The next year happened much like the last and the one before that, until it did not. Howard went to ruffle his son's hair before he realised that his hand met no resistance and just fell through empty air. He turned and looked blankly at the empty spot where his son should be but was not. For a moment he just stood there unsure what to do, why was Tony not here?

He waited for a while checking with himself that he was not just early that Tony would appear. He did not. A panic buried itself within his chest, if Tony was not here then where was he? Was he bedridden and sick but he did not notice? He had not even notice the lack of Tony before his hand reached empty air so he figured he would not notice if his only son was ill.

But what if it was worst? What if he had been kidnapped? It had happened before when Tony was much younger and was out with a nanny. Thankfully Tony had not been harmed and he threw whatever forces and money he had to get him back, Tony had never left the house without an armed escort again but there was still a chance the security had not been enough. Tony had also been too young to remember the kidnapping which was a relief; Howard did not know what to do with a child now let alone a traumatised one.

There was another thing that lodged itself uncomfortably within his chest, the idea that perhaps Tony had just given up on waiting around for him. He pushed this one to the back of his mind as this was the preferable option to kidnap, the one where Tony was safe and well. There was no reason he should find this one of the more upsetting reasons for the lack of his heir.

So for the first time in years he did not continue with his brisk long strides towards his workshop or his office, always too brisk and too long for Tony to catch up. Instead he turned away from them both and towards the kitchens.

Maria had not expected to see her husband until much later, tea time at the latest, let alone looking quite so frantic with his normally combed hair trailing around wildly reminding her of their son's own unruly hair. She couldn't help but smile lightly at the comparison

"Tony." Howard stated, his voice sounded calm but his eyes betrayed him. Maria set her book down carefully beside her before looking at her husband imploringly. "Where is he, Maria?" Howard expanded voice clipped and brows furrowed, Maria blinked several times before she understood what her husband was saying. To anyone else Howard had not broken a sweat, Stark men were made of stronger stuff than to show their weaknesses after all if she was to believe her husband. She knew him better than that though and she could tell he was mildly distressed to an extent she had not seen in a long time.

"I haven't seen him all day." She answered calmly wondering what had brought this on, Howard hardly took any notice of Tony on his best of days so what had gotten him so frazzled on this one. Perhaps, she mused, Howard was finally taking an interest and had actually seen what Tony's amazing little inventions could do. She hoped this was the case at least.

"Shit." Howard cursed, Maria's lips pursed at the language. It was never a good sign; it was either the sign of too much drink or too much stress. "Neither has Jarvis or any of the staff." Howard muttered half to himself. Maria paled at that knowledge and she stood up brushing down her skirt.

"Call Peggy, but don't break out the search parties until there is evidence he's definitely gone. He's still small and to panic just to find out he was in a secluded room along. Well to be honest it would be a relief but we cannot lose our heads, it wouldn't help Tony even if he is gone." Maria stated taking charge seeing as her husband was evidently too much in a state to do so himself.

If it was not for Peggy Carter, herself and the other strong women in Howard's life Maria could have sworn Howard would be utterly hopeless and all marvels he made would be holed up in his workshop whilst he never left it.

She took Howard's hands in her own and squeezed. "We'll find him." To an outsider they must have looked incredibly uncaring calmly going about their son's disappearance without so much as raising their voices. They both knew better and each other enough to know that this was not the case. Stark men have never been the best at emotions and this Stark lady fared not much better.

Well maybe this was not the best idea, just because he had a strong feeling he had managed in little less than a year than his father had in literally decades didn't mean he should go himself to check it out. He could have just pointed his father in the right direction and have been done with it but no this had in fact been mostly for him and being selfish he wanted to be the one who held the credit. Besides what if he was wrong and he subjected his father to disappointment, he had to check to see that he was right.

Getting there was surprisingly easy, he was a Stark after all and he had learnt from his father that if you approached anywhere with enough confidence as if you not only were supposed to be there but had the right to be then you could get almost anywhere. Coupled with the fact he was rich (or rather his family was) it helped.

All he had to look down his nose at them (surprisingly hard considering how shorter he was than everyone else) and raise a dark eyebrow as well as shoving his familial connections and they were prepping a helicopter for him and arming in too large arctic gear. Because of course his father knew he was here and what he was doing, he was here on his father's behalf after all.

To be honest he had no idea how he was pulling this off without much question until he was met with the sight of Aunt Peggy looking at him with bemusement and disbelief, her arms were folded across her chest – a chest which was too clad in winter clothes.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Nowhere without you." Tony murmured with a smile, the very picture of innocence. Aunt Peggy let off a short hiss of laughter despite herself, was this boy trying to turn her completely grey?

"And you did not think to alert anyone about it before you decided to make off with a helicopter and a bunch of equipment."

"Umm... didn't really see the point. Didn't think anyone would miss me or notice me gone, to be honest." She had failed him. Howard, Maria, Jarvis and every adult in this kid's life had failed him there if that was what he really thought and she had to wonder whether Tony Stark had a point. He deserved to be the main focus of someone's life yet he was not, always being pushed aside for something else, something bigger.

Here Tony was now, shuffling awkwardly with that small smile that was a small defence against punishment. He looked at Peggy pleadingly her lack of answer was getting to him, like an invisible pressure pressing down on all sides.

"Please let me go. I think it's your super special gift as an offer to your pure awesome." Tony blurted bouncing from foot to foot, Peggy relented slightly and here she thought Tony had forgotten.

"You need to go all the way there for a gift?" She said kneeling slightly so she was as his eye level, he nodded frantically.

"It's very special." Peggy closed her eyes for a couple of seconds before opening them with a sigh. Tony Stark was a smart kid, one could even easily call him a genius, and if he was certain about this she'll give him the benefit of the doubt. If she was truly honest to herself she was going to let him do this because she felt guilty, guilty for the amount of times no one had time for him and so she was going to give him some time.

"Well, let's go get it then." And Tony smiled. A true honest smile that lit up his face, a smile that made him look just like any other little boy rather than a lonely boy genius.

It was beautiful, he had never seen anything like it, let alone up close. It was sleek and black, it made him feel as if it came straight out of Star Trek and he wanted it. It was mostly emerged in snow but he struggled slightly with why it took everyone so long to find it, it was not like how the Titanic was emerged in the middle of the Atlantic. He could understand the Titanic having not been found, for one it was a massive search area and second, bottom of the Atlantic.

This however could have easily been stumbled upon, probably, maybe at least by a polar bear! He chewed his lip lightly and kindly tried to give his father the benefit of the doubt as the man had covered such a vast search area and had no idea if the big CA was anywhere near land just somewhere between Germany and New York. They had been pretty lucky as well to have found it in the weather conditions that they had, if it had been in a blizzard it would have been a whole lot more difficult to see.

Besides he did not have the other responsibilities bearing down on him as his father had, he had whole months free and all the results from his father's numerous searches to point him in the right direction. His success may have also spawned from his decision to look for the shield rather than the man and aircraft he was on. His father had been too attached to the man to consider focusing his efforts upon the shield and so all he really had to do was create a personalised super-powered metal detector (he was a genius after all). Vibranium was rare, like really rare and it did not come in large substances, the shield was unique and the good ol' Cap had took his to his grave.

That was one of the reasons he had not told Aunt Peggy what he was looking for and thought he found, because he was fairly sure they were going to find the Captain's corpse. If they were lucky he would be well preserved so they could find closure with someone who resembled their friend rather than a skeleton which he felt would be too heart-breaking. If he was on ice, it would look like he was sleeping and that was somewhat comforting.

He was slightly regretting allowing Aunt Peggy to come with now, but he knew if he did not then no one would have went. Seeing the Cap's body without preparation would be painful.

He was not quite sure he wanted to see a dead body, but at least it wouldn't be his first. His kidnap rescue team could be quite ruthless.

"Tony... what is this?" And of course Peggy had to ask questions he did not really want to answer.

"Well, if it is what I think it is... I would say closure. We should open it up." Aunt Peggy was looking at it as if she knew what it was in her heart but wouldn't dare think about it in fear of disappointment. He didn't want her to feel the disappointment either so he held onto enough hope for both of them that he was correct.

"Shit! He's alive."

"Language, Tony." Peggy Carter murmured but her heart wasn't in reprimanding him. No, her attention was on the form in front of her. Her men had went in as in no circumstances was she letting Tony go in there but once she heard what was in there and saw in Tony's face it was what he expected she had to see Steve. The one she hadn't expected to see again but will thanks to this boy who decided to take things into his hands she was.

Was this partly her fault, thinking back she knew what that prompted Tony into doing this and she had to wonder if that had never happened how long would have Steve remained in the ice. If she would have ever gotten that dance.

A small tear stubbornly escaped. Steve Rogers was at long last coming home. It was just a shame it had taken this long for them to get him there.

Howard had been called to meet his son at a SHIELD base, Peggy had alerted them of having found Tony hours before but then there had been very little information until he was told to come here. He was sent to a room where he was met with his son.

"Tony. Where have you been." Howard stated, his eyes were like steel, hard and unyielding. He was angry, relieved, and there was a small part of him which wanted to let out a sob, but he was a Stark and Stark men were made of iron thus not crying so he buried that part with a hatchet. The anger was winning out of the emotions, it was the one he was most comfortable with after all. How could Tony just disappear like that without telling anyone? Did he not think about the pain he would leave in his wake, how worried he left him?

He took a brisk step forward and then frowned. Tony had flinched away from him as if expecting to be struck, this settled uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach, Tony should not think that Howard would do that to him. Was he truly that bad of a father? The anger faded and that small part that wanted to sob bloomed so suddenly that he hardly knew how to deal with it.

He sighed and encased his son in a hug. It was awkward. Tony was stiff in his arms and it made him doubt whether this was the right way to hug one's son and he too became stiff before just letting his arms drop in defeat. A father should know how to hug his own son for goodness sake.

He looked down at his son and barely concealed his shock, when had Tony grown so much? He was still a small child but he had lost quite a bit of baby fat, from where he had been a bundle of soft skin and chubby cheeks he was suddenly all pointy elbows, lean and not very easily bundled in a blanket. Although clearly still a child he could see the man his son might be one day in his features. He would never be a tall man he mused looking at his son's short stature; surely he should be taller at this age?

It was comforting to see the mop of dark hair to be the same reassuring him that yes, this was his son. How come he had not noticed his son's growth?

"I can show you." Tony said simply, formally as if he was speaking to a stranger. It hurt to realise that this was not far off the truth because how much time had he bothered to invest in Tony? It was not a lot once he actually thought about it. He exhaled deeply.

"Very well." Then he was following his son, it was a first as his son was normally the one trailing after him though he did not normally take much notice of it. He was met with the sight of a rather tearful Peggy which was concerning, the woman was now an expert of keeping her emotions in check. If Tony had not been in his presence safe and sound he would have thought him dead considering her state.

"We have someone for you to see." She informed him in a businesslike manner but the smallest of smiles slipping through. Entering the door behind her greeted him with the sight that he dreamed about but thought he may never see after all these years. Captain America on ice.

"He's here... found, alive." There were just too many emotions running through him. "And he's capsicle of all things." Howard muttered in disbelief, Tony let out a sharp bark of laughter that warmed Howard's heart.

Eyes shining Tony grinned "That's what I said when I found him!" Tony clearly revealed in having something similar to his father. "Well not all of it, but the fact he's a capsicle."

"You found him?" Now that was a little hard to believe but the way it had slipped out had him believing it. It also explained quite a bit of Tony's annual bill. Sonar equipment had been unusual requests from Tony.

Tony gulped and looked anxiously at Peggy for reassurance taking her hand in his. "Yes." Howard was feeling quite sick now realising how transparently uncomfortable Tony was around him.

Howard kneeled in front of him, looking at him. Seeing him. "Son."

Blue eyes opened to a pair of familiar smiling faces and one that was vaguely familiar as if he saw it before but did not fit quite right.

"Hey Cap, I believe you owed me a dance." And he smiled back.