𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩

༻ ❁ ༺

          CHARLOTTE WAS IN a state where she would black out and regain consciousness seconds later.

She didn't feel weak, though; her mind was racing and her head was bursting with thoughts, and the only thing keeping her sane were her mother's soothing words.

Charlotte was aware that the woman next to her was also fighting the virus that had been forced into her body, but she was grateful that her mother was doing her best to remain calm; Charlotte would as well.

Both were hopeful that they'd be rescued.

They were startled by a grunt to their left. Due to an emergency, all of the Extremis soldiers guarding them had to go, but one remained to keep an eye on them.

That guard was now unconscious on the floor, and standing next to him was none other than Natasha Romanoff, who looked at the two with a mournful expression on her face.

"Natasha!" Pepper cried, feeling beyond relief to see her.

"Nat..." Charlotte couldn't help but smile weakly at the sight of the agent.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here any sooner, but at least Stark and Colonel Rhodes were able to cause a big enough distraction, so getting here was easier," Natasha explained as she, dressed in her SHIELD uniform, approached the two. However, she paused to give Charlotte a second look, and the dark look on her face wasn't directed at the little girl.

"ублюдки!" (Bastards!) she hissed as she began trying to pry her from the restraints.

Charlotte had no idea what Natasha said, but it did sound like a curse, "Hi..." she whispered, "How did you find us?"

Natasha gave her a pained smile, "Hi..." this was not good, not at all, "Your mom, she called me because you disappeared. Then I called your dad, and he told me everything," Natasha growled with frustration when the restraints weren't moving, "Something tells me you two have the virus in your system. And by looking at the orange skin, I think it's best for you both to try and stay calm," she looked at Pepper, who nodded at her, "Okay, so first I'll –"

Something drove into the rig before Natasha could continue, triggering an explosion that ultimately destroyed the area where the three were.

As they were thrown aside by the explosion waves, Natasha clutched Charlotte's frame and braced herself for the blow as they slammed into the other wall.

Charlotte moaned and Natasha grumbled as she released go of the frame and collapsed to the ground, clutching her side ribs. The good news was that Charlotte was no longer bound by her shackles; the bad news was that she had melted her wrists through them.

The girl discovered she was free to move around, coughing from the gritty air that had settled. But Natasha was done, her ribs perhaps fractured, and her mom - Charlotte gasped as she noticed her mom still buried behind the mass of debris that had fallen on her after the explosion.

"Nat!" she crouched down and helped the agent rise to her feet, the redhead grunted with pain but her expression remained stoic as she looked down at her, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, "I'm fine. You need to help your mom." Natasha huffed as Charlotte helped her lean against the wall for some support.

Just as Charlotte ran towards the pile that was holding her mom down, she was startled when an Iron Man suit stepped inside through a hole caused by the explosion.

"C-Charlie?!"

It was her dad's voice, definitely.

"Dad!" she called out, running towards him and throwing her arms around the suit's mid section.

"About time!" Natasha yelled from the other side of the room. "What the hell, Stark? Did you cause the explosion?"

"Good to see you too Nat, you look great. Amazing," Tony quickly quipped.

With a sense of great urgency, Charlotte firmly tugged on her dad's arm, pulling his focus from the agent. "You need to help mom! She's stuck!"

"R-Right!" a little fazed by his daughter's ability to remain focused while after being kidnapped and forcefully drugged with a dangerous virus, Tony was guided to where Pepper was.

His heart sank when his eyes fell upon his wife trapped underneath some metal rubble, he immediately crouched down and attempted to lift it from her but Pepper quickly stopped him.

"Stop! Put it down. Put it down. Put it down," Pepper cried urgently as the groaning and strain of debris on her body increased.

He crouched down and opened the face from his suit to look at her, "See what happens when you hang out with my ex-girlfriends?" Tony quips as he offers his arm.

Charlotte felt Natasha place a hand on her shoulder and bring her closer to her in a protective manner. In case of another explosion, she wanted to keep the girl close to her.

"You're such a jerk," Pepper whispers while wincing in pain.

"Yep. Well, talk about it over dinner," Tony retorts, reaching with his arms towards her even further and starting to feel more nervous.

Charlotte heard her mom cry out, she couldn't see her, but it seemed that she was trying to reach for her dad as well from the movements her dad was making.

"Come on. A little more, baby," Tony begged as they try to reach for each other.

Suddenly, a hand full of Extremis ripped through the floor, grabbing the arc reactor from the suit and destroying it by crushing it with the hand. Charlotte leapt backwards and screamed with horror as Tony stumbled to the ground. With a low growl, Killian pulled himself up through the destroyed floorboards. Natasha immediately reached for the trembling young girl and tugged her behind her back, out of harms way. With an angry scowl, she raised her gun, its sight trained on Killian.

"Stand down, Killian!" she barked at him.

He huffed, a little out of breath. "Well hello there, who might you be?" then he looked at Pepper and raised an eyebrow, "Are they bothering you?"

Charlotte peered out from behind Natasha to glance at her dad. The mixed expression of concern and anger that was etched on his face was unsettling.

Killian completely ignored Natasha, "Don't get up," Killian says as Tony attempted to pull himself to his feet, a quick huff expelled from his chest as Killian pushed him back to the ground; a firm hand on his chest.

Natasha had had enough and began shooting at his head. Killian, on the other hand, didn't blink when he heated up his skin and dissolved the bullets that touched him. She shot until she ran out of bullets, and Killian cackled at her realization that this was a battle she couldn't win.

"Extraordinary, isn't it?" he then looked at Charlotte, who glared at him in exchange, "Hi, Charlie. Im so glad to see that you're unharmed. Now if you please step away from the lady, or..." placing a single finger against her dad's suit, he began to burn through the metal armour with ease. Charlotte cringed when her dad started breathing heavily in obvious discomfort.

Charlotte instinctively took three steps away from Natasha, and Killian unleashed a fireball at the agent through his mouth as soon as she did.

Of course, given Natasha was a skilled operative who knew how to survive, the damage proved non-lethal. She immediately jumped to the opposite side of Charlotte and found refuge behind the metallic debris that was pinning Pepper to the ground.

"Oh wow, who is she?" Killian tilted his head, impressed. He looked at Charlotte questionably but all he got from her was another glare.

Shrugging at the girl's response, he turned his attention back to Tony; his finger remained on his suit, slowly heating the armour.

"Ooh. Is it hot in there? Stuck? Do you feel a little stuck? Like a little turtle, cooking in his little turtle suit," Killian mocks as the suit begins to glow.

Pepper was watching them worriedly, "Oh... Tony..."

She was growing tired of seeing her father suffer, so Charlotte stepped back and reached for something close to her with a determined expression on her face. She could see Natasha crouching behind a desk, refilling her gun and loading a fresh magazine into it.

"She's watching," Killian continued in a mocking tone, "I think you should close your eyes, sweetheart," he advised, "You don't want to see this."

Killian then drew back his arm in preparation to release a strike that would have surely meant her father's demise. However, as he did, a yell ripped from Charlotte's throat as she suddenly charged towards the mad man.

"Get your hands off him!"

Killian whipped his head up just in time to see the young girl using her own Extremis to infuse the piece of fallen pipe in her hands and launched it through the air.

The swift and precise action happened so quickly, that none of the adults in the room had a moment to register what had occurred. That was until the pipe found its mark, embedding itself between Killian's ribcage, causing the man to yell out in pain and shock.

"And that's for my mom and Natasha!" the twelve-year-old growled out as she jumped back, put of harms way if he were to suddenly turn and lunge for her. A grimace fell on her face as she watched Killian grasp the pipe in his hands and slowly pull it from between his rib cage.

While Killian was distracted, Tony used the opportunity to release a long, concealed blade from his suit and effortlessly sliced through the exposed flesh of the Killian's forearm. The now armless man groaned in pain and frustration, he attempted to stand but instead he fell backwards, dropping down onto one knee. His breath was heavy as his freshly detached limb miraculously began to regenerate, as if nothing was amiss.

"Yeah, you take a minute." Tony's voice was snarky as he looked down at the man.

Then, as if a switched had been flipped, he spun around and marched towards Charlotte. "And you," He tried to prevent the amused smile that was desperately trying to break free, as he watched his daughter standing there, looking as innocent as could be. As inncoent as you could be after having just impaled a man with a makeshift javelin. "I don't know whether to be terrified or proud of what you just did."

Natasha walked up behind Charlotte, smiling. "Why not both?" his daughter quipped while shrugging.

"At least give your old man a heads up next time, okay? You nearly took my head off."

"Give me a little credit," Charlotte scoffed, and rolled her eyes. "Besides, it was no where near you."

The moment was cut short when the arm that Tony cut from Killian began to burn through the floor near Pepper, suddenly opening a hole under her and making her fall down through the floor and end up hanging off the oil rig by her arms.

"Mom!" Charlotte gasped, and Natasha had to hold her back before she attempted to jump down after her.

Tony deployed from his suit and looked down just in time to see the rig swing into action, carrying Pepper further away from him. He looked at Natasha and the redhead nodded, motioning to the panicking child who was lightly struggling against her hold. "I'll watch her, go!" she tossed an earpiece at him.

Without any other confirmation and grabbing it, Tony began running after Pepper, out of the room.

Hearing footsteps approaching them, Natasha immediately guided Charlotte behind the wall which sectioned the room. The guards passed them by, pursuing him, and when the coast was clear, the two exited the container and made their way through the ship's halls.

"What's the plan?" As the agent led them down the street with her gun drawn, Charlotte whispered. They came to a halt on a corner, and Natasha pressed her fingers against the girls lips, signaling that she wanted her to be quiet.

Charlotte obeyed, but she also noticed that some of her dad's suits were flying around. He must've brought the Iron Legion to help.

Before the two continued on, one of the Mark suits landed behind them, startling both. However, Natasha soon recognized Stark's suit and put her rifle down; yet, the suit's equipment was pointed towards Charlotte, and when the redhead realized what was about to happen, she grabbed Charlotte's wrist and raced away as the suit began firing at her.

"What is happening?!" Charlotte squealed as the suit stalked right behind them, firing non-stop.

"Dammit! Stark!" Natasha poked her earpiece, "Pick up!" she yelled as both skimmed-through the halls, avoiding the blasts coming from behind them, "Your damn suits are trying to gun down your daughter! Are you going to fix it or do I have to?!"

"Shit!" Tony swore through the ear piece "It's locked onto the Extremis in her system. Jarvis - make note that Charlie is infected. She is not a target. Disengage  I repeat - disengage!"

Immediately, the stomping behind them ceased and hesitantly, they stopped running as well and looked behind to see the suit retracting the machinery.

"Terribly sorry about that, Ms. Stark, Ms. Romanoff. I am delighted to see you're all right. Please accept my sincerest apologies," JARVIS stated before flying off to deal with other Extremis soldiers.

The two remained silent before Charlotte huffed through her nose, somewhat hurt. "He didn't recognize me?"

"His sensors picked up on the Extremis. It made you a target." Natasha said quickly as the two continued running, but this time, not for their lives.

Charlotte followed Natasha down the stairwells until they reached the ship's lower level; there was a battle going on above them, and Charlotte couldn't help but look around, hoping to see her parents.

Natasha began shooting at a woman who had discovered them; the woman had obvious Extremis throughout her body, with red eyes and orange veins. With the help of her newfound power, she easily hopped from container to container, before swooping down and landing in front of them. A smirk rolled across her lips as Natasha's gun shots melted through her skin.

A feeling of deja-vu suddenly struck and somehow Charlotte knew that Natasha's weapon would be useless in this fight. As quickly as the idea came into her head, she acted upon it; she managed to slip away from the agent without her noticing. Natasha pursued towards the soldier, using her combat skills as best as she could.

Charlotte climbed a ladder from a container and remained crouched, sligjtly hidden as she watched the ongoing scramble, waiting for the right moment. She started breathing heavily, concentrating hard enough on the woman and considering what she was about to do.

"Come on, Charlie," she muttered to herself, "You cant wait around for someone else to save your ass all the time."

Inhaling deeply, she felt the power inside her begin to surge. Time to see if Killian was right or not.

Meanwhile, the assailant had overcome Natasha, violently kicking her to the ground. The agent looked up to see the woman approaching while turning her own arm into a burning blade. Just as she was about to strike the appendage, the woman suddenly crumbled to the floor with a frustrated grunt.

Neither the soldier nor Natasha had been expecting Charlotte to suddenly jump down from the container. Using her whole body weight, she landed on the fuming woman's back, her foot planted square between her shoulders.

"I really don't want to do this, but you're kind of hurting my friend!" Charlotte yelled over the woman's growls and grunts as she attempted to grab a hold of the child.

In a brief moment of contemplation, Charlotte closed her eyes before placing her hand on the woman's back, directly behind her heart, and directing all of her Extremis heat into her palm – eventually melting through the woman's skin and muscles, creating a hole that burned until she felt the soldier's heart, then Charlotte squeezed it with her own hands and melted it until there was nothing.

Gasping with horror at what she had just done, the girl quickly pushed herself away from the woman, scrambling backwards across the tarmac. Her palm was still simmering and her entire right arm was covered with the recognizable orange veins and reddened skin. The rage that she felt inside her was unsettling and frightening.

Natasha remained on the ground, a hand clutching her aching ribs. Could she really comprehend what she had just witnessed? Granted, Charlotte had just saved her life, however, it was the way in which she did that was abhorently shocking.

Standing up, Natasha quietly walked towards Charlotte, her heart sinking as she watched the girls shoulders shudder as she sobbed quietly into her jacket sleeves.

Natasha remembered her first kill. She also had been horrified by her actions but could not show it. The agent sighed sadly at how small the shaking twelve-year-old looked at that moment. 

A sudden explosion sounded from where the President was suspended. There was no time for comforts - this would have to be quick. Natasha crouched down in front of Charlotte and pulled her hands away from her face. The girls normally brights eyes were dull and swollen.

"Charlie, you did nothing wrong," Natasha began, quickly, "You saved me. That woman was about to kill me without any hesitation," she gave the girls hands a reassuring squeeze, encouraging her to meet her gaze. "You saved me." she insisted once more.

"I-I'm a killer..." Charlotte cried, "First Hugh and now her. Why did I kill them?" even though explosions and the sound of the Iron Suits attacking various Extremis soldiers, she couldn't help to finally break down.

"You didn't." Natasha grabbed her shoulder and gently made Charlotte look at her, "Listen to me, you are everything but a killer. All I know is that you saved my life, and I am in debt with you. You're a lifesaver, not a murderer," she lifted Charlotte's chin and looked into the little one's eyes, giving her a genuine expression of honesty.

"How am I gonna tell my dad? And my mom?" Charlotte asked with a meek tone. "They'll hate me."

"They couldn't possibly." Natasha soothed her. She needed Charlotte to compose herself, which she understood was easier said than done. "I'll help you talk to them, but right now, we need to get out of here." The woman pulled the girls small frame into her side briefly, a rare sign of affection for the assassin. She then pulled Charlotte back and looked down at her with a small smile. "I mean it - I owe you. Hate to break it to you kid, but it looks like you're stuck with me 

Charlotte sniffed and chuckled lightly. "Somehow, I think I can live with that."

"Romanoff? Can you hear me?" Rhidey's voice suddenly sounded through Natasha's earpiece.

"I hear you, Colonel." Natasha confirmed, holding a finger to her ear. "I have Charlotte with me. She's safe."

"Oh, thank god. A bit of a tall order, but try and stay hidden. The President has been secured and I'm working on clearing the area."

With a curt nod, Natasha ended the communication. They continued on until they reached the bottom of the oil rig where the President used to be hanging from, it was now a violent fire that was spreading quickly, and Charlotte couldn't help to think how her Uncle Rhodey caused that and still managed to save the President without the suit. No one seemed to be around, but Natasha was quick to point up when she saw Tony and Pepper dangling for her life.

"Oh my God!" Charlotte whispered, hoping that her dad would reach her mom in time, like always. She knew that he would - he had to.

There was one thing that could be said about Charlotte - she was impulsive and unpredictable. Which is why the young teen would not fault Natasha for being a tad slow on the uptake. As she bolted away from the assassin, she could almost hear the frustration and annoyance in her voice as she called after the girl.

Ducking under chains and containers and flinching at the sound of explosions, Charlotte scrambled up the nearest stairwell. Her foot slipped through the rungs, causing her to almost tumble head first back to the ground. She pulled herself up using the handrail, and pushed on.

Her parents were in danger, and not only did she want to help. She needed to - for herself if not them. She was growing tired of being the damsel in distress. No more waiting around.

She ascended the side of the oil rig, pushing the sounds of chaos from her head. I'm moments she had reached her parents, undetected.

She perched herself across the gangway from her parents, and from her position she realised that she had a better opportunity of reaching her mom than her dad currently did. Even though that was the case, she knew that her reach would still fall short - but not by much.

Quickly glancing around, she hoped to find something that she could use for her mom to grab. Out of the corner of her eye, a few feet behind her, she spies a discarded fragment of handrail; it was slightly hooked at the end.

Perfect. She hastily grabbed the pole, taking a second to adjust her balance. The beam was taller than she was and was easily heavier than her small frame. 

"Mom!" She called out, her voice being carried off in the whipping winds. Ignoring the burning inferno beneath them, Charlotte scooted further forward, until her knees were almost hanging over the edge of the rig.

"MOM!" Eventually her mom heard her, and craned her neck to look behind her. She immediately panicked.

"Charlotte!"

"Mom," She called again, signalling to the hooked piping in her hands. "Try and grab onto this!"

It was then that her dad caught onto her presence. "Charlie! Are you kidding me right now! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"SAVING MOM'S LIFE!" Charlotte had to practically shriek to be heard over her parents over lapping voices.

Natasha watched on helplessly from below as the young Stark slowly edged the beam out towards her mother, hooking the crooked end through a chainlink to secure it in place. The beam should have been far too heavy for the girl to even slide across the floor, yet with the extra help of Extremis, she was stunned when Charlotte began to manaouve it in her hands with little trouble.

Pepper stretched her arm backwards at a painful angle  her shoulder joint straining for release. Her fingertips brushed against the hooked metal as she willed herself to curl her hand around it and grab ahold. However, the rig lurched forward suddenly, causing Pepper to lose her grip and slide a fraction further away from Charlotte, who cried out in frustration. The suddenly movement made the beam jostle in her hands and the beam almost pulled her over the ledge and down into the burning oil below.

"Charlie!" Tony had suddenly shouted out of sheer panic. In that tiny slip, his entire life flashed before his eyes, as he thought he was about to witness his little girl fall to what would certainly be her demise.

He watched on, as Charlotte pushed herself back onto her feet and raised the beam once again. It was almost as if she was not fazed by what was transpiring around them.

The small red head took another step further, standing even closer to the ledge than she had done previously. This time, with baited breath, Pepper was able to grab the hooked beam. Charlotte grunted and strained as she began to take long strides backwards, not wanting to give the rig a chance to shudder once again.

After she was back on solid ground, Pepper all but collapsed into the girls open arms, grabbing her daughter's face, squeezing her cheeks between her hands as she checked her for any injuries. "You brilliant, brave and silly girl. You gave me a heart attack." She said before quickly kissing her forehead. "Don't scare me like that again."

"Oh, I scared you?"

"It's okay. It's over now, honey." Pepper laid her cheek against Charlotte's head, breath a deep sigh of relief. "At least I hope it is."

A disticnt whistling cut through the night sky, and the three Starks turned their heads to the sky just in time to see a missile take aim against the adjoining rig structure. The explosion that followed rocked the platform in which Charlotte and Pepper were currently huddled together on.

The giant frame lurched and shuddered, causing the mother and daughter to stumble and separate as metal and debris fell, blocking the ladder that Charlotte originally climbed up. 

"Well, there goes that idea."

Tony whipped his head around, desperately searching for a route they could take. He already knew what their only option was, and he knew for certain that Pepper was not going to like it.

"Pep. Honey..." He spoke slowly, almost as if he were afraid of her response. "We both know that there is only one option."

Pepper stared at her husband, eyes wide and blank as she kept Charlotte close to her chest in front of her. As she processed what he had said, she blinked rapidly, shifting her gaze from Tony and then to the fire that was raging beneath them.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" She shrieked after a few silent seconds. Charlotte flinched at the sudden noise.

"Come on, hon. We don't have all day." Tony quipped, holding a hand out as if to beckon her across.

"There has to be another way. A fire escape, or something."

"I think the fire escape is on fire, Mom." Charlotte looked back over her shoulder, feeling her chest tighten at the petrified expression on her mother's face. She turned around and grabbed her mom's shaking hands in an attempt to keep her grounded. "You can do this, mom. It's just a little jump."

Over a fifty foot drop into a burning chasm...

"Atta girl, Charlie." Tony smiled proudly as he watched his wife take their daughter hand in reassurance, placing her whole trust in the child. Charlotte would be lying if she said that she was not scared. It was all a front, of course it was. But she knew that she had to pretend that she was strong, for her mom.

Cautiously, they turned to face their target. In reality, the jump was approximately ten feet, but in that moment, it could have easily been thirty.

As the pair took their stance, ready for a brief run up and long leap, Tony stood, slightly crouched with his arms held out - he was ready to lunge forward and catch them if need be. He prayed that would not be the case.

With her daughters small hands encased in her own, Pepper took the first step, encouraging Charlotte to do the same.

It's just a run and a jump.

It only took nine steps to reach the edge. It also only took those nine steps for a single missile to strike the oil rig in its weakest spot causing the rig to violently jerk forward. Pepper's feet had left the ground at this point, yet Charlotte remained on the ground. 

A scream ripped from the girls throat at she lost the grip she had of her mom's hand, and suddenly she was sliding. Down and down, hands flailing, desperately reaching out for something to cling on to.

And then she slipped over the ledge, momentarily disappearing from view as she became masked by a veil of brown smoke.

"No, no, no!" Tony shouted, panicked, hastily ushering a hysterical Pepper behind him and away from the edge. Charlotte could also hear the panicked shouts of Natasha and Rhodey standing below them. 

Suddenly, she came to a painful halt, her shoulder felt as though it would pull from its socket. In her scrambled for leverage, Charlotte had managed to latch herself onto the floors grating, her fingertips locked tightly around each grid; the metal dug into her fingers, her nail beds turning white with strain. Her body was twisted so she was fully suspended by her hands, supporting her entire weight. Her helpless gaze was locked with her equally as helpless parents from across the walkway.

"Hey, Charlie." Despite his initial panic, Tony manage to make his voice convey that of someone who as calm and collected. "I need you to look at me. Don't look down, just look over here. Look at your mom and I."

All rational thought left her head, as she did infant, look down. "Ah, why would you say don't look down?! That is exactly what you are not supposed to say!"

In her now borderline hysterical mood, she left herself dangling helplessly, her legs flailing in the empty space below her. She could feel the heat of the flames below her; it was uncomfortably hot.

Try as they might, neither Tony nor Pepper stood a chance of reaching her, it was far too dangerous. Instead, Tony was resolved to trying to talk over both his wife's and his daughter's cries. "Honey, listen to me. You've got to calm down."

The metal groaned above her, lowering her slightly. "Dad!"

“Can you remember when I taught you to swing on the monkey bars?” Charlotte nodded, tears falling down her face. “It’s just like that. Swing your legs back and then kick them towards me.” 

Charlotte scrunched her eyes shut and shook her head. “No, Dad! I’ll fall!”

“No, you won’t. Hey, listen to me Charlie.” Charlotte was still looking down, her small legs kicking frantically. “Charlotte, you have to calm down.”

“Mom!” she cried as the beam shook again.

“For god’s sake, Tony!" Pepper wailed. "Do something!”

Tony shushed Pepper sharply, not meaning to be cruel, but he needed his undivided attention to be on his daughter. He needed her to concentrate.

“You’re not going to fall. I’m going to catch you, okay? Just like the monkey bars, remember? Swing your legs back and then kick them towards me, as hard as you can. Can you do that?” She swallowed a shaky breath and quickly nodded. “That’s my girl. Okay, now when I tell you to, you’re going to let go of the rig and I’m going to catch you.”

With tears streaming down her flushed cheeks, she closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. She could do this, she had to do this - there was no other option.

The first few swings were weak and did next to nothing. With each swing, the momentum pulled more and more against her shoulders; they were now screaming for the tension to be released. Clenching her jaw so hard that she thought her teeth might crack, she groaned loudly, which turned into a yell as she swung her legs back before kicking them forward.

"That's it! You're doing it!" Tony praised her from across the walkway, his own heart pounding in his chest. Pepper remained behind him, hands pressed against her mouth as she watched the scene unfold in front of them.

Slowly, after a half dozen swings, she had built up a steady momentum. Tony swallowed loudly and took a deep breath, "Alright  Charlie," Now came the hard part. "

"I don't think I can!"

"You have to, honey. I know you're scared, but you have to." He pulled himself forward slowly, scooting towards the ledge. "I'm right here, see? You're going to jump and I'm going to catch you."

Through the haze, his eyes locked with hers. His daughter's eyes, usually bright with mischief and happiness, we're burning with panic and swamped in fear. "I promise, I'm going to catch you."

No one seemed to move for what felt like an eternity. The creaking and groaning of the rig faded from around them as neither Charlotte nor Tony took their eyes off of one another. After a moment, she nodded quickly, swallowing the lump that had settled in her throat.

Her momentum had slowed slightly, however, after a few strong kicks, she found her rhythm once more. She urged herself to let go as the ache in her fingers turned into a searing pain. And then suddenly, it felt like she was flying.

Unknown to herself, she had released one of her hands from the metal grating. An audible gasp left her mouth as she stared up at the night sky. It almost felt as though she were moving in slow motion; Charlotte found it strange how in that moment, everything felt calm, and she felt at peace.

Just as she was about to fully release her grip, an eruption of heat came from behind her, sending the rig lurched sideways and causing it to drop a few feet. The force of the explosion ripped the metal grate from her remaining fingers, all but catapulting her sideways before throwing her violently from the rig.

Charlotte’s scream echoed as she fell - there was no doubt that Natasha and Rhodey had heard and witnessed everything. The agent brought a hand up to her mouth in an attempt to stifle the cry of shock and disbelief that escaped her lips. Rhodey on the other hand, seemed frozen - his mouth hung open slightly, tears stung his eyes as his eyes trailed after his god daughter, her small frame descending quickly to the ground.

Tony and Pepper screamed and watched as she fell, a huge flame erupts from the bottom of the oil rig and engulfs her body completely.

The sound of his wife's mournful wailing rang in his ears as they watched their daughter's body disappear in the fire.

༻ ❁ ༺

authors note

oh god, this was an absolute monster to write!

on the plus side, there is only about two more chapters left of iron man 2, and then we move onto age of ultron! i'm pretty excited, not going to lie!

a nice long chapter to make up for almost two months with no update (sorry 'bout that)

just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone for being patient and continuing to read this story. i never imagined that this story would have taken off the way it has - never mind reach 30k!

thank you all!

p.s i'm looking to add some graphics to this story - just a gif banner or some manips - so if anyone has any graphic shops that they would recommend - send them my way!