Here we go again.

Breakfast, most important meal of the day. Unless you lived in this tower, around this floor and with these people, then it was the most chaotic meal of the day. Between the coffee addicts, a cooking roster that only Tony and Bruce had any hopes of understanding, gym fanatics, off and on missions that happened in between and of course the occasional threat to the world to disrupt them all. It was a wonder to have a single normal breakfast in the month. This morning, this very rare, peaceful morning, was one of those very rare times. They were all sitting, relatively at ease, around the table which was piled with food of all kinds. Tony was nursing his third cup of coffee while working through the small stack of paper mail he still received with a very disinterested air about him. Steve was looking over a newspaper, mainly just glad none of them were on the front page for once. Natasha and Clint were speaking softly in russian, the two of them were leaving that night for a mission so they were probably going over the info once again. Bruce was muttering to himself while writing down calculations on a notepad, his half full plate of breakfast forgotten somewhere to the side of his elbow. Thor and Loki were also talking, Thor was, for once, managing to be relatively quiet while doing so though it was by no means as quiet as Natasha and Clint’s conversation. Sam was losing badly at a game of chess against Rhody and Bucky was leaning over Steve’s shoulder to look at the newspaper as well, alternating between trying to get him to turn the page faster or stopping him from turning the page, depending on how interesting he found the articles on said page.

Tony didn’t usually receive a lot of paper mail anymore, contracts were done in paper, lawsuits sure, the occasional bank statement, maybe a postcard from a friend who thought it to be funny but that was usually it. The fanmail was routed out for him, if he had to look at that every day he wouldn’t have any time for work. Today however, he had a normal looking letter among the other things. His name penned across the front but no address and no return address either. It looked old, the paper no longer crisp white. He had no clue what it could be but he knew his security would have taken it out if it was any danger so with a very small shrug he opened the envelope and pulled out the folded papers from within. There were three, Jesus, who took the time to write three full pages anymore? First thing he did was check the bottom of the last one for a name and the second he saw it the exasperation with the length as well as the carelessness and non-interest disappeared. Lily. He hadn’t seen or heard from Lily in twenty years. He remembered her clear as day, they’d both been twenty, maybe twenty-one, she was the only one who could keep up with him, maybe he was even keeping up with her. She’d been brilliant, but she’d dropped off the grid, left back to England and never looked back. Why was she writing to him now?

'Dear Tony, I know it’s been a while, over a year already since we last saw each other. I hope you’ve been well but I’m certain that even as you’re reading now you’re sleep deprived and on your fifth cup of coffee…' She’d known him better than most, even if they’d only known each other for half a year. Though she was off on the number of cups by two… at least he thought she was, this was only his third right?

'You’re probably wondering why I’m writing now and didn’t contact you sooner, I’d bet ten dollars that you’ve even already scoffed at the ridiculousness of a written letter rather than a simple text or call.' He’d been able to suppress it, take that for personal growth ha Lily.

'I’m sorry for leaving the way I did, I basically disappeared on you and I truly regret it. Truth is, I was worried. You probably remember me telling you about England, the danger that barely anybody really knows about. I had to go back, help the people I love, hopefully make sure nothing like it will ever happen again. I knew that if I told you everything, you’d come over here, you’d drop everything because that’s just who you are even if you pretend to be a huge prick.' Despite the worrying direction this letter was taking, he smiled, he would have. For her, he would have dropped everything in a heartbeat.

'I didn’t want you anywhere near the danger, at least not near any danger that you didn’t cause by yourself. Don’t think I forgot the time you blew up your own flat on accident, I was sure I was going prematurely grey at the time. Anyway.. I’m getting off topic. The reason I’m writing you now is because of where I am, and in what situation. As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in my daughter's nursery, obviously using a book as a table, you know me. She was born four months ago. July 31, six minutes before midnight, I named her Hariana Antonia Jamy Potter, after all the important men in my life. Now I’m guessing, with your brilliant mind, that I don’t really have to tell you how I ended up gifted with this beautiful girl…' Tony hadn’t quite noticed that he’d sat up from his priorly mostly reclined position, or that he’d gone a little paler than usual. He certainly hadn’t noticed the others starting to flick their eyes to him every once in a while, checking to see if he was alright but not quite willing to interfere just yet.

'We hadn’t planned this, nor did I want to be a mother at just twenty-two years old… but right now, sitting here looking at this… amazing, beautiful little girl.. our little girl. I wouldn’t wish to change a thing. I’m guessing you're either already freaking out or you’re very near to it so I’m here to say, take a deep breath, sit down if you’re standing, take a moment, and just know that I have absolutely no worry what's however, that you will do great in whatever roll you chose to fill in our daughter’s life.

Now if you have managed to calm down, and are capable of continuing to read, I can tell you that Harry was a beautiful 19’5 inches and 7,4 lbs when she was born and is growing seemingly as I write. She’s healthy, and she’s happy, and she has the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen and the loudest cry I’ve ever heard, thankfully she doesn’t have much cause to use the latter. James and I are married now, I came clean and while he was mad, he still managed to forgive me somehow. He loves Harry like she’s his own daughter and between James, Sirius and Remus I doubt the little one will ever want for anything, she’s got them all wrapped around her little finger…' He had a daughter, an honest to god, living, breathing daughter… But Lily stated in her letter that it had been a year since they’d seen each other… only a year, he hadn’t seen her in twenty years. What the hell happened in the meantime? Why was this letter not delivered earlier? What happened to Harry?

'…I’m sure you’ll be just the same, you’ll take one look at those large baby blue’s and just… melt or something, we all know you only pretend to have some backbone. Now Tony, before you start thinking all the worst things as I know you’re prone to do, you are not going to mess this up. I won’t even let you think it for a second, in fact, if you don’t come to me then I’m going to just hop on a plane, take Harry with me, and the two of us are going to come banging on your door until we drive you barmy. Because despite what you say, despite what you try so hard to make people believe, I know you long for the familiarity of family, I know you want the unconditional love of a family. And whether you decide to be here all the time, taking a father role or that of an uncle or just a friend, or if you decide to be distant, send a present on christmas and do nothing more, you have that here, from both of us.' Tony tried to clear his throat, he felt like there was something lodged in there but refused to accept the idea of getting emotional over the woman’s words, he hadn’t seen her in twenty years for god’s sake.

'I wish I could finish this letter on that note Tony, I really do. But sadly I can’t, I’m a mother now so I have to start thinking ahead. What will my daughter need not just right now, not just tomorrow, but next year, in five years, in ten? With the current climate around here, it’s just not guaranteed that I’ll be here through all those years. So I have to plan, and I have to try to make sure that our little girl get’s all the love and kindness and care that she deserves should I not be able to give it to her myself. So Tony, I’m writing to you not only to tell you about your beautiful daughter, but also to ask you to keep an eye out for her. Should something happen to me, James and Sirius, you’ll be all she’s got left. And I’m not asking you to make any promises, I’m not asking you to drop everything and go get her, I’m writing ten more people after this who would all be willing and able to do all of that. But I’m asking you to keep an ear to the ground, keep an eye out, should she need a hand, should she want for some advice, the kind of advice a parent should give their child… Then maybe you can give it a shot. A parent will always wish for their child to have everything their heart desires, I can only hope Harry can be so lucky. I really hope to hear from you soon Tony, I hope to see you show up here with big frightened eyes at the prospect of holding this little one in your arms, and I really, really, honest to god hope will all my might that we get to have a hundred years to tease you about it while we watch her grow up, and play with our grandchildren.

Yours still, Lily Potter.'

With wide eyes he stared at the paper, his mind going a mile a minute but his conscious thoughts not catching up in the slightest. He had a daughter, a daughter who was probably nineteen or, or twenty by now… Why hadn’t she come banging on his door like she’d promised? What was all that talk about danger and a bad climate? Had something happened to her? Had something happened to Harry?

“Tony? You alright?” Brown eyes snapped up, wide in his shock and confusion and he came face to face with a table full of people who he had completely forgotten were there, they were all staring at him and looking mildly worried.

“I’m fine.” He wasn’t, but he didn’t actually think he could manage a more difficult sentence at this time. He tried to pick up the envelope he’d carelessly tossed on the table next to his plate before he’d found out who the letter was from, his hand was trembling. Something fell from it, small, square, paper-like. Steve was quicker in picking it up then he was in even realizing that he should be picking it up. He read the words on the back while Steve looked at the front. P.S. Her eyes are starting to go green, I think she’ll take after me.

“Aaah… she’s such a cute kid.” The soldier said, all puppy eyes and smiles as he looked at what was no doubt a picture. Bucky looked over his shoulder and even the icy man smiled as he looked at the picture.

“Who is she?” Tony could only swallow, staring at the letter, not really seeing the words that much though his eyes kept catching at certain phrases or words. Daughter mainly.

“Hariana… Harry, for short.” He managed eventually, through the thick throat and fog of his mind. He was vaguely aware that the picture was passed from one to the other. They’d all seen his daughter before even he had. When he did finally get the picture in his own hands he could honestly only stare. It was one where Lily was holding on to the little girl, she looked just as he remembered her if a little more tired. Her red hair maybe a bit longer than when he knew her, green eyes still brighter than any other. The girl in her arms though… maybe it was his imagination, surely you couldn’t really see identifying features yet on a four month old… but if he looked closely, and he was.. then the nose.. and the ears.. definitely the hair. The small tufts of dark hair the child already had stood up in all possible directions just like his had before he started using hair products. There was a brought, toothless gummy smile on her little face and big baby blue eyes staring at whomever was behind the camera. “Tony?” Rhody nudged against his arm when he didn’t react.

“Should we be worried?” Steve asked softly. Not quite sure how to handle this one. Normally the problem was that Tony couldn’t shut up or said the wrong thing, not that he didn’t talk.

“Give him a second.. It’s not every day that you find out you’re a father.” To everybody’s surprise it was Loki who said that, Clint nodded along like it was the most natural thing.

“That was about my reaction as well.” The archer agreed.

“She’s mine..” Tony’s barely whispered words made them look back.

“I have a daughter.”