"Jae... Jaedyn... Jaedyn for Christ sake, look at me," I hadn't stopped moving since we got to the hotel, I was pacing back an forth. I hadn't even bothered to get out of my clothes, my hand wrapped in some bandage and my dress completely ruined. "Tony will come back soon, can you just take a moment to breathe?" Breathe? How could I take a moment to breathe when dad had gone with the authorities to deal with the man, who I had shot?! "Jaedyn..." I looked over seeing Pepper coming over to me, she grabbed my hand that wasn't wrapped and pulled me into the bathroom. She pulled open the shower door and put me into it, clothes and all. Turning the water on high, I gasped coming back to reality. "Jaedyn, everything that happened. Happened, I need you to realize that."

"You don't think I know that?!" I yelled at her, my mascara running even more. "I shot someone today Pepper." I turned away from her letting the water hit my face and I wiped away my makeup, letting all the dirt run off me. "Just get out." I didn't hear her say anything else, but I heard the door close. After that I slid down the shower wall onto the floor, tears falling. What was going to happen now? Did the guy live, I didn't want to have killed a man. Would I be going to jail, would I be taken out of dad's custody, what was dad's reaction to all of this? Finally I took a deep breath and struggled to stand to my feet, stripping myself of my clothes. I rested my arms on the wall and let the water pour off me, memory flashes of the day hitting me like a train. My hand should have stung but I was on multiple pain killers, but it didn't and for that I was thankful.

After I left the shower, I had noticed my clothes that I lost were gone and replaced with my black ACDC hoodie and black shorts. In the pocket of the hoodie was a pair of red and white fuzzy socks along with a bra and my underwear.

"Thank you Pepper," I whispered under my breath, throwing them on I tied my hair into a bun and exited the bathroom. The lights were off and Pepper had left a glass of water on the side table for me. I shouldn't have yelled to her, she was only trying to help. I crawled across the bed pulling up the covers and over me hoping that this was all a dream. Pulling my legs closer to my I tried to just disappear within the bed.

Everything had happened so quickly, the dirt was covering my eyes and a few tears had fallen down my cheeks. There was so many flashes and people yelling over to me.

"Miss Stark! Are you alright? What happened down on the track? Who was the man who attacked your father? Is it true you shot the man? What was the man wearing on his chest? Was it an Arc Reactor?" Happy had covered me with his jacket to avoid the cameras, Pepper had dealt with the press as much as she could but that would only hold them off for so long. Natalie was on the phone, probably with the top guy from Shield. "Miss Stark a comment please."

"I suggest you leave the young lady alone, she's been through enough for one day. Miss Potts will have a statement for you all later," Happy had spoke in a calm manner, that was almost enough to calm me down. When the door shut behind me I could only remember the shot ringing and Dad getting hit with the electrical whips. After Dad released me from our hug he let me go to the officers and paramedics so I could get bandaged up and give the officers my statement. It was all rather simple, they got my point of view and saw no reason to arrest me when the guy was trying to kill dad, I was in the right to shoot the guy.

Pepper and I barely looked to each other when we got into the hotel. I think we were both still in shock. Dad had told Happy to tell me that he was going to go see the guy who tried to kill him. I couldn't understand why, though I too wanted to know how he created the arc reactor.

"Tony don't wake her, she needs to rest," I heard Pepper's soft voice whispering over to dad, who probably came into my room first.

"I just wanted to see if she was alright," Dad was obviously tired by the way he sighed soon after he spoke. "When did she learn how to shoot a gun? When did Happy even put a gun in the car?" More questions with no answers. Slowly I sat up and rubbed my tired eyes, looking over to the two of them. Dad was leaning in the door way and Pepper was just sitting in a chair.

"It was my fifteenth birthday I think. I wanted to learn how to shoot, and I knew Happy could probably easily get a gun," I mumbled pushing off the covers and quickly stepping on the carpet over to dad burying my face in his shirt. He stumbled for a short moment before hugging me back. Kissing the top of my head, I smiled into his chest. I could hear the machine in his chest working and I could also see the glowing of it too.

"Are you alright Princess?" I nodded and we both released each other. Dad quickly took a look over me, seeing my cuts and bruises and the cuts on my hand. "Pep." Dad spoke, insinuating to Pepper to give us the room.

"I honestly just want to forget the whole thing," I walked over to the bed and sat down, my legs crisscrossed. I took note of the almost funny feature that was on my body. I had a scar on my right leg, and my right hand had been bandaged with cuts. He joined me as I sat on the bed, the lights were dimmed so we could see each others emotions. "It's taken me six months to try not to half a night terror, but I still have them occasionally. And this isn't gonna help that." There were psychological issues that had only just faded but there were scars that were never going to fade.

"Jae-"

"Seventeen years," I interrupted him. "I have had a cushioned life. Now I get to deal with the fact that you are a hero and that I am at risk because my life is going to be in constant danger. And I know, I know your going to protect me by any means necessary."

"Jaedyn." Him stating my name caused me to stop talking and look up from my hands. "Stop talking for just a second," The first thing I saw were his eyes, clouded with worry and questions. Next thing was a purple and black bruise on the side of his face.

"I don't want to stop dad, I can hardly think right now. I have so many questions I want to ask," I clenched my hands to fists and balled up some of my hair. A frustrated groan escaping my lips.

"Go ahead,"

"What?"

"Ask your questions," Dad leaned back on the head board putting his phone and wallet on the side table, getting comfortable.

"Who is he? Why did he attack you? Is he alive? What did he say when you visited him?"

"His name is Ivan Vanko. He wanted to show that he could create an Arc Reactor, which he got from his father, it was an early design. He's alive you did injury his shoulder. He said that the Stark family were thieves and butchers, and that the last two Starks would soon be gone," I could tell dad was studying my emotions, though I was trying to remain emotionless. "How are you?"

"Fine, how's your face?" I shot back at him, crossing my arms, my thoughts running wild. Crossing my arms also allowed me to hide the wrap on my hand. I had refused to go to the hospital because I was too stubborn and I had no patience to stay there. Plus I didn't want to leave dad at that time.

"Fine," We both sighed and he knew what I was going to say next so he continued on. "I wanted to drive it, I owned it and I had never driven it before."

"That's no excuse and you know it. You put yourself in enough danger dad. Can you promise to not do that again?"

"Can you promise not to go driving towards a crazed madman?" He shot back at me.

"No." I shook my head and the look on his face was shock. "I can't promise that anymore, I'm not gonna lose you again. I can't. I wasn't gonna sit in some fancy hotel and watch you die on a television. I wasn't going to sit by and watch you die from the car."

"Jaedyn Maria Stark, you cannot go running out-"

"Anthony Edward Stark," I used his full name again shocking him. "I'm not going to do any stupid thing just because I can. I don't want you to get hurt and I don't want to get hurt again. We both did stupid things today, let's just promise not to do them again." He nodded agreeing with me.

"Pinky promise?" He said raising up his pinky finger to me, causing a grin to appear on my lips.

"Pinky promise." I wrapped my pinky around his and we both smiled to each other. There was an underlining thought we both knew though.

This promise wouldn't hold, dad would do something stupid again, and the next time he did. The Iron Man, the suit might not be enough.

We had gotten in the jet early the next morning. Every news channel, every paper, every blog was showing the attack. And me shooting the gun. I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night, I didn't even remember falling asleep. I leaned my head on the window staring out at the airport. We were getting ready to leave, and I couldn't wait to be in the air.

"Yes, I believe that Tony Stark has no idea what he's doing, both with the Iron Man weapon, which he uses as a toy. And with him being a parent to the young Jaedyn Stark," Hearing my name on the television I glanced over to it. Senator Stern was looking smug as he did an interview.

"So what gave you this notion about him as a father," The reporter asked.

"Miss Jaedyn Stark, Seventeen years old, she's as bright as her father I'll give her that. Though she is still a child, she has no rules. Just the other day she was in a club, drinking and partying. And now we hear how she took a gun shooting the man who was attacking Mr Stark. She shouldn't have a gun in her possession. And I don't even think the kid sees the way her father really is," I know how he is, reckless but a good father. "The Starks need to realize that what happens has consequences."

"Turn it off," I heard dad mutter under his breath. He was sitting on the opposite end of the jet but I could see him. He was rubbing his eyes and I could tell that he wasn't happy. I hated the storm that was growing even bigger as the events from yesterday are making our live an everything in it worse. "Pepper I don't want to hear about it, it's that simple," The silence was so deafening in the jet now that the television was off. "Could you tell the pilot to take us to Paris."

"Why? We have to face this Tony, we can't just run away. I'm the CEO so I have to go show up." Pepper had taken a seat across the aisle from dad. "Not everyone runs on batteries Tony, we have to face this, I have to face this for the company."

"It's just all too much for Jaedyn, she practically passed out on me last night."

"I can hear you..." I grumbled crossing my arms over my chest. I knew that dad had been trying to put on a brave face, but now as I heard him talking to Pepper, he was more worried for my sake and how this was going to affect me. I moved from my seat gripping the wall to steady myself as we hit some turbulence, cringing I leaned on the wall lowering my bandaged hand to my thigh as the car wreck had hurt my thigh and my hand was cut up.

"You alright?" Pepper asked.

"Fine," I grabbed some water from the mini bar and took some pain reliever pills before I sat back down in my seat. "Honestly I'm fine." I wasn't. I was far from fine, I just wanted to try and put on a brave face for him so he could focus on something else.

"You know if you need someone to talk to Jae-"

"Talk about what?" I shot back to dad, he sighed heavily in response. "I don't want to talk to some shrink that wouldn't solve anything. Just make me relive it."

"Jaedyn, your hardly sleeping and eating anymore. You think I don't know how some of my sleeping pills go missing? Even though yours just got refilled." I slouched back in my chair trying to avoid his eyes by hiding behind my hair.

"I dropped them."

"Bullshit and you know it," I bit the inside of my cheek listening to him. "There's no shame in asking for help, but you taking my pills is not okay. I could set you up with someone to talk to."

"A shrink?" I questioned finally meeting his eyes. "It's bad that my nights are plagued, I don't want to plague my days too by having to relive it all okay?"

"Well you could talk to me, or Pepper," He motioned over to her, but I saw the look in Pepper's eyes, She needs you. I had seen that when I had my first night terror when he had gotten home. Tony and Pepper had rushed it to find me screaming, Pepper came over and calmed me down for the most part. But I was still hyperventilating, it was only when Pepper had shot him the same look that he came over and rocked me to sleep. I couldn't talk about that night, it was overwhelming, even though we went through it together. I thought that if I didn't talk about it or think about it. The faster it would go away. I was wrong.

"How did get over it all," I mumbled quietly, my eyes watching as he came down the aisle over to the seat across from mine. "With Afghanistan and everything. How did you get over it?"

"I don't. I haven't, not yet at least." His face had changed from concern to serious as I had caused him to go back to a place he probably wouldn't have wanted to go to. He hadn't moved passed it, it was still there. He just hid it better than I could. "I just happened to accept that it happened and I've gotten better to repress it all."

"I just want to forget it dad," I whispered, quickly wiping my eyes.

"With your injuries-"

"No, I want to forget it all," I began. "When you were gone, I was a mess. I laid awake thinking you were dead, and my mind wandered to the horrible things that could have happened to you. I couldn't do anything, I felt helpless. I never want to have that feeling again, the feeling of realizing my father was dead. Or being tortured to death. Please don't leave me again, I can't handle it again," I could see the slight tears forming in dad's eyes. "I know it wasn't your fault, and I could never blame you for anything that happened..." I took a deep breath rubbing my now red eyes. "I don't want a shrink, but talking about it... helps." For the next hour and a half we talked about it all. We both didn't go into details because it hurt already to talk about. And I didn't think either of us could really relive our worst memories. It was during our talk that I realized that dad wasn't able to really move on when his daughter was having night terrors every other night. Seeing the scar whenever I wore shorts, or just seeing me on my bad days, limping or needing the crutches was not helping either. We both finished talking about it and I had tear stained cheeks, dad had cried but he tried to hide it when he left the few tears fall.

"I love you Princess, never forget that." He stood up and took a step over to me, leaning down and kissing my head.

"I love you too Dad." I smiled and kissed his cheek.