The Other Stark

After Graduation

Graduation was boring nothing to really talk about the only thing that got me was watching all of my peers hanging out, and drinking getting pumped for their great accomplishments while I sat and watched them from a window while my father was at the bar. I didn't even want to attend but seeing how a Stark was graduating cum laude, that meant that the great Tony Stark would attend and he even is making a speech as a alumni at the very private event. It was my day but sometimes my father couldn't help but make it about him. Even when it was over I watched as all the others students said their goodbyes to each other and parents shake each others hands. I didn't get to say goodbye to anyone. Not that there was anyone I was close to. You don't have many friends that are real when you are like me. I didn't even get back to my apartment as dad hired someone to take all my boxes and send them to Malibu.

I guess I was so emotional because today was a big day. As we flew over Massachusetts I thought to how the place touched me so much, after all I was just fifteen when I came to MIT still a young teen figuring out who I was. I even thought of bringing up my mother to dad or the fact that I want to get a graduate degree but I chickened out, fearful I would get Tony in a mood. Hell I don't even call him dad half the time in public, he insisted that it's not his style and he is way to young to have a daughter just graduate from college. Despite everyone's protest to stay up and celebrate, I just went to sleep in my old bedroom when I got home. It didn't look like a bedroom a teenage girl old had. Really serious, with a simple queen bed, an organized desk, nothing sort than a dorm room with no one living in it, but then I would look around and find little hints that a teenage girl used to be here like a poster on the inside of my closet door of some teenage heart throb, or a small Phantom of the Opera music box.

Days turned into weeks and eventually months. Dad got his wish and I was slowly taking on more task within the company. Soon I will attend the first big demonstration I was attending with my father.

But till then we attend a kiss ass dinner in Las Vegas, where there will be a presentation and everyone talking about how great he is so he can accept another award. That was the plan. Obidiah had escorted me in one of the fanciest ballgowns I own to the dinner after my father never showed up to pick me up. I waited at the table for my father to join, but my father never showed up and Obidiah had to accept the award on my father's behalf and give some bullshit speech about how Tony was busy working. I actually thought my eyes were going to get stuck in the back of my head with the eye-rolls I gave. Obidiah sent me home since, "Las Vegas was no place for a young lady". Busy working my ass Rhodes -my fathers best friend- had to text me that Tony didn't make it because the craps table was "hot". I was furious at Tony. Even as his daughter I saw how he treated people, including me. To Tony we are all just little play things that he adores when he wants and ignore the rest of the time when he doesn't want us.  What I did manage to get out of this trip was a little trinket, from Las Vegas for Pepper's birthday and that was about it.

I was frustrated when I had to fly to Malibu all by myself. See even though I spent most of my childhood at the NYC apartment, my dad was currently stating in his Malibu home. He inherited a lot of houses but he has bought like three more since I was born. I woke up at my normal time of 7 am and headed down stairs in my sweats. Pepper was already up and running, honestly I miss my mother and wish that I had the opportunity to know her, but Pepper really has stepped up non-intentionally to be a mother figure. She passed me a cup of coffee and I wished her a happy birthday when we herd someone being denied access to my father's lab. A woman wearing an oh-so-original fashion statement of one of my father's button down shirt, how creative. Immediately this girl caught an attitude with Pepper after Pepper handed her dry cleaned clothes. I couldn't handle it, and I don't know how she does. I went down to dad's lab with Pepper as she nagged him about being late for his flight with Rhodes. God forbid nothing would get done without her. He wasn't even actually working, he was playing with a hot rod car. He started asking about her birthday and all I could think of was shit. I tried to save him, telling her the bear I got from Vegas was from the both of us and he even picked it out buuuut she knew that was bullshit. He turns to me and says, " Nice save hun, oh and by the I'm flying solo for this one." My mouth just gasp open and I lowered my brows, clearly mad. "Wait so after weeee agreeed that I would go, you want me to stay here and shadow Pepper" "yeah hunny I wanted to tell you but I know you. You're my little girl and it issss a war zone. I may not be father of the year, but something is telling me that you shouldn't go. See Pepper I can be responsible too" as soon as I opened my mouth he interrupted me but then I cut him of "No Tony! I am sick of this shit! You think you raised me to not need you and be independent but guess what dad this is the longest time we have ever spent together in my whole life and I need to figure out how to actually run this company. I'm a Stark too." He looked a little bothered but soon shook it off while shaking his head no. "Too dangerous maybe one day you will get it" and with that he started to walk off without me to the plane. He didn't react but I know he herd me yell, "Maybe one day you will listen to me and understand that I am not weak. I am stronger than you will ever know. I can handle it!"

It wasn't long after that did I get the news. Dad was heading back after his demonstration and he got attacked. I broke down. When I first herd the news I broke down, then locked my self in the room for a week before I decided to leave. Then I had my first real meal, along with with some...or a lot of booze. I kept with the booze the days later, the weeks later, finally two months later I stopped. Then I got angry. I rushed down to my dad's office and started to do some research, Tony was missing not dead, about half on who has my dad and where they have him, and the other half on weapons, lots of weapons. I would need more than strength to get him back. If the government wasn't going to find my dad then I was. After a month I finally had the plans down. I had made a weapon that would make even my dad impressed. I was almost done making it when Javis had a phone call from Pepper. I answered the phone and yelled at Javis to turn down AC/DC. "What Pepper now is not a good time." It had sounded like she was crying when she laughed, "Your father, Toni! He is OK, they found him he is on his way home." I wasted no time in jumping off my work bench and jumping in one of my dad's cars then driving off to the military base Pepper said his plane would land. I saw her and ran right to her. She held out her arms wanting a hug but I just stood by winked at her and said, "Sorry babe, my next hug is for Tony" and that's how I got here standing at a military tar mat waiting so see my father after his three month disappearance.