Trigger Warning: Tony has a panic attack in this chapter.
————

He passed out. Water filled the suit, he got trapped, and he passed out. He would've drowned had Jarvis not saved him and restored the flight power.

He wakes up mid-flight to loud, annoying beeping and Jarvis shouting, "Sir!"

"Alright, kill the alarm," Tony says. "I got it."

"That's the emergency alert triggered by the power dropping below five percent."

Tony panics and tries to fix it — save it somehow — but he can't. He crash lands in the snow, in the middle of a forest.

He rolls himself over, the suit sparking as he pulls his helmet off. He frowns. "It's snowing, right? Where are we, upstate?"

"We're five miles outside of Rose Hill, Tennessee," Jarvis replies.

"Why?!" Tony shouts. "Jarvis! Not my idea! What are we doing here? This is thousands of miles away, I gotta get Grace, I gotta-"

"I prepared a flight plan," Jarvis replies. "This was the location."

"Who asked you to?" Tony asks. "Open the suit."

But he doesn't. "I... I think I may be malfunctioning, sir."

"Open eject," Tony insists. Thankfully, the suit opens, and Tony sits up. "Whew, that's brisk! Maybe I'll just cozy back up for a bit."

"I actually think I need to sleep now, sir."

And then the suit powers down. Tony doesn't even have to look; he can hear it. "Jarvis," he says. "Jarvis? Don't leave me, buddy."

But he already has.

~~~~

"Stark Secure Server: Now transferring to all known receivers," the voice on the other end of the payphone says. The suit is on the ground next to Tony, who took a poncho off a wooden statue of a Native American that's nearby. The phone beeps.

"Pepper, it's me," Tony says, "I've got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time. So first off, I'm so sorry I put you and Grace in harm's way. That was selfish and stupid, and it won't happen again. Also, it's Christmas time- the rabbit's too big. Done. Sorry. And I'm sorry in advance because... I can't come home yet. I need to find this guy. You and Grace gotta stay safe. That's all I know. I love you both."

He hangs up and drags the suit even farther, looking for a place to hole up. He finds a farmhouse that looks like it hasn't been cleaned in about five years. No lights are on. No one's home.

He easily busts open the barn door, then puts the suit on a nearby couch. "Let's get you comfy." He sits next to it. "You happy now?"

He leans back, catching his breath. When he's ready, he gets up and explores the barn a little bit, then sits at the desk next to him, turning on the lamp to take out the micro-reader implants on his arm.

And then he hears a voice.

"Freeze!" A boy is standing in the doorway, aiming some sort of toy gun at Tony. He looks like he just got home — if this is his home — as he's all bundled up to be outside in this cold weather. He shows no fear. "Don't. Move."

Tony raises his hand in surrender, but he's unconcerned. "You got me." He looks at the toy gun and realizes what it is. "Nice potato gun. Barrel's a little long. Between that and the wide gauge, it's gonna diminish your FPS." In response, the boy aims at a glass on a nearby shelf and fires a potato, hitting his mark. Tony sighs. "And now you're out of ammo."

The boy gestures with the gun to the arc reactor glowing through Tony's shirt. "What's that thing on your chest?"

"It's a electromagnet," Tony replies. "You should know, you've got a box of them right here."

"What does it power?"

Tony looks at him for a moment. He's probably around Grace's age, if he has to wager a guess. And he certainly reminds him of her, in a way. Maybe it's the bright blue eyes or the look on his face — it's the same one Grace gives Tony when she's arguing with him; she wants something he won't give to her, and she's prepared to stand her ground. Usually, Tony ends up compromising with her, if not completely giving in on occasion.

He looks at the kid again. That potato gun hasn't moved an inch.

So, with the ghost of a smile, Tony steps to the side, revealing the Iron Man suit. The boy's eyes light up and widen, the gun finally lowering. It makes Tony smile. "Oh, my gosh!" the boy exclaims. "Is that...?" The boy walks closer. "Is that Iron Man?"

"Technically, I am," Tony replies.

The boy walks over to the suit, past Tony. He hands him a newspaper out of his bag. "Technically, you're dead."

Tony looks at the newspaper. The headline reads, "Mandarin Attack: Stark Presumed Dead." He spots a mention of Grace in the article — only referred to as his daughter — but he doesn't read it.

"A valid point," he replies.

The boy sits on the couch next to the suit. "What happened to him?"

"Life," Tony replies. "I built him, I take care of him, I'll fix him."

The boy touches the helmet, moving it. "Like a mechanic?"

"Yeah."

"If I was building Iron Man and War Machine-" the boy starts, his tone another reminder of Grace — though this time it's when she's in the lab with Tony or talking about the art she hasn't finished yet.

"It's Iron Patriot now," Tony corrects. Gosh, he misses her already.

"That's way cooler!" the boy exclaims.

"No, it's not."

"Anyways," the boy continues, "I would have added in um... the retro-"

"Retroreflective panels?" Tony asks suddenly, a little surprised at the suggestion and how good it is.

The boy nods. "To make him stealth mode."

"You want stealth mode?"

"Cool, right?"

"That's actually a good idea. Maybe I'll build one."

As the boy continues to play with the suit, he accidentally breaks off one of the fingers. "Oops!"

"What, you gonna break his finger?" Tony teasingly asks. "He's in pain, he's been injured. Leave him alone."

"Sorry," the boy replies, playing with the now-broken finger.

Tony waves him off. "Don't worry about it, I'll fix it." Grace has broken plenty of things in his lab before. "So, uh, who's home?"

"Well, my mom already left for the diner, and dad went to 7-Eleven to get scratchers," the boy replies. "I guess he won, 'cause that was six years ago."

"Mm," Tony replies. "That happens, parents leave, no need to dwell on it." He changes the subject. "Here's what I need: a laptop, a digital watch, a cell phone, the pneumatic actuator from your bazooka over there, a map of town, a big spring, and a tuna fish sandwich."

The boy raises a brow. "What's in it for me?"

"Salvation," Tony replies. "What's his name?"

"Who?"

"The kid that bullies you at school, what's his name?"

"How'd you know that?"

Maybe a lucky guess, maybe he recognized it in the kid's demeanor...

"I got just the thing," Tony says. He goes over to the suit, opens a compartment, and takes something out. He holds it up. "This is a piñata for a cricket. I'm kidding, it's a very powerful weapon. Point it away from your face, press the button on top. It discourages bullying. Non-lethal." The boy goes to take it, but Tony pulls it back, moving it around so the boy can't grab it. "Deal? Deal?"

"Deal," the boy replies.

Tony finally gives it to him. "What's your name, kid?"

"Harley," he replies. "And you're...?"

"The mechanic." Harley looks at him, so Tony says, "Tony." He sighs. "So, how old are you, kid?"

"Ten."

"Hmm," Tony hums. "My daughter's eleven."

"I'm almost eleven," Harley replies.

"Yeah, sure."

"I am!"

"You know what keeps going through my head?" Tony asks. "Where's my sandwich?"

~~~~

Grace is with Pepper and Maya. Everything is in ruins. The whole house, everything that was in it, is destroyed.

Except for an Iron Man helmet.

Pepper grabs it and puts it on. It does a retinal scan. And, once it confirms her identity, it begins playing a message from Tony. Grace can hear it from her spot next to Pepper. "Pepper, it's me. I've got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time..."

When the message ends, they get up, filled with relief and taking the helmet with them.

"Why were you at the house tonight?" Pepper later asks. She's driving now, Grace and Maya in tow. "What was so important that you had to speak to Tony?"

Maya is sitting in the passenger seat. She sighs. "I think that my boss is working for the Mandarin. So if you still want to talk about it, I suggest that we get ourselves someplace safe."

Pepper is shocked. "Your boss works for the Mandarin, you think? But Tony said you're a botanist, so-"

"That figures. What I actually am is a biological DNA coder running a team of forty out of a privately-funded think tank, but, sure, you can call me a botanist."

"This boss of yours, does he have a name?"

"Yeah, Aldrich Killian."

Pepper and Grace's eyes both go wide.

~~~~

Tony and Harley are walking through town, towards the scene of the explosion.

"The sandwich was fair," Tony says to Harley, "the spring was a little rusty, the rest of the materials, I'll make do. By the way, when you said your sister had a watch, I was kinda hoping for something a little more adult than this." He pulls up hair sleeve, revealing the Hello Kitty watch Harley gave him.

Harley laughs. "She's six! Anyway, it's limited edition. When can we talk about New York?"

Tony swallows thickly. "Maybe never. Relax about it."

"What about The Avengers, can you talk about them?"

"I don't know, later," Tony replies, taking a deep breath. He moves away from Harley. "Hey kid, give me a little space." Lucky for Tony, they finally reach the sight of the explosion. There's signs and candles and flowers and teddy bears among other things in the a corner of a building and a wall — a memorial for the victims. "What's the official story here? What happened?" Tony asks.

Harley replies, "I guess this guy named Chad Davis, used to live here, won a bunch of medals in the army. One day, folks said he went crazy and made, you know, a bomb. Then he blew himself up right here."

"Six people died, right?"

"Yeah."

"Including Chad Davis?"

"Yeah."

Tony looks around, then shakes his head. "That doesn't make sense." He finally sits down next to Harley. "Think about it. Six dead, only five shadows." On the wall, there's shadows of five people. They weren't painted on. That was a result of the explosion.

"Yeah, people said these shadows are like the mark of souls gone to Heaven," Harley replies. "Except the bomb guy, he went to Hell on account of he didn't get a shadow. That's why there's only five."

"Do you buy that?" Tony asks.

"That's what everyone says," Harley shrugs. Then, he sighs. "You know what this crater reminds me of?"

"No idea."

"That giant wormhole, in um... in New York. Does it remind you-?"

"That's manipulative," Tony says. His chest is getting tight again. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Are they coming back?" Harley asks. "The aliens?"

"Maybe — can you stop?" Tony asks. He's getting short of breath. He blinks, trying to clear his vision. "Remember when I told you that I have an anxiety issue?"

"Does this subject make you- make you edgy?"

"Yeah, a little bit. Can I just catch my breath for a second?"

"Are there bad guys in Rose Hill? Do you- do you need a plastic bag to breathe into? Do you have medication?"

Tony tries to take deep breaths. "Nope."

"Do you need to be on it?"

"Probably."

"Do you have PTSD?"

"I don't think so."

"Are you- Are you going completely mental? I can stop, do you want me to stop? Do you want me to stop-?"

"Remember when I said to stop doing that?" Tony asks, on edge. "You're-You're gonna freak me out!" He jumps up, in desperate need of space. "Ah man, you did it, didn't you? You happy now?"

"What did I say?" Harley asks, following Tony as he rushes away. "Hey, wait up! Wait, wait!"

Tony stops. He wants to see Grace. Just seeing her would make him feel better, he's sure of it. He closes his eyes and pictures her and Pepper, a memory from a few weeks ago of Grace making Pepper pose so she could paint her. Pepper wouldn't stay still.

He starts to breathe a bit easier. He rubs his face, then throws snow at Harley. "Your fault, you spazzed me out." He sighs. "Okay, back to business. Where were we? The guy who died — relatives? Mom? Mrs. Davis, where is she?"

"Where she always is."

"See, now you're being helpful."