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The news of the birth of the heir to Stark Industries spread like a wildfire, and it was not until about five months later that Tony and Pepper could finally leave their home at Malibu Point without a journalist of some description trying to take their picture or catch a glimpse of the smallest Stark. Neither Tony nor Pepper wanted to leave their daughter, but they both felt the pressure and obligation to attend the charity benefit that was set up in the company's name. Rhodey had volunteered to look after Charlotte so the two of them could have a deserved night off; although they were both grateful for Rhodey's lending hand, it was after the sixth text message they began to suspect that their babysitter was out of his depth.
6:10 PM
Hey Tony, just checking in and telling you that Charlotte is fine. Try and have some fun tonight.
6:13 PM
Nothing to worry about, just one quick question - do you have any industrial-strength diapers, or is it normal for a baby to go through three in an hour?
6:14 PM
Also, where is the supply of milk you told me about? You have too many fridges, man.
6:19 PM
Cancel that. I found it. I almost forgot that it was breast milk for a moment and very nearly added it to my coffee.
6:27 PM
Does it always take this long to burp a baby?
7:25 PM
Everything is fine. Charlotte had a stomach ache and cried for about thirty minutes, but it was nothing that two diaper changes couldn't fix. She's asleep now.
It was around ten o'clock when Tony and Pepper returned home and found Rhodey asleep on the sofa in the main living room. The couple thanked Rhodey for tonight and while Pepper was preparing the spare room for their babysitter, Tony silently crept into Charlotte's room taking extra care to avoid the newly loose floorboard just inside the nursery. He knew she was fine, JARVIS would have informed them otherwise, but that did not stop him from wanting to check on her every fifteen minutes.
It was unbelievable that at just five months old, Charlotte had Tony wrapped completely around her little finger, there was nothing he would not do for her. When the ultrasound first indicated that they were having a girl, the depth of that reality did not exactly sink in right away. Sure, it did not make an atom of difference whether she had been born any different, Tony knew that it would not change anything as far as he could see. A few weeks after Charlotte's birth, a journalist came into his office at Stark Industries for a business interview and asked if he had wished they had had a son - someone to follow in his footsteps, as he had done with his own father. It took some resilience for Tony to compose himself, but he made it clear that he did not wish that. The only thing he wished for, was that his parents could meet their granddaughter who one day if she chooses, would be the owner of Stark Industries.
Sighing in defeat, as the negative thoughts and twinge returned, Tony sat in the armchair placed to the right of Charlotte's crib and simply watched. He wondered if she knew how loved she was. Surely, she must? As unaware and innocent as she was in this current moment in time, he was sure she could sense his presence as she gently began to stir in her sleep, her face scrunching as if reacting to something. Tony was on his feet in seconds and quickly scooped his little bundle into his arms; he held her close, as close as he could, feeling unwilling to ever let her go again. Charlotte grunted a few times before finally settling again once Tony began to gently rock her and run his pointer finger down her nose - this was something he found always calmed her down and sent her to sleep without fail.
The room was silent, apart from the baby's low and steady breathing which mixed with his own. Tony found that it was the quiet moments like this, where he began to think about how his life would change now he was a father, which would ultimately lead to him thinking about his own father - something he had managed to regress for almost a decade. He reflected that Howard Stark was a strict and disciplined father who on more than one occasion, showed more interest in his job and Captain America than his own family. It was almost as though he was a burden to him. He did not hate his father. He could never say that he did, after all, his father worked as hard as he did for him and his mother. He did wish that he could at least have had the chance to say goodbye to them before they left that fateful day. Or at least, he should have told his father he loved him.
Closing his eyes, he suppressed those memories and focused on the present and what mattered. His daughter was what mattered to him now, as well as Pepper; he had made a promise to himself and his wife that he would not be a carbon copy of his father, or at least he would make a gallant effort not to. The last thing he wanted was for his daughter to grow up resenting him for being too involved in his work and for not being there. He would never be an estranged father.
Lost in his own thoughts, he failed to hear Pepper enter the room until she placed a hand on his side. "You know," Tony startled the smallest amount when she whispered from beside him. "You don't have to stand here all night. She isn't going anywhere."
Tony sighed. "I know. I just wish she would stay this small forever." He gently placed Charlotte back into her crib and placed her favourite yellow teddy bear from Uncle Rhodey, next to her. He turned to Pepper and placed his arms around her middle; she rested her forehead on his chin and lightly pressed his chest, a yawn escaped her as she relaxed. "Come on. I think it's bedtime for all of us." Tony breathed in the scent of her hair and pressed a kiss to her crown. A content smile spread onto Peppers's face. It had been five months already. Just five months. Pepper was looking forward to but also dreading how Tony would react as their daughter grew.
