That end of the year had been hectic but also special for the Potts-Stark family. It had been a year since they had been together as a family for the first time, and since then, many things had changed. With two weeks of vacation before the twins' classes resumed, the couple decided to take a trip. Vancouver was the first stop, where they spent Christmas with Sasha. Then, they traveled to Finland and Norway. This time, they were truly a family spending the holiday season together. There were no secrets or lies. Tony and Pepper's decision to be completely open and honest with each other and their daughters had transformed their lives. The difficulties they faced in the past seemed distant, replaced by pure love.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Pepper asked, lying down next to her boyfriend on the bed. "You seem a bit distracted."

"I was just thinking about a few things," he replied.

"Should I be worried?" she joked, raising an eyebrow with a slight smile on her lips.

"Very funny."

Pepper laughed. "So, what's bothering you?"

"It's nothing, honey."

"Really? During the trip you were fine, it was only when we got back that you seemed off."

"Since when are you so observant?"

"When will you learn that I know you better than you know yourself?" she retorted, shrugging. "We've only been back a few hours, so it's too soon for you to be feeling post-vacation blues. The company is doing well, the Avengers haven't gotten into any trouble... I don't know what could be bothering you."

Tony was thoughtful for a few moments, and Pepper realized that something was indeed wrong. He wasn't one to hesitate. "Babe..."

The brunet sighed. "There is something bothering me, but it doesn't directly involve anything you mentioned."

"I don't understand," she said, propping her head on her hand to face him.

"During these days, I've been thinking about us..."

"Why does it sound like this conversation isn't going to end well?" Why was fear beginning to take over her body?

"You asked me what I was thinking about, didn't you?" he retorted, and she knew it was a rhetorical question. "I was thinking about us, the girls, about how we've been maintaining this life in two countries..." He paused.

"And what conclusion did you come to?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"That this isn't working for me anymore, at least not for me. I hate having to spend the weekend with you and then having to leave. I hate not being able to pick the girls up from school or take them there. I love you, Pep, but spending two days a week with you feels like too little for me."

She remained silent, trying to process his words. "I know... I hate it too, but we have our lives in different countries," she replied calmly, although she was so nervous she didn't even know if Tony had heard her.

"I know, which is why I've been thinking, and I think it's time to change this situation," Tony paused and took a deep breath. "We've done this before and it worked really well. We understand each other like no one else. We understand our likes, our routines. We know how our day-to-day life works."

"Tony..."

"I know you would never ask me to do something like this, but it's what I want to do."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm going to move here."

"You what?"

"Your life is here now, the girls' lives are here. It's not fair to ask you to give up everything you've built."

"What are you saying?" Potts asked, sitting up in bed. She wasn't sure she had heard correctly. Hearing Tony Stark say he was moving to Toronto was somewhat surreal.

"You know what I mean, Pep," he argued, also sitting up and looking at her. "I'll understand if you think living together is a bit too much, if you prefer to take it slow, I really will, but I've made my decision. I'm moving to Toronto."

"Tony, I-I..." She didn't know what to say.

"I don't want you to think I'm doing this because you forced me, because it's exactly the opposite. I'm choosing this."

"You can't do that. Your life is in the United States. It's in New York. Tony, you have your company and the Avengers."

"I can manage the company from here without any problem, and we both know that for some time now, I've been more of a consultant than an Avenger," he said. "Besides, New York is just an hour away from here."

"Tony, you can't give up who you are, change like that. I don't want you to change."

"Pep, I'm not giving up anything. I'm not ceasing to be the CEO of Stark Industries or Iron Man," the brunet explained calmly. "Honey, I'm not changing who I am, I'm just changing cities."

"Are you sure about this?"

"I am."

"You can't make a decision like this without thinking through all the possibilities, impulsively."

"Believe me, I've thought a lot about this. This decision is not impulsive at all. I've considered all the scenarios and there's no other place I'd rather be than here."

"So you're really decided?"

"I am. And you? Should I sell my house so we can look for one together, or should I keep it for myself?" he asked.

But Pepper didn't have time to respond because they soon heard Erin crying and calling for Tony. Automatically, he got up to see his daughter, and she followed him. In recent days, the girls had been having nightmares caused by the media frenzy that had disrupted their lives. Entering the girls' room, Stark went towards Erin's bed while the redhead made sure Iris was still asleep. Seeing that the little girl had woken up but soon went back to sleep, she kissed her forehead and approached Erin's bed, where the father was quietly talking to her.

"Shhhh... Everything's going to be alright, my heart," he said, gently rubbing the girl's back as she clung to his neck.

"Did you have another dream, baby?" Pepper asked, running her hand through the girl's hair.

Erin nodded.

"It wasn't a good dream, was it?"

"No," she replied in a tearful voice.

"Why don't you tell us about it?" Tony encouraged, wiping away his daughter's tears as she released him.

"I dreamed that you went away again," the girl said. "There was a monster, and it took you and carried you far away from us again. Me, Iris, and Mommy never saw you again." She began to cry intensely again.

"Hey, that's not going to happen," the brunet said, sitting next to his girlfriend and pulling the child into his lap, hugging her tightly. "I'm not going anywhere, my sweet. I promise I'll never leave you."

Potts swallowed hard, watching the scene with a broken heart. She hated seeing her daughter suffering like that. "Princess, you don't have to worry about that. Daddy is a superhero, and superheroes always beat the monsters."

"But what if he can't?" Erin asked, still scared.

"Daddy always wins, my angel," he assured, looking directly into his daughter's eyes. "And do you know why? Because I have you two and Mommy giving me strength. You are my motivation, my greatest treasure. And nothing in the world is stronger than the love I feel for you."

"Do you promise you won't go away, Daddy?" the girl asked, looking at him.

"I promise," he said, kissing her forehead.

Erin gradually calmed down, her sobs subsiding as her parents comforted her. After a while, she finally closed her eyes, falling asleep in Tony's arms. He gently placed her back in bed, covering her with the blanket. Both of them kissed the little girl, did the same with Iris, and left the twins' room.

"It's because of this that I can't be far away. What if she had that nightmare on a Wednesday? I wouldn't be close enough, Pep," the brunet said when they returned to their room. "I know you'll always be here for them, but I want to be here too."

"I know, and I understand you," she bit her lower lip. "That's why I think you're right."

Tony looked at her with curiosity. "Does that mean?"

"That it's time for us to look for a house," the redhead replied with a smile on her lips.

Stark couldn't resist and pulled her in for a kiss. "So we're going to live together?" he asked when they broke apart to catch their breath.

"We are," she nodded.

He couldn't stop smiling, and the next day he had already convinced her to look for the perfect house. The search didn't take long, considering it was them, and by early March they had already moved in. The chosen property was in a luxury gated community located in the city center. The location was close to Pepper's work and the children's school. The house was spacious, had a perfect spot for Tony's workshop, a large garden for the twins to play in, a pool, and enough rooms to please both adults. Pepper was responsible for most of the house's decoration, and her boyfriend loved how she made the place feel like it belonged to both of them, and this time was no different. The house was the perfect combination of their tastes, much like Stark Tower, but now with the addition of millions of toys scattered around.

However, that wasn't the only change in terms of the kids. With the move, the twins got their own rooms. At first, Pepper and Tony were unsure if it was a good idea to grant their daughters' request. After all, they were extremely close and could count on their fingers how many times the twins had spent the night in different rooms. They were afraid the girls wouldn't adapt, but at almost six years old, Erin and Iris were developing their own tastes and habits. They were beginning to understand that being twins didn't mean they had to be or act the same way, so the couple agreed that having their own space would be a great exercise for the daughters.

A few new weeks passed. It was a Saturday afternoon, just a few days since the four of them had been living together. On that particular day, Tony was in the pool teaching Erin and Iris how to swim.

"I'm not sure, Daddy..." Erin said, a bit apprehensive.

"I'm not sure either," Iris agreed. "We could stay in the shallow end forever, and when we want to go deeper, we can just stay in your lap." The little one quickly suggested a solution.

"I can't believe you two are backing out because you're scared. You're both being silly," he said, making a joke.

"We're not silly," they both replied in unison, putting their hands on their hips.

The girls' attitude made Pepper, who was sitting in a chair near the pool, laugh. She had chosen to stay out of the fun because she hadn't been feeling well recently. It had only been a short time since she had recovered from a cold, and even though Tony reminded her that the pool was covered and heated, she preferred not to take any risks.

"Of course you are. Only silly people back out."

"You're the silly one," Iris retorted, starting to get annoyed.

"Who isn't in the pool swimming? Not me," he said, sticking out his tongue at his daughter, who quickly did the same. "But you know what? That's fine, I get it. You're coming up with excuses because you're not ready. Maybe you're not brave enough to have Potts-Stark as your last name." The brunet said as he made his way to the edge of the pool, pretending he was going to get out.

Tony knew his daughters. He knew that, like Pepper and himself, they were extremely motivated when challenged, and they took pride in having their last names. Erin looked thoughtful and glanced at her sister, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. Stark knew they wouldn't give up; they loved to win and, like their mother, they loved to beat him.

"Do you promise you'll hold us the whole time?" Iris asked, and the brunet smiled slightly, noticing his tactic had worked.

"Of course I will.", always make them think it was their idea. They'll feel more motivated.

"And if we start to drown, you'll save us, right?"

"I won't let that happen."

The little girls exchanged a few more looks and soon gave in.

First, Tony helped them into the pool and showed them how the floaties they were using wouldn't let them drown, so there was no need to be afraid. Then, he began to demonstrate how they should move their legs and arms. The most fun part was when he started teaching them to move and put their heads underwater at the same time. The twins were dramatic, and within two seconds of having their heads submerged, they would come up for air as if they had been holding their breath for two minutes.

Pepper couldn't help but laugh at the scene and also feel proud. Not only because the girls' drama made it clear that they had a knack for acting, but also because they were really learning to swim quickly. Of course, they would still need a few more lessons, but the redhead could already see them participating in school swim meets.

Tony stayed with the little ones in the pool for a good while, and with each new achievement, they would start shouting for their mother, extremely proud of their accomplishment, wanting to show her. With each laugh and conversation, Potts realized how right they were to decide to live together. Those family moments were too precious to be lived only two days a week.