A/N - Thank you for the reviews/follows/favourites... Any suggestions? I'm open to them... I have a general idea of where I'm going with this, but if anyone has some suggestions on scenes to add along the way or instances, I'll see if I can squeeze them in along the way. I'm planning on doing a bit of flashbacks to when Anna or Daniel were children...pre-Tony's death...

Anna could put on a pretty good act when it came to fooling her teachers in the past, claiming that she wasn't feeling well only for them to call Happy or Pepper to the school. One look at their daughter, and they could see through the facade. So, Anna knew it would be only a few moments before they would realize that something was wrong. Still, Anna put a smile on her face as she walked into the backyard. She knew Daniel followed behind her and closed the gate shut after they had walked through.

"There you are! We were getting worried," Happy exclaimed, turning from the barbecue when he noticed that Steve had looked past him towards the gate. "We were just about to set the cavalry after you."

"I took a detour home," Anna said, noticing that all eyes were on her. She scanned the group, noticing the visitors were all people she knew. She barely even noticed Pepper walk up to her until she was right beside her. "Daniel found me."

Her mothers scrutinizing eyes gazed into her own. Something wasn't right and Pepper knew it. After a beat, Pepper reached out to feel Anna's forehead. Anna backed up out of her reach and chuckled.

"I'm fine, Mom," she told her with a smile and a slight slur in her voice. "Really."

"You don't sound fine," Pepper said unconvinced, before she leaned in slightly. Her face scowled, smelling the distinct smell of alcohol. "Have you been drinking?"

At that assumption, Happy walked towards them and stood beside Pepper.

Seeing them standing side by side, she was reminded of everything she had learned over the past few short hours. Her father wasn't really her father, yet to her, he still was. Inwardly, she mourned that and at the same time she was angry for how her perception of him had changed. Anna just wanted to run; to scream. Behind them, people who were their friends but felt more like family, watched with genuine concern. She had known them for her entire life. Surely one of them would have known the truth of who her father was. Questions filled her mind as to why no one had said anything.

Bitterly, she reached into her pocket and slowly pulled out the paper before unfolding it. It felt like a heavy weight in her hand. After a final glance at it, she held it out towards her Father who carefully took it. He watched Anna's face with concern and turned to Pepper beside him as he began to read it.

Happy wasn't ready for the pain in his chest to hit him so hard. He hadn't seen that name written so plainly in front of him for years. Pepper glanced down at it and recognized it instantly as something she hadn't seen in nearly two decades; ever since S.H.I.E.L.D worked so hard to cover their tracks, give them new identities complete with birth certificates and valid social insurance numbers. To the world, Pepper Potts and Anna Stark were dead and Harold Hogan had disappeared into the wind.

Seeing the expression on Pepper's face before she grasped ahold of Happy's hand, Anna knew it was true but she had to hear it.

"That's me, isn't it?"

Pepper swallowed, trying to find her own voice again and ignored her question with asking her own. "Where did you get this?"

Anna quickly countered with a question of her own. She was determined to get answers and her parents obvious avoidance of the truth was making her angry.

"Is it true?"

Pepper skipped a beat and looked back down at the birth certificate and nodded.

Anna felt the wind being knocked out of her and unconsciously took a deep breath. She put a hand to her chest, feeling it tighten slightly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Anna, please understand," Pepper said nearly breathlessly. Seeing the desperation and pain in Anna's intoxicated eyes mirrored so much of Tony's that it hurt to look at her.

"I understand completely," Anna exclaimed, her voice getting louder. "You've been lying to me!"

By now, the guests in the yard knew exactly what was going on. They had all been privy to the secret and respected Tony's last wishes regarding his daughter. In one way or another, they all felt the responsibility of keeping both the secret and Anna safe.

"We haven't lied to you," Pepper replied sternly. "We are still your parents. That hasn't changed."

Anna scoffed bitterly and rolled her eyes as she began to rant. "Well, according to history, I'm supposed to be dead. Hell, you're supposed to be dead! Your maiden name on that birth certificate is different. A crack-pot organization called S.H.I.E.L.D exists and my dead grandfather who I never knew was my grandfather was a founder! It makes total sense why I was always elbow deep in physics and finite textbooks while my friends were reading frickin' Harry Potter. My dead biological father was a genius and the only thing I know about him is that he was Iron Man. Why didn't you...?"

She took a breath, found the inhale a little difficult and coughed. Anna wiped the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks away with her hands as she took another breath.

'Damn' she thought as she realized that she was about to break her 6 month streak of not having to use her asthma medication.

"Anna?" Pepper said, reaching out towards her daughter with concern upon hearing the telltale sound of an impending asthma attack. She'd recognize it even if she was blindfolded. The stress of the situation had finally gotten to Anna and it was manifesting physically in the easiest way it knew how.

"Don't touch me!" Anna attempted to exclaim but instead only a wheeze came out as her mouth moved.

Ignoring her request, Pepper was at her side knowing that Anna wouldn't get to argue with her about it. She put her arm around her daughter's waist and brought her towards the patio table. The chairs were already vacated and the guests had parted, seeing as there was now a medical issue. Anna sat down in the closest chair and focused on breathing.

"Anna, where is your puffer?" Pepper asked sternly.

She didn't answer but merely pointed at her bag that she had dropped on the ground by the gate.

Happy turned and went to get it, dumping the contents of the bag onto the grass in an attempt to find the nebulizer faster.

Meanwhile, Anna closed her eyes, focusing on breathing in and out and felt her Mom's hands on her knees while she spoke to her calmly. A pair of cool hands rested on her shoulders, bringing a relief to the overwhelming heat she was feeling at the same time. Someone suddenly grabbed her hand and shoved the puffer into her palm. Even with he eyes closed, she fumbled with it and brought it to her mouth before inhaling the medication.

The relief was slight but instantly noticeable. She was starting to relax and took another dose just to ease her lungs even more. It was then that she could hear a voice right above her reminding her to breathe in and out, like a mantra. It took Anna a moment to realize the voice belonged to Dr. Banner and it was his hands that were on her shoulders.

Anna opened her eyes, seeing more than a few pairs of eyes looking at her with concern.

She smiled curtly and looked at her Mom in front of her.

"Better?" Pepper asked.

Anna nodded as Natasha held out a glass of cool water out towards her. Without a word, Anna accepted it and took a drink.

"Have you had an attack recently?" Bruce asked her.

Anna tipped her head and looked up at the man standing above her and shook her head. "Not for a long time. So much for having it under control."

"It'll always be there, just beneath the surface. You always have to be prepared for it," Bruce told her.

"But It was probably stress and anxiety that caused it. That, along with the alcohol in your system probably didn't help."

Anna sighed, feeling the tightness leaving her chest and leaned back in the chair. "Well, when one is given news that sounds so bizarre and it turns out to be real, one tends to drink excessively."

Happy was standing beside her, holding the birth certificate in his hands.

"Anna, we need to know who gave this to you," Happy asked softly, gesturing to the birth certificate. "It's important."

Anna shrugged, the memory coming back and the flood of emotions that came with it. She ran her hands over her face. "I don't remember his name. Some guy came to the pool today." She paused. "He talked to Daniel too."

All eyes turned to Daniel Rogers.

"What did he say to you?" Steve asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Nothing much. He was asking to speak with Anna."

Natasha looked at her son.

"What did look like?"

"An older man in his mid-sixties I'd say," Daniel stated with a shrug. "He didn't look unusual except he was wearing a suit coat and tie and dark sun glasses. He must have been sweltering in the heat. Anna was working at the time and I told him he could wait on the bleachers until she was done."

"And you just left her out there with him?" Steve asked.

"He was just an old man," Anna stated. "What could he have done?"

"Looks can be deceiving," Steve quipped.

"Either way, he was nice," Anna said. "Said that he was in charge of some organization called S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Coulson," Pepper suddenly stated, looking to Happy. "It had to have been him. He would have all of that information."

Anna swallowed. "So, this is all true. All of it."

For a few beats no one spoke. It had been an agreement they had made years ago that they would never speak of the day that Stark had died and would never bring his name up in front of Anna. It was Stark's final request and to suddenly go against that, felt wrong.

"Your Dad asked that you wouldn't know about it," Happy suddenly said. "He wanted to keep you safe."

Anna found it odd hearing her own father speak of someone else as being her Dad. His face appeared distant and she couldn't read how he was feeling.

Honestly, it pained him to tell Anna the truth. He loved her as though she was his own and never wanted to hurt her or keep the truth from her.

"Safe from what?"

Again, no one was willing to volunteer information at first. Yet as they glanced around the small table and began to sat down, the story was told. Details emerged from each of them; each of their own points of view. They explained everything from Loki's first visit to his last one that ended Tony's life. Pepper explained how they liquidated Stark stocks into a dummy corporation in the Cayman Islands and sent the funds there along with all of Tony's assets. Daniel sat quietly and listened. He hadn't heard the stories either, except for the reports that he had read at S.H.I.E.L.D. He had known that his parents were important to humanity's survival, but never to the extent that they explained.

"What I want to know is, why did Coulson feel the need to bring this to Anna's attention? Why now?" Natasha asked, looking up at Steve.

Steve simply shrugged. "I haven't been in contact with S.H.I.E.L.D for probably 15 years now. I haven't seen the man, let alone heard from him."

Anna reached into her pocket and held the USB drive in her hand.

"He gave me this," she said, placing it on the table. "I've already taken a look at it. It has a few files on it; the birth certificate, a few photos, a video and a large program algorithm on PDF that he said Tony was working on prior to his death. He wanted me to take a look at it and see if I could help finish it."

"But why Anna?" Pepper suddenly asked. "I'm sure that S.H.I.E.L.D has their own army of people who could help."

Banner reached forward and took the USB drive from the table. He sighed. "Probably because he knows that being Stark's daughter, she could probably figure it out." He paused and looked at Anna.

"Did you take a look at the algorithm?"

Anna nodded. "Just the beginning of it. The theory behind it is interesting. He called it the Relativity Project."

Anna found it odd even referring to Stark as her Dad. Although he was, she couldn't call him that. For the moment, the revelation that Tony Stark was her father was sidelined by the algorithm.

"Relativity?" Pepper asked, a smile coming to her face. "I remember him working on something with that name. He'd be up for days working on it and he'd try to explain it to me more than a few times. He said it was something to do with time travel."

"Time travel?" Rhody asked. "Is that even possible?"

"I don't even know if having that sort of power in S.H.I.E.L.D's hands is even a wise decision," Natasha added.

Banner put the USB drive back on the table and nodded. "It is intriguing to say the least."

Anna reached forward and took the USB drive and turned it in her hand. "It can't hurt to take a look. A peek maybe."

Pepper could see Tony in Anna's eyes as she spoke. A challenge was something Tony would never turn down, and neither would Anna. Moments later, Anna was gone from the table with Banner at her side, eager to see what his old colleague had created and offered to lend his assistance. Pepper was left at the table with Happy, Natasha, Steve, Rhody and Daniel. With a sigh, Happy turned to them.

"We may as well eat," he said. "I doubt they'll be back anytime soon."

This certainly wasn't what he was expecting the day would go when he woke that morning.

As the sun set and the warmth of the day cooled, Happy sat outside on the patio step while everyone had gone inside. The only sound was the hum of the pool filter and the crickets singing in the night. The stars had come out and he glanced up to look at them when he heard the patio door open. He didn't turn to see who it was until he saw Daniel walk around him and get the bottle of water he had left on the table earlier.

"Heading out?" Happy asked as Daniel turned and walked back towards him.

Daniel smiled and nodded.

"I never thanked you for finding and bringing Anna home," Happy told him.

"It wasn't a problem," Daniel said with a shrug. "I was in the area and was lucky enough to find her."

"You're a good man, Daniel," Happy said, smiling. "It's a shame things didn't work out between you and Anna."

Daniel smiled shyly and looked down, looking more like his father when he was embarrassed than any other time. He ran his hand through his hair.

Their past relationship wasn't a secret. It was short-lived. They simply believed that it would be easier to remain as friends and beat the odd of those who promise they'll remain friends after a breakup and actually kept that promise. Although Daniel cared deeply for Anna, he knew especially now with his assignment to protect her, that any relationship with her wouldn't have helped; any relationship would hinder his mission.

"Well, the feeling is mutual," he said, knowing there was a lot more than that that messed up his initial relationship with Anna years ago. "But I am glad that I can still be in her life."

"With everything that has happened, she needs that consistency," Happy said, looking out at the placidness of the pool. "I appreciate you being there for her."

"Thank you, sir," Daniel said, softly. "Have a good night," he added after a beat.

Daniel walked into the house and closed the patio door behind him, once again leaving Happy alone. He returned to looking up at the stars and leaned back on his arms. When he heard the patio door open once again, he glanced over his shoulder expecting Daniel had returned. He was pleasantly surprised to see Anna walk out and sit down beside him. He didn't say a word as he watched her copy his pose before looking up at the stars with him.

"What are you looking for?" she finally asked.

Happy smiled. "Nothing in particular. I was just thinking." He paused for a moment before continuing. "But I have been worried about you. How are you doing?"

"Pretty good, considering," she quipped with a chuckle. "I don't think I've digested everything yet. It's a little overwhelming. It'll take a while."

Happy cleared his throat. "I feel like I should apologize for not telling you about your real...uh...Tony...your, uh...Dad."

Saying the word 'Dad' felt so odd and it couldn't even fall from his lips. For Happy, he was her father; for the past 18 years of her life, that's all he's been to her. Anna noticed his hesitation and slipped her arm around his own and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Dad, you are my real dad," Anna told him. "And I understand why you didn't say anything about him. He told you not to and you honoured that."

Happy felt tears prick at his eyes and he turned and placed a kiss on the top of her head before looking back up at the stars. His biggest worry was that all of this would change his relationship with Anna.

"I love you so much," Happy said. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you in my life."

"I'm not going anywhere, Dad," Anna told him with a chuckle. She paused and wiped a tear that had fallen from her eyes. It had felt like she had been crying off and on all day, and in actuality, she had never stopped. "Am I anything like him?

Happy glanced down at Anna where her head was resting against his shoulder.

"Who? Tony?"

He saw her nod. Happy looked back up at the stars and sighed.

"In some respects, you are and other aspects, you're more like your Mom and I have to admit, a bit like me," he told her. "Your humour and your laugh sometimes remind me of Stark. Oh and when you were going through that stage a few years ago when you were so rebellious, I'm certain your Mom and I grew more grey hairs in that time than any other season in your life. It was as though a younger Tony Stark was living through you."

"I wasn't that bad, was I?"

Happy chuckled. "You have no idea." He paused for a moment. "And you're brilliant like him."

Anna didn't agree with that. She scoffed lightly.

"According to that algorithm Tony started, he's light years ahead of me when it comes to being smart. Uncle Bruce is helping out and seems to understand it a whole lot better than I can. I came out here to take a break and get some fresh air. My head was starting to hurt trying to make heads or tails of it," she stated. "I'm not sure if it's because of this hangover or if it's the algorithm."

"You'll get it," Happy assured her as he pushed himself up onto his feet. He turned and held his hand out to her to which she took ahold of and was pulled up to stand. "You don't give up. You're like Tony in that way too." Happy paused for a moment. "Except his tenaciousness often led to destruction."

Anna chuckled as they walked inside together. "And what do you call causing that fire in the garage when I was fourteen?"

Happy laughed and shook his head.

"That fire was nothing compared to the destruction that Tony did in his lifetime."

It took Natasha many years before their home in Delray actually felt like home. Her life had been filled with moving from place to place and she never sat somewhere long enough to put down roots. It had become defence mechanism that was important in her line of work. She could never get emotionally attached to anything or anyone. It wasn't until one accidental evening of drinking alongside Steve 22 years earlier. It had been years since someone looked at her with desire and she found herself dropping her guard for him. Natasha soon found out how much one night could have an impact on her life. She had long assumed that she was sterile and had believed it over the years. It was more than a surprise when she found the reason why she had been feeling sick for more than two weeks. The doctor's at S.H.I.E.L.D couldn't explain it and even attributed it to perhaps Steve Rogers' DNA. They were even more shocked to find that she hadn't miscarried as it was the assumption right from the beginning. She was told to not get her hopes up and it wasn't until she finally felt those first few fluttered movements within her that she thought that it was possible that she could love something she had never seen before.

Steve, ever the old-fashioned man stood by her side and although she pushed him away and played the role of being a strong, independent woman and not in need of his assistance, he was persistent. Natasha soon found herself falling for him when she never thought she'd open her heart to anyone. Not only had Steve made a way into her heart but her child was already there, whether she knew it then or not.

Daniel had grown into a man; nearly every inch like his father. Natasha was proud that within Daniel, her spark was there. He not only had her eyes but he also had that fire within him.

Natasha looked over where Daniel was sitting at the kitchen table, his head resting on his arms as he slept in front of his laptop. She had been careful to be quiet when she woke up, realizing that he was most likely up for most of the night. For what reason, she didn't know.

Natasha walked over to Daniel, preparing to wake him when she glanced at the laptop. The screensaver had long gone off and the laptop had gone into sleep mode. She gently touched his arm and spoke his name causing his head to dart up quickly.

"Good morning!" she stated, walking back to the kitchen. "Party too hard last night?"

Daniel ran his hands over his face, and looked down at the laptop.

"Just doing some reading," he replied. "I can't believe I fell asleep."

"Must not have been too interesting," Natasha stated. "Your Dad was going to wake you to see if you wanted to go for a run this morning with him, but he didn't have the heart to wake you."

"Probably best that he didn't," Daniel said as he stood up. "It's borderline embarassing to have him lap me around the block."

Natasha chuckled. "You keep up better than most."

Daniel shrugged. It was true that no one else could stand up to the rigors of jogging with Steve Rogers, better than Daniel.

He was about to go downstairs to change as he had been wearing the same clothes for 24 hours now when the entire house began to shook. Natasha had experienced earthquakes yet this felt different. Still, she ran to the doorframe and met Daniel there at the same time just as Steve burst through the front door.

"We have to go!" he exclaimed, completelly out of breath.

Natasha was about to ask what was going on when she could see the branches of the tree in their front yard whip around in the wind. Landing right on their cul-de-sac was the quin-jet with a familiar looking man walking out towards them.

Natasha instinctively pushed at Daniel to go towards Steve at the door and walked out to meet the man now walking onto their sidewalk.

"Sorry for the interruption," Coulson quipped. "But you should all come with me."

"What's going on?" Natasha asked, as she caught Steve's gaze towards the southern skyline.

"The Chitauri and Loki are back," Coulson said. "We need to leave now. He has his army searching every major city."

"For Anna?"

"Not just Anna," Coulson said. "For all the Avengers."