he's my hero → t . stark ( ON HOLD )

Chapter 1

“Okay Zoza, what do you wanna watch next?” Karla asked, taking the DVD out of the DVD player. She looked over to a thirteen year old girl who was sitting on the couch, picking at a pillow.

“Um, what haven’t we seen yet? I feel like we’ve watched everything today.” The girl said, her voice soft and melodic. The teen turned to face the younger girl, tapping her chin in thought.

“I’ll be right back Ms. Karla.” Zoza said quietly, and Karla nodded. Zoza slid down from the couch and made her way to the bathroom, her long blonde hair bouncing behind her and reflecting the light from the hall. She stopped in the bathroom, pulled out her stepstool, climbed onto it, and gazed in the mirror. She reached over, flicked on the light, and looked in the mirror again. She held up a strand on her hair, dropped it, and then looking into her own eyes. They were a bright, shimmering green, much like her mother’s. Her hair was the same as her mom’s, and it made Zoza sigh every time she look at herself. She turned out the light, put the stool away, and walked back to the living room, where Karla was speaking with another woman.

“Thank you so much for coming on such short notice. Here’s your pay.” She said, handing Karla a twenty dollar bill.

“It was no trouble at all, Ms. Rosemary. She was an angel, like always. Anyways, you know how to reach me if you need me again. Bye!” Karla said, and she left after waving to Zoza, who stood in the doorway.

“I’m home.” Her mother said with a smile, kneeling and opening her arms wide for a hug. Zoza ran into her mother’s arms, and they hugged each other tightly. Her mom stood up and spun her daughter around, making her laugh.

“I missed my angel.” She said softly, setting her daughter onto the couch.

“I missed you, too Mommy.” Zoza replied, her voice lighter than it had been with Karla. Rosemary sat beside Zoza, and they sat in silence. The girl rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, and she sighed softly.

“Momma, when can I spend some time with you? I mean, Karla’s nice and all, but I just wanna spend a day with you.” Zoza said, and her mother squeezed her shoulder.

“My little Zoza, I want you to understand this, okay? I want to spend time with you, I truly do, but work for me is so very demanding, and it breaks my heart to see you unhappy.” Rosemary said softly, and Zoza nodded slowly.

“Okay Momma, I understand.” The girl said softly, hugging her mother gently. Rosemary sighed softly and hugged her daughter back, the wheels in her head turning. This was no life for her little girl. Zoza deserved so much more for being so understanding and patient with her. When her daughter pulled away from her mother, Rosemary smiled to mask her sadness, and she stood to make dinner for the two of them.

***

That night, after Zoza was tucked into bed safe and snug, Rosemary walked to her room and pulled out her phone. She took a deep breath before she dialed the number and held the phone to her ear. It rang several times before it was answered, and the person who spoke was a female.

“Stark Industries, how may I help you?” The woman asked, and Rosemary recognized the voice instantly.

“Pepper, it’s me, Rosemary.”

“Rosie? What’s wrong? You sound troubled.” Her sister asked, concern laced in her voice. Rosemary smiled, knowing that her sister still knew every little thing.

“I need to ask a pretty big favor of you Pep, and I understand if you decline.”

“Rosie, you know I would never do that. What do you need?”

“It’s my daughter, Zoza. I…. This is all becoming too much for her, and I wanted to know if she could stay with you for a while, until I can figure out a way to both juggle my job and spend more time with her. And I feel like it might take a while. I’m sorry this is on such short notice.” Rosemary sighed and braced herself for the answer.

“Rosemary, you know me. Of course I’ll help you. I’m available tomorrow. I can pick her up then. Just make sure she’s packed and ready to go. You never know when Tony and his teammates might blow something up, and they need me.” Pepper laughed, and Rosemary smiled on her end.

“Thank you so much Pep. I really appreciate it. See you tomorrow.” Rosemary said, and she hung up after Pepper said goodbye. She sighed and tip-toed into her daughter’s room, pulled out the bag that Zoza used for when she went to go stay at grandma’s, or with a friend for a sleepover. As quietly as she could, she began to pack her daughter’s clothes, a stuffed animal of hers, her favorite blanket, a couple of toys, and her favorite books. Then, she packed her little Zoza’s iPod with earbuds, which she had gotten for her last birthday as her big gift from her mother. She gently kissed Zoza on the head and took the bag into the living room and set it on the couch. She sat beside it and sighed sadly. She had been thinking about this for weeks, and finally, she made the decision. It was difficult, knowing that she wouldn’t see her little Zoza in months, even up to a year. Who knows how long it would be before the she had her baby girl back with her? Rosemary felt tears in her eyes, and she began to cry softly, not wanting to wake her daughter up.

“My baby girl…. And I can’t even give her the life she deserves.” Rosemary cried. She lifted herself off of the couch and trudged to her bedroom, which was across from Zoza’s. She shut the door climbed into bed, and sobbed into her pillow.

“I-It’s for the best. Once I get everything together, then my baby girl can come home, and everything will be better. For her, for me, for us.” She whispered, slowly drifting off to sleep.