I was tired of my lady, we'd been together too long
Like a worn out recording of a favorite song
So while she lay there sleepin' I read the paper in bed
And in the personal columns, there was this letter I read

Theresa Stark shot up in her bed, the first few lines from Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne jolting out of her nightmare

"Good morning, Miss Theresa." Jarvis stated calmly, as the girl pushed her sweaty blonde hair out of her face "Were you having another nightmare?"

"It's nothing, Jarv," She replied, letting her torso fall back on the bed after a second.

"Perhaps you should inform Master Tony or Miss Potts of your dreams," The AI stated.

"I told ya; it's nothing, just a case of pre-show jitters," Theresa said, nearly rolling her own eyes at the obvious lie.

"I wouldn't refer to marriage as a show Miss Theresa, but nonetheless, you need to get up. Miss Potts is already looking for you." Theresa groaned, and pushed her face into her pillow "Would you like me to call it off?"

Theresa considered the fact that Jarvis had asked her that at least fifty times in the course of the wedding planning. It probably came from seeing her have private panic attacks.

"You're doing this for a good reason, John is a great guy. And he loves you." Theresa reminded herself for the thousandth time "Nope, thanks for the offer though," She said out loud "Tell Pepper I'm up."

When Pepper bustled in looking completely serene- even though Theresa knew that she was freaking out just as much as she was- and being tailed by an excited looking Maria (Theresa's nine year old sister), Theresa had managed to pull her hair back and had been surfing the internet for a distraction (it wasn't working; everything was about her wedding).

"Todays the big day," Pepper sang slightly.

"Big day!" Maria repeated happily

"I know," Theresa said, hugging her legs to her chest and sending her sister a smile.

"You've got a stylist coming in at…" Pepper's voice seemed to fade away as Theresa thought.

I am getting married today. I am nineteen and I am getting married today. I am nineteen and I am getting married to a wealthy lawyer today. Oh god, I'm getting married today.

"Jeez, Pepper, give the girl some room," Tony said, swinging into Theresa's apartment "She's just pledging to stand by someone's side for the rest of their lives, nothing to get worked up about."

"You know, most dads get all worked up on the daughter's wedding day. Losing their little girl and whatnot." Theresa applying the only worthwhile social advise her dad had taught her; cover up your nerves with snark.

"I am getting worked up; this is spiked," He said, referencing his smoothie.

"Give me a swig," Theresa said, reaching towards Tony's offering hand.

"No alcohol you three," Pepper said, taking the smoothie "I want you all sober for the wedding."

If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain
If you're not into yoga, if you have half a brain
If you like making love at midnight in the dunes of the cape
Then I'm the love that you've looked for, write to me and escape

Theresa became slightly comatose for the next few hours, only going through motions and only snapping out of it while watching a news report about how "Theresa Stark certainly doesn't act like her father." Which she rolled her eyes at. They didn't get it; of course she was getting married sensibly and early, she was a Stark, and she'd be dammed to act like one if she didn't.

She went back into her shocked state and stayed that way all through the car ride to the venue, makeup and hair styling, until it suddenly truly hit her.

I AM GETTING MARRIED

"Can I have a moment alone?" Theresa requested.

"But we-."

"Of course, Sweetheart," Pepper smiled, bustling the others out.

Theresa gripped the edge of the vanity, and took a deep breath before she was broken out of her reverie.

"You look sad."

Theresa jumped and looked over at Maria.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready?" Theresa asked; Maria was her flower girl.

"You shouldn't look sad."

"Maria…" Theresa said slowly.

"If you're not happy, you should leave, like in movies," Maria said.

"I'll keep that in mind; go get ready," Theresa said, smiling at her little sister as she left.

Theresa looked at her face in the three sided mirror, she had a pound of makeup on her face which gave her the quiet elegance she could never quite achieve herself. Her blonde hair was tied into an elegant knot that wouldn't hinder the veil. She slowly took her veil off and felt its sheer material as she thought.

She finally looked back at herself in the mirror.

"I've made a huge mistake."

I didn't think about my lady, I know that sounds kind of mean
But me and my old lady had fallen into the same old dull routine
So I wrote to the paper, took out a personal ad
And though I'm nobody's poet, I thought it wasn't half bad

"You alright?" Rhodey asked Tony.

"Course I am, what's there to be not alright about?" Tony replied.

"Man, I'm nervous," Rhodey retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Well, obviously you just worry about everything."

"Well, if you're so cool, maybe you should go comfort your son-in-law." Rhodey nodded at John, who was squirming at the other side of the room. Tony rolled his eyes and headed over to him.

"You nervous?' Tony asked John.

"Unbelievably so," John replied, Tony nearly rolling his eyes at his pompous voice.

"You wanna swig?" Tony offered the flask he'd brought.

"No, I don't drink." John wrinkled his nose slightly, obviously judging Tony as he drank.

"What on Earth is taking so long?" John asked after a moment.

"Women, you will soon learn, don't abide by clocks," Tony grumbled "I'll go check."

As Tony walked through the church he heard a chatter of women's voices from the ladies room, which he knocked on. The babble immediately ceased and Pepper's head poked out.

"How much longer?"

"Not long, we're just waiting on Theresa," Pepper said, shrugging slightly "She's in the changing room; she wanted a moment for herself."

"Hey, daddy, how do I look?" Maria asked, pushing past Pepper.

"Lovely," Tony smiled at his young daughter.

Never believe that Tony didn't love his daughters, because he did more than anything. But, he wasn't entirely sure what to do with them.

Maria had her marks, while Theresa…

Theresa had, at first, seemed like she was a Stark through and through, but one day she just closed off and started acting more like a milder version of Pepper, who he loved, but it always seemed like Theresa was wearing a mask. Which was why he hadn't wanted this wedding to happen, he'd feared she was about to trap herself in an unhappy marriage out of want to be respectable.

Tony guessed it was his fault for scaring her off the Stark way of life.

"I'm going to talk to her," Tony said, walking off to the changing room at the end of the hall, only to be stopped by Maria running up behind him.

"They hurt again."

Tony sighed and took his daughter wrist in his hands.

"Maybe we should take you to a specialist."

"Like the last one?" Maria asked, grimacing.

"Not like that one," Tony promised "Now, I need to talk to your sister; go see Pepper."

Maria acquiesced, leaving Tony to knock on the changing room door.

"Theresa, Hun, I know your nervous but we need to get this show on the road," Tony said, after a moment of silence he sighed "I hope your dressed 'cause I'm coming in."

Tony opened the door to find the room vacant; he frowned for a moment wondering if Theresa could have gone past him to the ladies room when he spotted a note card on the vanity. He picked it up and read it, laughing boisterously enough that Pepper and Maria came running in.

"What?"

"I thought she didn't have a bit of Stark left in her, but apparently I was wrong." Still giggling he passed her the note

Sorry, but I can't do this.

Yes, I like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain
I'm not much into health food, I am into champagne
I've got to meet you by tomorrow noon and cut through all this red tape
At a bar called O'Malley's where we'll plan our escape