Chapter Sixteen: Eleven Years, Seven Months

"Hi Dad."

"Hey Zoe. How are you?"

"I'm good. I've started taking karate lessons!"

"Really? What's that like?"

"It's fun. The teacher showed us some really advanced moves and they looked really cool. I can't wait to be able to do that kind of stuff!"

Tony grinned. "Like you couldn't wait to be a pro at ballet, and ice skating, and swimming… before you suddenly decided to do something else instead," he teased her.

Zoe shook her head. "This is different. There's no way I could get bored with karate."

"Alright, then I'll make you a deal: You keep up the karate lessons for more than a year, and I will make sure that your Aunt Julie buys you something you really, really want."

Zoe didn't have to think about this at all. "Deal! Easy money!"

"Hey, I said I would ask her to buy you something, not give you money…"

"Same difference." Zoe shrugged.

Tony laughed. "So, how's your mother?"

For some reason this made Zoe giggle.

"What?" Tony asked.

"You and Mom… whenever I visit you ask how she is, and right after she always asks how you are, and at the same time you both try to act like you couldn't care less… but you always ask. Last month you made it almost to the end of the visit before asking, I thought maybe you might not be going to, but then you did. Always. It's the weirdest thing ever."

"Well…" said Tony, who was honestly surprised to find that Michelle asked about him, "Adults are strange people sometimes."

"Yeah, they really are…" Zoe looked away.

"Is something wrong, sweetheart?"

"No, not really…"

"Zoe, you know you can tell me anything, right? Even -- no, especially things you don't wanna tell your mom."

"It's just… this teacher I have at school. He's really mean."

"Why, what does he do that's mean?"

"Well, I'm really good at all the stuff he teaches, but whenever I make even a tiny mistake, he makes out that it's such a big deal. 'Specially since--" Zoe hesitated suddenly, but Tony nodded for her to continue. "Since he found out that you were in prison. And that it's for treason," she finished.

Tony shook his head, completely stupefied. He had never even thought of the influence his imprisonment might have on the way people treated his daughter. And if a teacher was slighting her because of it, he could only imaging how other children must treat her…

And, once again, there was nothing he could do but feel guilty.

"Zoe, I'm so sorry, it's my fault you're being treated like--"

"Dad, that's not the point at all," she interrupted. "The point is, he's really mean to me for no reason, but it's not enough to get him fired so no one can do anything about it."

Tony looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Zoe. That really sucks."

"Yeah." Zoe sighed. "It really does."

Author's Note: Yay, more people have been leaving reviews! Thank you all, it makes me feel good :D

Yes, I do have a set plan for where this fic is heading – in fact I've already written most of the epilogue. I can't really write anything this long without a plan.

And, to lobsters34: I can't let him out of jail early! L It would just ruin the whole point of what I'm trying to do with this fic. Sorry L