Disclamer: I don't own any character or anything. Sad, I know.
He couldn't believe – he had always been careful, he understood what the consequences could mean especially this one. He keeps looking at the little photo on his hand and then looks back at the woman he had only spent maybe three weeks, he doesn't know anything about her and she only knows that he is a Stark – and probably that's all that matters.
"I'm not lying to you Tony" She says to him but he doesn't speak, for the first time in his life he doesn't know how to answer.
What he has on his hands is the ultrasound from what she says almost eight months ago, he shakes his head trying to clear his thoughts. This time he doesn't look at her, he looks at her belly a very big belly, there's no hiding she's carrying a kid, the only problem he is having a hard time believing it's his.
"W-why tell me now?" He finally asks and it is the first time he has spoken since opening the door to her.
She looks at her feet "I thought I had it under control, I really thought I could do it on my own – no Tony that's not I'm saying" She says when she sees the look on his face. "But the truth is, I don't have what it takes to have a kid – I can't be a mother, not now at least" She fishes some papers from her bag and puts on his coffee table with an open pen over it "I want to put her for adoption, but they wanted to know if the father was okay with it – they don't want any problems with anything later on"
Tony keeps looking at her stomach, there was a little Stark in there. That was what kept running around in his mind, someone that has his genes, someone that may be just as brilliant as his father was and as he is, gorgeous as his mother was, have his dark hair and smirk and of course the deadly tongue, which he still doesn't know what happened to it.
"So… will you sign it?" She asks a little worried by the way he keeps looking at her stomach.
'You'll lose your rights over her if you sign it' And then he sees a small kid running around over his house, he sees himself teaching her how to fix a car, to build things – he sees someone who will be a lifeline for him, something he knows he needs.
"No"
"No?" The woman asks back at him, her blue eyes narrowing.
"No, she's mine right? I don't want to sign any papers"
"Tony! I am not leaving her with you!" The woman says as she gets up.
"Why not?" He asks with blazing eyes "You are ready to leave her with unknown people and who's best to have her than her own father?"
"Because you are you"
"Well after that very well thought answer I'll have to reconsider, oh, yes such a tough spot" He says dripping with sarcasm his eyes doesn't leave hers "I. Will. Not. Sign"
"Tony, think about it – do you really want to be a dad?"
"I already am, aren't I? You sign the papers handing her over to me, and then you'll never have to see us again, how's that?"
"What makes you so certain I won't come back to bother you?"
He sighs and turns intimidating, almost feral "You wouldn't dare and besides my butler has recorded this meeting – your little admission is all a court and I need"
The woman sits back at the couch, picks the pen and signs it "After she's born, she's all yours Tony"
"I know" He says somewhat in awe and scared, but the little baby that still has to be born is his, she is someone for him to love unconditionally and possibly love him unconditionally as well (that's what he is hoping for anyways). I'll not screw this up, I'll be the best I can be. Hear me kid?
"I always liked the name Darcy, if you had a sister I think I'd have called her Darcy" He remembers his mother telling him and then he looks at his kid still in the woman's stomach – Darcy, that's your name kid.
Tony Stark tells Pepper Potts the next morning what he has discovered, when she asks how are they going to deal with it, he explains that he's going to keep his daughter.
"I already knew that Mr. Stark" She answers whilst rolling her eyes.
"H-how did you know?"
"A hutch" She says vaguely and it's clear she won't go on any further. "And the child's mother?"
"She doesn't want any participation on it, and I am fine with it" Tony answers quickly, Pepper nods.
"How are we going to release it to the press, Mr. Stark?"
He stops for a second finally realizing the full intent on his daughter having the father and name that she has, she's the daughter of one the most famous and important men on the world – everyone will want to know about her, about their life, of how he is at parenting, if it will be one of the very few things he isn't good at.
He starts to panic.
He stares at his coffee table.
Am I doing the right thing? Am I going to give my kid the best life she can possibly have? He wonders.
"Mr. Stark?" Peppers asks in alarm seeing how white his face was becoming – she usually saw his face pale when a wave of nausea hits him and that is after a long night of drinking and being stupid, it is the first time she saw him – panicking.
"We don't have to anything, now Mr. Stark it is a privet matter which mean it is no one's business"
"Pepper, tell me the truth, how is her life going to be if it is made public?" Tony Stark looks at her as if she has all the answers on the world and she doesn't have in her heart to break his trust on her, so she tells him the truth.
"The press will be all over her and you for the first years of her life and much like your life was it will be picked apart like an experiment and the public will always have an opinion on how you are parenting" He puts his head on his hands and moans "But if she is anything like her father she will just throw everything back at their faces and your are going to be the best father there is, I'll be here to hit your head if you do anything stupid"
He laughs at that but still doesn't take his face from his hands.
"You are doing the right thing, Tony. No one can be better for her than her real father, of that I am sure and when have I been wrong?"
Tony looks at her with gratitude on his eyes and smirk, and she knows that something must have clicked on his head, that he made his decision.
"Careful there Pep, it almost sounded as if you like me and enjoy working for me"
She huffs but doesn't answer him, they are in a comfortable silence but still the air around them is serious.
Tony decides to share his thoughts with Pepper "I think I want to keep my kid away from the public"
Pepper puts her poker face on, she doesn't know how they are going to accomplish that but somehow she knew that dodging paparazzi and put on a show for the entire world to see and keep his secrets to himself, Tony Stark was the man for the job.
AN: I was really inspired by a lot of stories of Darcy as Tony's daughter, and I couldn't stop myself from writing this, for now it's only a two shot, probably it'll stay this way. Thank you for anyone who reads this