I slammed my hand on the set of controls next to my bed, trying to shut off the music blasting in my room.
"JARVIS, shut it off."
"Ellie, get up." I frowned, turning to Pepper, who sat on the edge of my bed, brushing my hair away.
"How long have I been asleep?" She shrugged.
"I think twelve hours." Suddenly, she smiled. "They found him." I didn't need to hear another word. I ran to my closet, taking whatever was hanging there and got dressed. "Ellie, he won't be there for a couple more hours-"
"Well then I have time to get a banner ready, don't I?" She shot me a look, and I pulled on my shoes, grabbing my jacket. "What do you think? 'Welcome Home, Dad! Hope Captivity Wasn't Super Terrible!'" She looked even more annoyed, and I sighed, jumping on my feet slightly. "Sorry. The relief that my dad isn't dead is kind of messing with my head right now. I'm not exactly thinking straight."
"All right, all right, fine. Let's go." I grinned, and rushed out my door, yelling to JARVIS as I ran down the stairs.
"Get the shop ready, and the wall, J! I don't care if he breaks his hand, just make sure he doesn't put a hole in it when he finds out I touched his files!"
Of course, Miss Stark. I waited for Pepper by the front door, and she yelled to me about getting breakfast first.
"Sure. And then we can get even more fat when Dad gets here, because he'll probably want food, too." She shot me another annoyed look, and I covered up my face. "JARVIS, don't let me anywhere near energy drinks ever again. Ever."
Most certainly.
I bit my lip, bouncing on the balls of my feet as the plane landed, and the hatch started to open, far too slowly for my liking. I almost started crying, relief filling me up enough to make me burst when I saw Dad there. He was sitting in a wheelchair, a sling holding his arm up, and he had some cuts and bruises. But he was alive. That's all that mattered. I stopped bouncing on the balls of my feet, tears coming into my eyes as Rhodey helped him up, and he limped out of the plane.
"Dad." I muttered, and despite the pain I could see he was in I ran up to him, hugging him tightly. I smiled, burying my face in his shoulder as he grunted, holding me with his good arm.
"Hey, Ellie." I backed up, sharing a smile with him when I looked him in the eyes.
"Hi Dad." I turned when I saw a couple of medics coming our way with a gurney.
"You're kidding me, right? Get rid of them." He waved a hand, stopping the medics in their tracks. I took him by the elbow, walking with him at his own pace.
"Don't scare me like that again. Ever. Are we clear on that?"
"Yeah. I'll try my best not to be kidnapped again." I nodded, stopping in front of Pepper. He frowned. "Your eyes are red. A few tears for you long-lost boss?"
"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting." Pepper smiled at him.
"Yeah, vacation's over." He headed to the car without another word. I followed him, sharing a look with Pepper. I got into the passenger's seat as Pepper took the back with Dad.
"Where to, sir?" Happy asked, looking back at Dad.
"Take us to the hospital, Happy." Pepper said quietly, sitting forward.
"No." I raised an eyebrow, but kept my thoughts to myself, knowing that he wouldn't listen.
"No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital."
"No is a complete answer."
"The doctor has to look at you."
"I don't have to do anything. I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger, and the other-"
"That's enough of that." I laughed. The three other occupants shot me looks.
"Get your head out of the gutter, Ellie."
"But it's fun with my head in the gutter." I whined, pouting. Dad paused.
"It is, isn't it?" I smirked, nodding. "Are you hungry?"
"I'm fine."
"I know you, El. You're always hungry. Cheeseburger first, Hogan. And then a press conference, Potts."
"A press conference, what on earth for?" I frowned as well.
"Yeah, Hogan, drive." Dad said, and as soon as he did, Happy drove away.
I smiled. Oh, yeah. Dad was home.
I got out of the car as soon as Happy parked, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. Pepper had made me change into something more professional-looking, and it made me want to stab myself. I had been dressing professionally for three months. I wanted jeans. Now.
"Look at this!" Obie called as the people gathered around near the car, clapping and cheering as Dad stepped out of it. "Tony." They hugged for a second while Dad tried to get the ketchup off of his face. I smirked, pouting when Pepper took my burger. I tried to take it back, but she put it back in the bag.
"You can have this later." She handed me a piece of gum. I rolled my eyes at her, putting it in my mouth, waiting for Dad.
"We were gonna meet you at the hospital." Obie said, taking Dad by the shoulders.
"No, I'm fine." He turned to Happy as he approached with a Burger King bag.
"Look at you! You had to have a burger, yeah?"
"Pepper, give my girl her food, she's wasting away over there." I grinned, taking it from her as she rolled her eyes. I tossed my gum in the bag instead, and Obie laughed.
"You get me one of those?"
"Uh, there's only one left, and I think Ellie needs it more than us."
"No I don't!" I yelled over a mouth full, covering my mouth up. Dad rolled his eyes at me, taking me by the elbow. "Okay, what's up with you, you're fussing over me more than you did when I broke my arm in fourth grade."
"Shut up and deal with it, princess." I rolled my eyes at him this time, despite the smile on my face. Dad patted my arm, and I dropped it as he headed to the podium, leaving me with Pepper.
"Miss Stark?" I frowned. Nobody ever wanted to talk to me.
"Yes. I'm not part of the press conference, but it's about to begin right now." I said, gesturing to the group of reporters.
"I'm not a reporter." I frowned further, turning to the man who was speaking to me. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division."
"Well that's a mouthful." I said, taking the card that he offered to me.
"We're working on it." I sighed, shaking my head, handing the card back to him.
"Listen Agent Coulson, I've been approached by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA-"
"We're a separate division with a more specific focus. We need to debrief Mister Stark on the circumstances of his escape-"
"Then don't come to me, Agent, talk to Miss Potts. She handles my father's business, I handle my own. Are we clear on that?" I turned back to look at him, and the look on the man's face made me frown. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"Crystal." I paused, but nodded, turning back to the conference as it began. I looked for Dad, seeing him sitting on the floor in front of the podium. I smiled in amusement, when he made everyone else sit down.
"Ellie, that means you. Sit." My smile dropped, and I shook my head.
"No. No way, not in this skirt." Dad sighed.
"Fine. Then just, lean against the wall or something." He gestured to the one next to me, and I nodded.
"I can do that." I leaned against the wall near Pepper and Rhodey. He paused, looking at me.
"How do you feel about all of this, Ellie. Has anyone asked you that, how you feel about all of this?" I frowned, confused at his question. I hadn't expected that, for sure.
"About what, exactly?"
"The company. What it does, what I do for it. How do you feel about it? Truly?" I paused, frowning even further. Dad had never asked me about this, ever. Not even when I decided on what I wanted to do about being accepted to MIT, when I would have had to choose whether I wanted to take over the company one day or not.
It was strange to be asked this, because I never thought about it before.
"I think that...the more the company advances, the closer we are to peace."
"Truly?"
"Yes, truly." He nodded, pausing briefly before he smiled.
"Have I mentioned how great it is to see you." I smiled too, my eyebrows furrowed as I looked him in the eyes.
"It's good to see you too, Dad." He paused again, looking me in the eyes the entire time he spoke.
"I never got to say goodbye to my dad." He paused, and then looked around at the reporters. "I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions that I would've asked him, I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did, if he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels." He paused, but he looked at me again. "I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."
I frowned even further, my face falling along with the frown.
The body this man was in was my father's, but the man inside him wasn't. He was different, scarred, damaged. Like I was, after the plane crash. He was planning something, and I didn't know what it was, but I was going to find out one way or another.
A bunch of reporters called for him, holding up their pens and such. Dad looked at the youngest guy in front, a familiar face when it came to the press.
"Hey, Ben."
"What happened over there?" Dad stood up suddenly, standing behind the podium.
"I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International until such a time I can decide what the future of the company will be." My eyes went wide, and I dropped the burger out of my hand. Happy caught it, though, and pulled me out of there as reporters started coming up to me, shoving microphones in my face, cameras flashing. I blinked, shielding my eyes, letting Rhodey, Pepper and Happy get me out of there. Dad got away from the press, though, and took me by the arm, holding me to his side.
I took a deep breath through my nose, and let it out through my mouth as he stopped me outside of the building, holding my shoulders to make me look him in the eyes. My heart was pounding, and my ears were ringing, but I played it off. Acted like I was fine. Like always.
"What was that." I asked as soon as Dad grabbed me, looking at him in concern. My panic was hidden with anger. "What happened. Really." He paused, heading to the car. "Dad." He got into the car without another word to me. I refused to move for a moment, but sighed, getting into the backseat with him.
He told Happy where to go, and that was that. He didn't say a single word to me. Not until we got to where he wanted to, anyway. He took off his jacket as he got out of the car, and headed into the building, making me hurry up so I wouldn't have to take out my own key. He looked at the arc reactor, just looked at it. I approached him slowly, since I'd stopped by the door.
"Dad." He sighed, and I raised an eyebrow as he turned around to face me. He started unbuttoning his shirt. "Woah! Woah, woah, I don't know what you're doing, but-" My eyes went wide, when I saw what was fixed into the middle of his chest. It looked like a miniaturized arc reactor, and it was glowing brightly. I stuttered for a second, and Dad's lip twitched. He wanted to smirk at my immediate reaction, but now I was mentally trying to figure out why he would ever need that. "Why do you-"
"Shrapnel." He said simply. My eyes went even wider, and I looked up to meet Dad's own eyes. "The electro magnetic frequency-"
"Keeps it from getting further into your bloodstream." I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat as I came to that conclusion. Dad looked down, and tapped the reactor.
"This thing is keeping me alive." My throat closed up. Dad buttoned his shirt back up. "My own weapons were used against me. I didn't approve of them being there, El, someone's double dealing under the table. I want you to understand that things are going to get dirty around here, and you need to be careful, because they might aim for you next."
"You're dying." Dad looked back up at me, as my worst fear came true. I'd already lost my mom, and now...now, I could lose my dad any second.
"Not with this thing in my chest." I blinked back the tears, and nodded, but Dad wrapped his arms securely around me, hugging me tightly. I set my chin on his shoulder, and he cradled the back of my head. "I'm not going anywhere, bug." I hugged him back, afraid to let go. Afraid that'd he disappear, too.
"I'm always careful, Dad." I muttered, and he squeezed me tighter.
"I know you are. You're a good girl, but I need you to keep your eyes wide open." He muttered back, and I nodded slowly.
"Okay. But I want you to swear that you'll do the same." He pulled away, and pulled my head down, kissing my forehead.
"Science swear." I pulled away now, and Dad grabbed my hand, squeezing it. "Go wait outside. I'll be out in a minute." I nodded, walking out the door just as Obie walked in. I sat on the hood of the car with Happy, taking the offered paper bag, and shoved the burger in my mouth. I took a huge bite, and sniffed, wiping at my eyes. Happy didn't say anything, like I knew he would.
"Thanks for guarding this with your life. If Pepper had taken it, I would've been pissed."
"No problem." I frowned, watching as Dad took the sling off his arm. "You're gonna make him put that back on, aren't you?" I considered it, and then shrugged.
"He won't listen. He never does. I don't know why I even bother anymore." Happy nodded, taking out another cigarette but put it out as Dad and Obie walked out of the building.
I didn't like the look on either of their faces. And I definitely wasn't looking forward to what was gonna happen next.