We all know that back in the day Tony was a playboy (before Pepper) and it's pretty much a joke to the whole Avengers that he has a kid out there in the world. But what happens when he gets an eight year old girl fainting at his door steps? No one k...
Setting: Grave yard; Tony stands with a three months pregnant Pepper before a head stone-both are silent...
I stare at the grave of my twins; I couldn't find William's body or Annie's; everything was burned to ashes, all I found was the chocker necklace that she had been wearing. From what we could see, Banner was right; hydra treated Annie more as an animal than a human being. We found melted metal cages and burned scraps of what Annie had been wearing when she was Red Winter. From the damage done, there's no way anyone could survive the amount of heat it would take to melt the metal of the cages. My Annie...I only knew her for two days and that was nine years ago...
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"She's in a better place now Tony..." Pepper whispers gripping my hand tighter
"Yea..." I whisper, "she finally free."
"..." we just stare silently at the grave for another moment
I failed her and William; failed them as both Iron Man and a father, I blame myself for her death, for letting this happen to her. Pepper soon heads back to the tower and I stand alone before the grave, quiet and chocking back tears of heartbreak. I have very few regrets in my life, but not being able to save the last piece of Mena I had left; not being able to save my little girl...that trumps it all. If Pepper never took her for ice cream that day...if they had just stayed at the tower...then maybe none of this would have happened and maybe we would've been able to save William from and early grave as well. Why do we live in such a cruel and unfair world where people do these sick, twisted things and allow for them to happen?
"I am so...sorry Annie," I whisper to the stone before me
It happen three months ago, but it still feels like yesterday to me-yesterday that she collapsed at the front door of the tower; yesterday that she came into our lives-that we were teaching her to read and write, that she hugged me for the first...and last time. It feels like just yesterday that she was thirteen and I had her back for only a few seconds before she passed out and was gone from the tower the next morning. Only yesterday that she was seventeen and I was watching her exchange her life to protect someone else's. Only yesterday that she returned to me for a split second when she was crying and whispering to Steve in Wakanda. And it's only now that I realize just how much she looked like Mena did growing up...
"I'm so sorry kiddo," I whisper as the tears start coming, "I'm so sorry..."
"Well this is just sad to look at," William's voice
"What are you still doing here?" I ask
"I already told you old man," he says, "I'm not going anywhere until Annie is safe."
"It's over kid," I say, "she dead. See the grave."
"I see it old man," he says, "that doesn't make her dead."
"The house was burnt to ashes William; nothing was left," I say
"Did you find a chard dead seventeen year old girl body?" He asks
"No; no bodies were found," I say
"Then how do you know she's dead?" He asks
"This was all we found William," I say pulling the chocker out of my pocket
"That proves nothing old man; other than the fact that she was there," he says
"You know what kid," I start, "I'm not gonna argue over this with a ghost! She's dead okay. No one could've survived a fire like that!"
"You clearly didn't know Annie," he mutters
"How could I? I only got two days with her nine years ago!" I snap
"Look..." he starts, "all I know is...if she were dead...she'd be standing next to me right now and we'd be heading towards the light. But I don't see her or the light...she's gotta still be alive..."
"Are you sure kid?" I ask with a sigh
"If she were dead, you'd see her here next to me," he snaps, "and I'm not going anywhere without her!"
"Alright kid..." I say with another sigh and start to leave
I don't have the energy to argue with William...is it possible for a ghost to be in denial? I think William might be...I don't dare hope or tell Pepper. If I do and then find out she really is dead...I couldn't bare going through the whole burying process again. I haven't slept well since we discovered they got away and Annie's possible death, I hardly speak to anyone...Pepper's telling people that I'm still grieving. It's not that I'm grieving; I mean, I am, but my mind keeps going back to the what ifs and what might have beens had certain things happened differently... xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Tony returns to the tower looking more dead than alive; we all watch as he ignores us all, goes to the bar and dumps a bottle of scotch down the sink. He's gone to the grave every day for the past three months since we found the chocker Annie was wearing and every day that he's come back, he dumps a bottle of liquor down the sink. He hasn't drank an ounce of alcohol since the whole ordeal...it's getting to the point where we're all starting to worry about him. After dumping the bottle down the sink, he wanders out of the room in the direction of his workshop. We're all slight for a moment to be sure he's gone...
"So are we still mad at him?" Sam asks
"..." we stare at Sam
"Its seems kind of a mute point now," Clint says
"..." we stare Clint now
"Too soon," I say
"Poor Tony..." Wanda mumbles
"He'll be fine," Nat says
"In time," Vision adds
"We can only hope," I sigh
Banner's been in the lab analyzing the chocker we found to find out how it works, especially since Annie wasn't able to speak before she had it. Upon her wearing it, it really looked more like a collar than a necklace; Banner believes it might've been a way that Hydra was controlling her. He's fully convinced from the two day he knew her when she was eight, that she could never purposely harm anyone. I'd like to agree with him, but I've never really met her on the greatest circumstances. I like to believe that most people are generally good; I'd like to say that, but with all the spilled blood I've seen-all the war-I honestly can't be too certain. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Macabre diner)
"Been at the grave again?" I ask as Annie walks through the door
"..." she nods her head solemnly and starts crying
"Hey," I whisper pulling her into a hug, "it'll be alright; give it time, it'll all cone back."
I've learned that she doesn't remember much; she's gone to the grave everyday for the past two month-I think she does it in hopes of remembering something-anything about before she was the mass murderess Red Winter. Every time she comes back from the grave, she cries her eyes out in silence and from what she's written, it's coming back to her slowly and in flashes. She believes that we should both be safe, with everyone believing that she's dead...
