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

"Tony's being stupid and not thinking before he speaks," Anna stated at the same time Tony said, "I want to throw Pepper a party and ask her to marry me in the middle of it."

The response was instantaneous from Nat, Bruce and Clint.

"No."

"Absolutely not."

"Are you insane?"

"Wow," Tony said, taken aback. Anna heard the faintest hint of hurt in his voice. "You all think me asking Pepper to marry is a terrible idea. Thanks guys."

"Tony, we've all been waiting for you to propose to Pepper, but," Steve said, giving Tony a small smile, shaking his head. "The fact that you want to throw a party to do it is idiotic."

"What Cap said."

Anna could see the wheels turning in Tony's head. He'd outed his plans to propose to Pepper which, at first, appeared to garner a negative response. Regardless of the fact that it was to his idea of how to do it, she knew Tony would retreat into himself a little, he'd take offence by the way he was being shot down. These people may be his team, but they hadn't spent years and years building the kind of friendship that Tony needed right now. He needed a talking to by someone that would get through to him without causing accidental offence and though it was late, she knew the one person she needed to speak to Tony right now would still be awake.

"JARVIS?" she called, drawing attention to herself. She looked directly at Tony.

"Yes, Miss Cooper?"

She smirked at Tony. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Call Uncle Rhodey."

Tony gasped, placing a hand against his chest. "My own daughter. The betrayal."

It was clear to Anna that the others didn't quite understand the significance of involved Rhodey, and she didn't particularly want to have to explain the depth of over two decades' worth of friendship.

The line clicked open. "Hello?"

Anna smiled. "Hey, Rhodey."

"Anna! I haven't spoken to you in ages." Rhodey sounded genuinely happy to be hearing from her, even at the late hour. "How you doing being stuck with your old man?" There was no malice in his voice, only affection.

Tony scowled. "That old man is listening in, honey bear."

"Of course he is."Anna could sense the eye-roll. "You're calling late. Everything okay?" His concern was genuine, it always was what it came to her, Tony and Pepper.

"Could you help me out with Tony, before I have to call in damage control?"

Rhodey laughed down the line. No one else got it. It was an ongoing joke between the two of them, starting way back when she first started living with Tony. Every time he'd come up with an idea that could lead to repercussions, they'd joke about having to bring in damage control – otherwise known as Pepper. Pepper knew they did this and had warned the both of them to only call her if it was an actual emergency. She wouldn't actually go as far as calling Pepper to deal with Tony's overactive imagination – it would defeat the purpose… given that the whole thing was supposed to be a surprise for her. So far they'd only had to do it once, and it was a time no one liked to be reminded of; Anna's ears had rung for weeks in the aftermath of the argument.

"What do you need me to do with him, Hon?"

"Smack some sense in to him," Anna said, throwing Tony an innocent smile. He pursed his lips at her.

"Please elaborate."

Anna closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the couch. "He thinks throwing a party for Pepper and proposing to her in the middle of it and in front of everyone is a good idea."

There was a beat of silence. "You are an idiot."

"That's not fair," Tony said, glaring at no one.

"You finally decided to do it then?" Rhodey asked.

"Maybe," Tony said, drawing the word out.

Rhodey was silent for a second again. "Dibs on being the best man."

"Of course." As if there would be any doubt about that. As Tony's longest serving friend, there was no competition over who would be standing next to him at the end of the alter whenever he finally became an adult and got married. It was a long ago made agreement, one they that both promised to never to back out of or break.

"Anna, honey," Rhodey's voice drew her from her musings. "I have to go but I'll be sure to smack some sense in to him when I'm next in New York."

Anna grinned. "Thank you, Uncle Rhodey."

"Oh and Tony?" Rhodey called.

"Yes, Platypus?" Tony sighed to the ceiling.

"Do it in private; candlelit dinner, orchids all over the place, her favourite music playing softly in the background." Every single one of them listen intently to what Rhodey was saying, all interested to hear the advice he was giving Tony. "Get down on one knee and tell how much she means to you, how much she's done for you, how much you love her. Speak from the heart and don't, for the love of God, mess this up."

Tony had a soft smile on his face, one he reserved for only her, Rhodey and Pepper. Anna knew she'd made the right decision in calling Rhodey, knew that Tony needed to hear from him, to be put in his place so he didn't do something stupid. "Thank you, Rhodey."

"Night, Starks."

The line went dead, and no one spoke. Everyone was looking at Tony, who Anna could tell was seriously considering Rhodey's words. Rhodey always told him as he saw it, something which Tony needed more often than he cared to admit. Plus, Anna really hadn't heard from the man for ages and it was good to hear his voice. She needed to remember to call him again soon, to have a general chat. Anna looked up and saw Tony now looking at her. She gave him a lopsided smile.

"You heard the man."

"Who knew he could be such a romantic," Tony said, feigning wiping a tear from his eye, though Anna could see he was deeply moved.

"Still want to throw a party?" Anna asked him.

"Not one of my best ideas." There was a collective murmur of agreement.

"When's she due back?" Bruce asked, breaking his long-held silence.

"In two days."

"Seems like a good a time as any, don't you think."

Tony looked and glanced at Steve as the man spoke and Anna counted to ten. She knew the panic would start to set in after that, when Tony realised that he had no more excuses for putting it off. Two days was enough time to plan something simple if he were to go along with Rhodey's idea, but Anna knew she had to factor in a brief moment for him to panic. She saw the moment it hit Tony that his want to propose was now very real and saw the fear in his eyes, though she was sure she was the only one who could actually see it. He hid it better from the others. He locked eyes with Anna.

"Help me?" Tony pleaded.

Anna broke his gaze for a moment, looking at the others. She didn't even have to ask. The group shared a collective glance between the man and each other, all nodding to Anna. She smiled at each of them before moving over to cuddle in to Tony's side, as he wrapped his arm round her shoulder.

"We all will."

---

The elevator dinging as it stopped on the private penthouse apartment belonging to Tony and Pepper. Pepper exited, pulling her suitcase behind her. She left that and her coat by the couch, depositing the StarkPad in her hand on the coffee table. She listened closely for any of the tell-tale signs of Tony being on their floor. She had called him as soon as the jet had landed to let him know she was on her way back from the airport and he had promised her would be waiting in their living room to welcome her home. She rolled her eyes, frustrated.

"Tony, I'm home," she called, walking towards their bar to pour herself a glass. No answer "Tony?"

"Welcome home, Miss Potts." JARVIS was the one to respond to her and, to be perfectly honest, she wasn't at all surprised. She kicked off her heels, leaving them at the base of a bar stool before walking to the bedroom as she waited patiently for the AI to continue."Mr Stark is currently unavailable at the present time, but he has asked me to notify you that he has prepared a special surprise for you later this evening."

This had Pepper raising an eyebrow to the ceiling, her frustration melting slightly. "Has he now?"

"Indeed he has." JARVIS said, and she could almost detect an undercurrent of amusement in his tone. "He has left instructions for you on the bed."

"Thank you, JARVIS."

Pepper moved over towards the bed, now spotting the folding sheet of paper laid on the comforter, along with a single red rose. She smiled at the sight, lifting the rose and inhaling the scent. She loved the smell of flowers. She placed the rose back down, picking up the note and sitting on the edge of the bed. She opened it and instantly spotted the script Tony usually only reserved for important documents.

Pep,

First, I'm sorry I'm not free to welcome you home, but something came up. I promise I will make it up to you.

Relax, take a bubble bath and pamper yourself. Anna will be there at six to help you get ready.

I've prepared a little something, just for the two of us. There's a few gifts for you in the closet to wear tonight, but don't open them till Anna gets there.

Be ready by eight. JARVIS will instruct you from there.

I can't wait to see you tonight.

I love you, Miss Potts.

Tony x

Pepper reread the note three, four more times. She could not for the life of her decipher the note and figure out his plan. She usually always had a good inclination or anything he had planned – he was usually so predictable. Not this time. Pepper shook her head, giving a small smile down at the note.

"Oh, Tony, what are you up to?"

She decided to follow his instructions. Making her way to the en-suite, Pepper unzipped her dress, letting it fall away into a puddle on the floor as she walked away. She picked up her wine glass from where she'd left it on the dresser and entered the bathroom. She ran herself a bath, pouring a few different products, mixing scents and creating the perfect amount of bubbles, them eventually pouring over the side before the water had even reached level. She found a face mask she'd been meaning to use for months in her vanity and applied it, before stripping out of her underwear and stepping in to the bath and leaning back with closed eyes. It was heavenly. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been able to just lay back and relax. The conference she'd been to had been completely and utterly draining, almost a waste of her time. Half the people hadn't been genuine, just wanting the chance to say that they'd met the CEO of Stark Industries and the girlfriend of Stark himself. It was exhausting. Even years later people still didn't believe she should be running a multibillion-dollar company.

Pepper spent more than an hour relaxing in the bath, mask washed off after the allotted time and the skin of her fingers and toes shrivelled and wrinkled like prunes. It was glorious. She washed her hair under the spray of the shower, letting the warm water wash away the remainder of bubbles on her skin. She asked JARVIS for the time, him telling her it was almost six. She grabbed her robe and started towel drying her hair before she made her way back through to the bedroom, picking up her discarded clothes to add to the hamper as she went.

It was six on the dot when Anna poked her head round the open bedroom door to find Pepper sitting cross-legged on the bed, her hair wrapped in a turban with the towel.

"Knock knock."

"Anna," Pepper said, looking up. "You're right on time."

"Hey, Pepper."

Anna gave her a small wave but frowned when she saw Pepper's eyes widen and the woman jump off the bed, concern written all over her face.

"Anna, what on Earth happened to your hand?"

"What?" Anna said looking down at her hand, only to realise she'd waved with her injured one. She rolled her eyes. "Dad happened. Don't worry, he didn't actually do it, he just surprised me while I was holding a glass. I'll tell you about it properly another time, right now," she said, steering Pepper over to her vanity and sitting her down on the stool facing the mirror. "We have to get you ready for tonight."

"Fine," Pepper said. "But this conversation is not over."

Anna nodded at Pepper's pointed look in her reflection. "Noted."

Pepper sighed, removing the towel form her head and finger brushing her hair. "What is he up to?"

"My lips are sealed;" Anna said, pulling her hand across her mouth, mimicking pulling a zip closed and throwing the key away. "I've been sworn to secrecy."

Pepper pouted but fixed her features after a second. She locked eyes with Anna through the mirror. "You can't even give me a hint?"

"No," Anna said firmly, though her eyes were pleading. "So please don't try."

"Fine," Pepper said. Anna was grinning at her. Everyone knew Pepper liked control and hated being left out of any form of planning. She leaned her head back in to Anna, tilting it up to stare at the girl. "Am I at least allowed to open my gifts now?"

Anna's eyes brightened. "Of course" Where are they?"

"Closet," Pepper said, pointing behind her. Anna left her sitting on the stool, Pepper turning to watch her as she slid open the closet doors and peaked inside. After a few seconds, Anna stepped back, pulling a dress and two bags out with her. Pepper sat, stunned as Anna brought them over to her. The dress was a shimmering pale blue, almost silver. It wasn't fitted, but she knew by running her fingers across the material that it would hug her figure in all the right places. It came with a matching shawl, and Pepper guessed that they may be spending some of the night outside. Anna kept hold of the dress, watching her closely as her eyes showed her appreciation. Anna held the two bags out to her, waiting for her to take one and when she did, the woman placed the second, larger bag at her feet. The smaller bag held multiple jewellery boxes, three to be exact. Inside were a matching set of earrings, a necklace and a bracelet, each a simple silver rope with a single teardrop diamond. She placed the boxes on her vanity and reached for the second bag, finding a shoebox, inside a pair of simple, strappy silver stilettoes, the kind she loved to wear. There was also a two-piece set of underwear in the bag, but she didn't bother in pulling that out. Everything Tony had picked for her was perfect, exactly what she would choose for herself. She was in awe and incredibly impressed.

"Oh my – it's all so beautiful."

"He said he wanted it to match your eyes," Anna said quietly. "The shoes match the necklace and earrings and with them being simply designed, they won't take away from the dress. He said he doesn't want you to feel like a princess – that's too cliched, but he wants you to feel like everyone in the room would be staring at you, and only you. That you were – are – the most important person there tonight"

Both women had tears in their eyes as Anna spoke. She walked over to the bed, Pepper watching her go, and laid the dress gently down. She came back and gestured for Pepper to turn back around and face the mirror, reaching over to grab the hairbrush and start working it through Pepper's damp hair.

"You'll have to do your own make-up," Anna said quietly, and Pepper closed her eyes at the sensation of her hair being handled by someone other than herself. She could almost sense Anna's grimace. "I can't even apply eye-liner without it going everywhere."

Pepper laughed, remembering the frustrated rants every time Anna attempted to wear any form of make-up other than cherry flavoured chapstick. She opened her eyes and grinned at Anna. "And that is a proven fact."

Anna rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue before smiling back. "But I'll do you hair."

Pepper nodded. "Deal."

As Anna pulled the blow dryer out of one of the drawers, Pepper reflected on her and Tony's relationship. They'd had their ups and downs, certainly had their moments. Had times where it seemed like there was no going forward but Pepper had always known in her heart that they were supposed to be together. They were in tune, knew what the other was thinking. She knew that sometimes Tony seemed as though he had no idea but deep down she knew that he did. She knew that he listened, that he cared. Afterall, how would he had known her very tastes if he didn't. She would find out from JARVIS later if Tony had had any help in preparing her gifts for that night, but she suspected that he'd done it completely on his own. When Anna had first come in to their lives, Pepper had secretly worried that things would change between them, that having a fully-grown daughter thrust upon him would damage their relationship, but it hadn't, it had done the opposite. They had been stronger. Tony hadn't shut her out like she had worried he would, he hadn't cast her aside. Tony had asked her for help, had wanted her to help and be a part of Anna's life from the moment he found out about her. Pepper felt a flicker of shame for ever thinking such a thing, but it was something she couldn't help at the time. There was no doubt about their relationship anymore, from either of them. It was something they were consistently vocal about with each other. Having Anna come to live with them had made them better.

Anna was her daughter in everything other than blood, and in a frank discussion about their own relationship when the girl was nineteen, Anna had said the same thing in response. Pepper would never, ever, replace her mother, nor did she want to, but she had let Anna know she loved her as though she was her own. Pepper watched Anna through the mirror as she worked her hair in to soft waves, pinning it up on the right side. She caught Pepper staring and waited for approval, Pepper giving it to her with a vigorous nod. The moment Anna stepped back, Pepper started on her make-up, pulling out everything she needed in an instant. She only applied light amounts of everything, preferring a natural look. She chose a light dusting of powder foundation rather than the liquid one she sometimes used and forwent eyeshadow and eyeliner, just using mascara to coat her lashes. Tony never cared whether a woman had a full face on or not. Once she was finished, Pepper grabbed her new underwear and disappeared in to the bathroom to change. When she stepped back in to the bedroom, Anna had the dress off the hanger and in her hands, waiting patiently to help Pepper in to it. Neither she nor Anna were shy around each other, having gone shopping multiple times together over the last few years. Anna had pulled the stool over from the vanity and stood on it while Pepper lifted her arms, letting the smooth material travel down her body until it was hanging on her shoulders. It felt heavenly. She sat on the edge of the bed, strapping on her heels while Anna fastened the necklace round her neck and then the bracelet round her wrists, leaving the earrings for her to do herself. When everything was on and in place, Anna led Pepper to her floor length mirror, both women staring on her reflection.

"You look amazing," Anna whispered, wiping away tears. "Truly amazing."

Pepper locked eyes with Anna through the mirror. "Thank you."

"Miss Potts," JARVIS said, breaking the serenity of their time alone together. "Sir has instructed me to tell you he's waiting on the rooftop terrace for you."

"The terrace?" Pepper asked, but JARVIS gave her no clarification. Pepper sighed, though she had a smile on her face. "Okay." Pepper turned to Anna. "Am I likely to see you again tonight?"

"I don't know," Anna said, biting her lip. Pepper wasn't sure what to make of Anna's answer, but she let it go when Anna pushed her lightly towards the door. "But don't keep him waiting – you know he gets impatient."

Pepper laughed. "Oh, I know alright."

The two women made it to the elevator, but Anna let her go alone, claiming that she was going to take the stairs instead. Pepper thought it was weird but chose not to say anything. JARVIS took her up to the communal floor. It was deserted. There should have been at least one or two of the others up there at the very least, but she was mildly shocked to find it was completely empty and shroud in semi-darkness. She passed through, heading to the terrace doors, stopping short when she noticed the glass had been smoked over, a setting Tony used in the lab only when he wanted complete privacy. As she approached, the doors came open of their own accord and as she stepped through, Pepper froze completely. "Oh, Tony…"

Tony was leaning against the railing that surrounded the terrace, wearing a three-piece suit with his hands shoved in his pants pockets. His shirt was the same shimmering blue as her dress, with a pocket square to match. His trademark glasses were gone, though he still donned sneakers instead of dress shoes. He was smiling brightly at her, which she returned, before her attention was drawn to the set-up before her. Flower petals coated almost the entire floor, only a small path visible marking her way to the single table set for two in the middle of the terrace, donned with a pure white cloth and a single purple orchid sitting the centre. What must have been a hundred or more candles were the only source of light for them, casting everything in a flickering orange glow. Music was playing faintly in the background, low enough that they wasn't in complete silence, but not loud enough for her to recognise. The scene before her was so well planned and thought out by the man she loved. It was perfect. She turned to Tony, finding him standing just behind her.

"Hey, Pep," he murmured, pulling her in for a gentle kiss.

"This is…" Pepper trailed off, trying to find the right word. She smiled softly at him. "Spectacular."

"I wanted to treat you, but I didn't think you'd want to head out on the night you came home, so," he said, gesturing all around them, before running his fingers down her arms on his way to grip her hands in his. "I had this prepared for us."

"It's wonderful, Tony," she said, kissing his cheek. "Thank you."

"Wine?"

"Please."

He led her to the table, pulling out a chair for her to sit, before taking a seat himself. He poured them both a generous glass of wine before signalling to someone Pepper hadn't noticed before that they were ready to start their meal. During the starter and main course, they had made small talk; Pepper asking about goings on in the tower since she'd been gone and he asking about the conference she had been to all weekend. While she enjoyed the meal itself – the food was superb – Pepper couldn't help but notice something off with Tony. To anyone else, it would seem as though everything was fine, and he was acting completely normal – but not everyone knew Tony like she did. He spoke a fraction louder than what was normal for him and his movements were ever so slightly stilted. His forehead twinkled in the candlelight, damp with sweat and he kept running his right hand down his pant leg. Dessert had been served but Pepper was worried. She put her spoon down and pushed the plate away, starling Tony slightly when she put her elbows on the table and clasped her hands under her chin.

"You're nervous," said with a pointed look. "What's this about, Tony?"

"I'm-," Tony said before sighing, throwing his napkin down and leaning back in his chair, giving Pepper a lopsided smile. "Nothing gets past you, does it? Look, I'm not good at the emotional stuff so bear with me, okay?" He copied her pose before taking a deep breath. "From the moment you walked in to my office, straight past the secretary and shoved a handful of papers under my nose I knew you were different. You didn't want anything from me other than to say I'd gotten something wrong and you wanted to save the company from a very big financial loss." They both smiled at the memory from all those years ago. "I admit, as I have done before, that I asked you to become my personal assistant because I found you attractive, but you became so much more than that. You proved, time and time again that you were more than just a pretty face. You saved my ass more times than I can count. You've picked up my messes, time and time again and even stopped me from doing some pretty stupid and irresponsible things. You fast became more than just my assistant, you became my confidant, my friend. Do you know how happy it made me, knowing that I had someone else on my side? I now had three people I could count on; Rhodey, Happy and you.

"When I – when I was taken in Afghanistan," Tony paused and sucked in a breath. Pepper reached forward to grab his hand in an instant. What happened to him in Afghanistan, being held captive for three months, was something very rarely talked about. If, for some reason it did come up on conversation, Tony would shut down, chance the topic and excuse himself. "I told Yinsen that I had no one, but that was a lie, because I had you. Seeing the look in your eyes when I stepped off the plane, it broke me, Pep. To know that you cared that much about me, yet I was only your boss; I vowed to try and be better. Through everything; after that first press conference, putting hold on the weapons division, through Obadiah-fucking-Stane, you stood with me." Pepper gave an internal wince at the mention of the man who had almost ruined everything, almost killed Tony. "Even when you could see I was destroying the legacy my father created, you stood by me, and I can never thank you enough for that. I felt like the luckiest man alive when you agreed to go on that first date with me, even if it did end up being in the parking lot of SI. Truth be told, I'd take a cheeseburger in the rain over a swanky restaurant because it would be with you. After coming out as Iron Man, you stood by me even though it was reckless to do so, and you still agreed to date me. You took over as CEO for my company because you loved it as if it were your own. You saved it. We had a rough patch after Obi, and you saved it."

Tony's eyes were glistening as he spoke, and Pepper knew she had tears of her own. He'd always told her how much in appreciated her, but never in this much depth. It had been so long since they'd talked about all the shit they'd been through over the years that Pepper thought Tony had locked it away in a box at the back of his mind, vowing never to open it again in fear. He squeezed her hand gently, drawing her focus back to him.

"When I first heard about Anna, you didn't even hesitate before telling me to go and get my daughter - even though it would mean a huge change for us. You adapted our home for her without a second thought, took time away from the company to make sure it was perfect, took your time in getting to know her while still giving me enough space to get to know her myself. You gave her tips and advice when she needed it and I wasn't able to help." Tony gripped her hand tighter, and she equalled his strength. She saw the raw emotion in his eyes and heard it in his voice. "You didn't sign up for that, yet you still stayed, even today you're still here. You let a bunch of superheroes live in your home because it would make it easier for me, for my team. My team is your team and you took that on without a second glance. You sorted a job out for Anna's friend without a second glance, because you love her like she's your own. I can never, ever thank you enough for barging in to my life the way you did, because if you hadn't, I would not be the man I am today without you."

"Tony…" Pepper whispered as he let go of her hand.

He stood, the legs of his chair scraping back across the floor. He came to stand in front of her, bending down to kiss her deeply as he slipped his right hand in to his pants pocket and instantly dropped to one knee as he released her. Pepper understood now. Anna helping her get ready while not tell her what Tony had planned. Tony picking out the perfect dress for her, setting up a simple yet elegant and so incredibly personal dinner for just the two of them. It explained the nervousness and the most intense, emotional speech he had just given. She'd had no idea what he was planning and, for once, she was glad. She looked between him and the teardrop diamond ring, with tiny small sapphires encasing it and beamed at him. She recognised it, having been shown it years ago by Tony when he'd been drunk. It had belonged to his mother, Maria. Her breath hitched in her throat.

"Miss Potts," Tony said, grinning at her. "Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

"Yes," Pepper breathed before he could even properly get the words out. She slipped off the chair on to her knees in front of him, kissing him. "God, Tony, yes!"

They stayed, embraced in each other arms for a few minutes, savouring the happiness the both of them felt. Tony pulled her in for another deep kiss, both taking her left hand and slipping the ring on to her finger. The ring was more detailed than the jewellery she had been gifted by him today, but it matched at the same time, and it all made sense now. Tony stood, pulling Pepper up with him and smoothing her dress down. She hadn't noticed, but the music that had been playing in the background was now playing a little louder. Unconsciously, the two of them, arm in arm, started swaying together.

"I love you," Pepper murmured, pressing her head against Tony's shoulder.

"I love you, too."

They continued swaying until they heard something hit the terrace doors. Pepper's head shot up in panic, looking at Tony, only to find him rolling his eyes and laughing.

"Go ahead and tell them, J," he called out, spinning Pepper round and pulling her back to him. "They won't go to bed without knowing."

Evidently JARVIS had done just that, because one second it was just the two of them and the next the doors had been thrown open and five fully grown adults came falling through. Anna made it to them first, pulling the both of them in to a hug and telling them that she was so happy for them. There were hugs and kisses all round and from somewhere, someone had popped a bottle of champagne and was handing out glasses, though Bruce's was filled with orange juice. When everyone had a glass in hand, Tony smile at his fiancé.

"Well, as you can see – she said yes."

"Congratulations!" was called collectively.

Everyone was looking at the happy couple. Steve was the first to raise his glass, calling attention to himself.

"To the future Mrs Stark."

They all tipped their glasses towards Pepper and Tony and Pepper found herself grinning when Tony whispered in her ear.

"To you."

---

Hello out there to any of you still sticking to this story!

I've proof read this chapter about five or six times - any mistakes left is purely because it's 1.24am here in London.

I've been working on this chapter on and off for the past couple of months. I don't get a lot of time to write anymore and when I do - I just can't muster the willpower to actually do it. My sole focus at the moment is Starks Daughter. I want to completely finish SD before I continue any other fics or start any new ones. Let me give you a run down of my progress with SD so far.

*It will be a whopping 51 chapters - including an epilogue

*The epilogue is already written

*I have the dialogues for the next 5 chapters already written in full

*All chapters are summarised, though the last 10 only briefly - one in depth ones to be done

*Some dialogue from later chapters had been written

*My aim is to have SD completed either by my 26th birthday (Nov 13th) or by NYE. I do not want to take this fic into 2020.

If you haven't watched Endgame (What on Earth are you waiting for?!) please stop reading now. You have again be warned.

I cried the entire last hour of the film. From the moment Vormir was mentioned and Natasha gave her life so Clint could have his, right up until the last scene at the cabin. This chapter has been so difficult to finish over the last couple of days because, although it went completely against canon, writing a story based on someone who is not longer alive is painful. Tony will always be my favourite character. Iron Man yes, but Tony Stark more so. Robert Downey Jr has played the part to perfection, and his presence in the MCU will be missed by many.

Anthony Edward 'Tony' Stark

1970 - 2023

Iron Man

Genius, Billionaire, Husband, Father, Friend

Earth's Greatest Defender

Sacrificing himself until the very end