𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐏, Tony stood beside his holographic table working on the computer system. "J.A.R.V.I.S., you up?"

"For you, sir," the AI replied, "always."

"I'd like to open a new project file, index as Mark Two," Tony requested.

"Shall I store this on the Stark Industries Central Database?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked.

"Actually, I don't know who to trust right now." Tony shook his head and made an alternate suggestion, "'Til further notice, why don't we just keep everything on my private server?"

"Working on a secret project, are we, sir?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked.

"I don't want this winding up in the wrong hands," Tony replied, "Maybe in mine, it can actually do some good."

Tony quickly lost track of the time as he got to work making the proper modifications to his latest project. The suit was slowly starting to come together, that is if he could get some useful assistance around the workshop.

"Next. Up," Tony instructed, but only continued to grow frustrated as the robot struggled to follow even simple instructions, "Not in the boot, Dummy. Right here. You got me? Stay put. Nice. You're of no benefit at all. Move down to the toe. I got this. Okay, I'm sorry, am I in your way? Up. Screw it. Don't even move. You are a tragedy."

Despite the complications, the boots were finished soon after and ready for their first flight test. The more helpful of the two robots was left in charge of filming while Dummy was responsible for the fire extinguisher.

"Okay, let's do this right. Start mark, half a meter, and back and center. Dummy, look alive. You're on standby for fire safety," Tony reminded the robot before instructing the other, "You, roll it. Okay. Activate hand controls. We're gonna start off nice and easy. We're gonna see if ten percent thrust capacity achieves lift. And three, two, one."

Tony immediately flew backward at a speed he hadn't predicted and hit the upper wall. Despite not being on fire, Dummy used the fire extinguisher on Tony. Tony frowned, but moved past the failure and began to think of an idea to solve the problem. While working on a pair of flight stabilizers to be worn on his hands and arms, Pepper entered the workshop carrying a wrapped box and a concealed cup of presumably coffee.

"Up two." Tony had yet to notice her. "All right, set that."

"I've been buzzing you. Did you hear the intercom?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah, everything's... What?" Tony asked, finally breaking away from the distraction of the flight stabilizers.

"Obadiah and your sisters are upstairs," Pepper informed him.

"Great!" Tony nodded, glancing back at the stabilizers as he thought up another modification to add.

"What would you like me to tell him?" she asked.

"Great." Tony nodded again as he began to fit the stabilizer over his hand. "I'll be right up."

"Okay." Pepper gave him a curious look. "I thought you said you were done making weapons."

"I am," Tony agreed. "This is a flight stabilizer. It's completely harmless."

However, the stabilizer fired off a blast that flung Tony backward, ultimately scaring Pepper.

Tony's eyes widened as he sat up. "I didn't expect that."

After cleaning himself up, Tony left the workshop and climbed the stairs to meet Obadiah playing the piano while Pepper continued to work, seated on the couch. His sisters were in the middle of a hushed conversation, and unsurprisingly, Hollyn had found her way into his stash of liquor. Noticing Tony's appearance, Hollyn lifted her glass as a greeting.

"How'd it go?" Tony asked, but knew the answer the second he saw the pizza box. "It went that bad, huh?"

Stane continued to play the piano, but did answer the question. "Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad."

"Sure doesn't." Tony sarcastically agreed. "Oh, boy."

"It would have gone better if you were there," Stane admitted.

Hollyn seemed to agree as she took another sip of her Merlot. "The boys certainly don't respect me as much when you're not around."

"Uh-huh." Tony nodded. "Obie told me to lay low. That's what I've been doing. I lay low, and you take care of all—"

Stane interrupted him, "Hey, come on. In public. The press." He moved over to sit beside Tony. "This was a board of directors meeting."

"This was a board of directors meeting?" Tony asked.

Julie nodded her head, finally adding her own input to the conversation, "The board is claiming you have post-traumatic stress."

Stane added on before she could finish, "They're filing an injunction."

"A what?"

"They want to lock you out," Stane clarified, "All of the Starks to be exact."

"Why, 'cause the stocks dipped 40 points?" Tony asked in confusion. "We knew that was gonna happen."

"Fifty-six and a half," Pepper provided the exact statistic.

"It doesn't matter." Tony shrugged the point away. "We own the controlling interest in the company."

"Tony, the board has rights, too." Stane tried to help him understand. "They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest."

"And the girls?"

"Let's be real, Tony," Julie answered the question, "We were pushed out of the company a long time ago. Hollyn's only been kept around because she's the center of attention in the media. Changing the direction of the company was just the last straw."

"I'm being responsible!" Tony insisted, "That's a new direction for me, for the company. I mean, me on the company's behalf being responsible for the way that... This is great."

Tony stood, taking the pizza box with him; however, Stane followed. "Oh, come on. Tony. Tony."

"I'll be in the shop," Tony informed him.

"Hey, hey! Hey, Tony. Listen. I'm trying to turn this thing around, but you gotta give me something. Something to pitch them," Stane then made a suggestion, referring to the miniature arc reactor embedded in his chest, "Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs."

"No." Tony shook his head. "No, absolutely not."

"It'll give me a bone to throw the boys in New York!" Stane tried again.

"This one stays with me," Tony insisted, "That's it, Obie. Forget it."

"All right, well, this stays with me, then." Stane took back the pizza box before providing some leeway, allowing Tony to take some food for the go, "Go on, here, you can have a piece. Take two."

"Thank you." Tony took a pair of slices from the box.

"You mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?" Stane asked.

"Good night, Obie." Tony called over his shoulder as he walked back down to his workshop.

Stane shot Julie a look and she sighed with a nod of her head. "I'll talk to him... Pepper, would you call a cab to take Hollyn home?"

"I haven't even had a full glass yet," Hollyn protested.

Julie didn't let her finish. With a single look, Hollyn recognized that the suggestion was not up for debate. Pepper agreed to the request and Julie walked down into the workshop to speak with her brother. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of grease and quite possibly the prospect of something burning. The sound of a fire extinguisher going off didn't help her unease either.

Tony groaned as he sat up from his desk, eyeing the stabilizers that weren't quite ready to be tested yet. "I could have sworn I had the calculations calibrated that time."

"You'd think you'd be able to hire a maid with as much money as you make," Julie said as she bent over to pick up some fallen tools.

"Ah, Obie sent Mother Hen."

"I'd been meaning to talk with you anyway." Julie shrugged and continued to clean up the general area. "When was the last time you saw that heart specialist I sent you to?"

"When did you first send me to see him?" Tony asked.

Julie frowned at his reply, but answered his question anyway. "Two days after you got back from Afghanistan. You're telling me that was the last time you saw him?"

"I never actually went to be fair," Tony contradicted her.

Julie took a deep breath and sat down on the stool she had just set upright. "Do you have to be so difficult?"

"Well, dad never taught us to be easy." Tony shrugged.

Julie rolled her eyes. "Tell that to all the women you've invited to bed."

"Hey," Tony defended himself, "my personal life is better than whatever you've got going on with Smitty right now."

Julie frowned at the mention of her own relationship. It was true that ever since Afghanistan things had grown rocky with John, but that wasn't what she was there to talk with Tony about. Although he'd only see it as deflecting, she changed the topic of their conversation.

"So you're really done with selling weapons, huh?" She asked as if she didn't actually believe it to be true.

"Why is that so hard for everyone to believe?" Tony asked, finally focusing on the conversation as he set the stabilizer that he'd been working on back on the desk.

"Because you're you," Julie retorted, "but I never said I didn't believe you. I'm just curious if you're gonna stick to it when everyone starts to turn against you."

"I thought everyone was already against me."

Julie laughed. "Not yet. When the liquor cabinets run dry and Hollyn has to finally fend for herself out there in the real world, then everyone may be against you."

Tony slowly nodded in agreement before shaking his head. "It's not the end of Stark Industries... I'm just tired of creating things to destroy."

"Well, if it means anything at all... I'm proud of you."

Tony looked at her shocked, as if it had been the first time he'd heard those words. She knew it wasn't, but the phrase was a rare thing to come by in their family. Perhaps it was just the fact that she reminded her siblings the most of their mother. As the oldest, it had only been natural to grow up the quickest and adopt the mantle when their parents were no longer around. Although her siblings usually viewed the mother hen role with disdain, there were brief moments she could see the pain that none of them had ever properly dealt with aside from quiet conversations hidden from the public eye.

Tony cleared his throat and looked away, the brief moment that she had broken through his walls was gone. His cocky attitude used to deflect returned. "Doesn't this go against the entire reason that Obie sent you down here to talk?"

"I said I'd talk with you," Julie corrected, "not that I'd persuade you to join the darkside."

Tony nodded his head, and seeing that the conversation had lulled, Julie began to walk back toward the stairs. He wasn't the type to express gratitude or anything of the sort, but his next offer was as close as she had ever gotten to a 'thank you'.

"Hey, you should bring the twins around sometime soon," Tony suggested, "It's been a while since I've seen the mischievous scamps. Besides, it'll give you and Johnny an evening out on the town."

"I'm sure they'd love that," Julie agreed as she looked back over her shoulder, "However, they came home with their pockets loaded with cash the last time I left them with you."

"I've got to earn my place as the favorite uncle somehow." Tony innocently shrugged.

"Uh huh." Julie rolled her eyes. "You're their only uncle."

"For now," Tony reminded her of their other sister.

Julie scoffed and laughed. "The day that Hollyn Stark settles down and gets married is the day that the world has truly ended."

Tony laughed in agreement before turning back to his work. Taking her leave, Julie proceeded up the stairs and out to her car. As if Stane couldn't be patient, he called her a total of five times before she turned her phone off in frustration. She'd deliver the bad news eventually, but she didn't have to answer at his every beck and call, especially when dealing with family matters. For the time being, all she wanted to do was go home, tuck in the twins, and take a hot shower. She'd dealt with enough businessmen for a lifetime.