Saving Grace

Eight

Six months — and an eighth birthday — later, Grace is still adjusting to the new changes her father has made in her life.

The biggest one: She has to stay inside as often as possible now. Of course, there's a balcony outside of her room she can go out on whenever she wants, but as far as real trips outside go, it's almost always a no-go.

If she ever does go out, there has to be a good enough reason — and/or a good deal of persuasion —  and she's always escorted by Happy and a few other people in Tony's security in a car with the windows heavily tinted. And, if the media — the cameras — ever find her, she isn't allowed to leave the car.

She also doesn't have a private teacher anymore; she's doing online classes. Tony, of course, did an extensive background check on the program beforehand.

The smaller change would be that, any time someone comes over that she doesn't know, she can't be anywhere near them. It used to be that she could wander around as she pleased whether anyone was there or not. And, sometimes, she'd wander into a meeting, or Tony would just flat out introduce her if he thought he and whoever he was talking to were getting along. Now, it's not like that.

It seems that Jarvis is on constant watch, especially when she's out on the balcony, even if it is hidden from the street.

She's feeling restricted — why wouldn't she? — but her father said it was important that things be this way now. There was no getting around it.

So, she does what he says. Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey are still around, and Tony's still with her whenever he can be. That's the most important thing.

~~~~

Tony just skydived from a plane in his Iron Man suit and landed in the middle of his Stark Expo in New York. Dancers were behind him, all dressed in Iron Man-inspired costumes. The crowd was cheering. It was quite the display.

The platform he was on began to spin, robot arms taking off the Iron Man suit. Loud rock music still played in the background. The crowd was still screaming. The dancers were still dancing.

He was still dying.

He was thinking about it in the back of his mind. The very thing keeping him alive was slowly killing him. He had to drink homemade medicine to counteract his symptoms. He had to pretend he was okay everyday for his daughter, who was back in Malibu — home, safe with Pepper, who couldn't know either. He was in love with her, after all.

And he still hadn't told Grace. Hadn't asked her a single thing about it. Seemed to be no point anymore.

Now, the music stops. He lets the cheering drown out his thoughts. He puts a smile on his face. "Oh, it's good to be back! Did you miss me?"

"Blow something up!" a guy in the crowd shouts.

Tony chuckles. "Blow something up? I already did that." The crowd laughs. He launches into his speech. "I'm not saying that... the world is enjoying its longest uninterrupted peace in years because of me." A cheer. "I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history." More cheering. "I'm not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping on an iced tea because I haven't come across anyone who's man enough to go toe-to-toe with me on my best day!"

The crowd cheers louder. They begin chanting, "Tony! Tony! Tony!" A woman whom he's never met and likely never will meet screams that she loves him.

Tony waves them off. "Please, it's not about me. It's not about you. It's not even about us. It's about legacy. It's about what we choose to leave behind for future generations." Like his daughter. "And that's why for the next year and for the first time since 1974, the best and brightest men and women of nations and corporations the world over will pool their resources, share their collective vision, to leave behind a brighter future. It's not about us. Therefore, what I'm saying, if I'm saying anything, is welcome back... to the Stark Expo." The crowd cheers. "And now, making a special guest appearance from the great beyond to tell you what it's all about, please welcome my father, Howard."

A video begins playing of Howard Stark talking about technology and welcoming people to the Stark Expo from a number of years ago. Tony goes off stage, the thoughts coming back. He does a blood toxicity test.

Nineteen percent.

He sighs and pushes the thoughts away, meeting Happy at the doors leading out into the crowd — reporters, fans, everyone.

"It's a zoo out there," Tony says after he tosses Happy his coat.

"Just stay with me," Happy replies. "Open up." Two other people in security open the door. One goes in front, the other follows behind.

Woman are on him immediately. Flirting, slipping him their numbers. He already knows he's going to throw them away, even if he wants to keep them — just a little bit.

People — kids — hold out pictures of Iron Man to him, and he signs them. It's all going completely fine.

And then the reporters.

"Tony! Tony!" one of them shouts. "Tell us about your daughter!" He ignores it. "Why do you keep her hidden away?!"

Another shouts, "An anonymous source told me her name is Grace! Is this true?!"

"Don't believe anything about her that doesn't come out of my mouth," he says, anger rising.

He was far too lax before. Anyone who walked in the house could meet her. And, sometimes, she was at Headquarters, visiting him. They could've met her there. They remembered things, and now they were telling the media. He's just happy he didn't tell them more.

"Who is her mother?!" another reporter shouts. The others start shouting it, too.

"Why isn't she in the picture?! Or is she?!"

They push past the reporters and move into people Tony knows. Famous people. Rich people. Like Larry King, for instance.

He shakes hands. He smiles. No one asks about Grace here. They know better, or they just don't care. Finally, he and Happy push through another set of doors and make it outside.

"That wasn't so bad," Happy says.

"Aside from the reporters," Tony replies. "There are a million other things they could ask me about. Why her?"

"Sadly, that's all the media really cares about."

"Well, I'll give them something else to care about."

He walks up to a car — Happy says it's a new model — and there's a woman leaning against it.

She gives him a subpoena. He has to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee in D.C. tomorrow.