𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐝!

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INSIDE THE BATHROOM, Tony pricked his finger on his specially designed medical system. Placing his punctured finger against his tongue, he watched as the display flashed brightly.

BLOOD TOXICITY: 53% 

He gave a small tut and shook his hand, brushing away the slight tingling sensation in his fingertip. He took in his appearance in the large mirror in front of him; his shirt was unbuttoned enough allowing the frame of his Arc Reactor to be seen. Tony looked at the device, it was surrounded by puckering, translucent flesh and dark, almost black veins.

Placing his hand on the marble countertop, he ran his hands under the running water before running his damp hands over his perspirated face. He cast a long and hard stare into the mirror. 

"Got any other bad ideas?" He muttered, inwardly scolding himself. He thought of Charlotte, and he sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, honey."

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In the dining room, Charlotte sat at the table, quietly drawing on a paper placemat with a pencil that Natalie had found for her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a movement, and lifting her head completely she saw her dad exit the bathroom.

She smiled at him at first, waiting for him to come back to their table, but to her unexpected disappointment, her dad just stared at her with a haunted, hollow expression.

Her smile faltered, and Charlotte was left feeling speechless as he made a swift exit from the building.

"Dad?" she whispered to herself, dumbfounded by what had just happened.

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In a whirlwind of a moment, surrounded by security guards, photographers, and eager fans, Tony was outside striding toward the race track, clad in a blue and black jumpsuit with the name "Stark" stitched in white letters across the front. He jumped over the low wall and onto the race track.

A TV was broadcasting Tony live behind Justin Hammers's head, back in the hotel dining room, and he continued what was clearly an ongoing interview. 

"I love Tony Stark," he said magnanimously, "Tony loves me. Were not competitors. His being out of the picture created tremendous opportunities for Hammer Industries, you know? Everything that Tony and I do -"

As her mom joined her at the table, Charlotte sat sulking in her seat. She didn't ask about the whereabouts of her dad, even though if anyone would know, then it would be her mom.

"Is everything okay, sweetie?" Her mom asked, sensing the little girl's disappointment from across the table.

Christine's eyes had gone almost immediately up to the screen, and Hammer realised this at this point. Even as he tried to keep talking, his head swung around to look at what she was staring at, "- is a healthy - competition -"

On the television, Tony turned to face the camera, "Well, what's the use of having and owning a race car, if you don't drive it?"

The audience outside applauded. When she heard her dad's voice on TV, Charlotte's face lit up, but instead of replying to Pepper, she just frowned at the television.

"Is he driving?" Hammer asked in surprise, turning back to Christine. Neither of them seemed sure as to what they were seeing. Pepper, had caught sight of the footage as well and her eyes widened as she watched Tony talking to the driver who had been hired to drive.

"Dad's going to drive the car?!" Charlotte exclaimed, she was grinning excitedly when she looked at her mom, "Is he supposed to do that?" She surely would have remembered him telling her if he was.

"No!" She exclaimed. "No, he's not!" Pepper replied as she looked frantically around, "Natalie? Natalie!" she called, beckoning. The grin on Charlotte's face faltered and instead it was replaced with a concerned frown. Her brows pinched as she turned and focused on the screen again.

"Yes, Mrs. Stark?" Natalie promptly appeared by Pepper's side.

"Did you know about this?" Pepper asked her, wondering if Tony had mentioned it to her prior.

"This is the first that I've known of it," Natalie responded, truthfully. Her own expression was a mixture of concern and confusion.

"Dad went to the bathroom, and when he came out, he had a funny look on his face." Charlotte mumbled, more confused than ever. "I smiled and waved at him, but he just left."

"He just left?" Pepper gave Charlotte a side glance, "What do you mean he had a funny look?" she asked, only earning a shrug in response from her daughter. Pepper looked back at the television just in time to see the professional drivers name erased from the list of contestants and replaced with the name Stark, "This cannot happen," she stated nervously.

"Absolutely, I understand," Natalie said quickly, "How can I help you?"

"Where's Happy?" Pepper asked.

"He's waiting outside," the other redhead told her.

"Would you get him, please? I need him," Pepper said, more relieved.

"Right away, Mrs. Stark." Natalie stated before disappearing, her quick footsteps were full of urgency.

"Is dad in trouble?" Charlotte asked.

"No, but he's going to be," Pepper told her through gritted teeth.

Charlotte noticed mother was beginning to shake a little, so she reached for her hand and placed her smaller one on top of hers. Pepper was grateful for the gesture, yet her eyes remained wide as she looked back at the television. Her expression became gaunt as she watched what was unfolding before them.

Charlotte looked and saw a man standing in the centre of the race track. He threw his helmet off, discarding it to the ground and pulled his orange jacket open, under which he wore no shirt. However, in the centre of his chest, sat a rustic and obviously homemade Arc Reactor. As she watched his arms descend, Charlotte sat speechless and increasingly afraid, and now in each of his hands was a length of steel that crackled and sparked violently with electricity.

"Mom?" Charlotte's voice sounded so timid and laced with concern, "What's going on?"

Something underneath had burned away the entire back of the man's jacket, which turned out to be a harness-like structure he had fitted around his body and arms to accommodate the haphazard Arc Reactor and the whips. There was no armor, like her dad's Iron Man Suit. His device was clearly built for a single purpose - to kill.

He moved forward and raised his arm, bringing one of the whips down across the front of the race car, as a driver came screeching toward the man. As neatly as a pair of scissors cut a sheet of paper, the entire front right corner of the car snapped off entirely. The rest of the car flipped up into the air and skidded down the road before convulsing in a ball of fire.

With the notable exception of Hammer, whose attention was sharply alert, Charlotte screamed and shielded her eyes as the watchers in the dining room gasped in terror.

Pepper tightly embraced her daughter and glanced around anxiously. Happy stood there in the doorway of the room with a bright red and silver briefcase, signalling that they had to go.

"Natalie!" Pepper yelled and the woman was by her side in a second.

"Please, watch over Charlotte! I've got to go!" Pepper ordered urgently as she got up from her seat.

"No! Please, don't leave me, Mom." Charlotte cried, tears falling from her eyes.

Her mom knelt beside her, speaking quickly, "Honey, listen to me. There is an Iron Man suit in that case that Happy is holding. I need you to be brave while we go take it to your dad, okay?"

"I'll watch over her, don't worry Mrs. Stark." Natalie quickly assured her. Pepper nodded at her and quickly pressed a kiss to Charlotte's head, before Happy escorted her from the room.

Sitting next to a whimpering girl, Natalie seemed to have shifted from a nervous looking assistant, to a woman with a serious expression. "Don't worry Charlotte, everything is going to be okay. Try and take some deep breaths for me, okay?" she gently told the little girl as she patted her back.

Charlotte merely hugged her as she sniffled. Natalie tensed up, she awkwardly hugged her back, genuinely not knowing what she was doing. She had never had to work this closely with a child before, so this was new territory for her. 

Then everyone immediately screamed in terror again, and she saw a blue car with 'Stark' spinning through the air as Charlotte quickly glanced at the TV again.

"Shit," Natalie whispered, but Charlotte was too stunned to even react to the profanity. She stopped hugging Natalie and stood on her chair to be able to see the TV better.

"Dad!" she howled, fresh tears spilling down her red and puffed cheeks. The car landed upside down, and from its ashes, everyone could see Tony stumbling from the wreckage. Charlotte's eyes were only focusing on her dad, as he staggered to his feet.

The man who had just assaulted her father was heading in the direction of what was left of the racing car, his pace unhurried and carefree. Tony took his helmet off and looked at him, as though he didn't believe what he was seeing. More drivers came into the man's path and attempted to turn around or stop, but they all exploded violently the moment they came within about five feet of him, outlining his frame in smoke and flames.

Everybody in the dining room continued to watch, a spattering of horrified gasps passed through the room. Charlotte tried not to start crying again, but she felt her body tremble with fear. Who was this person?

They were all watching the man stroll up to Tony's car, swinging his whip straight down the middle of it. But Tony was nowhere to be seen when the two pieces fell apart. For a moment, Charlotte looked relieved when, from behind, she saw her dad ramming the man with part of a car door on his head. Like lightning, he turned quickly and swung his whips again. Tony's improvised weapon flew out of his hands and he went to the ground tumbling.

One of the man's whips was brought down once more, and Charlotte squeaked when dad rolled aside just in time. Tony scooted backwards until the whip swung again, and he rolled out of the way once more; Charlotte's breathing had become slightly erratic.

The camera showed Tony jumping to his feet and bolt towards another car's remains, attempting to climb up on top of it as the large man could take another swing at him. He missed and dropped on the ground flat on his back. He groaned in agony, trying to collect himself.

"Charlotte, you're going to make yourself sick if you keep breathing like that," Natalie quickly stated, "I need you to calm down."

Charlotte didn't listen to her. How was she supposed to remain calm? She was too worried about her dad to focus on anything else.

It was clear that the man was in no hurry, he was drawing out each calculated move. He took his time walking up to her dad and started cracking the ground with his whips. Then, just as the man cracked his whips on the car that her dad was hiding, the onlookers watched Tony jumping up and just jumping away in time as the car unexpectedly burst into flames.

"Dad, look out!" Charlotte yelled, watching as her dad pulled himself back to his feet, oblivious to the man stalking up to him from behind.

In a blurred motion, a black shape tore around the corner and skidded into view. Her dad darted to the fence and swung himself up to it just enough as to miss being pinned by Happy's car. The man in the orange jumpsuit was not so lucky.

Her eyes never left the screen, and after a minute of arguing with her mom and Happy, her dad walked around the car and opened the door. As soon as he did, an electric whip came down violently, slicing through the metal as if it was snow. Tony recoiled in shock and Charlotte watched as Happy frantically reversed the car and repeatedly rammed the assailant into the pence, pinning him in place.

The brutality of it was was enough to make her wince, but Charlotte just wanted was for this nightmare to be over. She watched as Happy repeated the motion over and over again, and she noticed that her dad seemed to be reaching for something inside the car.

The man then unexpectedly slammed one of the whips right down the front of the vehicle, which did not instantly break it, but caused significant damage. Charlotte was almost frantic, her senses were heightened as she worried about the three adults; it hadn't really set in that her mom was also in the car. Even as the man trying to kill him twirled his whips for another blow, she saw her dad scream again - this time, in one motion, it took off half the top of the car.

Charlotte whined and Natalie tensed up again as the young girl curled herself tighter into her side, her small hand clinging onto her forearm with a vice like grip.

Strangely, a case was thrown from the car; Charlotte's recognised it as the one Happy had been carrying. As it hit the ground, it scrapped across the tarmac, only stopping when her dad pressed his foot onto the handle, triggering the case to open and layers of folded red and gold were revealed.

It was indeed a suit, just like her mother had said, obviously designed to be easily transported. It unfolded partly as Tony bent down and grasped two more handles. He pulled the main part of the Suit up and put it on his chest, stretching out his arms as the gold-titanium mesh and outer shell fitted itself over his arms, down his back, around his legs, and finally, over his head; the Arc Reactor glowed brightly.

Any onlookers who were still in the stands cried out and rushed forward to watch as Iron Man appeared before their eyes.

"Kick his butt, Dad!" Charlotte screamed, making some of the onlookers chuckle, and look at her curiously. A handful of reporters took a note of this moment and snapped a picture to go alongside it.

Tony flung out his left hand and, just as the man cracked his whip, fired a beam of energy at the man. Tony's hand wrapped around the end of the whip and sent him reeling. Then the other whip swung and grazed the front of the suit just below the Arc Reactor attached to her dad's chest.

Charlotte watched as her dad raised his right hand and shot another beam at the man. However, he simply deflected the bout with another swing of his whip.

Then the broad man twirled both whips, and one wrapped around her dad's right arm and the other around his neck, crackling.

He then snapped the whips, sending Tony spinning to the ground. He managed to scramble quickly to his feet, unhurt, but he was left fending off bout after bout of whip cracks and electric snaps. The man jumped onto the hood of the car, denting the metal.

"Mom, Happy..." the little girl meekly said, her worry for her mother and bodyguard. They were still in the car, trapped between the fence and the electric current.

The man pulled Tony down to the ground, his grip on the whips tightening around the suit's neck. The guests in the dining room continued to anxiously hold their breath, as they watched the whips repeatedly come down on the suit. It violently sparked, but it did not give in.

Tony, however, pulled himself to his feet and curled a length of the crackling steel rope around his arm, then turned around to wrap another length of the whip around his body. He repeated this movement until he was finally right on top of the assailant, ducking under his other whip's swing.

"YES!" Charlotte cheered.

As the man lay on the tarmac, stunned and discombobulated, Tony marched over and clapped his fingers around the edges of the self-made Arc Reactor. In a sharp movement, he ripped the device from the man's depleted suit. Medical staff arrived to assist any injured parties, and the police roughly pulled the man away, his laughs and bellows went ignored.

The dining room was a hubble of excitement as guest bustled amongst one another exclaiming about what they had just witnessed. Charlotte was still standing on her seat and she watched every move her parents and Happy made. It was only when the medical team were assisting them, did Charlotte feel a soft hand on her arm, easing her back do into her seat and into reality.

Unknown to her, the girl was trembling in shock and fear. Natalie, still uncomfortable with how to handle the situation, did what she felt was natural.  She shifted in her seat, moving gently to pick Charlotte up her her underarms and place her down in her lap. Natalie was confused for a moment when she felt something smooth and cold against her knee. When she looked down she realised that Charlotte had her legs draped over hers, an her prosthesis was resting against Natalie's bare skin.

The redhead sighed and frowned to herself. Charlotte was only seven years old, and had already had to endure so much trauma. It was a mystery how the young girl remained so happy and optimistic all of the time, when she knew all too well that there were people out there, like Obadiah Stane and the current assailant, who are actively seeking to cause her family harm.

As Natalie ran a comforting hand up and down her back, Charlotte instinctively reacted to the woman's gesture and curled her body in on itself, tucking her head in the crook of Natalie's neck, and her hands lay loosely around her upper arms.

"Everything is okay, Charlotte. Your dad won." Natalie comforted her, smoothing the child's hair with her hand.

Charlotte's lips trembled. The seven-year-old knew for a fact that this might not be over, it was never that easy.

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author's note

This was a tough chapter to write! So much happens in this scene!

Tony's Monaco suit up scene is my hands down my favourite - it's on par with Civil War and Infinity War ;)

I'm pretty biased, but I love domestic Natasha! I love how her relationship with Charlotte is forming - they are too cute together :)