Title: My Daughters' Eyes
Series: My Father's Child
Author: Vashti
Fandom: The Avengers (MCU), BtVS
Character(s): Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Pepper Potts
Rating: PG/T
Summary: It's official. Pepper is awesome.
Length: ~1270 words
Disclaimer: See part 1
Notes: See part 2.

§§§

"Ohhh, Dawn! They're so cute when they're confused," Buffy whispered to her sister. In theory she was trying not to disturb Bruce and Tony as they poured over the DNA analysis between herself, Bruce and Dawn (and now Tony, to confirm JARVIS hadn't had a digital breakdown). Both men were so confounded by the findings, however, that she and Dawn probably could have started a karaoke session and neither of them would have noticed.

Instead, Dawn was also theoretically respecting their science space by nodding emphatically but quietly. "Why did we leave the camera in the car?"

"I might be of service, Miss Buffy, Miss Dawn," JARVIS said, seemingly from right over their heads.

Buffy looked up, but Dawn kept making googly eyes. "What's that now, Jarv?"

"I can see all public rooms in the Tower, and I have the ability to capture still photos."

Now Dawn did look up, but it was Buffy that said, "Big Brother much?"

"Much of my surveillance is passive and benign. I only record under specific circumstances or when asked. Even that has its limits."

The sisters shared a look. "I don't know how I feel about that," Dawn said.

"Me neither."

"Be that as it may, I am watching and I do have the ability to capture...cuteness if you so desire."

Dawn pursed her lips. "And if we want you to stop recor- watching?"

"You will have to take it up with Sir, as neither of you is authorized to change those settings."

The sisters shared another look. Dawn shrugged first, and Buffy soon followed. What was one more-or-less benign, all-seeing AI, who had been programmed by a wealthy megalomaniac, who happened to be their father's good friend, to worry about? They'd fought master vampires, questionable councils, big bads, bad boyfriends and skanky hell gods and survived! More or less. "Okay," they said together.

"Very good. Shall I email them to you?"

Buffy rattled off her email address. "Thanks, Jarv."

"My pleasure, Miss."

"Hello? Tony...where are you hiding?"

Buffy and Dawn turned and peered around the corner to find the owner of the very feminine voice. A slender redhead dressed in a white suit tailored to cut both diamonds and male egos was sweeping her eyes across the extensive lab space. Buffy let out an envious moan. "If I could dress like that every day, I would totally be willing to be a grown up."

Dawn smacked her arm. "Do you know who that is?"

"Of course I know who that is! Virginia Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, feared and respected even when she was just that one's," she jerked her thumb in Tony's direction, "PA because, let's be honest, she's probably the only human being in Earth who can manage Mr. Billionaire Mad Scientist."

"I'm shocked that you know that."

Buffy stuck out her tongue.

Dawn crossed her arms, hips cocked. "Admit it, you only read the article Vanity Fair did on her because of the fashion spread."

Offended... Sort of offended, but not willing to lose ground, Buffy gaped open-mouthed at her sister. "The fashion spread was bonus. You think I don't keep up with strong, powerful women?"

"That's nice to know," Pepper said, surprising them. "Whoever you are."

Recovering quickly, Buffy offered her hand. "Buffy Summers, and my younger sister Dawn."

"Virginia Potts, as you already know, but you can call me Pepper. I assume you're both guests of Tony?"

"Actually, Bruce is my—our—biological father," Buffy said. "We saw the footage from the Battle of Manhattan and had to come."

Pepper's eyes were wide with surprise. "I didn't know Bruce had children."

Snorting, Dawn said, "Neither did he."

Buffy jabbed her, gently, in the side. "Bruce didn't know that he was a dad until I was like, four or five or something."

"You were four years old, and very opinionated," Bruce said as he approached the women. "Hello, Pepper."

Smiling warmly, she returned the greeting. "I didn't know you were a father."

A funny look, part smile, part grimace, part my-nose-itches, crossed Bruce's face. "Only in the most technical sense. I wasn't really a dad."

Dawn snorted. "Neither was Dad."

"Hey…Hank wasn't always, um…" Bruce looked at Buffy.

"King Jerk of Jerklandia?"

Bruce chuckled. "Yes. That. He was a good man who was very happy to be your father. When I met Joyce and Hank, I was very happy that you'd ended up with them."

Looking from Buffy to Dawn and then to Bruce, Pepper fixed her expression then, without looking at any of them, ventured to say, "So…you…put your second child up for adoption? With the same family it sounds like?" She dared to catch Bruce's eye. "Or there happened to be a similar situation and the girls found each other first?"

The three of them—Bruce, Buffy and Dawn—stared at her incomprehensibly for a moment. Eyes narrowed, Buffy said, "You mean did Bruce knock up some other girl and she also didn't spill the beans that she was keeping the kid without keeping the kid?"

"Yes?"

"No," the three said together.

"Oh."

Tony walked about and slung an arm around Pepper's waist. "Confusing as hell, isn't it? Hey." He leaned over for a kiss, and she met his lips. "Good day at the office?"

"Crushed a few egos. Stopped a coup in its tracks. Signed a couple of lucrative contracts that we've been negotiating. Nothing special."

Buffy clutched Bruce's arm and whined. Concerned, he studied her face. "What's wrong?"

"I want to be that awesome!"

Though obviously pleased, Pepper blushed a little. "I'm sure any child of Bruce's, raised by him or not, is already awesome."

Arms crossed over her chest as she smirked, Dawn said, "She manages to save the world every now and then." Now she looked between Tony and Bruce. "So? Verdict? Am I your bio-kid or what?"

"What if I'm your daddy?" Tony said. Pepper smacked the back of his head. "Ow! Do all the redheads have it in for me?! Are the are any other redheads on the team? JARVIS, make a note: we're putting a moratorium on hiring redheads. Send a memo to Fury."

"I'm not a redhead, and I hit you," Dawn reminded him.

Tony brushed off that very minor, inconsequential detail with a wave of his hand. "JARVIS, send the memo."

"Right away, Sir."

Pepper coughed. "JARVIS…do me a favor and hold onto that memo until after I'm done with Tony."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Tony pressed his hand to his arc reactor. "Is this what it's like to get no respect?"

Buffy and Dawn nodded. "Pretty much," Dawn said, speaking for both of them. "So! About my DNA, Billionnaire Playboy Distracto!"

"I guess—"

"Yes," Bruce said, breaking in before Tony could steal the moment. "Yes. We confirmed that you are, in fact, my biological daughter. I don't know how."

"Magic," Dawn and Buffy said together.

"Magic?" Pepper's brows were furrowed.

Ignoring them all, Bruce extended a hand to Dawn. "I've never believed in magic. But maybe I should."

Smiling hard enough to break something, she went to him and threw her arms around his neck. Bruce slowly wrapped his arms around her and sighed.

"JARVIS," Tony muttered, "take pictures."

Bruce extended his other hand to Buffy. She leaned into his side, allowing him to wrap an arm around her waist. "I'm not thrilled that it took an alien invasion to bring us together, and I wish your mom was alive to be part of this, but I'm glad you're both here."

"Me too," Buffy said.

"Me three," Dawn added. And then, "Am I seriously taller than you, too?"

Bruce hugged his girls tighter and laughed.

[in]Fin[ite]

Notes2: That's it! I've gotten some great ideas from people who have read this series already. Some of them might get written later, but I make no promises.