Tony's (not so) Little Girl

14: You're Dating Who?!

Half an hour before the function I had to hang up with Artemis. Well technically she hung up because she started talking about the surprise and got worried she would spoil it so she hung up all excited and yet flustered. I found it more amusing then anything.

Ten minutes before the function and I heard a knock on my door. Opening it in curiosity I found tony on the other side, dressed in full slacks and vest but no blazer, leaning partly against the wall with his shoulder.

"Look kid, I know that you've never been to one of these before but it's important that..." he started to say, trailing off at the end and shaking his head "Pepper told me to be all serios and dad like. Which I can't. Just stick with either Pepper, who I will introduce you too, or myself and it will be fine. Or hell, stick with one of the Avengers because they're going to be there too. Come down whenever you want, or don't I don't care."
"Okay cool, but Stark?" I asked
"Tony,"
"Tony... This isn't my first big networking, function, event thing. My girlfriend has been dragging me to ones from the moment we started dating," I explained "I know what I'm doing."
"Oh yeah? And who's your girlfriend?" He asked all cockilly, raising his eyebrow and crossing his arms
"You're not going to like it so I'll just let you meet her when we're all down stairs."

Tony didn't know what to say to that. It was written all over his face. So instead of saying anything else he stood up properly and left leaving me, once again, to myself.

Five minutes before the function Tony text me what floor it would be on. When my phone beeped out the Kim Possible ring tone and lit up, I read the message quickly and started doing the finishing touches. I pulled on gold shoes, dug around for my accessories, and reaplied my lipstick.

One minute to the dot before the function and I was dashibg to the elevator, jumping just slightly with a start when it started moving downwards on it's own, which I even caught on camera.

"Enjoy the function, miss," called a very clearly male and very clearly robotoc voice from the ceiling, scaring me half to death "Did I scare you? Terribly sorry."

Also clearly British, aparently.

"What the fuuuuuuuuuck," I hissed to the camera and to myself "Shit. Shit shit shit. You're okay. It's okay. It's just a voice."

I knew that I would probably have to edit that whole bit out later.

The elevator doors didn't open right away. In fact, the didnt open until my breathing had calmed and I felt ready to go out, making me think that the strange voice was monitoring me.

When I did step out I was in awe. Beside the elevator I had stepled out of there was another and beyond the two of them, a small hallway looking walkway. Smack bang in the middle of the walkway, maybe fuve metres away from the elevators, stood two grand staircases, both leading down into a ballroom like room. For just a moment I could forget that I was in something so rediculously modern and feel like I was in a castle.

Before I could even set foot at the top of the stairs there was Tony, grabbing my hand and holding it up to a watching audience.

"I would like to propose a toast!" He called to the room, and everyone rose their glasses "To family new and old, to friends who feel like family and to my daughter, Lillith."
"Cheers," everyone called gently befire quickly going back to their conversations
"Pepper made me do that," Tony murmured as we walked carefully down the left most staircase "Now, about this girlfriend of you... wait... are you humming Ode to Joy under your breath?"

Of course I was, the stairvase was that daunting and I was trying so hard not to trip as I kept my head up and walked. Usually I would just look down at my feet and, consequently, not trip but I needed to send a good impression, or at least, that's what I was trying so hard to do. And so I didn't answer, meerly noddingin acknowledgment.

Until I got to the last few steps and my heel got caught on the step I had just stepped off of causibg me to stumble and then tume forward in a heap of clothing and human. But I didn't get up close and personalwith the polished wood floors.

Looking up at my savior as they helped me to right myself in an upwards, standing position again I was in awe. Not only had she managed to catch me, but Artemis had managed to catch my camera as well.

And speaking of cameras a phone camera could never do justice to how feminine she niw looked. After months and months on hormone treatments and breast implants, she fibally lokked like she felt. Female. And you could tell just how happy it made her as dhe was practically glowing.

"She does that," Artemis explained to Tony "When she feels anxious or stressed, it helps calm her down."
"Artemis Hammer, and you would know this how?" Tony asked

Taking a deep breath I would my arm around her waist and moved to stand beside her with a nervous smile. We had debated telling the parentals, of course, but had ultimately agreed that it would be better if we did.

However looking at Tony's face in that moment I wasn't so sure.

"We're dating," Artemis answered for me when she looked down and saw my ever so slightly panicked face
"Tony me, meat, meet, meeeeet Arrrrrtemmmmissss," I  dragged out "My, uh, my, my girlfriend."
"Your girlfriend is Hammer's kid!" Tony exclaimed, blowing up "We'll be having words later, kid."

With that he stormed off and over to the stawberry blonde woman that I recognized from various interviews Stark Industries had done. Pepper Potts, who he instantly started angrily complaining to.

"Well... that went... well..."
"Better then expected actually."