Saving Grace

Fifteen

Grace arrived only a couple minutes later. Neither Pepper nor Happy were with her, so Tony assumes that Natasha said something to make them leave. She definitely didn't tell them about what was going on.

Grace ran in to Tony, excited to see him again as she'd been worried about him, but she stopped when she saw the state the mansion was in. Broken glass littered the floor, among other things. It's a wonder she didn't step on it. "What happened?" she asked, looking around.

"Dad screwed up," Tony said. "Big time."

She looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

Tony chuckled a little, mirthlessly, closing his eyes. A few tears slipped out.

His sweet, caring daughter was standing there, about six feet away, separated from him by broken glass and destruction that he caused, and she was asking him if he was okay. He wasn't sure where she'd gotten that selfless, wonderful kindness from, because there was no way it was from him.

"I'm okay, sweetheart," he said. "I'm okay."

She protested, "But you're crying-"

"No, I'm alright. I'm just happy you're home." He picked his way over the broken glass and hugged her, shoving down his tears. Then, he stood. "Come on. There's someone you need to meet."

He walked her over to Coulson, who was in a nearby room, exploring. He smiled at her. "Hi. You must be Grace."

She nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm Agent Coulson, from Shield. I'm going to be watching over you and your father for a while."

Her brows furrowed. She looked up at her dad. "Are we safe?"

"You're safe," Coulson said. "That's what I'm here for — to keep you safe."

Now, she's upstairs in her room, asleep. Apparently, she hadn't been able to last night after Happy drove her to the hotel. They'd played games until Happy fell asleep in his bed, and then Pepper came and stayed up with her. She was exhausted.

Tony, meanwhile, is in his lab, exploring the contents of the case Fury had given him.

There's blue prints for the arc reactor, newspaper articles, notebooks, and video reels. Tony starts playing them.

The first one opens with a clapperboard, which says that the production is the Expo Intro, and it's scene 1A, take eight, roll five. Then, the clapperboard is clapped, removed, and the camera pans up to Howard.

"Everything is achievable through technology," he said. Tony isn't really looking; he's flipping through one of the notebooks that was in the case. "Better living, robust heath, and for the first time in human history, the possibility of world peace."

The shot changes, showing him standing next to a large model of a city. He walked past it. "I'm Howard Stark, and everything you'll need for the future can be found right here."

He shook his head, forgetting the line. He walked back to his place for the beginning of the shot. "City of the Future? City of Tomorrow? City of... Hang on..." After a pause, he started the speech again. "I'm Howard Stark, and everything you'll need in the future can be found right here."

At this moment, a boy popped up on the screen from behind the city model — Tony, when he was no older than five.

Present Tony doesn't look up until he hears Howard say his name. "So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I would like to personally- Tony, what are you doing back there? What is that?" Tony had taken a building off the city model. "Put that back. Put it back where you got it from. Where's your mother? Maria?! Go on. Go, go, go." A man whom Tony doesn't remember ever knowing picked him up and carried him out of the frame. Present Tony watches, remembering his father. It doesn't put a pleasant look on his face.

He thinks about what he would've done if it had been him and Grace. That was definitely something he could see her doing when she was younger. He probably would've laughed, picked her up, kissed her forehead, told he loved her, and gently sent her to Pepper. Or maybe he would've decided to just keep her in the shot, if he wasn't worried about her face being shown to the public.

He sighs and continues flipping through the notebook and listening to his father. "I'll... I'll come in and, um-" Howard starts.

The video changes, this one showing him sitting down and drinking some sort of liquor out of a glass. A man behind the camera asked, "Are you waiting on me?" Howard held up a hand, still drinking.

The shot changes to him back in his office, talking in front of posters he had on the wall. "So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I'd like to personally show you..." He paused, forgetting the line. "I'd like to... I can't- This is- I can't- We have this, don't we?"

At this point, Tony has reached the end of the notebook, so he turns and watches. Howard sighed, beginning again. "Everything is achievable through technology."

Then, the video changes again. It's Howard, walking into the shot, standing in front of the model city and the posters. He leaned back on the city model. "Tony... you're too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you." He gestured behind him. "I built this for you. And someday you'll realise that it represents a whole lot more than just people's inventions. It represents my life's work. This is the key to the future." The video shows close up shots of the city. Then, it goes back to Howard. "I'm limited by the technology of my time, but one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world.

"What is and always will be my greatest creation... is you."

As the video turns white, the reel out of film, tears prick Tony's eyes.

He feels like a child again, looking up at his father. Wanting approval, doing whatever he can to get it. And now that it seems like he finally has it, he hardly knows what to do with himself. Hardly knows how to feel. His father believed in him, even then. It doesn't make sense, but it's right there in front of him. He said it. Tony heard him.

And, then, he thinks about Grace.

Hearing that, especially now, after having her — he understands it. He doesn't understand why Howard never said that to him when he was child, but he understands what he means — what that feels like. He could create the most amazing invention that would bring indefinite world peace, but it would never — could never — compare to Grace. He couldn't do any of the good things that he does without her.

And, yes, he let her down. Yes, he screwed up. He's put her in danger. He slipped up, went back to who he was before. But he's going to be better. No matter what happens, he will always be trying to be better for her.

She's the best mistake he's ever made or will make.

She is his greatest creation.