Sarah quickly settled into her work, cooking meals, cleaning, making sure Howard did his homework, and driving him to and from the small private school he attended. She enjoyed time spent with the boy- he was bright, kind, charming, and witty. It was a challenge to keep up with his rapid train of thought, but instead of feeling incredibly stupid when she had to ask him to explain something, she felt like she was happily learning, shedding the shame that had been grilled into her throughout her childhood. He talked about the elegance of mathematics and the intricate bodies of the bugs they were dissecting in science class. She went home and dug through the boxes of books in her apartment untouched since high school, bringing Howard her favourite book on Chaos Theory and the illustrated "A Brief History of Time". When she found him sketching spaceships instead of doing homework, she introduced him to the original Star Trek series and brought him her copy of "Mr Scott's Guide to the Enterprise".

Tony was glad to see the pair having fun and occasionally joined them when they watched old science fiction shows or the old Godzilla movies. He would later find Howard's sketches scattered across the large library tables, from schematics of the vessels and buildings in the films they had watched to storyboards for new episodes and movies. Howard's creative writing assignments, once his most despised homework tasks, turned into favourites littered with science and speculation, aliens and genetic monsters that he illustrated and read to Sarah and Tony.

While Howard blossomed, Tony continued to retreat both at home and in the public eye. Rumours abounded as to just what was happening in the family and why the once-popular Mr Stark no longer accepted invitations to gala events, Hollywood parties, or even company board meetings. The few times that he did appear, he usually stayed briefly and never took off his dark sunglasses, which sparked rumours that he was perpetually hung over or high. Of course, the rumours were not entirely false, as he was hung over or actively drunk a good amount of the time. When he could not hide his problem, he did not leave the house.

Sarah was washing dishes and Tony was waking up when her phone buzzed.

In trouble at school. Dad will get a call. Please come too?

She heard Tony's phone ring as the shower turned off. A few minutes later, Tony appeared, his clothing wrinkled and hair disheveled. "Howie's school called. I need you to go figure out what's going on."

"You're not going?"

"No. I feel like my head is going to explode. And the light hurts. I'll call ahead and tell them you're coming."

"You're not giving me very much to go on. What did they say happened? Is he hurt? Sick?"

"Strangely enough, they say he got into a fight."

She nearly dropped the dish she was scrubbing, "Howard? In a fight?"

"Yeah. I can't believe it, either."

Sarah set out a bowl and spoon for Tony, "Well, I guess it's Cheerios for breakfast for you, then. I'll make us some lunch when I get back." She finished the last plate in the sink and dried her hands, "The day Howard picks a fight will be the day pigs fly."

Tony sighed, "Yeah. And thanks for covering my ass."

She picked up her keys and bag, "No problem, boss- just make sure you make that call. I don't want the school telling me I can't talk to anyone." She texted Howard that she was on her way as she walked out to the car.

Half an hour later, she pulled into the school parking lot and tucked her rusted Volvo station wagon between a brand new Mercedes and a fully restored vintage Jaguar. Her car could not have stood out more unless it had been a Vanagon.

When she entered the office, she saw Howard sitting alone while the secretary typed and the pricipal was in conference.

She sat down beside him. He stared at the floor. "So what is this all about?"

"Dad didn't come?"

"No."

The expression on his face was both relief and sadness, "Good...I guess. I'm just glad you did."

"You still haven't told me what's going on."

The secretary interrupted their conversation, "Excuse me, miss, but I can't just let you act in the place of Howard's parent. His father called, yes, but that's just not the way we do things here."

Howard thought quickly, "She's my governess."

"She's what?"

"My governess. You know, like Mary Poppins, but without the umbrella."

The secretary fell silent and picked up the phone on her desk. A few moments later, the principal met them both and escorted them into an empty meeting room.

"My secretary has informed me that you're Howard's governess?"

"Yes. His father asked that I act in his place."

He extended his hand, "Chauncey Randall. Please, have a seat, Miss...?"

"Sarah. Sarah Graves." She settled into a blue plastic chair opposite Mr Randall.

"Many of our students have governesses, but we can never be too careful. I'm sure you can understand my secretery's hesitation seeing a new face."

"Of course."

"I'm sorry that we couldn't give you any details over the phone, but it is better to talk in person. Howard hit Robert Fritchert today and broke his glasses. Robert says the fight was entirely unprovoked. From what I understand, there is some stress in the Stark home right now, but this was so unlike Howard that I wanted to sit down with you."

Sarah looked to Howard, "What happened?"

He fiddled with the edge of the table, "Promise not to tell anyone? They'll just make it worse."

"Who will make what worse?"

"The other kids, Bobby has big friends."

"If anyone makes your life trouble, just talk. We can fix most things."

He took a deep breath, "Bobby's been saying things about Dad for weeks. I can handle that. It's not like the whole world doesn't know he's a mess. But today he said Dad should just kill himself so we'd stop hearing about him. I kept it together until he said that he 'didn't get why he was so upset about the death of his whore secretary.'"

She stared in disbelief, "He said wha-...no, wait, you don't have to repeat it."

She turned to Mr Randall, "I'm going to guess that's not exactly what Robert said happened."

"Not at all. According to Mr Fritchert, his son is a saint, so the fight was completely Howard's fault.."

"So where do we go from here? And how do we address that Howard's been dealing with this for weeks?"

"You don't," Howard interjected, "If you do, it'll just get worse. I won't hit him again, I promise. Even if he says things about Mom."

Mr Randall slowly shook his head, "I understand you don't want this to be fussed over, but Robert is going to have to stop bullying or he will be asked to leave this school. You are not his first victim."

Sarah sighed, "I suppose a conference with Mr Fritchert is out."

"Robert is echoing what his father believes. Sitting down with them is not likely to be productive, but I will remind them of our behaviour policy. Howard- I know you would rather we do nothing, but since that is not an option, what do you want to see happen?"

Howard fiddled with the hem of his shirt, "I want it to stop, but I don't want his friends to just do it instead. And I don't want them to beat me up like they said they would if I told."

"When during the day is this happening?"

"Mostly during lunch recess. That's when they all do it."

"And where?" "By the benches where I read."

"I'm going to have someone check on you more often. If we can catch them in the act, we can stop this. Please, talk to me when these things happen. If one student doesn't feel safe at school, I am not doing my job right."

Howard nodded and asked if he could go home.

He was silent for the first half of the drive. "Sarah? Is it normal to feel sick when somebody says stuff like Bobby did?"

"Yeah. Totally normal. And it's normal to want to hit somebody, too."

"Did you ever get into fights at school?" "A fair few. I bit a girl once, too. She slapped my sister."

He was quiet for a few minutes, "It's not just about Mom."

"Of course not- you love your dad, even when he messes up."

"Not that... Did he tell you he really did try to kill himself a few weeks after Mom died?"

"No, he didn't."

"He would have done it, too, if Uncle Jim hadn't come over. He talked Dad out of it. I don't think Dad knows I know. When Bobby said that..."

"It brought back a whole lot of sad and angry."

"Yeah. And I almost hit him then. But I kept it back. And then he just had to say one more thing."

"Howard?"

"Yeah?"

"You're one strong kid."

He smiled, "Thanks. And you're one awesome governess."

By the time they pulled into the driveway, Howard was feeling better. He only told his father that Bobby had been making fun of the family and he'd let it get to him. It was clear from the look on Tony's face he knew there was more to the story that he wasn't going to hear from his son.

Tony confronted Sarah late that night while she was scrubbing the kitchen floor, "So what really happened today?"

"Huh?"

"What really happened? Howie's a terrible liar. I know he's not telling me something."

She sat up and dropped the brush into her bucket, "If I tell you, you don't let on that you know. There's a reason he didn't want to tell you."

"Deal. Now why'd he get into a fight?"

"He's been teased for weeks-"

"About me."

Sarah sighed, "Yeah, about you. And he says he kept it together pretty well, even when Bobby said you should just go kill yourself. But then he said that he, and I quote Howard, 'just didn't get why you were so upset by the death of your whore secretary.' That's when he had enough and took a swing. Broke Bobby's glasses, too."

Tony's face fell and he dropped onto a stool, "No wonder he hit him."

"He didn't want to hurt you, Tony, so he didn't tell you."

One long swig from the bottle later, he said, "Yeah. I get it. He's a good kid."

"Do you need anything?"

"You might want to stay a little later tonight. Just to make sure."

"Of?"

"To make sure I can handle this as well as Howie did. To make sure I don't do anything incredibly stupid."

"Like planning to beat up a kid."

"Planning is OK, as long as it's only a plan. But given how many of these-" he shook the bottle, "-I intend to drink tonight, you might have to keep an eye on me."

"The first test, eh?"

"Yeah."

Sarah stood up and wiped her wet hands on her very well-used apron, "Do what you need to. I'll make sure you stay safe."

"We'll see in the morning if you pass."

She watched him wander down the stairs. A door opened, then clicked shut. Half an hour later, she crept down the stairs and glanced down the darkened hallway. A light shone out from under the door she was not to enter. She returned upstairs and settled on the sofa with a book. She dozed on and off until sunrise. There were footsteps on the stairs. Tony appeared, wincing in the light, and noticed her on the couch.

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Not really. The couch is really comfy, though. I could have."

"But you didn't."

"I'm not much use to you if I'm asleep."

"Go home, Sarah. Get some rest."

"Driving might not be the best idea."

He gestured for her to follow him and led her to the guest room. "Sleep. It'll be a few hours before Howie's up, and since it's Saturday...who cares if we sleep all day?"

She flopped onto the bed, "Dear god, this is even more comfy than the couch!" He laughed, "Thanks, boss. I'll be up in a few hours to get back to work."

"No, you sleep- just...well, thank you. Thank you for staying here." She smiled and quickly fell asleep.