Pepper looked over to where Tony sat across from Grace, worrying that leaving them together on their own wasn't the best idea. But Mike had insisted that it was the best way for them to get to know one another, without the influence of either of them sitting by their sides.
"She looks terrified," Pepper noted.
"So does he," Mike added, glancing over at the pair.
A moment passed before Pepper turned back to the social worker, taking a sip of her coffee before speaking.
"She didn't want to come here, did she?"
"Grace has had a lot of...false alarms," he explained, frowning. "There's never been anywhere permanent for her, and I don't think she realizes yet that Tony is actually her father and there's no changing that."
They both looked back over to the table in the corner, wondering what the two were talking about.
So far all Tony could do was stare back into the eyes of his daughter, his own eyes wide with wonder and curiosity. She mirrored his big, brown eyes, and he could easily get lost in them. There was so much he wanted to know, to ask, and yet he restrained himself from doing so.
If anyone here deserved answers, before anyone else, it was Grace.
"You look like her," Tony admit after a few moments of silence.
"My mom?" Grace asked, voice soft and cautious. "You remember her?"
"I do, yeah," he nodded. "Especially seeing you, I feel like I'm looking right at her,"
Grace looked down at her hands, fidgeting in her lap.
"Sometimes I forget what she looked like," she told him softly. "And what her voice sounded like. I can barely remember,"
Watching Grace closely, Tony's heart ached. This girl, his daughter, had lived without her parents for so long she couldn't even remember what it was like. She couldn't remember the sound of her mother's voice, and until today she had never imagined having a father. It made him feel sick to his stomach that his own daughter had lived with such pain and loneliness while he carried on his lavish lifestyle.
"She sounded as beautiful as she looked," Tony reminded. "And she was smart, and she was funny, and very out of my league,"
Grace smiled slightly at his words, her face lifting to meet Tony's gaze.
"Did she like you?" she asked.
"Not at first," Tony chuckled. "But no one really does,"
Another moment went by in silence as Grace thought about her mother and Tony meeting all those years ago. In all her life, Grace had created an idea of who her father would be, and she would have never guessed it to be Tony Stark.
This man had been all over the news since she was a child, and she remembered watching along with the rest of the world when the billionaire was revealed to be Iron Man. Not only was the man a public figure, but he was now a saviour and hero to those who he protected. He was everything children dreamed their parents would be and yet Grace didn't feel the overwhelming excitement she should have. Instead she felt fear and worry.
The life her father led and the life she led were very different on so many levels. It was one thing to be rejected by a mother and father who weren't her own, but to be shunned by the father she had wondered about her whole life would crush her. Which is why she never let herself believe he was out there.
"Why didn't you know about me?" she asked, cutting to the point.
The small smile on Tony's face fell slightly, fearing the question. He knew it was one he had to answer, and he knew it was one she needed to ask. If he was in her place, it would be the first thing out of his mouth.
"I used to be...well, I was a lot less mature than I am now," Tony explained. "Not fit to be a father, and I think your mom knew that, and I think she knew it'd be better for you if I didn't know,"
"That worked out wonders," Grace muttered.
"She made the right choice. I wasn't in any shape to think of anyone other than myself, and you would have grown up to hate me," he continued.
"At least I wouldn't have grown up in a different home every couple of months, in a new place, surrounded by strangers," Grace countered. "Why didn't you go back to her? Why didn't you check up on her?"
Tony could feel his heart pick up it's pace, feeling the pain of every word Grace spoke and the guilt swirling in his stomach.
"I was a different person back then-"
"You didn't plan to see her again, did you?" she asked. "It's fine, it's not like I had a picture of my parents being a fairytale couple."
To hear Grace refer to him as a 'parent' almost took his breath away, hearing how real this all was.
"I wasn't the greatest guy back in the day," Tony admit. "But if I had any idea about you, I would have done everything to find you,"
Grace looked up at him, watching his expression, the desperation in his eyes. Tony Stark was telling her the truth, and she could see that. The man she had witnessed on the news being so arrogant and selfish was the same man sitting across from her now, and she wasn't sure which was real.
"It doesn't make sense for you to be my father," she shook her head. "None of this makes sense to me. You're...you're Tony Stark. I remember seeing you on TV when I was a kid, I remember people talking about you, I remember you going missing, I watched you announce you were Iron Man! You...you can't be..."
It was hard to ignore the hurt Tony felt at Grace's denial, but he had to remember that it was the same denial he felt when he first found out about her. It was too overwhelming to see any logic or truth, they were so far from each other's worlds. And denial was all Grace knew. All through her life she could never let herself feel safe or assured of anything or anyone, and it was a hard habit to rid.
"I know it doesn't seem real, but...you are my daughter," he nodded. "Four DNA tests by the best labs I know. I wouldn't drag you into any of this if there was even a chance of doubt, I know what you've been through."
"You don't know anything about me," Grace denied. "You don't know what I've been through or what my life has been, you've only read a file. I've never even seen a mansion with my own two eyes and that's what you call home. I don't know anything about your world. This little cafe? This is probably the fanciest place I've set foot. Look at me, I look more like a homeless junkie than I do Tony Stark's kid,"
"You think all that is important to me? That's it's all about status and appearances and money?" he asked, becoming defensive. "I don't give a shit about any of that, any of it. I don't care if you wear a paper bag and never shower, you are still my daughter and I will regret for the rest of my life that I never knew you were born."
Tony could see Grace's eyes growing with water and he wondered if it was from sadness or frustration, but he didn't say a word. He let her sit in silence, ignoring the fact that Pepper and Mike were very obviously watching them closely since their voices began to rise moments earlier.
Nothing in Tony's life mattered more than right now, convincing his daughter that she didn't need to be anything other than who she was in order to be his child. There was no mold she had to fit into, no standards she had to meet, no expectations.
"So what is all of this?" she asked, genuinely confused. "Do you...do you want to be my dad? Do we play happy family?"
"It's all up to you Grace, I won't make you do a thing you don't want to do. I know my life seems crazy and I sometimes do a lot of stupid things and I'm not the most mature guy and I don't make great decisions, but you are my first priority now. Above anything and everything."
"You don't know me," she shook her head, voice soft and far less defensive. "You don't know what I'm like, you don't know if you'll even want me-"
"I am not one of those foster homes," he assured firmly. "If you choose to come live with me, that's it. That's your home, always. I'm not leaving you, I promise. I missed out on 15 years of your life, I don't plan on missing any more."
Grace wanted to believe his words, and to an extent she did, but there had been so many times she heard this speech from others and it never went to plan. It never lasted, and it would be stupid for her to believe this time would be different, even if it felt real.
Pepper had offered to drive a dozen times, but Tony insisted he wanted to. After the whirlwind of emotions at the cafe and watching Grace leave with the social worker, Tony wanted to take his mind off things and focus on the road back to their Malibu home. But Pepper couldn't stop worrying. The way Tony's hands gripped the steering wheel, the way his jaw clenched and the silence they had been sitting through for ten minute was eating away at her.
"Tony," she began softly. "Don't shut me out,"
With a gentle sigh, Tony shook his head, slowing to a red light.
"I'm not trying to," he admit.
"Then talk to me, what are you thinking about?" she asked, reaching over to rest her hand on his thigh.
"I want her to be with me," he told her, his voice low and nervous as he continued to drive. "I have no idea how I'm going to be a father and I don't know if she even likes me, but I...I can't stand the thought of her out there living in some group home with strangers or social workers. I'm her father, she is my daughter and I want to be the one who looks out for her."
Pepper couldn't help smile a little at his words. He could call himself immature all day, and the media could portray him that way as many times as they'd like, but Pepper knew the truth. The things that were important to Tony Stark always came first, and there was not one ounce of selfishness or immaturity when it came to taking on his daughter.
"She wouldn't have came today if she didn't like you Tony," Pepper assured.
"She almost didn't, and she seems to already have a pretty good idea of who I am thanks to my whole life playing out in front of her in the news," he explained.
"Give her time. She's spent 15 years without a father and to find out he's someone so well known, it would be scary. Mike told me this isn't the first time they thought they found her family," Pepper frowned. "I can't imagine what she's thinking. She needs time to process everything that's happened in the last few weeks and especially after today. But that absolutely doesn't mean she dislikes you,"
A few more minutes passed in silence as Tony thought about Pepper's words. Grace needed time, he knew that, but after so long without knowing he had a daughter, all he wanted right now was to be the father she needed for so long. But too much had happened for that to be so simple so quickly.
As they continued their drive around Malibu at sunset, Tony imagined the life Grace could have with him. Everything new she could experience, everywhere new she could visit, friends she could make, a family.
"I know we haven't talked about...about how weird this could be for us," Tony began. "And I'm new to this whole stable relationship thing...but I know that bringing a kid into all of this isn't what either of us were expecting-"
"Tony," Pepper shook her head, cutting him off. "She is your daughter. Yes, it's going to change things, but I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be here through whatever happens, and I will do anything I can to help give Grace the life she deserves,"
With one more turn, Tony had driven into the long driveway of the Malibu mansion and pulled over abruptly. Before Pepper could say a word, he leaned over and crushed his lips to hers in a desperate, loving kiss.
"You're something else, you know that?"