𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

༻ ❁ ༺

          THEY ENDED UP going to Burger King, and then after watching Tony order six cheeseburgers-four for himself and two for Charlotte, Happy pulled the car up to the front of Stark Industries. Tony had thought it would be in the best interest to hold a press conference. Pepper had been opposed to it, but he insisted-for the sake of the company-he had said.

As the press and photographers were still waiting on the kerbside, news had spread rapidly. Charlotte recognized a familiar face coming from the crowd, and when she saw Obadiah entering the car and opening the door for them, she felt relieved. He caught Charlotte's hand and helped the girl jump out of the car; he put his hand on top of her head, smiling affectionately at her.

When she heard the photographers begin to holler and shout questions, Charlotte stiffened. She was used to being at the forefront of media coverage with her family, but she was still a child, and all this coverage continued to shake her. Stepping out of the car, Tony noticed her discomfort and unease and took her hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly, "Stay close to me."

"Look at this! Tony." Obadiah embraced Tony, patting his business partner on the back. He puts both hands on Tony's shoulders as he steps forward, staring directly into his eyes. "We were supposed to meet at the hospital."

"No, I'm all right," Tony confirms, holding his Burger King bag in his free hand.

"You had to get a burger, did you?" He turned to Charlotte, gently bending forward. "I hope he ordered you one too."

She enthusiastically nodded. "I had two." She smiled, obviously pleased with herself. Smiling, Obadiah shook his head and they made their way into the building, brushing past the reporters and their cameras. Tony's hand remained firmly wrapped around Charlotte's, and even though he did not show it, he was begging to feel enraged at how evasive they were being towards his daughter. Tony could not help but overhear some of the questions they were hurling in their direction - specifically those that revolved around Charlotte and her prosthetic.

As they approached the main foyer, Tony turned to Charlotte and crouched to her level. "I'll be right back. Stay with your mom." He kissed her forehead and made his way to the podium stand. Charlotte stayed behind and grabbed onto her mother's hand.

Cameras flashed as reporters shouted inquiries and questions at Tony. She was distracted momentarily when she noticed a smartly dressed man approaching them out of the corner of her eye. "Mrs. Stark?"

"Yes?" Her mom was trying to focus on the conference, too distracted to pay the man any real attention.

"Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"I'm not part of the press conference, but it's about to begin right now," Pepper turned to look at the man. She did not recognize him as a reporter, and the emblem that was etched into his jacket's breast pocket was not known to her.

"I'm not a reporter. I'm agent Phil Coulson; I'm with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Linguistics Division."

"That's too many words," Charlotte said, looking confused at Agent Coulson. She tried to repeat the title in her head, but only got as far as the first word.

"I agree. That is quite a mouthful," Pepper commented as she reached for the card the agent was handing her.

"We're working on it." Agent Coulson nodded in acknowledgment.

Placing the card in her suit pocket, Pepper turned her focus back to the press conference - it seemed to be running smoothly and although Tony was currently sitting on the floor eating his fourth cheeseburger, Pepper trusted that Obadiah could retain control for a few minutes. "You know, we have been approached by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA..."

"We are a separate division with a more specific area of focus. We need to debrief Mr. Stark about the circumstances of his escape."

Pepper sighed, she did not want to be focusing on work right now. She had just gotten her husband back after three months, and already, everyone wanted to arrange meetings and talks. "I'll put something in the book, shall I?" She did not mean to sound dismissive, but it came across that way.

"Thank you, Mrs. Stark." Agent Coulson nodded. Looking down at Charlotte, he gave her a small but genuine smile. "Miss. Stark." She returned the smile with a small wave as he turned and walked away. Charlotte decided that she liked Agent Coulson, he had a kind face and spoke softly.

The pair turned their attention back to the conference. A reporter had asked her dad what happened to him while in Afghanistan. The restricting knot reared its head again and sat firmly in Charlotte's throat; her mom must have sensed her discomfort as she leaned back into her legs, Pepper placed her free hand on her shoulder and held her close, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Tony had since stood, and was pacing around the podium nonchalantly. "I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world, than just making things that blow up." He came to a standstill at the podium, his gaze cast over the tops of every reporter's head, and fell instantly on Charlotte's. She gave him a small smile, and Tony could feel his heart swell at how her eyes were so full of light and pride for him - her father. "I came to realize that I have so much more to lose now than I did when I took over this company. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries,"

From here on out, I was in chaos. In order to make their questions heard, Reporter rose and stumbled over each other; Obadiah reached Tony and placed a hand on his back, whispering lowly into his ear as he attempted to move him from the podium. Tony, however, was adamant and held his ground. "Until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be. What direction it should take, one that I'm comfortable with and consistent with the highest good for this country, as well."

Obadiah stepped up to the podium and bent next to the microphone; as Tony casually walked off the stage and sauntered back to his family, he began answering the reporter in a flustered manner.

Charlotte was unable to believe what her dad had just done. This business was his life, the thing to which he had dedicated his whole being. "What did Dad just do?" She turned to her mom and looked up at her, her eyes confused.

"I don't know. I really don't know." Pepper replied, albeit confused herself. Tony walked over and placed a kiss on her cheek, she did not reciprocate, she could only look at him severely and with a stern eye. "I hope you know what you are doing."

"I do. It's something I should have done a long time ago."

Charlotte was primarily puzzled, she knew what her dad had just told the media, but she didn't really understand why or what the ramifications of his decision would be. Tony bent over and picked his daughter and laid her on his hip, noticing the uncertainty written on the girl's face. Putting her arms around his neck, Charlotte leaned her head on his shoulder, tucking as far as she could into him. The media thrived on the interaction and shot around them with cameras and questions were thrown around them. "Miss Stark! How do you feel about your father being home? Are you happy?"

"Of course I'm happy." She shyly raised her head to smile at the reporters; they were all politely laughing at her, but this did nothing to dismiss the knot in her stomach. "I love my dad, he's my best friend . I never want him to leave me again."