Author's Note: Happy Halloween, everyone! Thank you for your continued patience! Here, at last, is chapter two of the story! Feel free to leave any thoughts or comments, granted that they are polite and constructive.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of the respective Marvel Universe.

Chapter 2: Dig Deep

"It's probably too early to go to work, huh?" Harley mumbled as she drove past the auto shop.

"According to your schedule, you have approximately three hours and forty-one minutes before you are required to clock in," a calm, synthesized voice said over the speakers.

"It was a rhetorical question, Jarvis, but thank you," Harley chuckled halfheartedly. Then her smile faded. "Are my parents home?"

"Not at the moment, but your mother is due to be home in approximately one hour and thirty-two minutes."

Harley sighed. "Just enough time…"

"Shall I initiate the Home Alone protocol, miss?" Jarvis asked.

"Please do, Jarvis," Harley smirked. "I'm going to hell anyway."

When Harley pulled into the driveway of her family's modern mansion fifteen minutes later, she could see the pizza guy's car already parked. The delivery guy, a stocky young man named Ethan, exited his vehicle as Harley stepped out of and locked her silvery-white 2008 Audi R8, which had been a birthday present from her father. Ethan smiled pleasantly and handed the warm pizza box to Harley.

"I assume this is going to be put on Mr. Stark's tab?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah, but this—" Harley paused to pull out a crumpled twenty-dollar bill out of her backpack and then handed it to Ethan with a small smile. "This is for you. Buy your girlfriend something nice."

"Thanks, Harley," Ethan said gratefully.

"Don't mention it." Harley waved at Ethan before entering the house. Loud rock music soon filled Harley's ears, which was part of the specified playlist for the Home Alone protocol. The particular procedure was something that Harley had uploaded almost two years ago when she began taking kickboxing lessons and her parents' absences became more frequent. Once initiated, Jarvis would send Harley's favorite pizza parlor her order (a large meat lover's with black olives and extra cheese) and would play Harley's favorite music over the speakers while she ate and practiced her kickboxing in the downstairs gym.

After devouring two pieces of pizza and changing into her workout clothes, Harley began her warm-up: a series of stretches followed by a light jog and several crunches. She then casually strolled up to the large punching bag that hung from the corner of the room. She barely got two punches in before Jarvis's voice paged her over the music.

"Miss? Bruce Banner is on the line."

"Put him on speaker, Jarvis—" thwack "—I'm a little busy."

"Very well, miss." Harley then delivered a powerful roundhouse kick with a loud grunt just as Bruce's voice came on over the speakers.

"Uh, hello…?" Bruce said nervously.

"Hey, Bruce—" thwack thwack thunk "—how can I help you—" THUNK "—on this fine day? Dad's not here, by the way." Harley grunted again as she hit the punching bag with a roundhouse punch.

"Harley?" Bruce sounded confused. "What are you doing home? You should be in school."

"Uh, I kind of got—" THWACK "—suspended." Harley paused her practicing to take a drink of water.

"Wait, what?" Bruce quickly processed Harley's situation. "What did you do?"

Harley solemnly hit the punching bag a few more times, then ran her fingers through her cropped black hair. "I may have mouthed off to my physics teacher…and my principal…"

"Harley…" Bruce sighed in disappointment.

"Look, Bruce, I know you want to help, but please don't lecture me," Harley said, wiping the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her gauze-wrapped hand. "I already got one coming here soon."

"I wasn't going to." Bruce said calmly. "Are you and your dad still having issues?"

"Gee—" Harley angrily kicked the punching bag with so much force it left a red welt on her skin. "—what was your first clue?"

"Harley, calm down." Bruce said in a reprimanding tone.

"I'm sorry," Harley said, sitting down on a nearby bench. "It's just hard trying to get along with him when he's never here. It's like Stark Industries is really his home."

"Your attitude towards your father is understandable, okay? I get it," Bruce reasoned. "But what you need to realize is that he is trying his best to make time for you."

"Do you honestly believe that or is that just what he's been telling you?" Harley questioned bitterly.

"Tony's a great friend of mine. I can usually tell when he's bullshitting," Bruce said matter-of-factly. "I know he's serious when it comes to his family."

"What am I supposed to do then?" Harley said dejectedly. She knew that deep down, she wanted to connect with her father. She wanted him to be able to understand that running the family business was his passion, not hers.

"Well, try to find something that you're both interested in and go from there," Bruce suggested. "Once you've established some common ground, it'll be much easier for you to rekindle your relationship with your dad."

"Um, okay…" Harley quickly wracked her brain trying to think of something she had in common with her father. She knew (since she had been told on several different occasions by her mother) that she tended to display some of Tony's arrogance, but there was no way a father-daughter relationship could be built on that. Her train of thought was abruptly derailed when Jarvis paged Harley again over the speakers.

"Miss, your mother is due home in approximately fifteen minutes."

"Thanks, Jarvis," Harley said, a wave of dread rising in her chest.

"Well, I'm going to take that as my cue to hang up," Bruce said quickly. He knew Pepper Potts was a force to be reckoned with when angry. "I'll talk to you later, Harley. And try to think about what I said?"

"Yeah, sure. And Bruce?" Harley's voice grew soft, losing the bitter edge it had moments before. "Thanks for listening."

"Anytime." Harley could hear the smile in his voice. "Bye."

"Later."

Harley continued to sit in the gym, Bruce's words resonating in her mind. He's trying his best to make time for you…he's serious when it comes to his family. Harley's eyes were fixated on the floor as she tried desperately to believe every word. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway and the loud slam of a car door suddenly interrupted Harley's thoughts.

"Miss? Your mother is home." Jarvis announced just as the front door was unceremoniously slammed shut.

"Thanks, Jarvis." Harley shrunk away from the angry clacking of her mother's high heels, as if making herself smaller would somehow postpone the inevitable.

"Harley," Pepper called out, a hard edge to her voice. "Upstairs. Now."

"Here it comes…" Harley muttered before grabbing the leftover pizza, turning off the music, and walked slowly up the stairs. When she found her mother, arms crossed angrily in front of her and eyes fixed in a reproving glare, Harley offered her the pizza box with a feigned grin.

"Hungry?"

"You're already on thin ice as it is, young lady. Don't push it." Pepper pointed in the direction of a large room with a huge floor-to-ceiling window. "Go to the living room."

Moments later, Harley sat in the middle of the hulking beige couch while Pepper stood in front of her, arms still crossed and eyes still glaring.

"So would you like to tell me why you got suspended from school?" Pepper asked with barely restrained frustration.

"Didn't Principal Irons tell you?" Harley mumbled quietly.

"Harley, I'm sick of the attitude, I really am!" Pepper snapped. "I honestly cannot, for the life of me, fathom why it's so hard for you to do what you're supposed to do! You do realize that your behavior reflects badly not only on us, but the company, too, don't you?"

"Yes, I'm aware of that, mom," Harley replied curtly. "I wouldn't want to make the beloved family business look bad."

"Harley. Maria. Stark." Pepper's voice suddenly became low and menacing. "Whether you like it or not, you are a member of this family and the next face of Stark Industries. So start acting like it."

"Why should I?!" Harley demanded. "That's what you and dad want me to be! Nobody ever asked if that's what I wanted! My opinion apparently doesn't mean shit in this family!"

Harley glared at Pepper, challenging her. She waited for her mother to lose it. In fact, she wanted to see her mother explode with rage. Pepper was usually so composed and controlled. This was one of the few times Harley had made her visibly furious. But, once again, Pepper took a deep breath, placed her hands on her hips, and regained her composure.

"Harley," Pepper said evenly, "this is the last straw. I will not tolerate any more of your immature, reckless, and irresponsible behavior. You are seventeen. You are almost an adult. It's about time you grow up and realize the world does not owe you." Harley stared back at Pepper, trying to grasp her mother's words. Then she felt the weight of them; the pressure, her mother's disappointment, her father's inattentiveness, and her own unhappiness. It crushed Harley's chest like a boulder. Suddenly, the tears came, and Harley couldn't stop them. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. She felt like her life was headed towards a dead-end and that everything she did to escape only made everyone else's lives more difficult. No matter what she said or did, Harley could never win.

Harley jumped when she felt her mother sit down beside her. She looked at Pepper and, even through tears, could see the tenderness in her mother's eyes. Pepper pulled her daughter close to her and rubbed Harley's back gently as her shoulders shook with her sobs.

"I'm sorry," Harley whimpered into Pepper's shoulder.

"It's okay, honey," Pepper said gently, holding Harley tightly. "I know it hasn't been easy for you. But do you understand why I'm upset?"

Harley nodded.

"Okay." When Harley calmed down, they both straightened up. Pepper looked at Harley, a softer expression on her face. "Now, can we reach an agreement that your behavior will improve?"

Harley nodded again, a resigned smile on her face.

"I'm still not happy that you got suspended," Pepper said, standing up, "so you'll be grounded for the time you're out of school. That means no electronics and no going out unless it's for work."

"Okay," Harley said quietly.

"Now go to your room," Pepper said. "I need to call your father." Harley nodded and obediently left the living room with a newfound respect for Pepper Potts.