Tony was working on a new blueprint, his nose scrunched up while he thought through different decisions, and his best friend was having a panic attack. James "Jim" "Rhodey" Rhodes was freaking out.

Yesterday, Tony had gone home with a reporter with blonde hair, and today he had a pink haired girl on his arm. When Jim asked, as the jet taxied and started takeoff, Tony's eyes shined as he talked about his daughter. A daughter Jim knew for a fact hadn't existed the day before, the week before, or even eighteen years ago, no matter what Tony said.

Once they were in the air, and Jim was nearly frothing for an explanation, Tony had ordered lunch from the girls, asking for water instead of alcohol of any kind, and shooed them away. He recorded two short messages and sent them away before he turned to Jim and started explaining the past ten hours to him. Jim would admit he was ready to punch Tony if he didn't start making coherent sense. Until he pulled up a video on his phone. The pink haired girl greeted him by name, rattled off several things she shouldn't have known about him, then explained what was going to happen over the next decade. Jim felt like he'd aged that decade after three minutes of hearing her talk.

"And you believe her?" Jim asked.

"I don't not believe her," Tony had said, a slight smile on his face. The girls brought the lunch, a sushi and nigiri platter for each of them, and glasses of sparkling water. "Whatever brought her here, freaked her out. She had no plans of coming here on purpose."

"Tony, are you sure she's not playing you?" Jim pleaded.

"Jim, I'm not that stupid," Tony said shortly. Jim reeled back in his seat. Tony didn't call him Jim, Tony called him an increasing number of ridiculous nicknames. The last time he'd been called Jim was the day Howard and Maria died.

"He killed my mom, Jim! Mia Madre!" Jim was still haunted by the sound of Tony's cries for his mom that year.

"She actually tried to stop me from going to the Jericho Presentation," Tony said, smiling fondly. "Something's coming, Jim, and we need your help."

"And you believe her?" Jim asked again. Tony looked at his best friend, even reaching out to take Jim's hand.

"I believe her," Tony said, serious in a way he'd never been before. "I trust her. She has these plans for us, for me and for Stark Industries, and Jim, she knew everything, she knew about Bane and Ty. She knows the joke about Ivan. All she wants is to protect me from what she knows is coming."

"And what is coming?"

"A new era, an era of heroes," Tony said firmly, confident in a way he hadn't been before. Light in a way he hadn't been before. Jim could feel Tony's hand tighten over his. "She wants you and Pepper to be by my side the whole way."

That would be a change. Tony's main MO is to do things on his own until he gets stuck in a mess and Jim and Pepper have to bail him out of it. Something in Jim's chest loosened. If Tony was going to do something stupid – and he would, Jim knew that about him – wouldn't it be better to be there from the very beginning? Try to curb the more suicidal tendencies and watch his back, rather than clean up his messes? Protect him so he didn't have to bury him?

"Who are you and what have you done with Tony Stark?" Jim asked, almost a little too seriously.

"She was the kick up the ass I needed," Tony said honestly, patting Jim's hand before pulling away. Jim mourned the contact, missing the days when Tony was a carefree teenager that would lay on him like a lizard, leeching his body heat in exchange for bad jokes and complicated strings of code. "Look, something is going to happen on this trip. If it does, we give her our full and complete cooperation. If it doesn't, you can come back to Malibu with me and throw her off the cliffs if you want."

"What the hell could possibly happen while you're surrounded by American soldiers, Tony?" Jim asked, looking at him expectantly. Tony took a deep breath. Jim got worried.

"Obie is working against me, dealing weapons under the table," Tony said finally. "He's got ties to terrorist groups and Hydra. He's the reason my mom is dead."

Jim felt his mouth fall open but couldn't bring himself to say anything. If that was true, then Jim had to help. Tony adored his mother, her death nearly killed him, and kicked his alcoholism into a new gear. And to hear that it was Obadiah, Tony's own Godfather that was working against him killed Jim. Howard and Maria's own friend, responsible for sending them to their deaths. Jim resisted the urge to bundle Tony up in a blanket and smuggle him back home. He knew he didn't yet have the full picture, and likely wouldn't until he spoke with Tony's new daughter, but the little pieces he could see was showing an ugly picture. Jim sighed, and braced for the drop of the other shoe.

"Tones…"

"Whatever happens, promise me you'll help her. Help Grey bring him down."

"What could happen, Tony?" Jim didn't like the look in his eyes, but Tony wouldn't budge. Flat out refused to say another word on the subject.

"Stark Industries has to be held accountable for the weapons it's been dealing under the table. There needs to be a full investigation by people that aren't us. Find the people in the company taking advantage of us and have them arrested." Tony looked at the cards again. One of them just said Iron Family. Jim thought he was going to jump out of his skin. Stark weapons were being dealt under the table? Tony was going to be a superhero. Tony had a woman who knew the future posing as his child. Pepper and Happy were on board. Obadiah Stane was working against Tony. Jim almost wanted to put his head down and cry. What the hell had he gotten roped into this time? Then Jim looked at Tony and settled. Tony was his best friend, his brother. He might not entirely like what was happening – what was happening? But he was going to be at Tony's side, no matter what. "I've got an idea for a way we can clean this up, without pissing off the military too much. Then we're going to expand."

"Stark Industries is going to branch out?" Jim was floored. Tony had tried to expand Stark Industries when he took over the company. Stane had put all his plans on hold, telling him to focus on weapons. Tony didn't, of course, taking over as the Head of R , in addition to his CEO duties.

It was a disaster, of course. Tony would get so lost in the lab that he wouldn't get anything done. The company stagnated for two days, but then cranked out so many new types of protective gear for the troops that it made Jim's head spin.

"I've wanted to for years, but Stane wouldn't let us," Tony admitted. "Even before Grey said that she wanted to take a proactive role in the company, I've had designs and blueprints set aside for ages."

The flight attendants were back, swooping in with bright smiles to take away the plates, and bring out something sweet and coffee. The girls started setting it up, while one brought out a tea caddy for Jim.

"Thank you," Jim said, taking a decaffeinated tea. He almost wished for something stronger but knew this was for the best. Even Tony wasn't drinking, which made Jim both wary and proud. Clearly Tony wanted to make changes and was grabbing this opportunity with both hands. But if Tony wasn't drinking – why? Jim hated to even think about it, but his Tony was alcohol dependent at best, a functioning alcoholic at worst. Jim worried silently, as he always did.

"And I've got more ideas, just rattling around up here," Tony pointed to his head with his coffee spoon. "And her? Jim, Grey has ideas that I'd never have thought of in a million years. She has this list of ideas she wants to put into production, Green Energy, sustainable materials, she's going to take this company into a new era."

Jim watched as Tony went on about the different ideas this girl had had. Prosthetic advancements, medical advancements, even different crops that could be changed to be better.

Tony talked about his and Grey's plans for Stark Industries for three hours. At one point, he even pulled out his tablet and sketched out a blueprint, losing himself in the middle of a word. Jim hadn't seen this side of Tony since MIT. Which was what was causing his panic. Ten hours and this woman had brought back a side of Tony he'd once thought dead. What could she do in ten days? Ten months?

"I'll help her," Jim said once he felt like he could speak without throwing up. "But if anything happens to you, I'll find a way to hold her responsible."

"Just don't blame her for the kidnapping, I've been well warned that it's coming."

"You're getting fucking what?" Jim demanded, nearly flying out of his seat.

"Calm down, platypus. It's honestly not that bad," Tony said, acting as nonchalant as he could. Jim could barely see the fear in his friend's eyes. But it was there, which meant Tony was putting up a front for him. "She said it's three months in a cave and then homeward bound. I'm planning to make it out in two."

"I will turn this plane around, so help me God," Jim said, unbuckling himself and getting up. Tony grabbed his arm and pulled. "You cannot possibly believe that I would ever allow that to happen to you."

"Weren't you just questioning whether or not we could trust her?" Tony asked. "Jim, c'mon."

"If you don't want me to have that pilot turn around and head straight back to LA, you better explain to me, right fucking now, why I should let you get kidnapped by terrorists in the goddamned middle east!" Jim's voice lowered to a pissed off hiss as he glared at Tony. The smile Tony had thrown on for Jim's benefit crumbled like a sandcastle at high tide. Jim saw something inscrutable cross his face. Then smaller things he could understand. Panic, fear, determination, resignation, heartbreak. Grief so raw, Jim felt it tear at his own heart.

"Obie won't serve time for weapons dealing, I don't trust that - he's good at what he does, and he's connected. We need something that can stick, the ransom video will be that proof." Tony said, glancing around to make sure they weren't overheard. "And part of it, yeah, part of it is that I don't trust her. This is the quickest and easiest way to see if she's right."

Jim sat back down.

"Easiest?"

"You know what I mean, Rhodey-bear." The men sat in silence for a while, as Tony finished his blueprint design and Jim tried to keep himself together. "Are you okay?"

"I'll give her three months," Jim said eventually. "Three months of trust before I start demanding answers, and if I don't get ones I like, I'll put her in a classified military prison so secure even you won't be able to get her out of it, you understand me?"

Tony just grinned, ecstatic that his friend was on board and said, "give her four, just in case I'm late breaking out of hell. Now take a look at these and tell me what you think."

"What is it?" Jim asked as he accepted the tablet and looked at the design.

"Glasses, like mine. They can connect to the users phone and show text messages or directions in the corner. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it work with prescription glasses, but if we can work it out, these could be huge," Tony said, passing the tablet over to Jim.

"Tony, these are brilliant!" Jim looked at the specs and could easily see where Tony's ideas had changed to be user-friendly. Tony didn't mind if his personal interface was complicated, but others would. He took the time to change it before his company got their claws in it. "What code would you use?"

"No idea. I'd need a mass-producible AI so that people can give verbal orders or whatever. I could use some of Jarvis' code, but I'd rather not open him up to scrutiny." Tony frowned at the tablet, his nose scrunching up, showing he was working the problem.

Jim felt like he'd been sucker punched. He hadn't seen that face since their senior year at MIT together. Their capstone had gotten stuck, and Tony walked around with his nose scrunched for six days until he came up with the solution. Howard had seen it and had scolded Tony for hours. Jim never saw that face again. A realization settled in his bones. This woman, Tony's daughter brought back a version of Tony, Jim had thought lost to the legacy of his father. He truly didn't know whether he would love her or hate her for being able to succeed where he failed.

Line Break

Tony thought the Jericho presentation went perfectly. The Jericho Missile was the first of many projects to bring about Repulsor technology. Tony knew he could do so much more with this discovery. He wondered if things would change enough so he could go back to inventing. He had so many projects shelved because Stark Industries was a "weapons only" company since 1991. Maybe not anymore.

Tony let himself get lost in his thoughts as the various generals chatted amongst themselves, discussing not only the new missile system, but the price, how often they would use it, and how many they wanted. Before the presentation, the army had pre-ordered three dozen Jericho Missiles. Tony and Jim were both expecting that request to triple before the end of the day.

Tony took a too-deep breath and nearly choked on the arid desert breeze. He wouldn't admit it out loud, not here anyway, but he was scared of what the next hour would bring. Tony let his gaze settle on Jim, who was watching three air force officers argue back and forth about whether or not they could even use the Jericho Missiles from their current birds. (Tony knew they couldn't.) The Navy had already been informed that this version of the Jericho was useless underwater, but they were quickly working on one that would work even when fired from a submarine.

"You could just ride with me," Jim said almost too quietly next to Tony. "I don't like this, Tony."

"You think I do?" Tony asked back, looking at his best friend. Rhodey's glare softened. His frown didn't. "It's funny, I can hear Howard in my head. Starks have responsibilities, son. It isn't going to be fair, that's why Starks are made of Iron. He used to say that all the fucking time. I always thought he meant the constant keeping everyone at arm's length for safety, don't trust anyone. I don't think dad was who I thought he was."

Tony could see he had surprised Jim, bringing up his father so easily, so surprisingly.

"Ask Grey or Pepper about his death," Tony said. His shoulders were a tight line. "It wasn't an accident."

"Tony?"

"I can't, Jim, not yet. Please don't make me," Tony begged quietly, his eyes wet. Jim immediately clasped him on the shoulder, drawing his friend close.

"It's okay. I won't, not yet, when you have time to understand it all, I'll be here," Jim promised. He would always be there for Tony. They were brothers, a closer bond than Jim had with some of his airmen. "But Tony?"

Tony looked at Jim, too many emotions on his face for anyone to read. Jim could see fear and anxiety clearly. Regret, sorrow, and rage simmered in his eyes. But there was hope, visible and bright as the sun. Tony having hope again, to Jim, that's all that matters.

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you come home to us."

Line Break

Waking up at four in the morning was as expected as it was surprising. Before I moved out of my parent's house, I had to wake up at three thirty if I wanted to shower before leaving for work. Dr Paul wanted to see his first patient at six, which meant I had to be there at five thirty, and I lived an hour away. When I moved out, just this past July, the early mornings tended to stay with me, but I was eventually able to sleep till four.

When I did wake up, I just laid there for a few minutes, my eyes open under the sleep mask Happy picked up for me. When I did take it off, I could see that I was still in whichever Marvel Universe I'd been dropped in.

"I'm not sure if I'm thrilled to still be here, or if I'm going to have a complete breakdown," I mumbled to myself as Jarvis turned the lights up for me. "Jarvis, what headlines am I looking at for today?"

"President Obama is set to hold a discussion about the Deep-Water Horizon spill from earlier this week," Jarvis said as the weather popped up on the window. I watched the ocean for a moment, before finally getting out of bed and wandering over to the view. "There will be further discussion on the troops in Afghanistan."

"They won't pull troops until after Osama is dead, and that doesn't happen until next year. Deep-Water Horizon is going to be in the news for ages, is SI doing anything to help with that?"

"Stark Industries has provided financial assistance, but nothing further."

"Okay, there was this thing during an oil spill later in my life, they were collecting human hair because it would absorb the oil, is anyone doing anything like that for this?"

"It will take a few minutes to do a deeper search, but I will check."

"If you don't find anything, we'll email the suggestion to Pepper to put into practice. I'm going to take a shower. It's fuckin' hot in this house." It wasn't actually, it was a comfortable 72 throughout, but I wasn't used to sleeping in anything over 69, and therefore was covered in sweat. I pulled my new phone off the charger and walked into the ensuite, which was almost obnoxious in its luxury.

Listen, I was previously paying nine hundred bucks a month to live in a shoebox. I had a combo tub-shower with horrible water pressure, and hot water that typically only worked if the dishwasher or washing machine was running. This bathroom alone was half the size of my apartment. The bedroom itself would've fit the entire apartment in it, and still have space to walk around. Seeing the giant shower with two heads, a movable wand, heated floors and a stand-alone whirlpool tub made me feel completely broke.

I opened the fake Spotify app Jarvis created for me to access my music and just hit shuffle. Towels were in a cabinet (there was space for cabinets in here!) and a hamper for the three pieces of clothing I owned was also hiding in a cabinet.

"Do I have anything on my calendar?" I asked as I turned on the water. I adjusted the temperature, so it was a little bit warmer and wiggled in happiness. Pepper had suggested putting pressed eucalyptus over the shower head, and it made me feel like I was in a spa. Once I was sure this was going to be my life for the rest of forever, I knew I'd splurge a little and get myself some luxury. Pepper had told me that as CEO I'd be making a decent paycheck, so I had plans. Mostly tattoo plans, but it was still early. Maybe a library.

"Miss Potts has asked me to remind you that we are going shopping this morning, as the news won't break until later that Sir is missing," Jarvis said. "She has offered to make you an appointment at the salon, if you're interested in getting the color touched up."

"Wait, I can keep it pink?" I asked in surprise, almost getting face wash in my eye.

"It was suggested that it would lend proof to the new fact that you had no plans of stepping into the public eye until you were older," Jarvis explained. That made a surprising amount of sense. Obviously, the daughter of Tony Stark would know how to work the cameras, and if she had no plans of stepping in front of them, she might be caught unprepared. I was also slightly surprised that Pepper and Happy were working on things for this without me. It meant they were invested.

"Awesome, because I love this color," I said, quickly rinsing my face. "And this water pressure! I'm never leaving this shower."

I danced along with the music as I showered, trying to keep my mind blank until I had time to finish processing my new reality. I wondered if I was missing in my universe, or if time had just stopped, or if my body was still there, going through the motions. The song changed and I huffed a bit, recognizing the piano introduction.

"Take me home, take me home, it's the only place I can rest in peace. Turn off my phone, so many messages I wish I could just delete," I mumbled along. It was unironically the one song that fit my mood. "One last pic and I'll be gone, make it count put the flash on never really felt like I belonged, so I'll be on my way, and it won't be long. I'll be dead by dawn; I'll be dead by dawn."

"Miss Stark, I do understand that this is a song, but if you need to speak with someone, I can find someone for you," Jarvis offered sweetly.

"One day, sure," I said, nodding my head as I rinsed the conditioner out. "But for now, I think it's best if I push my way through. Especially until Tony is home safe with us again."

"Mister Hogan has asked me to remind you that you are to start calling him Dad," Jarvis said. I huffed and smacked the control panel to turn off the water. I stepped onto the plush bathmat, and pulled my towel out of the box I just discovered was a towel warmer.

"Damn, no wonder everyone wants to be rich," I said as I wrapped myself up. "And yes, I definitely need to work on that. I'll add it to my list of things to do."

"I do not have a to-do list on file for you, Miss Stark," Jarvis said.

"Wait, I can do that? Just tell you things I need to do, and you'll keep track of them for me?" I stared up at the ceiling in shock. Mom was always telling me to write shit down, and despite literally having Write your way out tattooed on my left arm, I never once in my life managed to write and use a to-do list.

"That is one of my primary functions."

"Well fuck me. Okay, things I need to do today – I need to get a few of my Iron Man fics off my drive, read through those for a timeline for the first two years. I'd like to get a list of things I need to get while I'm out shopping, cause knowing me I'd forget something necessary like underwear." It had happened before. It would likely happen again. "And I want to put a list together of more sentimental items I'd like to purchase."

"I am happy to help however I can, Miss Stark," Jarvis said. I wrapped my towel around me and ran another one over my hair, causing it to stick up in small spikes. The pink was starting to fade, and definitely needed a touch up. I had been considering going blonde for a while, but if Pepper and TonyDad said I could keep it, then I definitely would.

"Well, I think step one should be getting me some clothes, because I don't think Pepper's will fit. Bloody tall woman. I'm five friggin' two and can't even see my own top shelf." I paused, literally in the doorway back to my room. "When we move to New York, we should do something fancy with the cabinet shelves, so the higher ones can be more accessible to us shorties. I'm sure dad or someone can create that."

"I have flagged several lots for sale for Miss Potts to go through at her leisure. She has promised to give them attention later this week."

"Alright then. I'll get some coffee and something to eat and I'll get to work." I pulled on the clothes Pepper let me borrow, laughing to myself as I had to roll the pants up a bit so they wouldn't drag. I pointed at my laptop, then turned to go make coffee before stopping. I turned around. "No, I want to work out there."

I grabbed my things and shuffled to the kitchen, content to set up at the counter by the coffee pot. What started as one notebook, two colored pens and my laptop, managed to evolve into ten years' worth of printed calendars, six dot sticker sheets and a color-coded chart. The notebook was actually on the ground, splayed open showing a list of every MCU character I could remember and their birthday. For those I didn't have, Jarvis found for me.

"Morning?" I startled, violently, scoring a line down the page I was about to write on. Pepper looked sheepish as I squinted at her. My eyes hadn't adjusted fast enough so she was very blurry. "Oops, sorry."

"Morning, Pepper. Coffee?" I asked, rubbing my eyes as I pulled myself out of the haze of words and characters I fell down. When I looked up again, I could see properly. "What time is it?"

"Seven," she said, pouring her own cup, and taking some creamer from the fridge. She was a caramel creamer girl! Not as good as my hazelnut, but even Pepper Potts can have flaws. "How long have you been up?"

"Three hours? Probably could've gone back to sleep, but I had stuff to do." I gestured to the mess around me. "It didn't completely work the way I wanted."

"What were you trying to do?"

"Well, I was trying to piece together a timeline, but got distracted by Agents of SHIELD, then got distracted by birthdays." Pepper looked at me, and I flashed her a sheepish look. "Hey, listen, I do not control the ADHD, the ADHD controls me. I manage to be productive enough to cope."

"Are birthdays that important?"

"In the grand scheme of things, no, probably not. Think of this as another manipulation. If we remember everyone's birthday, they're more likely to like us," I explained, leaning down precariously to grab the notebook off the ground. The barstool wobbled dangerously, but I sat up in time. "And I tend to focus on smaller details too often, it's a thing."

"Okay, how many birthdays will we celebrate a year?"

"Bare minimum, like forty, likely somewhere around three a month." I said, gathering everything up. "I didn't quite get around to putting them on the calendar, but I can tell you that there are three people born on July fourth that we're likely to know, the Avengers are easily a dozen people, the additional staff they're going to have or need and then their friends and family."

"And how are we going to keep all this straight, Jarvis?"

"Well yes. But also early preparation. Right now, we're going to have a lot of down time. We have time to work on the small things, like getting birthdays on a calendar, planning for holidays, or-"

"Restructuring Stark Industries?" Pepper asked, pointing out the top of a piece of paper.

"Tony said that we have to work on the company too, or else he's out," I said, shrugging. "I have zero real world knowledge of how to run a business, but I do have an absurd amount of experience working for a living, so I can tell you what sucks about it."

I pulled out the three-page packet and passed it over, before pulling out a few hashbrown patties and dropping them in the air fryer I demanded Happy get. Apparently, they just came out this year. But yesterday it was the only thing I cooked with, so I didn't feel too bad about the high price.

"You want to add more paid holidays?" Pepper asked, reading the first paragraph. "Wouldn't that affect productivity?"

"Probably at first. But as we get used to it, we'd adjust deadlines to accommodate. Eventually, we'd see a decrease in turnover, and our employees would actually want to do their jobs because working for us benefits them."

"But we'd lose money," Pepper said. "We'd have to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars to just give away money."

"Millions, actually, I plan on asking Tony to raise the company's minimum wage from the ten it's currently at to at least fifteen. Twenty if he'll go for it."

"Grey, that's so much money," Pepper said breathlessly. I cackled madly before turning to face her. I laughed harder seeing how horrified she was.

"Pepper, oh my sweet love, I was making fifteen an hour and couldn't afford to pay rent and buy groceries. Once 2019 hits, I'll be asking him to raise it again. Especially in places like here, New York, Seattle, all those big cities." Pepper stared at me. "What? Beating up aliens isn't the only way to save the world. We can do so much good with Stark Industries. Trust me, I've read enough fanfictions where they did."

"And did they all go bankrupt?" I snorted. Of course they didn't, it was a fanfiction under the IronDad tag. And traditionally, the worst thing that happened in those fics was traumatizing poor Peter Parker even more than the MCU already did. "We can't afford to just throw money away."

"Pepper, right now, Stark Industries produces weapons. I am from the future. I can tell Tony all the wonderful things that got invented in my timeline, and he can produce them, and we can sell them." I pulled the packet out of her hands and flipped to the third page. "This page outlines the different STEM and STEM adjacent fields we can expand into, and the size of their respective industries. Plague resistant wheat, vitamin A heavy potatoes, those two alone could start putting a dent in childhood hunger, childhood blindness from vitamin deficiency. And wheat alone is a something like twelve billion dollars in the United States alone."

"And 125 billion worldwide, Miss Stark," Jarvis chipped in. "As Stark Industries is an international company, I felt it would be beneficial to have all the facts."

I wondered if Jarvis wanted me to win the argument, or if he just wanted to give more information. Either way, I could see it was helping my case with Pepper.

"That would be a unique way to expand the company. But Tony's never worked with chemistry that way, I'm sure he'd do fine anyway, but let's say he can't."

Was Tony the only smart person in the world? Or were they so used to having Tony invent and create everything that they forgot about everyone else? I gave Pepper a judgy look I couldn't quite keep to myself.

"Pepper, Tony's not the only scientist in the world. Recruit the best. Give them top of the line lab spaces, all the materials their hearts could desire, all the funding they might need, and they will churn out world-changing things." Pepper's expression changed, but I couldn't read it. I hoped she was agreeing with me.

"What else can you think of?" Pepper asked. "To change the company?"

"Oh!" I wasn't expecting that, so I took a moment to think. I started to smile as I thought of all the complaints I'd ever had as a full-time employee. "Do you wanna take notes?"

Iron Man

Tony stood next to Rhodey and waited for the various vehicles to come back for them. Many of the different military Generals milled about, talking numbers and maneuvers. Tony had spoken to many of them and had gotten several promises of purchases.

"They're definitely impressed," a new voice said as he approached. "Good to see you, Tony."

"You too, Tom," Tony said, shaking his hand with a smile. "Will I see a check with your signature?"

"You always do," Tom laughed. "Congrats on the Apogee award. That's your second, now, right?"

"Third, actually. They really should raise their standards," Tony joked. "How's your husband? Is he still teaching?"

Tony had been invited to their wedding in 2009, when President Obama finally made gay marriage legal. It was the one time Tony was actually on time and dressed appropriately.

"He is. His class is touring the White House next week, and I can't tell who's more excited, him or the kids." Tony had hired him as the Stark Industries Liaison alongside Rhodey when Tom came out and was worried about discrimination. Thankfully, Tom was well enough liked that it hadn't mattered much. Tony always enjoyed hearing Tom talk about his husband; he always spoke with adoration and love. Tony wanted that for himself one day.

"Speaking of kids," Rhodey said, glaring at Tony. Tony turned to him with wide, fear-filled eyes, his mouth falling open in horror. "You promised yours you'd finally introduce her to General Morrow. You'd better do it today – I will not protect you from her."

Part of Tony sagged in relief as Jim fixed a problem, he himself hadn't even seen. Of course, people would need to know about Grey before he got himself kidnapped. But wasn't that just like Jim, to solve a problem Tony hadn't even considered. To tease him, to scare him, just enough to point it out, then smooth everything over.

"You have a daughter?" Tom asked in surprise. Tony affected a sheepish smile, his mind whirling, even as he sent a text out of Tom's line of sight. He'd never felt relief like when his phone buzzed in response. "And you never told me!"

"She's eighteen," Tony said, pulling up a photo she'd sent his phone. A picture of her with neon pink hair, still wet from the salon, a beaming smile on her face. "I'm so used to keeping her hidden, I don't think it even occurred to me."

"She's a beautiful young woman," Tom complimented, looking at the picture. "You must be proud."

Tony made a mental note to give his Honeybear the best bottle of whiskey money could buy the moment he got home. Then he thanked his lucky stars that Tom had the tact to not ask about Grey's mom.

"Her name is Margaret, she prefers Grey," Tony said, glad he'd gotten a quick response. "You know what, you'd just sent me an email about something one of your engineers brought you, let's the three of us do lunch. We're heading to New York in May. We can stop in DC for a meal."

"I'll get it on my calendar. It'll be great."

"General Morrow, sir, the convoy is here. We're ready to go." Tom led Tony over to the group that was responsible for him.

"We're taking three routes. Colonel Rhodes will follow your Humvee, and you'll have White, Acevedo, and Watts in your transport. We'll work out some contracts when you get back to base." Tom clapped Tony on the shoulder and joined his convoy. Tony and Jim looked at each other grimly. Tony straightened his shoulders and joined the airmen and climbed in the back.

Be careful. Grey sent him in a text. Tony sent an affirmation, knowing there was little he could do at this point. He fiddled with his phone for a moment before selecting Pepper's contact.

He stared at the blank message and wondered what he could even say. An apology? He closed the phone and tucked it in his jacket pocket before deciding better and leaving it on the seat next to him.

The next hour passed in a blur as the desert raced past. Tony was surprised when he looked up from his lap and could see the base. He thought for sure he had somehow survived. That Grey had been wrong, and he'd been had, when the Humvee rocked against an explosion. The truck in front of them exploded as it hit an IED, and gunfire cracked, shattering the peace and the windows. Tony threw himself to the floor of the Humvee as his driver was killed. A young woman he'd complimented twenty minutes ago. The one in the passenger seat, Watts, was already moving, drawing her weapon and returning fire over the hood. A twist of her wrist had Acevedo nodding and drawing his own gun.

"Stay there," Acevedo said as he climbed out and returned fire. The door slammed, but a bullet came through the door and whizzed past Tony's ear, way too close for comfort. He shoved the door behind him open and crawled out, staying low. Watts had already rounded the hood, leaving him there alone. He pressed himself against the back tire, knowing it was the safest spot for him. A dull thud in the sand had him leaning out from behind the Humvee, only to see a bomb with his name on it – literally.

"Fuck." Tony threw himself backward just as it exploded. He'd been mostly shielded by the back bumper, but even with the extra protection of his own body armor, Tony could feel that shrapnel had hit him. He pulled his shirt open and looked to see that he was right. The vest was already soaking with blood. "Son of a bitch."

Iron Man

I opened the front door with a grin, only to run into someone. I quickstepped back with alarm and a short shout. I could hear Pepper run around the corner behind me.

"General Morrow?" Pepper identified, her voice wavering in confusion.

"Where's my dad?" I asked, immediately realizing why he was there. Tony had texted me, late last night, asking for a familial pic and my legal name. He sent back a calendar invite for lunch with Tom Morrow in DC. He came to notify us in person. "Where's Jim?"

"Approximately fifteen hours ago, a dozen insurgents attacked a military convoy returning from the Jericho presentation. They were half a mile from base when their lead truck hit an IED. The follow truck was on site quickly, but there was another explosion. A bomb went off, and in the confusion, Tony Stark was taken. Despite evidence of blood loss at the scene, we do believe he is alive." Pepper stumbled, and I reached out to steady her. She was shaking in my arms. Or maybe my arms were shaking around her.

"Who?" I asked, wondering if the military even knew about the Ten Rings. Or if there was proof it was the Ten Rings.

"We don't have any information on that, at this time. We are working hard to find your father, you have my word," Tom promised, looking at me, then Pepper, then back to me. I nodded, a little too stunned to do much more. I had no idea what I was feeling, or why I was feeling it, but there were tears in my eyes. "Colonel Rhodes stayed behind to help with the first search, but he's in the air now, should be home tomorrow morning."

"General, thank you. Could we reschedule that lunch. We don't have to cancel; I just need time." Pepper slowly stood back up, pulling herself together inch by inch. I felt her pull away, and almost panicked, but she reached out to take my hand. I thought she was just comforting herself, but it helped me too.

"You just let me know when you're up for it," Tom said softly. He reminded me of a grandfather. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, he left. Pepper and I stood in the doorway for a moment before I shook myself and closed it.

"I've never in my life been this mad at being right," I grumbled. Leaning against the wall and sinking down until I was sitting on the floor, my legs folded against me.

"What's going to happen to him?" Pepper asked, soft as a whisper as she sank to the ground next to me.

"Yinsen will do surgery first," I said, closing my eyes to watch the movie again. "Get as many of the shrapnel shards out as he can. Yinsen doesn't have the know-how to make the mini reactor, so he sets up a car battery to do the job."

"Oh, God," Pepper said, turning slightly green.

"One of the leaders of the group will come in after a while and ask Tony to make the Jericho. Tony says no. He's gonna get a bit beat up; getting dunked in water while being hooked up to a car battery is… bad." I sighed. "After that, he'll get a brief tour of the various weapons they've already collected and will be shown classified documents proving the existence of the Jericho Missile System. They'll promise his life in return for the Jericho. Tony knows they're lying. He shakes anyway."

"He agrees to make them the Jericho?" Pepper asked, sounding breathless. I wasn't sure if it was shock, or if she was going to vomit.

"In words, sure. But he makes a mini reactor first. Gets it put in place to remove the car battery. Then he starts building the original Iron Man suit. Mark One."

"And that's how he escapes?"

"That's how he blows the cache sky high, signaling his location for the Air Force. I'm hopeful he'll skip the no, but this is Tony we're talking about, so God only knows what he'll do."

"How can we help him?"

"Pepper, love, there's nothing we can do-"

"When he's home," Pepper corrected, her voice flinty, despite the tears in her eyes. "When we have him back, how do we help?" That was an entirely different question, one I was mostly prepared to answer.

"I'm starting the process of synthesizing the element he'll need to replace the palladium with. Hopefully once Rhodey is home, he'll help. Gonna need that MIT degree. I can't build a mini reactor, my goal is to just have the element so Tony can work his magic, save him some time. Then he's gonna need therapy. And a personal physician."

"He has one, Doctor J-"

"No. We want Helen Cho out of South Korea. We want her for us, for Stark Industries, and the Avengers Initiative."

"Stop, wait hold up." Pepper cried, throwing her hands up. "First things first, I need to take notes. Second, after this conversation, you're going to explain the Avengers Initiative to me, in great detail. Come on. Coffee and notepads."

Pepper did indeed take notes. I walked her through the first movie, scene by scene as best I could, occasionally flipping through a fanfiction to pull a greater detail. And then she had me explain the Avengers Initiative that Fury had, and then what I wanted to do with it. Occasionally she looked at me like she wasn't sure what she was looking at, but that made sense.

"Okay, but none of that answered my original question."

"What was the original question?" I asked, tossing a pack of spring rolls in the air fryer. "Oh, Doctor Cho. She's a genius geneticist out of South Korea. We will want to have our name publicly attached to her, because what she can create will revolutionize healthcare."

"All of it, or just the medical part?" Pepper asked dryly. I snorted. She wasn't wrong. "Okay, I have scouts in South Korea right now anyway, I'll have them check into her."

"Look at you with scouts," I teased. "Sound like Leliana. Oh, er, video game character, she's a spymaster."

"That sounds fun! Also, a legal headache," Pepper said.

"That's why it's going to be Maria Hill for us, she's going to take over as SHIELD's Director after Fury fakes his death," I said. "Then Phil's going to take over, as long as I can keep him out of TAHITI."

"I love Tahiti."

"Not so magical," I mumbled, pulling the spring rolls out and dumping them on the plate. "So, what now?"

Iron Man

Jim was exhausted. First, his convoy got delayed, putting him even farther behind Tony than he should've been. Then, he lowered his guard when the base came into view.

Jim had glanced up to see the edges of their base, and nearly screamed his relief. Only his years in the military prevented him from sagging in his seat. Those same years of military service threw him to the ground before he even realized there was an explosion. Tony.

The rest was a blur. They outnumbered them in a three to one ratio, they launched a missile Jim had never seen in the hands of terrorists. It exploded, destroying two Humvees from the first convoy, and sending soldiers flying in all directions. The terrorists swarmed forward, forcing a close combat situation. There was another explosion, this time even throwing Jim clear, and then they were gone. And so was Tony.

Jim was barking orders even before the ringing in his ears stopped. Those that were unharmed were sent after the insurgents, reinforcements were demanded through radio. It wasn't until a medical team arrived did Jim finally stop and look at the damage wrought. Two Humvees were destroyed, three airmen were down, and one was dead.

He didn't remember returning to base. But the moment a general was in sight, Jim demanded a unit to search the nearby village for Tony. They were out in the sands in under ten minutes.

Afterwards, when they returned, three hours later, and still as clueless, Jim was packed off to Landstuhl, where he caught a C-130 headed for Andrews Air Force Base in California. He looped his arm through some netting, propped his chin on his arm, and fell asleep.

Classified information always spread fast among those allowed to know, so Jim wasn't too surprised when their plane was met by President Obama, who shook his hand and promised as many troops as necessary to find Tony Stark.

"I'm going to have to tell his daughter," Jim said, forcing it out even in his horror that she was telling the truth. And if that wasn't just Jim at his core. Furthering Tony's agenda even when there was no proof in his hands that he would see him again. Jim Rhodes would do anything for Tony Stark, and this might just be the time he had to prove it.

"Oh!" President Obama said in surprise. "We weren't aware. Tell her we're keeping her in our thoughts."

"I will. Thank you, Mister President," Jim said, shaking his hand again. He nodded to the secret service agents and took long strides to where he'd parked his car. He knew it was going to be a long night.

Iron Man

"I don't like this Pepper, why the hell won't she tell us where Tony is," Jim hissed, glancing over his shoulder even though Grey wasn't in the room. "And why are we lying about her relationship to Tony? And while we're asking questions, why are we even listening to her? She's clearly out of her mind, or she's smoking something stronger than weed."

"I believe her." Pepper shook her head a little, surprised she said it, and meant it. "She's, I don't even know. But Jim, did you see the difference in Tony, before? He ate breakfast."

"He turned away the sake," Jim realized. "When we had lunch on the jet, we had sushi, but he didn't drink the sake."

"He told her that she had to save the company, if she wanted to work with him. She couldn't just focus on this Avengers Initiative she's got planned, she had to ensure that Stark Industries grew." That was what had guaranteed Pepper's support. She knew Stark Industries could do wonderful things if Tony paid attention to it. "I still don't really know what she said to get him to believe her, but I do think she really wants to help."

"I'll be the judge of that," Jim said as he turned on his heel and practically marched down to Tony's lab, where Grey was bent over a piece of pipe, welding. Jim waited until the flame died down before he opened the door.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Grey said as she flipped the welding mask up. She carefully sat the torch down and pulled the mask off, turning to face Jim with a soft look. "I really did try to talk him out of it."

"So did I," Jim said, walking across the room. Grey held her hand out to shake, looking him in the eye. "Jim Rhodes, nice to meet you."

"Call me Grey, please. The name I chose for myself is a bit of a mouthful, still not sure what I was thinking. Margaret, really?" She rolled her eyes, grinning as he pulled his hand away. She had a good grip, she'd been taught well. "You've got questions."

"What the fuck is going on, kid? Yesterday my life was weird but stable, and now you've shown up and knocked everything over like dominoes."

"It would've been worse if I wasn't here, you know. In the movies that I grew up watching, Tony goes through it all alone. The mess in Afghanistan, the bullshit with Vanko and Hammer, almost dying, supporting the Avengers, a team that never appreciated him? Do you really want him going through all that alone?" Grey leaned against the workstation like this was a casual conversation. Jim sank into a chair like it was devastation. "You're a good man, Jim Rhodes. But it's time to put on the big boy pants and put in the work."

"How did you convince him?" Jim asked. "How did you get Tony to believe you?"

"Well, it helped that I literally materialized in front of him, so he could see for himself that I hadn't just broken in – although he did think that for a moment. And then I just yelled at him. For like ten minutes."

"You yelled at Tony?"

"A lot, yeah. C'mon, I'll run you through the movies a bit. You might want to take notes. Everyone else has," Grey said, sighing as she hopped up onto the table and kicked her legs back and forth.

Jim felt like screaming as Grey talked about something she called the Infinity Saga, and how there was a genocidal alien wanting to destroy half of all life in the universe to restore balance. She talked about people like Black Widow and Hawkeye. Iron Man and War Machine. Captain America, Black Panther, Falcon. Codenames that gave nothing and everything away.

"So, we're the fucking Justice League?" Jim asked when she finally stopped talking. "And Tony's what, Batman?"

Grey looked like she wanted to deny it but couldn't.

"I mean, technically speaking he might be closer to the Atom? With the suit? Although Ray Palmer can shrink, and that's Ant-Man's whole thing. And if Tony was Bruce Wayne, that would make Pepper Selina Kyle, and that's really strange."

"Always expected those two to get together," Jim mused, thinking of Pepper and Tony. "No one would be surprised by that announcement. And if I'm not convinced?"

"In 2016 Tony is going to try to bring Captain America's best friend Bucky Barnes to justice. Captain America is going to recruit some friends to help protect Barnes, and you're going to end up paralyzed from the waist down. Then Steve is going to leave a beaten and nearly dead Tony alone in a Siberian Hydra bunker to die."

Jim's chest heaved as he tried not to hurl. Grey passed him a bottle of water, an apology in her eyes. Jim looked at her for a moment before accepting the bottle. She hated what she was doing. Hated that she was practically begging for his belief. Hated that she was hurting these people in order to save them. But that hatred only showed that she was right. Jim thought he was going to be sick.

"Oh, God," Jim breathed, twisting the cap off and taking a drink.

"Look, you all did the best you could with the information you had at the time. But I have all of the information. Why not let me help?"

"Tony said he gave you a year, right?" Jim said. Grey nodded. "Okay. One year. If you lead us astray, or this ends up a complete disaster, you're out. Between the three of us, we can get you locked in a cell where no one can find you."

"Pepper outright threatened to kill me, forgive me if I'm not as impressed by your threat." Grey snickered as she stood and twisted, cracking her spine. "Hey, you're an engineer, right? Think you can help me put this thing together a bit faster?"

"What is it?" Jim asked, finally looking at what she was attempting to weld.

"I need to create a new element that Howard discovered. It's the only non-harmful element that Tony can use to power the mini arc reactor. Unless you want him to die of heavy metal poisoning?" Jim glared at her at the suggestion.

"Wait, you're creating a new element?" Jim demanded. "Isn't that impossible?"

"Isn't miniaturizing the arc reactor considered impossible?" Grey replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Fair enough, what do you need help with."

"All of it, my guy, I'm a college dropout, like three times over. I've got no clue what I'm doing." Grey didn't miss the heavy judgement in Jim's eyes, even as he agreed to help her.

"Alright, c'mon, let's see what you're doing here." Jim followed her over to the blueprint she had laid out on a table and compared it to what she'd already completed. "Okay, I see what you're doing. Is this going to work, though?"

"Tony dictated what needed to be done, Jarvis has it recorded, so I'm just doing what they're telling me."

"Well, first things first, you really gotta start calling him Dad, or we're all screwed. Then, I have to teach you how to weld better, these lines are shit." Jim couldn't help but laugh at the mock outrage on Grey's face.

Jim could see how his friends had fallen for her charm. Honesty and love bled out of her when she spoke. She cared about them in a way he couldn't understand. He just hoped that she wasn't just a really good grifter. Or crazy.