It was Saturday night, and although only a few hours had passed since the media discovered Tony and Pepper's relationship and the fact that they had two daughters, the couple's lives had been thrown into chaos. The abrupt and invasive revelation brought a wave of attention that seemed impossible to contain. Stark was in the middle of numerous calls, trying to understand how the information leaked and simultaneously trying to mitigate the damage. His girlfriend's house was steeped in palpable tension. The redhead had put the twins to bed and, exhausted, tried to find a moment of peace in the bedroom while her boyfriend dealt with crises in the office. He was on a call with Bruce Banner, who, concerned, wanted to understand the situation as well.

"How are you holding up?" the scientist asked.

"Falling apart," Tony confessed, running his hand through his hair. "I don't know how we're going to get out of this."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bruce offered, trying to be the support Tony needed.

"I don't think it will help, but thanks," he replied, frustration evident in his voice.

"Tony, you're not thinking of…" Banner began but was quickly interrupted.

"No, Bruce. I'm not," Stark cut off his friend, the firmness in his voice clear.

"I just want to make sure, because the last time your lives got complicated, you decided that the best thing to do was to walk away."

"I walked away to save Pepper's life. It was a different situation from now. I'm not leaving them," he explained, the memory of that time still fresh in his mind.

"I'm glad to hear that," Bruce said. Despite being a cliché, he genuinely meant it. The scientist had spent enough time with his friends to see how much Tony and Pepper loved each other and deserved to be happy. Having their relationship shaken by the leak of that news was something that couldn't happen. "Have you decided what to do?"

"Not yet. We haven't had time to talk about it. These last few hours have been… intense, to say the least," the brunet sighed, feeling the weight of it all.

"I imagine it must be hard for you."

"A bit… But I contacted our lawyers to at least keep the girls out of this mess. The last thing we need is their faces plastered on magazine covers."

"I think that's the most important thing you have to do right now. Protect the girls from this circus. It's not like you and Pepper won't be affected, but you've been dealing with this long enough to know how to handle the situation."

They talked for a few more minutes, discussing strategies and trying to find some comfort in the friendship they shared.

"Bruce, I need to go now," Tony said, noticing his girlfriend coming down the stairs, the tired expression on her face mirroring his own.

"Alright, but you know you can count on me, right? Both of you can. If you need anything, just call," the scientist reinforced, his voice full of sincerity.

"Thanks, we know. And don't worry, we'll get through this," Stark replied, trying to convince himself as much as he was convincing his friend.

Hanging up the call, the brunet approached Potts, who looked exhausted. He wrapped her in a tight hug, feeling the comfort of her warmth against his body. He knew that together, they could face anything, even when the world seemed to be falling apart around them.

"They're... scared. They're only 5 years old. You can't expect a different reaction. One moment they were having fun with us, and the next they were surrounded by paparazzi yelling and taking thousands of photos without understanding why."

He sighed, feeling the weight of responsibility increase even more.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't want things to happen this way."

"I know... What I don't understand is how they found out," the redhead commented, her voice filled with nervousness. It was evident how deeply this situation was affecting her.

"Pep..." the brunet began, but she interrupted him.

"We traveled to Disney, New York, Malibu. We've been together for 6 months. You've known the girls for almost a year. Why now?" She was visibly disturbed.

"Hey, calm down," Tony tried to soothe. "Honey, I know things are crazy right now and it's hard to believe, but everything will be okay."

"How exactly? We're in the same situation as years ago. The difference is now it's not just us involved, Tony. It's not about the assistant being promoted and having an affair with the boss anymore. It's about our daughters. I don't want Erin and Iris to grow up with this chaos around them. They're just kids, and no one seems to be thinking about that. What's it going to be like when they go to school? When they want to go to the park to play and can't?"

Stark listened in silence, absorbing every word from his girlfriend. He knew she was right.

"Pepper, I won't let these revelations become bigger than necessary. Our lives are none of their business. Erin and Iris won't be affected by this."

"You know you can't control everything."

"I'll do everything I can," he replied firmly. "I'll schedule a press conference, we'll come up with something to tell them, a convincing story. And we'll beef up our security. I've already contacted our lawyers, they'll take care of that."

"And in the meantime?" the redhead asked, her voice reflecting genuine concern.

"I'll be here with you," he replied without hesitation.

"Tony, you have work to do and so do I. You should be in Paris, not back here. The company relies on you," she insisted, struggling between her personal and professional concerns.

"Being with you is what I have to do. It's where I want to be," the brunet spoke with conviction.

"But..."

"No 'buts,'" he gently interrupted her. "Nothing will change my mind. We're going to get through this together, as we should."

"Are you sure about that?" Pepper asked, seeking reassurance.

"Are you really asking me that?" Tony smiled, affectionately raising an eyebrow.

"Then I'm glad you're here," the woman finally smiled, feeling temporary relief.

"Me too," Stark replied, pulling her into his arms and embracing her tenderly.

For a few moments, they remained silent, finding comfort in each other. Potts' quiet sobbing echoed in the room, an expression of relief mixed with the pain of the circumstances.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

But she couldn't explain. She didn't know where to start, and he understood that. Tony held her carefully, letting her lean on him as emotions overflowed. They didn't need words at that moment; just being together was enough to make them feel stronger. Eventually, silence became the best form of communication between them. And as promised, he spent every day of those two weeks in Toronto by her side. Perhaps because it was Canada, the frenzy of paparazzi that existed in the United States wasn't the same there, but still, he made sure to reinforce the security at her house and hire new guards for their girls.

It was a Wednesday afternoon when the brunet got home. The girlfriend was sitting on the living room couch, visibly tense with a serious expression on her face. That couldn't be a good sign.

"Hey..." Tony tried to greet her with a kiss, but Pepper dodged.

"You forgot your daughter," she said, her voice filled with irritation.

"Pep..." he started, but was interrupted.

"No, no 'Pep'," the woman stood up, clearly indicating she was angry. "I asked you for one thing, Tony. Just one thing: to pick up Erin from her theater class and you forgot."

"I didn't forget," the brunet tried to explain. "I asked Happy to pick her up when I saw I was going to be late, but by the time he got there, you had already picked her up."

Potts crossed her arms, clearly displeased. "And where were you when you were late? I told you she'd be out by 3:00 sharp and hates waiting alone."

"I know that and I explained to Happy, but the traffic didn't help."

"And where were you that you couldn't go?" Pepper asked again.

"I was with Laurel," Tony replied, shrugging.

"With Laurel?" she spat the name, revealing all her irritation. "The same Laurel from the park? From Rocky?"

"It's not what you think," he hurried to explain.

"I'm not thinking about anything, Anthony. I'm just asking about something you told me."

"Terrible choice of words," the brunet admitted.

"Of course there would be a woman involved. Why would you forget your fatherly duty?"

"Pepper, could you please listen to me for a second before accusing me?"

"I'm listening, Anthony."

"Great, because you'll be glad to know I was with Laurel because she had information about how the media found out about us," Stark said, catching the woman's attention.

"Continue..." she said, clearly interested now.

"You don't need to be jealous, you know that, right?"

"Anthony..."

"Okay, okay..." he raised his hands in surrender. "Anyway, we met up and she told me she thought she knew who was behind the leaks..."

Pepper's expression softened a bit, indicating she was willing to hear more.

"Tony, thank you for coming and sorry for calling you like this," Laurel greeted him as soon as he approached her.

"It's okay, I'm glad you called," he replied, sitting across from her. "So, what do you have to tell me? Your call made me extremely curious."

The brunette took a sip of the iced tea in front of her before beginning. "As I told you, I believe I know who might be behind the news surrounding you in recent weeks. It happened a little while ago, maybe 3 or 4 weeks, I'm not exactly sure, but I was going to pick up my son from swimming when a blonde woman approached me and started asking a lot of questions."

"Blonde woman?" Stark questioned.

"She said her name was Christine..." Laurel responded, pausing to try to remember the woman's name. "Christine Everhart. She introduced herself as a journalist from the United States."

"Damn!" Tony muttered.

"You know her?" she asked, surprised.

"Let's just say Pepper and I don't have a very good history with her."

"That explains some things, especially how she talked about your girlfriend."

"What exactly did she want from you?"

"She asked me countless questions, insinuating that we had a relationship. I realized she wasn't well-informed about our situation. She seemed to be after any information she could use against you guys. She talked about Virginia, asked if I knew her, if I knew about her relationships... things like that. I found it all very strange, but I figured, being you, Iron Man, having people investigating your life could be normal. I told her that we met by chance in the park and became friends. She kept pressing about dates, who you were with, and things like that, but I was in a hurry, close to the time to pick up my son, so I managed to end the conversation. She mentioned that she knew I had more information and said she would call me. I asked if it wouldn't be the other way around, but she insisted she had my number and just left before I could question her more."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I thought it was something common for you, with so much spotlight. And after so many days without contact from her, I thought it wasn't important. Until today, when she called and said it was time to share the information I had. Of course, I didn't say anything, but she said she would find out with or without my help."

"Laurel, I... I don't even know what to say."

"I'm sorry things have gotten so complicated for you guys. If I had acted when she first approached me, maybe this information wouldn't have come to light."

"You couldn't have known."

"I know, but still, I feel bad about it."

Tony took a deep breath, processing the information. It was clear that Christine Everhart was determined to be a personal hell in their lives.

"Thank you for telling me, Laurel. I'll deal with this the best way I can."

"I hope you can resolve everything. If you need anything else..."

"I know where to find you." Tony smiled, trying to lighten the tense mood.

"So it was her?" Pepper interrupted the narrative, visibly concerned.

"Yes." He moved closer to his girlfriend, trying to convey calm. "I'm sorry I couldn't pick Erin up from ballet, but it was for a good reason. I know I messed up, Pep, but it wasn't intentional. I was trying to understand how all this happened, looking for a way to fix things for us."

She looked at him with a mix of frustration and curiosity. "You should have told me."

"I didn't want to say anything until I was sure of what was going on."

"And now, what will we do?"

"We'll carry on with our lives."

"Just that?"

"Yes, for now."

"Tony, I know you. What are you plotting?"

He sighed, knowing he couldn't hide his plans for long. "Nothing, Pep. I just recognized that you were right, like last time. Maybe the best way to deal with all this is to simply keep living our lives."

"But?" The redhead remained suspicious. She knew there was always a "but" when it came to him.

"But that doesn't mean our lawyers will stop working. And I also plan to have a serious conversation with Miss Everhart."

"Babe..."

"Don't worry, I won't provoke her. I'll just tell her the truth."

"The truth?"

"That she can try all she wants, but she'll never drive me away from you. That I'll always be here to protect you." He smiled and kissed his girlfriend's forehead.

"Where are you going now?" she asked as Tony stepped away.

"I have a little girl to apologize to."

Pepper smiled. She knew that, despite everything, their daughters would always be his priority.

They would always be his priority in life.