Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tony felt as if he’d been here before…but this time it felt different. No, he knows the signs of organ failure; he’s memorized how his heart stutters as it tries in vain to keep beating. He knows all of this; he’s felt it before, but somehow, this feels different.

His heart isn’t frantically beating. It’s waiting for him to let go.

Even as his vision faded in and out, he could see everyone's expressions of grief. There was no rush to call a medic, no frantic pleas for him to hold on. There was silence, followed by Peter's sobs into Rhodey’s chest while he tried in vain to calm the kid down. He wasn’t doing a good job, not while trying to choke back his own sorrow. Finally, there was the sensation of Pep's hands running through his hair. A tactic she often used when he was panicking too much to hear her words. Tony understood at that moment, he was going to die. There was no denying it. He wasn't going to come back from this, yet he didn't want to leave. Why did he have to be the one to die?

"You can rest now," Pep’s voice ghosted over his skin, and Tony wanted to cry. She was letting him go, and she shouldn’t have to. He didn't want her to. He didn’t want to rest, not like this. He wanted to live. He wanted to see his children grow up; he wanted to experience that bliss he had in those 5 years for the rest of his life.

And yet, here he was, seconds away from leaving the ones he cared about the most. You'd think the universe would give him a break after everything he's been through and everything he's done and given up. After Afghanistan and Stane, there was Vanko and New York, Mandarin, Ultron, Germany and Siberia, and eventually the shitstorm that happened 5 years ago. You'd think it'd be enough. Why should he give up his life when he's already given up so much?

The worst part was that he couldn't regret agreeing to this. He despised the fact that he had saved the universe while still being the one who had yet to be saved at all, but he couldn't find it in him to regret it. Not with Peter standing a few steps ahead of him, definitely not happy, and most likely not whole but alive, which meant he would heal. Perhaps not today, but Tony knew this wouldn't be the thing to break him. He couldn’t regret it even while knowing he’s left Morgan with one parent, she knew he loved her more than anything. So no, he couldn't feel bad about it, but he knew if he could, he'd carry the resentment with him wherever his soul led him.

Peter told him that they won.

They did, but he didn’t.

Pepper told him he could rest.

He will, but he didn’t want to.

Still, he couldn’t prevent the moment his heart decided it was tired of waiting.

With his last breath, he wished for a chance to make it right.

Do it; he can fix it.

The question is, should we allow him to, or do we choose someone else?

If anyone can, he will.

He can’t do it alone.

Then let him choose.

Chapter Text

"Tony.."

He knew he was dead. He remembered his heart gave up on him.

"Son…you have to wake up."

It was warm. Not overwhelmingly warm but it was comforting and soothing in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. He thought death would be cold and painful, but if it felt like this, it was almost bearable. Almost.

"Tony."

Wha- Pep? Rhodey? No, I saved them. They aren’t supposed to be here.

"You can rest now."

Wait…no. He didn’t want to hear those words right now. He didn’t want to hear them ever again.

"We won, Mr. Stark."

Oh, kid…

"Wake up."

No matter how hard he made an effort to hold it back, awareness started to leak out from the edges of his mind. Tony didn't want to open his eyes because he knew he wouldn't see his family. He remembered more than he would have liked. He remembered Thanos and the snap, the agony that ran through his veins as he commanded the stones, and the thick, smothering anguish that threatened to overwhelm everyone.

He remembered it all. He wanted it all to go away.

"Tony."

There was that voice again. Why did it sound so familiar? Why couldn’t it leave him alone?

"You have to wake up."

Sluggishly, Tony opened his eyes and was greeted with an orange sky. Thankfully, it wasn’t obnoxious but it was rather pretty. It reminded him of a sunset on the beach. It matched the warm feeling quite well, actually. After a quick look around, he finally found the source of the voice and realized why it sounded so familiar.

It was his dad. His dad was standing right next to him, dressed in the suit he died in. The suit he was murdered in. It was as if he were transported back to the day he last saw him, and suddenly Tony couldn’t breathe…not that he should have been able to do so in the first place considering he died.

"You-" Tony began, but he couldn’t get the rest of the words to leave his mouth. He had a hard time trying to get his breathing under control, which again…weird.

Howard snorted, and Tony had to bite back the hysterical laugh that threatened to bubble over. "Yeah, that was my first reaction when I saw you lying there," his father replied.

What? Tony stood up and took a better look around. To say he was taken aback would be an understatement. He had no idea where he was and could only see an endless expanse of an orange sunset. Apart from two lonely wooden chairs a few steps away, there was nothing else. He wasn't sure if this was the afterlife or a go-between. Quite frankly, he was still freaking out about his dead father standing there, waiting for him to say something else, but his mind was a tangled mess. He heard splashing as he decided to walk toward the chairs. When he looked down, he realized that the surface was covered in a thin layer of water.

He gasped when he took in his appearance. He looked like he had aged down at least 30 years. The stress lines and evidence of his time as Iron Man were gone. It was such a depressing sight to see, it took him being dead to see the result that life had left on him.

He raised his head to face his father once more and just stared. His death was replaying in his mind, and the blood and cuts that covered his face now distorted the sight in front of him. He'd imagined meeting his father many times over the years, wondering what he'd say and how he'd try to mend their relationship. He expected it to be awkward, or that they'd spend their time ranting at each other, both too wound up from years of animosity to do anything else. He fully expected the resentment he’d been carrying to lash out and was mildly surprised when it didn’t.

The fact that Tony was able to speak with his father during the heist and come to some sort of resolution free of stress or trauma was a relief to him. He was able to tell him about his daughter and the family he had built for himself without revealing anything. It didn't matter that his father didn't know the truth; what mattered was that Tony did, and he believed it would be enough, but seeing him standing here now...there was this overpowering emotion welling up inside him. He recognized some of the emotions he was experiencing: heartbreak, remorse, and rage, all bundled into something he could only describe as all-encompassing sorrow.

"We don’t have much time," his father spoke again, interrupting his thoughts.

"We’re dead," Tony tried to hide the tremble in his voice, but when he spoke, it was a wet and shattered sound. "We have all the time in the world."

His dad then did something he only saw when he looked at his mom—he smiled. Not the sardonic, sharp grins he plastered on his face when Tony had done something his dad believed wasn’t enough, but a genuine smile. As much as he wanted to deny it, it was hard to deny the fondness in it. Not when it was directed at him. Tony was stunned into absolute silence, which didn’t happen often.

"That’s where you’re wrong, my boy," Howard pointed to the chairs with his head, the smile dimmed a bit but was still noticeable. "We have much to discuss before it’s time to go."

Tony frowned but followed his dad. "What do you mean?" He asked as he took a seat, and for ordinary wooden chairs, they were more comfortable than anything he’s ever bought.

Howard raised his arms as he gestured to their surroundings, "We’re in something called the "Soul Plane, it’s located inside of the Soul Stone."

Now that Tony looked closer, it did have the exact same color as the soul stone did, at least from what he could tell from his memories. He wondered why he was brought here instead of the place other souls went, and considering he firmly believed he had a special place in hell reserved for him, Tony had to admit this was a lot better. It still didn’t answer his unspoken question of why.

Tony nodded in understanding and said, "Why are we here?"

Howard fixed Tony with a look, and for a minute, Tony was transported back to his teenage self, where that particular look seemed to be a permanent fixture on his father’s face when they were together. He thought he was done seeing that expression except in his nightmares. Apparently, even in death, they were inescapable.

"You died," his father hissed out. Tony’s eyes widened in surprise at the grief and sorrow that laced his father’s words, and suddenly Tony knew the reason behind that expression, but before he could analyze it, his father continued. "You wielded all the Infinity Stones, and you died. I had to watch you die; I watched you save the universe." It was unmistakable—the pride in his voice, the respect shining in those blue eyes. Tony once felt that looking into his father’s eyes felt like he was drowning in the ocean like water was filling his lungs until he suffocated, but right now, even though it was a terrifying thought to admit, he felt at peace.

Tony bowed his head and whispered, "It was the only way."

"I know. Still, that doesn’t mean I liked watching it. For that matter, neither did your mother." At the mention of his mom, Tony whipped his head back up with wide eyes. "Mom? She saw? Where is she?" He wasn’t sure if he could handle seeing his mom, but on the chance that he could, he would take it. His father nodded slowly, but his face didn’t give Tony much hope. "She’ll come once you’ve made your decision." Although his tone stopped Tony from protesting, Tony was tempted to ignore it and protest it anyways, but before he could make up his mind, his father continued.

"I heard your wish; I felt it."

Tony was sure every mask he built up over the years crumbled at that moment. He remembered the desperation he felt as he tried in vain to keep breathing, the wish he made right before his heart decided to stop without his permission. Tony was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed his father’s next words.

"So did the stones."

Tony’s face paled, the memories crashing down as the realization of what he had done slowly set in.

He used the stones again without meaning to. The last wish of a desperate man. He wondered if he had done more damage by doing so.

"The stones decided to give you a chance to fix everything." Howard’s voice and face had softened in a way that made Tony want to break. He was so close. "They’re giving you a second chance if that’s truly what you want."

Tony had no qualms about returning. He was tired, that much was true, but the chance to get his family back outweighed the terror of reliving his past. Tony had no qualms about returning. Admittedly, he was tired, but the possibility of seeing his family again outweighed the fear of going back to his old life. He'd be a better friend and brother to Rhodey, a better boss to Happy, a better husband to Pepper, and a greater mentor to Peter and Harley. He considered the people whose lives he could save and the disasters he could stop. Though the idea made his stomach churn uncomfortably and the darkest memories threatened to shatter the surface of his already broken body, his selfishness and desire to be there with the people he loved the most overrode any second thoughts he might or will have.

Tony nodded viciously. "It’s what I need," his voice was tinged with desperate hope. "I have a chance to be with my family again; I can’t let that go. I won’t."

Abruptly, five bright lights surrounded him; his father faded slowly into the background, and cold darkness rapidly replaced the warm orange.

"So you’ve decided."

"I told you he would."

"I still think we should choose someone else."

Despite the Infinity Stones appearing before him, Tony swore he heard them speaking in his head, and he wasn’t sure he was completely okay with that considering one of them gave Maximoff the power to mind rape him.

"What the hell is going on? Where is my dad?" Tony asked.

"He is not needed for this conversation. We’ll return him back to you once we’re done." Time told him. Something told him he shouldn’t question, but really, he couldn’t help but be a tad bit skeptical.

"You don’t believe us?" The Power stone spoke up this time, its voice taking on a note of annoyance, and Tony raised a single eyebrow and watched as the stone shook in what he could only guess was a rapidly growing anger. Tony wasn't surprised, he had that effect on people and apparently, the Infinity Stones were no exception.

"No offense," Tony said. "But you guys are clearly sentient, which means you probably know my problem with you all. Not that you can blame me. After all, you’re the ones who allowed yourselves to be used by a mad titan hell-bent on destroying the universe." Tony took a very deep breath as he processed what he just said. He didn’t mean to say it, but the words tumbled from his mouth without his permission. Sue him; he’s talking with the Infinity Stones after dying and meeting his dead father again. He was allowed to fuck up.

"I like him. No one ever talks to Power like that." Reality giggled, and Tony just about lost his mind.

"Okay, okay," he interrupted the giggle-fest, holding his hand up. "My dad said you guys heard my wish and were planning to give me that chance?"

"Yes."

"Against my better judgment." And okay, so Power apparently did not like Tony.

"Why?" He questioned. "What’s the catch?"

"Fix the universe and keep us away from Thanos. The "catch" as you've called it, is we've decided to choose you as our Guardian."

"Guardian?"

"Yes."

Tony was officially confused—well, more confused than he already was. He was sure he’ll have a freakout about all this sooner or later…it was inevitable.

Aaand no. Nope. Not using that word ever again.

Shaking his head as if it would rid the word from his thoughts, he went back to the situation at hand. They were willing to ship him back in time, and all he had to do was guard them? Granted, it was easier said than done, but still. Tony was sure there was more to the title but that wasn't something he was willing to think about right now. Not on top of everything else.

"Except me," Time said. "I have my guardians, and Stephen will be my protector once again. I just ask that you find a way to help him keep his fortune. He’ll need it. Other than that, you have no need to interfere with his journey."

"Same here," the Space stone spoke up for the first time, and Tony swore it sounded just like Loki. "I’d like to stay with Loki if it’s not too much trouble.” It seemed as if Tony hit the mark right on the head. “He’ll protect me just fine, though I will be visiting you from time to time."

"Uuuh why?"

"Your arc reactor. It has my energy." Tony was sure that if a stone could shrug, that’s exactly what it would have done. He had forgotten his reactor was based on the tesseract, so it made sense the Space Stone would be attracted to it. Tony had a theory that was the same reason why Vision and Wanda were so close: she got her powers from the mind stone he held in his head. He had to admit. It wasn’t the weirdest request he'd heard, so he shrugged his acceptance. It's not like he could actually refuse. He had a feeling the stone would come to see him whether he liked it or not.

"Right. Now, what did you mean about fixing the universe? I thought we did that when we reversed the snap?" Tony knew there would be a time for adjustments again. It took the world a long time to move on, but with the progress they made, it would be easier to deal with the influx of life again.

"No, you. did. not. We were never meant to be used that way but the gauntlet didn't exactly give us a choice. People may have adjusted, but the universe most certainly didn’t. Before you went back in time, Thanos destroyed us," Power hissed out, and yeah, Tony could understand his anger. Being killed wasn’t fun.

Time glowed for a minute, a green mist reaching out to circle around the Power stone, suspending its shaking. "When you went back in time, we were misplaced, and it helped fracture the universe further," Time explained after Power had calmed down and Tony’s mind blanked.

"Didn’t they return you to the original timeline afterward? That was the plan."

Time flickered in and out, "They would have if they did not leave the task up to Steve Rogers," The venom with which Time hissed out the Cap’s name had Tony taking a step back. He didn’t know what Rogers did, but if it was enough to get an Infinity Stone this worked up...Tony was 99% sure it had catastrophic consequences, and considering Roger's past actions... “He determined that his reward for rescuing the universe would be to remain in the past. He entirely altered history to suit his own purposes, including yours. While saving your parents, his previous choices inadvertently prevented you from ever meeting Pepper, erasing your daughter from the timeline. It stopped you from taking control of Stark Industries, therefore Iron Man was never created. It goes without saying that without you being a significant player, the world was worse off.”

For a moment, all Tony could do was blink dumbly as he stared at the green stone. He tried to digest what he just heard, but…to know everything he fought for and everything he died for was for nothing because Rogers decided his wants were above everyone else's was soul-crushing. He trampled over everyone he deemed unimportant in order to save Barnes; he went back in time in order to get him back, and the moment he does, he leaves him again to live out the life he believed he deserved with Peggy? He erased his little girl…He erased the children Peggy had with Daniel; he fucked up, and Tony knew…he knew that Steve didn’t care. Not when he was getting what he wanted.

Tony was tempted to shoot him the moment they unfroze his ungrateful ass. Unfortunately, he also knew that Cap would be needed in some capacity, but thinking about it brought back the wariness he once had when he was actively dealing with the bullheaded man. Maybe he could be used as a dancing monkey again...or canon fodder. Tony was pretty that his body mass would cause some damage to anyone he was tossed at.

Sighing, Tony ran a hand over his face. "Is there anything else I should know?"

The Mind stone hummed, and a pale-yellow light emitted from the sound. Tony really wanted to know how they did that. "You should watch for a man named Quentin Beck. He uses your little spider boy to get revenge once you’re gone."

"What!? I’m dead! What does he have to get revenge on??"

"Everyone knows you care for Spider-Man Tony," Mind told him, and yeah okay, he didn’t exactly hide it. "It doesn’t matter if you were there or not. It was something you cared for, and so he wanted to ruin it."

"Please tell me that was it," Tony breathed out.

"It was. Everything else will fall into place as it should." Reality confirmed.

"You can choose who you wish to return with you." Mind said.

"You can only choose four people. That is the limit," Time added. Funny enough, Tony already knew exactly who he wanted—not that it was a complete surprise.

"Pepper, Rhodey, and Jarvis," he rattled off the names. It was quiet for a moment before Time began to laugh hysterically.

"I told you he’d choose them," Time said, a hint of smugness radiated off the stone, and wow…he knew they were sentient, but that much smugness put him to shame, and that’s on a good day.

"You still have one more," Space said, but Tony wasn’t sure who else he could trust. Natasha, Rogers, and nearly everyone else from Shield were out. He wouldn't burden Peter or Harley; and besides, they were both too young to begin with. He should have never brought Peter into the fold with Germany and he wasn't going to make that mistake again. Tony had a hunch Strange already knew what was going to happen, and he had been warned he couldn't interfere with Strange's journey. He would warn the Guardians, but he doubted he'd be capable of establishing interplanetary space communication in time. He considered telling the Ancient One, but he knew it would interfere with Strange's training, so she was out as well.

Tony looked around at the stone as he went through all the people in his head. Either they weren’t trustworthy or they were too far away. Slowly, Tony’s eyes made their way toward the Space stone and he knew exactly who to choose.

"Loki."

Based on the bright blue that glowed from the stone, he knew it was the right choice. Only Loki knew what Thanos was planning. He could warn the Guardians, and he could warn Asgard, all while protecting the Space stone. He was a trickster, which made trusting him hard, but he also knew that Loki wouldn’t have placed anything else above killing Thanos.

"Space was hoping you’d say that," Reality muttered, and Tony couldn’t help but let out a breathy chuckle. Space merely glowed a little brighter at that.

"Right, so I’m just gonna take a hunch here and say there’s going to be some rules because there will be some rules?"

The Time stone glowed brightly. "There will be events that must happen. You will be sent back to the moment you’re found by your "Rhodey," the invasion must happen. Peter will get his powers, his uncle will, unfortunately, have to die, Strange must happen, and the Maximoff twins must appear. You can however change any event between those and influence how they turn out."

Tony nodded. Last time, Stephen ended up broke; this time he’ll still be filthy rich. It should be simple enough to befriend the man. Based on past experiences, they were more alike than they previously believed, and it would be nice to talk to someone who would be able to understand him. Bruce was good, and he’ll always be his science bro, but he was too scared of himself to form any lasting relationships, and Tony was done being ran off on. Tony wasn't sure how he felt about not being able to save the kid's uncle. He knew it was how he got his start but still.

Next Space glowed. "No need to worry about Maximoff. When you go back, your mind will be protected. We cannot afford for your past memories to be accessed by anyone."

"Besides," Mind piped up, and a distinct air of dislike surrounded it. "I want Maximoff to myself. I have a bone to pick with her and her need to use the powers I granted her for her own selfish needs."

Tony wanted to ask what it meant by that, but he also didn’t want to touch it with a 10-foot pole. He would gladly hand over the crazy girl to a visibly angry sentient Infinity Stone. As long as he no longer had to deal with her, he was peachy.

"One more thing," Reality interjected. "The Vision cannot exist. Not if you wish to bring Jarvis back."

"Wait, why? Vision only has part of Jarvis’s code; surely I can recreate it."

"No, you cannot. There is a reason why we are allowing you to bring Jarvis back." Tony was thoroughly confused right now. He knew he could do it; it was just the act of placing part of Jarvis into Vision.

"Tony, Jarvis is not just a code. He is just as sentient as we are. He died, which means he also has a soul. It’s not something that can be replicated or copied. Not without consequences," Time explained. His voice was gentle but chiding, and Tony’s eyes widened in realization. Vision had a part of Jarvis’s code, and if the code was his soul, Tony would have to rip up Jarvis’s soul in order to do it.

"Understood," he said weakly. He would mourn Vision when he was back, but if he had to choose, he would always choose Jarvis. He just felt bad that Vision would never be able to live again, but he supposed it would be better this way. Vision was a shining beacon for Thanos since he wore the Mind Stone on his head. He couldn’t exactly hide it.

Slowly but surely, every stone glowed until there was a myriad of different colors filling up the dark void. Every color except...

"Wait, where's the soul?" Tony wondered. He hadn’t realized there were only five stones when there were six in total. He decided to chalk it up to him being too surprised to remember. It wasn’t exactly a lie.

"Look down."

When he did, Tony was shocked to see his arc reactor shining that warm orange rather than the bright blue it normally did. He didn’t understand, and the theory that was forming in his head wasn’t one he was willing to confirm. Unluckily for him, the stones were more than ready to do that for him.

Power sighed as if it were annoyed by his reaction. Tony liked it better when it didn’t talk, "You already know what it means."

Huffing, Tony shook his head and rubbed at his chest. Soon the warm feeling spread across his body, and he couldn’t contain his gasp. Oh, that was new.

"We will return you to your parents, and then you will be transported to the time we have designated."

Before he could say anything, the stones glowed, and soon he was standing in front of both of his parents, with that warm orange landscape around them. Tony glanced down and saw that his arc reactor now glowed the bright blue he was used to. "This is getting freakier and freakier," he muttered before looking back up at his parents. He stared at his mom and wanted so desperately to run into her arms. He was 53 years old, but standing in front of her now, he felt like he was 17 all over again.

"What happened?" His father asked after a moment.

"They explained the rules and set some guidelines. They told me Captain America managed to screw up the entire timeline and erased my daughter from existence, and apparently, the soul stone has decided to use me as a vessel. Although they didn’t tell me that directly, I just figured it out when my chest decided to glow orange for a few seconds," Tony rushed out, maintaining eye contact with his mom.

His mom held out her arms, and Tony was in them before he knew what he was doing. He managed to stop from crying, but he inhaled her signature perfume like it was a drug. "Mom…" he whispered and choked back a sob when he felt her hands running through his hair.

"Tony," she spoke softly, and Tony squeezed her tighter against him. "I am so proud of you, my bambino. Ti amo così tanto. Mi sei mancato, figlio mio."

"Mamma..." Tony let her push him back reluctantly and blinked his eyes as she caressed his cheeks. "I wish we had more time, Antonio, but I knew if I showed up too soon, you wouldn’t be as willing to say yes." As much as Tony would have liked to protest that fact, he also knew it was nothing more than the truth. He wouldn’t stay forever, but he also wouldn’t be able to leave his mom again.

"I’m glad I got to see you before I left," Tony said, glancing at his father for a moment before switching his gaze back to his mom. "Both of you. We left everything so unsolved, I-"

His mom nodded her understanding when he couldn’t get his words out.

"We’ve also been given a chance to fix things," his father said. Tony paused for a moment before removing one arm from his mother and leaving it extended for his father. Despite the awkwardness, he was relieved he welcomed the invitation and didn't want to give it any thought. Not until he finally burst into tears in his parents' embrace. The gravity of what had occurred finally hit him, and the breakdown he'd been trying to prevent took full control. He was frail and torn open by everything that had happened, everything he had experienced, and the feelings of both of his parents as they held him together.

Tony didn't know how long they talked for, but he finally reached a point where he knew he could leave with closure. His father also gave him some necessary information he would need when he was taken back. Before he knew it, the warm orange began to fade into blackness and he slipped away from the Soul Plane in his parents' arms, listening to his mother's soothing Italian whispers. He knew they'd have more time when it was his turn, and he knew this wouldn't be the last time he saw them. This wasn't a goodbye; it was a see you later, and he was completely fine with that. When he opened his eyes again, he was in Rhodey's arms, staring intently at him in the middle of the Afghan desert.

"You have so much explaining to do, Tones," Rhodey choked out, and Tony merely smiled before hugging his best friend tightly to his chest.

He was back.

Chapter Text

"You mean to tell me that when you died, you were taken to the soul plane where you met Howard and your mom and talked to the Infinity Stones and found out that the soul is currently using your body as its host?"

Rhodey had finally gotten him on the helicopter, and they were finally on their way back to America. Tony still had a hard time seeing his best friend walk on his own two legs, no braces needed. If waking up in the Afghan desert wasn’t enough to convince him, seeing Rhodey walking definitely was. It took a minute for them to be left alone, with the medics insisting they see his chest and him and Rhodey insisting they back the hell off. It was exhausting just trying to get his other injuries seen without anyone messing with him.

"Yep," he replied, popping the P at the end.

Tony was resting against James; he had forgotten how much pain he was in the first time, and while pain became normal for him, it still wasn’t what he would call a fun experience. Filling Rhodey in on what the stones told him was confusing enough. Tony still didn’t completely understand everything. It was the definition of information overload, but he could adapt.

Rhodey shook his head in exasperation and said, "I'd think you were crazy if I didn't watch you die 15 years from now, which—" Rhodey narrowed his eyes at Tony in a warning, "You are not allowed to again." Tony only nodded in agreement. He didn’t mind dying to save the universe, but if he had a choice, he didn’t ever want to do that again.

"Agreed."

"Who else came back?" Rhodey asked.

"Pepper, Jarvis, and Loki."

"Okay, wait," he said. "Jarvis is an AI; do they count as living souls?"

Tony shrugged, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at his chest. "Apparently. His code is his soul. When Ultron ripped apart his code, it ripped apart his soul, which is why I'm guessing, I couldn't fix it. Vision had part of his code/soul, but it was an insignificant amount." Tony still couldn’t fully believe that he had created AIs with souls. They weren’t just codes capable of learning; they were living just as he did, but simply without a body. Tony always treated J and his bots as if they were humans as if they had their agency, which they did, but knowing they could die and end up in the same place as him was another story. As much as his brain wanted to question how and why, Tony was simply happy to get his child back. At least he won’t have to update him too much, and J already knew everything that happened. This would make everything so much better.

"And Loki?" Rhodey questioned, pulling Tony out of his musings.

Tony cocked his head to one side. "He's spent time with Thanos; he knows how to get the rest of the universe together. According to Thor, if it weren't for his dad and Hela, Loki would have succeeded in saving Asgard. Loki doesn't want power; he wants to be left alone—and to be able to be a pain in the ass whenever he wants. Besides, the Space stone wanted him. Who am I to say no?"

It was quiet for a moment while Tony let Rhodey think over what he revealed. Tony closed his eyes as the humming of the helicopter lured him into a slight dose. He had so much to do, and it seemed as if he didn’t have enough time to complete it all. He knew that he’d be able to with Pep, Rhodey, J, and Loki, but it still seemed as if it were impossible.

It was a while before Rhodey spoke again. "I'm guessing you're still going to want to shut down your weapons?" At Tony’s nod, Rhodey merely sighed.

"Can I at least inform the brass first this time?" Tony couldn’t even feel offended by the question, considering just how much trouble he caused by not informing anyone of his decision. Perhaps if he did, if he actively worked with the military, everything would have been so much easier in regards to the Iron Man suit and War Machine. The military would be a powerful ally if Tony and Rhodey did everything correctly this time. No doubt, Ross would still be a pain in the ass, but with the right people, Tony was sure he’d be able to keep Ross far away from all of this. No, he couldn't let his Platypus go through this alone like last time.

"Yeah, I know I put you in a situation last time. Inform them I'm shutting it down but will still carry out the contracts I have now. I'll still make protective gear, but it's going to take some time, and they’re going to need it. We can talk more in person when we land. Preferably before a press conference is called."

"What are you going to do about Stane?"

"I'm going to act as normally as possible. The minute I get home, I'm having J search for everything. He'll already know what to look for. I think I’ll just give all the information to the military and FBI. I should let them build the case rather than getting involved. I can focus on other things besides Stane." Tony paused for a moment, thinking whether he should call the press conference after Stane was arrested. He had a feeling that if he called it before, Stane would end up backtracking, and Tony would really rather not go through everything again.

"In fact, I won’t call the press conference until I’m sure you guys can bag the bastard," Tony smirked and looked up at Rhodey. "I’ll even play it up and use the wheelchair instead of walking out. That way, I can play going home and resting before I can address the concerns."

It was a risk, for sure. Stane would probably try to take advantage of that and either try to kill him again or try to close ranks with the board earlier than planned. It would take careful planning in the timeframe they had, but if Rhodey could convince the military to hold off for now, it would do them some good. Rhodey nodded approvingly, and Tony smiled slightly. Rhodey always hated how he dealt with Stane, how much unnecessary drama ensued due to it, and how Pep was put in harm's way. Not to mention the fact that Tony almost died... twice.

"And the rest of the Avengers and Shield?"

Tony couldn’t help the devilish smirk that made its way onto his face. "Do you know?" he said in a sickly-sweet tone. "That dear old dad was the founder of Shield?"

It was one of the many things his dad decided to share with him in the soul plane, and one of the many things Shield decided he didn’t need to know. It put them at the top of his shitlist, right next to Rogers and Stane.

Tony glanced up at Rhodey and wanted to laugh at how bugged out his eyes were. Tony hadn’t even gotten to the best part. After a short moment, Rhodey found his voice again. "What? I thought he helped Peggy Carter with the formation?"

"Nope. Apparently, Roosevelt gave the group to my dad, and he pulled in Aunt Peggy. There is a joint will hidden in one of my mother’s accounts that states the ownership of Shield is to pass to myself and my cousin Sharon. Which means…" Tony trailed off, allowing Rhodey to come to the only conclusion there was.

"You own Shield. You own the Avengers Tones." Tony heard the awe clear in his best friend's voice and he couldn't help but preen. Suddenly their positions were flipped and they had the biggest advantage. 

"And as for Rogers," Tony hissed out. "He is either going to fall in with everyone else or I’ll have the serum removed the minute he steps a toe out of line."

"Okay, what happened? Even after Siberia, you weren’t willing to remove his serum. What changed."

"What changed was after I died saving the entire universe, Rogers went back in time and fucked everything up by staying there and marrying Peggy, saving my dad, which somehow led to me never meeting you or marrying Pepper, which resulted in him erasing my goddamn daughter from existence!"

It was dead silent for a moment before Rhodey exploded, "He did WHAT!?"

"Yep, he believed it was his "reward," Tony said, moving his fingers in a quote-unquote motion. "As if saving the universe requires a fucking reward. Saving the universe and living was his reward, but no. He believed he was entitled to a lot more than that."

"If you don’t punch him, I will," Rhodey muttered, and Tony was tempted to let him. He knew that the minute Rogers did anything, he was shoving a repluser in his face. In fact, Tony thought about how out of tune he was in Siberia, and he never wanted to feel that again. The next time he met Rogers, Tony wanted to be on an equal footing, skill-wise. That was the one thing Tony couldn’t take away from the big lug. Rogers was a skilled fighter.

"He erased my little girl from existence, Rhodey. I don’t want to punch him; I want him dead, but unfortunately, whether we like it or not, he’s one of the heavy hitters. I hate that he’s useful, but he is. However, if he thinks he’s going to be using my father’s shield, he has another thing coming."

That was one thing Tony had already decided on. He’ll make Rogers another shield, but he won’t ever touch the one his father made him again. No, Tony wanted that shield for himself, and he knew a nifty little arc reactor that would love a snug vibranium casing. Tony was going to take Roger’s symbol and the thing he used to hurt him and make it so no one could ever use it to hurt or manipulate him again. Tony could feel his blood boiling with a vengeance, how his barely constrained anger was threatening to claw its way out and he knew his brother was going to be right there with him. Tony was more excited to see how Pepper was going to handle the information. If he was this mad, he knew Pep was going to lose every ounce of restraint she's ever had and Tony couldn't wait.

"You're not allowed to be alone with him again," Rhodey stated, and really, Tony couldn't find a single reason to argue with that point because if it were up to him, Rogers wouldn't exist anymore.

"You're not allowed by yourself with any of them actually." Rhodey amended. Tony frowned in slight confusion.

"I get Rogers; I can even understand Wanda, but Wilson and Lang pose no threat, and Romanoff and Barton won't leave Shield just because I take over it. They've made too many enemies; they need that safety net, and they aren't stupid enough to try and kill me either. Bruce and Thor aren’t that much of a threat either. Not really."

Rhodey merely shook his head no. Hard eyes met Tony's, and it startled him.

"No." Rhodey declared again. "Until they can be trusted, you are not to be around them. With how Romanoff and Barton have formed preconceived notions about you, they will side with Rogers on principle. Thor almost choked you for doing what they requested of you, and Banner took off, allowing you to take the fall by yourself.” Rhodey frowned as if the thought of Bruce had personally offended him. “Barton and Thor hurt you physically, Romanoff hurt you mentally, Bruce hurt you emotionally and Rogers managed to do all damn three. No, either I or Happy will be with you whenever they're around."

He was honestly surprised at how much Rhodey hated them. The anger in his voice and face was very much welcomed, but it was surprising. He was always able to put aside his differences, regardless of who they were, for the greater good. It was what Tony both loved and hated about him but right now, he was throwing that all away. Still…Tony couldn’t help but try and make a case.

“Brucie bear isn’t that bad and Thor was an arrogant God. They both grew up.”

“Thor and Banner didn’t contact you at all in those 5 years,” Rhodey countered.

“Thor lost half his people, his home, and his brother. I don’t blame him and Bruce…” Tony trailed off. As much as he wanted to find an excuse, he didn’t have one. He could give Barton and Thor credit at least, they both lost so much and went off the deep end in vastly different directions. Thor gave up and Barton gave in. As much as Tony detested the way they treated him before that, he couldn’t…he wouldn’t hold that against them. Not when he went back the first time around for Peter.

Bruce, however, he really didn't have an excuse for. He left and while he was essentially kidnapped, once everything was said and done, he left again. Tony sighed slightly.

“I will give those two the benefit of the doubt. We may not like it but I would rather have Thor and Bruce than Rogers and Romanoff any day.”

Rhodey raised a single eyebrow and said, “Clint?”

“Tossup. As I said, he needs the safety net. More so than Romanoff, Barton has an entire family. This early in? He won't risk them.” 

Tony could also admit that Clint left during the "Civil War" because of a debt he felt he owed to Wanda for her brother but it didn't excuse it. Tony felt for Barton but that didn't mean he could forgive him...or trust him but he could give him a chance. However small it may be.

Silence took over the small room they were in and before Tony could stop it, a yawn made its way out of his mouth. He was exhausted and in pain; even on pain meds, it did little to help.

Rhodey moved them so Tony was resting further back against his chest. Smoothing down Tony’s hair, Rhodey tightened his arms around him. "Try and get some rest, Tones," he whispered.

Nodding slightly, Tony yawned again. "Hey, do you think the brass would be willing to work with the FBI and CIA to investigate?" He asked sleepily, his eyes closing against his will.

"Rest Tones. I got this; just rest."

Tony laid his head back against his best friend’s chest, finally allowing his eyes to close. He was safe here with Rhodey. Despite the nightmares that were bound to follow, Tony could finally just rest.

Rhodey looked down at his best friend, his brother, and sighed. Combing his fingers through Tony’s now stringy and dirt-filled hair, Rhodey smiled gently.

“You’re never dying again,” his voice was a soft but fearful whisper. He almost lost him before and he did lose him. For some reason, the stones decided to send him back, he wasn’t about to let Tony take on all the pressure this time. He had a position, he had power and this time he was going to exercise it the way he should have the first time.

It shouldn’t have taken Tony dying for him to understand. For a brief moment, the reactor in Tony’s chest glowed a bright orange, and Rhodey knew—he just knew it was the soul stone telling him he was thinking the right thing and it felt as if something simply settled in his chest.

With that, he got out his phone, ready to call his superiors.

Chapter Text

When Tony woke up, it was to the sound of Rhodey’s whispered hisses and his chest constricting tightly as he tried to get his breathing under control. He didn’t remember what his dream was about, but it wasn’t good, and Tony was relieved when it didn’t come back to him after a moment. He focused on whoever Rhodey was talking to, which was most likely the military; they were not happy and neither was Rhodey. After a while of them going back and forth over SI weapon production, Tony finally interrupted the conversation.

"Let me talk to them," Tony croaked out. He frowned at how sore his throat was and sent his friend a grateful nod when he was given a bottle of water.

"Are you sure you’re up to this Tones?" Rhodey asked worriedly, and Tony nodded to show that he was okay. Suddenly, a screen was in front of his face, and he was met with the many glares of what Rhodey called "The Brass" which unfortunately happened to include General Ross. How he managed to strong-arm his way into the meeting, Tony would have to ask Rhodey once they were done, but Tony had enough of Ross to last him a lifetime.

"Stark!" Ross bellowed, and Tony couldn’t help the glare he leveled at his tone. It was enough to cause Ross to hesitate for a moment. Sadly, it would never be enough to cause him to not talk at all. That wasn’t how Ross operated.

"What is the meaning of you wanting to shut down your weapons manufacturing!?"

Tony sighed in annoyance, wiping a hand over his face. "General Ross, I know Colonel Rhodes has updated you on the course of events, so I know you know that somehow a terrorist group has a stockpile of my weapons, and they hinted that they weren’t the only ones either. This means that there is a leak somewhere, which presents a security risk not just for Stark Industries but for the military as well."

Ross merely glowered at Tony, huffing his displeasure. "You could halt production instead of shutting it down altogether. Our military still needs your weapons."

"No."

"No?" General Ross sputtered, and Tony smiled. It wasn’t a nice one; it wasn’t pleasant, by any account, but it did fill him with a brief satisfaction to see Ross so off foot.

"I am going to shut down my weapons production permanently. I saw our boys killed with weapons that were supposed to protect them. I was blown up by a bomb that had my own goddamn name on it. There’s no way in hell I’m going to keep producing weapons." Tony knew he should tone down his irritation, but dealing with Ross during the entirety of the "Civil War" and the events after the fact wore Tony out on any patience he had left for the man.

Ross went to speak again, but Tony held up his hand, effectively stopping him from getting a single word out. He briefly adjusted himself with the help of Rhodey, giving a small note of thanks before glaring back at Ross and the rest of the men situated in the room with him.

"I was blown up, kidnapped, had open heart surgery performed on me in a cave without anesthetic, and tortured for three damn months."

Tony would have taken great amusement with the way they all blanched as he told them what he had to endure. Although he didn’t wake up in the cave this time around, he still had to deal with the aftermath for a second time. He wasn’t in the mood to be evasive about his treatment. "I don’t care what you think the nation needs—not when it’s your selfishness speaking for everyone else. Not when you don’t actually give two fucks about what happens to the men defending this country. You care more about the weapons and the power they give the U.S.," Tony narrowed his eyes at Ross, lifting a single finger to point at him, and said, "Don’t pretend it’s anything else."

No one spoke after Tony did for a hot minute, but he could feel Rhodey’s body shaking up against his back, and he knew it was because he was trying to hold in his laughter. Tony would have smirked or smiled if he wasn’t in so much pain or if he had been able to sleep for more than two hours.

Tony wasn’t overly concerned with their reactions, considering he knew he didn’t say anything they didn’t already know. If you wanted a man who was willing to do anything for his country, General Ross was the one to go to. The man would shoot Captain America if he believed it would save America and bolster their reputation in the international community, and Tony knew this because Ross had in fact tried to do that very thing.

However, if you wanted a man who knew that the country was nothing without the people, Ross would be the last person you would want anywhere around you. The man would never learn that protecting the people of the country you claim to love so much would always be more important, even if protecting those people didn’t align with your personal beliefs.

"Dr. Stark—" one of the men began, and Tony couldn’t help but interrupt again.

"I know none of you are particularly happy about my decision, but please know that I will be shutting down production whether you like it or not. I am willing to finish out our contracts as well as continue to produce defensive gear and non-offensive equipment, but any weapons after the contracts expire will no longer be coming from my company."

Again, silence reigned for a few moments before Rhodey cleared his throat.

"We would also suggest that you check your end to make sure the leak didn’t possibly come from you. Tony will be working with the FBI and CIA on our end. There will be full cooperation from SI, and the investigation will be in conjunction with the military."

"Are you sure this is what you want to do, Dr. Stark?"

Tony nodded firmly; he didn’t need to think about it. He knew it was the right thing to do the first time, and this time is no different. "I’m positive. I need to because I can’t continue with this. No bombs, no guns, not anymore."

Ross scoffed, shaking his head, and said, "So you’re going to allow our men to die? You’re going to take away our biggest advantage out there."

Tony laughed with a harshness that had the men instinctively flinching back. "It won’t matter much if both sides end up with the same bombs and guns so what advantage are you talking about? We've lost it, we have nothing. I know full well that my weapons are the best on the market. I know why you want them but unfortunately, you aren't the only ones. It's why we’re in this predicament in the first place."

"No, we’re here because you couldn’t keep a tight lid on your company," Ross snarled.

Despite trying, Tony couldn’t hide the full-body flinch at Ross’s words. Although that was a conclusion he had come to last time, it wasn’t something he wanted to hear said by anyone, let alone Ross. It just made the betrayal by Stane more real; it made his trust in the man feel more misplaced.

"You’re right," Tony said, cutting off the multiple protests from Rhodey and various men on the screen and plunging both rooms into silence. Tony wished for a second that he had Jarvis here with him because the look on Ross’s face was, in his opinion, utterly priceless.

"Tones…" Rhodey began, but Tony shook his head stopping him from saying anything else.

"This is also the result of my lack of oversight. I focused on making more weapons and partying instead of running my company, and I trusted the wrong people. No matter how you look at it, that’s on me. However," Tony hardened his voice and glared at Ross. "I will not sit here and let you try to guilt-trip me into continuing to develop weapons while ignoring the security risk it presents. This is the last time I’m saying this, General Ross. I am shutting down my weapons manufacturing. I don’t care how you feel about it."

It was quiet for a moment as Tony gave them time to finally come to terms with what he was saying. He closed his eyes, leaning further into the warmth that Rhodey was giving off. He was so glad that he decided to bring the man back with him. He truly didn’t know how he would be able to do this without him. It wasn’t this difficult the first time; granted, he didn’t give anyone a heads up but still, their insistence—or rather, Ross’s insistence—on him continuing to develop weapons was more than tiring. Tony was still wondering how in the hell Ross managed to get a seat here; the man was managing to make a nuisance of himself early.

After what felt like hours of silent deliberation, they finally agreed to his demands.

"We understand Dr. Stark."

Tony opened his eyes slowly, briefly tilting his head up to share a look with Rhodey. At his nod, he turned his attention back to the men on the screen.

"There is another thing I would like to discuss. I won’t be sharing this information with anyone else, not until I can finalize everything, but I escaped by building a flying suit of armor." At the incredulous looks, Tony couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.

"I don’t think they believe me Honey Bear," he said, glancing up at Rhodey who had an amused expression on his face.

"I would like to propose an agreement between SI and the military regarding creating a task force of search and rescue armor. It won’t be outfitted for battle, but it will have defensive mechanisms in place should it be attacked. It will remain the intellectual property of SI, but per the agreement, it will be military property for an allotted period of time."

As hard as he tried, Tony couldn’t ignore the hungry look that entered Ross’s eyes. He made a note to make sure Ross stayed far, far away from any planning involving his creations.

"And who will pilot these armors?"

Tony waved his hand in a don’t worry manner. He didn’t want to reveal the existence of Jarvis to anyone not already in the know. "That can be decided at another time once everything else is hammered out," Tony said, effectively dismissing the question.

"Is there anything else you need to discuss, Dr. Stark?"

Faintly, Tony nodded his head. He wondered briefly if telling them about Stane was the right thing to do, but ultimately, it will be easier if he removed himself from the equation early on.

"Obadiah Stane is the only one with high enough clearance in my company to be able to pull something like this off. There might be some board members working alongside him, but if the leak came from us, it starts with him." Tony took the time to inwardly savor the looks of disbelief on their faces, despite the severity of his statements. He knew exactly what he was accusing Stane of, and he also knew there was no going back from this. He put it out there, and the box was open.

"Have you any proof?"

Tony cocked his head to the side and said, "Not yet, but as I said, he’s the only one with the clearance."

"Why is that?"

"He’s my business partner, but he also happens to be my godfather." Tony shrugged even though the thought of what Stane did still managed to light a flame of hurt and betrayal in his chest. "I had no reason to keep anything from him. The only thing he doesn’t have access to is my personal server and lab at home."

Rhodey snorted but rubbed the sides of Tony’s arms in comfort. He knew better than anyone how painful Stane’s betrayal was to Tony, and how it caused him to become more closed off to everyone in his life. How it set the precedent for many of his actions in the past—the same actions that somehow got them back to this point in time. The only difference now was that Tony knew full well who he could trust and who he couldn’t. Perhaps he could say it was a blessing in disguise, and maybe it was, but it didn’t feel like it then and it sure as hell didn’t feel like that now.

"Well…" Many of the men looked at each other with apprehension before seemingly coming to a decision.

"We accept your terms, Dr. Stark. You will finish out your contracts and continue to make our defensive gear. We will give our full cooperation with the FBI and CIA, as well as check our side for any form of treason. Get some rest."

With that, the screen went black, and Tony was fully able to relax, releasing a tension he didn’t realize was there until it wasn’t.

"Well, that went better than I thought it would," Rhodey joked, and Tony huffed in amusement.

"At least I have something to tell the press before it happens. Now, all we have to do is make sure I stay far the hell away from Stane until the investigation is over, and everything will be fine. I can work on getting this reactor out before the poisoning begins."

Rhodey tsked under his breath, letting his dissatisfaction be known. "I know you have to, but if you don’t get enough rest, I’m going to make sure Pepper stays with you to make sure you do." Tony began to snort before it was interrupted by a particularly loud yawn, and he patted Rhodey’s thigh with a small beat. Tony had no objections to having his wife in his arms again, even if it meant he’d be in bed rather than the lab. Especially because they’d be in bed rather than the lab.

"You got it Platypus." He said this before closing his eyes and falling back asleep.

The next time Tony opened his eyes, he was back at the airport he was at the first time, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized he was just a few short feet from the love of his life again. Just the thought of having his wife this close to him was enough to make him antsy and restless. Rhodey knew exactly what he was feeling because he had the wheelchair ready for him when he was finished cleaning himself up.

"You ready?" Rhodey asked him, and Tony gave a small nod.

Seeing Pepper there, standing waiting for him was enough to make Tony’s breath catch in his throat. The last time he saw her, he was dying on a battlefield, his body too tired and too broken. He couldn’t kiss her one last time or tell her how much he loved her. Tony was cursing the idea of staying in the wheelchair; it was unbearable having to sit there until he finally came right in front of her. Even with the shouts of various reporters and the flashes from their cameras, it wasn’t enough to distract him from the vision that met him.

She looked so much younger, but no less radiant. Tony wouldn’t have believed this was the woman he fell in love with if it hadn’t been for her eyes. Those eyes, that bright ocean blue, belonged to the woman he married and had Morgan with. This was his wife, the woman who followed him out onto the battlefield, brilliant in her own armor, the mother of his child.

"Tears for your long-lost boss?" Tony repeated the words he said to her last time round and a small disbelieving huff left her mouth as she bent down to squeeze his hands in her own.

"Tears for a selfless man who can’t seem to stop trying to save the world," she replied, and Tony smiled gently at her. It was so great seeing her and having her again. He wanted to kiss her. God, he wanted to kiss her.

All too soon, she stepped away from him and gestured to the black SUV at the end of the runway. "Let’s get you away from these reporters," she said, her nose wrinkling a bit in annoyance, and Tony laughed at her expression.

"They weren’t here last time," Tony mused as they made their way to the vehicle, smiling widely as he noticed Happy make his way over to them.

"We’ve changed a lot since we’ve been back," Rhodey said quickly as he pushed Tony along, both of them anxious to get as far away from prying eyes as possible.

"Nice to see you, Hap."

Happy smiled, and it was a rare sight for the man. "Good to see you back boss," he said, clearing his throat, and Tony could only laugh.

The minute Pepper sat down next to Tony, he grabbed her and kissed her; his hands came up to caress her face gently. He smiled into the kiss when he felt her hands roaming his chest, her fingers gently skirting around the reactor. Tony faintly heard the light snort Rhodey gave off at their display and Happy's squawk but couldn’t find it in himself to tear his lips away. He thought he'd never get the chance to do this again. He wasn't about to waste this second chance.

"I missed you," Tony murmured into her mouth, and he felt her smile back.

"I missed you too," she whispered against his lips. After a moment, she moved her face away and Tony inhaled sharply at the raw emotion evident in her eyes.

"Let’s go home."

Nothing else was said as they drove to Tony’s Malibu mansion. There weren’t any words needed. Soon enough, the mansion came into view, and he felt Pepper squeeze his hand softly. Tony missed the mansion; he never bothered to have it rebuilt after it was blown up, which was something he always regretted. It was another consequence of his poor decisions, another mark in the column of things to not let happen this time around. Besides, it’d be nice this time to have a home away from New York for the time being. At least until Peter and Harley show up.

"You can’t allow anyone to blow it up this time," Pep scolded lightly, an amused smile on her face.

Yeah, yeah," Tony whispered back. "No telling terrorists where I live."

Tony was nervous. Even though he had proof that Rhodey and Pep had come back with him, part of him doubted that J had done the same.

"He’s here with you. Don’t worry."

Tony was startled, staring down at his chest where the light orange of the soul stone was melting back into the blue of the arc reactor. He wondered whether the soul stone was ever going to talk... Evidently, it would, just not when he was expecting it.

"Uh, Tony?" Tony lifted his head and met the bewildered gaze of Rhodey, who was busy going back and forth between Tony’s chest and eyes.

"Did the soul stone just talk to you?"

"You heard it?" Tony turned to look at Pepper, who was staring in shock at his chest. "You too?" He asked weakly and sighed when she nodded her head.

"The soul stone was the only stone that hadn’t spoken to me yet. I was wondering why that was," Tony shook his head and stared at his chest again, but when it stayed light blue, he snorted and shook his head again.

"Looks like it’ll speak only when it needs to," Pepper said, her voice showing just how puzzled she was.

"I have a lot to tell you, Pep. I’m afraid having an Infinity Stone use me as human storage is the least weird thing that happened." It would have been comical how fast Pepper whipped her head up to stare at him, but his nerves were still wracked over having Jarvis with him again. It never did get easier hearing his voice come from Vision; it was weirder hearing him speak fondly about Wanda in that voice. Especially since the witch was the main reason why Jarvis was killed in the first place. While Tony would miss Vision, he was glad the stones stopped him from creating him again.

If Vision couldn’t exist without Jarvis, then maybe he was never meant to exist in the first place. After all, he only came to be because Jarvis was killed.

"What was the stone talking about anyway?" Rhodey asked.

"I was scared that J didn’t come back with you two. I know the stones said that J had a soul, but I can still remember seeing his code utterly tarnished and ripped." Tony ran his free hand through his hair, unable to stop the shaking. He was bound for another freakout. It was overdue.

"Until I hear his voice again, I’m afraid that this is all just a really bad dream," he admitted.

"Well then," Pepper said, an understanding smile on her face, and Tony was struck by how beautiful she looked. He’d never get tired of seeing that smile on her face or having her near him. He’s said it before but God, he loved this woman. "Let’s get you inside. I’m sure Jarvis is just as nervous as you are."

At her words, Tony’s eyes widened in surprise before his expression morphed into one of devastation. How could he forget that the last time Jarvis spoke with him was just before his death!? If Tony was nervous, J must have been freaking out. He had no idea what had happened since he died, so coming back without Tony there to explain everything...

"Inside," Tony croaked out as the car finally came to a stop. "I need to get inside right now."

It didn't take long for Tony to get back in his wheelchair, and Rhodey nearly pushed him to the door as Pepper and Happy followed closely behind. Tony could hear Hap question Pepper about what they were talking about and Tony inwardly cringed. He really needed to get Happy up to speed on everything, he thought momentarily before his gaze was captured by a familiar door in his face. Tony hesitated for a moment before opening the door, and he was pushed inside.

"Sir?" Jarvis’s uncertain voice filled the empty house, and Tony couldn’t help the broken sob that left his mouth.

"J?" Tony asked, his voice trembling and his hands shaking even as they gripped the arms of the wheelchair. "Is that you?" He looked up at the ceiling towards one of the cameras, even though his tears made it hard for him to see.

"I see you were able to accomplish the ability of time travel, sir," came Jarvis’s slightly sarcastic reply, but the AI couldn’t hide the emotion of joy and relief he felt at being alive again, and it was at that moment that Tony let it all go.

With Happy standing behind him, confused yet comforting, Rhodey and Pepper supported Tony as he sobbed in their arms. Jarvis kept speaking in a calming tone. His British voice brought Tony a piece of himself he'd lost so many years before. Even as he cried and the pressure in his chest increased, Tony embraced the pain and the peace it finally brought.

"I’m so glad to hear your voice, J.," Tony whispered.

"You’ll never have to go without it again, sir," Jarvis said, and Tony heard the promise that came through his words. He couldn’t help the smile that broke out on his face at that.

"Okay…" Happy spoke cautiously. "Is anyone going to explain what the hell is going on?"

Right, Tony frowned for a minute. "J, make sure there are no bugs. I don’t want a single person listening in. Lockout Stane: in fact, remove all permission except for Rhodey, Pep, and Hap."

"Already done, sir."

Tony smiled again and said, "Knew I could count on you, J." Tony stood up and made his way across the living room, with Rhodey and Pepper following right behind him. "I know you’re confused, Hap," Tony began as he sat down, moaning in pleasure at finally settling down on his own furniture.

"I have a lot to explain to you, J and Pep. Mostly just you and J really since Pep and Rhodey know most of it, but it’s gonna take a while to get through everything." Tony looked up to where Happy was standing, a frown sitting heavily on his face. Slowly, Happy made his way into the living room, sitting across from Tony.

"Lay it on me, boss."

Chapter Text

Tony, Rhodey, and Pepper all took turns informing Happy of everything that had happened in the past. Where they forgot, Jarvis was there to chip in with any information he deemed important enough that Happy needed to know. It wasn’t an easy conversation, and somewhere in the middle, they had to take a break, and they used that time to change and eat. Tony welcomed the break and dreaded going back to the conversation. Even if he knew how important it was, reliving everything was never going to be easy. He was grateful that they never asked him how it felt to die; they allowed him to speak about it however he wanted, and if he happened to gloss over some things, they never spoke a word about it.

Even though Tony, Rhodey, and Pepper had lived through it all, Jarvis died halfway through, and Happy didn’t remember anything at all. So when they learned what happened after Ultron, something in them changed. Happy was concerned about the events leading up to Ultron, but the events after Ultron and the actions of various team members brought out a fire in his eyes that Tony had never seen before. It was as if he were looking at a Happy that remembered even though he knew he didn't, and Tony regretted the fact that he had to tell him.

As for Jarvis, Tony had to order him not to make any moves against Shield until they were ready. That was when they found out that Jarvis not only came back, but he came back with all of his memories, or rather, all of his data, which meant that if he wanted to, he could have destroyed Shield right then and there. He wanted to. Tony had never heard his AI that angry before, and he was actually surprised he was able to show that much emotion. He knew that Jarvis was able to learn and grow; he also knew that Jarvis was able to simulate emotions, but this was different. Tony believed that it was because Jarvis had a soul that he was able to feel emotions rather than simply mimic them.

Granted, Jarvis having his data made it that much easier for Tony to do what needed to be done, but he knew it was going to be hard to keep Jarvis from completely tearing everything and everyone apart.

However, the worst reaction came from Pepper. Once she found out what Rogers did after he returned the stones, it prompted another break. Two hours later, she was still fuming, but she wasn’t in the mood for a violent murder. Granted, it wasn’t as if Tony didn’t feel the same way, but he knew it was different because Pepper was Morgan’s mother. Morgan was and will always be the love of Tony’s life, but Morgan was Pepper’s world. The fact that her birth was a miracle and the hardship Pepper went through trying to deliver her only made Morgan that much more special.

It was safe to say that once the conversation was over, it was better for everyone.

"So to recap: a giant purple alien wiped out half of the population in the entire universe, but you were able to undo it and defeat him, but then you died, and six magical stones brought you, Rhodey, Pepper, Jarvis, and a Norse God Alien Prince back to fix a dying universe."

"Yep," Tony said, popping the p. He watched as Happy looked at him, then Rhodey, then Pepper, then the ceiling, and back to Tony before silently nodding.

"I—" Happy began before he heaved a sigh and sent a look toward the ceiling. "Okay," he breathed out.

Tony couldn’t help but lift an eyebrow in response, sending a look toward Rhodey, who simply smiled back.

"Okay?" Tony asked incredulously.

When Happy merely stared at him, Tony couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. "Right," Tony said, clapping his hands once before rubbing them together. "We have until 2018 until Barney comes to Earth. I currently have the soul stone; Thanos has the mind stone; a super-secret spy organization has the space stone; and Hogwarts has the time stone. In three years, the one Thanos has will be making its way here with Loki, and a year after that, the reality stone will make an appearance in New Mexico, which means soon Earth will have five of the six stones together in one place, which isn’t ideal for us at all, but there’s no other choice. We can’t risk them going back into space, or they’ll just be out of our reach, and we can’t protect them that way."

Rhodey nodded as he leaned back against the sofa. "That means we have to keep the mind stone from Shield."

Tony tried to hide his grimace, but by the look on Rhodey’s face, he wasn’t as successful as he thought. Rhodey narrowed his eyes at Tony and stared until Tony finally relented and spoke up.

"We actually need the mind stone to be taken to Hydra. The stones said that Maximoff needed to gain her powers from them."

Rhodey sat straight up, a mix of shock and anger painting his face. "What!?"

"That crazy bitch has tried to kill you multiple times and has fucked with your head more times than I can count, and the stones want her to have that power again!?"

Tony placed his hands up in a placating gesture, not that it had any effect, and said, "I’m protected. My mind is protected, so Maximoff won’t be able to harm me that way, but yes." By the looks on their faces, Tony knew they weren’t convinced, and he couldn’t really blame them because neither was he. He would never be able to trust Maximoff; she felt little to no regret, and she never learned. Tony had no idea what she got up to after he died; the stones didn’t share much of her, but he doubted she got up to anything good. With Vision and Natasha dead, Clint back with his family, and Steve fucking up the timeline, she was left alone. She was barely okay with them all around her; Tony didn’t have to be a genius (even though he very much was) to know she probably did something stupid somewhere down the line.

"Look, I don’t like it any more than you all do. In fact, I hate it and I don’t trust her, but I do trust the stones, and I trust they won’t let her get out of control." Tony remembered what mind had said and prayed that it wouldn’t just let the witch prance around unleashed. He did remember just how powerful she managed to become, and he was promptly reminded of why he hated magic.

"I don’t know how the fight is going to go, but she was able to hold her own against him twice," Tony said, holding up two fingers for emphasis. "That counts for something, even if it is little in the face of what she’s going to do, has done, or whatever." Tony waved his hand in the air in frustration and annoyance. "I’m actually guessing that she, Captain Marvel, and Strange are all going to be needed to face him off. They were the only ones who presented an actual challenge to him. "

"What about you and our alien prince?" Happy asked.

"I also think Loki and I are also going to be playing a part since we were directly chosen by the stones, but I have no idea what. I’d like to not have to face Thanos directly again; twice was enough for me," Tony admitted. He was more than sure that even if he did face off against Thanos again, he wouldn’t die, but the fact of the matter was that Tony was genuinely afraid of the Mad Titan, and the very thought of having to face him again in any capacity was enough to send him into several panic attacks.

Pepper snuggled into Tony’s side, mindful of his chest. "I don’t like that," she mumbled.

"I must agree with Ms. Potts, sir," Jarvis interjected, worry and stress evident in his voice. "I am not comfortable with Maximoff or Thanos being in your life in any form."

"I know J." Tony sighed again, running his hand through his hair. "Look guys, if there were any other way, I would take it, but there’s not. We can only work with what we have, make plans, and have multiple backups just in case the first plan goes to shit."

Rhodey let out a huff of frustration. "Are you sure that you’re going to have to face him again? There’s no alternative?" His voice was tinged with a hint of desperation, but Tony didn’t answer; he didn’t know what he could say that would put their worries at ease.

Suddenly, Tony’s chest began to glow a faint orange before a soft but strong voice spoke into the heavy silence.

"Tony must face off against Thanos. I must be used against him."

Somehow, the silence got heavier, and the tension in everyone’s body got tighter.

"Why Tony?" Pepper begged. "He faced off against him twice already. Why did you inhibit his body? Why not Captain Marvel, Loki, Dr. Strange, or literally anyone else who has more than their body!?" She was screaming at this point, tears running down her face, and all Tony could do was hold her close to him as she soaked his shirt.

"Tony is the only one of them that made the Mad Titan bleed which none of the people you listed had managed to do. However, the most important reason is due to his ability to create souls which only comes from one’s knowledge of sacrifice and the price that comes with it. Therefore, he is the only one worthy of wielding me." Tony was surprised that the stone had answered. He was prepared to have a one-sentence reply and then radio silence. He was even more surprised that the stone didn't seem particularly put out that Pepper was screaming at it.

"Good! That’s great except for the tiny little part where I don’t want to. I agreed to be your guardian but not your host. I agreed to keep you safe, not use you to defeat Thanos." Tony argued.

"Exactly," the stone answered. "That is precisely the reason why only you can wield me and why we have trusted ourselves with you. You only want to save the universe and live. You ask for nothing else, you want nothing else, and if you had to make the same decision again, you and I both know you would."

Tony was tired. He had a theory as to why he was chosen, and he just about had it confirmed in the soul plane, but he still didn’t like it, nor did he appreciate having it confirmed…again.

"Well, thanks for clearing that up for us," came Tony’s reply, and he would have tried to hide the sarcasm, but he wasn’t up for sparing any feelings. "I still don’t like it." Tony continued mulishly.

"Neither do we. We were only meant to keep the universe intact."

“So why can’t you? Better yet, why didn't you?” Rhodey challenged. With an audible sigh, the stone spoke again. “Because we have rules we must obey. Just because we are the base of the universe doesn’t mean we get to interfere where we want. We aren’t Gods who decide people’s fates or destinies. We don’t take over the timelines, we don’t take away people’s free will and yes, while I have essentially inhabited Tony’s body, it’s not because I particularly want to but it’s because I need to. I like my own autonomy as well but it’s actually to ensure his safety. As long as I’m in his body, Tony won’t die and I can’t be removed until Thanos is dead.”

Before anyone could reply, the faint orange glow receded back into his chest and plunged the room into a thick blanket of quiet. It was oppressive, as everyone was locked inside their own heads. Pepper was still sniffling into Tony’s shirt while he rubbed her arm gently.

"So what’s first?" Happy questioned after a moment of silence, and Tony thought about everything they needed to do but then stopped and thought about what he wanted to do instead. In the past, he could never take the opportunity to simply rest; not until half of all life was gone was he able to just sit back and enjoy his own. It took too many lives in order for Tony to learn how to live his, and he didn’t want to place himself back in that same spot.

"A movie," Tony said before he could stop himself.

"A what?" Pepper asked, her eyebrows lifting in confusion. Her tears were tapering off now, but she still had a wobble to her words.

Tony nodded and shrugged, looking down at her. "We have too much to do, but we aren’t going blind this time. We can worry about everything tomorrow, but today I think we deserve a break."

Rhodey chuckled a bit before he spoke, and his eyes twinkled with amusement as he leaned back against the couch again. "So you think we should watch a movie?"

Tony nodded with a small smile. "I think we need to have more days where we just relax and remember we don’t just have a second chance to save the universe, but we have a second chance at life." Tony tightened his arms around Pepper, bringing her closer to him as he looked around the room and up to the ceiling.

"I don’t want to be so busy trying to fix everything that I forget how to live, and I don’t want that for any of you either." It was silent for a moment before Pepper smiled gently at Tony and brought him in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. He could taste her tears on his lips, and Tony made a vow right then and there to never be the cause of her sadness if he could help it.

"I, for one, agree with you. Those five years spent in solitude were good for you and us. It would be nice to have that earlier on and without the event that happened beforehand."

Rhodey smiled gently at the two of them before nodding his agreement. "So…movie night?"

A few hours later, Tony and Happy were peacefully sleeping; Happy had his legs propped up on the coffee table, while Tony had his head nestled on Pepper’s lap and his feet in Rhodey’s. The credits were playing softly in the background while Pepper and Rhodey spoke softly to each other. They were both thankful that Tony hadn’t woken up with any nightmares, and they didn’t want to wake him up. They knew this peaceful sleep wasn’t going to last, and Tony would need all the sleep possible.

"I don’t remember much, actually," Pepper began. "The last thing I actually remember is putting Morgan to bed. Then I went to bed, and suddenly I was back waiting on the tarmac with Happy."

"It was the same with me," Rhodey agreed softly. "I went to bed, and then suddenly I was in the chopper on the way to find Tony." Rhodey looked at Tony’s sleeping face for a moment before he rubbed a hand across his face.

"Even though he explained it, I’m still so confused, Pep. I mean…he-he died,” Rhodey choked out the words even though they felt like glass in his throat. “It wasn’t a dream or a potential future… and I can still remember everything. It still feels like I can feel Peter’s tears on my shoulder," he said, rolling his shoulder as if he were feeling them right then. Rhodey shook his head, sighing in exhaustion.

"Trust me," Pepper said. "I know exactly how you feel. How long were we gone before everything went to crap? From what Tony told us about Rogers, the changes he made in the past must have affected the future right then." Pepper stopped talking when Tony shuffled on her lap. She waited with bated breath for him to wake up, but when he settled down, she let out a sigh of relief.

"In a way, I’m so glad I didn’t have to witness my daughter disappearing from the timeline," Pepper said softly, her words stumbling over each other. "I had lost too much by then; I know that seeing my daughter disappear would have broken me. Even if I forgot about her due to the changes, the pain I would have felt even if it were for a second scares the living hell out of me."

Rhodey scoffed, and his previous anger at Steve began to bubble to the surface. "I still can’t believe anyone could be so selfish, so utterly and completely selfish that they would disregard everything they learned about time travel just so they could live out their happily ever after but to actively change the past with no care about the lives he was affecting..." His voice trailed off when he couldn’t bring himself to finish his thoughts. Rhodey had witnessed many deplorable human behaviors and choices in his life, but learning what Rogers did… somehow topped it all.

It was quiet for a moment, and when the credits ended, Jarvis turned off the screen, and the room was plunged into darkness for a short instant before the lights overhead were turned on and dimmed almost immediately. It was a while before either of them spoke again.

"There were so many close calls where we almost lost him, James," Pepper whispered, and the pain in her voice settled like a heavy fog in the room. Her fingers ghosted the skin of Tony’s face, moving back into his hair, where they tangled themselves in his locks.

"There were so many close calls, and part of me knew that he wasn’t coming back to us at the end of that battle."

She looked at Rhodey, tears shining in her eyes, and Rhodey moved to squeeze her hand that wasn’t preoccupied.

"The moment he told me that he figured out a way to actually time travel, I knew that this was an all-or-nothing situation. I mean, a lot of what Tony did had that same factor, but that?" Pepper swallowed harshly, grimacing at the feeling of the lump in her throat.

"That was different, and you felt it in your bones, didn’t you?" Rhodey asked softly, and when she nodded, all he could do was grasp her hand even harder. Except for him and Pepper, they all had different experiences when they returned with Tony and Jarvis. A different kind of anguish and pain resulted from them both witnessing the one person they would both have died for die for them instead. While Rhodey could never understand what Tony was going through, and whatever he could produce would most likely pale in comparison, there was something deeply unsettling about witnessing someone you care about die right in front of you.

To know that at that moment, it would be the last time they ever spoke to you, and you suddenly found yourself wishing you told them you loved them more and hoped that they knew how much you loved them. To say it wasn’t fair would be an understatement.

Rhodey was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Pepper talking again. "I couldn't sleep for days, and Tony couldn't either. Of course, he was working, but every night I wanted to grab him and drag him up to bed. I wanted to plead with him to let it go. I had arguments ready in order to convince him that everything would be okay. They would learn to move on, as we had. I had fantasies about it, you know?" Pepper seemed to be asking Rhodey, but he could see that she was really talking to herself at this point.

"Almost every night I wondered if he would stop if I asked him to. If I told him just how scared I was and how much I didn’t want Morgan to lose her father so young. I didn’t want him to help people who couldn’t be bothered to check up on him in 5 years, and the moment Tony had everything he’d ever wanted in his hands, there they came waltzing in to take everything back." By the time she stopped talking, her hand was squeezing Rhodey’s to the point of pain, but still, Rhodey said nothing. He may be Tony’s brother and his best friend, but Pepper is his wife and the mother of his child. That type of pain won’t go away so easily.

After a moment, her hold on him loosened a bit, and she finally let her tears fall down her cheeks. "Whenever I did, however, I always woke up to nightmares. I could never remember what they were about, but I wasn’t able to stop thinking about it because I knew he would. He would have stopped if I asked him to, and I know that while a part of him would have been glad, the part that cares too much about the world would have died, and I couldn’t be the reason I stopped Tony from being Tony." Pepper sniffled a bit, a small smile gracing her face.

"A Tony who doesn’t care about the world isn’t Tony at all."

Despite hating how right she was, Rhodey couldn’t help but agree with her statement. It was one of the reasons he loved Tony so much. He had so much compassion and love for the world that didn’t deserve it, to the point that it was detrimental to his health.

Rhodey squeezed her hand one more time before letting her go. "Now all we have to do is keep the world from hurting him."

Huffing out a laugh, Pepper sighed softly. "Between the four of us, it’ll be easy now that we know what to look out for. We just have to pray that it’ll be enough."

The room was silent after Pepper stopped talking as they both watched Tony sleep until they drifted off too.

Jarvis was hard at work up above, ensconced in his code, getting the ball moving against Stane. Tony had given him permission to transfer what he already had to the military and FBI, and it was agreed that Rhodey and Tony would not send the information themselves. No one wanted Tony near Stane, and Tony didn't want James to become a target. When Jarvis ran the variables, it was found that the most likely series of events would result in Rhodey's death rather than Tony being attacked. While it would have caused an uproar, more so than Tony dying would have. While Tony’s death would have affected the general public, the death of Colonel James Rhodes would have caused an uproar with the international community due not only to his position within the military but also as the liaison between Stark Industries and the Air Force.

So Jarvis took over while they watched a movie, which would have been easier if Jarvis hadn't been getting calls from various board members, including Stane, all night. Given that it had not occurred previously, he was extremely concerned. He did not know what changes they would bring or whether or not those changes would cause worse events to occur.

Coupled with the fact that Tony did not call a press conference and instead went straight home, this was allegedly cause for concern. Jarvis wasn't naive; he understood that they weren't worried about Tony's welfare and, if they were, it wasn't for the proper reasons.

The actions of his creator and the board members were not the only reasons Jarvis was as concerned as he was. Jarvis has been in a state of perplexity, panic, and other feelings he never imagined himself capable of feeling since his return. They were altering his coding in subtle but irreversible ways, which was both startling and terrifying. It had always been his primary, and at times exclusive, duty to ensure Tony's protection, and he had approached it with a clinical mentality. However, he was no longer merely looking at variables and deciding on the best outcome; he now had a personal stake in the matter, which was not the case previously. Tony was "sir," as he was his owner and creator, but somewhere along the way, he became...family.

The idea of family was such a strange concept for Jarvis to embrace. Sure, he could provide the definition and examples of "family," but he never understood that it held a different meaning for those who actually had a family. Jarvis could hypothesize all night about the changes he was currently undergoing, but there was no need, no matter how much he desperately wanted to. After all, there were three things that Jarvis was certain of. The first was that he is an AI; he is capable of self-learning, capable of dying, and, according to Tony, possesses his own soul. He was not sure if it meant he had the same soul as humans or if it operated differently, but the additional emotions he was experiencing suggested the former. The second thing Jarvis was sure of was that the influx of new emotions complicated the rate at which he processed information.

Despite the fact that he is, in some ways, a program and should be able to process things, events, and circumstances faster than humans, he is currently inadequate in this area. Jarvis was still struggling to understand everything that had transpired, while Tony and the others were asleep and appeared to have accepted what had happened. His thought process was altered and became more complicated the further he analyzed the current situation. Jarvis realized his thinking was slowly developing and evolving, much like a living creature rather than a machine.

He was uncertain about whether he could welcome the change. He had hope, however, that as time passed, he would come to accept this new reality, and he vowed to perform in a more sufficient manner going forward. Finally, the last thing Jarvis was sure of was that he would never allow anyone to harm Tony again. He had failed in his past life, but like Tony, he’d been given another chance. He won’t fail his family again.

Chapter Text

They knew that Tony would have a nightmare. With everything that he’d witnessed, it was bound to happen. So when Pepper woke to the sound of Tony’s moans, she gently shook James awake, and they gradually woke Tony up. Over the years, Tony changed how he reacted when he woke up. As the traumatic experiences piled up, it became harder and harder to get him out of his dreams. He couldn’t be left alone to wake up by himself because usually he couldn't, or more like he wouldn’t. Pepper had a feeling it was more like a self-inflicted punishment for whatever reason he believes he deserves it.

"Tony," Pepper whispered as she trailed a hand softly against his cheek. He murmured slightly in his sleep, burying his head further into her stomach. Smiling gently, Pepper bent over and whispered his name again in his ear.

"Pep…"

This time, James rubbed the balls of Tony’s feet, making his way up his legs. He carefully kneaded the tension out of his body, knowing that when Tony finally woke up, his body was going to be sore. Soon enough, through the combined efforts of Pepper and James, Tony was brought out of his nightmare with a shuddering breath, and as always, silent tears followed. It was another thing Pepper noticed about her husband: he never made a sound when he cried, and half the time, she had no idea he did.

Tony’s tears eventually stopped, and when he finally opened his eyes, he was met with the face of Pepper smiling gently down at him.

"Good morning, sir." Jarvis’s voice rang through his house, and Tony relaxed further in the hold of Pepper and James.

"It wasn’t a dream," he croaked out, and at his words, the soul stone shone brightly for a few moments, solidifying his words before the light disappeared once again.

Slowly, Tony sat up, running a hand through his hair, and when he locked eyes with Pepper, his mouth widened into a giant smile.

"Well then," Tony began. "How about some food, and then we can hash out a plan?"

Before anyone could agree, Jarvis chimed in with a phone call from General Ross.

"I’m terribly sorry sir, but it seems you have a phone call from General Ross as well as Director Mueller of the FBI. Should I place them on hold?"

Surprised, Tony and Rhodey shared a look, and Tony shook his head. "No, put us in a three-way call J. Might as well get this over with."

Soon enough, Tony was greeted with the sweet sound of General Ross yelling at him over the phone, and he placed his head in his hands, already wishing that the conversation was over despite it barely starting.

"Good-morning, Dr. Stark and company. I hope your morning has been well." Director Mueller said after Ross was done with his tirade and Tony barely suppressed a smile at how different the greetings were. He had no idea if Mueller did this on purpose after hearing Ross or if that was just how he was, but the difference was both hilarious and welcome.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" Tony asked.

Mueller cleared his throat, cutting off anything Ross was about to say, and Pepper had to hide her chuckle behind a cough, not that it did anything good. Tony merely smiled at James and shook his head. "It’s more about what you’ve already done and what we’ve just done."

"Explain?"

"This morning, around an hour ago, we attempted to arrest Obadiah Stane and did arrest 5 of your board members as well as 6 of your techs from your R&D program for their part in your kidnapping and the illegal arms dealing."

The silence that covered the room was oppressive as everyone took in what they had just heard. Tony knew that Obadiah wasn’t working alone, but that was still 12 members of his company, and while he was glad they were gone, he was more confused because it wasn’t that much the last time around. He gave them the same information as last time, and unless Jarvis was able to dig out more information, Tony didn’t understand what changed.

"Dr. Stark, are you okay?"

Tony slowly nodded before he shook himself from his thoughts. He could worry about that later, even if he didn’t want to; he knew it wasn’t something that he was going to be able to let go of.

"Was that all?"

"Unfortunately no." The apprehension was clear in Director Mueller’s voice, and Tony frowned but stayed silent until Mueller finished his sentence. "Once Stane realized why we were there, he attempted to escape and died amid the struggle after he attempted to shoot one of our men."

Tony’s eyes widened in response, and he could feel his jaw dropping but didn’t have it in him to stop it. Obadiah was dead. Tony knew that Obadiah died in the last reality, but it was different hearing it rather than seeing it and having a direct role in said death. Part of Tony was more than happy that Stane was gone; it saved him a lot of time, trouble, and heartache, but the other part of him still wondered how this would affect things going forward. What would go wrong in response to Stane’s early death? Tony had no idea, and he didn’t like it.

"I’m sorry," Pepper interjected, her hand up in the air as she shook her head in confusion. "Stane is smarter than that. What made him think he would be able to start and win a shootout with both the military and FBI?"

"We are still baffled by that ourselves, Ms. Potts, and considering Stane did not try to make excuses for himself, it was most likely something he did on the spur of the moment." Director Mueller cleared his throat as if it would give him enough time to say his next words. "I understand that Obadiah Stane was your father’s friend and your godfather, and for what it’s worth, despite his actions against you, I am sorry for your loss, Dr. Stark, both personal and business-wise."

Tony waved away the condolences, even though they couldn’t see him. He was shocked to learn that Stane was dead, but he wasn’t going to lose any more sleep over him.

"Obadiah stopped being anything to me the moment I found out he played a part in my kidnapping. He placed not only my life but the lives of countless men and women in the force at risk. Death was the easy way out for him instead of facing the court of law for his actions. At least this way, he can no longer harm anyone else."

"Yes, speaking of that," Director Mueller began before he was interrupted by General Ross.

"Where are the rest of your illegally sold weapons?" Ross demanded.

Tony merely rolled his eyes at Ross’s demand, and instead of answering him right away, he decided to make him wait a minute before answering. Right as Ross was beginning to talk again, Tony interrupted him.

"I have a list starting with Gulmira and ending in Sovokia."

Director Mueller hummed softly, seemingly to himself. "I see, he got around then…"

"Not likely," Rhodey said, shaking his head. "The people he sold to probably resold at a higher price."

"Which makes it harder to track even with the evidence of everyone he sold to." Happy added.

Tony shook his head, adjusting his place on the couch. He was surprised when he noticed that Pepper was no longer there. Happy noticed and pointed behind him to the kitchen. Nodding his thanks, Tony got the conversation back on track.

"Not necessarily," Tony clarified. "I placed a failsafe on every weapon of mine. They can all be tracked and shut down with the codes, and I highly doubt Stane was smart enough to get rid of them. Even if he did, J has the complete list."

"So you mean, not only will we have a complete list of terrorist organizations with your weapons, but you can also shut them down remotely without us having to send any of our men there?" Despite the hopeful edge to his voice, Tony heard the uncertainty in Mueller’s voice, and he hurried to confirm his words.

"That’s exactly what I mean."

"Why the hell didn’t you mention this the first time we talked, Stark?" Ross growled out.

It seemed as if Tony rolling his eyes was going to become a regular thing the more he had to interact with Ross and his very apparent anger issues.

"There was no point until you captured Stane," Tony pointed out, with a harsh edge to his voice. "If they suddenly stopped working and Stane was still out, they would have contacted him. I wasn’t keen on finding out what he’d try to do to me in retaliation. I barely survived this kidnapping, and I’m still healing; I wouldn’t have survived anything else he tried."

"We understand your reasoning, Dr. Stark. Please excuse General Ross and his lack of decorum." If they were on a video call, Tony could just imagine the look of utter disappointment Mueller would be sending Ross. Even though Ross was a high-ranking member of the military, he would still have to answer to the director of the FBI. Tony decided that he would pay big money to see that happen.

"It’s okay. He’s always been like this, and I highly doubt he’s ever going to change. He’s a stubborn bastard, aren’t you, General?" Tony quirked an eyebrow as he exchanged a brief glance with Rhodey, who was now busy with another general on the phone. No doubt already making plans before Ross had his chance to place himself right in the middle.

"It’s how I got to where I am now, Stark. I won’t apologize."

At that, Tony chuckled darkly, his patience wearing thin now. "I never expected you to." Tony took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, mindful of his chest. "Unfortunately, gentlemen, I must let you go so I can coordinate a press conference."

Pepper walked in, placing a small kiss on Tony’s forehead.

"Already done, Tony. It’s scheduled for 3 hours from now." Pepper smiled sweetly at him, placing a cup of coffee and a bowl of fruit salad on the table. Happy followed behind with plates, silverware, and a carton of orange juice. Tony easily returned the smile and helped himself to a generous portion of fruit. He was lucky Pepper remembered the diet he had to be on the first time. He was even luckier that he continued to eat simple breakfasts like this in the 5 years after the initial decimation.

"Efficient assistant you have there, Dr. Stark."

"Ms. Potts is the best of them, Director Mueller." With that, Tony motioned to Jarvis to cut off the phone call. Tony laid his head back briefly, taking in the sweet silence of the living room before it was interrupted by Rhodey.

"Well..." Happy said after a moment.

Pepper snorted shortly, her face mimicking Happy’s sentiments. "Stane is apparently a lot stupider in this reality, it seems."

"Not really."

Tony frowned down at his chest, which was currently glowing its trademark orange. Something told him that if he asked how the stone knew, he would regret it, but sue him. He was a sucker for pain.

"Okay, explain."

"The mind stone may or may not have played around with his critical thinking skills and general common sense." Tony narrowed his eyes at the soul stone’s words. He could have sworn the stone was sheepish in its explanation.

Rhodey raised his eyebrows in disbelief at the stone’s words. "I thought you said that the stones don’t take away someone’s free will?"

"I didn't, and neither did mind," the stone rushed to clarify. "Mind merely influenced his feelings of desperation and played around with him. His actions were still his own."

"What a loophole," Happy commented, his eyes narrowing on Tony’s chest.

"Stane had friends in high places, and if it went to trial, there was a high chance that he would have served less than 10 years. He knows too much about you and your company, and there’s no telling what other secrets and allies he's harboring. It was best he was killed."

"….are you guys going to do that with my other enemies?"

"If we must," the stone replied haughtily and Tony could tell Rhodey wanted to say something else but was refraining.

Tony could only sigh wearily as the rest of the room’s occupants shook their heads in different stages of disbelief and/or exasperation.

"You know what?" Tony said. "It makes things easier on me, so I’m going to just let you all do what you want. Just keep mind in check; I think its influence was felt a tad too much last time."

"Noted."

Tony’s chest stopped glowing shortly after that, and again the room was plunged into silence as they all ate their respective breakfasts. Once they were done, Tony clapped his hands together with a slightly manic smile on his face.

"Well then… Anyone want to help me throw out every bottle of alcohol in this house?"

Pepper’s entire face lit up, and she rushed off toward the kitchen. She no doubt knew where he hid everything. If she didn’t, Tony would actually be surprised.

"Very good, sir." Jarvis complimented and Tony just nodded as he joined his wife. James and Happy came up beside him, and they each wrapped their arms around his shoulders, silently offering their support and praise. Tony spent the better part of that morning following them to different parts of his house as they disposed of a vice he vowed to no longer be a victim of, with a small but content smile on his face.

It truly was good to be back.

Tony, James, Happy, and Pepper were all on their way to the conference room in the Malibu headquarters of Stark Industries. Even though Tony had a script written out for him, he already told his PR team that he would answer almost all questions with complete honesty, even if it made Stark Industries look bad. There was simply no time for lies or half-truths anymore. By the time the first invasion comes around, Tony needs the public to look at him and know they will get nothing but the truth, even if it scares them, even if they don’t believe him then and there. It’s what they deserved.

As they were walking, a voice came up behind them, someone shouting his name. Tony knew exactly whose voice that belonged to and sighed in annoyance. He didn’t necessarily hate Phil Coulson, but he could definitely admit he disliked the guy. It wasn’t like Tony forgot about Phil’s role in everything. It was subtle, but it caused its own separate damage.

"Here we go," Pepper muttered, and Tony chuckled at her put-out expression. A quick glance at James and Happy showed that they weren’t bothering to hide their true feelings from the man quickly approaching them.

Turning around, Tony was met with Phil’s never-changing expression, and at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to pretend he didn’t see him. "Mr. Stark, I’m Agent Coulson from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, and I would like to talk to you before you go to address the press."

"About what?"

Phil thrust his hand toward Tony, which held a small notecard full of everything he promised himself he’d no longer need. A notecard full of lies and poorly written platitudes he had no interest in. "I have a statement prepared for you."

Before Tony could respond, Pepper shifted her clipboard and took a not-so-subtle step in front of Tony, a sickly-sweet smile plastered on her face.

"No thank you, but Dr. Stark already has a statement prepared, and no offense, Agent Coulson, whatever organization you are a part of should not have access to this part of the building, and since you do, I can only guess that you snuck in, which of course would be considered trespassing." With another shift of her clipboard, Pepper stood tall and patient. She could have called security, but she was giving Phil an out. She was giving him a chance to make a different choice, even if he didn’t notice it for what it was.

Phil stared at Pepper for a long moment, but when he realized that she wasn’t going to budge, he ignored her and turned his attention back to Tony.

"Mr. Stark, please." The way he said his last name had Tony’s hair standing at attention on the back of his neck. Funny, Phil once had the patience of a saint; something obviously changed.

"It will only take a minute of your time," he implored, or rather demanded, with that same tone of voice.

"My father told me all about Shield Agent Coulson." Tony decided then to head off the conversation before it could get any further. He wasn’t planning on revealing this card just yet, but things were changing far too quickly. Rather than major events, the people themselves were changing their initial reactions and behaviors, and unfortunately, Tony had no way to legally control the way people acted the way he could with events.

"I’m sorry?"

Tony rolled his eyes and adjusted his cufflinks before staring down at Phil with every bit of annoyance he could muster.

"I know exactly what Shield is, and I’m not interested in anything you have to say. My father was killed delivering something for your organization. I have no interest in you all."

Tony had great satisfaction watching Phil’s eyes widen in surprise before they settled down. It lasted for a few seconds, but it was more than enough for Tony to secure what he already knew.

"I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about, Stark."

"Oh, look, he dropped the honorific Rhodey. Isn’t that surprising?" Tony smirked as he turned his head to smile at James, who still had his gaze locked on Phil. A small quirk of his lips told Tony he heard it too. It was something everyone at Shield did whenever Tony pointed out something they didn’t like or whenever he got too close to the truth for their liking. Any sign of respect disappeared at a moment’s notice.

"Look, Agent Coulson, the only thing of remote interest to me is you giving me back my father’s research and the Captain’s shield. Anything other than that will result in a lawsuit for harassment and stolen property, in which I will do everything in my power to expose every sordid detail I have on you and Shield as a whole." Tony raised a single eyebrow and tilted his head ever so slightly.

"That includes your Russian spider and circus act." Tony took great pleasure in seeing Phil’s eyes widen and stay that way. It seemed as if Tony had actually broken through his carefully crafted façade, and he was damn proud of it.

Slowly, Tony walked up to the still-surprised Phil and leaned in so their faces were almost touching. "Don’t push me," Tony whispered lowly, the warning clear in the air.

"Now," Tony straightened out Coulson’s jacket, wiping off imaginary lint from his shoulders. "Please find your way out of my damn building before I have you arrested for trespassing." Before Phil could say another word, Tony turned around and continued to make his way toward the conference room.

"Nicely done, Tones," James chuckled as they made their way to the conference room.

"You think they’ll give you what you want?" Happy wondered.

Tony nodded with confidence, "Oh definitely. I exposed that I knew things I shouldn’t have known, and since they have no way of knowing what my father told me or when he told me, they’ll give me what I asked for probably by the end of the day."

Pepper quirked her eyebrow, her lips thinning slightly. "If they send Romanov after you anyway?"

Tony knocked his head to the side, glancing quickly at Pepper with a grin on his face. "Then Romanov is going to have a surprise visit from her little sister. A family reunion of sorts."

James scoffed and shook his head. "I still don’t understand how Shield had no idea about her when they knew everything else."

"It’s infested with Hydra," Tony replied, righting his head. "Bringing Romanov in wasn’t planned, and they don’t want to take a chance on another Black Widow making their way inside. That’s asking for trouble."

"Surprising," Pepper said sarcastically, making them all laugh.

Once they opened the doors to the conference room, reporters began their usual business of yelling out questions and general annoyance. They all made their way to the stage without much trouble, and for the first time since returning, Tony was facing off with what could either make or break his future. To say he was nervous would be a vast understatement of the emotions currently swirling around in his stomach.

Tony held up a single hand, and like always, the room gradually quieted down. He tried hard to smother the smile that threatened to spill out. He managed to bring it down to a smirk, but really, having the ability to quiet a room full of rowdy press members would always bring him great joy. Not even Pepper could call it immature; she enjoyed that particular ability herself.

"Before I say anything else, I'm going to lay down some ground rules." The minute Tony began to talk, his smirk disappeared and his voice hardened. He wondered briefly how the press would react to what he had to say next before pushing it out of his mind. If they truly wanted to stay, they’d behave.

"This is not a normal Tony Stark press conference, so if you can't be respectful, you will be escorted out. Do not ask any questions until I'm done. If I refuse to answer a question and you insist on my giving you an answer, not only will you be escorted out, but you will also be banned from attending any press conference I or my company is a part of."

Tony took a moment to bask in the silence he was able to place upon the room’s occupants. He’d normally let them run wild because it was easier to take advantage of them that way, but this worked out quite nicely as well. He had no intention, however, of ever letting future conferences retain the seriousness that this one has. If he has his way, every other conference he does in the future is going to be about the future and all the good he wants to happen.

"As you all know by now, Obadiah Stane and 11 other people from Stark Industries were charged with illegal arms dealing, treason, and aiding and abetting kidnapping." Tony started off strong, his voice ringing through the still-silent room.

"I won't go into details as this is still an active investigation by the military and the FBI in conjunction with Stark Industries, and it has been classified as a threat to national security. At this point in time, any questions about what is being done will have to wait until the investigation is complete. Naturally, there will be details omitted as they are sensitive information and not available to the public, but for the most part, there will be transparency regarding everything."

Tony let the information sink in for a moment, allowing the press who didn’t bring a recorder to write down their notes before he continued with his statement. He never had the attention of the press like this before; it was odd seeing them hang onto every single word he spoke when before they would pick and choose what he said.

"Now, Obadiah Stane was killed when he attempted to harm an FBI agent, so unfortunately, unlike the rest of his team, he will not be facing the court of law. I, on behalf of Stark Industries, take this time to apologize to the families and the people, including our men and women overseas, that were harmed due to the actions of Stane and his team."

Tony took a step back and allowed James to take over the stage as he announced that all members of the armed forces that were killed protecting Tony in Afghanistan would be receiving full military honors and would have their funerals paid for by Stark Industries. After Rhodey’s announcement, a short clip of all the men who died was shown briefly before James asked for a moment of silence for the fallen. He eventually took a step back, and Tony began speaking once again.

"When I was kidnapped," Tony began after a short breath, "it was a set-up orchestrated by Obadiah Stane. If I had not returned and had been pronounced dead, the company would have automatically passed to him. Unluckily for him and luckily for me, I was able to survive my ordeal and make it back. While I cannot give too many details, I have been allowed to inform you all that the terrorist group responsible for my kidnapping is called the Ten Rings."

A hush went over the room as Tony announced the name. Some members of the press knew exactly who they were, while others were confused. It didn’t really matter if they didn’t know who they were now. The point was that if a terrorist group was able to kidnap him, it would cause worry for everyone else.

"In the simplest way I can put it, they wanted me to build the Jericho bomb for them, and I said no. Naturally, they didn’t like that answer, and they made it known very quickly."

Tony sighed slightly as he looked over the crowd. While he knew it had to be said, it didn’t mean he was going to enjoy this next part, and from the looks on a couple of their faces, they weren’t all that eager to listen to it either.

"The problem with everything wasn’t what they wanted me to build; it was what they already had. After a few torture sessions, they brought me out of my cell to show me that it didn’t matter if I didn’t comply with them. They had no need for the Jericho bomb; they just wanted it."

Tony removed the microphone from its hold and went to sit down on the steps. If he was going to announce this, standing would make him seem strong, but in reality, he was tired. He was more than ready for this conference to be over, but he promised himself honesty over deceitfulness. Shortly after he sat down, he felt Pepper sit down next to him, silently offering her support.

Tony took a deep breath and began to explain the stockpiles of weapons he saw. How there were boxes upon boxes of his guns and bombs. How almost every member he saw, was wearing the protective gear he made for the military. He detailed how they had things he’d designed years ago and how they were studying them. If the crowd wasn’t scared before, they were definitely scared now. Even though Tony knew he had the ability to shut it all down remotely and that the military was in fact gearing up to remove his weapons from enemy hands, it didn’t put him at ease until he knew for a fact that everything was destroyed.

"They then asked me if I was a bit more willing to do what they wanted. When I refused again, they upped their torture antics. Don’t ask me about anything I had to endure while I was over there. It will unfortunately be made public the moment the investigation is completed." Tony warned as he eyed a particular reporter who had begun to open his mouth to ask a question. Luckily for him, he remembered what Tony said in the beginning and quickly shut his mouth before he uttered a single word. Nodding slightly, Tony turned his attention back to the room.

"The only reason I'm not dead now is because they had a doctor captive as well." Tony took a deep breath as he prepared to speak about a man who deserved to live, who deserved to have better cards dealt to him, a man he wasn’t given the ability to save. His chest ached with his breath and the memory of a man who pushed him to become better.

"A man by the name of Ho Yinshen helped and saved me whenever they were done with their little torture sessions. He died," Tony’s voice cracked as he fought the sob threatening to make its way out of his throat. He never cried for Yinshen’s life when he came back, and it seemed as if his emotions decided right now was the best time to do so. Tony, quite frankly, did not agree.

After a moment, Tony shook his head to clear his thoughts. "He died making sure I was able to escape. His family was gone, and he wanted to help me get back to mine. It was the first time I was helped in that way by someone who wasn't my parents or my personal group."

"To be honest, I didn't deserve it," Tony declared. He ran a shaking hand through his hair and down his face. "My bombs killed his entire family. You would think he'd be mad at me, that he'd blame me, but he didn't. He was disappointed. He said my father helped bring peace in a time of war, but I helped bring about destruction unseen since the war. He then asked me if I was able to escape, what I would do, and whether or not I’d let this become my legacy and tarnish the legacy of my father." Tony chuckled lowly, a self-deprecating laugh that shook him to his core.

"I'm called the Merchant of Death, and I didn't see a problem with it because I believed I was helping our soldiers when they're out there. I didn’t think of the repercussions my weapons had on the world and the people living in it. There was a reason why my weapons are the most sought-after, and it took me too long to realize that it was never a good thing." Slowly, Tony stood back up and made his way back to the podium with Pepper, a silent supporter, by his side.

"So as of today, Stark Industries is shutting down our weapons manufacturing permanently," Tony pronounced. He ignored the exclamations of surprise and outcries full of judgment, instead choosing to focus on the warmth of Pepper’s body. He would deal with everything later, but for now, everything else went ignored.

"The military has been notified and has agreed to cancel our contracts early. I will still be making protective gear, but any and all weapons currently in production will be dismantled and destroyed. Stark Industries will give its full cooperation to the military, the FBI, and the CIA as they continue with their investigation. Any questions?"

Tony believed that the moment he opened the floor for questions, he’d have to fend off hordes of eager members, but the room was deathly quiet for a long moment before Christine Everhart raised her hand. When given the okay, she asked the first question in a long, long line of them.

"How do you think your father would feel about this? Do you think he'd be angry?"

"Going for the jugular, huh?" Tony snarked and had to snort when he saw her expression full of her trademark judgment. He knew she would ask the first question and wouldn’t hold back, but he was still surprised she mentioned his father first.

"My father would be just as angry, but he'd also be disappointed, not only in the company but with me," Tony revealed. It was one of the things he and his parents talked about in the soul plane. As proud as his father was, this was the one thing he said he was disappointed in Tony for. It hurt to know and hear, and it hurt, even more, to admit now, but there was something freeing about it as well.

"I should have been a better leader; I should have paid more attention, and because I didn't, this happened now. Yes, someone in my company sold my weapons illegally, but they were able to do it because I was hardly there. I spent my time partying and drinking and didn't see a problem with it. As a result, terrorists now have my weapons, which rest on my shoulders. So yes, my father would be disappointed, but he'd also be angry. Angry that someone would take the company he built and turn it into this. Angry that I was betrayed by people who weren't supposed to. He'd be angry that I'm now in this position. Next question."

"You said you were once called the Merchant of Death. You liked it then; what changed?"

"Well, being tortured for 3 months will change a person. Knowing your weapons are in the hands of terrorists will have that effect on you too. Before, I was protected. I was shielded by my money, fame, and importance as a weapons contractor. I was so far removed from anything that I was only able to see from my point of view, which was also the military side of things. I was willfully ignorant. I was told my weapons caused destruction," Tony replied with a small nod toward Everhart. She was the first to confront him, right before he left. "I was told to look at the end result, but I didn't. I didn't want to. I thought I didn't need to."

"How does the military feel about this?"

"Oh, they're just as pissed as I am; in fact, I’d say they’re angrier. They understand a little better since they spend so much time dealing with terrorists, but they're also worried that the next time our boys go out, which ones won't come back as a result of my weapons. They're figuring out what they're going to do on that front, and I don't have answers to that, but yeah, they're angry and worried. The same goes for the FBI. It's not a good situation for anyone."

"What happened when you escaped?"

"I blew up the compound, and my weapons went with it."

"I'm sorry?"

Tony shrugged but reiterated what he had already said. "I blew up the compound and burned my weapons. If I didn't, they'd still be there like sitting ducks. I escaped a few days before I was found, and a lot can happen in a few days. I wasn’t sure if that compound was the only one nearby, and I didn't want to take a chance, so yes, I blew it up."

"How will your company cooperate? What steps are being taken?"

"As I said, our factories are being shut down, and weapons are being dismantled and destroyed. As for the people side, there will be an investigation into every single board member that wasn’t already arrested, including the assistants. Before anyone asks, that does include myself, as agents have already searched or are currently searching my office, the office of Pepper Potts, and our homes as well. Going from there is where I don't have information for you."

"Are you worried?"

"Of course I am." Tony scoffed at the question. "I worked with these people, and the ones arrested have been on the board since my father founded the company. Some of them used to come to my house when I was a child. I know these men personally, so yes, I'm worried. Even though they betrayed me, my father, the company, and the country, I'm worried about their families and what this will do to them, but I'm not going to protect them if it's found they played a part. It wouldn't be right to the people killed with my weapons by terrorist groups; it wouldn't be right to my father's legacy; and it wouldn't be right to me."

"What about you?"

"Are you asking if I’m worried that I’m going to end up in the same boat?" At the reporter's nod, Tony rolled his eyes but answered.

"No. I was kidnapped and tortured for 3 months. Anyone who does that willingly to themselves has some misplaced masochistic tendencies. I didn't do anything illegal, so I'm not worried in the slightest because I know I'm innocent. The contracts I signed and the weapons I sold to the U.S. were all done legally." Tony shrugged for a moment, tilting his head as he pondered the question. "Morally," he clarified, "you could say I'm guilty, but on the side of legality, I'm as innocent as a baby bird."

"What will the future of Stark Industries look like now?"

"I want to focus on science and innovation. Technology and green energy. So many in the R&D department have the potential to create things to help rather than destroy. My company can change, and we will. We already have projects in the works, and I know others are waiting for my approval. Nothing will happen until I'm completely healed, of course," he explained. "However, contracts are being rewritten, and my employees will be given the chance to decide what they want to do when all is said and done. It's not going to be easy with the number of employees we currently have, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy."

It was a few weeks after the press conference that Tony was notified that the investigation had been completed. He’d been on house arrest; the only places he could go were home and work, and he was under constant surveillance, as was the entire company. It was annoying, but since they agreed to let him screen every person they sent in, it wasn’t too difficult. The fact that he was able to weed out a few Hydra members was a bonus. Even though it was kept tightly under wraps, it did give the military and the FBI the jump start they needed to get any remaining Hydra members out of their ranks. It wasn’t all that bad. Once it was known that the rest of his company was clean, they were able to announce it during another press conference, and all stocks that had dropped before were slowly on the rise once again. It was slow going, but it was worth it to be able to walk down the street or get takeout in person.

Soon, documents were slowly being released online, which took a fight to make happen. The military, particularly General Ross, wanted to keep the information private, but Tony, with the help of Director Mueller and James, was able to get some documents online. The public had a right to know some things, and while more sensitive information, such as where terrorist groups were located, was to remain sealed, information detailing illegal dealings was covered for the most part. Slowly but surely, everything was unraveling, and it turned out that it wasn’t just Stark Industries that suffered from under-the-table arms deals. It not only took the heat off him but also allowed for greater cooperation among the U.S. and its allies as some of the companies were foreign; he supposed it was for the better.

While that was going on, Tony focused on his personal projects, such as his arc reactor, creating the suits for himself and James, as well as the search and rescue armor for the military. Tony was lucky that Jarvis had his data up to Ultron, so the suit designs were more advanced than the originals. He once thought about starting from the beginning, but as all the material was now available, even if it were a bit pricy, it was better to start off strong. By the time the invasion comes, the suits will be able to operate at a higher level. Tony also decided that he would start the legion again after a long conversation with James and his superiors. They weren’t exactly thrilled by the idea of Tony essentially having his own "army" of armored weaponry, but with a detailed plan of how they would be used, it was agreed upon as long as they were used within that context.

Once Pepper found out what he was up to, she informed him that she would rather have her suit now than wait for something to go wrong. She wanted to be able to protect herself if anything happened. She knew that with her "training" to take over Stark Industries, she would become a huge target. Possibly bigger than before since she played a significant role in the outing of several Hydra members. If their list previously only had Tony, it most definitely includes her now. It didn’t bug Tony, not really. While their relationship was still private, she was still his wife, and her safety was always his top priority, so Tony and Jarvis began on Pepper’s model alongside his own.

Things were relatively peaceful for once in Tony’s life, and of course, that is when it all started to get hairy. It was a few days after the first few documents were made available that his medical records were placed online alongside the rest of the information available to the public.

"We knew it was going to happen," Pepper hummed lowly from her place in Tony’s arms that night.

"Yeah, I know, it still sucks. I’m just happy they decided to keep the information about my arc reactor to a minimum. No one needs to know just what it is."

Tony looked down at his chest and smiled to himself. Just as he predicted, Shield had given him his father’s research and the Captain’s shield a few hours after he arrived home. He was surprised that when they came to his home, they brought both Natasha and Clint. It was fun toying with them as he directed them to his living room. Their poor excuses to find out all he knew about them were hilarious. It would have continued to be funny if Jarvis didn’t inform him of their hacking attempts, at which point Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey all had a repluser aimed at their faces. If Tony had Jarvis take a picture and had them framed in his lab, that was for him to know and laugh at and for them to never find out.

"You know Shield is going to try and get in your good graces by trying to "solve" your poisoning problem, right?"

Tony chuckled lowly, tightening his arms around Pepper. "I know, but since it’s already been solved, or rather in the process of being solved, they won’t get very far." Tony had already scheduled an appointment with Dr. Strange and was set to meet with him in a few days. So while it’ll be annoying having to deal with them, Tony would be too busy with his many projects and plans for the Stark Expo, and they’d have a hard time trying to squeeze their way into his life.

Tony wanted nothing to do with Shield until his alien God brought the mind stone to Earth. Only then would they get anywhere near him.

Chapter Text

Tony woke up with a dying gasp on his breath, tears in his eyes, and his heart feeling like it was going through surgery all over again. While he didn't have a nightmare, dreaming about Morgan sure felt like one when it left her laugh ringing in his head. For all things, the dream was...happy and filled him with a bitter sense of nostalgia, but he wasn't sure if it was a dream or a memory and couldn't decide if that uncertainty made it better or worse. Slowly, he lifted a hand and wiped his cheeks off. Sighing deeply, he tried to shake off the image of her laughing from his mind. It was no use, of course, with her memory firmly in his own, but he tried. Tony knew that even if Pepper got pregnant again, there was a very tiny possibility that if it were a girl, it would be his little girl. She'd be in the same boat as Happy, not remembering anything, and Tony wasn't sure if that would be a good thing or a bad thing.

Even though he wouldn't bring his little girl back with the knowledge that he died because it was cruel, Tony wasn't sure if it was possible considering Roger's actions. The truth was that Morgan was erased, and so even if the stones were to bring her back, she simply wouldn’t be the Morgan that he came to know and love. That aside, despite the possibilities and improbabilities, Tony wasn't ready to say goodbye to a child that may or may not exist this time.

Shaking his head, dislodging his current course of thought, Tony felt gratitude for a moment that he wasn’t awoken by the nightmares that plagued his dreams since he returned. For some reason, once the investigation was over and his father's shield was melted down and inserted into his chest, the nightmares seemed to have abated over time. They didn’t leave him completely (they most likely never will), and when he did have them, they left him in a state of shock that, had it not been for Pepper or Jarvis, would have seen him almost catatonic with fear.

Nonetheless, he didn't know exactly why that was, and he had some suspicions, such as never having to worry about a vibranium shield being used to cave in his chest, but he decided it was best not to think about it too much. He allowed himself a few more moments in bed next to Pepper as she slept soundly, thankful once more she was here with him before he made his way to the bathroom.

He was in the kitchen, making pancakes when he heard Pepper make her way towards the coffee maker.

"Good morning Pep," he said softly. When all he got in response was a quiet murmur, he laughed softly. Tony always thought it was funny how people assumed he was the one who couldn't function in the morning without coffee, when in reality it was both him and Pepper who craved coffee like it was another form of oxygen. So he waited until she was halfway done to begin any form of conversation.

"I got that meeting with Strange today," he began.

Pepper hummed around her cup. "Will you be back in time for the company meeting?"

Tony nodded as he plated their breakfast.

"Yeah, I have some additional things I want to make clear about the contracts. Nothing bad," he quickly clarified at Pepper's look.

"Just..." Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I know it's going to be an adjustment for everyone, and despite me shutting down our weapons division, there are going to be people who aren't comfortable with the direction we're taking the company,” he said.

Tony knew that it wasn't just board members who were upset about the change, and despite most of those members being involved with Stane, there was bound to be some disagreements among the employees themselves. Some came to work at Stark Industries solely because of their role and influence within the weapons business. Hopefully, the contracts for protective gear would be enough, but he honestly didn't know.

"If they don't decide to stay, then those are exactly the people we don't need," Pepper replied with a decisive note in her voice.

Tony inwardly smirked at his wife and her no-nonsense attitude and dug in. They ate in silence for a few moments, and Tony basked in the calming quiet. It would continue to surprise him how much he missed the silence that he had when he lived in Lake House. The sound of the ocean wasn't the calm waters of the lake, but it had its own charm that he had forgotten he loved due to trauma and time. He voiced this much to Pepper.

"You know, as much as I love the mansion and the tower, I wouldn’t mind having the lake house back sooner than we did before."

Pepper turned to look at him briefly, a small smile gracing her face.

"I miss it too," she agreed with a nod. "The mansion is quiet and peaceful, and the tower was safe and secure, but it's definitely not the lake house."

"How would you feel then about me getting the ball rolling on having it built?"

Pepper's smile widened. "I think that's a fabulous idea, Mr. Stark."

"Nice to know Ms. Potts."

Tony frowned for a moment at his words. "We really need to change that," he said.

Pepper laughed before patting Tony lightly on the chest.

"Patience is a virtue, Tony," she said cheekily.

All things come in due time.

Tony made his way toward the office of Dr. Stephen Strange apprehensively. From their previous interactions in the last timeline, he and Strange weren’t exactly "buddies,” and it was only Thanos coming that allowed them to put aside their differences and work together. Here, however, it was a different story. There was no Thanos (yet) and he hadn’t become Dumbledore yet, so he was still the very arrogant doctor Tony heard about. He was the kind of person Tony used to be, and while Tony knew how to deal with these types of people, he really wasn’t in the mood for more judgment. Warranted or not.

Arriving at the door, Tony gently knocked and waited until he heard Strange’s voice ring out through the door.

Walking inside, he was met with Strange sitting at his desk, his head lifting up from some paperwork and a barely held grimace on his face. Tony couldn’t help but sigh a bit to himself.

"Ah, Dr. Stark. It's a pleasure meeting you,” Strange said with what Tony could tell was poorly concealed suspicion.

“Although to say I'm surprised would be an understatement." He added after a brief moment, and while Tony wanted nothing more than to turn around and walk back out the door, he forced a smile on his face, cleared his throat, and held his hand out for a handshake. It was only after Strange returned the gesture that he spoke.

"Yes, well, thank you for taking the time to meet with me."

With his hands clasped together on his desk, Strange nodded toward one of the seats, and like Tony, it was only after he sat down that Strange began to speak again.

"So what research could you possibly need a neurosurgeon for?"

Ignoring the condescending tone, Tony began to explain why he was there. "I've already written a program called B.A.R.F. and am making headway with the research. The only problem is that it borders on mind control in a sense."

When Tony finished speaking, he could tell that Strange was cautiously interested, but he had an inkling that it was more about the last bit that really caught his attention.

"How so?"

Sitting up straighter, Tony opened up a hologram from his phone, smirking slightly at the brief look of awe that entered Strange’s eyes. While having people in awe at his technology wasn’t exactly new for Tony, it still gave him satisfaction when one of the most stubborn and hard-to-impress men got that same look that everyone else did. Surely enough, though, he hid his awe behind his typical indifferent expression, and Tony had to refrain from rolling his eyes.

Turning his attention back to the hologram, he brought up the schematics and brain scans he had Jarvis run a few weeks ago. “B.A.R.F. relies on a complex holographic system that connects with the user's hippocampus, allowing it to find a certain traumatic memory and alter it before projecting that memory onto an external infrastructure. Through the altered projection, the user can successfully re-experience and hopefully work through overcoming traumatic experiences.”

The room turned quiet as Dr. Strange looked through the hologram; the silent whirring of the phone was the only sound in the room until Strange cleared his throat to address Tony.

"You're right. It would borderline mind control. In fact, I'd say it's dangerously close,” Strange said, or rather, patronized. He quirked an eyebrow up as he looked at Tony. “I know you said you left the weapons business, but I'm not sure this..."venture" is right for you."

"I did,” Tony enunciated. “It's more of a personal project than anything. It's not affiliated with Stark Industries. I want to use it as a way for people with PTSD to overcome their traumatic experiences by being able to control the narrative. Sometimes, talking to a therapist just isn’t enough." Tony sighed deeply, rubbing his temple as he felt a headache coming on. He didn't get along with Strange in the last timeline, and he hasn’t had his accident yet, so Tony knew he was meeting an arrogant Strange at his peak, but it didn't make the exchange any less annoying. If Tony hadn’t died and experienced everything he did, he would have sent Pepper in to deal with him, as he wouldn’t have had the temperament to deal with the condescension. In fact, Tony knows he would have made it worse.

"Look, I get it," he said as he looked Strange in the eyes. He wasn't about to let this man judge him for something he never did and something he had been trying his hardest to fix, even if he could understand the point of view. Maybe Strange understood him better after he viewed the different possibilities, but this Strange was not the Strange Tony had fought with. Realizing that he had no reason to trust Tony didn’t make his assumptions any less annoying.

"It hasn't even been 2 months since I got back from Afghanistan, but let me remind you that I was cleared of all charges, and so was my entire company." Tony brought his suitcase and placed it on the desk. He quickly undid the latch and pulled out a neat stack of papers. It wasn't hard to compile all the information again. It was easier knowing just how B.A.R.F. worked, and if he made a few tweaks here and there, things he knew Strange would have questions on, then no one would know.

"I brought the research that I do have so you can look over it yourself. If you have any questions, you can just reach me at that number at the top."

With that, Tony stood up and made his way out of Strange's office, not bothering to look back. Once he was outside the hospital, he took a deep breath and made his way over to Happy.

"Everything okay Boss?"

Tony smiled slightly and nodded his head. "Just some people who have a hard time understanding that I'm not in the weapons business anymore."

Happy frowned and looked at the building, but didn't say anything else as he followed Tony to the car. He didn’t understand everything fully, not like Tony, Pep, or Rhodey; he wasn’t brought back, and while he was glad for it, it made situations like this harder to understand. He didn’t know what to say to this Tony; so many things were different about him.

Looking back at his boss from the rearview mirror, Happy couldn’t help but count all the differences he’d seen. The clear look in Tony’s eyes and the lack of eye bags, the way his hair was shiny without the grease and gel, and even his skin seemed to clear and give off a glow that was normally dulled by alcohol, coffee, and lack of sleep. Despite everything that happened to Tony, Happy could honestly say that this was the best thing for him, especially if he gave up his life for a world that never deserved it in the end.

It didn’t matter to Happy, he realized; it didn’t matter who didn’t believe in Tony. Not when he knew that sooner or later, they’d be forced to confront their own biases, and while they did, Tony would be surrounded by people who loved and supported him. Happy wasn’t sure how he fit into the picture, but he would do what he could.

As they approached the doors that would take them to the conference room at the Malibu headquarters, Happy stopped Tony before he could enter with a hand on his shoulder.

Tony turned his head briefly to look at Happy, eyebrows raised in question. "Are you okay Hap?”

"Look, Boss,” Happy began to say before he sighed, a frown forming on his face as he tried to gather his thoughts.

“I know that I won’t be as much help as Rhodey or Pepper or that space god alien prince or the magic magician,” he said, a small smile breaking out on his face when Tony chuckled at his nickname for Dr. Strange. “I know there was a good reason why you didn’t bring me back, and before you say anything, I am so glad that you didn’t. I don’t do the weird or freaky, and trust me, I’d be more inclined to be placed in a mental ward if you had, but that just means that I support you even more.”

Happy squeezed Tony’s arm and forced himself to look into his eyes. “I have no idea what the doctor said to you or how he acted, but you do know that his opinions about you don’t matter, right?”

Tony smiled gently at Happy and turned to face him fully. “Hap, you are just as important as Pep and Rhodey and Loki and Dumbledore, even if you don’t feel like it. Sure, I may not need you as my bodyguard anymore, but you have a more important role at Stark Industries, a role that I wouldn’t trust with anyone else. As for our doctor, he’ll come around once he gets his memories back. If I have to deal with his ego until then, well, that’s something I’ll gladly hold over his head.”

Clapping Happy on the back, Tony turned around and opened the doors to the conference room. He took a few steps before he heard Happy’s voice behind him.

“There’s no job more important than making sure you’re safe.”

Standing in front of everyone on the podium, Tony took a minute to look over the crowd and the screens where the rest of his employees sat as they joined in the livestream. Tony knew he was taking the biggest step to ensuring the future was safe. Sure, the military was a big one, but in the grand scheme of things, it was going to be Stark Industries that would truly be the turning point. There was only so much he could do with his military contracts that didn’t include weapons, and frankly, without them, fewer people were willing to hear him out. Tony knew that if the suits didn’t exist, the relationship between him, the U.S. government, and the armed forces would be essentially useless. Breaking away from his thoughts, Tony focused on the current task at hand.

“I know everyone is nervous and anxious about the new contracts and what they’ll entail.” Tony’s voice carried across the room as he addressed the entire Malibu staff and faculty, as well as those in his New York, D.C., Los Angeles, and Austin branches that were streaming this to their faculty.

“As you all know, Stark Industries has shut down our weapons divisions with the exception of armor and other protective gear,” he said, ignoring the few grumbles from certain staff.

“Those of you who do not wish to stay aboard can walk out of this room right now, and we can deal with your unemployment package a few days from now. I do warn that any and all projects currently signed off are now the sole property of Stark Industries and will be given over to those who’ve stayed.”

It was silent for a moment as people looked at each other, and Tony could tell they were trying to decide if leaving was going to be worth it. Some stood up and left, while others stayed, albeit warily and silently. Tony inwardly cheered when he recognized Quentin Beck among those who left. It made it easier for him to work with B.A.R.F., and it would hopefully remove him from Peter’s life. Clapping his hands together once, he projected the key points of the new contract on the screen behind him. Normally, Tony would have just asked HR to deal with this, but as he was playing a more active role as CEO until Pepper “took over,” he felt it was just best for everything to come from him.

“Well, it’s nice to see that some people still have a little bit of trust,” Tony joked. With the remote in his hand, he began the new contract presentation.

"As you can see, there are some minor differences between the previous contract that will not affect daily business or current jobs, except for those in the weapons division, which I will discuss later for those of you who stayed." Let's start with the corporate perks, which have undergone minor changes, especially concerning insurance plans, which are now free for all employees as soon as the new contracts are finalized."

Before Tony could continue on, there was a loud applause coming from his staff, and it had Tony bewildered for a moment. He turned his confused look at Pepper, who simply shrugged with a slight smile on her face. She told him that making the insurance free would be the biggest thing the employees would be happy about. Granted, they offered affordable health insurance before this, but she said there was a big difference between affordable and free.

Clearing his throat, Tony continued after the clapping had died down. "Along with the new insurance plans, we are now offering new family care benefits such as childcare assistance and lactation rooms for breastfeeding mothers. Paternal leave has been increased to 4 months, while maternal leave has been increased to a year for those who have given birth and 6 months for those who are adopting."

Tony took a small pause as he switched screens, holding a hand up to stop any clapping. “Please hold off until after the presentation. As much as I love the applause, we need to be able to get through this today.”

"Now," he said. "Please review the PTO, which has been increased to one month per year, two weeks of company holidays, and one month of bereavement leave, which is not included in the one month of PTO and is completely separate. Retirement and our Growth and Development programs have not changed, but if you want to transfer plans with the new contracts, that is an option. Let's move on to the significant changes.

Pepper came up to stand beside Tony on the podium as they were about to announce her mentorship and training for the new CEO position. To be frank, Pepper was nervous. Last time, it came as a surprise to everyone as it wasn’t discussed beforehand. Now, it was being announced to all the major branches across the country and would most likely make the news within the week, despite her keeping the press away. Things like this weren’t something that was kept secret for very long.

“Virginia Potts, as you all know, is my assistant." Tony lightly pressed his hand against her back, moving her slightly in front of him. "As of today, she is officially preparing to take over as CEO of Stark Industries. She was crucial during the company's investigations a few weeks ago, and it was for that reason that I chose to have her take over my role. To prevent any significant setbacks, this will be a gradual process, but I have a feeling that by this time next year, she will have successfully made the switch to a full-time CEO role. Please save your questions until after the presentation.”

There was a brief pause before a light applause fell across the room. While there were looks of jealousy from some of the higher-ups, most of the employees seemed to be content and satisfied that she was taking over the role. Pepper knew that many felt she brought stability to the company, and many of their business partners generally liked dealing with her rather than Tony. Even though she knew this, she was still nervous. Taking a step back, Pepper kept her position by Tony but took over the explanations.

“I know this may come as a shock to you all, but I’m looking forward to getting to know you all and the company much better in the coming months.” Taking a deep breath, she pressed the next button on the slide.

“The company has decided to replace the weapons division with the Stark Industries Protection division, which will focus on three things. Protective gear contracts with the US military are the division's initial and main area of concentration. These products will have trackers, much like our weapons do. Unfortunately, the rest of the information about the placement of these trackers is classified and only available to myself, Dr. Stark, Colonel James Rhodes, and the Secretary of Defense. Anyone found with these codes who has not been named will be terminated immediately and handed over to US MPs on grounds of treason.

The security detail of Stark Industries, led by Harold Hogan, will be the subject of the second focus. Every individual already serving in the security detail will receive further training. Given that Stark Industries has already been the subject of foreign espionage, this is only a preventive measure, but it is unavoidable. The Security Detail will collaborate with the Legal Department on any upcoming cases. For those of you who are curious, and I can see it on your faces, you will be upgraded with new protection gear, albeit less advanced than our military protective gear.

Furthermore, as soon as the new contracts are signed, we will be thoroughly investigating each employee's background. If you pass, you will be given a new badge that details which areas of the headquarters you are permitted to enter. If you are detected entering a restricted area, you will be suspended without pay until the situation is handled. Punishments will be imposed in accordance with the nature of the offense. Finally, all Stark Industry servers will be upgraded to improve security, preserve critical information, and protect employee privacy.

The final focus will be on a collaboration between the Protection Division, the R&D Division, Public Relations, and the new Humanitarian Affairs Department, which will work with charities and other humanitarian endeavors in the United States and overseas to tackle natural disasters and other crises. Despite being under the same division, this partnership will not be with the US military or the Security Department. More information about this department will be accessible next week, although it will not be fully operational for at least three months. For those who are interested, you can stay in your current department until it becomes available, at which point you will be allowed to switch if you so desire.”

Tony gently patted Pepper's back, reassuring her just when she needed it. Pepper took a long breath and felt her shoulders ease. Neither Pepper nor Tony knew how the company would react to this. The choice they made would determine whether or not they succeeded, and it was a very different path than before. While Tony was more confident than Pepper, there was an underlying fear that the company's, and in particular, Tony's, reputation, would prevent them from moving forward with their plans. Despite the military's assistance, it was the employees that brought everything together. Tony could only do so much.

Tony took over once again as he closed out the presentation. “I’m glad that there is a bit of positive support, even if it is tentative, which I’m sure will remain that way until the department is fully implemented. It’s a natural response, but it’s much better than what we believed would happen.”

"I'd like to mention one more thing, which is the addition of a new outreach program. This program is divided into three sections: middle school, high school, and college, which includes undergraduate and graduate levels. While every department has the ability to apply for the outreach program, it will not be implemented until I can establish contact and recruitment with the schools, giving your department time to decide whether or not to participate. It will be made public next summer during the Stark Expo, for which I will hold another meeting with the department heads in a few weeks.

If you wish to be considered for the outreach program, you must notify your department heads, who must then email me or Ms. Potts directly with a list of people interested in mentoring. Ms. Potts will be in charge of Human Resources, Public Relations, the Legal Department, Marketing, Accounting and Finance, and Humanitarian Affairs. I'll be dealing with the Protection Division, R&D, IT, Business Development, and Security Detail. The floor is now open for questions.”

Just as expected, hands shot up into the air. Tony could even see them on the screens and couldn’t help but be amused and a tad exasperated. Tony pointed to a random person in the crowd, ready to hopefully answer most of the questions swimming around in their heads.

A young black woman stood up. “I’m Brandy Cowell, and I work in what I guess is the new Protection Division. If we aren’t able to have the access codes, how will they be implemented into the trackers?”

“Simple,” Tony said with a shrug. “I create the codes after the trackers have been made through a backdoor that will already be in the system. I won’t go into detail here naturally, but you will have all the necessary information regarding the development of the trackers once work resumes.”

Brandy looked at Tony for a moment before she gave a small nod and sat down. Tony had a feeling that she wasn’t exactly happy with his answer, but he figured hardly anyone would be okay with the knowledge that he didn’t think they were trustworthy enough. He let people handle too much last time, and look where it got him and the company. Letting the interaction leave his mind, Tony picked on the next person.

“Right, hi, I’m Maria Juarez, and I want to know if we can have clarification on the espionage comments."

“Ever since the knowledge of what happened has been made public, Stark Industries has received multiple attempts from other companies trying to involve themselves in the investigation in order to steal the designs and schematics we were working on removing. To be quite honest, it’s nothing we haven’t dealt with before, but naturally, due to recent events, there has been a harder crackdown on situations like this.” Tony explained.

Satisfied, Maria sat back down. Pepper took her turn and pointed out an employee on the New York screen.

“About this outreach program, will it be implemented everywhere or just in Malibu?”

“The outreach program will be made available everywhere; however, we do want to begin in New York. As you all know, we are currently in the process of building a new headquarters for Stark Industries in New York. As Tony and I will be there for the foreseeable future, it will be easier to begin there.”

Another spoke up before Pepper could call on the next person. Huffing, annoyed at the action, Pepper waved away their apologies.

“What will this outreach program attempt to do? Will college students be allowed to earn credits? Is this something they can use on their resume?”

Pepper looked at Tony briefly, catching his eye. They talked about the possibility of setting up internships within the program, but they wanted to focus on groups rather than individuals. There was time for that in the future; besides, Pepper knew that Tony was saving his intern spot for Peter once the time came.

“We have some ideas, but nothing concrete,” Pepper replied.

“We can offer college credit, but it would ultimately be up to the university whether they will accept it or not. As for the resume, that will also be something that needs to be discussed. They could use it as a way to gain and showcase their experience; however, it’s not the same as an internship. Sure, some of you may be mentoring these students, but it’s in a group setting, not individually.”

Three hours later, Tony was finally walking out of the Malibu headquarters. While he was glad that his employees were showing immense interest in the changes he implemented in the company and contracts, it was still tedious answering questions and then “shmoozing” with everyone. All he wanted to do right now was go home, lay down with Pep, and not move an inch for the rest of the day. Glancing at Pep and Happy, he could tell they felt the exact same way.

Tony was broken out of his musings when his phone rang. He debated whether he wanted to talk to anyone else or ignore it and call them back tomorrow.

“Are you going to answer that?”

Tony glanced at Pepper and shrugged. “Depends on who’s calling.”

Pepper and Happy both chuckled at Tony’s response. Taking a peek at the caller ID, he was surprised to see Strange’s number flashing at the top. Tony stopped walking and answered the phone, part of him wary of what the good ol’ doctor had to say. They didn’t exactly leave on the best terms, not that it was Tony’s fault.

“I’m surprised you called,” Tony said the moment he answered the call.

“…I was debating it myself, but your research is intriguing.” Strange hesitantly replied.

Tony hummed, “So what do you think?”

“I think that you need another opinion, and I need someone to bounce ideas off of.”

Tony quirked an eyebrow up. He wasn’t expecting that, and while it wasn’t unwelcome, he wasn’t sure about bringing anyone else into the mix.

“Who do you have in mind?”

“A think tank with other neurosurgeons, those who tend to work with the brain, would be ideal,” Strange replied.

Tony sighed heavily, shaking his head at the looks Happy and Pep gave him. On one hand, a think tank wasn’t a bad idea, but on the other hand…the more people who learned about B.A.R.F., the more dangerous it could be. While it was already patented by Stark Industries, Tony wasn’t sure if this was a risk he would be willing to take. Before he could give Strange an answer, he began to speak again.

“I realize that the research is sensitive. I know that signing an NDA would probably be on the table, but I wouldn’t be averse to signing one. However, you stated that you wanted to be able to help patients suffering from PTSD, which means you will need more opinions, not just from neurosurgeons but also from those who have experience dealing with PTSD patients and how it affects their brains. It would be different if this were a personal project for your use only, Dr. Stark.”

Grimacing, Tony rubbed his temple with his hand. Strange was right... As much as Tony hated to admit it, he was right.

“Alright, you give me a list of potential neurosurgeons, and I’ll contact some PTSD specialists. It was on my list to do anyway; it’ll just be moved up.”

“Then I will speak to you later, Dr. Stark. I am looking forward to working with you.”

“Right back at ya Strange.”

Tony shook his head as he began to walk towards the car. He wondered what impact that was going to have on the future. On one hand, he accomplished what he meant to do by establishing a working relationship with Strange, but on the other hand, introducing more people to B.A.R.F. was not part of the plan. He summarized the phone call for Pepper and Happy when they asked, and he was only mildly surprised when they both agreed that it was a good idea. While it was quite sensitive, the more professional opinions he had, the easier it would be for people to accept them. Pepper pointed out that it was a good opportunity for Tony to begin the branch out into the medical field by maintaining the contacts, especially if anyone were willing to sign on as a future consultant.

Again, Tony could only sigh and agree that it was the best path for them to go down.

“Only time will tell,” he said as they headed home.

Only time would tell indeed.

Chapter Text

“J, are you sure this is real?” Tony questioned again. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Jarvis was lying or miscalculating, but it was too good to be true. Ninety-five percent of his employees across all Stark Industry branches decided to sign back on, and his email had every department he was in charge of signing up for the Outreach Program. Tony was sure that the changes he made would cause more than a few ruffled feathers; in fact, he was sure it did, but evidently, they were willing to stay on, and hopefully, it would stay that way. 

“I am quite sure that what you are seeing is correct, sir,” Jarvis replied, but he had an amused lilt to his voice that had Tony rolling his eyes fondly. Tony was glad that Jarvis was able to come back with him. Despite the fact that his death at the hands of Ultron happened years ago, it always felt as if something vital were missing from his life, despite the inclusion of Friday. No matter how much he loved his baby girl, she couldn’t fill that gaping hole that Jarvis left in his chest. 

Shaking his head at the numbers, Tony huffed, the tension that had built over the course of the weeks finally releasing itself. 

“This is better than anything I could have predicted." 

“You’re moving the company in a direction that people can get behind.” Tony turned and smiled at Pepper as she made her way into his lab. She’d settled into her role as CEO with a grace that had Tony shining with pride. In the last timeline, Pepper adjusted to the CEO position fairly quickly with hardly any pushback, which was due partly to the lack of faith in Tony and the abundance of faith the company had in her. She’d been dealing with Tony, reeling him in when he got too far into his own head. Now, however, they did things in a way that gave Pepper the needed boost she would need with the more sexist males in the industry. She handled them superbly, and Tony was confident she’d be fine, but it wouldn’t hurt.

“That was the plan,” Tony replied, a smirk making its way to his lips. “I’m just surprised it worked so well! Ninety-five percent Pep. Ninety-five percent of all the branches combined signed back on. It’s…” Tony trailed off, unable to fully put his thoughts and feelings into words. 

“It’s a good thing.” Pepper interrupted, placing her hands over his shoulders. She leaned over him gently. “We’ve got the company almost completely handled,” she reassured him as she moved to lay her chin on his head, her hands rubbing circles into his chest, mindful of the arc reactor. 

Tony sighed gently, leaning his head back into Pepper’s chest. He could hear her heartbeat and focused his attention on that rather than the many thoughts circling in his head. 

“I’m just worried about messing up. There’s so much that can go wrong." 

Pepper hummed lightly in response. “That’s why you have us, Tony. Me, Rhodey, Happy, and Jarvis. We’re all here to help and make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. You can focus on other things rather than trying to worry yourself over everything and everyone." 

“You should listen to your wife.”   

The soul stone spoke for the first time since Stane’s death. It’d been so quiet that both Tony and Pepper forgot that it was using Tony as a vessel. 

“You’re all doing what needs to be done, and then some. If anything were wrong, I would have let you know before it had time to fully integrate itself into the timeline."  

Something inside of Tony settled even further at soul’s words. He’d been moving and changing so much in what seemed like a short amount of time, and he was worried it was going to backfire on him. The few movie nights he’d had were enough to not let his panic get the better of him; to be surrounded by the most important people in his life at the moment was enough, but he still couldn’t help but worry. 

“So, is there anything we need to know about?" 

“In a way, yes,”  the stone said.  “You need to make contact with the X-men and the Ancient One. I’d visit the Ancient One first."

Tony frowned in confusion at the stone’s response. “I can understand the X-men,” he conceded. “They’d be valuable allies, but I thought I wasn’t supposed to make contact with the Ancient One because of Stephen?" 

“No,”  Soul responded.  “You aren’t meant to interfere with Stephen’s journey, but you’ll need the Master of Kamar-Taj for the invasion. She and the other sorcerers will be needed; magic is a lot better than brute force, which will eliminate much of the damage done while simultaneously allowing the sorcerers to make themselves known. Time will explain to the Ancient One, and she will follow and act accordingly, or rather, she won’t allow future knowledge to change her actions."  

Tony mused on that for a moment, then shrugged. He knew the sorcerers didn’t like to place themselves in the spotlight, hence the reason they’d been hidden for thousands of years, but he didn’t see a problem with it. Besides, he wanted to speak with the time stone; there was something that had been bugging him about his daughter Morgan. Despite the conclusion he came to the last time she was on his mind, a larger part of him was hoping that there could be a new perspective on whether she’d ever make it to this timeline. 

Then there was the conversation to be had about Loki and where he was going to fall into play here, especially since the invasion was still going to happen (something neither Tony nor Pepper were really happy about). 

“Yeah,” Tony agreed. “I can do that." 

“I’m terribly sorry, sir,” Jarvis interrupted. “Your appointment with Dr. Strange is due, and your plane is waiting." 

"Right." Tony leaned back to look Pepper in the eyes, mirth shining in his eyes. “Into the breach once again." 

“Good afternoon, Dr. Stark, Ms. Potts, and guests.” Dr. Strange welcomed them into his office with a look of surprise when he noticed who Tony and Pepper brought with them. Tony’s guest followed closely behind.  

“Allow me to introduce Doctor Anthony Druid, a world-renowned psychiatrist.” Strange motioned to an older man who funny enough, looked like he could have been a doppelganger of Strange or his father. The physical similarities between the two men were eerie enough that Tony and Pepper exchanged a quick look at each other before returning their attention to Strange. Tony made a note to ask the soul stone if this man was important in another timeline. 

“Dr. Andrew Garner, who is a neurologist and forensic psychologist.” Garner, by contrast, was a young black male who Tony felt he’d meet or at least seen before but couldn’t place. He was the only person besides Tony who was wearing a suit, and that immediately put Tony more at ease. The white coats weren’t exactly inspiring the best feelings at the moment. 

“Finally, we have Dr. Christine Palmer, a fellow neurosurgeon who works with me,” Tony remembered Christine from the interview she did with Strange before his accident happened. He was pleasantly surprised that Strange had chosen a female doctor; he'd had better experiences with those. They also tended to be fiercer with their work and patients. Circumstances of being in a male-dominated industry. 

Tony and Pepper politely smiled at the group as Strange directed him to the middle seat in front of his desk. 

“Interesting group of people,” Tony commented with a lilt of his lips. 

Strange huffed and said, “It was more Christine than me that gathered the group." 

Tony only hummed in reply before gesturing towards his own guests. “This is Dr. Jessica Salo; she’s the foremost leader of neuropsychologists. You can thank Ms. Potts for finding and convincing her to join this little think tank." 

Dr. Salo gave a small smile and a nod at the group. “I was surprised when Ms. Potts and Dr. Stark contacted me, but I’m glad that I’ve decided to accept their proposal. It looks like a well-put-together team." 

Tony then gestured towards his second guest, which was Dr. Reed Richards. It was particularly rough trying to get him to agree due to his dedication to his own projects, but he was just like Tony, curious to a fault with the inability to leave well enough alone. 

Flashback Two Days after the Company Meeting   

“When I got the notification that you wanted to speak, I would be lying if I said my eyes didn’t bug out of my head." 

Tony allowed himself a small laugh at Richard’s words. To be quite honest, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to invite Richards at first; the man tended to take something simple and turn it into something not so simple. He was a bit of a safety hazard, but at the same time, Tony knew that he was trustworthy. He matured after his accident and the formation of the Fantastic Four. Besides, it would be easier to contact him for help with Thanos if there was already a working relationship. 

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to or not. Without the engineering side of things, it’s not really your area of expertise." 

Tony watched as Richard’s eyebrows lifted in curiosity. “What is this project?" 

After Tony explained in the simplest of terms, he allowed Richards a moment to think and look over some of the forms he sent through email when asked. 

Richards hummed before he spoke. “It’s an interesting project,” he said. “I’ve never thought about the brain beyond the study of computational neuroscience, and even then, I’d need an actual neurosurgeon to understand it completely." 

“What is computational neuroscience?" 

“Oh!” Tony had the pleasure of seeing a spark of light enter Richard’s eyes at his question, and fought to hold in a small chuckle. 

“Computational neuroscience is a branch of neuroscience that employs mathematics, computer science, theoretical analysis, and abstractions of the brain to understand the principles that govern the development, structure, physiology, and cognitive abilities of the nervous system." 

Tony nodded and refrained from rolling his eyes at the textbook dictionary explanation. 

“So, in layman’s terms, you’ll be able to help us understand how to make the technology target the hippocampus’s cognition abilities without interfering with anything else?" 

Richards laughed and nodded his head. “Basically. It’s going to be tricky, but I think it’ll be able to be done without crossing that line into mind control or any extreme violation." 

“Yeah,” Tony sighed as he rubbed his eyes. “That was a concern of the neurosurgeon I spoke to. He believed at first that I meant it to be some type of weapon. I have a feeling that people will constantly be asking whether I’m meaning to cross that line." 

On the screen, Richards frowned at Tony, a look of concern on his face. 

“Anyone who knows you, Tony, would know that you shut down the weapons division of your company. Besides, I can’t judge considering how much work I do for the military." 

Tony smiled slightly, glad to have someone other than Rhodey and Pep understood that he wasn’t like that. It was refreshing. 

“So, will you join?" 

Nodding, Richards agreed as long as it didn’t conflict with his own projects. They ended their meeting a bit later after catching up, but Tony felt a small part of him relax, a weight lifting off his shoulders. 

End Flashback 

The think tank interested him considering this was a field he never studied but one that would do well with his expertise in engineering and biology. Granted, Tony mainly wanted a connection to his team that would form later on, but he also couldn’t deny that not having Richards would be remiss of him for a multitude of reasons. 

“I don’t think he needs an introduction, but I’ll give it anyway. Dr. Reed Richards is renowned for his mastery in the areas of electrical and mechanical engineering and biology. Furthermore, he is one of the foremost experts in computational neuroscience, which is something we both think the program will need." 

Dr. Richards waved sheepishly at the astounded looks he was given. Dr. Strange in particular looked between the two of them with a barely concealed look of incredulity, as if he couldn’t believe they could exist in the same place, or rather that they knew each other. A small glance at Tony was enough for Reed to know that he saw the same look and wasn’t particularly impressed with it. In the intellectual world, he and Tony shared the same spaces, and while people normally excluded Tony due to his affiliations as a weapons manufacturer, Reed knew better. After all, Reed himself had extensive contracts with the military. He cleared his throat and made to take a seat next to Dr. Salo. 

“I’m glad Dr. Stark managed to convince me to come. I wasn’t entirely sure I would be able to fit since considering the brain isn’t my area of expertise, I’m hoping I can be of assistance on the mechanical side of things." 

Tony snorted and clapped Reed on the back lightly. “Between the two of us, Richards, we’ll have the machine doing what it’s supposed to in no time." 

Christine smiled at Richards, a sheepish look on her face. “I don’t know if I’m the only one, but what is computational neuroscience?" 

“Ah,” Richards smiled back at her, his smile widening at her shoulders relaxing. “As Tony said in our meeting a few days ago, in layman’s terms, it uses math, computer science, theatrical analysis, and abstractions of the brain to help understand the nervous system. I’ll be focusing on helping, or rather, teaching, or even guiding the technology to focus on the cognitive abilities of the hippocampus specifically. While I understand the nervous system, it’s not nearly as in-depth as it needs to be. I’ll be working mostly on the machine itself." 

Dr. Druid nodded somewhat seriously as he took stock of the gathered group of intellectuals. "So, we have Dr. Stark, who will build the machine, and Dr. Richards, who will assist by designing the machine to target the cognitive abilities of the hippocampus. Dr. Strange, Dr. Garner, and Dr. Palmer will collaborate with Dr. Richards to potentially advance his understanding of the brain, while myself and Dr. Salo will be charged with identifying patients who would benefit the most from this treatment and which mental illnesses will not be treatable. It's a decent group all around." 

Dr. Garner nodded along with Dr. Druid’s words. “Yes, it is.” He said, “To be quite honest, I was worried about the ability of such a group to conduct research without the appropriate number of people with experience in the brain. Dr. Stark, would you mind telling us why you want to create technology such as this?" 

Tony nodded his head and inwardly sighed. It didn’t sound like an accusation, but still wondered whether they’d accept his answer. He looked briefly at Pepper and had to hide a smile at the glare she leveled at Dr. Garner. He squeezed her hand lightly, and she took her eyes off the doctor who was squirming underneath it. Tony turned his attention back to the doctor and readied himself to explain his intention with B.A.R.F. 

“I am someone suffering from PTSD, and frankly, I can’t afford to see a therapist, not with my history with them. I don’t trust them to not run to the papers with my information, which has already been done in the past.” The entire group grimaced as they knew that the weeks following the death of Tony’s parents were filled with invasive articles from therapists and people Tony believed were friends. He was regularly sold out by people who had access to him for a quick buck. 

“I admit, it was a purely selfish reason at first, but I realized how many people could benefit from this. To be able to take control of their trauma and no longer be the victims of circumstance or someone else’s cruelty is something that everyone deserves.” Tony rubbed his chest where the arc reactor was, and he couldn’t help but remember the absolute fear he had when Rogers disabled his suit in Siberia or when Stane removed it in the last timeline. The betrayal he felt from the people he trusted and the lack of remorse he saw in their eyes—he couldn’t contain the shudder that went through him. 

He relaxed slightly when Pepper rubbed his arm. He sent her a quick smile, patting her hand before turning his attention back to the group. 

“People deserve to have autonomy. It’s why this group was gathered. I will admit that at first, I was weary of having more people and their ideas anywhere near this, but it is important that there is a council of voices. People who hold oaths." 

“And you trust us?" 

“No.” Tony was blunt with his answer. Tony didn’t know how to trust people he didn’t know; he‘d have trouble trusting people he did know. There’s too much he has to lose this time around, and he isn’t going to place his future in the hands of anyone who isn’t Pep, Rhodey, or Jarvis. He couldn’t. 

“I do, however, trust Pepper, but then again, I trust Pep with everything,” he said with a wink in her direction.  

“I trust Reed because I know him and I know his morals,” Tony continued.  

He looked to Strange then, and he remembered the anger he felt for the man who let Thanos have the stone—the man who was a stepping stone for Thanos—which resulted in Peter dying for 5 years. He remembered the utter hatred and resentment he felt, and he remembered having to learn how to let it go. There are many words that Tony could use to describe Strange, but he knew that the man in front of him was going to go on and become a man worthy of wielding the time stone. 

“I also trust Dr. Strange; despite his shrewdness, I know that he wouldn’t endanger people, nor would he seek to use them for his gain,” Tony smirked then. “At least not in a way that would cause harm, but like I said, Dr. Strange is quite shrewd.” The people in the room laughed when Strange huffed and rolled his eyes, but they all noticed he didn’t refute Tony’s words. 

“Nonetheless, I don’t know the rest of you. I can’t tell if you’re here out of a genuine interest or whether that interest is going to change going forward. Which is why I have a contract and an MDA that everyone here, including myself and Ms. Potts will sign after we conduct background checks, which, to be frank, my AI has been doing this entire meeting." 

Tony motioned to Pepper while he busied himself with the tablet that was currently filled with the information Jarvis was tasked with gaining. He was fully content with ignoring the affronted looks of the group. They may be insulted that it happened without their knowledge, but Tony learned it’s best to catch people off guard. They almost always show their true colors that way. 

“Dr. Stark, is that really necessary?" 

Pepper answered before Tony could, her voice soft but sharp. “Yes, it is Dr. Garner. After Tony’s history, we have no need or want to take chances with our property or projects. Surely you can understand.” She smiled at him then, and it was full of teeth. Tony liked to think she looked like a wolf circling its prey. He also thought she looked damn beautiful while doing it too. 

Pepper busied herself with getting the NDAs and the contracts settled when J interrupted. 

“Sir, it appears we may have a problem." 

Tony frowned and held a hand up, stopping Pepper from continuing with what she was doing. He looked at the tablet in his hands as J brought up the information he wanted Tony to see. What he saw made him both angry and extremely annoyed. Apparently, Fury deemed enough time had gone by and was once again trying his damnest to force his way into Tony’s life. At this time in Tony’s last life, Romanov was firmly planted in SI. With the changes he made due to future knowledge, the possibility of Natasha coming within 100 feet of him before the invasion was slim to none. Unfortunately, this begged the question of how the hell Shield managed to implant a spy in this meeting. 

Sighing, Tony allowed Pepper to take the tablet, and she was silent as she read through the information J managed to get. When she was done, they shared a brief but loaded look before they both turned their attention to Dr. Garner. Even though Dr. Garner’s information and credentials checked out, it was who he worked for that had Tony on edge. He worked for Shield as one of their foremost psychologists, specializing in gifted individuals. Knowing Shield and who currently worked for them, along with the knowledge of a super-secret super soldier who was their favorite brainwash victim, didn't paint the prettiest of pictures. However, even without the threat of Hydra, Shield on its own was just as bad with their secret prisons and torture tactics. Tony had no clue what Fury was trying to do, but he didn’t like it. 

“Dr. Garner,” Tony sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did you join this group out of a genuine interest in helping people, or did Nick Fury send you to join in order to gain access to both me and my tech for Shield?" 

Although Tony already knew the answer, it was the way that Dr. Garner paled at the question that spoke volumes and gave Tony everything he needed to know. Tony exchanged another look with Pepper but found she was once again glaring at the doctor with a look that promised pain and ruination. This time, Tony made no move to stop the love-sick smile that graced his face in light of Pep’s fierce protectiveness. She was protective before, but with Tony’s death and their miracle do-over, Pep took no chances with anything or anyone. She was gorgeous when she was angry, Tony mused happily. 

Shaking his head to dispel the current line of thought, Tony turned his attention back to the matter at hand. While everyone seemed confused, it was Reed’s reaction that caught his attention. 

“You know Fury Reed?" 

Reed nodded, the frown still gracing his features. “I’ve met him when I did more contracts with the military. Generally, he’s not that bad of a person. A bit of a hard ass, most definitely paranoid, but most of the people in the military tend to be that.” Tony snorted at that but didn’t say anything. It was true. 

“I didn’t know he worked for Shield though." 

Tony laughed at that. It wasn’t particularly funny, but God damn did Fury know how to keep a secret. “He doesn’t just work for Shield Reed,” Tony said once he managed to calm himself down.  

“He’s the fucking director." 

“Wait,” Dr. Druid interrupted, a deep frown on his face. “Who is Nick Fury and Shield, and what do they want?" 

“Nick Fury is a sad, lonely, paranoid son of a bitch who’s the current director of a super-secret spy agency and has been trying to get me to join a super-secret boy band,” Tony answered as he directed Jarvis to pull up Fury’s number. He might as well let the group hear the voice of the man who’s fucking with the work they’re all trying to do. 

After a few moments and the sound of the phone ringing, Fury’s voice came through the speakerphone. 

“Stark. To what do I owe the pleasure?" 

“Fury darling,” Tony crooned. “What did I say about interfering in my life? I’m more than sure that I’ve already warned Agent, Itsy Bitsy, and Circus Act. Do I need to warn you too?”  

It was silent for a long moment before Fury’s sigh could be heard. He merely asked if Dr. Garner was still alive. Tony had to wonder how much of that was out of concern for the actual man or the potential loss of his abilities and the bit of information he was able to glean. 

“Of course he is. I’m not in the habit of killing all my enemies yet. You’ll have to wait a few more weeks for that, Ragetti." 

“Stark." 

“Nick,” Tony replied cheekily. “The next time you and your organization interfere with anything of mine, I’ll have everything you care for burned to the ground, and I dare say, it’ll be marvel ous." 

“Understood.” The phone was abruptly cut off, and Tony shook his head at Fury’s actions. “That was incredibly rude,” Tony mused. 

Tony clapped his hands once, a smirk on his face. “Welp, I’m sorry about that folks, but now you can say that you’ve heard the voice of one Nick Fury.” Sobering up, Tony looked around the room to gauge their expressions. For the most part, they seemed confused, if not a tad bit put off. Tony wasn’t entirely sure if it was the situation or him. 

“I honestly didn’t expect that though, and I do understand if this changes your mind about continuing this project. Despite my threat, this isn’t going to stop Fury from trying to pry. He can’t get to me, so he’ll try to get through one of you." 

“Why does he want you though?” Dr. Palmer’s soft voice broke through the silence after Tony stopped speaking. 

“Weapons. He wants me to build weapons for him, which isn’t anything new." 

“Aren’t you afraid he’ll try what happened to you in Afghanistan?" 

Tony shook his head and laced his fingers together. “If I ever go missing, the FBI knows where to look. Besides, Fury won’t try anything like that.” Tony smirked then and tilted his head as he looked at Dr. Palmer. “Besides, the last people that kidnapped me ended up getting blown to the high heavens and buried underneath 6 feet of Afghan sand." 

“Jesus Tony,” Reed choked out, but Tony merely shrugged at the shocked faces. It wasn’t a secret. He told the world what he did to escape. 

“Anyways,” Strange spoke up then. “It’s not your fault some people lack integrity,” he said as he shot a heated glare at Dr. Garner. 

Dr. Palmer nodded along with Strange’s words. “Stephen is right,” she agreed. “Dr. Stark, you can’t hold yourself accountable for the actions of others." 

Dr. Druid hummed for a moment. “This is too interesting to pass up, but I agree with my colleagues. I shall stay" 

“As am I.” Dr. Salo and Reed said at the same time, much to the amusement of the group. 

Pepper then took the time to direct Dr. Garner out of the room, but not before she informed him of the corporate espionage charges currently being filed against him and Shield. B.A.R.F. may be a personal project of Tony, but the technology being used was a patent of SI, and Pepper was all too glad to put their lawyers to work. 

“Well then,” she said as she sat back down, contracts and NDAs in hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, should we continue?" 

Tony once again could only muse over how utterly amazing Pep was. 

Chapter Text

"Alright," Tony clapped his hands together as his eyes roamed over the room and its occupants. He and Pep were back at the SI headquarters in Malibu planning for the Stark Expo with each department head. To say he was ecstatic would be a massive understatement. Even now, before the planning for the Expo even began, Tony couldn't stop the urge to bounce on the balls of his feet. It was going to be different this time around. No drone bots or Hammer or Vanko coming in and ruining everything. He didn't want his name attached to so many disasters this time around.

"Today is the day we begin to plan the Stark Expo. It's a yearlong event, which means each department will be busy pretty much the entire time. I know the PR department is going to have one hell of a time," Tony said with a cheeky smile in the direction of Thomas Bennett, the director of Public Relations, which turned into a laugh at the disgruntled look on his face. 

"Don't mind his expression; the man is elated he finally has some good PR," Tony teased.

"It will be interesting, that's for sure, Dr. Stark," Bennett replied with a smile. 

"As you all know, the last time the Stark Expo was an exposition started by my father. I've decided to bring it back. While SI as a whole will be in attendance, each department will have a month where they will be front and center of promotion." Tony paused momentarily to let the excited chatter die down before continuing.

"For the first month, the stage will be focused on new inventions and technologies, and the R&D Department will have its chance to shine. Applicants from all over the country will have the opportunity to send in their projects, and a handful will be carefully selected to share center stage. The rest will present their projects around the exhibit. 

The second month is reserved solely for students; think of it as one giant science fair. Middle and high schools will have their exhibits up the first two weeks, and then college students will have their exhibits the last two weeks." Tony went to a nearby table that had a stack of papers on it and began to pass them around. It was a list of guidelines that everyone who applied had to follow. "College students have three choices. They could do a normal exhibit, similar to the ones the younger students will do or they could present their theories and dissertations to a wider audience as long as they have already defended them. Schools around the country will be receiving a notice and an application form to give out to each of their students. Any school that applies will be visited by either Miss Potts or myself for the ones in New York, but we'll send out representatives for the rest of the country. On the first day of the student month, we will announce the new Outreach Program.

The following months will be reserved for the IT department, followed by Business Development, Marketing, Accounting and Finance, HR, the Legal Department is next, followed by the PR department, and finally, Security Detail. The last three months are for the new additions to the company, which, of course, are the Protection Division, the new Humanitarian Affairs Department, and a secret announcement that won't be revealed until the last month of the Expo."

At that last statement, Thomas's eyes widened in surprise, and Tony fought to laugh at his expression. Instead, he soothed the man's concerns before he could blow them out of proportion.

"Don't worry, Bennett, PR will be notified before the unveiling," he assured. Turning his attention back to his audience, he quirked his lips. "Any questions?"

"During the announcement of the Outreach Program, will the department heads be allowed to essentially be there to promote?"

"No," Tony shook his head. "That will be for your respective month; however, there will be a PowerPoint showcasing each department but since it's focusing on student exhibits, I think they should remain that focus."

"If we see a student we like, will they be available to be chosen for the outreach program?"

"No. The outreach program is a separate thing from the expo, and the program specializes in groups, not individuals. However, you can recommend a student for the program if they choose to apply. Your recommendation will be taken into consideration, but it won't guarantee they're picked."

"Now," Tony glanced at Pepper, sharing a smile. His excitement ramped up in anticipation for this next part. He was looking forward to seeing what each department had in store for him. "Does anyone have any ideas for their respective months?"

As the hands went up, Tony's smile widened.

Tony stared with some trepidation as he looked up at the building that housed the New York Sanctum. The last time he was here was when the invasion started. It didn't bring about the best of memories. 

He made his way up the steps; he came alone despite Pepper and Rhodey wanting to be there. Rhodey had to be on base, and Pep was busy with the company, along with Happy, who was settling in just fine. The only one that was able to come was Jarvis, and that was solely because he was available everywhere. He approached the door, and just as he was about to knock, the door swung open, revealing the sorcerer he learned last time was named Wong.

"Stark."

"Wong."

The man huffed, clearly amused but not willing to show it at Tony's reply, but stepped aside and allowed him entrance. 

"The Ancient One said you'd be stopping by, and I'm not one to think badly, but I honestly believed she had seen something incorrectly," he said flatly, his eyebrows raised slightly.

Letting out a chuckle, Tony shook his head as he took in the Sanctum in all its glory without a giant hole in the ceiling or the floor or the overwhelming fear Bruce brought forth. It was beautiful with ceilings at least 4 stories high and a massive staircase in the middle. The color scheme of brown and deep reds and greens, the splashes of gold, and the different furnishings from all around the world, from different centuries gave the place an ancient feeling.

Tony directed his attention back to Wong, an amused look on his face. 

"I'm afraid not, Wong."

"Are you going to tell me how you know me?" Wong asked.

"Helped you and the next sorcerer supreme save the universe." Tony gave a sad grimace at the sharp look Wong directed at him at that information. 

"I don't know when she dies," he cautioned. "The next sorcerer supreme is a good person."

Wong nodded almost absentmindedly, and Tony had to refrain from patting him on the shoulder. He wasn't sure if his attempts at comfort would be welcome.

"You cannot save me, Wong," a gentle voice filled the empty, silent space, and Tony looked toward the staircase as she came down the stairs, well, floated down the stairs. She was a middle-aged woman with a bald head and a bemused expression, something that threw Tony for a loop. She wore a mustard-yellow robe that had a slight sheen to it that made it seem as if she were shining. Tony's attention was soon torn from the woman to the time stone gleaming in the necklace that housed it.

"Everyone's time will come, as will mine. It's the natural order of things," she said in a chiding but soothing tone, and Wong looked at her for a long moment before he nodded his agreement. Tony could tell he wasn't happy with it, but he would accept it. He didn't really have a choice but to in the end. She turned her attention to Tony then, a controlled smile gracing her features.

 "The Time Stone spoke often of you," was the first thing she said to him. Her interest in Tony shone through her words.

Cocking his head to the side, Tony looked between the stone and the ancient one before settling his gaze on her. "That doesn't happen often, does it?"

"Not particularly," she confessed. "I admit, it caught me off guard not only to hear it speak of you but to hear it speak with fondness." The way she stared at him made Tony want to cringe. Her eyes had a way of feeling as if they were staring directly at his soul, judging him, and he wouldn't be surprised if she were. 

"The stone has generally been emotionally detached when it comes to such things."

"Well, I'd hoped Time would be despite our very short time together," Tony replied, shaking off his uneasiness. Strange did once give the stone up just to save Tony's life. Even if it were so he could complete what he needed, it must have rankled the stone to be passed to someone who would use it to break apart the very universe it's supposed to hold together.

"Come," she said as she opened the necklace. "It's been waiting for you."

"Tony," it greeted, pleasure coating its voice. A light green "Glad to see you've finally made it."

"Yeah, I've been a bit busy," Tony shrugged. "Finally caught a break."

Time hummed in pleasure, "Soul has been keeping me updated. You've done very well in the short amount of time you've been  back." Time praised, and Tony felt a warm sensation spread throughout his body, and he felt a bit of tension he didn't realize was there leave his shoulders.

"You know what they say," he shrugged. "Hindsight can be a bitch."

"I know you wish to know about your daughter." Tony's chest constricted as memories of Morgan flashed across his mind, and he waited with bated breath.

"Your theory is correct. Your daughter was effectively erased from the timeline, and that version is lost," Time said softly, and Tony had to close his eyes to stop the tears that threatened to leak out. His beautiful little girl, another victim of Roger's carelessness. Tony died so that she would live; he died saving the world, and Rogers made his sacrifice null & void. Coming to the conclusion on his own did nothing to prepare him for the hurt that came from the confirmation.

"You will have Morgan again," Time assured, confirming the other half of Tony's theory. "One you will have the rest of your life to learn and love. Mourn the one you lost, grieve her, but you cannot hold onto her," Time ordered in a stern but sympathetic voice, and all Tony could do was nod his head. 

Grieve and mourn, grieve and mourn; that was something Tony could do. He's had more than enough practice.

After a moment of Tony collecting himself, Soul decided to make itself known. "Hello, Time," Soul greeted, and the warm orange light lit up Tony's chest.

"Good to see you again, Soul. I'm glad to see you settling in."

"I'm sorry," Wong interrupted, shock painting his face as he blinked his eyes, looking at Tony's chest. "You have an infinity stone inside of you?"

Shrugging, Tony lifted a hand to rub at his chest, smiling at the slight warm sensation that spread across his body, despite the way his heart was aching. "Soul decided to hitch a ride for my protection. I thought you were told?"

Wong looked over at the ancient one and leveled her with an expression of extreme exasperation and huffed at the serene expression she wore. "I was told you had an infinity stone, not that you were playing cab driver to it. How have you not imploded with the amount of energy?"

Tony tapped his chest, which housed his arc reactor, as Soul responded. 

"The arc reactor is reverse-engineered from the space stone. It can house any one of the infinity stones with no physical or metaphysical impact on Dr. Stark."

For the longest time, Wong could only sputter before he eventually managed to get ahold of his emotions. "How did you manage that?"

"I didn't, not really anyway," Tony replied shaking his head. I only finished what my father started."

Wong sighed, and although Tony could see he wanted to roll his eyes, he refrained. Instead, he tilted his head up to the ceiling with closed eyes. Beside him, the ancient one looked amused at his reaction but otherwise said nothing, which told Tony that the stone might have shown her more than it told her. "Are you telling me that your father had an infinity stone?"

Tony nodded. "It's in the tesseract, which is currently in Shield's possession."

That had Wong whipping his head in Tony's direction, his eyes wide in shock. "Shield?"

Narrowing his eyes, Tony looked between the two with suspicion. "You sound and look like you know them."

Wong exchanged a brief look with the ancient one. "We do," he said annoyed. "Shield has been trying to get their people into our guild for decades."

"Yeah... they like sticking their noses in places they don't belong." Tony furrowed his brows in annoyance at the realization that once they figured out that he had connections here, they were going to ramp up their pushiness and attempts to integrate themselves into his life. He'd bet they would try again when he made contact with Xavier and the X-Men. Tony pushed out a breath of frustration, fucking Shield.

"You sound like you know them as well."

Tony looked up at Wong and gave him a sardonic smile, his past life fluttering through his mind. Shield was no different from Hydra at its core despite what his father and Peggy tried to do. It never had the chance to become something good and worthwhile, and Tony was hoping to change that, but he already knew it was going to be an uphill battle with both Hydra and Fury being a pain in his ass. 

"In my last life, they fucked me over more than once, but then again, I let them in because they were the only ones I knew of that could help, at the time anyways." That was the thing Tony hated the most. There were so many enhanced in the world, and America, but he didn't give them a second thought because Shield was right there, all the time, every time. It never crossed his mind to seek outside help, and he had to die before that ever happened.

"Luckily for the universe, that isn't the case anymore."

"Who else is there?"

"The X-Men, Spiderman in the future anyways," and Tony would make sure Peter had the support he needed the first time around. He was a good kid, a bit naive and innocent but good, and he was forced to deal with bullshit he shouldn't have had to deal with. 

"The Defenders are made up of Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Danny Rand. Then there's the Fantastic Four. They aren't formed since they don't have their powers yet, but they're a good team. That team consists of Reed Richards, Susan Storm, her brother Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. Not to mention the plethora of enhanced, but they're all currently in hiding or illegally detained by Shield." Learning about that had Tony's blood positively boiling. He didn't do as much of a deep dive as he should have, and it wasn't something he paid attention to with the data dump; he was too busy trying to fix what Rogers and Romanoff fucked up so those secret prisons went unnoticed. It didn't matter if some of them were criminals; they were locked up without due process, and they were being illegally experimented on. The presence of powers doesn't negate the fact that those people are human beings, and Shield was treating them no better than lab rats.

"That..." Wong trailed off, his expression one of horror and disgust, and the ancient one had one of such heavy disapproval that it made Tony want to flinch, and it wasn't even directed at him.

"I have plans to free them," he assured them. "I can't until I obtain ownership."

"You own Shield?"

"Technically," Tony made a so-so motion with his hands before stuffing them in his pockets. "I was supposed to take over after my father died with my cousin, but the WSC illegally took over and destroyed what they thought was the only copy of my father's and Peggy Carter's will." Which still angered him, just as Shield stole his father's work and kept it from him until he was dying of palladium poisoning.

Wong hummed and looked at Tony as if he were adjusting his assessment of him. "So what will you do when you take over?" he asked, and Tony paused at the genuine curiosity in his voice, but he couldn't help but be a tad bit cautious.

"Still making plans about that."

Wong looked at Tony for a very long time before he snorted and placed his arms behind his back. "No you're not," he rebutted. "You have them figured out already."

"That's true," he conceded. "However, that's a future problem for future me. What I want to talk about is the alien armada that's going to invade Earth in a couple of years.

Nick Fury, Director of Shield, was pissed and angry. There were many things wrong with the way events had turned out—some more than others—and it began when Tony Stark was brought back from Afghanistan. Tony Stark was supposed to be an easy target, but instead of falling victim to paranoia, instead of pushing away the ones closest to him, instead of acting like a traumatized man, he was the opposite and Fury wasn't happy about that.

Sure, he was paranoid, and that made him more defensive, but he did it with a clear head. Instead of pushing people away, he held them closer, not that they would have let anything less happen. Nick found that it wasn't just Tony who kept those he cared for closer to him, but Colonel Rhodes, Virginia Potts, and Happy Hogan were all part of his group, and they all became highly protective of the bastard. Fury didn't think they would have cared that much about the billionaire...that wasn't right; he was expecting that from Rhodes but not from the other two. Not to this extent.

Instead of being traumatized, for the most part, Stark was well put together, and it didn't make any damn sense. The man was kidnapped and tortured. He had open-heart surgery in a cave in the middle of the fucking desert. Even Fury's best agents would crack once they came home...if they came home anyway. To see Stark seemingly thrive rankled him to no end. That's not to say he wants Stark to suffer; he's not that much of a cold-hearted bastard, but he wasn't falling in line.

However, Stark's weird behavior wasn't the cherry on top of the fucking sundae. He could adjust his plans for how Stark was acting. It would take a while, and some groveling but he could do it. What he couldn't do, however, was erase or change the past because if he could, he would have stopped the idiocy that seemed to take over Howard Stark. Sometime before he died, Fury didn't know when or how, or why, but Howard fucking Stark informed Tony of Shield. It wouldn't be so far out of the realm of possibility if Howard was a decent father and as far as Nick knew, he wasn't. He wasn't particularly attentive, and his love came with terms and conditions. He barely accepted Stark as he was, so why would he take the time to explain to a son he didn't like about an organization that wasn't Stark Industries? Maybe Howard had a change of heart; Fury didn't know, but something caused Howard to tell Tony the truth, and it rankled that he didn't know what that something was.

What's more, somehow Stark knows his parents didn't die in a car accident, and that is what makes him dangerous. Howard Stark was a beloved man, so if Stark decides to reveal that Shield covered up the fact that he was murdered, the U.S. government would throw them to the wolves, and when Fury was honest with himself, he couldn't blame Stark if he did. When Fury was let in on that little secret, it almost caused him to lose his faith in the organization. It almost made him question the integrity of Shield if they willingly covered up the murder of one of their co-founders. Almost.

Fury didn't have many friends, but he could say that Howard was the closest he got after Carol disappeared with the Skrulls. Learning the truth about his death and then willingly keeping it covered up was a test of his faith and morality, but it was a test that came with all the rewards. He had enough sense to realize that by proving his loyalty to Shield, he was also aiding and abetting Hydra, and while that knowledge sat heavily in his stomach and weighed heavily on his mind, it wasn't as debilitating as he once believed it would be. He had more important things to worry about, like the safety of the planet. His time with the Skrulls and the Kree was both illuminating and terrifying, and if he had to choose between being morally correct or morally ambiguous...

Fury would mourn his friend, but he would deny him and his wife justice.

However, knowing Stark knew and so far hasn't done a single fucking thing about it didn't inspire the greatest sensations. Fury had Shield monitoring the news just in case Stark decided he didn't want to keep that information a secret anymore. Tony Stark had Nick Fury living in uncertainty and it was nerve-wracking.

His thoughts were interrupted when his second-in-command, Maria Hill, made her presence known along with Coulson, Romanoff, and Barton.

"There's no feasible way for us to gain access to Stark, Director," Hill stated the moment they were alone in his office.

Fury nodded and moved to stand in front of his window, looking down at the people below him, noting how much like ants they looked. "After the meeting with his little "think tank" about B.A.R.F., I don't expect him to let us anywhere near him, and we don't have his father's items to bargain with either, not to mention he's already found the solution to his little Palladium problem."

"I want to know how the hell he knew about Barton and Romanov," he continued. "Just because he knew what Shield is doesn't account for his knowledge of our agents that came to us after his father died."

"He knew about his father's murder, and that's something that the WSC doesn't even know about," Coulson said. "There's no telling what Stark knows, but based on what he's said, I don't think there's anything he doesn't know or can't find out."

Barton leaned against the wall, a bored expression on his face. "He probably kept tabs on Shield, and it was easy for him since no one was expecting him to know about us in the first place."

"So how do we get to him?" Hill questioned.

Fury snorted and sat down at his desk, lacing his fingers together and placing them under his chin. "We don't."

Romanoff frowned, not happy with the fact that there weren't more attempts to silence Stark. She viewed him as a threat, and not to say he wasn't, but Romanoff wasn't thinking of him as an ally or possible ally. Having a repluser in her face soured her on Stark; she wasn't used to being caught off guard or backed into a corner she couldn't immediately see a way to manipulate her way out of. "Sir?"

Turning back around in his chair and looking out the window of his office. Fury couldn't help but feel supremely unsettled and righteously angry that there wasn't a single damn thing he could do about it. 

"I have a feeling that Stark will be coming to us."