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Charlotte slept in her parents' room on the first night of Tony's return; none of them objected to the child's request. She lay in the centre of the bed, with her parents on either side of her. Tony woke up sometime in the night as he felt a weight on his stomach. Slightly squinting, he glanced down and saw that, as she clung to his sweater, Charlotte had rolled up against his side, her arm draped over his stomach.
He held her nestled just under his uninjured shoulder, on his side. Tony found it therapeutic to have his daughter so close to him, but the nightmares that flooded into his sleep at night did not end.
He woke up early, but he remained in bed, and he lied on his side, watching his wife and his daughter sleep beside him. The features of Pepper's face were calm and gentle as she slept; it was the first time she had slept all night in three months; it was the first night she hadn't cried into a light slumber. Tony felt comfortable and really didn't want to leave the bedroom, but he had set his mind on launching his new project.
Another two hours had elapsed when Charlotte woke up. She had fallen into such a deep sleep that when she first stirred up alone in the large bed, she did not remember her surroundings. After fitting her prosthetic securely - something that Pepper and Tony made sure that she knew how to do on her own, she hopped out of bed in search of her parents. J.A.R.V.I.S informed her that her mom was in a meeting in her office and her dad was in his workshop.
She ran down the hallways and spiral staircase at such speed that when she tried to round the corner into her dad's workshop, the metal of her foot slipped on the freshly polished flooring. Her knee collided with a table and struck the floor with an empty beaker, throwing glass fragments around her as she sat on the floor, frozen.
Tony raised his head from his workbench at the sound of a glass shattering and a little shriek of surprise and found Charlotte sat on the floor. "Honey? Are you all right?" He jogged over to her and saw that she was holding her hand in her lap. "Did you hurt yourself?"
"I think so," Charlotte shrugged and raised her hand, finding her open palm smeared with blood immediately. When she slipped, she must have placed her hand on a glass piece.
Tony crouched down and, taking care of her hand, picked Charlotte up and sat her on top of the closest countertop. "Hang on, let's get you off the floor," he picked up her hand softly, uncurling her fingers to examine the injury. The wound had no glass; it was a smooth, superficial wound, and the blood made it look worse than it was. Charlotte sucked in a breath flinched away from his touch as he examined the wound. "Sorry, honey, but I've got to clean it."
"Will it hurt?"
"Probably not," Charlotte furrowed her brows and gave her father an unimpressed look - the same look Tony had seen on Pepper's face more than enough times. He stretched to reach the shelving unit above them, bringing down a small first aid kit. Wetting a paper towel with disinfectant, he gently placed it on her palm, again causing Charlotte to flinch.
"You said that it wouldn't hurt!" She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her uninjured hand as a natural reflex.
"Correction. I said that it probably wouldn't hurt," Tony removed the paper towel and wiped away the remaining blood that was staining the side of her hand. The cut was only small and would not require stitches, just a bandage.
Charlotte raised her brow and quipped back. "Correction. You're stupid."
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Around two hours had passed before the Charlotte crash-landed in the lab; after hearing the commotion, Pepper came downstairs and suddenly panicked when she saw the bloodied paper towel and a white bandage on Charlotte's hand. Pepper ushered the child out of the workspace quickly, ignoring her objections.
They were now seated in the family room upstairs, Charlotte was seated on the rug, her school workbook leaning on the coffee table. In the meantime, Pepper had the news channel on as she helped Charlotte finish the job she had dropped back on in the previous three months.
A loud voice caught Charlotte's attention as a man on the screen began shouting in an animated fashion about the events of the previous day's press conference.
"Stark Industries! I've got one recommendation! Abandon ship! Does the Hindenburg ring any bells?"
Charlotte glanced at her mother and saw the irritated and exasperated expression on her face.
"Let me show you the new Stark Industries business plan!" The man took a baseball bat and aimed it at a mug in front of him in the middle of the news stand. The mug broke immediately, and when it came through the speakers, the cracking sound was louder than she expected. "Look! That's a weapons company, that doesn't make weapons! But you know what they do make, by the look of things - artificial limbs and prosthetics." Pepper froze for a second, passing a side glance towards Charlotte before looking back at the screen, her hand hovered over the mute button. "We all saw Charlotte Stark at the conference yesterday - there is no way that our hospitals are funded enough to make prosthetics of that advanced a level. You're trying to tell me that Tony Stark has access to something that is so desperately needed by veterans and he has only made one for his own daughter? Do you, that's who I feel most sorry for in this whole situation? I really pity for that little girl, because I cannot imagine what it must be like having a father as chaotic and self-absorbed as Tony Stark."
Pepper pressed the mute button and slammed the remote back onto the coffee table, she was furious at the newscaster - she made a mental note to contact the station at a later date. "Idiot," Charlotte mumbles, shrugging the man's empty words off. "Whatever, I don't care what he thinks. I think my leg is cool."
Pepper grinned at her daughter, feeling a little proud of her cool reaction to the remarks made by the arrogant man. Suddenly, Tony's voice rose from the workshop.
"Hey, Pep. Can I borrow you and your tiny hands for a minute?"
Pepper exchanged a confused glance with her daughter before calling back in response. "Do I really want to know what he is doing down there?"
"Would you just come down here? I need your help." His tone had a sense of urgency, so Pepper eventually conceded. In order to accompany her down to the garage, Charlotte climbed to her feet as her mom did, curious about what her dad was up to down there. "If Charlie is with you, tell her not to come down here."
"What? But, dad -" She whined, frowning in his general direction, as if she could see her.
"Please just do as I ask, Charlie."
"Fine," Charlotte conceded with a pout, lying down with a thud on the sofa.
"Don't pout, it doesn't suit you." Pepper grinned at her stubbornness, a trait she had inherited from her father. Charlotte stuck out her tongue in response, a small giggle passed her lips. As her mom disappeared from the room, she turned her attention back to the television. The offensive man was still ranting about the press conference; she thought back to the comments he had made moments ago. She did not need an insignificant stranger handing her fake and satirical pity. She understood that both of her parents have had to make some difficult decisions in their lives - both personal and career-wise, but she did not for a second believe that either of them had anything other than her best interests at heart.
She loved her parents, along with all their flaws, with all her heart. And no matter what, she would not change that for the world.
