"Look, there has to be a mistake!" I walked up to desk the woman was sitting at, my fists clenched at my sides. My grandparents remained in their seats, shocked by the announcement. "There is no way that Tony Stark is named my legal guardian in my mom's will! There's just no way."

"I just read what they tell me to read," she said.

"Let me see the will; I'll show you."

"I'm sorry, but the will is a private legal document."

"Yeah, one that decides the rest of my life."

"Ms. Bradley," she stood, placing the papers in a folder, "I'm sorry if you're unhappy with the ruling, but it is what it is."

With a small smile, the woman left, leaving my grandparents and me alone. I turned to my Grandma, my face flush in anger.

"This is ridiculous," I said, throwing my hands in the air. "There is no way she would put him over you."

"I know," she walked forward, taking my hand in hers. "But, I'm sure everything will be fine."

My brow furrowed. "Aren't you mad?"

"This isn't like a court case; we can't appeal, we can't fight it."

"Still!"

"Ally, Stark Tower is in Manhattan, right?"

"So?"

"So, you'll only be an hour away. Besides, you'll be safe, taken care of; there are worse places."

"Grandma, there's not a paternal bone in the man's body. How is he supposed to take care of me?"

"I don't think you really need that much taking care of anymore."

I shook my head, still incredibly confused. "Why aren't you mad? Why don't you hate him?"

"I might be one of the few in the world that don't, but I have a very good reason."

"Please, enlighten me."

"He gave me you."

My breath caught. "What?"

"The fact that he left you and your mother is horrible, absolutely horrible. But, because he left, your mom met my son, they got married and I got the granddaughter that I never thought I would get. So, in all honesty, I'm quite pleased with his life choices."

I smiled and chuckled in disbelief. "You are a horrible person."

She smiled as well. "Yeah, well, I'm a horrible person that loves you. And, if he really is that bad, you can sleep over at my house as many nights as you want."

"Right." My grandfather finally stood from his seat; I was surprised he said anything at all (my dad meant the world to him, and the fact that he was gone had left my grandfather incapacitated).

Two knocks from outside interrupted us, and the woman from Child Protective Services peeked her head in the door.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, "But Mr. Stark is here."

"Do I have to leave with him now?"

"He has to sign some paperwork, but after that, yes; you'll go home with him."

"What about all of my stuff?"

"The two of you will go to your parents' house, and pack up what you want."

"What about the rest of it?"

"It'll be packed up and placed in a storage unit. When you turn eighteen, you can do what you want with it."

I nodded, taking a deep breath; my mind had begun to compile a list of things I wanted to bring with me to Stark Tower.

"Allison?"

"Hmm?" I stopped making my list.

"I need you to come with me."

"Oh. Right."

I looked over at my grandparents, who each gave me an encouraging smile, before I left with the woman. She escorted me to another room, this one only occupied by a couch and coffee table.

"Mr. Stark will be here in just a minute," she smiled.

"Thanks," I said, not trying to hide my sarcastic tone.

With an amused laugh, she closed the door, leaving me alone. I immediately began to pace, irritation and frustration slowly returning to my system. Just the knowledge that I would have to see his face in the next few minutes irked me. Then, after ten minutes of pacing back and forth, back and forth, there were four light taps on the door before it swung open. Tony came into the room, a smile spread across his face. He was smiling. That jerk. As soon as he closed the door, I crossed the room in a few steps.

"What did you do?" I asked, my shoulders tense.

"Nice to see you too," Tony said.

"What did you do to get custody? I know for a fact that my mom would not, under any circumstances, put you in her will as my legal guardian. So, tell me: what did you do?"

"Listen, we'll talk in the car."

He placed his hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off, taking a step back.

"Was it illegal?"

Tony's smile fell, but he said nothing.

"Well, of course it was illegal, it's ignoring a legal document, as well as my mom's wishes. But, go on, Tony, just tell me."

Again, nothing.

"How much was I worth?"

"Alright, that's enough. Come on."

"It's the only thing I can think of other than sleeping with the lawyer, but I'm pretty sure you're in a relationship with Pepper that you don't want to screw up."

He scoffed. "You think you're so clever, don't you?"

"That's part of being a Stark, right? Guess I'm ahead of the game."

Tony folded his arms across his chest and sighed. "Listen, I want to make things right. I want to be here for you. So, I'd appreciate it if you gave me a chance."

"I would've appreciated it if you didn't leave my mother before I was born, but I guess we can't always get what we want."

Tony's face fell, obviously not expecting my response.

"Tony, I'm going to be really honest," I said, "My parents died yesterday. My life seems to be falling to pieces." I took a pause, my throat becoming thick. "And, apparently, I become a total bitch when I'm upset. So, you saying you're sorry isn't going to make everything better."

He nodded. "I know."

I didn't say anything else, and he opened the door. My eyes toward the ground and my arms folded, I walked out of the room, Tony following behind me.