Chapter 1 What came before.

Nat's point of view

I was on reconnaissance in Wakanda, Queen Shuri had asked me to stay with her at the palace.

Unable to sleep one night, I crept out of the palace and went for a walk. I went down to the caves.

There were people there. Ever the trained spy and assassin, I slid into a secluded space in the wall and observed.

Howard's point of view

*FLASHBACK*

December 16th 1991.

3 motorcycles were surrounding the vehicle we were riding in, they would take it in turns to overtake me and then pass behind again. Peggy was curled up against me, she was drowsy. I had my arm around her, one of the motorcycles made contact. I pulled off the road, by a tall old oak tree.

"Howard, what's wrong?"
"We're about to be ambushed"

"What?"
"This has been my greatest fear since. well, for a long time"

"What do we do?"
I had no time to answer

*CRASH*
*CRASH*
*CRASH*
"HOWARD!"

"Sergeant Barnes. help my wife. please!" I begged. I heard Peggy scream. I could no longer see her because my face had been covered by a burlap sack, I was hit hard on the head with something.

"Check the boot"
"It's here!"
"EDWIN!" screamed a voice

I tried to struggle but was pummelled on the head with something. I was thrown onto a hard surface.

"Peg? Peg, where are you?"
"How the fuck is this asshole still conscious?"

"Clobber him again, then stuff him into the cryofreezer. "

I heard a shriek and knew no more.

*END FLASHBACK*

2011.

I awoke alone in a clinical room. it was white, and uninteresting. Someone came in. They sat next to my bed.

"Good afternoon, Howard. Welcome to the new UN World Security Council facility." she said, and I knew immediately that it was Councilwoman Pamela Hawley of the world security council.

"Where am I?"
"You're in Wakanda, East Africa. Peggy is alive and well, and she is next door with my colleague — Gideon Malick — learning the same thing I am about to tell you. It seems the Security Council has a bit of a problem. Queen Shuri and her bodyguard, Okoye, are in there too. It seems someone within the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division is HYDRA."

"What did you say?" I spat, not daring to hope or believe that Peggy was alive. The last time I had seen her, she hadn't looked like she was going to survive, and that thought had terrified the life out of me.

It was then that I heard my wife's cold, furious and VERY English-sounding voice yell,

"Do you mean to tell me that my sons and my daughter believe that we're no longer alive and that Nick Fury is responsible for it?"

I paused, as I hadn't heard her so angry in an extremely long time, and the last time she had been so angry, all hell had broken loose.

"Councilwoman Hawley, if you know what's good for you, and if the World Security Council doesn't want a lawsuit on its hands, you'll take me next door and conduct this with your esteemed colleague and my wife present!" I snapped.

"Very well Howard, we shall go next door"

We walked into the corridor and into the next room

"Everything OK Pamela?"

"Not really Gideon, as I suggested to you earlier, Howard. "

"You will address me as Mr Stark, and ONLY Mr Stark. You lost the right to use my given name when you deceived me and my family!" I interjected savagely. I could see Peggy sitting next to me, but she wasn't aware of my presence yet.

"I'm sorry, Mr Stark, it seems we've let you down rather badly," Malick said sheepishly.

"Do the kids know that we're alive?" Peggy asked, she still hadn't acknowledged me yet.

"No, no one passed the information on to your children. Nor Ms Potts, nor Ms Romanoff. Ms Romanoff has spoken with Dr. and Mr. Stane about it, and together they discovered that Fury had betrayed them. None of the others know yet."

"And what's worse is that no one thought to tell Peg and I the truth, either. " I said, sitting on the chair at Peggy's side. She hadn't realised I was sitting beside her because she was staring intently at Gideon Malick

"Bloody hell" Peggy muttered, turning to glance at me. "I thought you had. "

"And I thought you had. too" I replied,

She stood up, turned around and came hurtling towards me like a bat out of hell. She leapt into my arms, and we kissed, hard. Queen Shuri's eyes widened, I could see them reflected in the mirror that was behind Peggy.

Peggy reluctantly came up for air, I had no intentions of letting go of her just yet.

"We can finish that later" she murmured. I giggled.

"You naughty girl. I missed you. so much." I said, putting my hand on her butt.

"I missed you too. I'm sure we'll spend a long time making up for the time we have lost tonight and in the not too distant future." she added.

"Definitely"

I sat down on the seat I'd been sitting in, and I pulled her onto my lap and felt an instantaneous shift.

"I want to take care of *THAT* later!" she said, her fingers gently caressing the enormous bump in my pants.

"I've missed that" I said, and then I leaned over and whispered into Peggy's ear, "my hand doesn't have the same magic that yours does. Mr Trouser Snake loves when you visit him. We've both missed that." I felt the heat in the room increase as Peggy blushed.

"Oh, I bet you have, you incorrigible menace." she replied with a wry giggle. Okoye cleared her throat.

"I don't think your children are doing very well right now." Queen Shuri said, "I suggest you watch this camera footage of what occurred recently between your sons and daughter, who are now collectively known as The Avengers."

*VIDEO*
Avengers: Civil War, Battle of Leipzig Airport

"Who's the red and silver guy?"
"Vision"

"What's the yellow thing on his forehead?"
"The Mind Stone."
"He has an infinity stone on his forehead?"
"Yes. We have located the Tesseract and Dr Strange has the time stone. At this point, we didn't know that the stone was an Infinity Stone. though I suspect Vision did."
"So the team is divided?"
"Yes. Furthermore, Tony and Pepper are on another break. She's still adjusting to him being Iron Man"

"What is Tony doing now?"
"Well, Pepper runs STARK INDUSTRIES, so Tony has a lot of time to invent, build, be Iron Man and mentor a young superhero by the name of Spider-Man, however, due to the events that you're about to see. Tony has been spending a lot of time with Jay lately. He blames himself for what happened. It wasn't his fault. Vision was distracted because he had a crush on Wanda."

The problem was that my life was falling apart, and I didn't have anyone to help me fix it. The majority of the time, I was overwhelmed, terrified, and unable to string more than three sensible words together.

Jay initially was unsure about letting me help with his recovery from the injury.

Vision had been trying to stop Falcon, and he got distracted by Wanda. Vision accidentally hit Jay in the back. Jay fell 85 feet to the ground and landed face up. He suffered a serious back injury which cost him the use of his legs. The rest of the team blamed me.

Jay didn't blame me for it, but he was wary that I might hurt him. I promised that I would build mechanical supports for his legs, while the others would help him with physical therapy.

Matt, Clint, and Nat kept their distance from me. Steve and Loki were deeply disappointed in me. Bruce helped me with nightmares, but he didn't spend much leisure time with me, and neither did Scott. Thor was disappointed in me too.

Every time I thought about what had happened, I felt terrible. Guilt and anger warred within me.

I was the depute leader of The Avengers and the main financial backer of them. I was suddenly surplus to requirements, useless, spare, in excess, not wanted, supernumerary, superfluous, unnecessary, and overabundant because I hadn't been paying attention and Jay got hurt.

Since Pepper left the tower, the events of December 16th 1991 have haunted my dreams, along with the possibility that I could lose Pepper for good.

I woke up crying more than once. At the time, I was living with Bruce, Jay, Thor, and Loki at the tower. Thor and Bruce helped me when I had a nightmare. Loki tried to make me laugh by pulling pranks.

The closeness that the team once shared was completely gone. Only those who sided with me stayed awake with me. The others wouldn't even look at me.

I was desperate, angry, and lonely, and snapped and asked,

"Out with it, Bruce, what did I do this time? I sense that you guys are hiding things from me."

"We're not."

"How do I fix this? How do I fix this mess?"

"I don't know"

"I've tried apologizing, and no one will listen. I tried to back off and keep quiet, but it didn't make any difference. what is it going to take?"

"I'm sorry, Tony, I don't know what to tell you about fixing it."

"Do I have to do something drastic to make you realize that I apologize for what I did?"

Bruce didn't answer.

3 weeks later, things were no better with the team, though I had made a little progress with Pepper. We had a four-hour conversation on the phone. She called me out of the blue one afternoon while I was lying on the couch in the living room of the tower, trying to have a nap on Bruce's orders.

"Tony, we need to talk, I have a business question."

"What, after all this time with no contact whatsoever, you suddenly want to talk to me? Out of all the people, you could have called about Stark Industries business?"

"Look, I have a business question OK and if you're going to be immature about it, I can ask Obie instead"

"We need to talk about us too"

"After we deal with business."

"Fine. go ahead, ask your question"

"Do we have an accident logbook?"

"No, we're supposed to have one, but I haven't been good about keeping it up to date. I'm sorry, Pepper"

"Don't worry about it. Do we have a health and safety officer?"

"Again, I should have appointed one, but I was lax in my work. When that came in, I had just started being Iron Man and things were extremely hectic."

"I'll figure it out, OK?"

"Fine. You don't intend to leave Stark Industries, do you?"

"Of course not. Obie would never let me do that. All right, Tony, out with it, what's going on?"

"Like everyone else in this world, you seem to think I'm an automaton. I'm not, I have feelings too, you know, and our break-up or break or whatever it is we're on right now is affecting me as much as it is affecting you. I need to know what's happening so that I can move on and let you go if that's what's needed or so that we can repair this".

Pepper sighed, "Tony, when you put me in the Iron Man armour and then when you fell from the house in Malibu into the ocean in the Iron Man suit, you scared the hell out of me. I'm still dealing with the aftermath of that. "

"And Killian"

"And Killian. yes"

"What did he do to you?"

"I don't think it's something we should discuss over the phone, Tony."

"OK, I've got a fairly clear idea of what he did to you from just that sentence alone. I always kind of suspected that he would try that again."

3 and a half hours later, we were still talking.

"I miss you Pep, but I'm willing to be patient and give you the time and space that you need"

"Thank you, Tony, I appreciate that"

"I'd even be willing to give relationship counselling a try. If that was what it would take for us to get back together."

"That would be good. would you like to meet me for lunch on Thursday so that we can discuss this further?"

"Of course" my phone beeped. it was a text message from Steve which read "MANDATORY TEAM MEETING, BOARDROOM 2 FIVE MINUTES TIME." "Damn! Sorry, Pep, I have to go, team stuff. you're still the most important person in my life, OK?"

"OK"

"See you Thursday"

"See you Thursday"

Before we went "on a break" I would have told her I loved her. now, I couldn't say that. I didn't mean to make her think I was trying to rush her.

I tossed my phone carelessly onto the couch and took the stairs down to the boardroom. The moment I walked into the room, the yelling and accusing started.

"All right, what's so time-critical that you had to call me right when I was in the middle of an essential phone call from Pepper?" I demanded.

"You let Jay get injured because you were more interested in, I don't know what"

"I was more interested in stopping the chaos! I was trying to stop Vision from making a mistake when Wanda distracted him."

"You don't belong on the team. You're too self-centred."

"So I'm the only problem?"

"Yes"

"So what's next?"

"We're going to stop"

"What do you mean?"

"We have agreed that we're permanently suspending the team, it's over"

"It can't be. I didn't get a say in this."

"You're a liability, Stark. You just don't think about others. You think about yourself all the time and that's why you lost your girl, that's why you're going to lose your company and that's also why you're no longer on this team and why we're now ending the team." Matt growled.

"Too far, Murdock, too far!" Clint growled, "You insult my brother one more time, and I'll. "

That's when I lost what remained of my composure and patience.

"What the hell? Where do you jackasses get off knocking me on my butt? I have apologized and apologized and apologized for the mistake I made. This is ridiculous, and you will pay, mark my words, you're going to regret this." I snapped, "Vision is as much to blame for this as I am and so, as a matter of fact, is Wanda! And anyway, Matt, how would you know? You didn't see it happen!" I added viciously. Matt didn't say a word, so I continued coldly, "I know your accident wasn't your fault, so don't give me that look!"

Before Matt could summon up a suitable retort to my question, Jay said,

"Tony's right you guys, you shouldn't give him such a hard time for this because he doesn't deserve it. He tried to prevent the accident, and he couldn't."

"He still did the wrong thing" Matt snapped.

"No he didn't. When you were all busy with other things, he has been helping me heal, and he has been encouraging me and so has Bruce! Tony and Bruce have both stepped back from the team so that someone is here for me in case I need help while I can't walk. They've also been helping me with physical therapy, which is something all of you agreed to do, and you haven't done so Tony and Bruce have done it, and you know what? you need to take a long, hard look at yourselves. Especially you Matt. You're being awfully hypocritical!"

"That's right" said Bruce. "Tony asked me to oversee Jay's physical therapy and keep him accountable, and I have done that, and Tony has been helping Jay to recover from his injuries. He does NOT deserve our wrath."

"Stark is stupid, selfish, ignorant, and backward." Clint growled, his blue eyes aflame. "He caused this because he's irresponsible, but we should commend him and Bruce for what they've done to help Jay. If Tony wasn't on the team in the first place, none of this would have happened. Ever since Pepper left him, he's become a liability"

"No he's not!" Bruce yelled, his eyes glowing green, "Tony is selfless! He gives so much to the team and the company and expects nothing in return. I don't blame him for his feelings towards us!"

"Nor do I! Tony and Pepper taking a break has nothing to do with this and unless you want to be on a break too, Clint, I'd watch what you say!"

"What? Nat! You're supposed to be on my side!"

"The way you've been acting lately warrants a change of position. Your attitude is deplorable!"

"How is it deplorable?"

"Look, I have to go and do some digging, I realized recently that — I'm sorry to mention this Tony, but it's important — something about the night Howard and Peggy allegedly died doesn't make any sense to me. I'm going to go and do some digging. see what I can find out. I'll be back soon".

Nat left. Clint started to go after her, but she was out of there too fast. He turned on his heel and went to the gym.

I got up and went to my office. I got the keys for the new red Audi TT and drove to the Stark Industries office.

"I would like to see Ms Potts, immediately." I barked at the receptionist, "You will tell her who I am and that I am demanding that she come and talk to me at once. You won't like the consequences if I'm kept waiting!"

Pepper's point of view

"Tony, what are you doing here?"

"Do you want to be with me or not?"

"Yes, but. we have a lot to work out"

"Yes or no"

"Yes but. "

"No! No ifs, no buts, no maybes, no hesitation, no explanation and no apologies, the answer is either yes or it's no. The answer is yes you want to be with me, or it's no you do not want to be with me".

"I wish it was that cut and dried, Tony."

"Oh, it is that cut and dried. it has to be. I can see that you still have doubts, so the answer is no. OK, fine. we're done. Go live your life and be happy. I just came to collect one thing, and then I'll be out of your hair, permanently. It'll be over, finished, done. Anthony Edward Stark won't be a problem for anyone any more by the time I'm done!" he seethed.

"Tony, what happened? I've never seen you this angry before"

"Nothing. The team is over, the dream is over, we're done, it's finished. I'm finished. I'm stepping down as head of R&D – Bruce or Jay can take my place. This is it, I'm getting out of the way before things get so bad that there's no point in me stepping aside. I'm going to do something that I should have done long ago. it's over between us, I'm not meeting you for lunch on Thursday, it's over, everything is over. Goodbye, Virginia"

"Tony. wait!"

He turned and walked out of the room without a backward glance. I heard his footsteps climbing the stairs to his office and coming back down. When they did, I heard the unmistakeable sound of a very heavy set of keys jingling. I had never seen him look so angry or determined before. There was something else in his eyes that hadn't been there even when we went on our break when we were teens. defeat. I realized too late that he was trembling from the effort of keeping a lid on his emotions.

I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my contacts, this was not something I could deal with alone. when I found the number I needed, I pressed call.

Jay's point of view

I got a call from Pepper.

"Jay, what's going on? Tony came in to the office and asked me whether we were continuing or not, and I said I still had to work some things out. He went ballistic. I've never seen him this angry before, and I'm worried he might do something stupid."

"The team shunned him. well Clint, Pietro, Wanda, Matt, and Wade. Hell, even his Uncle Steve said the same that he was stupid, irresponsible, and wreckless. It almost cost me my life. I told them they'd better stop punishing him for the mistake he made. As soon as Tony realized how much danger I was in, he asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to get medical help for me immediately. The doctors said that because of that, I have a good chance of recovering . What did Tony say?"

"When I asked him what was wrong, he said 'The team is over, the dream is over, we're done, it's finished. I'm finished. I'm stepping down as head of R&D – Bruce or Jay can take my place. This is it, I'm getting out of the way before things get so bad that there's no point in me stepping aside. I'm going to do something that I should have done long ago. it's over between us, I'm not meeting you for lunch on Thursday, it's over, everything is over. Goodbye, Virginia' and then he stormed up to his office, got something from the safe and left."

"I know where he's gone. If I'm going to stop this, I need help."

"I'm on my way, I'll meet you in the lobby."

"OK"

Tony's point of view

I put on a hat, dark glasses and hid my accent as good as I could, I'm not an actor.

"I would like a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon please. and a bottle of Scotch."

"$83.40"

"OK"

As soon as I got to the house, I opened the door and went inside. I took the Gramophone and put it in the kitchen. I went to my room and got East Side Story by squeeze. On the night my parents died in the car accident, I had listened to that album.

Shortly after that happened, we discovered that, like my father, I too am allergic to alcohol.

I went to what had been my father's office and got a legal notepad that he kept on his desk. I put East Side Story on and sat down and began to write what was the hardest letter of my life.

Pepper's point of view

When I arrived at the tower, Jay was waiting for me, dressed and standing at the reception desk.

"He's gone to the house, hasn't he?" he asked,

"Yes. I checked the safe and the key for the front door was missing. Wait a minute! How are you standing?"

"Tony built these for me"

"And yet, the rest of the team blame him for what happened?"

"Yes."

"We should hurry"

"Yes, we should. I have an idea. I know you don't like heights, Pepper, but the traffic will be impossible. Tony needs us".

"You're right. Come on. Let's go upstairs. Tony keeps an EpiPen in his top drawer for emergencies."

"What's going on?"

"Bruce, we need you to come with us. get into the Hulk-Buster and meet us by the launchpad in ten minutes"

"Where's Tony?"

"Up at the house. We have reason to believe he's about to hurt himself very much on purpose."

"Should I call Obie?"

"Yes"

Obie's point of view

"All right, good, but this time I want you to try to get a little more emotion into it. and-" my phone's sudden ringing cut off my thought.

"Sorry Jane, I need to take this"

"OK"

"Pepper, what's wrong? What? All right, I'm on my way. I won't be long".

"What's going on, dad?"

"We'll need to finish your lesson later, I've got to go to New York. there's an emergency."

"I can practise on my own till you get back, Dad"

"I'm going to be away for a few days."

"OK"

"And I have to go right now"

I ran upstairs, Maria was on the phone.

"Obie, what's going on?"

"Pepper called, Tony isn't doing well"

"Oh. what happened?"

"There was a big fight between the team members because they blamed Tony for Jay's accident. They are now divided. Everyone blames Tony for everything, and he's gone to the house. He's going to hurt himself. He'll do something stupid that he shouldn't do."

"We should both go."

Tony's point of view

I listened to East Side Story, and looked through the photo album. I started writing the letter with tears streaming down my face.

"Hi everyone,

If you're reading this, then I've done something you might think is stupid, but I thought it was necessary. It seems, I'm unreliable, reckless, dangerous, thoughtless and I ruined the Avengers. Furthermore, I almost killed my big brother. As soon as I realized what was happening, I fixed it as well as I could. The problem isn't me. the problem is the rest of the team. Jay, Bruce, and Nat are the only ones who I can trust.

Pepper, I'm sorry it didn't work out between us, but I want you to be happy, and you weren't. I guess we're not soulmates after all? Thank you for being with me for the time that we were together. It's over, I can't take any more of this. I'm done. I'm going to finish what I should have finished in 1991, and I'll give mom and dad your best once I get to Heaven. Believe me, I wish things could have been different or that we could have fixed things so that this wasn't necessary. Unfortunately, it is. one sip should do it unless I decide to inject it directly into my bloodstream, which would have a quicker effect.

Tony"

One shot. If my math was right, and it was always right, I had 15 minutes left once the needle had gone in. I placed the copy of my will to my right side, put the letter on the top and prepared the syringe.

I didn't want this. I would rather not end my life, but what choice did I have? The team blamed me for everything.

I probably should have realized that at least some people cared about me enough to come and try to stop me.

Pepper's point of view

"Come on Jay!"

We flew over Manhattan and up towards Long Island. We flew down into the garden. While Bruce wrestled with the Hulk-Buster armour. Jay and I got out of our armour and ran into the house.

Tony had the syringe in his hand. He was bawling his eyes out. he was shaking. but the syringe still had the alcohol in it. I snatched it from him and threw it aside like it was a grenade. I sat on the floor next to him.

"Tony? Did you inject, drink or inhale any of that?"

"Of course not, I'd be dead if I had."

"You were considering doing it, though, weren't you?"

"Of course I was. Why wouldn't I? I'm toxic, worthless, pathetic!, a disaster! For heavens, sake! I almost got Jay killed, and I killed off The Avengers single-handedly. Why are you even here? You could do so much, better! Why do you want to be with a piece of filth like me? What's the point in continuing?"

"You're not a piece of filth, Clint is an idiot, and so is Matt! Those two and the others don't appreciate you. They don't see the good that you have done for the team and all the good you do for them. They just want to use you. Jay, Bruce and I care about you. Your Uncle Steve should have known better."

"Why waste time and energy on a weakling. Everyone would be better off if I didn't exist."

"Not true! Tony, you are an incredible, generous, selfless, warm, loving person. If Clint and the others can't see that, then it's their problem."

"Pepper is right, Tony"

"She would rather not be with me, though"

"When did I say that?"

Tony sent me the conversation we'd had earlier in the day via the soulmate link

I gave Tony a concerned look. He shrugged his shoulders and said

"This is what I get for not going to Seminary when I had the chance. It's too late now".

"You don't mean that"

"Yes I do."

"We're soulmates"

"So?"

"So we're destined to be together."

"What if the potion was wrong?"

"Severus said the potion does not lie"

"Well he can't have got it right then because you deserve much better than a piece of stunted slime like me"

"You aren't stunted slime, Tony. You're a wonderful person and I love you. Maybe I was being a bit too demanding when I said that I had to move out of the tower. I think I'm ready to recommit to us"

"You don't have to do that out of pity"

"I'm not, I don't pity you Tony, I love you."

"I love you too, and I'm sorry I'm such a burden"

"You're not a burden, Tony, we all have times when things completely overwhelm us and when we need to rely on others"

"I've had it. I would rather not be on the team any more"

"I don't blame you"

"Tony. you're not going to believe this. " said Nat.

"This better be good"

"Well, it is, sort of."

"Really?"

"Yes. "

"Go on"

"It's about your parents. "

Obie's point of view

*Flashback 2 days earlier*

We had just arrived at JFK Airport and were about to head to the house on Long Island when a figure approached. It was Natasha, but we had to pretend that we didn't know each other because she was undercover

"Mr Stane, can we talk?"

"Of course Ms Romanoff. and please, call me Obie"

"If you'll call me Tasha"

"Would you like to come with us to Long Island?"

"Yes I would. I found out some things. and I need to confirm a couple of things before I tell the others what I found out".

"OK"

I loaded Natasha's suitcase into the boot of the car. I thought I heard it say "OW".

"I will explain everything once we get to Long Island. " was all Natasha would say kicking the suitcase hard as she loaded it into the boot. This time I definitely heard it say OW!

Pepper's point of view

Tony's godparents were coming. Jay had gone grocery shopping and was now fixing dinner for us. Even though it had been 20 or more years since Peggy and Howard had died, Tony still kept the house in working order. Obie and Maria used it when they came to stay in New York.

When Obie and Maria arrived, Jay served dinner. Tony picked at his.

"Tony. what's wrong?" Maria asked

"Nothing. except. everything! Nothing is going right! I can't do anything right" Tony broke completely. overcome with anger, betrayal, and sorrow.

"What's going on?"

"Well. today has been quite a day! First, the team voted to kick Tony off because they blamed him for my injury. I don't. He's been helping me to recover, but the others are a bunch of mundane zombie sheep who don't see what's right in front of them. Tony has been pretty miserable about it all day. I can't say I blame him."

"They kicked me out of the team" Tony said grumpily "and as if that's not bad enough, Pepper and I. well, I don't know"

"Tony came and asked me if I wanted to continue, and I said yes, but I also told him that I'm still working through some things. He took that to mean yes. but actually. not so much. He went upstairs to his office, got the key and came up here. "

"Then I bought a bottle of scotch and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. I found a syringe from when I was having to test my blood regularly when I had the Arc Reactor."

"You were going to hurt yourself?"

"Yes!"

"You were prepared to throw away your life because you were so angry?"

"Yes"

Obie sighed.

"Tony, I will speak to the other team members. "

"OK"

"I should bring in my suitcase" said Nat. "It's got some 'splainin' to do"

"OK"

Nat's point of view

I brought the suitcase containing Director Fury up to the house. I opened it.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just evaporate your brain. Or a reason why I shouldn't send Bruce into a code green and give you to the Hulk to play with?" I hissed.

"I don't have one. What I have done, what I am going to do, is for the greater good."

"You are going to sit down. You will tell everyone the truth. You annoying little menace because if you don't, I'll aggravate Bruce, turn him green and give you to the Hulk to play with!"

"All right fine. "

After unceremoniously stuffing Fury back inside my suitcase, and handing him to Bruce. I grabbed my phone and called Clint.

"Clint, get the rest of the team together and get up to the Stark Mansion on Long Island. That's an order from your commanding officer".

"Fine. But if Tony thinks for one minute we're going to allow him back onto the team, he has another thought coming!"

"That is not up for discussion, he and Pepper are both part of this team. I have found out some things that need to be shared with everyone. You are part of this family by adoption, so you will do exactly what Jay says because he's the oldest. Before you come up here though. you will completely forget everything you think that you know about the past 20 years."

"Why should I?"

"Clint, if you want us to stay together, you'll do what I say."

"That's manipulative."

"Listen, your attitude lately has been deplorable. You are acting like a self—aggrandizing spoiled baby. It stops. now, or I'm taking the kids and going home with my parents."

"Really Nat? You're going to threaten me like that?"

"It's not a threat. If I carry it out, this time we're not coming home."

"Yeah OK princess, whatever you say, you entitled spoiled ungrateful brat! We'll see how far you get without your soulmate."

"All right, stop it, you two."

"That's it Clint. We're done. It's over. There's no turning back this time. I'm taking Harry, Lila, Cooper, Nate and Hermione and going back to Malibu with Mom and Dad. this ends here".

"Do what you like, but you're not taking the kids"

"Yes I am."

"Enough. You two will fix this, we will babysit and let you go and talk it out. Now what was it you wanted to tell us, Natasha?"

"Clint isn't willing to listen, so I can't tell you"

"Just hurry and spit it out already, would you?"

"Fine. I have very reliable proof that Howard and Peggy are still alive".

The expression on Tony's face changed, he gasped, choked, rounded on me and said in a low hiss.

"Natalia Alinova Romanova that better be true because if it's not. the consequences will have consequences!"

"Trust me, it is true. I will prove it to you."

I opened the suitcase and director Fury fell out onto the floor.

"Bruce. remember when I asked you to brew me some Veritaserum?"

"Yes"

"This is why. He was found creeping around the bay in Wakanda. Queen Shuri called me and asked for my help with finding out what this scumbag was up to, and she told me everything. Howard and Peggy are alive, they're in Wakanda. They're not supposed to be alive and no one knows except those who were there the night the 'accident' happened".

"Three drops, under the tongue. Bruciebear."

"OK Tony."

I held Fury's nose and prised his lower jaw away from his upper while Bruce squirted the 3 drops of Veritaserum under his tongue.

Tony's Point of View

"Let's see what this weasel has to say for himself"

"What is your full name?"

"Nicholas Joseph Fury"

"Your age?"

"68 years old"

"Ser number?"

"A 07458876"

"Clearance?"

"Level 10"

"How did you lose your eye?"

"A cat/Flerken known as Goose scratched it out"

"Yep, it's working"

"Good. Mr Fury, we are going to ask you some questions, and you will answer them honestly, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand"

"Mr Fury, Are Howard Anthony Walter and Margaret Elizabeth Stark still alive?"

"Yes"

"Do you know where they are?"

"Wakanda, East Africa."

"What happened on the night of December 16th 1991?"

"The Winter Soldier and I ambushed the car that Howard and Peggy Stark were travelling in. On the orders of Strucker and Rumlow."

"Why?"

"Hydra had a plan in place to bring together the greatest minds of our generation. To achieve that, I needed certain members to be vulnerable. That's why we came up with the plan we came up with".

Pepper's point of view

I could hear Tony's raw anger coming through the soulmate mind link. Panic and devastation accompanied it.

"I told myself that my parents were indestructible. They're gone, but they aren't. How can this awful thing be true? It's not true. You were manipulated. Nothing you believe is true. Every day of my worthless, pathetic life is a lie. Do you think Howard and Peggy are even my real parents? Pepper is my soulmate, right? Who is Tony Stark? I have many questions, more than the entrance exam for MIT. All I have are questions that are impossible to answer."

His breathing grew shallow, sweat gathered on his brow, he was suddenly ice-cold, he was trembling uncontrollably. I recognized the impending anxiety attack as it began.

"We have to prepare, we have to ready ourselves and our children for what's coming. Loki paying us a visit was just the beginning. I don't know what is coming, but I know something big is. I know something is coming. When it does, it's going to be absolutely cataclysmic. It will change everything, and maybe not for the better. I don't know that yet. What frightens me is that I might not be able to fix it, I might not be able to prevent it, I might not be able to stop it. We might not survive it."

"Tony. Tony, look at me. stop. look at me. match your breathing to mine"

It was too late. It was too far gone for me to be able to pull him out of the anxiety attack before it happened. Every so often it triggered a migraine.

I did the only thing I could. I reeled Tony in and held him until he was calmer.

"We're going to figure this out, I promise. I'll make sure everything is okay, Tony."

"Where are my parents?"

"Wakanda."

"Really? You sent them to Wakanda?"

"Yes I did. It was for the best. King T'Chaka refused to put them in cryostasis, as did his successor, King T'Challa. I suspect Queen Shuri will do the same."

"What happened to T'Challa?"

"He got very ill and died. There was nothing anyone could have done".

"You're going to answer for this Fury. Mark my words, you'll pay."

Tony stood up and punched Fury on the nose, and he kept right on punching until Bruce and Jay pulled him away

Peggy's point of view

*Flashback: 3 weeks earlier*

Howard and I were on our nightly stroll along the beach.

We had found the most beautiful, secret little cave, up the coast from Birnin Zana. It had become something of a secret rendezvous point. After dinner, we would walk, spend a couple of hours in our secluded haunt, with a blanket, some alcohol-free wine, some chocolate body paint, and chocolate coated strawberries and just. be a couple.

This one night was slightly different.

We woke up cuddled close, under the blanket, completely naked, giddy with the thrill of our actions.

Another tender romp begins when his lips gently nip at the sensitive flesh under my neck. I whimper, aching with desire, begging for release. Soon he has me melting and seeing stars. I recover, and return the favour. Next, he reels me in close, our lips meet. A seismic shift takes place, he's throbbing and weeping as he plunders my depths. Our thrusts in sync, hardening, accelerating, deepening.

The moment comes, and the dam breaks, shrieks of ecstasy from both of us. Recovery comes next.

We glance at the time, quickly helping each other into our clothing. Once we're dressed, we shake the sand from the blanket and our shoes.

He slips his arm around me, reeling me in close. My head gently settles on his shoulder, the fingers of his right hand caress my butt cheek. My right hand instinctively reaches up to caress his face. He pauses, pulls me even closer and kisses me hard. I slip my arms around him tightly, he is solid again, painfully so.

"Peg" he whimpers

"We're nearly there Howard" I reassure.

"I can't wait until we get back to the room. "

"We have to"

"I can't, it's not only majorly noticeable, but it's incredibly painful. we need to find somewhere to. "

"OK"

We rush back towards the palace, Howard spies a small enclosure nearby. We sneaked in to the enclosure. Howard pulls me up into his arms and slips deep within my folds.

Holding me tightly and balancing me as we complete our ministrations. We try to keep the moans, yelps, and screams of ecstasy inside. Sated, we release again, in sync. He lifts me down carefully, we rearrange our clothing, just in time. We hear footsteps approach, hastening. Howard pulls me into his arms, I lean against his shoulder.

"What do we tell them if they ask where we were?"

"We got lost"

"They'll never believe that, you have an eidetic memory."

A firm hand closes on my shoulder, startling me. A brightly glinting spear thrust under my chin. It's Okoye.

"We went for a walk."

"Queen Shuri checked the cameras, she saw you walking towards the caves, have you been doing so regularly?"

"Forgive us, Okoye, but Howard and I wanted some time to be alone, somewhere that wasn't our room and was somewhere where we couldn't easily be interrupted. It's palatial, and we're grateful for it, but occasionally, it's nice to just. go back to nature."

"I see. you should know Mrs Stark, Nick Fury was discovered by the Jabari skulking around the shores of Wakanda. Then we discovered that you were not in your room. Had he stayed there any longer, then our true enemy — the one whose name we never mention. We don't mention him because he will turn up and cause chaos if we do. Your friend's daughter has agreed to come to Wakanda to apprehend the prisoner."

The Dora Milaje had Nick Fury trussed up like a turkey, ankles, and wrists shackled, his one good eye covered with a blindfold. Okoye had confiscated the eyepatch he usually wore. She was holding it high above her head like a trophy. She had a triumphant grin on her face.

"You haven't told Tony the truth, have you?" I snarled, glaring at the prisoner.

Fury said nothing.

"Have you?" Howard asked, sneering at the imprisoned former Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division director.

"No"

"Why not?"

"Because it's not time for them to know"

"You mean it's not convenient for your plans"

"Exactly"

We were taken to the main throne room. Queen Shuri didn't say a word to us.

When Okoye told her what we had been doing, she giggled, and then she turned to Fury, her eyes ablaze. "You will go to New York right now, and you will tell Tony and the others the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You will apologize to him, and then you will go directly to jail. You will wait on Rikers Island for your real punishment. Ms Romanoff is on her way to escort you back to New York. You will answer for your crimes".

"There is just one thing I would like to ask Your Highness"

"Yes?"

"May I give Mr Fury the nut-shot he deserves for keeping my children in the dark about this?"

"Of course, Mrs Stark"

I kick Fury as hard as I can below the belt, and Howard and I go upstairs to our room. He opens the door, carrying me bridal style across the threshold. Our lips meet, tongues wrestling for dominance, fingers speedily extricating buttons from their buttonholes and removing layers.

Once we are naked, we climb under the covers and once again we begin the act of cementing our physical relationship. Another tender romp begins when his lips gently nip at the sensitive flesh under my neck. I whimper, aching with desire, begging for release. Soon he has me melting and seeing stars. I recover, and return the favour. Next, he reels me in close, our lips meet. A seismic shift takes place, he's throbbing and weeping as he plunders my depths. Our thrusts in sync, hardening, accelerating, deepening. The moment comes, and the dam breaks, shrieks of ecstasy from both of us. Recovery comes, and with it the blissfulness of sound sleep. Unfortunately, as we see through the soulmate link, our son is not sleeping well. None of them are, but Tony's nightmares concern and frighten me.

"Don't worry Peg" Howard whispers, kissing the side of my neck and making me shudder with ecstasy, "We'll figure this out"

Tony's point of view

My nightmares always start the same way. With a horrific recounting of my past. Tonight was different for some reason. The first nightmare was the same horrifying mess as always, December 16th 1991, but the second one. was different.