"Stark's gone." Natasha, who'd just been to his mansion, runs into the room. A look of horror on her face.
"What do you mean gone?" Steve asks, jumping to his feet.
"As in, Jarvis is no longer installed in the mansion, his robots are gone, Happy has been released with a couple million dollar severance and retirement, and the place looks empty."
"Shit, does Fury know?" Clint asks, already preparing himself for their search.
"He does now." The director says walking into the tower.
"How'd you…"
"Stark sent a note."
"A note?"
"By snail mail, he sent me a note saying he wasn't hanging around in my jurisdiction anymore."
"That means…."
"He doesn't realize how far my jurisdiction extends, or he intends to leave earth."
"No, Tony doesn't like space." Pepper says firmly remembering all too well the nightmares that often woke Tony since the New York Incident as he called it when he dared speak of it.
"We have to find him." Thor says firmly, and the others nod. Their differences and Tony's aversion to them currently aside, they were a dysfunctional family and dysfunctional families look after one another.
"I think I may be of some help." For the first time since Tony moved out of the Tower, Jarvis makes his presence known.
"Jarvis?" Natasha asks, unsure if it really is the AI.
"At your service, Miss Romanofff."
"But… I thought…"
"Before his departure, Tony asked me to standby and not interact with anyone including himself for 84 hours. That time is now up."
"Do you know where he is?" Fury asks.
"Roughly 82 hours ago, Tony boarded a plane to Budapest. I do not know where he went from there. He may still be there, he may not. I tried to contact him and he's nonresponsive."
"How extensive is your reach, Jarvis." Natasha asks a plan forming in her mind already.
"I can control any and every screen or computer in the entire world given time and the orders. I know what you want though Miss Romanoff and I've already tried. He's around no cameras."
"Then I guess we do this the old fashion way and send out a couple hundred agents to all probable locations and wait for a sighting." Fury says. "Take a seat, Avengers. You'll be on standby awhile."
After the Avengers had left, Tony had been a wreck. He'd sent Happy home with a retirement/severance package. He'd then called Christina the remaining four times, Jarold had agreed to speak with him. He called his pilot and scheduled a flight to leave within a few hours. He'd told the bots to go to the Iron Man suit museum in his lab and not leave until he got back. He'd powered down Jarvis and left all his work and technology behind. Whatever was waiting for him in Budapest, he'd face it alone.
Eighteen hours later, he had finally arrived in Budapest. Polarinite has sent a limo to collect him. He's plastered, a pretty girl who he doesn't know sits on his lap giggling. He nuzzles her neck anyways. He's never been to Budapest before, but he's starting to think he might like it.
The building the car stops outside is all one-way glass reflecting back the city. Tony's always thought modern architecture was ostentatious, he's starting to like Polarinite less and less.
"You're hotel, Mr. Stark." The driver says lowering the partition between the two of them.
"I'm supposed to meet with Jarold, today."
"You're meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. The company thought it'd be best if you weren't jet lagged when you two met."
Tony shrugs. That will keep him in the time he allotted to be gone. "Do I get to keep her." He motions to the girl who is still nibbling on his ear."
"I see no reason not." The driver says, slightly confused as Tony was the one who entered the car with the tipsy woman.
"Alright then." Tony says getting out of the car, he marches inside with the woman on his arm. When he enters the hotel people stop and stare. It's hard to to know who Tony Stark is. When he goes to the desk, he's discreetly slipped a key, which he takes, following a bell boy up to the penthouse suite. He goes inside, where both he and the woman instantly fall asleep the moment their heads hit the pillows.
The next morning, Tony wakes up with a huge hangover. He has to stumble around the room a while before he finds his bag, where a large stash of ibuprofen is stashed in a side pocket. The woman, whoever she was, is already gone. He doesn't mind. She was probably one of his flight stewardesses anyway. Once the pounding in his head has backed down a little, he begins getting himself ready for the day. With room service that was delivered shortly after he awoke, there'd been a card saying a time. He assumed the time was the time a car would be there to pick him up. It was only an hour before. He takes a half hour shower, the water feels good, it's sobering. When he gets out he dresses in a suit and tie. Some gel goes into his hair, taming it, yet giving it an untamed look. He shaves his pathetic beard. By that time it's time for him to go. He heads down to the lobby where the driver from the previous day is already waiting, this time with a sports car. When the driver goes for the driver's door, Tony shakes his head and climbs in instead. The driver only shrugs and climbs into the passengers seat.
"You're going to have to give me some directions."
"It's not far." The man says in accented english. "Just a half mile down the road. You can't miss the building."
"Alright then." He says gunning the engine, they take off speeding down the road.
A few minutes later he turns the car back over to it's driver and walks inside.
"Welcome Mr. Stark." A woman says stepping forward from the receptionists desk the moment he enters the building.
"And you are?" He asks looking her over from over the top of his sunglasses.
"Christina. We've talked over the phone."
"Well it's nice to meet you." He says, sliding his glasses back up his nose, he waits.
"Right. Follow me." She says after a moment getting his hint. "Jarold's office is just a few floors up."
"Yes, about that. Who exactly is Jarold?"
"He's our CEO." Christina says, the rhythmic tapping of her heels reminding Tony of Pepper.
"Does he have a last name?"
"Everything will make sense once you two meet, Mr. Stark." Christina says. They walk the rest of the way in silence, stopping only once they've reached large oak doors.
"This is as far as I'm permitted to go, Mr. Stark. He's right inside though." Tony nods and she walks away. He takes a deep breath before reaching out for the door handle. Whoever this man is, his father knew him. And trusted him if his last words were anything to go by, this was where Tony was supposed to go when he hit rock bottom and he finally had. When he pulls open the door, the office looks very similar to his own back at Stark Industries. There is another person in the room but his chair is facing toward the large window the occupies an entire wall of the office.
"Ahem." Tony clears his throat and watches as the chair slowly turns around. Horror, then shock filling his face as he takes in the occupant.
"Tony." The man says, his voice pulling at Tony's heart. He hasn't seen the man, whose name is in no way Jarold, in almost twenty years but it still feels as if he'd seen him yesterday.
"You're supposed to be dead." Tony says staying on the opposite side of the office.
"And you're supposed to be a lot of things you aren't, you should know by now Tony. Stark men are resilient. Now come, sit down, I'll explain things."
"I don't want an explanation." Tony said already backing toward the door. His hand on the handle.
"Tony." The tone of voice the man used, made Tony feel like he was five years old again. His feet unwilling move him across the floor and into the chair closest to him. "I know you have questions."
"Yeah, millions." Tony interrupts his usual snarky self. "Like how the hell are you alive?"
"I could ask you the same thing." The man, Tony refuses to acknowledge who it is yet, says.
"Yeah, but we're not talking about me."
"You're right, there will be time for that later."
"The car crash was faked, if you must now. You're mother's around still as well."
"Why." Tony asks, his face an unreadable mask.
"There were people trying to kill us, and they were trying hard. I knew that to get them to stop and keep you safe, your mother and I had to disappear."
"So you just abandoned me?"
"You had Jarvis, he was as much you're parent as either of us were. He practically raised you while we were too busy wrapped up in our fame."
"So Jarvis knew?"
"No, but he was the last man alive I trusted to keep you safe if I was gone and I knew he'd do it without me having to tell him."
"So you've justified abandoning me, as keeping me safe." Tony snorts. "Yup, no doubt about it that you're my dad. Probably never even crossed your mind that you could have made me disappear along with you.
"You don't understand, Tony. You were young, brilliant, just starting life. I didn't want to take that away from you by making you go underground. It was better for everyone to have you stay behind."
"Better for you, you mean."
"No. Tony there hasn't been a day I haven't regretted that decision."
"Yeah fucking right, save the act for someone who will believe it."
"It's not an act, Tony."
"You know what, it was a mistake coming here."
"Judging by the fact that you did come here, it wasn't. You've hit rock bottom Tony. You need me."
"I might need someone, but I know that someone isn't you." Before Tony can get up and leave, the door opens, revealing his mother.
"Tony." She says, tears already in her eyes as she takes in her son.
"Mom." Tony breathes, he stands up as his mother runs to hug him. He hugs her back but he can't believe it's her.
"Tony." She repeat herself tears falling down her face. After a minute Howard clears his throat and they separate.
"So Tony, how long do you have here. We'd like to catch up."
"A day or so."
"Only a day." Tony sees the devastated look she throws Howard.
"If Tony doesn't mind, it'll be more than that. Just not here."
"What?"
"It's safe for us to go home now, if you want us too."
"I really don't think it's my place to tell you not too." Tony says still cold toward his father.
"I think it is."
"I don't think I can stop you if you've decided. And it sounds like you have. We'll be flying back tomorrow afternoon. Now if you excuse me, I'm have other things I need to do."
"Tony." His mother says trying to stop him.
"I'll see you tomorrow at the airport." He says walking out of the office he retraces his steps back out of the building. There is no car here for him this time, which he decides is fine. He'll walk.
"Why are we landing in New York?" Howard asks confused when the flight attendants tell them to prepare to land.
"I'm guessing by now, SHIElD has realized I've dropped off the grid. Since I've made it clear they're not welcome on any of my property besides Stark Tower, I figured I'd stop by so they'd stop searching for me. You can continue to Malibu if you want, or you can come with me."
"I have a feeling if we head to Malibu, you won't. So we'll stay with you." For the first time since reacquainting himself with his parents, Tony realizes how much his parents have aged.
"Fine by me." Tony says, buckling himself into his seat as the plane begins to land.
"Honey, I'm home." Tony yells as he steps off the elevator and into the residential area of Stark Tower. He's parents follow in slight awe behind him.
"I know you're here, guys." Tony yells again, he and Howard tried to outdrink one another on the plane. Tony won. He's quite drunk.
"Tony?" It's Natasha whose heard him. "Where are you?"
"In the hallway, sweetpea." He calls following the sound of her voice. He finds her, and most of SHIELD in his kitchen.
"You're back." Banner says slightly disbelieving.
"I couldn't stay away too long." Tony slurs stumbling toward the liquor cabinet.
"Tony." It's Fury this time who is speaking. Disbelief displayed clearly across his face as he sees the guests Tony has brought back with him. "Who are your guests."
"I'm surprised you don't recognize them." Tony says making a grand sweeping gesture with his arm, he manages to spill most of his drink on his crumpled suit. "Director Fury, I'd like you to meet Howard and Maria Stark. Howard and Maria, Director Fury."
While Fury extends his hand for a shake, someone else has caught Howard's eye in the room, making him walk right past Fury.
"Steve Rogers, great to see you." Howard says, shaking Steve's hand.
"You as well, Howard."
Tony's resurfacing forgotten, by his parents, allows Tony to slip away into his room a few floors up. No one comes to find him, and that's alright by him.