At some point, after I made it to the roof, one of those idiots knocked me out. I awoke tied to a pole. Oh but that wasn't the best part; I was on the edge of the building. Any attempts to free myself would result in falling to my death. I touched my wrist to find my safety net missing which caused me to remember all that had happened.
Which gave me even less hope. There was no chance of being saved this time.
"I see your awake." An unfamiliar man stepped out of the shadows; he was adorned in dark clothing to compliment his untamed facial hair and stringy locks. He was a picture perfect villain. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Miss Stark." He coos in a gentle voice.
"It's Abigail. Abigail McAdams."
He smirks. "Resentment towards your father already? And here I thought you would need convincing."
"Convincing of what?" I quirk an eyebrow at him.
"Of your father's faults."
"You don't have to convince me of those." I grumble and he snickers.
"May I ask what turn of events occurred to make you feel such disdain towards Mr. Stark?"
"He messed up." I say simply, unwilling to share my heartache with this lunatic.
He laughs again. "We all mess up don't we Miss Stark? I'm sure he'll be here any minute to try and save his beloved daughter."
I growl as he purposefully uses Stark. "Sorry to disappoint you, but he won't be coming."
He studies me. "Why would you say that?"
"You picked the wrong person to use as leverage. You probably should have taken Pepper." I try to uphold my snarky attitude, but the wind is fierce and fear is instilled into my blood. My heart is pounding and I can't seem to calm down. All I can think about is the thirty stories underneath my feet.
"Do you truly believe he won't come for you?" He walks around me, studying me. I can't tell if he believes me or if he thinks I mean only to fool him. "If that is the case, then I can use you for other reasons." His menacing grin causes me to grin. He reaches out and lightly touches my cheek. While I've been in a similar situation, he doesn't seem to want what the other strange man wanted. He wants me on his side; even though Tony and I could no longer have a relationship, I don't know if I could ever go against him. "To have you on our side would be a great advantage over Mr. Stark. We have done our research on you, and we know you have an intelligence matching that of your father's." He smiles. "What do you say?"
"Why do you think I would help you?" I question.
"Do you need anymore than to see the downfall of Tony Stark? As his daughter, you'd inherit everything. You would be the most powerful sixteen-year-old in the country." He grins.
"You really haven't done your research on me then." I say, the pain hits me again like a knife in the heart. The betrayal causes me to feel sick. "I don't want any of that."
The man gives me an evil grin as he pats my cheek. "No you don't do you. What did you tell the press? That all you ever wanted was your father's love. That was his mistake wasn't it? He didn't love you, and you got hurt." He laughs. Laughs at my misery, and this ignites fury down to my toes. I form a tight expression and refuse to give him any satisfaction of seeing any emotion on my face. "That was your mistake. You let yourself fall into something you shouldn't have. You think with your heart, not your head." He taps my forehead with his finger before he steps back and holds out his arms. "Think with your brain Abigail. I can offer you the world."
"Who are you?" I question in disgust which makes his chuckle again.
"The most dangerous man you will ever meet."
Now it's my turn to laugh. "I've met the Hulk. I don't think you quite qualify."
He rolls his eyes. "But that man uses his gift for the 'greater good.'" He air quotes in clear distaste. "I am more dangerous because I won't stop until I get what I want. And right now, that would be your father. Choose wisely Miss Stark. You can be on the winning side, or you can die beside him." The man pushes on my shoulders, and I'm sent spinning around the pole. I am now leaning towards the street, and the confinements suddenly don't feel secure. My blood pressure rises as I struggle to focus on keeping my feet planted on the ground.
"It's time to make your decision Abigail. I won't have for any stalling." His voice turns dark, and his tone turns to a growl. That's when I feel a rush of wind that causes my hair to spin up towards the sky, and my body spins back towards the roof floor.
I hear the sound of metal meeting the concrete. My hair has settled in front of my face, so I try to blow it away to see what is happening. Then I see a beam of blue light.
"Dad." I say quietly. Over the sound of the struggle, I knew neither of the men could hear me, but this was simply for me. He did come for me.
Then I shook my head. This wasn't for me, it was to defeat the terrorists.
I don't know what happened, but I heard my father swear loudly and I feel the shock from one of the light beams. And I'm out.
I awoke to the sound of Tony calling my name. I was lying in his lap, his suit was gone, and his face was tear stained. This man was strong, and defiant, yet something had broke him enough to break the "cool" facade he showed the world. "Abby!" He brings my head to his lips and holds me tight. "Your okay."
My head is pounding, but I know that I'm 'okay' physically. My heart is still shattered. I struggle to push away from him. Doing so causes his face to sadden again, but he lets me go.
"Listen Abby, I know you saw the letter. Please let me explain."
"Why should I? You knew about me, and you didn't want me." I spit out in anger.
"I was an idiot. I was young and stupid. I was arrogant and self righteous. You wouldn't have wanted that as a father anyway." The right corner of his mouth turns up in a smile.
"I would have just liked a father." I say accusingly and this causes his smile to fade.
"Abby, I do love you. No matter what you think. I needed time to grow up before I could have been what you needed me to be. I know I messed up, but I want you in my life. I need you." He whispers the last sentence as a desperate cry.
I try to stay strong, or at least strong by my standards. I had to protect myself from a man who could only mean to break my heart time and time again. He broke mom's, and he would break mine again, wouldn't he?
Tears fall disobediently. I think about the last few months; how he accepted me with no questions. How he cared and loved for me in a way I've never known. That was all real, you couldn't fake that. I thought of Pepper and Bruce. My family. Was I going to give that up over one mistake? We all make them, and as a family, we forgive them.
"I need you too daddy." I cry and reach up to hug him. He presses his face into my hair as he tightens his grip on me.
"Thank you Abby. I'm so sorry honey; I will do everything in my power to protect you, to not hurt you again."
"I know." I whisper back, a small smile appearing on my lips. "I know."