Avenger's One-shots and Preferences

Avengers Christmas Carol Part 3

To avoid confusion. When the Christmas spirits make their appearance, I'm giving them names based on the people they take resemblance of.

While the rest of us were forced to end that Christmas Eve on a very low note, as a result of the Grinch like destruction Tony created, the billionaire himself was fixing to go to bed, but found himself unable to fall asleep.  So he did the one thing he usually does the nights insomnia gets the best of him.

He headed to the lab to tinker with his Iron Man suits.

Tony was fixing to open the glass door, when outta nowhere he coulda sworn he saw his father Howard Stark in the glass reflection. Tony jumps back and slightly and turns around, only to find no one was behind him. He checks the glass door again, and the only reflection he saw was his own.
"Friday have there been any unauthorized entrances into this building in the last hour?" He nervously asked.
"None to my knowledge boss," the AI responds, "All monitors across the facility are un-tampered with and fully functional."
Tony looks around one more time before entering the lab.

While messing around with a couple regulators, Tony began to doze off a little; that's when he heard a vaguely familiar, yet eerie sound, "Tony," it said. Tony jolted up and turn his head back and forth to check his surroundings.
Shrugging it off, he resumed what he was doing. "Tony..." he heard the eerie voice once again. "Who's in here?" Tony jumps to his feet. "Cap? Barton? If this is some kind of sick prank you're not doing it right!"

Tony slowly backed away towards the door and quickly turned around, only to find himself face to face with his dead father.
"Ahh!" Tony jumps back and trips on the chair he sat on not too long ago.
"Tony, we need to talk," the chain-clad apparition spoke. "Go away," Tony exclaimed hiding behind the chair, "This is just one of Cap's pranks. He's probably trying to get back at me from earlier today."

"Tony, don't you remember who I am?" Howard floats towards Tony, "It's your dad, Howard Stark." "Dad?" Tony hesitantly peered from behind the chair, also still skeptical.
"How do I know this is cause THAT PROJECTION SURE LOOKS FAKE TO ME ROGERS!"
"Tony, it's not a projection," Howard assures, "when you were seven, the one thing you wanted for Christmas more than anything was that chemistry set you had your eyes on that year."
"I never told anybody that," Tony realizes, "Dad, it really is you. Why are you here? Why now after over 20 years did you decide now would be the perfect to visit your son from the other side?"

"I'm here to help you, son," Howard explains, "I've seen what you've become, and unless you change your ways, it won't go well for you. Just look at me." "If you're here to lecture me and ground me you're a little late, dad," Tony folds his arms.

"I was so caught up in my work I didn't have time to appreciate what I had in front of me," Howard sullenly admits,  "And I don't want the same thing to happen to you." "You mean at the hands of some metal armed assassin puppet," Tony retorts, "Believe me I'm keeping a close eye on Barnes, so there's no chance of that happening." Howard then slaps Tony across the face, "You're missing the point!" the apparition exclaims, "Because of the cold lonely life I led, I'm forced to carry these heavy chains for all eternity. I don't even have the dignity of spending the afterlife in the company of your mother. The same will happen to you if you continue down this path."

For a moment, it looked like Tony was genuinely scared, "I'm not buying it," he says as a cover, "I carried on your legacy and expanded your empire with my own hands. If anyone will shape my destiny it will be me. And even dead, you're still a lousy parent."

"Very well," Howard nods, "Just so you know, on this night, you will be visited by three spirits. Listen to them, do what they say, or so help me, son, the chains you will carry will be heavier then mine."