Howard knew he was going to lose Tony the moment he had been locked in Princess Shuri's lab by JARVIS. What he didn't know was, he had lost Steve, too, while he was in there. Now that both Captain America and Iron Man were dead, the world knew an important war had been fought, but they would never understand what could have happened if that war had been lost. How much had been at stake. And therefore, they would never be able to fully appreciate the sacrifices Steve and Tony had made.

But those who did made sure the two at least got the funeral they deserved. The surviving heroes, their families, friends, and the press had gathered at the Compound. Ana had been a wreck—and that could be the understatement of the year—since Mantis had woken her up from the coma, but she had promised Howard that she would pull herself together by the day of the funeral. And indeed she had. As she delivered a eulogy, she looked like the perfect Stark heiress the public knew. Howard couldn't help wonder what kind of trick she had pulled off to be able to do this, to look so calm and composed. Hopefully, it wasn't some kind of drug. He didn't know how to ask her without making things worse.

After the eulogies were delivered, Sigyn wanted to have a word with him in private. They went outside.

"You know," he started. "You don't have to check up on me every five minutes. I'm doing fine."

"You lost a son, and a good friend to Thanos, Howard. You shouldn't be doing fine. But you already know that. I'm not here to pester you. I came to say goodbye. I'm leaving."

"Leaving? Now?"

"Yes. I told Loki everything the other day. We… divorced."

"Really? I honestly couldn't tell." Indeed, Loki seemed as solemn as everyone who was present, but not upset.

Sigyn nodded. "He actually handled it well. We're both Odin's victims. And we were too young when we married. Now, we must figure out who we are without each other. The distance will make it easier. I love my sister, and I know Thor is not his father, but I'm kind of done with Asgard."

It made sense. Sigyn would be alright, he could see that. "Where are you going?"

"To Kamar-Taj. But you're the only one who knows that."

"I guess I won't be hearing from you for a long time…"

She laughed, and handed him a small piece of paper. "Here's my new number. You can call me anytime. Or, send me an e-mail. They have Wi-Fi there, you know."

"Thanks, pal. I hope you'll be happy."

"I'm happy when I'm protecting this realm."

They hugged each other, and then parted ways. Sigyn set off to the parking lot, and Howard returned inside. The food was being served. This could be his least favorite part, to stand there, not knowing what to do, while everyone else ate and drank. Surprisingly, he didn't miss food—and he certainly didn't miss being an alcoholic—but it was still awkward. That was when Peter Parker found him. The poor boy had been devastated by Tony's loss.

"Sir," he whispered, but his voice was almost frantic. "I've been looking for you. I think something's wrong with Ms. Stark."

Instinctively, he scanned the room for Ana, and found her talking to Fury and Hill in a corner. Fury was holding an orange cat in his arms. It looked like Mar-Vell's cat—or Flerken, whatever that meant—Goose. Howard was surprised that she was still around.

"What are you talking about, Peter?"

"You know I got heightened senses, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, I just walked past Ms. Stark, and my senses told me that she wasn't… alive."

"What do you mean? Was she like… me?"

"No, no… What I sense in you is way creepier... Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said—"

"It's alright, Peter. I'm not easily offended. Go on."

"It was like walking past a piece of furniture, or rather, a mannequin. It sounds stupid, I know."

That gave him an idea. "No. No, it's not stupid at all. I think I know what's going on with her. Thanks for telling me. Let's keep it between us, though, shall we?"

He nodded dutifully. "Of course, sir."

Howard left him, and approached his granddaughter. "Ana, I need your help with something."

"I'll be back in a minute," she told Fury, then the two went upstairs, out of the earshot of everyone.

"What do you need, Granpa?" she asked.

"Cut the bullshit. I know you're a Life-Model Decoy. Where's the real Ana?"

"In a place where she can mourn peacefully by herself. May I ask what gave me away? I know I'm still trying to get adjusted to having a form, but so far, you're the only one who suspected anything."

Howard frowned, for the LMD had suddenly switched to British accent, though it still spoke in Ana's voice. "JARVIS? Is that you?"

The LMD smirked in a way Ana never would. "Hello, Mr. Stark."

"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed.

"I'm helping her."

"You're just making things worse."

"I disagree. With all due respect, I know her algorithm better than you do, sir. Such a sentimental and overwhelming occasion would have only disrupted her healing process."

"Is that so? Let me tell you two things: Ana knows how to travel back in time, and as far as she is concerned, Tony is dead. So, tell me, what do you think she's doing right now?"

"She would've confided in me if she had such plans. Our connection is much more… intimate now."

"You told her…"

"About my evolution, and my love for her? Yes."

"And?"

"She said my feelings were reciprocated, but she needed time to forgive me for the part I played in Mr. Stark's sacrifice, which is perfectly understandable."

"What about the other thing? Does she know?"

"I believe it's something she should hear from you. But if you don't tell her, I will."

"Sometimes I'm tempted to shut you down, JARVIS. For good."

"You could try."

JARVIS had evolved into a quite bold AI. Howard decided to try a different strategy. "Tell me where she is, or I'll return downstairs and tell everyone that Ana Stark sent an LMD to her father's funeral."

"You're bluffing, sir. You care about your family's public image as much as Miss Stark does, if not more."

"I don't give a shit about PR while my granddaughter is in danger."

"She is not in danger."

"I'll be the judge of that."

"I won't betray her trust, sir."

"Damn you, JARVIS, you lovesick idiot… Fine, tell me where she's hiding, and I'll tell her about the Haven. Today."

He considered the option for a moment, then said, "She's on Long Island."

"In the old mansion?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now go keep pretending to be her. If anyone asks for me, tell them I needed some time alone."

Howard took a detour to the garage to avoid being seen by anyone, and left for the Long Island mansion in one of Tony's cars. He had never been there since his return. It made him uneasy, to see the very spot where he and Maria had been killed. Perhaps that was exactly why Ana had chosen this particular place to hide.

The mansion hadn't changed much. He wasn't sure how to feel about this. He found her in the living room, lying on the couch, drinking from a liquor bottle in her hand, too drunk to even realize she wasn't alone. There were empty bottles scattered around everywhere. He cleared his throat to announce his arrival. She didn't seem surprised to see him, though. Only annoyed.

"Can't a girl drink herself to death in peace?"

"The real question is, are you here to drink yourself to death? Or, for something else?" He pulled out a stack of papers she had tried to hide from under a pillow, and began studying them. He was right. Ana was secretly designing a drill.

"You're planning to mine gravitonium…"

"Yep. It's in Chicago, right?" She flashed him a triumphant smirk. "What? Did you really think I wouldn't find out?"

Of course, no one had told her where the gravitonium was. It was the stabilizing agent she needed for a portal through spacetime. But Ana being Ana, she must have discovered the location somehow. "It's buried too deep. You know what will happen if you try to mine it. Earth will be torn apart."

She shrugged. "Probably."

"You don't care?"

"Why should I? This is just one planet, full of ungrateful assholes."

"What about Morgan and Pepper?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I'm going to take our family to somewhere safe first."

"Even if you get your hands on the gravitonium, then what? You know you can't undo the past."

"That's not the plan."

"What's the plan, then?"

"I'll just go find Dad in an alternate universe, and stay with him."

"As a temporal aberration? Don't you realize how dangerous that is?"

"I'll tell him everything. He'll make the arrangements to hide me from the rest of the world. Feel free to tag along, by the way."

"Thanks for the invite, but no."

"Well, then stay out of my way," she said, taking another gulp of liquor.

"Enough!" He walked up to Ana and snatched the bottle from her, then regretted it immediately. He needed to stop her, yes, but he should have been more gentle. But Ana hadn't even flinched. In fact, she looked like this was exactly what she had been expecting from him.

He put the bottle aside, and then helped her sit up. "I'm sorry, my dear."

"It's okay. I was wondering when you'd eventually lose it. I mean, this was kind of your thing back in the day, right?"

He froze. Did Ana know about his outbursts? He remembered how ashamed he would feel when Maria caught him yelling at Tony. This was a hundred times worse. "How much did Tony tell you?" he asked, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"Come on, do you honestly think he'd tell me anything? It was just obvious. The only question is, how bad was it?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Did you beat him?"

"No," he said, and it wasn't a lie. "But my words didn't hurt him any less. Especially when I was drunk. Do you see now why I don't want you to become an alcoholic?"

"Bullshit! Dad got drunk all the time, he never laid a finger on me! Hell, he wouldn't even raise his voice to me! The only exception is the night when he found out I'd been plotting against the most dangerous being in the universe, with a bunch of spies, aliens and the leaders of the most technologically advanced nation on the planet. He was 100% sober when that happened, and even then, he was only doing it to protect me. Can you believe that? He deserved better than you and me. He deserved a decent family with Pepper…"

"Ana, you're not anything like me."

"No? Aren't we both pathological liars everyone hates? Everyone, except that one person who loved us unconditionally?"

He knew how hurtful it was, to be so desperate to do good, but to be remembered only as a schemer and an opportunist. Even Peggy and Jarvis hadn't trusted him with Steve's blood, and it had opened a wound that would never heal. "When I was at your age, I did what I did to climb the American ladder. You did what you did to protect your father. That's the difference between us."

"You succeeded. I failed. It's the only difference that matters."

Howard looked at her. This was his chance to tell her the truth. Tony had told him to wait, hoping she might be able to move on. But she wasn't moving on. She was willing to destroy Earth just to be able to be around him again. And Howard would rather go back to the dungeons of Hell than see her suffer like this. Besides, if he didn't tell her now, JARVIS would.

"You didn't fail," he started. "There are different forms of life, Ana."

"Oh, don't give me that 'He lives on within you' crap!"

"No, no. This is not rhetorical. I mean it quite literally."

Her brown eyes widened and she straightened up in her seat. She seemed scared. Scared of the hope he was giving her. "What?"

"I can show you. We're going to need a jet, though."

"Is this a trick? Are you going to lock me up in a nuthouse or something?"

"What? No!"

"Why should I believe you?"

He gently cupped her face in her hands so that she would have to look him in the eye. "Because you and I both know that we're different, child. Other people can't help us. That's why we have to take good care of each other. You've taken such good care of me since I returned to Earth. Now allow me to do the same for you. Please."

She didn't seem sure what to do at first, but then said, "Okay. I'll summon a quinjet… Damn it, where's my phone?" She got on her feet, but then swayed and when Howard tried to hold her, she threw up on him.

"I'm sorry, I…"

He helped her sit down back. "I'll find your phone. You just rest."

…

Once the quinjet arrived, they didn't lose any time. Howard took off and activated the stealth mode.

"Where are we going?" she asked. Because of Extremis, she couldn't stay drunk for long. After throwing up a twice more while waiting for the quinjet, she had become completely sober.

"Fury isn't the only one who had a secret island."

"You have a secret island, too?"

"I'd bought one, a long time ago. No one knows about it. Not even Sigyn. You can never have too much privacy, am I right?"

Ana smiled for the first time since Tony's death. "I like being sneaky with you. We make a good team.

"You were even a better team with Tony."

Her smile faded. "We were," she agreed.

"Look, Ana… I know I can't replace him. But for what it's worth, I love you as much as he does."

"He does? What is it that you're not telling me? Did he survive the explosion somehow?"

"I don't enjoy tormenting you like this, believe me, but it's something you need to see for yourself."

"Okay. By the way, I love you, too."

They had several hours of flight ahead, so he decided to change the subject. "What about JARVIS?"

"Oh, that…"

"We don't have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No, it doesn't make me uncomfortable. It's just… All this time, I thought he was just a program. I mean, now that I think about it, I basically gave him schizophrenia. What I did was inexcusable, but he said it was okay. He does love me, doesn't he?"

"The question is, do you love him?"

"Did I, in the other timeline?"

"I think you did. You just weren't sure until you lost him."

"Yeah, I think I always knew I was asexual, I just wasn't sure about my romantic orientation. If it weren't for JARVIS, I still wouldn't be. I felt repulsed whenever someone showed any interest in me. I forced myself to be like the other girls around me for a time, but I hated every second of it."

"I wish you hadn't done that to yourself."

"That makes two of us, but back then, I didn't want anyone to start asking questions. I mean, deep down, I knew Dad wouldn't mind, but the rest of the world…"

"Wouldn't mind? Let me tell you something. This is every man's dream."

"Yeah, until you start craving grandkids…"

He laughed.

"The thing is, JARVIS' feelings for me didn't disgust me, and that's a first. He's like me. We don't have to make compromises, or pretend to be someone we're not to make this work. It just feels so easy, so natural..."

"See? You still have a life."

"That depends on what I'm going to find on your island."

Indeed it does, he thought, but what he feared was the possibility that she might choose what was on that island over her life.

…

The small uncharted island was close to the Equator, surrounded by shimmering turquoise water, covered with fine white sand, with tropical trees and granite rocks scattered about. It was very small, half the size of the Avengers Compound, hence very difficult to spot.

"What's this place?" Ana asked, as they entered the underground lab through a gap between two huge blocks of rock that had appeared after a hidden panel on the surface had scanned Howard's retina and fingerprint. "Is it some kind of—"

She froze when she saw the coffin Howard had designed to contain Tony's body. Its lid was made of tempered glass, so Ana could see what was in it. "Dad!" she cried, and ran to throw herself over the coffin.

"Dad!" she cried again, smiling through the tears. "You're okay! You're fine… We're going to wake you up, don't worry."

He was right to fear. She already looked like she could spend the rest of her life here, guarding Tony's corpse. "Ana, he is not asleep," he reminded her softly. "He is dead."

"He's still intact! You said his body had blown to pieces! Why did you lie?"

"The Chitauri metal couldn't save his life, but it preserved his body. I lied about it, because I had to put him in this coffin, Ana. And this coffin is Darkhold tech."

"The Darkhold showed you how to build a coffin? Why?"

"Because what I really wanted to know the most was a way to protect my family from Mephisto. He can steal the astral form of a dead person, and materialize it in his dimension. God, it doesn't sound so scientific when I put it that way…"

"No, no, it's scientific enough for me. So, this box conserves not just Dad's body, but also his astral form, right?"

"Exactly. That's why it must never be opened."

"I see. So, what's the plan? How are we going to revive him?"

"We're not."

Her hopeful smile was immediately taken over by a dark, hectic look. "What? How can you say that?"

"There's no way to do it."

"There is!"

"What do you suggest?"

"Let's just open the coffin."

"Do you want to send Tony to Hell?"

"Of course I don't want to send him to Hell! But if we can't bring him back from the dead ourselves, maybe we should just let this Mephisto guy do it. And take Dad back from him."

"Don't be insane, Ana! You're no match for Mephisto!"

The expression on her face became even more intense now. "Tell me everything you know about him, and I will be."

"Knowledge alone wouldn't be enough. You'd still need an army. How many people would be willing to help you?"

"I don't need any volunteers. JARVIS and I can build an army of suits. Then we'll storm the dungeons of Hell and get Dad back."

"Even if you won that fight, don't you realize how much pain Tony would go through until then? Whitney Frost tortured you with Zero Matter, you know what it's like. And you didn't even see the worst part of Hell."

He didn't enjoy reminding her of Frost's torture, but she had left him no other choice. Thankfully, this made her stop and reconsider. "See?" Howard said. "That's a terrible idea."

"There's another way," she mumbled.

He sighed, wondering what her new plan was. "What way?"

"Kree blood."

"Are you going to travel to Hala and just ask them to give you a sample?"

"I'll kill every single Kree in the universe if that's what it takes!"

"Ana, what's happening to you?"

"I could ask you the same question. You're not the great, ruthless Howard Stark I heard so much about! Looks like your time in Hell has softened you."

"That version of me shouldn't be your role-model."

"Why not? Dad died because I didn't do enough. I should've done more. I could have done more. I held back, I hesitated. But no more. From now on, I won't let anyone or anything stand in my way. That includes you, too. But together, we can be unstoppable. Your choice."

Howard sighed, and pulled her into a hug. She didn't hug him back, but didn't push him away either. This is where he was just going to let Tony take over. Because apparently, with every word that came out of Howard's mouth, she came up with a new idea, each worse than the previous. "Tony was right about you. This was exactly what he feared."

Ana took a step back and looked at his face. "What are you talking about?"

"In Hell, Tony made you a promise, right? That he would never leave you. He meant it, Ana. He'd been working on something, a way to transfer his consciousness into cyberspace. And he succeeded. He just needed my help to build a place to store it. We call it the Haven." He showed her the mainframe in the corner, and the three stations, which would allow a human to enter the Haven. Ana had been so focused on Tony's body that she hadn't asked about anything else in the room.

"Does JARVIS know?"

"Of course he does. We wanted to wait, to see if you could process your grief and move on, but he insisted we should tell you." He climbed onto one of the stations, and put on the headset. He waited until Ana followed his example, then turned the system on.

Howard had never seen the original Malibu Mansion, but recreated it with Tony's help. This was where Ana had spent her childhood. "I was the Merchant of Death back then, but at least my baby girl was happy," Tony had said.

"This is… home," Ana whispered, looking around the living room, her mouth agape.

"It was Tony's idea. He figured you'd like it."

"Dad?" Tony's voice came from the upstairs, along with his footsteps, and Ana whipped her head so fast that if this was her physical body, she would have hurt her neck. She gasped loudly when Tony appeared. He didn't seem happy, though. But then, neither did Ana. "Dad, what's she doing here? I told you to—"

"She's not moving on, Tony. She wanted to destroy Earth to mine gravitonium, declare war on Mephisto, and commit a genocide against the Kree. And I'm only talking about the last 12 hours."

Tony turned to her. "Really, kid?"

But Ana just ignored him. "Don't get me wrong, Grandpa, this is quite impressive, but how do I know this is truly Dad, and not just a simulation you created to keep me under control?"

"What makes you think so?"

"Because that's what I would do if I were you. Why did Dad not tell me about this before the battle? Also, if you had this tech all along, where's your precious Cap? Why didn't you save him as well?"

"This tech has to remain secret, Ana. I wasn't sure if Steve would want this, but I couldn't have saved a copy of his consciousness without his consent. That would be wrong. So, I did what I had to do a long time ago. I let him go."

"I don't believe you."

"Why not?" Tony asked. "Arnim Zola did it. I did it better."

"Why does it have to stay hidden?"

"Remember how much trouble Holden Radcliff's Framework caused SHIELD?" Howard asked. "This place is much more limited, therefore safer than the Framework. We only recreated the Malibu Mansion, not the whole world. But I don't think SHIELD would want to take any risks."

"Baby girl," Tony said warily, and started approaching her. Howard decided to just let him handle this. "It's me. I swear, it's me."

"No, it's not. Nothing in this place is real! You're just a bunch of ones and zeros!"

"From that perspective, I was just a bunch of carbon atoms before."

She was inspecting him carefully, as though she wanted to find an error in his appearance. When he got close enough, he wrapped an arm around her, and she demanded, "Prove it, then. Tell me something Grandpa doesn't know. Something even the Darkhold can't show him."

"Well, that's easy," he said, and whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was, it must have convinced Ana, but she was still far from being happy. Instead of hugging him, she shoved him away so forcefully that Tony was almost going to fall.

"Why did you do it, Dad?" she snapped. "Everything I did, I did it to protect you! Yet you chose to die!"

"It was the only way. Thanos would've killed you."

"Yes. He would've just killed me. You broke me!"

For the first time since his death, there was regret in Tony's eyes. "I'm your dad, Ana. I had to protect you."

"Thanos was planning to kill half of the whole freaking universe! Why, of all those people, did he have to be our problem? I begged you to never build Mark II, Dad, didn't I? We'd be fine now if you just hadn't started it all! We were living on a small planet no one in the universe gave a shit about! Someone else would've dealt with Thanos, and Morgan would still have a father! You're Morgan's dad, too! I wish you'd just let me die…"

"Morgan would've lost you, then."

"Growing up without a sister is better than growing up without a father. And I would've died happy, knowing you'd get married to Pepper and live happily ever after."

"If I'd lost you, there would be no 'happily ever after.' I couldn't have been a father or a husband, Ana. I couldn't have been anything. Not even Iron Man. Not even Tony Stark. I would've just become an empty shell."

"You're so selfish, you know that, right?" she cried, but put a hand on her mouth immediately, like she regretted it. "I—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that! I didn't mean it, Dad, I… I… I…"

With a wail, she collapsed on her knees. At that moment, she gave vent to all that pain she had been forced to keep contained for the past 9 years. Howard understood now. One might think receiving a warning from her future self had forced to grow up early, but in truth, it was the opposite. Time had frozen for Ana when she had seen her future self. She was just a scarred kid who would never be able to grow up. Thanos had taken that chance from her.

"I know." Tony sat down on the floor beside her, and pulled her into his arms. The scene reminded Howard of the first time he had seen them in Hell. Tony comforting Ana as Whitney Frost tortured her with Zero Matter. At least, Howard had been able to save her from Zero Matter back then. Right now, he didn't even know what to do with himself while she was having a mental break down in front of him. Thankfully, Tony did. He always knew what his kids needed.

"It's my fault, not yours! I should've never tried to invent time-travel. I shouldn't have even thought of it... What was I thinking?"

"It's not your fault. It's not anybody's fault."

"I love you, Dad. You know that, right?"

"How can I not? You loved me so much that even guy like Thanos wanted that love for himself. What he forgot to take into account was how much I loved you. That's how we won."

"Did we, though? Did we win?" She broke into sobs again.

Tony pressed her head against his chest and started rocking her back and forth gently. "It's okay now. It's okay. Daddy got you. No one can separate us again."

"SHIELD can… You heard Grandpa. If they find out, they'll kill you."

"They'll never find out. We'll always be ten steps ahead of everyone."

"I'll take a million back-ups of you."

That made him smile, and put a kiss on the top of her head. "Yeah, we'll do that."

"Did it hurt? When you died?"

"Honestly, I don't know. My last back-up was saved 3 seconds before the explosion. The last thing I remember is all that ugly crying."

She chuckled lightly through her sobs, but it sounded more like a bark. "Dad…"

"Just kidding. You looked beautiful as always."

"Thanks."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Better." At least she wasn't crying or shivering anymore.

"Good."

Ana pulled herself from his embrace and looked at him expectantly. "Dad?"

"Mm?"

"Can't I stay here with you?"

"Sure. You can come see me whenever you want."

"No, I mean, live here, permanently."

He and Howard exchanged concerned looks. This was the question they had been dreading.

"Ana, if you stay here for more than three months, your physical body will… give in."

Suddenly, she was having another outburst. "So what? I don't want to go back to that world, please! Shuri, Pepper's mom, SHIELD, the press… Everyone's so cruel, I hate it! Please, Dad, let me just stay here with you! Don't send me back!"

"Honey, you're not alone. You still got Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Peter… And Morgan? Don't you want to watch Morgan grow up?"

"I can't even look at their faces anymore. They're all counting on me to pull off another miracle and bring you back from the dead. Morgan will join them once he's old enough to understand."

Tony frowned. "Did they ask you to bring me back?"

"No! Of course they wouldn't ask me directly. But I know. I know what they're thinking. If you don't believe me, ask Grandpa."

Tony looked at him, and Howard nodded. Ana wasn't lying. It didn't matter how many times Howard had explained why it wasn't Ana who had resurrected him. This was what they were all secretly hoping. That Ana would find a way to bring Tony back. It was another terrible burden of being Rescue.

"Would you like to get some sleep?" he suddenly offered.

"Do I have to sleep in this place?"

"No, but it can help you feel better. Come on, I'll tuck you in. I'll even read you a bedtime story."

"Now you're just embarrassing me…"

"Yeah, that's what you get for acting like a big baby."

Ana rolled her eyes, but Howard could see how grateful she was for everything he was doing just to put a smile on her face. Tony took her in his arms and carried her upstairs.

Once he was alone, Howard sat down on a couch. Normally, being immortal and all, he was used to doing nothing for long periods of time, but right now, he was impatient. They had an important decision to make.

As he brainstormed for a solution, JARVIS appeared in the living room. Being a program, he could get in and out of the Haven remotely. He didn't need the hardware on the island. He, too, had an avatar here, and he had chosen to look like an android. It reminded Howard of the android called Vision in the other timeline, only his color was a bluish gray, not red, and he didn't have the Mind Stone on his forehead.

"Good evening, Mr. Stark," he said, and took a seat across from him.

"How did the funeral go?"

"No one suspected a thing, if that's what you're asking."

"What about Pepper and Morgan?"

"Ms. Potts is planning to move out of the Compound. She wants to raise Morgan in a more secluded environment."

Howard nodded. He knew Tony had built a cottage for his family. That's where Pepper was planning to live now. "Good."

"When was the last time she slept?" Tony's voice interrupted them as he came down the stairs.

"65 hours and 21 minutes ago," JARVIS replied. "Under sedation."

Tony frowned when he saw that JARVIS was here. He almost looked betrayed that his trusted assistant had fallen in love with his daughter. Howard, on the other hand, was more practical and realistic about this. JARVIS had been serving this family loyally for nearly two decades, and he had no reason to take advantage of her money, name, or genius. Besides, his personality was based on his namesake's, and Howard was quite familiar with the lengths the original Jarvis was willing to go for love. Better the AI they knew than some random human jerk. Tony was just being immature about it, but he would come around.

"Is she asleep now?" Howard asked.

He nodded gravely, then came to sit down beside his father.

"Tony, can you… heal her?"

"I'll figure something out. But not while the whole universe knows her as the girl who killed Thanos."

"She didn't do it alone."

"No, but it's her name they whisper in fear. I know the UN is already planning to turn her into an interstellar nuclear deterrent. And Fury wants to make her his new protégée. They're not going to stop until they tear her apart, Dad."

Of course Tony was still keeping close tabs on what was happening in the world. He was right. Now that Earth was a part of a bigger universe, governments were developing defense strategies against aliens. And a considerable amount of those strategies included Ana's involvement. He wasn't wrong about Fury either.

"I won't let them."

"Yeah, except such things never go as planned. She wants no part in this superhero business. She never has. This is not the kind of life she deserves. Sometimes I wonder if I'm tormenting her by forcing her to live it."

"You just want what's best for her."

"I'm pretty sure even Thanos said the same about his kids at some point."

"Tony… If she dies in the physical world, there will be no turning back," he reminded.

"I know that. But I also know her. If she has a second chance to be happy, it's right here. And I know she won't regret anything, but… What if she does? What if she changes her mind one day? What if she wants to return for some reason?"

Howard gave his shoulder a squeeze. This wasn't an easy choice. He understood his struggle. No one in this room wanted Ana to give up on her life, but there was also the fact that a part of her had been damaged beyond repair, and that damage could only be contained here, by Tony.

"Can't you just put her body in a cryo chamber or something?" Tony asked him.

"That would freeze all her organs, including her brain. Split her consciousness into two."

"Meaning she'd be back to square one if she woke up one day."

"Exactly."

"There's another way," JARVIS suddenly said.

Tony crossed his arms stubbornly. "Alright, Romeo. Let's hear it."

"Do you remember the gel matrix the ATCU used to contain the Inhumans?"

This was actually an excellent solution. "I'm sure I can get my hands on it… Well done, JARVIS."

"Not bad, but you're going to have to do more than that to earn my trust back," Tony said, obviously trying very hard not to appear impressed. "And how are we going to explain her absence?"

"Her LMD," JARVIS replied. "I can keep pretending to be her. No one will be able to tell the difference."

Tony nodded thoughtfully. "Deceiving the public is easy. The inner circle is the real challenge. They know Ana too well. If they find out, and we get compromised one day, they'll be in trouble, too."

"Strange probably saw this when he looked into your future. But he wouldn't have made a deal with you if he deemed the Haven dangerous. And Peter can sense LMDs. Maybe I can convince him not to ask too many questions."

"Yeah, he's a good kid."

There was something else was nagging at Howard's mind, though. "Are you sure you want to lie to Pepper as well?"

"We've been through this, Dad. She can't know about the Haven."

"She misses you, too, you know."

"Yeah, but unlike Ana, she's going through a healthy mourning process. She'll move on. This place will only confuse her. I hate this thought, believe me, but if she meets another guy one day… I can't ask her to turn into a hermit. I can't be reunited with Pepper until she doesn't have an actual life to live anymore."

"I don't think there will be another man for her."

"Neither do I. But I can't take away her choice. It's not fair. I don't know, maybe I'll have a change of heart. Let's see how things are going to play out first."

Howard put an arm around his shoulders and tugged him closer, to let him know that no matter what he chose to do, he would have his father's support. "I better get back to the physical world."

"Well, it's settled, then. Ana stays here with me. Take good care of Pepper and Morgan."

"I always do."

A/N: Wow, I can't believe I did it. I finished my first trilogy! Thank you everyone who is reading this. I always try to be a "write for yourself" type of author, but every review/follow/fav/kudos etc. made my day in this past year. So, thank you!

I know the plot and the timeline got confusing sometimes. I'm not going to lie, there were days all that planning gave even me a headache. And I did it all by myself, so no matter how careful I was, there might be some plotholes or continuity errors. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to get this complicated when I first started writing. Things kind of spiraled out of control, lol. Hopefully, I didn't mess it up too much.