Stark Found [completed!]

Chapter 18: I'm Fine

Tony

"What are you doing?" Sophie slammed the door shut. I continued flipping through channels on her new flat screen. Every change in her room I was seeing to myself. What she didn't know, is that I was making her a suite on the second floor furthest away from everyone else.

"How was work? It's great to see you, too!"

"What are you doing here?"

"What's that? Can't hear you over the construction going on outside of my new building."

She dropped a box onto the small table so she could glare at me with her hands on her hips. A lot of women tend to prefer standing like that when they talk to me. "Your building?"

I grinned. "Yes! I bought this place last night. Ejected a few low lives, and now I'm cleaning it up a bit."

"Why?"

"Because you wouldn't let me buy you a condo."

"So you bought an entire motel?"

"Yes." I sat up to face her better. "What about this is difficult to understand? Is work too stressful for you? Because, I mean it when I say Pepper could-"

"Okay, Tony, stop. What are you doing here? In my room?" she repeated.

I cleared my throat. "There was one thing my parents – your grandparents – the one thing we were never very good at – and I'm still not good at it –"

"You're ranting." She pursed her lips.

"We never learned how to communicate our feelings. Mom was better at it than dad and I. I never told them how much I loved and appreciated them. I refuse to have that same relationship with you," I explained. An old Iron Maiden CD caught my eye. I plucked it from the box she was now unloading from.

"So, you want us to be all mushy, like the Brady Bunch or the family in 7th Heaven?" she frowned.

"Not if you're going to have that attitude towards it."

"You still want me to be nice to Eden – fine. But tell her to quit thinking she knows you better than I do. She's like her mom, but I'm just like our dad, so I understand you more than anything thinks I do," she warned.

I nodded. "Good to know. I'll, uh, see you later?"

She shook her head in resignation. "I'm sure you will, since you won't leave me alone!"

"Great!"

"Oh, wait!" I paused. "When is all this racquet going to be done?"

I looked outside at the mess and grinned. "I don't know."

"But-"

"Ah, ah, ah! I've got to go! Incredibly busy! Meetings with architects about my new building and whatnot."

I sighed and left her room, relieved I got that out. It still pains me that I never got to properly say goodbye to my parents, even if it's been almost 25 years. Sophie's mom was dead, too, but she had plenty of time to say goodbye. Mine were murdered by someone I'm now forced to consider an 'ally' after we both almost killed each other.

As long as Barnes continues to stay away, and neither of my daughters fall in love with him, I think I'll get over this vengeance thing against him just fine.

Sophie

Frustrated by this new mess my father got me in, I almost completely forgot about the mystery box left for me at work. It was likely from that mystery man, dropped off by my number one fan. I'm sure his fairy assistant loves being the errand girl.