Pepper woke several times during the night, subconsciously expecting Tony to be awake or having a nightmare, but he always appeared to be sleeping soundly. When she woke up around dawn, he was still asleep and it looked like he hadn't moved an inch. She worried that he was comatose or worse; she couldn't remember a time in their long association that he had slept so deeply for so long.

There was only one person who'd known Tony longer than she had, so she carefully slipped out of bed and texted Rhodey. He's been asleep for over 12 hours now. Should I be worried?

The response didn't come for over a half hour, which she spent fretting. It's been a while, but he used to crash for almost a full day when he'd been pushing himself too hard.

Thanks.

And this way it's no big deal that he's restricted to his room.

Very true.

Pepper was mollified enough to leave Tony's side to get dressed, but she wouldn't be entirely reassured until he woke up.

Which he did, about an hour and a half later. His hands twitched, a deep inhale was followed by a long sigh, and his eyes blinked open.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty," Pepper teased, leaning over so her eyes were level with his.

Tony slowly focused on her face, then his eyes roved around what he could see of the room without moving. "What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"Around seven. In the morning."

His brow furrowed. "How long was I out?"

"Almost fifteen hours. Apparently you were tired. Are you hungry?"

His stomach growled. "I suppose I am," he replied. "Just give me a minute." He sat up slowly, then slid down off the bed. He started toward the bathroom but stumbled and had to grab onto the end of the bed for a moment before moving again. "Friday, log that as dizziness when standing."

"Tony, should I-" Pepper began.

"No," he said shortly. "I'm fine." He closed the bathroom door and was in there long enough that Pepper started to become concerned. Then he emerged, freshly shaven, and she understood.

"If you need something to eat right this second, there are snacks on your desk. Otherwise, I can go and see what's in the kitchen for breakfast," she said.

He stood next to her and casually rested his arm around her waist. "This should be fine, I-"

A knock interrupted him. "Room service," Rhodey's voice said.

Tony pulled open the door.

"What do you think you're doing out of bed, young man?" Rhodey teased as he wheeled into the room, a tray balanced on his lap.

"I just finished in the bathroom, what's it to you?" Tony retorted.

"You're bed-bound until noon, did you forget?"

Tony scowled. He'd forgotten.

Pepper went over to him and rubbed his shoulders. "At least you slept for more than half of it," she said consolingly.

"That doesn't help."

"Thank you for breakfast, Rhodey," she said, taking the tray from him and setting it on Tony's desk. "Was there anything else?"

"Yeah, Tony needs to take his meds," Rhodey said, looking pointedly at Tony, who threw up his hands in exasperation and went over to where he kept the bottle. "Also, Lila has requested that Uncle Tony read two chapters today since he missed yesterday."

"We should be able to manage that," Tony said agreeably once he'd swallowed his mouthful of water.

"Is the therapist coming to interview today?" Pepper asked.

"She is," Rhodey said. "Natasha sent you both the itinerary. Tony, she's assuming that you'll want to watch or listen in on some of the conversations, so she has several options for you this afternoon. If you want to meet with her directly, that can be worked in, too."

"I'll take a look and let her know."

Rhodey nodded. "See you later. Pepper, if we need to help you tie him down or anything, just say the word."

"Traitor," Tony grumbled but sat on the edge of the bed.

Pepper shut the door behind Rhodey, then checked the contents of each insulated mug before holding one out to Tony.

He took a cautious sip, then sighed in satisfaction. "Friday, who is responsible for this?"

"Clint Barton made your coffee this morning," she replied.

"I'll have to move him to the top of the list for upgrades," Tony mused.

Pepper shoved a plate toward him. "Eat," she commanded.

"But then I have to put down my coffee," Tony objected. "And the bed lacks cupholders. I should fix that."

"So move up to the head of the bed where you belong and use the bedside table," Pepper said with exasperation. "Honestly, Tony, I don't know why I put up with you sometimes."

"Because your life would be boring without me," he said cheekily, but moved as she'd suggested.

Once he was settled and had his plate, Pepper pulled the desk chair up to the side of the bed. "Friday, project the therapist's itinerary so we can take a look."

Rhodey was right; Natasha had scheduled the afternoon meetings in a room with a one-way mirror so they could be observed. The therapist candidate would be talking to Hill, then Natasha, that afternoon (after an HR person and a security person, which he wasn't as interested in). Either of those conversations would be worth eavesdropping on, so he might as well do both.

Tony sent a message to Natasha saying he'd watch those two, but didn't want to commit to a separate meeting. After that, he had Friday call up the therapist's documents that Sam had sent and he and Pepper perused them while finishing their beverages.

"She has a lot of experience," Pepper said after a while. "Did Sam say why she wants to leave the V.A.?"

"He only said she's looking for something different. I'm sure either Hill or Natasha will ask that question."

"I'm a little surprised you're going along with this," Pepper admitted. "Especially with how much money you've spent building stuff to cope with your problems rather than just talking to someone about them."

"Sam thought it would be good for the team, and we need all the help we can get."

"Would you talk to her?"

Tony shrugged. "I can't say until I find out if I like her."

"But if you do?" Pepper persisted.

"I won't rule it out," Tony said evasively.

Pepper knew better than to push any further. She took Tony's plate while he continued examining the therapist's credentials, first on the documents and then by looking her up on the internet. After a little while he seemed to tire of this and waved away the entire display.

"Is there something you'd like to do?"

"Go to my workshop," Tony said sourly. "Sorry, honey, I know it's not your fault. I'm just-" he gestured helplessly.

"It's frustrating, I understand. Would you like me to see if Lila wants to read now? I think Dr. Mann won't mind us bending the visitor rules a little bit."

Tony perked up but tried not to show it. "Sure, if she wants to. I mean, I have nothing else planned."

Lila was only too happy to delay her schoolwork with Laura's permission in order to read with Uncle Tony, and in his room no less. She was a little shy about climbing up onto the bed with him, but when both he and Pepper assured her it was all right, she happily sat next to Uncle Tony.

The two chapters were finished too quickly for both of them, Pepper thought, even though the reading and the talking about it afterward lasted well over an hour.

"Three hours to go," Tony groaned, dropping his head back against the headboard after Lila left.

"Do you want them to wait to have lunch until you can join them?" Pepper asked. She'd gotten a text from Natasha with that question while Tony had been reading.

"No," Tony said immediately, cringing at the idea of having everyone watching him like a hawk. "They can have lunch before I arrive, waiting is unnecessary."

"All right." Pepper was debating whether to ask Tony about what he'd been working on in his shop, which could usually keep him occupied for a while, when Rhodey peeked in.

He'd brought the chess board. "Care for a rematch?" he asked, slowly crossing the distance to the bed in his leg braces.

Tony smirked. "Sure thing, as long as you don't mind losing yet again."

Pepper knew Tony was in good hands. "Tony, I'm going to let you and Rhodey do your thing. Would you like me to come back and help you get dressed?"

"N-Yes," he said. "Please." With the therapist coming, input on his clothing wouldn't be a bad idea, especially with the electrodes to consider.

"I'll be back at a quarter to twelve," Pepper said, then left, taking the breakfast dishes with her.

She returned to Tony's bedroom after getting some work done, sending Katie on a few errands, and talking a little more with Wanda about how to be yourself when you have powers that people fear. She wasn't sure what use her perspective would be, since she could hide her abilities while Wanda could not, but she'd enjoyed the conversation.

Rhodey had brought Vision into the chess game via video and earpiece, and still Tony was beating him. "All right, I concede," he said, throwing up his hands. "Thanks for trying, Vision."

"How many games have you played?" Pepper asked as she glanced at the board. Tony had only been two moves from finishing the game.

"Five," Rhodey said with mock exasperation. "Care to guess how many he's won?"

"I don't need to guess."

"You should play Pepper sometime, old man," Tony said as he put his pieces back into the box. "She'll give you a run for your money, but you might have a chance."

"More than a chance," Pepper said with a smile.

"What we should play is poker," Rhodey said as he stood up. "I can read you like a book. Maybe I'll suggest that for the next team game night."

"We have game nights?" Tony handed him the board and box of pieces.

"We will now." Rhodey grinned and nodded to Pepper as he left the room.

As Tony expected, Pepper had thoughts about what he could wear that would be suitably casual but still mostly hide the electrode lumps. Once he was decked out in dark jeans, a polo shirt, and a blazer, he asked, "Will I need makeup, all wise and knowing Pepper?"

She held his chin and tilted his face toward the light. "No, I think you'll do. The bags under your eyes are much less noticeable today. Ready for lunch?"
.

They went down to the kitchen and found Steve and Rhodey making sandwiches. "The Bartons went out for a picnic and bug-hunting expedition. Everyone else is at the cafeteria having lunch with the therapist," Rhodey reported. "Would you like tuna or tuna?"

"Tuna," Tony said, sliding onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar. "Have you met her yet?"

"Nope. I figure you can tell me what I need to know."

"Why aren't you with them, Steve?" Pepper asked.

"I thought the conversation would be easier without me there," Steve said.

"He thinks they'll end up talking about our little civil war," Rhodey interpreted.

"Is that what we're calling it now?" Tony said. "I mean, I suppose it's strictly true, but still. 'Civil war' makes me think of pitched battles and people dead. We only had that one skirmish and no deaths."

Steve glanced at him but didn't point out that he was omitting Siberia.

"That's an awfully heavy topic for lunch," Pepper commented. "Especially since she doesn't know all of you yet."

"She's a therapist. Who knows what they'll end up talking about," Rhodey said, dropping a handful of carrot sticks on each plate.

"They might just talk about the weather," Tony said, taking a plate and moving to the table. He debated whether to have his second cup of coffee with lunch but decided he'd need it more later.

When Rhodey sat down across from him, Tony asked, "How's your reading coming?"

Rhodey sighed. "Government documents are the worst."

With that, the conversation settled firmly on the Accords and specifically what was to be discussed with the subcommittee chairwoman the following week. Their discussion lasted long after they had finished lunch; Pepper cleared away the plates since she didn't have much to add to the conversation.

"What would happen if you both presented the entirety of your edited version of the Accords to the subcommittee instead of this piecemeal nonsense that's making my head spin?" Rhodey asked.

Steve looked to Tony.

"When we started on these negotiations, Steve was still a fugitive and admitting that I was working with him on the edits would be admitting that I knew where he was," Tony said. "This last meeting was the first where it would have been plausible to have a document that we'd both edited since his return, but the agenda was already set." He looked thoughtful.

"Should we ask during our meeting?" Steve suggested.

Tony rubbed his chin, then nodded. "Why not? It's worth a shot."

Pepper touched his shoulder. "The interview with Hill starts in fifteen minutes, if you'd still like to observe."

"I'll be right down, thanks," he said. "So, we should run our version past everyone before it goes to the chair. If she agrees with your suggestion, she'll want the document by the end of the week for distribution well in advance of the next meeting. You'll see her Wednesday morning, which doesn't give us a lot of time."

"Then everyone will need to read it by Monday night," Steve said.

"And everyone will include T'Challa," Tony added. "As Black Panther, he is also subject to these terms."

"Friday knows how to get a copy of this to him?" Rhodey asked.

"Yes, Colonel," Friday answered.

"Then we know what we need to do. Tony, let us know what you think of this therapist."

Tony was ensconced in the viewing room on the other side of the one-way mirror, mug of coffee in hand, five minutes before the doctor's conversation with Maria Hill was due to start.

Dr. Tanya Thomas was a black woman of middling age and moderate weight with close-cropped hair and smile lines by her eyes. She greeted Hill with a friendly openness that was slightly off-putting to Tony at first, but he suspected it was a tactic to take the measure of her interviewer.

After Maria came Natasha, and Tony found it interesting to watch her use the same approach and get different results. From the conversation, Dr. Thomas had done her research on the team, which made him wonder how much he knew about each individual person. Almost on impulse he decided that yes, he would talk to her directly. He sent Natasha a brief message to that effect, and requested that the conversation occur in the room usually used for Ross.

When Natasha concluded her time with the doctor, she rose and cast a glance at the mirror-at him-and escorted Dr. Thomas from the room. Tony waited a few minutes before casually strolling to the visitor's conference room.

When he entered, she was sitting in a chair toward the far end of the room with her back to the door. She rose when she heard him approach and shook his hand quite firmly before they both sat down, Tony facing her where he could see the whole room, as nondescript as it was. "I'm guessing I don't need to introduce myself," he said.

"Mr. Stark, I'm Dr. Tanya Thomas. I'm very glad you were able to meet with me today."

"Really." He sat back in his chair.

"I attended your MIT alumni presentation. It appears you have a keen interest in psychology."

"How did you come to be at that event?"

"My nephew is a doctoral student in electrical engineering. I was his guest."

There were several things there he could ask about from that statement, but he ignored them all. At least she didn't mention how he'd frozen up at the end. "What did you think?"

She smiled kindly and folded her hands on the table. "I think your device is interesting, but you could have saved a lot of money if you'd talked to a therapist instead."

"Why is that?"

"Visually seeing one's traumatic memories isn't likely to aid the therapeutic process. In fact, obsessing about getting the details right might even hinder it. On the other hand, with some tweaking, that system might be interesting from a fantasy fulfillment angle."

The thought had occurred to him, as well. "What do you think of the Avengers so far?"

"The Avengers are a very special group of people. As a very special group, there are unusual challenges and expectations can take a toll if you aren't prepared. From what I have seen, none of you were prepared."

"If you were to work with us, where would you begin?"

"That depends on each individual."

"How much do you know about us?"

"That also depends on each individual. It is probably safe to say your life is the most documented."

"That is safe to say." Tony thought of the leaked hospital photo. "What conclusions do you draw about me from that information?"

"I prefer not to draw conclusions about patients before talking with them at some length." She met his studying gaze evenly.

"Then where would you start?"

"What is distressing you the most?"

Tony found himself nodding. Yes, that would be a logical place to start. "Since this is not actually a counseling session, I don't think I'm going to answer that," he said.

"This can be whatever you want it to be," she said placidly. "You can always delete any recordings later."

She smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back. She knew him well enough.

"Would you want to work with us?"

"Absolutely. Your group dynamics are interesting, and I think we could work together well."

He shook her hand again when he left and went back to the common area feeling better about the idea of a team therapist. He said as much to Rhodey and Pepper, who looked skeptical at first. "I think I could talk to her and get somewhere," he added, after making sure no one else was where they could overhear.

"That's fantastic," Pepper said, relief evident in her voice.

"I like her already," Rhodey agreed.

Those who had met Dr. Thomas talked about her approvingly at dinner, so the decision to officially hire her was an easy one. Steve's announcement about everyone reading the revised Accords was not as welcome.

After the meal was over and everyone began to disperse for the night, Natasha pulled Tony aside. "Will you want to be involved in interviewing people for the PA position?"

"No, I trust your judgment. Just make sure they're asked how they deal with egocentric billionaires," he said with a smirk. "You'll know if the answers are good ones."

"I hope someone suggests a stun gun."

"You wound me."

"You can usually handle being taken down a peg or two."

"Usually." He wandered down to the workshop for something to do; Pepper had disappeared in the company of Natasha, Wanda, and Laura, while Rhodey was off with Sam fitting in the exercises he should've done that morning instead of playing chess. He wasn't sure why Sam was Rhodey's partner of choice for that endeavor, but it seemed to make them both happy.

It was certainly for the best as far as the team was concerned-stronger friendships might keep what had happened from happening again.

Then again, the only ones who still seemed to be on thin ice around each other were him and Steve. He was working on that but there were memories that haunted his nightmares (and made his heart beat faster even when awake) and Steve, too, seemed to be having difficulty moving past Siberia. Tony knew something about guilt and he could recognize it in Steve.

"Friday, has Steve used the shield since his return?"

"No, boss."

They definitely needed a team therapist.