Saving Grace

Seven

Everything — all of the problems Tony was having — just started getting worse.

Stane already told him that the board decided to block Tony out of the company — Stark Industries — because they thought he was suffering from PTSD. He'd already refused to give Stane the Arc Reactor technology. He'd already found someone trying to hack into his computer system, and he'd already traced it back to a corporation satellite, which he then destroyed. He'd already been not invited to a charity event he was apparently hosting (that he went to anyway).

He'd already been told — by a reporter who'd flirted with him, then wrote a spread and story about him a month ago — that Stark Industries was selling weapons to the Ten Rings. He'd already been told by Stane himself that he was the reason those weapons were being sold, and he was the reason Tony was shut out of his own company. He'd already had to stand there and listen to Stane tell him to look on the bright side because now he could spend more time with his daughter, as if those were really Stane's intentions in the first place.

He'd already hastily flown to Afghanistan in his new suit to fight the Ten Rings, who were using Stark Industries weapons in Gulmira — Yinsen's home. He'd already told Rhodey he was the guy in the metal suit that the Air Force was shooting at. Pepper had already found him in his workshop, stuck in his own armor. He'd already convinced her to hack into Stane's computer for him to find out where the weapons were being sold.

He'd already called Happy and told him to take Grace to a safe house.

"A-A what?" Happy had asked. "A safe house?"

"One of my other houses," Tony replied. "The smaller ones. Just to be safe. Stane betrayed me. I have a feeling it's going to get bad."

"Ok. I'm on it." Happy had found Grace in her room, happily playing with one of her new toys. He hated to do it to her, but he knew he had to. "Grace, honey, your dad just called."

She perked up. "He did? Where is he?"

"He said... He said he needed you and I to go somewhere safe for a little bit. Just in case."

She sunk. "Why is here not safe?"

"He didn't say, but he said it was just in case. He doesn't know if here is really dangerous-"

"Is he gonna get hurt again?" Her voice almost sounded broken when she asked it.

He didn't want to lie to her. "I don't know, kid. But he wants to keep you from getting hurt, so we gotta go, okay?"

Silent tears fell down her cheeks, but she got up and grabbed her bag anyway. "Okay."

She held her teddy bear to her chest as Happy drove her away from her home — her father.

Her father, who not long after, tried to answer a call from Pepper, but failed because he couldn't move. Because Stane was using a Sonic Taser on him. Stane, who had arranged for Tony to be kidnapped. Stane, who ripped the arc reactor out of Tony's chest, remarking what a pity it will be for Grace to have to grow up without a father. Stane, who said he might save her the pain and just kill her after he kills Pepper Potts. Stane, who left Tony to die.

He furiously fought to get to his original arc reactor, to save himself so he could save the people he loved. And just when he couldn't do it, just when he was going to die inches from it, Dum-E and U saved his life. Then, Rhodey showed up, and he found out Pepper had gone to Stark Industries Headquarters with Coulson's agency to arrest Stane.

When he arrived, Stane, in a suit like Tony's, was about kill Pepper. Of course, he saved her.

Then, he fought Stane. He fought with everything in him. In the midst of the panic, strategy, and thoughts of Pepper, he thought of Grace. How she could've been hurt, or — gosh, it makes him sick to even think of it — killed if he hadn't sent her away. If she had been at home when he was dying, if Stane had found her.

He defeated Stane with Pepper's help — she overloaded the main Arc Reactor, killing Stane inside his armor. Tony nearly died, too, but he held on. With Jarvis' help, he held on.

~~~~

Tony called Happy and had him drive Grace back home, and she was much happier on the way back since she knew Tony was okay.

They stopped for cheeseburgers, and Grace made sure they got Tony one. However, they ended up missing the press conference. So, after a wonderful, relieving reunion, Tony crouches in front of Grace and puts his hands on her shoulders. "Grace, I need to tell you something."

"What?" She's so happy to see him, his serious tone doesn't faze her.

He doesn't know how to tell her — how to phrase it. So, he just says what he told everyone else. "I am... Iron Man."

Her eyes widen, and, though she's not entirely sure what that means, she says, "Awesome."