Sue stood aside as SHIELD chartered off the alien inside the tachyon-particled container. For precaution, they put its silver board inside a similar chamber, making it impossible for the surfer to escape.

The surfer was expressionless as SHIELD took him away and Sue couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. With her arms crossed and her knee bouncing, the clearing bustled with agents. The equipment was being packed up and Tony stood in his Iron Man suit, making sure to watch the alien be driven off with the best agents at guard. He was yet to step out of the suit or even lift its mask, as he was sure his expression showed every inch of the irritation he felt.

Johnny kicked at the leaves that were burnt and smoking on the floor. He wanted to do more in the whole commotion, but the opportunity never arose. The surfer had barely glanced at him when it attacked, and Johnny wanted nothing more than to set it alite and finish their previous chase. Wanda was glad she wasn't involved, but she was also glad she was present for when things turned sour. As long as Sue hadn't been injured, she was okay with not interfering.

'I want eyes on him for every minute of the day,' Tony pointed his finger down at the floor as he spoke to Director Fury. 'I want him to be monitored like he is a new-born baby.'

'I don't take orders from you, Stark,' the man's one eye glared. 'But we already have that plan in place. He'll be at the closest base. You're welcome to visit but know that it won't be your place to interrogate him. That's our job. Your cooperation was appreciated, but for now, it's in our hands.'

Fury turned away and Tony's left repulsor begged to power up. Tony let out a 'tsk' before he turned to see Susan. If her turned-down lips and worried eyes didn't give away how she was feeling, her jittering body did the job. He resisted a sigh as he walked over, ordering FRIDAY to retract his mask and helmet. As his face was visible, Sue looked up at him, her forehead riddled with worried creases and her eyes doe-like and troubled.

'What are they going to do him?' Sue asked, stepping to be closer to Tony. His frame was large, the suit adding a few inches to his height and shoulder width.

'Whatever it takes,' he shrugged. 'If there's some other mighty force heading our way, we want to know about it. By the way, since when did you come SHIELD's head interrogator?'

'I got answers, did I not?'

'Answers to why you're his rebound.'

'His what?!'

'Oh, come on,' the Stark rolled his eyes in annoyance, his voice deepening to mimic the surfer's. ''To protect the one I love'. Give me a break.'

'Jealous much?' Johnny's voice slithered from behind and Tony whipped around to point a finger at the Storm.

'Pipe down, hothead.'

'Tony,' Sue called his attention, which he gave with his eyes darker than usual. 'If I upset you, I'm sorry. There's no need to be jealous of an alien-'

'I'm not-' he stopped and lowered his raising voice. 'I'm not jealous. I'm just... he came so close to you. He could have sent you flying. He could have hurt Junior and I wouldn't have been able to stop him.'

The strain in his voice was evident and she felt guilty for testing his resilience. He was always a man of his pride and when something he cared for was threatened, he wanted a hand in protecting it. If not his hand, his whole being. When Sue crouched down to be next to the surfer, Tony saw how everything could have turned deadly. He saw Sue being thrown back against a tree trunk and her stomach tacking the impact. He saw her pain-filled face and how her hand would fly straight to her abdomen, the life draining away from the growing baby inside. His world would crumble and his plans for a house in a forest away from hero work faded into nothing. Their future was fragile, and he wanted to wrap it up in layers of bubble wrap. There was no future if Sue wasn't there, he didn't think he could make one of his own.

'You have to understand that I am nothing without you,' Tony stared down at Sue. 'Without you and Junior, my world is... nothing. It's bland and cold. It's what I fear of losing the most out of everything and anything. I know I'm just a man in a can, and this looks ridiculous, especially with Johnny who I know is pulling faces behind me.'

Sue stifled a laugh as Johnny frowned, his face pulling coming to halt in its theatre show. The Storm huffed and walked away to talk to Wanda, who was looking awkward in the middle of the bustling SHIELD agents. Sue turned her attention back to Tony who rolled his eyes and shook his head. He was trying to be sincere and emotional, as he knew it always made Sue melt. Whether it was from the hormonal changes from her pregnancy or her usual weakness for Tony's soft side, she blinked at the tears that filled in her eyes.

'Please, just... take the back burner. I'm dying here. I want to protect you and Junior. She'll thank you for it one day.'

'Alright. No more missions.'

Tony smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling and his white teeth glowing. Sue couldn't help but smile back at the sight of his joyful face. She knew that he cared for her more than anything, but hearing it in his own words was blissful. Being the fiancé to Iron Man and mother of his child was dangerous, but it had its perks. Especially with how handsome he was with his dark hair and dark eyes. But the side of him that only she saw was her favourite thing about him. Underneath the cocky smirks and snarky remarks, was a man who wanted to protect what he loved. If the world fell apart around them, he would still ask her to dance to the music of their love.

'I love you,' he said through his grin, leaning down for a kiss.

'I love you, too,' she let him press his lips against hers.

'Well, you heard the man,' Johnny appeared next to the two with his hands behind his head, stretching his back. 'Its in SHIELD's hands, now. Can we go home?'

'What, your insistence to be the hero wore off?' Sue raised a brow.

'I think we did enough. It's not like he'll escape, right?'

---

'You just had to say it. You're a real dick, you know that?'

'I know...'

The silver surfer escaped SHIELD's containment like it was made of paper. The Stark tower was notified of the escape by a disgruntled Nick Fury. The alien had ellegedly flew off on his board and disappeared through the clouds, returning to its master that was light years away. Johnny made a comment that the director would never admit that the alien escaped because of the lack of enhanced humans at hand. Everyone agreed to this without hesitation.

Tony had been the one to answer the call, which he held back a smirk throughout its entirety. After he said he would not be providing anymore weapons to SHIELD, he ended the call and gathered Sue and Johnny into the lab to inform them.

'So, we wait for his master to come and destroy us? Great,' Sue leaned her hands on the table, watching Tony pull electric blue screens around the room.

'We're out of the game, now. Thor's closer to alien species than us. He can listen out on Asgard. Besides, the surfer said he was only observing. Could be years before he comes back to 'destroy us',' he used his fingers for quotations marks. 'By then, we could all be long gone. Not our circus, not our monkeys.'

'We need to stop that phrase,' Sue pinched the bridge of her nose.

'It's not like you to stand back and watch, Stark,' Johnny raised his eyebrows and Tony glanced at him, meeting his gaze. Tony hesitated with his reply, the lab silent for a few seconds.

'I've got a new take on life,' he shrugged nonchalantly. 'Not involving myself unless I'm provoked. Safer that way. For everyone.'

Sue smiled when her fiancé's eyes landed on her. Her stomach had grown since their run in with the silver surfer. It was concealable under baggy clothes, which she wore frequently to make herself more comfortable. If she wanted to go out fighting, there would be no way that she would fit into her red suit. The small bump was caused by the grapefruit-sized fetus, that was healthy and progressing well for its five-month life.

Every morning, Sue stood in front of the mirror and lifted her shirt to see the bump. It never failed to bring a smile on her face, but it would soon fall when the nausea settled in. Morning sickness was in full swing, and Tony had heard Sue's retches almost everyday at exactly ten o'clock. He tried to make her as comfortable as possible, even going so far as to try cooking her meals. But most of them ended in burnt pots and FRIDAY's alerts at the detection of smoke. FRIDAY intervened and cooked some meals so that Sue was getting the nutrition she needed, but Tony still tried.

'I'm heading to Malibu, then,' Johnny clapped his hands together. 'Pepper's got some time off so I want to spend some time with her.'

'Are you flying there?' Sue asked.

'Yeah. But I want some luggage so I'm taking the jet, too.'

'Why don't you just fly in the jet?'

'That's not cool enough.'

Johnny headed for the door FRIDAY operated its sliding feature to let him out. It slid shut once he was in the hallway and left Tony and Sue alone. Swiping away his screens, Tony then walked towards Sue and put his hands on her sides. She hummed in delight at the feeling and looked up, her face hued with a glow that Tony loved to see. His hand slid to be over her abdomen, feeling the bump from underneath her oversized jumper.

'How's she feeling?' his voice was soft.

'They are fine,' she corrected, putting one hand on top of his. 'Rolling around, that's for sure. My back aches, though.'

'Go lie down. I'll take care of dinner.'

'Thank you...'

Sue raked her eyes over the man she adored. She caught him on multiple occasions with screens displaying the same house plans that had become his new interest. It was difficult for her to work out what it was, as every time she was near the lab, FRIDAY would inform Tony that she was nearby. He would swipe away all the screens and act like he was looking at plans for a new headquarters. Sue pried at the topic for a while but gave up when she found that Tony's stubborn nature was at its peak. But she knew it was something to do with a house for their family. The Stark tower was nice, and she was comfortable in its vicinity, but her dream for a small house was still imbedded in her desires. And she knew Tony thought the same.

'What's Junior feeling like tonight?' Tony asked as Sue started to head for their room to lie down.

'Hm, maybe just some chicken?' Sue replied, and Tony smiled, his chest swelling with love.

'Chicken it is, then. Princess Morgan better be happy with my cooking.'