"Mom! Momma! Come quick!" A five year old called from her place seated at the window, making her twenty-three year old mother run from the kitchen with the youngest of the bunch in her arms, in her arms.

"What was wrong? I need the first aid kit?" Angel called frantically as she rushed into the living room.

"No come here." The five year old, Chanel, said with a wide smile, waving her mother over with a smile and not turning away from the window.

"What is it?"

"It's a falling star." She said innocently pointing up at the sky, where something indeed resembling a falling star was falling from the sky but Angel couldn't be sure.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Make a wish." Chanel snapped her eyes closed tightly and stayed that way for a few moments before opening them, and beaming. Chanel continued to stare wistfully out the window while Angel glanced at the time and sighed, it was fast approaching her bedtime.

"C'mon babe, time to get ready for bed." Chanel immediately started protesting.

"But I'm not even tired." She complained while Angel pulled her from the seat.

"Well, I am. Bath. Bed. Now." Angel told her sternly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Fine." She grumbled but did as told heading to the bathroom.

Angel went through her nightly routine of getting her daughters to bed and straightening up the house a little when suddenly there was a crash heard from her workshop/garage.

Taking a quick peek at the girls to make sure they weren't disturbed and grabbed one of Chanel's toys to defend herself, which was unfortunately a potato gun that she had slightly modified, and headed out to the garage.

"Freeze!" Angel called out as she entered the garage holding out the potato like it was a real weapon ready to do real damage. "Don't move."

"You got me." The man sitting at the desk in the middle of the shop said, though he was unconcerned, holing up both his hands.

"Look if you're here to rob the place, good luck. I'll help you look." Angel said honestly.

"Nice potato gun." The man continued, and Angel thought that he looked slightly familiar. "Barrel's a little long though. Between that and the wide range it's gonna' diminish your FPS." The man said matter-of-factly and Angel rolled her eyes and shot at a mason jar which exploded on impact. She smirked at him but he simply put his hands down. "And now you're out of ammo." He said in the same tone.

Her eyes narrowed a little then noticed the glowing light from under the fabric of his shirt. "What's that thing on your chest?"

"It's an electromagnet, you should know you've got a box of them right here." He responded shaking said box.

"What does it power?"

The man was silent for beat before he sighed and stood from the stool, turning the light towards the person sitting on the couch, who wasn't actually a person at all.

"Oh My God!" Angel exclaimed dropping the now useless potato gun. "Is that- is that Iron Man?" She asked incredulously.

"Technically, I am." The man said smartly.

Angel scoffed. "Technically, you're dead." Angel said shoving the newspaper into his chest as she moved past him to get a closer look at the suit.

"Valid point." He said looking at the paper.

"What happened to him?" Angel said kneeling on the couch next to the suit and examining it.

"Life. I built him, I'll take care of him." He threw the newspaper to the side. "I'll fix him."

"Like a mechanic?" She concluded.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"If I were building Iron Man and War Machine," Angel said decided to give her opinion.

"It's Iron Patriot, now." He interrupted.

Angel's jaw dropped. "That's way cooler."

"No it's not." He said childishly.

"Anyway I would have added in the retro-reflective panels."

"Retro-reflective panels?" he said at the same time.

"Yeah. To make them stealth mode." She finished.

"Go into stealth mode?"

"Yeah, good right?"

He shrugged. "Actually not a bad idea, I might build one." Angel suddenly reached down and pulled off one of the suits fingers, admittedly by accident. "Not a good idea. You're gonna' break his finger?"

"Oops." Angel said meekly as she sat down on the couch properly.

"He's in pain, he's been injured leave him alone." The man continued.

"Sorry." But Angel couldn't help but chuckle at the way he was talking about the suit.

"Are you?" He asked again. "Don't worry about it I'll fix him." There was silence for a moment then he spoke again. "So, whose home?"

Angel fiddled with the finger. "Just me and my girls, mom died a few years ago and dad went to the 7/11 to get scratchers. I guess he won, because that was about sixteen years ago." She finished shyly.

The man hummed. "Which happens, dads leave no need to be a pussy about it." He said not cruelly but not pitying either which she was used to. "Here's what I need." He said crossing his arms. "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."

"What's in it for me?" Angel shot back.

"Salvation." He said simply. "What's his name?"

"Who?" Angel asked him.

"The person that beats you. Bullies you. What's his name?"

"How did you know that?" Angel asked softly.

"Boyfriend?"

"Ex." Angel corrected.

"I got just the thing." He said removing something from the suit then kneeled down on the other side of it holding a small red and gold, cylindrical object. "This is a piñata for a cricket. I'm kidding it's a very powerful weapon." He held it out for display. "Point it away from your face. Press the little button on the top. It discourages bullying. Non-lethal. Just to cover one's ass."

Angel reached out to grab it but he moved it just out of her reach. "Deal? What'd you say? Deal?"

"Deal." Angel accepted finally getting her hands on it.

"What's your name?"

"Angelica." She said examining the object. "My friends call me Angel. And you're," she trailed off.

"The mechanic." He finished and she turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Tony." He relented. "You know what keeps going through my head? Where's my sandwich?"

Angel rolled her eyes but stood from the couch and went to make it.

After Angel made his sandwich and got him the materials that he needed, she had also managed to find him some clothes that he could wear for the time being.

Now she was currently leading him through the town.

"The sandwich was fair, the spring was a little rusty, everything else, I'll make do. By the way when you said your kid had a watch, I was hoping for something a little more adult." Tony lifted the sleeve of his jacket to reveal the 'Dora the Explorer' watch strapped to his wrist.

Angel laughed loudly. "She's five besides its limited edition. I got it at a thrift shop." Angel was quiet for a moment. "When can we talk about New York?" she had been meaning to ask for a while.

"Maybe never, relax about it." Tony snapped.

"Well can we talk about the Avengers? My girl loves you guys." Angel tried again.

"I don't know later," Tony back up a few steps. "Kid give me a little space." They approached the memorial set-up in town. "What's the official story here? What happened?"

"Um, this guy named Chad Davis used to live round here." Angel began telling the story. "He won a bunch of medals in the army. Then one day, everyone said he went crazy. Made like, a bomb. Then he blew himself up, right here."

"Six people died right?"

"Yeah."

"Including Chad Davis?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, none of that makes sense." Tony said then sat down next to Angel on the ground. "Think about it." He began. "Six dead, only five shadows." He clarified.

"People say the shadows are to mark the souls going to heaven. Everyone, except Chad. He went to hell, and didn't get a shadow. That's why there's only five."

"You believe that?"

Angel shrugged. "It's what everyone says. You, know what this crater reminds me of?" Angel decided to try again.

"No idea. I don't care."

"That giant wormhole, in new York. Does it remind you?"

"That's manipulative. I don't wanna talk about it." Tony snapped.

Angel remained unfazed. "Are they coming back, the aliens?"

"Maybe, can you stop?"

"Are you okay?"

"Remember when I told you I have anxiety issues?"

"Does this subject make you edgy?"

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

"Do you need a paper bag to breathe into?" Angel was at a lost for what to do. "Are you on medication?"

"Nope." Tony answered shortly.

"Do you need to be on medication?"

"Probably."

"Do you have PTSD?"

"I don't think so."

"Are you going completely loco?" Tony started breathing heavily and was beginning to make Angel nervous. "Do you want me to stop? I can stop."

"Remember when I said to stop doing that?" Tony snapped. "I swear you're gonna' freak me out." Angel went silent, Tony suddenly and quickly stood. "Oh man, you've done it now. You happy?"

"Wait what did I say?" she got up and went after him. "Hey! Wait! Stop!" Tony took of his jacket and collapsed in a piled of snow on the curb. "What the hell was that?"

Tony picked up a handful of snow and rubbed it on his face then threw it at her hitting her shoulder. "That was your fault." He said bluntly. "You spazzed me out."

"You know it helps to talk to someone about stuff like that." Angel told him whipping the snow.

"Yeah? And how would you know?"

"Because panic attacks suck. I know, I used to get them all the time when dad left."

Tony stared at her foe a moment before shoving his hat back on his head. "Whatever. Back to business. Where were we? The guy that died. Relatives? Mom? Mrs. Davis? Where is she?"

"Where she always is."

"See. Now you're being helpful."

New story that I promised here it is.

This one really came out of the blue while I was struggling with my writer's block for 'Phoenix Will Rise'. But her, now that I've got it out of my system maybe I can get somewhere with it.

But anyways you guys know the deal. Let me know what you think.