𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲

༻ ❁ ༺

          "YOU ARE AN IDIOT, TONY STARK!"

"Alright, I'll give you that one." Tony sighed, as his wife continued to fume in front of him.

"When were you going to tell me, that you were dying?" Pepper exclaimed as she saw Tony's face-cam on the computer's screen. "Were you ever going to tell me, or Charlie?" Completely exasperated, Pepper ran her hands over her face.

"You didn't give me a chance," Tony stated nervously.

"This is not something that you keep to yourself," Pepper exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me that?!"

"I was gonna make you an omelet and tell you."

"Hey, hey. Save it for the bedroom." Rhodey interjected from inside his suit. "You got incoming Tony. Looks like the fight's coming to you."

"Great," Tony stated sarcastically.

"Are you okay now?" Pepper spoke above them.

"I am fine." He insisted. "Don't be mad. I will formally apologize to you and Charlie, when I'm not fending off a Hammeroid attack,"

"Fine," Pepper stated.

"Need I remind you, we could have been in Venice," Tony pointed out, but quickly retracted his comment when he was the look of his wife's face, "With Charlie!"

"Oh please..." Pepper sighed.

"Which reminds me, honey, Charlie is safe."

"What?" Pepper gasped, guilt flooding through her as she realised that their daughter had momentarily slipped her mind. "You saw her? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine. She was with a boy - he seemed to be looking after her." He attempted to reassure Pepper. "She wasn't hurt, but I'm pretty sure that her prosthesis was damaged."

"Pepper, calm down," Tony kept his voice low and calm. "I briefly saw them with a man and woman, I'm almost certain that the boy knew them."

"Out little girl is still out there, Tony," Pepper pleaded with her husband. "I'm going to look for her."

"Pepper. She's safe," Tony stated again, attempting to stop Pepper from leaving. However, the woman was already marching towards the door that lead towards the main concourse.

"The kid will not let anything happen to her."

༻ ❁ ༺

"We can't sit here much longer, Ben. They're bond to see us." May Parker told her husband, but he merely shook his head in response.

"The drones went ahead of us. We'll be safer here." He stuck his head out from their hiding spot behind the pillar, and glanced to his left and right. "Trust me May, it'll be better for us to stay here."

May sighed and looked at Charlotte, a small smile came to her lips and she saw that Peter had taken his turn in hold the girl's hand. It was a job that he apparently found incredibly serious and important.

"Are you feeling better?" Peter asked her, making sure to keep his voice quiet, as not to draw any unwanted attention.

"Much better," She nodded, "I just needed to sit down for a moment." Charlotte's voice was also a whisper, but it did not tremble as it had done before. "Thank you for helping me," she smiled at the boy, and almost laughed at the goofy smile he gave her in return. "And thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Parker."

"You're more than welcome," Ben smiled at her, pleasantly surprised by the girl's manners. At first, he thought that Tony Stark's daughter would have been the stereotypical spoilt and bratty child, but Charlotte was quite the opposite. As she began to feel more comfortable with them, and she began to talk more, May and Ben found her to be incredibly polite and charming.

"We could hardly have left you out there on your own. I don't think Peter would have let us." Ben said, quickly winking at the boy and ruffling his hair.

"Uncle Ben, stop!" Peter whined, giggling as he pushed the man's hand from atop his head.

"Do you know where your parents are?" May asked as she watched Charlotte try to pull herself further upright, Peter instinctively helped her. "I know your dad is here, but what about your mom?"

"No," Charlotte shook her head sadly, "but I know they'll find me," she stated confidently.

They continued to stay behind the pillar in silence, May and Ben Parker tried their hardest to distract the two children from the chaos that could still be heard from further inside the convention park.

"Charlotte!"

A voice suddenly cut across the concourse, and Charlotte reared her head, snapping her attention to the direction of the familiar voice.

"Mom!" She exclaimed upon seeing the unmistakable red-haired ponytail her mom notoriously styled her hair in.

"Charlotte!" Pepper noticed their location and ran towards them, her heels clicking loudly against the tarmac. The Parkers watched as the woman knelt beside the girl and swept her into the embrace. Peter, not having a chance to scoot away, was also enveloped in this embrace, his face squished awkwardly against Charlotte's shoulder.

"Oh, honey! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Pepper asked frantically, holding her daughter at arms length - this gave Peter a second to duck out of the way, and he moved to sit by his aunt. They watched as Pepper Stark ran her hands over her daughter's face and arms, checking her for any injuries. "Oh, sweetie, your leg." Pepper sighed upon seeing the mangled metal mess that was still miraculously attached to her daughter.

"I'm fine, mom. At least it wasn't my real one." The girl giggled, squirming slightly and trying to push her mom's hands away. Pepper did not look too amused at the daughter spoke, however, Peter had found it funny; he received a soft nudge from May, a clear signal for him to be quiet.

"May and Ben looked after me! And so did Peter!" Charlotte explained, turning her mother's attention towards the family.

Pepper wrapped an arm around Charlotte and kept her tucked into her side and she turned and looked at the three people sitting behind her. "Thank you, for helping her."

May nodded, "Peter found her first, he then found us, and my husband was able to carry her."

Pepper smiled gratefully and exchanged a smile with Ben before turning to the little boy and asked, "Are you Peter?"

He nodded shyly, "Yes ma'am."

"Thank you for protecting my daughter," Pepper said to Peter, making him blush a little, the boy suddenly becoming shy.

"That's an excellent replica," Pepper said, motioning to the Iron Man helmet that Peter was holding. "Did you make it yourself?"

Peter nodded proudly, "Uncle Ben helped me,"

"Don't listen to him. I know nothing about technology or mechanics. I only helped him paint it," Ben quickly said.

Pepper nodded, clearly impressed by the young boys talents. "Well, we have to get back," Taking a small card from her pocket, Pepper handed it to May, "This is my office's number. Call it, and give your details to my receptionist. I need to thank you properly for everything you have done for Charlie."

Ben and May gave her a grateful nod, "That's not necessary, but we will call. Thank you." Ben began, "Besides, I think these two have a lot to talk about. I don't think we'll be the ones calling." Ben chuckled and the three adults watched as Charlotte and Peter continued their very animated conversation. Both of the children look extremely happy, considering everything that had just happened.

After a moment, Pepper decided that it was time for them to leave. "Charlie, honey, it's time to go. I'm sure your father is worried sick about you."

"All right, mom," Charlotte said as she returned her attention to Peter. "Thank you so much for helping me; you're a superhero!"

"I suppose," Peter shrugged, his face flushed from all the praise, "be careful," he spoke to her.

"See you, Peter Parker!"

He stammered out, "S-See you..."

Pepper smiled at the family once again, before picking Charlotte up and placing her on her hip. The girl was exhausted, and so naturally tucked her head into her mother's shoulder.

As Pepper turned her back and began the short walk to the backstage area, Charlotte glanced over her mom's shoulder at the Parker's. Ben and May were quietly conversing with one another, and Ben had an arm wrapped protectively around May's waist as she rested her head on his shoulder. Charlotte smiled at the interaction, before glancing down at the boy by their side.

Peter was still standing where she had left him, and she noticed how his expression was somewhat somber. Charlotte have the boy a small wave, to which he reciprocated, a now beaming smile was on his face. As her mom rounded the corner, the Parker's vanished from sight.

In truth, she too was feeling sad. As she was talking with Peter, she had came to the sudden realisation that she did not have really have any friends - not her own age, at least. Sure, there was Happy's niece, she was Charlotte's age, but the the lived in Colorado with her father, and she could count on one hand the number of times they had met.

༻ ❁ ༺

On the way back to the pavilion, Pepper had slowly explained everything to Charlotte.

She told her how Ivan Vanko, and Justin Hammer, had been the one's responsible for the drone attack; about Natalie Rushman, in reality, being a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, and that the woman's name was actually Natasha Romanoff.

Pepper also mentioned that her father had something important to tell her, but it was something that only he could say.

By the time they approached the pavilion, there was a swarm of police cars and emergency vehicles. Charlotte perked up when she saw Natalie, or rather Natasha - that was going to take some getting used to - talking to a handful of officers.

"When they get here, I think you should station them at the south, east and both west exits." they heard Natasha order them. The agent then turned her head and noticed them approaching. When she saw that Pepper was carrying the girl, she excused herself from the officers and made her way over to the women.

"Is she hurt?" Natasha immediately asked, concern was evident in her voice.

"A few cuts and bruises, but she's fine," Pepper answered, and Charlotte nodded her head and subtly looked down at her hands. She had some small cuts and grazes from falling down, but it was nothing too serious. "Her prosthesis is completely destroyed, but other than that, there's no real damage. A family found and helped her, they had a nephew around Charlie's age."

Natasha nodded, and Pepper could have sworn that she saw relief flash across the woman's face. It was clear that Natasha Romanoff had developed somewhat of a soft spot for the girl; even though she would not let it show, Pepper knew that Charlotte had earned a friend and protector for life.

Natasha glanced at the mangled metal framework that Charlotte had since removed, and was holding in a loose grip. She gave the exhausted girl a small smile, and placed a reassuring hand on her back, rubbing small circles against her jacket.

One of the officers whom Natasha had just been speaking with approached the trio. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to inform you that we shut down the seven trains in and out of the local area already,"

"Well, have city buses there to ferry people to operating lines," Natasha replied.

"Right away. Are you coming with us?" the officer asked, mainly looking at Pepper and Charlotte.

"No, I'm gonna stay until to park is clear," Pepper answered. The officer nodded and went back to relay the message to the patrol.

Pepper frowned in disbelief at the devastation Hammer's drones had unleashed. "Hey," Natasha gave her a concerned look. "This isn't your fault, nor is it Tony's. Justin Hammer should have never given Ivan Vanko his freedom." She told her in a reassuring tone. "I need to check on things inside. Will the two of you be alright out here?"

Pepper glanced at Charlotte, who was almost laying asleep against her shoulder, before giving Natasha a quick nod of her head. Natasha gave a small smile before leaving the mother and daughter and returning to the main stage area.

Pepper continued to look around the pavilion, her stomach tightening as she observed the sheer scale of destruction that the drones had caused. As much as she hated to admit it, perhaps Senator Stern had been right. At the Capitol hearing, which seemed like a distant memory, the council had preempted that something of this scale could happen.

If Ivan Vanko could cause this much destruction and deviation with a prototype of the Iron Man suit, then she did not even dare to think about the potential fallout from someone with an advanced replica.

Trying to shake the doubts from her, Pepper slowly began to make her way inside the building, careful not to disturb Charlotte. She was not yet asleep, but the girl was placid, resting her head on her shoulder - she too was gazing at the destruction of a place that had once held a lot of happy memories for the child.

As soon as Pepper walked inside the building, she could hear a faint but rhythmic sound. It was a steady beep, and she noticed that it increased in velocity as she neared one of the many destroyed drones that were laying discarded on the ground. Intrigued at first, Pepper paused to peer at the machine.

Then she paled, freezing in realisation. There was a bomb in the building, and everyone, herself included, had failed to notice it.

Then something rushed in, covering the mother and child in metallic arms and leaving the scene rapidly. Charlotte heard the explosions but didn't see the devastation since her head was buried deeper into her mother's neck, as they both clung to life.

Pepper and Charlotte were finally able to let out their screams as they landed. When she noticed her father, a wave of relief washed through her body and she wriggled herself into her mother's arms, indicating that she wanted to be put down.

Then, gentle arms lifted her from her mother's arms. When she looked up, she saw her Uncle Rhodey looking back down at her with concern. She gladly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him, relieved that he was safe.

"Hey, trouble," Rhodey held his goddaughter close, relief flooding through him.

"Uncle Rhodey!" Charlotte exclaimed. But she was soon was twisting in his hold, demanding to be put down. She wanted to see her dad, to hug him, and never let go. "Dad..."

"Wait here with me a minute, honey. Besides, you don't want to be in the middle of what's about to happen." Rhodey said, carrying her to the edge of the building and sat there, holding her on his lap.

They both sat, somewhat awkwardly and watched Tony and Pepper converse on the far side of the roof top.

"Oh my God. I can't take this anymore," Pepper exclaimed as she covered her face.

"You can't?" her dad deadpanned.

"I can't take this!" Pepper repeated, stressfully. "My body, literally, cannot handle the stress. I never know if you're gonna kill yourself or wreak the whole company!"

"I think I did okay," Tony stated as everything that's been destroyed by the drones burns behind him. Then another explosion. Charlotte glanced behind her, watching the small explosion occurred. As she turned back, she caught Rhodey's eye and the pair had to stop themselves from snickering.

"I quit. I'm resigning. That's it." Pepper suddenly stated.

"What did you just say?" Tony asked, not believe his wife for a second. "You're done? That's surprising. No, it's not surprising. I get it. You don't have to make excuses." Tony told her with a jokingly bitter tone.

"I'm not making any excuses." Pepper insisted.

"You actually were just making excuses. But you don't have to." Tony said as he stepped closer to her.

"No, I wasn't making an excuse. I'm actually very justified," Pepper remarked as she also walked further to him.

"Listen. Hey, hey. You deserve better," Tony cut her, making Pepper speechless. "You've taken such good care of me, and Charlotte too. I've been in a tough spot, but you got me through it." her dad continued, making her smile.

"You scare the crap out of me every single day, and you have done for the past thirteen years," Pepper whispered, placing her hand on Tony's chest, her fingers brushing over his arc reactor.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Tony quipped, his brow arched.

"No," She chuckled, shaking her head. "What's worse is that I wouldn't want you to be any other way."

Tony smiled genuinely, before leaning down and kissing his wife. Their lips pressed firmly against each other, and at that moment, they both realised everything that they could have lost.

Charlotte giggled as she watched her parents kiss. Rhodey jokingly covered her face, feeling the heat on her cheeks, as she giggled embarrassedly.

"They are kissing, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Rhodey confirmed.

"That's gross," Charlotte whined, while still giggling. 

"Yes, it is." Rhodey nodded. "By the way, you're not allowed to do that until you're at least thirty."

"Thirty?" Charlotte protested. "Twenty."

"Twenty?!" Rhodey feigned shocked horror, and lightly tickled her sides, causing the girl to giggle and squirm on his knee. "Meet me in the middle - twenty-five?"

Charlotte continued to laugh as her uncle distracted her from having to watch her parent's intimate moment.

"Alright." She put her hand out to shake his, ultimately sealing the deal.

"That's my girl." Rhodey smiled fondly at his goddaughter, amazed at how even after all the trauma she had been through the past eighteen months, her unique  personality was still able to shine through.

There was no doubt that Charlotte Stark had thick skin, and a resilience to match - and that was something that something believed, much like her own father, could be her greatest asset, and her downfall.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

༻ ❁ ༺

author's note

i really didn't know how to end this chapter, do i thought a cute little moment between charlotte and her loving uncle would be a good finishing point

only two chapters left of Iron Man 2, and the we are onto Avengers- I am so excited, it's honestly laughable!

i just want to say a quick but MASSIVE thank you to everyone who is reading this story/adding it to reading lists-seeing all of your votes and comments really puts a smile on your face.

two weeks ago , this story only had around 600 views and now we're on 2K! That is insane!