"How much longer until we get out?" Steve groans miserably.

I tilt my head. "Um…about a year and a half, at most two."

He just groans again. "I hate not doing anything to catch the girl."

I snort. "Join the club. And we're not even watching your memories."

"Good point. Let's get this show on the road."

A~A~A

Total Days Tony's been missing: 102

"Taylor, it's been over three months, you need to address-"

Taylor turns around with a spark in her eyes, one nobody's seen in exactly one hundred and two days. "I don't need to address anything, Obie! There's nothing to address! He is not dead!"

"Taylor, your father has spent over three moths in the Afghani desert. Put yourself in his shoes, where would you be?"

"This isn't about me, Obie!" Taylor insists. "This is about my dad. Who is not dead, who is going to be found, and is going to be replacing you as CEO in no time!"

"No he's not!" Obie roars. "You're delusional, Taylor, to an extreme extent. Your father is not coming home, he's never coming home. Give it up already! He's dead, there is nothing you can do!"

"I would know if he was dead!" Taylor argues. "He is not dead!"

"YES HE IS!" Obie roars, face purple, and Taylor shrinks slightly in fear. "He. Is. Dead. And you, Taylor Maria Stark, are a delusional baby. A child. Grow up, will you, and face the music." Obie hisses, turning and walking away, grumbling obscenities under his breath.

"That ублюдок." Natasha growls, descending into a string of colorful curses in multiple languages, starting in Russian then going to Swahili, Pashtu, Croatian, and even a few in German.

I just wait until she's finished to snort at her. "You done, mamma bear? Keep in mind that that's not even the worst part. Save some foreign curses for the finale."

She just grumbles and stares at the screen.

Taylor crosses her arms and falls back against the hallway wall, staring blankly up at the ceiling. "Am I crazy, Jarvis?"

If Jarvis could have sighed, he would have. "It may seem that way to some, ma'am. Sir has been declared dead for over a month and a half, yet you are one of maybe two people to keep searching, and the only one to believe in his survival fully. Personally, I find this to be a very noble, strong trait, and refuse to believe Sir is dead. If I were human, I would be helping you search."

"You already are." Taylor points out softly, eyes igniting once more. "Jarvis, call a press conference. There's a few items I need to address."

She pushes of the wall and walks towards the doorway, straightening her sweatshirt along the way. She pauses in the doorway, however, to look up at the ceiling. "Jarvis, you know you're more than Just A Really Very Intelligent System, right? More than a computer butler, right?"

"I've known that for years, ma'am."

"Good." Taylor nods. "Now, I need to go find some clothes."

.

"Miss Stark! What are your thoughts on your father's death?"

"Miss Stark! How are you grieving?"

"Miss Stark! Over here!"

"Miss Stark!"

Taylor grits her teeth and ducks behind one of the bodyguards plowing through the crowd.

She finally gets delivered in front of the podium, bodyguards standing sentry all around. "Thank you, thank you, now how about we all settle down so we can get this show on the road? Right, you there in the red blazer."

"Miss Stark, what are your thoughts on your father's recent disappearance and death?"

"Well, Miss…"

"Quinn, ma'am."

"Well, Miss Quinn, I was upset, of course, when I found out he was missing, but how do we really know if he is, in fact, dead? Police cases have gone cold for much longer than my father has been missing, and the victims have turned up fine. And, guess what, alive. If you want my honest opinion, I think the public should not give up hope in its resources, and not jump to the wrong conclusion just because we get bored of a story. Next question, please. You there, with the blue tie."

"Miss Stark, how will this affect Stark Industries?"

"Your name, sir?"

"Mr. Walker, ma'am."

"Mr. Walker, if by 'this' you mean my father's disappearance, I can only hope that Mr. Stark will be found and returned to his post as Chief Executive Officer of the company as soon as possible. If that is not to be the case, I will have no problem heading the company with Mr. Obadiah Stane, the company's board representative. Now, you in the teal scarf."

"My name is Mrs. Emmett, ma'am. Do you truly believe you can run the company, only being thirteen, and for a few months at that?"

"Mrs. Emmett, you should really be aware by now that I am not an average teenager. If you are blind to this fact, I think you have been living under a rock for the past decade. I do believe that I am very capable of running my family's company, and have been for about a year. I should have no problems. Next, you in the fedora. Nice hat."

"Thank you, Miss Stark. My name is Mr. Elverson. From the sounds of things, it sound like you are trying to usurp the company. Thoughts?"

"What?!" Steve bursts out, confused beyond belief. "That isn't what she said at all! How…"

"Welcome to modern press, Steve." I murmur lazily. "That's honestly not the worst I've seen or heard."

"It was still wrong and twisted." Steve insists. "Why can't you do anything about it?"

I shrug. "Freedom of the press and nature of the beast."

Taylor just frowns slightly. "Mr. Elverson, I do not want to usurp the company, merely take it over if necessary. No matter how capable I am, please keep I mind that I still have somewhat of a childhood ahead of me, and I would like to spend it was normally as is possible. I think that's all the questions for today, thank you."

Taylor is immediately swarmed by bodyguards and led off stage, Obie meeting her in the hall outside the press room.

"You were a little sharp." is the first thing Obie says upon seeing Taylor.

"Hello to you too," she snaps back. "And can you blame me?"

"You could have been nicer," Obie pushes, "or maybe a little bit sadder. After all, we are dealing with your father's death."

Obie turns on his heel, leaving Taylor staring after him for the second time that day before she heads off to find a bathroom.

Once in said bathroom, she rests her hands on the sink and faces the mirror, digging a wet wipe out of her bag and wiping off all the makeup she had been wearing.

The absence of concealer reveals bags and dark spots under her eyes, the removal of lip gloss shows chapped and almost cracked lips.

Taylor groans and puts her head in her hands, trying to quell the forming headache.

The quiet tune of the US Army theme song startles her, and she frantically digs in her bag for a minute before extracting her phone and answering the call. "Hey, Rhodey."

"Taylor!" Rhodey's voice is a lot happier than Taylor's heard in months. "Guess what?"

"Rhodey, I don't have time for-"

"Guess who we found?"

She pauses. "Please tell me it is who I think it is. If not, Rhodey, you are so dead."

"It is! We found him yesterday! We did it!"

"He's alive, right?"

"Yes."

"I was right!"

"What?"

"Uh, never mind. Where are you right now?"

"In the air over…Europe, somewhere. Landing at Mitchell Air Force Base tomorrow afternoon."

"Good, good…thank god."

"I know. How're you doing?"

"I'm tired." Taylor admits, leaning against the sink. "And I just got out of a press conference. Currently the AI is my only cheerleader, him and my 'brothers'.

"When did you last eat?"

"Um…"

"Taylor."

"I know, I know, I'm hurting myself, yadda, yadda, yadda. Sorry, Rhodey."

"I'm not the one that's going to waste away. But try and get some sleep, if you can, and do not go back to your searches tonight."

"Just to shut them down. I don't need to look anymore."

"That you do not."

"Tell my dad I love him."

"I will. See you tomorrow, Taylor-tot."

"Bye Uncle Rhodey."

Taylor ends the call and stares at her phone for a moment, before audibly cheering. "You hear that, Jarvis?"

"I did indeed, ma'am. This is joyous news."

"It certainly is. Don't tell anyone just yet, okay?"

"I will keep this a secret at all costs, Miss Stark."

"Good…am I dreaming?"

"No, ma'am, you are not."

"Great. I was still right."

"And I never doubted you for a moment."

A~A~A

Everyone is silent in shock for a moment before Natasha starts cursing Obie, his name, and every part he's ever played in my life, this time in Macedonian.

"You know," Bruce speaks up when she's finished, "the Hulk and I don't usually agree on much, but right now I want to smash something, he prefers Stane as smashing material. Then we both want to go hug Tony to death."

"You can, just as soon as this is over." I pause. "Except, not the 'to death' part. I would really prefer my dad alive."

Bruce grins. "Deal."

"So…dare I ask what's next?" Steve asks cautiously.

I think about this for a minute. "Reunions. A very tearful reunion. And some of Obie's cracks starting to show. And aftermath."

"Aftermath?" Steve looks at me. "That sounds ominous."

"Well then, it lived up to expectations."