Sorry about the late chapter my Internet failed. I realize that the last chapter was confusing but don't worry it was meant to be. All will be explained.

Chapter 4

10PM MALIBU

The flight back was relatively quick. Tony had planned to ask Phoenix her life story but she was dead to the world after being in the car for only five minutes. Happy carried her to her seat in the plane and the whole time she did not wake to see the city in sleep. Tony couldn't help but watch her. She was wearing ripped clothes, her hair was dirty and her face was scratched. There was so much he didn't know about this girl. Where had she been the last fourteen years, what happened to her mother and how long ago?

When they had arrived back at Tony's house, Happy carried here to the spare room with Tony tailing. He threw the covers over her and said a quiet goodnight. She didn't even stir.

"I'll be back tomorrow."

"Thanks Happy." Pepper responded waiting just outside the bedroom door. "Come on Tony, let's go to bed."

"Yeah sure." He wandered back into the corridor. Pepper could see moisture collecting in his eyes. "Let's go to bed."

She awoke sweating and in a panic. She had had a horrible dream and I didn't help that emerged from her rest she was in a place she didn't know. She had dreamed her stepfather had found her again, well at least… she hoped it was a dream. Was it a dream? Now that she'd had this thought her heart was racing, her palms were sweating and her stomach began to ache. There was only one thing she could think of to do…

"TONY! TONY! TONY!"

Tony and Pepper flipped out of their bed. Phoenix was still screaming bloody murder and now Tony was running.

"PHOENIX?" He arrived and the door and lurched through seeing Phoenix still her bed. "WHAT'S WRONG? ARE YOU OKAY?"

"Where am I?"

"In Malibu, at my place." He put his hand over hers.

"Is he here?" She ripped her hand back and stood back.

"Is who here?" genuinely confused.

"My stepfather." Tony had never heard anyone so scared.

He hesitated for a second then answered. "No one is here but us. Oh and Jarvis" He said looking at Pepper over his shoulder as Phoenix followed his eyes. "I promise."

Phoenix breathed slowly looking into her fathers in search for any signs of lying. She didn't find anything.

"Okay. Whose Jarvis?"

"At your service." Phoenix looked around.

"He runs the house." Pepper answered almost immediately.

"Nobody is going to hurt you here. I'm not going to hurt you. Pepper's isn't going to hurt you and I'm never going to let anyone else hurt you."

"You don't know me."

"Which is a shame because I think you might be worth getting to know. As long as you don't give me a heart attack every morning." Tony said jokingly causing phoenix to giggle as she tried to adjust to the situation. "We can talk later if you want. It's 3am, you should get some sleep." Phoenix nodded unable to speak. "Okay." He picked himself up and left holding Peppers hand. He turned off the lights and closed the door. But Phoenix still couldn't close her eyes.

Tony and Pepper lay in bed after their 7am wake up call. Tony knew he had a lot of explaining to do so he thought it best to tell Pepper everything before she asked him to.

"Tony, she can't be your daughter if she was born two years after you dated."

"If it was two years…"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. I thought we dated in 96 but Phoenix said she was in graduating year in 97. Meaning we must have dated in 97 meaning it makes sense that Phoenix was born in 98."

"What?" Asked a baffled Pepper.

"I thought she was born in 79. I knew she was 17 when I met her so I assumed I gave the speech in 96. If that were so it would make it impossible for Phoenix to be my daughter. However if she was born in 1980…"

"That would make her seventeen in 1997. Phoenix was born in 1998, meaning she could be your daughter."

"Exactly."

"Why do you have to be so confusing?"

"It's fun. Jarvis find out what year I gave a lecture at MIT to a class with a student named Mary Marcs."

"Right away sir."

"And how is Phoenix this morning Jarvis."

"I think she's hungry."

"Why would you say that?"

"She's been in the kitchen cooking for hours." Pepper and Tony turned their heads to one another.

"Cooking?"

They walked to the kitchen to be met by someone who looked a lot like Phoenix, but was it? She was of the same average height, with the same strong composition. Problem was her hair was brown, not black and her eyes were of the same beautiful brown color as Tony's. Her clothes were clean and the rips were fixed.

"Hope you guys don't mind Jarvis helped me wash my clothes. And I had a shower. Oh but I made breakfast to say sorry for last night. It's kind of been a weird few years." There was an array of fruit salad, pancakes and omelets on the kitchen table.

"Well thank you. And thank God you're a better cook then Tony." Pepper and Phoenix laughed but Tony stood confused.

"You love my cooking."

"Of course Tony." He actually seemed genuinely offended for a second until he laughed.

"Sir, James Rhodes is here."

"Rhodey?"

"…Tony, Tony!" he appeared in the kitchen. "Tony we have problem… Hi I'm Rhodey." He said turning his attention to Phoenix.

"Phoenix."

"Nice to meet you."

"Rhodey what's the problem?"

"The ten rings."

"What about them?"

"They've become hostile. We need the suit."

He wavered for a second and looked at Phoenix "I'll be back later. Are you two fine here?" Pepper and Phoenix nodded. It would be good to know a bit more about each other.