Lyra Redfield has been pushed around ever since she cut ties with the famous Anthony Stark. When fate happens to bring them together again, she realizes just how little her life meant to her. She wanted to make a difference-be better and do better...
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LYRA watched Pepper curl her dark hair in the mirror as Charlotte sat on her lap. Charlotte was dressed in a pretty dress with her dark hair tied in a bow. She was giggling at something Lyra was singing to her.
"I'll take Charlotte to bed around ten, okay?" Pepper asked.
Lyra frowned. "You should be partying with them. I can put Charlotte to sleep."
Pepper shook her head. "I fly out tomorrow, so I want to spend tonight with my godchild. Who knows when I'll see her again, you know?"
Lyra sighed and nodded. "I still feel bad."
"You don't have to," Pepper said as she turned off the iron and placing it far away from Charlotte's reach. "I love taking care of her. I'll never want my own, but she's awesome because I can hang out with her... and at the end of the day, I give her back to you and Tony," she added cheekily.
Lyra laughed. "That's great. I feel a bit better."
"Let's go show her off," Pepper said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
As the pair locked arms, their heels clicked down the hallway to the elevator with Charlotte in Lyra's arm. "This feels familiar," Lyra murmured. "Deja vu of the New Year's party in... what? 2011? God, we're getting old, Pep!"
"Yet we still look as sexy as 2008 in these backless dresses during that banquet," Pepper reminded her.
Lyra turned wide-eyed. "These are those dresses!?"
"The very same," Pepper hummed as the elevator opened to the party. Charlotte squealed excitedly as she caught sight of all her favorite people scattered around the room. "I'm going to say hi to Rhodey and Tony. Let me know if I need to take her."
"She's mine until ten!" Lyra called as Pepper walked off. "I love that woman," she said to herself as she caught Sam in the crowd. "Sam!"
Sam turned, grinning when he caught sight of the baby. "Starkette, I didn't know if the rumors were true. Small child is yours?"
"Meet Charlotte!" Lyra grinned when Charlotte grabbed Sam's sleeve to get in his arms. "This is Uncle Falcon," she told Charlotte. "She loves people—but only people she knows Tony and I are comfortable with."
"Smart kid."
"Look at her parents," Steve said as he walked over to the pair. "Hey, Charlie!"
"Cap'n!" Charlotte yelled happily, wiggling from Sam's arms to get into his.
Sam shook his head. "That's cold, Mini Stark."
Steve grinned, holding Charlotte close as the three walked around while Sam listened to Steve and Lyra recount the battle at Strucker's base.
"Sounds like a hell of a fight, sorry I missed it," Sam said, making faces at Charlotte. She giggled.
Steve shrugged. "If I had known it was going to be a firefight I absolutely would have called you."
