I have finally finished the seventh chapter after much re-writing and deleting. I had written this watching the Avengers and seeing Tony always puts me in the mood for this fanfic :). Sorry it took so long though, I swear I haven't forgotten the story, I just have been terribly stuck up until now. I hope you all enjoy the chapter and please read and review :)

Chapter Seven

Tony

They finally gave us permission to take April home, though they were still a bit worried about how she would do in a plane. She was healing well, but the stress of the entire ordeal seemed to weigh heavily on her mind. The doctors had kept April for three days to monitor her and I, as a result, had chosen to stay with her as well. Needless to say, the nights did not go over well. April had nightmares and the doctors did not want to give her right of leave without assurring that these night terrors could be controlled. I had a feeling that if she could get away from London she would heal faster and more efficiently, expressing these thoughts to Pepper and the other quacks didn't seem to go as smoothly.

"She is my daughter and I am taking her home, Pepper," I said, packing up the clothes I had brought to the hospital. "And I am not arguing the matter further."

"Tony," she sighed. "I understand that you are protective of her but she is sick and the doctor's want to keep her here longer-

-and what? Poke and prod at her like she is a human pincushion? She is miserable here Pepper. She doesn't get to sleep because the doctors have her hooked up to all these fucking machines! If we take her home she can rest and feel safe...and I'll hire a better physician for her."

Pepper moved over to me and took my hands in her own. I was not able to stop myself from wanting to continue with the packing. April made me frantic and I wanted to fix all of this. It was all my fault to begin with. I had a beautiful daughter that had a wonderful life going for her. She was at the top of her class at Oxford and because of my vanity...my stupidity...I took it all away from her. Now she was battered, bruised, and sick...all from my doing. I wanted to fix April's life and make it up to her, I wanted to be there now that I had made her that promise, and I wanted her to know that daddy wasn't going to let anyone harm or threaten her again.

"I understand, Tony," Pepper whispered, gently. "You love her and want to keep her safe...that's what a good father does...but if she is sick, you cannot just fly her across the world and hope she will magically get better. THAT is unrealistic."

"No..." I said firmly, closing my traveling bag. "These doctor's methods are unrealistic. Pepper, I am asking you to support my first decision as a father...a good father...please?"

She sighed, but nodded. I took that as my oppurtunity to go and check on April. The doctor's had taken her away for one more test and if it hadn't been for April's insistence on going alone, I would have been right by her side with them. Now we were just waiting for them to bring my child back so we could take my private jet to Malibu. We were locking the place down as soon as we returned home. I was not risking anyone coming to hurt my kid again, and if that meant...barring myself...inside for a couple of days, then so be it.

I waited for a couple minutes before I finally saw her come out of one of the rooms. She looked a bit pale, but I wasn't surprised. April was still fighting off a mild infection and the doctors said with her being under so much pressure and stress that her immune system wasn't doing the best to combat the illness. Another, obvious, reason I felt it would be a lot better to get April back to our home.

"Hello beautiful," I said smiling. "I have all of our things packed and a car waiting to take us to the airport."

April looked up at me and I noticed that her eyes were a bit glassy. I frowned, feeling worried once more, and gently pulled her towards me so that she could lean against me and I could just hold her. It felt so good to have her in my arms and a bit strange that she wasn't shoving me or fighting me off. I looked back down at her again and my frown deepened.

"What the fuck did you give her?" I snapped, looking up. "She's practically comatose!"

"Mr. Stark, please calm down," One of the physicians said. "Your daughter was going into a panic when we asked to examine her injuries, we just gave her a mild sedative to calm her down. She will be back to her violent self in no time."

I moved foward to slam my fist into the doctor's head, but felt a cold hand tug me back. April was shaking her head at me. Clearly she wasn't as high as I had thought she had been. Grumbling some obscenities towards the doctor, I picked up our bags and ushered April out to my driver and into the backseat of a Porsche.

"Peps," I said. "There's room back here with us."

"I'm fine Tony," she said, smiling gently. "I'd rather sit up front anyway."

"I'll try not to take it personally," I smirked. "I showered though...so...I smell fairly good."

"Fairly good?" she chuckled. "That makes it sound so tempting."

Smirking, I wrapped an arm around April and gently tugged her to rest her head against me. She was so quiet and I wasn't used to it. I would almost rather her yell at me and call me a sardonic douche bag, then to have to watch her doped up on whatever it was the doctors had chosen to poison her with. God, now I understood why April hated hospitals so much...those pricks felt like they knew EVERYTHING.

"Mmm..." April grumbled. "M'sleepy..."

"I know princess," I said softly. "It's okay...go to sleep...we'll be home before you know it."

I took my hands through her hair gently and closed my eyes as well. This moment was one I would hold onto forever. When April and I got into another fight and she told me that I was the worst fucking father ever, I would just go here and remember that there was a time where April seemed to love me...or maybe that was the drugs. Ugh...the moment...just need to remember this moment.

The ride to the plane had gone smoothly, and I could tell that April was starting to come back to her normal self. Especially since she wouldn't let me hold or snuggle her anymore. I tried to keep my chin high, but it really hurt. I would walk through fire for my kid and although I understood why she didn't think me worthy of being my father, it still hurt like Hell .

"Would you like anything, Miss Stark?" I heard a Stewardess ask.

"Rum and coke..." she grumbled.

"And by rum and coke, she means gingerale," I said giving her a stern look. "She doesn't get alcohol right now."

I felt Pepper turn and cast a glare my way.

"Herm...or ever...until she is legal...or...something," I cleared my throat and looked at Pepper. "Woman, please, I'm still new at this whole "law abidiing" thing."

I could tell that Pepper wasn't amused and with a sigh of partial defeat, I chose to take my seat in front of April. She looked hung over, with her head resting in the palm of her hand, and tangled locks of red hair falling in front of her sullen face. I could see the scar on her cheek more vividly now. It still looked as though it was festering against her skin and each time I saw it I was reminded of my vendetta and how I had made a personal vow to make those bastards that had taken us pay for their crimes.

"How are you feeling?" I asked gently.

"How does it look?" she sighed.

"How does what look?"

"Don't play dumb," she growled. "The scar...the ugly blister they left on my face...how does it look?"

"April...you are beautiful-

-They wouldn't let me really look at it with a mirror...is it really that gross?"

"What? Of course not!"

She sighed, apparently not convinved, and turned her face away from me. I didn't know what she wanted me to say. I wasn't going to say she was ugly, because she wasn't, and I wasn't going to say the blister affected her looks in the slightest, because it didn't. April was just at a point where she wanted to feel sorry for herself. All human's reached this low once in their life, I know I had multiple times, but I refused to let April believe that anyone would indulge her in it. She was gorgeous and a Stark...it was time she started acting like one.

"Hey," I said, gently guiding her face back towards mine. "I am not having that. You are a beautiful young lady and I refuse to sit here and let you feel sorry for yourself. This was tragic...but it is over now...now all you need to do is heal and focus on what happens next. Are you going to let those punks have the satisfaction of knowing they brought you down?"

"Yes..."

"No," he smirked. "No, because that would be too easy for you. You want them to know that they didn't affect us. That THIS whole thing is nothing more than just a memory and we are going to go home and be happy. Because nothing will piss them off more than to know that they lost two of the smartest and greatest fucking people in the world."

I saw April's lips curl into a tiny smile and she looked down at her hands. The old Stark blood ran deep...and nothing got me going more than a good ol' fashion pep talk. Especially when it involved boosting our confidences, people thought I was arrogant...the truth was I was just confident. I knew I was brilliant and because I knew that it meant I could help the world more than a non-brilliant person ever could.

"Tony...-

-Shh...don't ruin my speech." I said, gently pressing my hand over her mouth. "Just enjoy it...because I know that you know I am right. I'm Tony Stark...I'm always right."

I smiled as her green eyes rolled and she gently pushed my hand down. It was good to see her be normal again. She was behaving like her sarcastic self and that made my day more worthwhile. She would get past this because she was strong...much stronger than me or anyone I ever knew.

"Thanks, Tony," she said gently. "That strangely...made me feel better."

"Well that's my job." I smirked.

"To be strange?"

"Well...that...but to also make you feel better. I love you, April."

I waited for April to say something back...anything...but she actually just stared ahead. Had I said it wrong? Did it sound unsincere...or...or did April just really not love me back? I was starting to feel a knot form in my stomach. I could not handle if she admitted to not loving me...perhaps she just hadn't heard me? But if she did and I said it again I might sound pushy. God, why wasn't there a manual on being a dad. Everything needed to come with instructions...maybe there was a Dummie's Guide to Being a Daddy.

"April...-

-I love you too." she said, turning to look at me.

Smiling, I gently draped my arm around April's shoulders and sighed. Things were going to go a lot smoother now, I just knew they were. And if they didn't...we would be fucked, because I wasn't sure how much more April or Pepper could handle before they just broke in half under the pressure. One would think because I loved them I would try to spare them all of that...but I guess what everyone says about me is right, I'm just too damn selfish.

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