Summary: SEQUEL TO THE THIRD YEAR. Usually three is a crowd but not when the third person is your son. Follow Tony and Pepper as they try to balance the woes of parenthood above the responsibilities of their already busy lives. Story 6 of 8 of The Last Chronicles.

Standard disclaimer for all my stories: My stories are graphic, angsty, frustrating, filled with cliffhangers, drama and foul language. Read at your own risk – medical issues and subsequent bills are not covered by yours truly ;) If you don't like, please don't read. I appreciate reviews and constructive feedback but if you cannot stand the plot, save yourself and me some time and walk away. You don't have to love all IMAA stories :) I don't own IMAA. My stories are better viewed by using the "half screen" option of FFNET

THIS IS A SEQUEL TO THE THIRD YEAR. Start with The Last Month, then The Last Summer, then The First Year, The Second Year, The Third Year and just read your way here.

READ THOSE FIRST OR BE FOREVER CONFUSED!

The Fourth Year

Prologue

He had been wracking his brain all night, searching his memory for an explanation, but he had not been able to find one just yet. Even if it seemed as if there was none, even if his high intelligence demanded that he put the pieces of fuzzy puzzle together into a coherent, clear picture, he had failed at doing so. It did not make any sense to him; the reality that Happy Hogan's comment had opened his eyes to – it just did not make any sense to him at all.

This was not as if he had just forgotten to do his homework in school, or send a greeting card for someone's birthday, or even close the damned toilet seat lid after using it only to be not-so-kindly reminded by his fiancée that the action drove her crazy. No. This was far more important than that; this was something no man should ever forget, especially not one that could remember hundreds of lines of code and recall them all at will.

How can this baby be mine? It's not… it's not possible!

It was not as if he did not want this baby to be his; that was not the case at all. He was excited by the premise, thrilled even, but his happiness would not be completely settled and personally filling until he was able to explain to himself how in the hell had Pepper ended up pregnant with his kid!

His. Kid.

My son. I… I have a son.

Suddenly, he felt like throwing up again.

He stood up from his favorite seat in the Makluan Temple and began pacing the room once more – just as he had been doing so all night ever since he had left the hospital to analyze the situation. He was due at the hospital to see Pepper in a few hours again when morning visiting hours arrived, but the idea of facing her after what he had just learned made his stomach churn.

He knew she had the answers he was searching for. He knew that whatever he had failed to see or understand she would clear up for him – or so he hoped. Was she even aware that this baby was his? How had Happy known before he had? How long had Pepper been keeping this from him?

He stopped his pacing when he ended up standing by his work table, right in front of the results of the done-and-rushed-overnight paternity test he had forced the hospital to run for him. It was one of the benefits of being close friends with one of the most tenured doctors there. And, of course, a major benefit of being a fucking gazillionaire: instant results.

He sighed and opened the folder to read the result again. Regardless of how many times he had read the lab work during the night, he just could not believe what the results meant; what they entailed for him. The baby, Pepper's baby, was his. He, Tony Stark, had become a father overnight.

I can't believe Pepper lied to me, he thought bitterly even though he knew judging her without listening to her side of the story was not the best way to approach her. I can't believe she let me believe this was Scott's baby! That she let Scott think it was his! That she… that she… UGH!

How many more people knew besides Happy? Did Doctor Adler know? Was Doctor Ross aware? How about Nurse Owen? Had they all been in on it? Why had they never told him anything? He had the right to know! It was his son, for fucks sake! Why did anyone not bother to let him know that Pepper was carrying his child?

He collapsed on the floor, closed his eyes and clenched his head between his hands. Nothing was making sense to him and it was starting to give him another headache. He truly did not want to be mad at Pepper; he really, really did not, but…

How could she do this to me? How could she string me along like this?

Was this why she had accepted his marriage proposal, because they would have no option but to get married? Had she been planning on telling him after the birth? Or had she hoped that the baby would not resemble him? Or, maybe, she had just hoped that he was too clueless not to see the signs that the baby was his.

Well, he thought with disdain, she had a point there.

If it had not been for Happy Hogan pointing out that Pepper was adopted, if it had not been for the jock's blatant hint, he would have never, EVER even considered that the baby was his. Why would he, anyway? He had not slept with Pepper in forever before he had found out she was with child. Yes, they had been sleeping together ever since, but nine months before the birth… The times they had slept together since then had been without the use of protection; there had seemed no need since she was already pregnant. Had the Extremis in his body entered hers and then somehow hijacked what was originally Scott's baby and transformed it into his while in the womb?

No, he shook his head. It's not possible, Extremis doesn't work that way. So then what…

"Fuck this. I need to talk to her," the inventor opened his eyes again and he jumped to his feet. He immediately called on his suit and did not even wait for it to be completely secured around his body before he ran toward the front door of the Temple, completing forgoing using the exit chute. By the time his feet were outside, the armor covered every inch of his body, and before he could back down from finally facing his ginger, he sped his way to the hospital in the blink of an eye.

A/N: Who wants more? Welcome back, everyone!