When You Saved Me

Chapter 13

Steve P.O.V

Tony is laughing and suddenly his face falls, eyes growing wide, he hands the little girl to me. I turn to see what's sent him into such a shock, I stifle a gasp when I catch a glimpse of it, her hair is a mess and her face is splotchy and full of rage, making her resemble a red-headed medusa. It's unusual to see Pepper looking unkempt, she's normally so put together.

Tony does a lot of inconsiderate things but I've never seen her like this; I'm just beginning to imagine what he possibly could have done to produce this kind of rage, until I notice her eyes flash towards me and widen when she sees the little girl in my arms.

For a moment her anger seems to falter as she takes in the beaten and bruised child before her, but she resolves herself and turns back to Tony, "how could you bring her here?" She hisses through her teeth.

Tony quickly grabs her arm and guides her back out of the lounge, whispering something I can't quite pick up but my guess is he's leading her off to have a heated discussion.

"Okay Callie, are you hungry?" I say turning away from the obviously uncomfortable situation unfolding before us.

Callie turns to me and nods tentatively, but the eagerness in her eyes gives her away, she's starving.

"Alright Pumpkin, let's fill your belly!" I say enthusiastically, carrying her to the kitchen.
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Tony P.O.V

Pepper turns on me the second I shut the door of our room.

"I can't believe you Tony! After everything I said to you before you left, you bring her back here, without even talking to me first?" She waves her arms at me, on the verge of screaming.

"Pepper, honey, there was no where else for her to go. What else was I supposed to do?" I say reaching towards her in an attempt to comfort her.

"No!" She shrieks, slapping my hand away, I quickly withdraw--her actions stinging my feelings more than where she struck. "How could you just decide this without talking to me first?" Her voice lower than before but laced with hurt.

She looks into my eyes and I can see the tears welling up, daring to spill over. "I wanted a baby, your baby. Not some random, damaged kid. But you just chose to adopt her, and you decided you wouldn't be having children of your own, without even asking what I thought about it." Tears are now streaking down her cheeks.

I feel incredibly torn, I hate to see her this way but I can't just abandon this little girl who I've promised a home to; "you're right," I say finally, she looks up at me stunned. "You're right, I should've ran the idea by you first, but honestly Pepper, there was no time. We were given a mission that had to be executed immediately; and besides this kid has no where to go, she needs us."

Pepper wipes her tears away angrily, "she may need the Avengers, but she didn't need you, you volunteered yourself. You volunteered to be her 'daddy'," when she says the word daddy she motions quotations with her fingers, twisting the already sharp knife of doubt in even deeper, "I didn't volunteer though, don't expect me to play Mommy to her, it's not my job and I didn't ask for it." She snaps, quickly turning on her sapphire heels and stomping out of the room, leaving the door wide open behind her.

I can hear her shoes echo down the hallway, every step getting farther and farther until I can't hear them at all. I'm left feeling completely and utterly alone.