Tony Stark left Pepper Potts' house feeling completely lost. The argument had been intense, full of revelations and raw emotions. As much as he tried to rationalize, the words and feelings exchanged echoed in his mind, preventing him from finding any kind of peace. Discovering that he had two daughters, who had lived all these years without his knowledge, was a monumental shock. The dark-haired man oscillated between anger and pain, resentment and confusion. How could the woman he loved hide something so significant? And why hadn't he seen the signs before? Sure, he never sought news of her over those five years, but that shouldn't have been a reason. They had lost so much due to a single decision. Each step he took away from her house felt heavier, burdened by the weight of the words that couldn't be taken back. He knew he had been harsh, that the accusations thrown in the heat of the moment might have been unjust, but the unexpected revelation had left him vulnerable and incapable of reacting differently. The whirlwind of thoughts and feelings gave him no respite. Stark didn't want the situation to escalate to that point, but he also didn't know how to resolve the complexity now unfolding in his life. The fact that his ex-girlfriend didn't fully understand his reaction only added to his frustration.

Deep down, he knew they both needed time to process everything that had been said and discovered. That's why, when the redhead asked him to leave, he didn't resist. He recognized that, as painful as it was, the best thing at that moment was to step back and try to figure out what to do next. If asked, Tony would honestly say that he had no idea how he managed to get through his commitments that morning; his mind was completely absent from everything happening around him. Rhodes had noticed his distraction, as had probably everyone around him. His friend had tried to strike up a conversation, but not knowing exactly what to say, Stark opted for silence. After the meeting ended, the dark-haired man just wanted to go home, so he decided to return to the hotel with the intention of leaving the country that very afternoon. As he crossed the lobby, he saw a familiar face and tried to ignore her, heading directly to the elevator. However, before the doors closed, the woman stepped in, making it clear that the conversation couldn't be avoided and that she wouldn't let it happen.

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked, his voice laden with irritation, his tense demeanor reflecting his frustration.

"You think you're the only one who can find an address?" Sasha responded, crossing her arms and maintaining a steady gaze, undeterred by his imposing presence. It was almost amusing considering her smaller stature compared to his.

"Sasha…" the dark-haired man began, but she quickly cut him off.

"You're just going to leave like this? Letting her believe her worst fear is true? That you don't care about your daughters?" Her voice trembled with the intensity of her accusation.

"That's not true. You know that!" Stark retorted, almost whispering, the anger giving way to vulnerability.

"Do I? Tony, you've only dealt in hypotheticals and possibilities. You haven't given any guarantees," she said, pressing her lips together, frustrated with his lack of clarity.

"I need time…" he tried to justify, running a hand through his hair in a gesture of desperation.

"But you don't have that time. Not anymore. Those two little girls aren't a prize you can choose to accept when you feel like it. They need you now, Anthony."

"I never said I needed time to accept them, I just…" Iron Man sighed. "I have no idea what to say to them. How to act around them. I have no idea how to be a father. I didn't have time to learn about this. And those girls… They don't even know I exist. I can't risk messing everything up."

"Just like you couldn't risk it with Gin? Look how that ended up."

Stark remained silent, watching the elevator buttons light up one by one, reflecting his growing impatience. Each illuminated button seemed to mark the rapid pace of his thoughts, a whirlwind of emotions he struggled to control. He felt trapped in that small space, unable to escape the painful truths Sasha had brought to light.

"When she called me saying you two had broken up, I was relieved. Happy, even. And, God, you have no idea how much I regret that. I've never seen her suffer like that. I think it was the first time I truly understood why she never left you all those years. I think it was the first time I really grasped how much she loved you."

Tony swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in his throat, and silently thanked the moment when the elevator doors finally opened. He stepped out quickly, his steps fast and determined, though his mind was in turmoil. He walked down the corridor toward his room, the cold hallway lights contrasting with the heat of emotions boiling inside him. Sasha followed closely, determined to continue the conversation.

"She deserves someone better than me," he muttered, almost inaudible.

"Maybe she does, but those girls also deserve their father," Sasha responded. "And you deserve the chance to be that for them."

"I never wanted to hurt Pepper. I never wanted us to end up in this situation," he sighed, his voice filled with frustration.

"But you did hurt her, Tony. And because of that, she made a decision that might not have been the right one," Sasha replied.

"Nothing I did gave your daughter the right to hide the pregnancy or the twins from me," Tony argued.

"With everything that happened, she saw someone she wasn't sure she could trust," Sasha countered, trying to make him see the redhead's perspective.

"She should have told me."

"And if you had reacted the way you're reacting now? By leaving? How long would it have taken for you to come back? Would you have come back? Tony, you need to understand that what you did to protect Virginia, she did to protect those girls. I'm not saying there's a right or wrong here, but you both acted out of a lack of communication, based only on assumptions," she sighed deeply. "I don't even know if I should be here or if I should have told my daughter I would be here, but while you two are stuck in your 'I did what I did because of you' mindset, someone needs to think about your daughters. Like I told Gin, it's okay to be angry and hate her for what she did, but you need to try to understand. You weren't there to see how much she suffered and still suffers having to pretend she doesn't care. You can't think it was easy for her or that she planned to never tell you about the girls, because it's not true. I don't know what's going to happen between the two of you, how you'll resolve this situation, but you need to find the best solution as quickly as possible, for the twins' sake. Erin and Iris are what matter here, not your ego battle."

"I don't know if I can be what they need. I don't want to mess it all up, so I'm sorry, Sasha. But I can't do this right now. I know that if I go there, I'll hurt Pep even more… And I don't want my daughters to have a bad first impression of me."

"Tony…"

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," the dark-haired man declared, the pain evident in his eyes as he walked away, leaving Sasha alone with her words and the responsibility of mediating that complicated situation.

"Where were you? I've been buzzing this intercom for hours. I got worried about your call," Kate said as she entered, placing her bag on the coffee table before settling on the couch. "What happened?" Pepper sighed, closing the door behind her and joining her friend. "Gin, are you okay?" the brunette asked, analyzing her with concern, and those words were enough for the redhead to feel her eyes welling up.

"I... I..." She began, struggling to find the right words.

"Friend, you're scaring me. Was it something with the girls? Is Erin and Iris okay?" Kate inquired.

"They are. I mean, for now, I really don't know what to do now..." Virginia replied, her voice choked with uncertainty.

"Do what? What do you mean?" Her friend's expression became even more worried.

"Tony was here," Potts admitted, feeling a heavy burden on her shoulders.

"Tony? Which Tony?" the brunette asked, incredulous.

"You know which one. The only one," Pepper replied, cutting her off before she could continue.

"The same Tony who..." The other woman began, but was interrupted again.

"Yes. The same Tony," confirmed the redhead, her voice now heavy with sadness. "He knows about Erin and Iris, we fought, things didn't end well. I-I don't know how things are going to be from here on out. He could take the girls from me if he wants. You know that."

"God, Gin. He would never do that," Kate tried to comfort her.

"You didn't see him. You didn't see the anger he was feeling."

"He wouldn't have the courage," Katherine asserted, but her tone couldn't hide the doubt.

"I don't know, Kate, I really don't know what scares me more, whether he might want to be part of their lives or not. I'm so confused and scared that..." She couldn't finish the sentence, tears interrupting her words.

Several minutes passed, and when she felt a little better, Pepper shared with her friend what had happened that morning in more detail, finally managing to control her emotions. The brunette listened attentively to every part of the story, offering comfort to Potts. Kate didn't know Tony, so she wasn't sure what to expect from him. In fact, neither did the redhead, at least not until she saw Sasha come home. She had an idea of where her mother was, who she was with, and what the topic of conversation was. For a moment, Virginia even felt a knot in her stomach, as if everything was about to be resolved, but upon closer observation of the older woman, she realized what the outcome of that meeting had been. And there was no other choice but to accept it.

It was living amid denial, doubts, and anxieties that a week passed without Pepper hearing anything from Tony. She thought about calling, about reaching out, but after the conversation Sasha had with him, she decided it was better to wait a bit. She had time to learn how to be a mother, to accept that she would be a mother; the dark-haired men, however, had no time to live with the fact that he was now a father. The redhead knew her ex-boyfriend long enough to understand how unpredictable he could be. He might show up the next day handling the new discovery exceptionally well, or it might take him months to come to terms with the situation. So, she just let the clock run.

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and the twins had gone out for a walk with Kate. Potts was at home, replaying the week's events for the thousandth time when the intercom buzzed. Assuming it was her friend returning with the children, she opened the door, already making space for them to enter. However, she was mistaken. Standing before her was Stark, with a serious expression and a look that mixed determination and uncertainty. The surprise was evident on Pepper's face, and it took her a few seconds to react. His unexpected presence brought all the emotions she had been trying to control to the surface. Her heart raced as she tried to find the right words. Tony, for his part, seemed to be battling his own internal demons.

"Since when do you open the door like that?" the dark-haired men questioned, eyebrows raised.

"What are you doing here?" automatically, she went on the defensive. "I thought it was someone else."

"I'm not referring to you not asking who it was, which shows your disregard for your own safety, but opening the door dressed like that." He said, looking her up and down. She had completely forgotten she was wearing just a shirt and panties. Moreover, she was almost certain that with the sunlight streaming in, the shirt was quite see-through.

"Shut up, Anthony," the redhead snapped, turning her back to him and hurrying upstairs. Moments later, she returned wearing a robe. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk."

"After a week of no sign of life?" Potts asked sarcastically. "You've got some nerve showing up here like nothing happened."

"Look who's talking. You did that for years, and I'm not throwing it in your face."

"Of course, because you did that last week."

"I was just angry, I..."

"Anthony, if you came here for this, please just go." Pepper interrupted him. "Honestly, I'm not in the mood to argue. Let's just forget it and move on."

"I came here to talk, not to fight. I want to move forward too. I want to know my daughters, be part of their lives, and be the father they deserve."

"Right. I think it's cute, these words of yours, but what's the guarantee? How do I know that tomorrow you won't wake up and think, 'I need to protect them, I can't be their father. I need to exclude them from my life.'? My daughters aren't toys, Anthony. You can't play at being a father."

"And I don't want to do that," the dark-haired man clarified, desperation evident in his voice as he sought her trust. "They're my daughters, Pepper. I have a right. I'll sign a contract if you want, do anything, accept any limits."

"Great. I'll have my lawyers arrange that this week," Potts retorted harshly. She still couldn't trust him.

"Perfect, but I won't sign anything until we've talked... By the way, where are the twins?"

"With their godmother," the redhead replied quickly. Noting the confusion on his face, she added, "With Kate. A childhood friend. I had some things to take care of."

Tony nodded. "Can we talk?"

"Not here at home," she said directly.

"Why not here?" Stark found it odd.

"Because depending on what you suggest or say to me, I might want to kill you, and have you noticed that right behind you is a kitchen full of knives? I don't want my daughters to see that scene. It's not the image I want them to have of their mother."

"Very funny."

"In a public place, it'll be better. We'll both have to behave. We won't get too heated."

"Where would this place be?"

"There's a café two blocks from here, and it's pretty quiet. I'll meet you there."

"No, I'll wait, and we'll go together."

"I'm not going to run away," Pepper said.

"It seems it's not just you who doesn't trust me anymore. At least we have something in common, don't we? The lack of trust in each other."

Pepper cast a hesitant glance at Tony before turning and heading up the stairs again, feeling the weight of each step. The dark-haired man stayed in the living room, observing the quiet house filled with memories and unfulfilled expectations. The silence between them was heavier than any words spoken, an invisible barrier they both needed to break down.

[]

Hello everyone, how are you? I know I disappeared (a lot), but believe me, this past month has been crazy with so many things happening at the same time. I even ended up traveling, being without internet, and getting sick for two hellish weeks where I had trouble even breathing, but I'm much better now!

Do you still remember the fanfic? I hope you haven't abandoned me. What did you think of the chapter? Please comment... And oh, forgive me for any mistakes, I didn't revise the chapter.

P.S.: From now on, we'll have a new chapter every Sunday (no fixed time).