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CHAPTER 11

Clare

We took Morgan home two days after she was born. Even though she was a week and a bit early, we luckily had the nursery ready to go. Tony had painted the walls a pale pink. Her crib was set up in one corner and another corner held all of he toys and presents.

Unsurprisingly, the day we took Morgan home was the day the magazines published her birth. We knew it was impossible to keep every employee in the hospital quiet so we had decided that if it got out then there was nothing we could do about it. Sure enough Happy brought us at least 4 magazines which had Tony on the cover. The headlines ranged from Tony's A Father; How did he keep it quiet for 9 months? to Tony's secret Lovechild! That made us laugh. Surprisingly the stories didn't bother me, not when I had Tony and Morgan with me.

They hadn't managed to get a picture of Morgan so they simple used ones of me and Tony.

Of course people began ringing us like crazy. Obadiah was furious. He rang Tony and I could hear him shouting from the other end of the phone. He didn't know how I managed to keep this from him for 9 months but he didn't like it one bit.

The first few days were difficult. Morgan often woke up twice during the nights, with me and Tony taking turns on who got up. I hadn't realised how much a child made you sleep deprived. I found myself often calling up my mom to ask her various questions on what to do. It felt like we had been chucked in the deep end.

It is weird and scary to know you were 100% responsible for this tiny child's life. That it is totally reliant on you.

Tony began taking pictures of her like crazy. He even got her to smile long enough to take a picture. I had never seen Tony happier even through the sleepless nights. He took Morgan for strolls in her pram around the mansion gardens, he rocked her asleep whenever she cried, he was the first one to make her giggle when he popped up from behind the corner.

Our life seemed perfect.

Morgan grew a little bigger each day. Soon she was three months old and was adorable. Tony was lavishing her with copious toys. I told him unless he slowed down, she was going to be the most spoilt girl in America. He answered me with a grin.

Although this was one of the happiest times in my life, every now and then a wave of sadness hit me. I could be doing something as simple as brushing my teeth when suddenly the tears began rolling down my cheeks. I had heard of post-natal depression but I didn't want to believe that I had it. I kept on reminding myself of the great future that lay ahead with my Tony and Morgan.

Tony sensed my sadness and tried to help. He set up a slightly romantic dinner one night, having Chinese food delivered since my urge for bacon cheeseburgers vanished. It made me smile but soon the sadness returned.

I was standing in the nursery one day, one of Morgan's tiny hands wrapped around my pinkie finger, when Tony walked up behind me. He hugged me quickly from behind and smiled down at our sleeping daughter.

"I have a surprise for you," Even though I couldn't see him, I could tell he had a big smile upon his face.

"Yeah?" I asked, not taking my eyes off my daughter.

"Yep. I got you booked in tomorrow for a full day at the spa. Massages, facial stuff, the lot."

I could tell from his voice he was proud at the lengths he was going to. I finally took my eyes off Morgan and turned around to face him. He was standing there with a hopeful smile. He knew my weakness. I always loved a day at the spa.

"Thank you. I can't wait." I smiled at him and kissed him lightly. He then stood by me and looked down at our sleeping child.

"I can't believe how lucky I am," Tony spoke softly, making sure not to wake her up. "I have everything I ever wanted."

I took his hand and lead him out of the nursery. Morgan had been getting better at sleeping through the night. Amazingly we didn't have to get up once that night. Before I went to bed, I called Natalia. She hadn't been around a lot lately, as she was getting serious with Ben. This filled me with happiness. I hoped one day she could have everything I have. I told her about the spa tomorrow with joy and she said she wished she could go but the university was piling the work on her.

I got up early the next day and quickly poured myself a cup of coffee before going to see Morgan. Luckily the smell of coffee no longer made me sick. After I finished my second cup, I went into the nursery to find Morgan sound asleep. I really wanted to get out of the house today but I was hesitant about leaving Morgan. I stood at the edge of her crib for 20 minutes, staring at her sleeping face. I couldn't get over how much my life had changed in the past year. If someone had told me 3 years ago that today I would be dating Tony Stark and have a child with him, I would have asked if they were on drugs. But now looking down at our child, I wouldn't change a thing.

Surprisingly Tony entered the nursery then. He had been better at getting up early but he still slept in till around 9.

"You need to get dressed. Happy is taking you to the spa in 30 minutes."

I hated getting Happy up early just to drive me somewhere. I could of just as easily driven myself. After a seconds thinking, I smiled to Tony.

"Okay, I'll go to the spa on one condition: I drive there myself."

Tony gave a dramatic sigh. "I guess."

I was still hesitant about leaving Morgan but Tony saw this and told me that a couple hours at the spa wouldn't hurt anyone, plus he would take care of Morgan. It wasn't the matter of I didn't think Tony was capable of taking care of her by himself, I knew he was more than capable. I just didn't want to leave her and have something happen. I couldn't describe it but I felt like something was heading our way. I told myself I was just being silly.

So after feeding Morgan, I went upstairs and quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a flowery top. I chucked my hair into a pony tail and brushed my teeth. After checking myself out in the mirror, I went downstairs to find Tony sitting on the couch with Morgan all tucked up in his arms. The sight made my eyes water. I knew he was going to be the best father to her.

"Okay, I'm leaving," I approached the pair as they stood up from the couch. I quickly bent over to kiss Morgan lightly on her forehead. I then kissed Tony which turned from simple to passionate. Mindful of Morgan in his arms, I pulled back and smiled at him. "Have fun."

He picked up one of Morgan's tiny hands and waved it gently at me as I went over to the stairs. "Bye mommy." He said in a false baby voice. I grinned at him before disappearing down the stairs. The last view I got before I left was Tony gazing down at the child in his arms. It warmed my heart.

I hoped into my Aston Martin and was quickly heading towards the spa. Of course, Tony had picked the most pretentious and expensive spa in town. It was situated in the 'higher end' of Malibu, with the Italian restaurants and boutiques. As I drove to the spa, I couldn't help but notice a small black sedan following behind my car. The windows were tinted so I could see the driver. Driving through the streets, it followed me towards the spa until it pulled over one block from the day spa. I took note of the license plate but then I told myself I was being stupid and put it out of my mind.

Amazingly the 'elegant' spa didn't have its own parking lot and there were no free spaces out the front so I drove further down the block and parked in a public parking lot. It only took 3 minutes to walk back down to the spa. A little tiny bell rang as I entered and immediately someone pounced on me.

"Hi! You must be Clare Adams!" The woman was a short brunette who wore a little bit too much make-up. She was wearing a nice, crisp white uniform, as were the other employees walking around. She guided me over to a small reception desk where she began typing into a computer.

"We have you booked for the day, receiving the full treatment." She looked up at me, as if daring me to say she was wrong. I nodded and smiled at her.

First of was a mud treatment. She left me in a small changing room to change into the disposable underwear they supplied. Once changed, she guided me into a small room where there was three medium sized soaking tubs, all filled with the detoxing mud.

I hopped into the first one and the lady left me alone with some relaxing music playing in the background. I reminded myself to thank Tony again. After just two minutes I could feel all the tension leaving my body.

After the mud bath, I changed back into my clothes and they moved me over to a comfy, squishy chair that, when turned on, massaged my back. While in the chair, someone applied a detoxing facial peel. Then, while still in the chair, I had one person doing a manicure and another doing a pedicure. I even got a glass of wine. Sitting in the chair, I had a lot to think about. I realised I had left my mobile phone at home but it didn't matter, I'd be home in a few hours.

Soon my nails were freshly painted and the mask was removed. After that I had a hot stone massage. I loved every minute.

I was finished just after lunch. When I went to the counter to pay for it, the woman who greeted me told me it had all been taken care of. She wouldn't even tell me how much all of it was. I thanked all of the girls before leaving the shop. The sky had began darkening as a storm approached.

I quickly walked the block to my car, feeling happy and refreshed. As I hopped into my car, I suddenly wished I had my phone so I could call Tony and tell him how much I loved him. After everything he had done for me, this had just been the cherry on top.

I started the car with a smile on my face, chucking my purse into the passenger seat. I stopped at the exit of the parking lot, checking each way to make sure no cars were coming. Just as I put my foot on the throttle and began turning, I heard the acceleration of a car and screech of tires. My heart was suddenly in my throat as I turned my head just in time to see a black car heading straight for my door. The crunch of metal bending filled my ears as the glass from my window shattered around me. I could feel the stinging as it cut my face. Suddenly my car was flipping, my body being thrown around, held only in place by my seat belt. More windows shattered. I could feel blood trickling down my face and I was aware of a searing pain in my right arm. Suddenly the world stopped spinning around me. I realized my car had been flipped upside down. I was still held in place by my seatbelt, my hair was touching the chair roof. I could hear people screaming on the street and threw my shattered window, I could see people running towards me. My vision began to blur, my head was screaming in pain. I looked up at my body to see a long thin shard of glass protruding from my stomach. I gagged in pain, blinking blood from my eyes.

Through this haze, I was able to see the car that had hit me. With shock, I realised by the license plate that it had been the car following me.

Black spots appeared in my vision. I was aware I was dying. I told myself I couldn't die, I had just had a child. Not now. Please not now.

People were talking to me through my shattered window. I heard the word 'ambulance' but the rest was lost. Before I closed my eyes, I saw something that made me frown. Standing on the street, dressed in a suit, was Obadiah. I swear he had a smile on his face.

I could hear the wailing of sirens in the distance but I knew they would be too late.

I made myself think not of death but of Tony and Morgan.

When the darkness claimed me, I had a smile on my face.

Tony

I was happy I got to spend some quality time with my daughter. She was the cutest baby I'd ever seen. I got out the camera again and took a few photos. I wanted to show these to her when she was older to show her just how much she is loved. As I began clicking away, she began to giggle.

I picked her up and held her gently to my chest. I could feel her tiny heart beating. Never did I think I could love something as much as I loved my daughter. I had seen and heard parents say their whole world revolved around their child. I never thought that would happen to me, but it had and I couldn't imagine my life without my daughter in it, even though she was only 3 months old.

To calm her down before her nap, I placed her in her pram and took her out into the gardens. It's not really a big garden but it gets her outside without the paparazzi hounding us. They still hadn't managed to get a photo of her but I knew they would eventually get one.

After she fell asleep, I had a quick lunch: toast. I knew Morgan would be hungry when she woke up so I hoped Clare would be back soon. I didn't know how long these spa things usually take but Clare said she would be back around 2.

So I waited.

I debated going downstairs to work on my cars but I didn't like being so far away from Morgan. Even though he had baby monitors, and J.A.R.V.I.S who always altered us whenever she woke, I didn't like being so far away. So instead I sat on the couch and flipped through the channels. Finally I settled on Top Gear.

Hours passed and amazingly Morgan didn't wake. We had installed a security camera into her room so occasionally I brought it up and watched her sleep.

It was just after three when she woke. After a diaper change, I went downstairs to call Clare. I didn't like bothering her if she was still at the spa but I just wanted to make sure she was okay and check what time she would be home. I dialled her number from memory and heard her familiar ringtone echo through the house. I shook my head. Clare had a habit of accidentally leaving her phone behind.

It was close to five when I really began to worry. Clare should have been home hours ago. I was sitting on the couch, rocking Morgan, debating whether I should call up the spa to see if she was still there when J.A.R.V.I.S spoke.

"Sir, there is a police car wanting to gain access to the property," As he spoke, the A.I brought up the security cameras situated outside. The plasma TV now showed a police car sitting at the gates. It zoomed in to their faces. Their car and uniforms looked real so I asked J.A.R.V.I.S to open the gates. When the police car pulled up, I was already waiting at the door, Morgan still in my arms.

Two police men hopped out of the car and approached me with sober looks upon their faces.

"Mr. Stark?" The blonde one asked.

I assumed this was policy as they both knew who I was.

"Yes. What's going on?"

"Sir, I am terribly sorry to inform you that your partner, Clare Adams, was killed earlier today in a car crash."