1970

Howard glanced down at his watch as the makeup artist finished powdering his face. He would be on soon.

"Mr. Stark," a pretty, smiling woman with a pristine bob appeared in front of him, "may I just say you have the cutest baby boy."

His eyes shifted to behind the woman where Maria stood holding their squirming son. The two were surrounded by tech crew and other various personnel, all cooing over the boy. The man could not help but smirk. This was one of the reasons he'd brought Tony along to this particular interview. People tended to fawn over babies, especially when they were from well-known icons.

It'd be his son's first appearance on a talk show thus drawing in more viewers and giving himself and Stark Industries some positive public image. Lord knew they needed it with the drastic divide that had been going on over the war.

"Thank you, miss. That's a high compliment coming from someone with clearly excellent taste in appearance."

"You're such a charmer," she giggled before pointing towards the side of the stage, "Now, you're going to need to wait over there. Johnny will be calling you out in just a minute."

Standing up, Howard moved over to the indicated area, just out of sight from the audience.

Looking at his wife he called to her, "Maria, dear, I'm going to need Tony back."

"If you'll excuse me," she said to the employees as they parted to let her through. She came to Howard's side and gave Tony a peck on the forehead before gently handing him over.

Howard awkwardly held the infant who immediately gripped his tie with chubby hands and began babbling nonsense.

"Don't forget, if he starts crying—"

"I will come get him from you. No need to worry," Maria winked.

Damn she was lovely to look at.

"Where would I be without you?"

"Probably still having one-night flings with floozies."

"Almost certainly."

"Mr. Stark," Jarvis said, approaching him with a pacifier in hand, "You might find this useful."

"Excellent!" He took hold of the object and slid it into Tony's mouth who eagerly accepted it. "I presume you've dipped it?"

"In an exquisite Sassicaia."

Howard chuckled. Tony was used to large masses and loud noises so he shouldn't, theoretically, have a crying fit while on camera. Still, it was wise to take necessary precautions which were having Maria on standby and a pacifier with a little extra something to help keep Tony calm.

"I'll be waiting to take the young sir home after the show."

"Thank you, Jarvis. The missus and I plan on staying out a bit late tonight."

"Mr. Stark, it's time," the woman from earlier announced.

Maria leaned forward, kissed Howard on the cheek, and gave a whisper of good luck before caressing Tony's soft black hair.

"Break a leg, sir," Jarvis smiled.

"Don't I always?"

With that, Howard turned his attention to the brightly lit stage where the grey-haired man sat behind a desk and began speaking, "I don't think I exaggerate when I say our first guest is one of the most brilliant minds of our time. He is the head and founder of Stark Industries and has just published an autobiography, The Fruit Seller's Son. He also became a first-time father earlier this year and has brought his son along with him tonight. We are proud to welcome Mr. Howard and Anthony Stark, onto the show!"

The crowd erupted into applause as Howard walked out into the open. The cameras followed him as he strutted to the plush orange seat, giving the crowd a dazzling smile. Balancing Tony on his hip he reached out and shook Johnny Carson's hand. The interviewer then took Tony's tiny hand and shook it as well.

The audience quieted as the two took their seats. Howard held Tony against his chest as the smaller head swiveled from side to side staring wide eyed at the boom mics and camera equipment.

"Thank you for coming on the show," Carson began, folding his arms on the table in front of him.

"It's a pleasure to be here."

"And you've brought Anthony along."

"Yes," he smiled, bouncing the baby in his lap a little.

"How old is he now? He was born late May I believe."

He nodded, "Tony turns six months old on the 29th of this month."

"Wow, half a year old already. How is it being a father?"

How was it? How could you describe something that involved dealing with disgusting spit up, diaper changes, being woken up by shrill crying in the middle of the night, and having the constant panic that the child would somehow hurt himself. He was lucky those nastier aspects of having a baby were mostly taken care of by Jarvis, Ana, or the nanny. He couldn't imagine having to deal with it 24/7!

Being a father was uncomfortable and scary.

But he couldn't say that. So, he settled for, "It's a challenge, but very rewarding."

"What are some of the things you find rewarding about it?"

Son of a bitch.

"Well…" he had to think for a moment, "One instance actually was last week."

"Really?"

"He said dada for the first time," he paused before continuing, "And you wouldn't think something so miniscule would be a big deal, but it was. It's something I never thought someone would say with me in mind."

He was surprised how quickly the answer had come to him and how much he'd actually meant it. He knew logically dada was just easier to say then mama and he shouldn't put anything into it, but…in the moment his heart had sped up and his chest had felt tight.

"Well, I have to be honest with you, I was shocked when you announced you were having a kid. I think most people assumed you weren't going to have children."

"And I was one of those people." The audience laughed and he continued, "But when you start getting older you find yourself thinking more about your legacy and what you'll leave behind."

Carson picked up the hardcovered book on his desk, "And your autobiography, The Fruit Seller's Son, does a good job at sharing with others your legacy, I believe. I've read most of it and find it very compelling. Can you tell us a bit about it?"

"It covers my childhood and adult life through until last year. It goes into detail about how I built my company up from nothing and my friendship with Steve Rogers."

"I have to say, the part with Captain America, God rest his soul, was one of the most interesting parts. The two of you got into and out of some hairy situations together."

"Steve was one of the best men I've ever known, but he had a way of getting us both into trouble. We gah—" Howard was cut off as Tony's small hand shot straight up, clipping his chin.

The audience roared with laughter.

The pacifier dropped out of his son's mouth and landed on the floor. A string happy gibberish fell out of Tony's mouth as he continued to reach for the boom mic above them.

Carson shook with humor, "It appears Tony's as interested in technology as you are."

"Apparently," he winced as the baby continued to wiggle in his hold.

"What do you think, Tony? Want to follow in your old man's footsteps?"

Upon hearing his name, Tony's head snapped in the direction of the older man. He started making random sounds once more which seemed to amuse everyone in the room.

"Boy he sure has a lot to say."

"Hopefully this isn't a sign of how much he is going to talk when he gets older," Howard joked, adjusting the infant as he picked up the pacifier.

"It's time for a commercial break. Anything you'd like to add before we cut, Tony?"

Tony let out a loud squeal and started clumsily clapping.

The kid was a natural showman and the crowd ate it up.

"We'll be right back," Carson said between laughs.

As the cameras stopped rolling Howard motioned for Maria to come over. The crowd welcomed her with an applause. She gave Carson a hug before reaching down and scooping up her child. The three talked for a few minutes before she waved them goodbye and exited the stage.

Howard relaxed against the orange fabric, feeling much more at ease now that Tony was gone.

AN: I imagine years later Tony watches this interview and thinks that his father was bull-shitting about finding him saying "dada" for the first time a rewarding experience.

Thanks for all the reviews! I'm so pleased to see so much positive feedback! I'm thinking the next chapter will be about a 4 year old Tony trying to imitate his dad, but we'll see.