Just one more chapter after this, then we can move on to the Iron Man movie! Yay!
Once Erika entered High school, she'd all but given up on getting rid of the strange women that invaded her home.
She still wasn't happy about it, though.
"I'm not exactly happy with it, either," Tony's PA told her. "Not only do I have to make excuses for your father on a regular basis, I have to escort these women out of here if they refuse to leave."
Thanks to Erika and Pepper Pott's combined forces, however, most women didn't tend to stick around.
Pepper was actually the one who convinced Erika to focus less on Tony's women and more about what she wanted to do with her life. "You're good at so many things," Pepper had said. "And on top of that, you're smart—if you wanted, you could even skip a few grades, maybe go to college a little early?"
Erika shook her head. "I don't want to be treated different—I want to go through education at the same rate as everyone else. Do you know what they'd do to a fifteen year old in college? They'd eat me alive! Nobody would take me seriously; it's bad enough nobody takes me seriously now," she added under her breath. "Don't think I don't know, Aunt Pepper," she said as Pepper opened her mouth to argue. "I know what people say behind my back—that I get all the solos in concerts, or that my pieces get displayed the most, because of who I am. Nobody ever thinks that maybe I earned those solos, or that I worked on those pieces night and day. God forbid I earn anything, I'll just use Dad's money to get me through life!" She was breathing hard, trying not to cry.
Pepper sat beside her and ran a hand down her back. "Nobody ever said you didn't earn any of this. You've worked hard since day one, and you deserve every ounce of recognition."
Erika leaned into Pepper's touch, trying to even out her breathing. Despite loving and trusting Pepper, Erika couldn't help but think 'Why can't I say any of that to Dad? Why isn't he the one comforting me?'
She must've said that out loud, because Pepper turned and put her hands on Erika's shoulders. "Your father does care about you; he just has a hard time with emotions."
"Yeah, I know," Erika sighed. "He's allergic to them, or something."
From that point on, Erika focused on her future career. She practiced her violin day and night, and made sure to do a full set of sketches every night. She had even decided to stop arguing with Tony about the company, and about what else they had to offer.
All that changed one day on her way from school.
Erika was in the back of her dad's driver's car and they were at a red light when Erika glanced out the window at a news stand. A newspaper's headline caught her attention and she squinted, trying to get a better look. The light turned green but Happy stayed where he was, since Erika had gotten out of the car and went up to get a paper. She ignored all the cars behind them and Happy's call of "Ms. Stark?" She picked up a paper, her face going red.
That bastard.
Erika paid for the paper and got back in the car, slamming the door shut. "Happy, I need you to take me to Stark Industries."
"With all due respect, Ms. Stark, my instructions are to take you straight home," was the driver's reply.
"Yeah? Well I'm giving you new instructions; Drive."
Happy did as instructed, mainly because he knew there was something wrong—Erika had never spoken to anyone like that. He took her to Stark Industries without another word, and watched as she got out of the car and marched into the building like she owned it (technically she would own it one day, but she'd never been happy about it).
She marched past security, because honestly, she was Erika Maria Stark and everyone else could suck it. She was way above her boiling point by the time she reached the floor with Tony's office, and she ignored Tony's receptionist entirely.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but Mr. Stark is in the middle of something important!" his assistant cried. "He doesn't have time for—"
"I'm his daughter, he can make time!" Erika snapped angrily, and slammed the door open. "What the hell is this?" she asked a startled Tony, throwing the newspaper down on his desk.
Tony blinked, still too startled to give any other reaction. "Last time I checked, that was called a newspaper," he said slowly. "Erika, I'm busy, whatever it is can wait."
Erika huffed, snatching up the newspaper again, and held it up. In thick blocky letters, the headline read TONY STARK: ANIMAL KILLER? She turned the paper back towards her and read, "Stark Industries turned more than a few heads when it was discovered that their medical research division has been using animals as test subjects. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, along with several other activist groups, has openly voiced its displeasure and is moving to have the Stark Industries medical labs shut down. More on page five." Erika clenched the paper in her fist and glared at Tony. "Why would you do this? Why on god's green earth would you think that something like this was okay? Weapons are one thing, but this?" She slammed the paper back down. "This is just sick."
Tony's partner, Obadiah Stane (Whom Erika just realized was in the room), held up his hands and moved around the desk to place a hand on Erika's shoulders. "Look, Kiddo, your dad's got a lot of work to do—he really doesn't have time for this right now."
Erika shrugged his hand off. "He can make time, because I want an explanation. Now."
Tony stood up and held up a finger. "One—don't ever use that tone with me again." He held up another finger. "Two—this is my company, and I'll damn well do as I please with it. Right now, you need to leave; we'll discuss this later."
"That's bullshit and you know it!" Erika snapped. "We won't 'discuss it later' because you do what you always do—sweep it under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist! How about we try something new, hmm? It's called 'actually expressing our feelings and talking about important shit.'"
Tony's hands clenched into fists. "You wanna know what I'm feeling? Fine. Right now, I'm feeling extremely pissed off, because my sixteen year old daughter is yelling at me, in my own building, about things she doesn't understand!"
"Oh, I understand alright! I've always understood; you're a greedy, vindictive asshole who doesn't care who he has to step on to get his way! You're a cold blooded killer with a serious case of alcoholism, and you don't give a damn about anyone but yourself!" sixteen years of pent-up frustration were spilling out of her, and she didn't even try to stop it. "And you know what else? You're a shitty parent!"
"Hey!" Tony snapped. "That's enough! Now I want you to turn around, march your ass back down those stairs and go home," he said, his temper flaring even more.
Erika crossed her arms. "And what if I don't? You gonna call security on me?" she challenged. "I'm not one of your stupid little cunts that you can just talk into submission!"
Tony went back around the desk. He pushed the intercom button and said coldly, "Macy, please notify security that I need someone removed from the premises."
"Right away, Mr. Stark," the receptionist replied.
Erika's jaw dropped. "You ass," she said, astonished. "You're really going to have your own daughter escorted out?" Sure, she'd given him the idea, but she didn't actually think he'd do it. "I can't believe you," she said as two security guards came into the office. "I can't believe you!" she said again, louder, as she was dragged towards the door. Erika struggled to get out of their grasps, to no avail. "Let me go!" she yelled. As she was dragged out of Tony's office, she glared at Tony. "I hate you! I wish you had died instead of Mom!"
Erika screamed all the way down to the first floor, and when the doors were shut on her she screamed even louder. She kicked the door, breathing heavy.
'Don't cry,' she thought. 'Don't you dare cry, not here, not after all that.'
Why shouldn't she, though? Tony had watched, uncaring as his own daughter was manhandled and dragged off the premises, kicking and screaming. Cold hard truth slapped her in the face and she broke down, not caring that she was on a very public sidewalk.
"You don't give a damn about anyone but yourself!"
Her own words rang in her head as Happy helped her up off the sidewalk—had he been there the whole time?—and helped her to the car. She cried the whole way home, the same words ringing in her head.
You don't give a damn about anyone but yourself!
Erika had said it in anger, but she'd been right—Tony only cared about himself, and his actions proved what a part of her had known all along; he didn't care about her at all. She'd tried communicating with him and he'd thrown her out.
For the first time in her life, Erika saw how much of a cold bastard Tony Stark really was.
A/N: Oh my Hel, this chapter was a bitch to write. In my head, Erika's kind of a nature and animal nut, so that's why she freaked out.