Tony POV
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and Isadora was so excited. Throughout the entire week, I had taken her out into New York City to go experience 'traditional' Christmas tidings. She had previously shared with me that she had never experienced or celebrated Christmas, and that this was going to be her first one with other people. My heart nearly broke when she told me she had never received a present. The news made me even more determined to give her the best Christmas ever.
Our first stop had been to Starbucks, where we both ordered a large hot chocolate. Of course, some would argue that making Starbucks a place for Christmas tradition is quite naïve and something a teenager would do. However, I think my daughter's situation was an exception to the rule.
"Is this . . . hot chocolate?" asked Isadora in a perplexed voice as I handed her the cup of warm cocoa. She took the stirrer I gave her and poked the marshmallows suspiciously, as if she suspected them to come alive. Her eyes followed the mini balls of fluff as they swirled around the cup, the little bubbles of foam coating them in their track.
"Yeah," I replied simply as I took a sip of my own. The warm, rich liquid went down my throat easily, making me hum in appreciation. A lot of people don't know this, but I love me some hot chocolate.
Isadora hadn't stopped looking at her cup of cocoa as she held it up real close, examining even the basic Starbucks cup.
"What's the matter, kid?"
She tore her eyes away from the drink and met my curious gaze with her innocent one. She opened her mouth, but only an inaudible mumbled whisper came out.
"Come again?" I said as I leaned down closer to her, wanting her to repeat what she had said.
"I've . . . never," she began quietly, "I've never . . . had it."
I looked at her with another expression of sadness, pity flowing through me as I thought about my daughter. It was sad to see how a girl as sweet and humble as Isadora never had anything in the world. You would think that with nothing, one would be cold and uncaring, selfish and greedy. But Isadora wasn't like that at all; she was the exact opposite.
"Well," I said gruffly, trying to cover the sadness that trembled in my voice, "Go ahead and try it, kid. Tell me how it tastes."
Isadora hesitantly brought the cup to her lips, taking a small sip. She held the liquid in her mouth for a few moments, puckering her small mouth as she savored the taste of the chocolate. A mix of emotions could be seen in her facial expression, ones of happiness and warmth. Swallowing gently, she looked up at me with her breathtaking smile.
"It's great!" she exclaimed. She brought the cup to her lips once more, taking gulp after gulp of the stuff. I couldn't help but to laugh as I pulled out my phone. Snapping a quick photo, I saved it and planned to show it to Pepper later.
Pepper had absolutely fallen in love with Isadora and Isadora with her. Their relationship was like that of a real mother and daughter; honest and reliable. I knew that Pepper would always accept and protect Isadora with all her power, and that thought comforted me greatly.
"Can I have another, Daddy?" Isadora asked, tearing me out of my thoughts. I looked to the empty cup in her hand as she popped the last of the marshmallows into her mouth.
"Of course you can, Isadora." I told her with a smile. Ordering another hot chocolate, we made our way out of the café and to the car, driving off to the other adventures I had planned for the day.
As we pulled up to the ice skating rink, Isadora bounced in her seat, the sugar from the cocoa coursing through her veins. Her long brown hair bounced with her, and her eyes shone with excitement only children can have.
"Ice skating! I've always wanted to do this! Oh, thank you so much, Daddy! Thank you, thank you thank you!" Ripping off her seatbelt, she bounded out of the car and towards the ticket booth. She waited patiently to the side as I caught up with her, taking my hand as I came to her side. I gave her frail hand a gentle squeeze, being careful not to hurt her.
Isadora had gained a few pounds since she's been with us, but she was still incredibly thin. The doctor had said that she was on a good track though, and to keep a healthy and balanced diet. I hope that hot chocolate was on that menu.
After renting our skates and lacing them up, Isadora and I made our way to the rink. Suddenly, she stopped, tugging on my hand to hold me back.
"Wait," she said nervously. Looking up at me with worry, she squeezed my hand in fear. Gulping, she opened her mouth to speak.
"What if I fall?"
I looked down at her, interpreting those words to mean more than what they really did at this moment. Crouching down, I placed a kiss on her forehead and embraced her. Her small arms wound around my neck as she buried her face into my jacket.
"Then I'll catch you."
"Do you promise?"
"I promise."
•••
Isadora POV
That day had been one of the most memorable and happiest days of my existence.
After we had "attempted" to ice skate, Tony had taken me to go see some carolers. I smiled and swayed to the music as they belted out their harmonious songs with cheer. I figured that Tony really didn't like this kind of stuff, but the sacrifice in his actions made them even more loving. After that, we had gone to the mall to go pick out presents for everyone. He had told me not to worry about the money, and that I would never have to again.
It was very comforting to know that my father would always support me, both emotionally and financially. Of course I did plan on earning a living of my own one day, but until that day came, my financial worries were calmed.
I never really knew how hard it was to pick out gifts for everyone. I had suggested we do a "Secret Santa", one of the American traditions I had read about. It was fun, and also saved you money. After I brought up this point to Tony, he said that everyone with S.H. I.E. L.D. had a more than stable financial income, and that they could afford gifts for everyone. I simply nodded my head in content, glad that they didn't have that type of burden upon them.
We were currently in Barnes and Noble's Book Store, browsing around for ideal gifts. I had never known this, but I was just as stubborn as my father. My opinion on something could not be wavered, and his was made of steel.
"Steve would not like that at all!" I exclaimed angrily. Tony thought it would be a great idea to buy Steve a book about World War II.
"Come on, maybe the guy wants a trip to memory lane!"
"No, Daddy! It's mean and insensitive. I don't think Steve likes to remember about his time in the war. Would you?" I challenged. He stared at me with an apologetic expression as he put the book back on its shelf.
"You're right," he said with a smile, "Sorry." I smiled and hugged him with all my might. Natasha had told me to get him "wrapped around my pinkie", and I just think I accomplished that task.
"Let's go look at some other things," I told him as I pulled him to the Apple Store across the main hall of the mall. "Maybe we could get him one of those iPod things, that way he can listen to music."
"That's a good idea," he admitted with a nod as we approached the display case.
We had spent about four hours at the mall, picking and arguing about the gifts we planned to buy for everyone. Making our way to the car with our arms loaded with bags, we dumped them into the back seat and drove off towards base.
We had ended up choosing a red iPod, with blue headphones for Steve. I thought it would only be fitting, considering that he is Captain America after all. Tony thought it would be a good idea to get Thor one as well, that way he could get used to our world. His was black, however, with red headphones. We had decided on a nice leather journal for Bruce, that way he could put down even more research. I had chosen a few nail polishes for Natasha, knowing that she liked to paint her nails in her spare time, and a pretty bottle of perfume. Daddy had chosen a $50 gift card to iTunes for Clint, remembering that he listened to music when he trained. I had picked out a new tie for Phil, taking note that he either only had one tie or a multitude of identical ones. Daddy picked out one of those "Smart Watches" for Director Fury, and why, I do not know.
And finally, Pepper's gift was the one that had the most thought and care put into it. I suggested that you could never go wrong with jewelry, and Daddy agreed as we made our way to Tiffany's. As we browsed through the beautiful collections of jewels and gems, my eye was captured by a simple, yet intricate necklace.
It was a simple, round diamond, surrounded by even smaller red rubies, and hung on a thin platinum chain. My father had noticed my staring, and questioned which one I liked. I pointed to the beautiful piece of art, and my father smiled and nodded at my selection. He had also chosen the matching earrings, simple studs that were exact copies of the diamonds and rubies.
I was snapped out of my thoughts as we came to a stop. Looking up, I noticed that we were in the garage at base.
"We're going to have to be sneaky, that way no one sees all the presents." My father whispered to me with a smile. We grabbed all the presents from the back and stuffed them into our jackets. I still wore my own pink jacket, except now it was clean and pretty. Zipping it all the way up the very top, I couldn't help but to laugh at our state. Quickly rushing into the building, we waddled awkwardly as our bulging jackets made us laugh hysterically.
So caught up in our laughter, my father and I hadn't noticed Steve and Thor walking down the hall. They caught sight of us as we froze, trying to seem nonchalant.
"Hey guys," said Steve with a smile. He noticed our jackets and furrowed an eyebrow. "What's under your jackets?"
"Nothing," I lied quickly. Their attention went to me, looking at me with an unbelieving smile.
"Doesn't seem like nothing," said Thor with a grin.
My father and I knew they weren't going to let us go without letting them know what we were hiding, so I came up with a plan.
"Steve, Thor," I began with a sneaky smile, "We actually passed Natasha on the way here, and she told me to tell you both that she needs your help. Clint got one of his arrows stuck in her hair, and it's a nightmare."
"What does she want us to do?" asked Steve with a perplexed look.
"I don't think I would be of much help in this situation," stated Thor just as confused.
"Yeah, I don't see why-"
"Look!" I yelled, "Do you really want to keep an assassin waiting, especially with an arrow tangled in her hair? Plus, you might want to go check and see if Clint is even alive!"
"But, why us?" persisted Steve. Tony could sense that we were losing them, and decided to intervene. Pulling his phone out, he pressed a button and put it to his ear.
"Oh, hey, Natasha. What? Geez, don't yell at me! I've told them already! Yes! I told Thor and Steve to meet you in the lounge to help you get that arrow out!"
"Alright, alright," said Steve, "We're going!"
Thor and he continued on down the hall, confused as hell, but willing nonetheless. As soon as we made sure they were far away enough, Tony and I began to laugh hysterically. Running down the hall towards his room, our laughing only grew at our silly antics.
These were the moments that I would never forget; the ones that would make my life worth living as Isadora Stark, Tony Stark's daughter.
