Illegitimate Prodigy

Not so great news.

            His eyelids barely blinked as he dug through an old box of blue prints, notebooks and even old parts that hadn't been tinkered with in years. Generally Tony would pay someone to pack things for him, but with the Sokovia Accords--everything Iron Man related had to be hand packed and organized by him. THEN he was allowed to pass the responsibility to Happy. This box in particular held some of his father's oldest inventions--at least the written down designs of them. All before they became history.

          Unrolling a giant formatted plan, he was nearly startled when he heard Pepper's voice behind him. "Have you told her yet?" He looked up from the drawing, but he didn't turn his head. He could hear the tone in her voice--the familiar worry that Miss Potts was always so good at. "What? About us being back together?" He didn't need to be turned around to know she rolled her eyes.

"Tony." Her voice stern.

        A heavy, exasperated sigh escaped the confines of his throat, rolling up the plan and snapping the old rubber band back around it, he placed it in the box. Tip toes spinning the chair he sat in around, he faced his CEO. Her aquamarine eyes stared patiently. "What news are you referring to? The fact that she just moved in roughly 6 months ago, and I'm about to make her move again..." he rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, lost in thought. "OR...the part where the hospital called and no longer sees any positive outcome with her grandfather and recommend that she take him off life support. Not only that but instead of the PROFESSIONALS taking it upon themselves to tell her---" he threw his hands up in frustration. "They WANT ME to tell her." The fact alone caused the tin man's heart to sink deep within the walls of his stomach. It stewed him so much he felt like he needed to vomit. Annabelle had been distant ever since the attack. Bitter toward him which he didn't take lightly.

Pepper stood silently, her breathing being the only thing that made itself pronounced.

"She needs to hear it," she paused, her voice soft. "From you."

"Yes, yes, I know," he could feel his agitation building. "Did you not hear me earlier trying to convince her to come here--right here? And talk to me?"

"YOU don't want to tell her, Tony. You want to avoid it all costs. I know you. You distract yourself with...well all of this." Her arms unfolded from her chest to gesture toward everything around them. "It doesn't even seem like you care."

"CARE?"Tony felt the back of his throat begin to burn, his fist clench with every additional word. He pushed himself up from the chair, his dark eyes fuming. "I'm trying to embrace the moments she still actually wants to be around me. A world where she doesn't hate me with every bone in her body." He beamed, realizing his anger was getting the best of him. A quick inhale through his nose, he turned his face to stare at the interior of his shop. Every suit that needed to be dismembered, every gadget that needed to be packed away into highly secure boxes. "The second I tell her---" he hesitated, shaking his head. "She. will. loath. me."

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                Pepper eventually retreated to the elevator of the tower, informing Tony she would wake Annabelle--that she would soon be there to speak to him. Good. Great. Grand, he thought to himself. What would Lizzy do in this situation? Of course, if Lizzy was still alive, Annabelle wouldn't be here. Robert would not be--dead. His brown eyes focused on the screen in front of him.

Just codes were displayed--something he had been working on for the kid--for his new suit. He had to be sure to take proper precautions to avoid any mishaps involving Queens brightly colored new super hero. Lifting his right hand, he extended his middle finger to the erase button on the digital keyboard, and the screen went black.

tap.tap.tap. He heard from behind him. Quickly turning he saw his daughter standing on the opposite side of the glass. She had tied back her long hair, making her pale skin and exhausted eyes much more noticeable. Her grandfather being in the hospital was causing her to slowly waste away--and Tony was about to destroy her.  Despite her exhaustion, however, she still was able to give him a small smile. Her brown eyes disappearing as her cheeks rose.

Pushing himself up, he paced slowly to the glass door. He was trying not to drag his feet, his body already rejecting the conversation he was about to have. Placing his palm on the translucent glass that aligned the door, a blue light quickly scanned his prints before blinking twice and unlocking the door. Grabbing the handle, he pulled it toward him and stepped aside.

Belle walked past her father, her eyes widening at the room around her. It was probably only the second time he ever let her access it. She never appeared to show any interest with Iron Man, nor did she ask much about any of the ex-Avengers. She already thought he was egotistical... eccentric even. Maybe she didn't want to know more.

He let her wander a bit, to satisfy her curiosity. Tony watched his daughter carefully, feeling a small moment deja vu. Of course, he never mentioned these moments, because Belle had no idea he tried to raise her from birth-- but it all ended when she turned five. Lizzy wanted nothing to do with him, Robert wanted him dead. Obadiah wanted her aborted the moment the pregnancy became real.

Once the plan took its course, Lizzy and Robert went to work on making his precious five year old forget all about him-- at least in a way that he was merely a figment of her imagination. That his presence only existed in her dreams.

The young adult turned to face Tony, her eyelids fluttering from the floor up to his face. "What's up? What was so urgent?" Tony stared past her, unable to make eye contact. His hands rose to her shoulders, turning on a dime and sitting her down in his chair. It was then that her face seemed a little more concerned--- confused by his actions. Clapping his hands together, he gestured toward her, and ignoring the thoughts in his head to flee from this conversation. "I sold the tower."

Annabelle's eyebrows lifted slightly. " Oh.... so I'm moving out?"

"Yes, well.." he hesitated. "We all are. To the new headquarters."

"Where is it?"
"Upstate." He quickly retorted.
"Upstate? But.. what about me going back to school."
"I thought you were taking a break?"
"I was, but only because you told me you wanted me to--- for protection. Plus it's closer to Grandpa's hospital is here. I'm only minutes away. If I move upstate--- if anything happens..." she faded, and Tony could feel the blood leave his face.

"That's the other thing," his knees buckled, at first unsure he should get down on his knees.... to be at her eye level. Would she want that? Or was that just for children? He didn't know. "Annabelle...," he re-straightened, leaning himself up against the desk to the right of her. "I talked to your grandfather's doctor yesterday."

"Oh?" She adjusted uncomfortably, but her eyes didn't move from him.

"They think after... the months Robert has spent in his coma, that it's time to consider..."

Before he could even spit it out, he watched his daughter's calm face grow contorted. Her head began to shake back and forth in a panic.
"You mean... you want me to take him off life support?" She spoke quickly.
"He's still breathing. His heart is still beating..." Her voice shook.

"But he doesn't have brain waves, Belle." He interrupted. "I mean...," he brought a hand up to rub his jaw line, and a loud sigh escaped through his nose. " He's gone, sweetheart." Tony didn't even have to look at her to know she was angry--- and her heart was breaking.

"He's not..." she let her elbow lifted to the edge of the tabletop next to her, and her delicate fingertips quickly retreated to her forehead. "He's not gone. He's still.." Before she could spit anymore words out, her chest began to rise and fall all too quickly. Just the noise alone coming from her mouth showed her true distress, all before the tears began rolling down her cheeks.Tony's brown hues widened, going into a slight panic mode.

His daughter fell from the chair she sat in, gasping for air. Tony swiftly dropped to his knees, one hand grabbing onto one of hers and the other cupping underneath her chin. "Annabelle," he said softly, feeling so out of control. "Breath."