Author's Note: This chapter title comes from Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

I give you the third installment of But Iron, Cold Iron.

Chapter Three - Everything was beautiful (nothing hurt)

"Why is it taking so long?" she asked, voice breaking.

"It's only been five minutes since they landed," Pepper assured her. "They'll be off in a minute."

"It's been too long. Is he okay? Is he— He's on there. Right?" Danielle looked up. "Right? Rhodey said he found him. Was he lying?"

"No, no, he wasn't—"

"There's my girl!"

Danielle looked back towards the plane at the two men walking down the ramp. Her heart caught between her ribs and she forgot a moment what it was like to breathe. "Dad," she whispered. Then tears stung her eyes and she took off running. "Daddy!"

"Careful, kid," Rhodey said, putting out a hand. "You might want to avoid slamming into him for a little while."

Danielle slid awkwardly to a stop a couple feet away and swallowed thickly. Tony sighed. "C'mon, Rhodey. That's my kid." He let go of the support his friend was giving him. "C'mere, Dani."

She pressed up against his side and his good arm settled around her. She smiled up at him tearfully, not complaining when he leaned on her to keep himself up. Paramedics wheeled up a gurney and Danielle looked towards them, stiffening and refusing to budge from her father's side.

"Are you kidding me with this?" Tony asked. "I'm fine. Get rid of them."

Rhodey waved the medics away. "Pepper," he greeted.

"Rhodey," she said, voice a little sore.

With Danielle's help, Tony took a few steps forward. "Thanks for taking care of her," he said, awkwardly shifting so he could ruffle Danielle's hair. She made a face but didn't comment.

Pepper smiled palely. "Of course."

Tony squinted at her. "Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?"

"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting."

"Yeah, well, vacation's over." He looked down at Danielle. "Where's the car, sweetie?"

"Happy's over there," she whispered, gesturing with a nod of her head but refusing to let go of him—whether because she was afraid he would fall or afraid he would disappear, she wasn't sure. "What happened?" she asked as they began walking.

"I'll . . . tell you about it later. Okay?"

"Okay," she mumbled.

Pepper opened the back door and Tony ducked inside, sliding over to the other side with some difficulty. Danielle got in the back as well and Pepper shut the door. Happy looked in the rearview mirror. "Where to, boss?"

"The hospital," Pepper said, opening the passenger door and getting in.

"No," Tony said.

"No?" She looked back at him. "Tony, you have to go to the hospital."

"No is a complete answer."

"You have to—"

"I don't have to do anything. I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things that I want; first, an American cheeseburger. Got that, Happy?"

"Got it, boss," the man said, pulling away from the air force base.

"And the second thing?" Pepper asked warily.

"A press conference." Tony glanced at Danielle, who was listening intently to the conversation. "Hey, kiddo. Seatbelt. C'mon, basic safety here."

"Sorry." She buckled herself in, still listening to Pepper question him.

"Cheeseburger first," Tony said simply. "Then conference."

Pepper stared him down for a long moment. Then she sighed. "Fine." She sat back in her seat and pulled out her phone. "I'll get you your conference."

"You hungry?" Tony tapped on his daughter's forehead.

"Yeah," Danielle admitted. "I couldn't eat much this morning. For a good reason." She cleared her throat. "I finished the painting!"

"Really? How's it look?"

Pepper nodded and looked back. "It looks amazing. We skipped the canvas and she went straight for a mural of an ocean sunrise right on the office wall. Just wait until you see it."

"Hey, boss, how many?" Happy asked.

Tony glanced towards Danielle and she held up a finger. "Three," he said. "Make it snappy. I'm pretty sure my stomach's trying to eat my spine."

"We need to brief Mr. Stark on the circumstances of his escape."

"Can I ask you something?" Danielle interrupted.

The man blinked and looked down at her. "I'm sorry?"

Pepper smiled. "I'll put something on the books, Agent Coulson. Go ahead, Danielle. I'll make sure your father actually finds his way to the stage."

Danielle waved to her. Then she turned towards the man and extended a hand. "I'm Danielle Stark."

He smiled politely. "Agent Phil Coulson." He shook her hand. "I work with the Strategic—"

"I heard. You should probably figure out something shorter. What do you do, exactly?"

"Me specifically? I'm a field agent. It's my job to make sure the world is safe for people like you." He held out his badge. "You can take a look."

Danielle took the badge and opened it. As she ran her thumb over the embossed metal, she asked, "What does someone have to do to become a field agent?"

"Are you interested?" Coulson asked, raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be focusing on finishing middle school?"

"I graduated last month," she mused, glanced towards the stage where her dad was still speaking. "I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do with my life."

"And you think you might want to be an agent?" There was a certain amount of amusement in his voice.

"Maybe. I don't know, exactly. But I like the idea of it, at least: helping people." She handed the badge back. "I'm smart, but I don't enjoy making and designing stuff the same way my dad does. I'm exploring my options."

"That's a smart choice."

"So. What would I have to do to be a field agent, then?"

"The process is relatively simple. You would apply to the Academy of Operations. If accepted, you would go through the program there and graduate an agent. But you have to be exceptional to even get in. As impressive as your brain is, Ms. Stark, your athletic skills are what Operations really look at."

"I'll keep that in mind." She looked towards the crowd as they all began asking questions, despite the fact that Tony was very purposely leaving the stage. Danielle glanced back up at Coulson. "So let's say I wanted to go to this Academy. How would I get in contact with the Strategic Homeland—"

"Just call us SHIELD."

"SHIELD. Right. That's easier. How would I get in contact with SHIELD to tell them I'm interested?"

"Well, SHIELD would be more than happy to work with a bright girl like you. So if you are ever serious about this at any point in the future, then here." He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a card. "Give me a call. I wouldn't mind claiming credit for bringing you in."

"Cool," she said, looking over the card. She tucked it into her pocket. "Thanks."

"Dani, you ready to go, kiddo?"

She looked up excitedly as Tony crossed through the lobby towards the front door. "Coming! It was nice to meet you, Phil!" She waved to him and then jogged off to catch up with her dad. "Where'd you go?"

"I was talking to Obie," he said, pulling her close with his good arm and then leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head. "Let's go home, okay?"

"You look tired," she commented. "We have tea at home. It could help you get some sleep."

He opened the door of the car for her. Once she was in, he got in as well. "Home, Happy." Then he glanced over at Danielle. "No, actually I think that tonight's calling for some movies. We deserve a little celebration for today, right?"

That was how three hours later the two of them were sitting on the couch, watching the credits for Finding Nemo began to roll. "You know," Danielle mumbled, nestled up against his good side, "it's kinda like you were Nemo. And we found you."

Tony chuckled a little. "Oh? Does that make Rhodey Marlin or Dory?"

Danielle giggled. "Dory. Hands down."

"Who's Marlin, then?"

"Hmm . . . . Pepper?" She turned, hugging herself to his chest. "I missed you," she whispered. She shifted up against him and reached up an arm around him. He flinched and she pulled back from his sling. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"No, no, it's okay." He pressed a kiss against her hair.

She hesitantly reached back up to hug him. Her knuckles hit something hard and Danielle stilled. "What—" Pulling away from him, she sat up. "What's that?" she murmured.

Tony glanced down at his shirt. "Oh . . . . It's a, uh . . . prosthetic."

"From Afghanistan?" she whispered, looking up at him and feeling the heat drain from her face. She sniffled and dragged a hand down her face. "They, uh, do they have good hospitals there?" Her words shook with weak humor.

He chuckled a little. "Something like that." Tony cleared his throat and straightened. "Do you want to take a look?"

She gulped but managed a nod. As he began to clumsily unbutton his shirt with one hand, Danielle rubbed her eyes. "Um, here." She turned so she was somewhat propped up on her knees on the couch. She knocked his hand aside and her trembling fingers began working on the buttons. "You said you were gonna tell me what happened. Are you—" The words caught themselves in her throat and she stared at the light diffusing itself softly through his undershirt. "Daddy?"

He grunted a little in pain as he adjusted his sling out of the way. "Hold on," he rasped out. "Let me just—" He shrugged off one sleeve of his button-down. Danielle bit her lip at the pain that etched itself into his face as he did his best to wrestle off his undershirt. Tony got it pulled mostly off, hanging loosely around his sling. "There. Take a look, Dani."

Danielle swallowed thickly and reached out. "How's your arm?" she breathed. She pressed her fingers down on the scars stained across his chest. "When can you take the sling off?"

"When I go to bed. Though Pepper threatened me if I don't go easy with it for a while."

"Sounds about right. Is this . . . ." She touched her fingertips against the metal and tensed at the harsh feeling instead of the skin she wanted there. "This is the arc reactor. How?"

"This is your old man we're talking about, Dani. You should know better than to ask that by now. You get your brains from somewhere."

She pressed both hands against the reactor, feeling across the grooves and metal. "The arc reactor is an energy source. What do you need one for?"

"My heart."

She snapped her gaze up to him. "Why?"

"I'm fine," he promised immediately. Tony sat up and dragged an arm around her as he pressed a messy kiss to her forehead. "C'mere. JARVIS, another movie, please."

"Of course, sir. What would you like?"

Tony pulled her tight up against him. "Hmm." He thought for a moment, nuzzling his nose into her hair. "Your pick."

"Of course, sir. How does The Incredibles sound, Danielle?" JARVIS responded easily.

"That sounds great," Danielle sighed, sinking against Tony's chest. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too."

"Dad?"

Tony jerked, his pencil snapping against the page. He looked up and blinked for a long moment to try to focus. "Dani," he croaked out. Then he cleared his throat painfully and fumbled for his water glass. In a clearer but still broken voice, he asked, "What are you doing up? It's late."

"Hypocrite." Danielle bit the word out sharply. "JARVIS said you never went to sleep." She tugged at her loose t-shirt and picked her way across the room, bare feet quiet against the workshop floor.

"What are you doing up?" he asked again, setting down the broken pencil.

Danielle crossed her arms and stood a few feet away from him. Mirroring him, she repeated herself. "Hypocrite."

Tony sighed and dragged a hand down his face. "Dani, I can't do this right now. You need to sleep and—"

"I can't sleep anymore," she interrupted in a whisper. "I keep waking up. So I've been doing other things instead: painting, running, playing music, reading. But every night I would go in your room and you weren't there." She shoved her hands into her pockets and hunched her shoulders. "So when I couldn't sleep and I went to your room, I, well . . . ." She ducked her head. "Thought I'd been dreaming."

Silence suffocated the air in the room for a moment. Then it clicked. "My god . . . . I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"Can I stay in here?" she gasped out, looking up. Her eyes were red and teary.

"Ye—" His voice snapped in the middle of the word and he looked down. Tony cleared his throat. "Yeah. Of course, sweetheart." He got up to his feet. Danielle stumbled into his arms and he tucked his head down against hers. "I love you." And then he reminded her, "I'm here."

"Circuit tester."

She looked up from the sentence that she'd been reading for the seventh time. "What?" Danielle saw his outstretched hand. "Oh. Got it." She leaned back and searched for a moment before coming up with it. "Here." She dropped it into his palm.

"Thank you," he murmured, hunching over his project.

"When is it going to be done? I'll help you put it in."

"You don't have to do that," he said. Tony looked up, eyes magnified dramatically by his glasses. "I'll get Pepper to help."

"No." Danielle shut her book. "I want to help, Dad. Please."

Tony stared at her for a long moment. Then the tester buzzed in his hand and the LED on the top flashed. He cleared his throat and looked down at the device, studying the numbers along the side. "Okay. You can help. Sealer, please." He set the tester down and held out his hand. After a moment of searching, she gave him the small container.

"You didn't tell me how long it would take."

He took a moment to focus on sealing up the wire. "It should be done . . . ." He tucked the wire back away. "Now."

She straightened up and set her book aside. "Okay. What do you need me to do?"

He got to his feet and moved over to a different chair and reclined, stripping off his shirt. "This," —he tapped his arc reactor— "needs to get lost. But since I built it in a cage, it's not exactly up to code."

She slathered her hands up in germ-x and got to her feet. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that there's a copper wire under here with no insulation. The moment we lift this out, it'll be exposed and ready to cause a short. So once I take this out, you need to reach in and get the wire out."

"Specifics, please." She stood next to him.

"Don't let it touch the walls. Lift it gently."

"And?"

"There's a magnet at the end. Don't pull it out until we're ready to put in the new arc reactor, or . . . . Well, we just need to be ready to connect it immediately."

"Or what?" Danielle frowned down at him and glanced towards the new arc reactor sitting on the table next to him. He didn't answer and she looked up at him sharply. "Or what, Daddy?"

"Or I'll go into cardiac arrest. So you've gotta be careful and steady." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Steady. Let me see those hands."

Danielle swallowed thickly and help up her hands. They were still and quiet.

Tony smiled. "That's my girl. You ready?"

"How do I attach it?" She licked her lips and reached out, poising her hand above the reactor.

"There's a baseplate at the bottom for you to attach the wires too. Ready now?"

She took a long, shaky breath. "Ready."

Tony smiled and then reached up, tapping her on the nose. "You've got this, Dani. Twist left."

Another deep breath. Danielle tightened her hold on the arc reactor and turned it. It hissed a bit as she pulled it up. A gentle tug stopped it and she took a deep breath. "Okay. Lift the wire. Replace the reactor. Right?"

"Right."

She reached over with her left hand for the new reactor, keeping the old one completely steady. "Here we go." She lifted gently with unshaken hands. The magnet lifted out slowly and Tony gasped, eyes shuttering closed as he dug his fingers into his chair's armrests. "Careful," she urged him. "Just a second. Breathe, Dad, breathe." The moment the magnet cleared, she set it aside. "Here we go."

Danielle reached inside to attach the new arc reactor. She hissed air in through her teeth. "What is that?" she rasped.

"Inorganic plasmic discharge from the device. This new version should fix it."

"Shouldn't you," —she grunted and rose on her toes to get a better angle— "clean this out?"

"It'll be fine." His voice was a little thin and shaky.

She finally attached the wires and then slid the arc reactor in. Danielle rose on her toes again and pressed down. Tony grunted and the arc reactor hissed before humming quietly as it lit up. "There. Is that . . . . Does that work?"

He took a long moment to focus on his breathing. Then he sat up and tugged her down so he could press a kiss on her forehead. "Perfectly. Hand me my shirt, sweetie."

As he got dressed again, the door opened. "I was looking at lunch options. Would you like to order out or cook in?" Pepper asked, stepping inside without looking up from her tablet. "I feel like I should suggest you eat something healthy while you're still recovering, but I know you're not going to listen." She looked up. "Oh." Pepper offered a warm smile. "I didn't realize you were down here, Danielle. What would you like for lunch?"

She blinked. "Um . . . . Dad?" Danielle looked back at him. "What do you think?"

Tony was staring at the frame on his desk, visible now that he'd begun clearing away the mess he'd made when building the new reactor. He picked it up. "You did it," he murmured.

Danielle cleared her throat and shoved her hands in her pockets. "Daddy?"

He looked up. "Right. Lunch. Let's eat out. Pepper, reservations for two, please. Private room."

"Anywhere in particular?"

"Surprise me." He ruffled Danielle's hair messily and then started towards the door, picture frame still in hand. "I'll get washed up. You too, kiddo."

"Wait, Dad. What about the old arc reactor?"

He looked back. "Get rid of it." Then he jogged up the stairs.

Danielle frowned, looking at the reactor. Pepper sighed. "I'll take care of it, Danielle."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Snappers," Danielle sighed, staring out the window. "Tell me again why we're doing this?"

"My baby girl graduated. I made it home. You're wearing a dress. We have a lot of things to celebrate," he said cockily, grinning at her. Then he reached for her hair.

She ducked, batting his hand away. "Hey, watch it! Besides, it's not like I never wear dresses."

"I know, I know. But you look cute, Dani." He leaned forward and knocked on the glass. It slid aside so they could talk to the driver. "Let us out here and then find a spot to park, Happy."

"Will do, boss."

Tony nodded and, as the car stopped, he opened his door. Danielle wrinkled her nose at the instant flood of noise and questions and camera flashes before it was all quite suddenly cut off by the door closing. "Thanks, Haps," she said. Tony opened her door and she got out. Immediately, she ducked her face down so they couldn't see.

"Hey, watch it," Tony said sharply to the people around them. He took Danielle's hand and started pulling her forward. "Get the hell out of the way. Yeah, you. That's right. Here we are."

Danielle glanced back at the crowd pushing forward. As Tony opened the door, she grinned and flipped all the reporters off before stepping quickly inside after her father. "Where are we going?"

"We have a nice room. You haven't been here before, right? Chef Aubert is very good. You'll like his food. I'll order for you." He led the way to the front desk and smiled at the hostess. "Reservation for two. Stark."

"Right this way, Mr. Stark." She gathered up two menus and turned. "We have prepared a private room for you." She opened the door and stepped aside to let them in. As they sat, she said, "Can I get you anything to drink to get started?"

"She'll have a water," Tony said. "I'll have the Château Simone Palette Rouge 1999." He took his menu.

"I'll take care of that right away," she said, smiling just before she left the room.

"How's your arm?" Danielle asked, tapping her closed menu. "You sure you were good to take off the sling?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." He flipped open the menu and glanced through it. "You don't have to be so worried, kiddo."

"Course I do," she murmured. "You were gone for a long time, Dad. I thought that when you got back I wouldn't be so . . . . Well, it didn't work."

Tony looked up and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."

The door opened again. "I'll be your waiter for today," the man said, voice heavy with a French accent. "My name is Antoine. If you need me that buzzer will let me know. Here are your drinks." He set three wine glasses on the table, two filled with water and one with wine. "Are you ready to order?"

Danielle looked over at Tony, playing with the pink skirt on her dress. He nodded. "Yep." As he ordered, she sighed and picked up her glass.

By the time Antoine was collecting the menus, she put her glass down and tapped it. "More water, please."

"Of course, Ms. Stark."

When the door closed, she dragged her gaze up to her father. "Je suis surpris que tu ne sois pas devenu grand et que tu sois parti pour Paris," [I'm surprised you didn't go big and fly us all the way to Paris for this,] she mused in French.

The way his breath caught for a moment made Danielle frown. But he smiled at her comfortingly. "I just got back home. Really trying to get me out of the country so soon, kiddo?"

"No. Please don't leave."

The smile dropped instantly. "I'm not. I won't." Tony cleared his throat and took a sip of his wine. "I'm proud of you, Danielle."

"The full name, huh?" she said. "You must really mean it." She sat back as the door opened and the conversations halted as Antoine refilled her glass and left behind the pitcher of water for her. Even when he left, there was still a break in the conversation that she didn't know how to get past.

"Of course I mean it."

"I don't know what I'm doing. A university feels too . . . limited. Restricting. Like school did before you brought in Mrs. Peterson." She was fully aware that he was hanging onto her every word and she sipped at her water in silence until it was gone. Tony reached across the table and refilled her glass. "It's like . . . the world is an ocean," she murmured, watching the glass fill. "And all the water is what's out there, waiting to be learned and understood and I just need to learn to swim."

"But?"

"But school? Degrees? Strict borders of study? Doesn't it feel like someone tying rocks around your neck and just telling you to doggy-paddle?"

"Are there rocks around your neck, Dani?"

"I don't want there to be."