Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or any other Marvel characters. I only own my OC.

A/N: Here's the next chapter! We're still covering the first Iron Man. There are mentions of Howard and Maria Stark in this chapter. It makes me sad that Grace never got a chance to meet them but we get her brief POV on what she thinks of her paternal grandparents from what little she knows of them. Of course once we head further into the story she'll want to learn more about them. Along with her wanting to know more about her Uncle Miguel. Mainly because as Grace grows older, wanting to know about her past family and reconnect to those she has left becomes important for her. However, the reunion with her uncle won't end well and once she knows of the real way her grandparents died, she's also going to be devastated.

Anyways...

Thank you to those who commented on the last chapter! Means a lot! I'm glad people are liking this story. We still have a few chapters before Iron Man 2. Which I am excited for because we'll read more of Grace's eccentric personality and her odd sense of humor will also start to come out. Plus Natasha will be introduced, and I'm excited to write scenes with Grace and Natasha. I can tell you guys that a young Grace will be really amazed by her. Especially with the introduction she makes.

In this chapter we have more Grace and Tony scenes. And there's more emotional stuff in this chapter because we get more entail on Grace's Uncle Miguel. We learn a little more about him and why he's so distant. I kind of based the way Miguel acts like Frank Gallagher's character from the TV show Shameless, but only not as narcissistic as him and Miguel is way more emotionally damaged and careless with his well-being. You will see just how damaged he is once he's properly introduced into the story. I also was able to finally find a good face-claim for Grace's Mother Louisa. For Louisa I picture the actress Angelica Celaya. If you guys are not familiar with the actress she was on the TV show Constantine. I can totally imagine her as Grace's mother. There will be more mentions of Louisa as the story goes on. Maybe later in the story I'll write a chapter that includes Tony and Louisa and when they met each other.

Edited 4/26/2019


"Time is a game played beautifully by children." ― Heraclitus, Fragments


Chapter 3: Making up for lost time

After the heartwarming reunion with his daughter, Tony quickly morphed back into his nonchalant demeanor once he realized there was someone else he had to reunite with. Someone who he had missed dearly and knew he owed a lot of thanks to. After Tony slowly ended the hug with Grace, he carefully took hold of one of her hands. Despite the improvement with the hug they just had (a hug that was initiated by Grace), deep down he was still nervous that she was going to revert back to her shy self and ignore him...but to his relief she didn't. Grace instead intertwined her fingers with his and gazed up at him with a warm like smile on her face.

If Tony's heart was able to grow larger with love much like in those old cartoons he used to watch as a kid, it would have in that moment. Seeing his daughter being more open and not shying away from him made him want to rejoice out loud. However, now wasn't the moment to do so. Deciding to take the calm approach, Tony returned the smile back to his daughter before they slowly walked over to where his red haired assistant was standing.

As this was happening, Tony had Rhodey discreetly dismiss the hospital gurney that was making its way towards him. He certainly did not want that medical help at the moment, not that he felt like he really needed it. Tony had way more important things to focus on. Reuniting with his daughter was one of those things...and the other was seeing and speaking with Pepper again.

Rhodey lingered back, letting Tony have a moment with not only his daughter but with Pepper as well. The Colonel knew just how much those two meant to the eccentric billionaire.

Tony gave Grace's hand a gentle squeeze once the two of them stood in front of Pepper. "Your eyes are red." He pointed out bluntly. His expression was now neutral, but there was a sense of warmth in his tone of voice when speaking to Pepper. It was a tone he only ever reserved for Grace, but evidently it was also for his red haired assistant. "A few tears for your long lost boss?"

Pepper's features remained soft as she smiled. Her eyes glistened from relief. "Tears of joy. I hate job hunting."

There was a quick pause, causing Grace to look between her dad and Pepper. Grace was able to tell that there was something going on at the moment. And this something (a feeling of some sorts) had her wanting to smile even more. Except as soon as the silence started, it ended just as quickly. As did the moment between Tony and Pepper.

Her dad nodded his head and hummed. "Yeah, vacation's over."

After Tony said this, he along with Grace and Pepper got into the backseat of his Rolls. Grace ended up sitting in the middle between her dad and Pepper. While Happy, who of course followed said actions, sat up front in the driver seat. Once they were all then buckled up, Happy looked into the rearview mirror.

"Where to, sir?" He dutifully asked.

"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy." Pepper instantly told him. Being the concerned one of the bunch the first thing on her worried mind was to seek medical attention for Tony.

Tony was quick to interject. "No."

Grace who was nestled onto his good side looked up. She forced herself to not look as bemused as she felt, and to instead wait patiently for her dad to elaborate. Unlike Pepper who was just thoroughly muddled. The redhead looked at him as if he lost his mind. "No?" She repeated in disbelief. Her protectiveness for the Stark family went above surface...again. "Tony, you need to go to the hospital. The doctors have to look at you."

At the mention of going to see a doctor a sudden sense of understanding passed through Grace. She didn't blame her dad for not wanting to go to the hospital. She herself wasn't a huge fan of doctors. Not after her mom got sick and passed away. Ever since then Grace had been scared and nervous to be around doctors. The thought alone of seeing a doctor had Grace snuggling closer to her dad. As she did this she made sure to be careful to not lean on his broken arm.

Tony remained childishly stubborn. "I don't have to do anything. I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. I want to enjoy an American cheeseburger with my daughter." Tony gazed down to look at Grace who had been gently leaning against his good side. Her dark brown eyes stared at him. "You up for some cheeseburgers and fries? I'll even add a chocolate milkshake just for you." He said booping her button shaped nose.

Grace giggled and nodded her head. In truth she didn't care what they got to eat (she just about would eat anything nowadays), just as long as her dad was there with her. She'd even eat a cheeseburger with mayo if she really had to...and she hated mayo. It's a good thing that she remembered her dad shared the same distaste for mayo.

Tony was happy to hear his daughter accept the fast food request. He gave her another playful nose tap before he redirected his attention onto Pepper again. He became somewhat serious (well not really) as he spoke to her.

"And the other"

Pepper briefly closed her eyes and sighed. She already had an idea where he was going with this. "That's enough of that." She quickly dismissed him.

Tony resisted the urge to laugh at the expression she had on and instead kept his face free from any amusement. "It's not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now."

Pepper's light green eyes widened from hearing that. "Ask for a press conference? What on earth for?"

"Alright, Happy. Onward to Burger King!" Tony exclaimed, tossing Pepper's question to the side. "We got a hungry child here who wants nothing more than a cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milkshake."

Although Grace saw the exasperated look Pepper had on, she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her from hearing her dad talk so animatedly.

Pepper heard Grace's laugh and the urge to reprimand Tony for ignoring medical help for some out of the blue press conference lowered. It was hard to stay mad when being around a happy Grace. "Tony..." Pepper sighed, but this time it was halfhearted. She leaned back against the car seat, already forming what she was going to say in her head before making the call to schedule this press conference Tony wanted.

Once seeing that Pepper was going to comply with his request, Tony then carefully put his good arm around Grace's shoulders bringing her closer. "Hogan drive. Cheeseburger first."

And that's exactly where they went.


Instead of going inside Burger King, they just went through the drive-thru. Which really was a smart thing to do. Not only did it keep them under-cover better, but they also happened to be in a hurry. On the way to the fast food restaurant, Pepper had made the call to schedule the press conference and in record timing she was informed that everything was almost done being set up.

The people or better yet the reporters who had been contacted were more than eager for the guest of honor to show up, speak, and answer all the gazillion questions they had for him.

Now said guest of honor (Tony) ended up getting an order of two Whoppers, and ordered a Whopper JR combo with fries for Grace. And to drink Tony got her chocolate shake just like he had mentioned. Since Grace shared the same appetite as her dad, she actually finished her burger way before they arrived at Stark Industries. She still had her large fries and chocolate shake left. Tony himself also finished one of his own cheeseburgers and had one left over when they finally arrived at said destination for the press conference.

Even before the car came to a halt, Grace saw the photographers and reporters who were impatiently waiting outside for her dad. That had her stomach in knots since she was never one for the whole "in your face" constant attention. A year living with her dad and she still struggled with being in the spotlight. Grace by now knew that her dad's life revolved with being in the spotlight. That's what happened when your last name was Stark. Except considering he had just come back from being missing for three months, Grace also knew the attention from the public was just going to be way more than usual.

The nervousness in Grace's stomach grew when she saw who opened the right side car door when it came to a stop. It was her dad's business partner Obadiah Stane. A small frown appeared on her face but Grace made sure to hide it well enough for no one to see. She leaned away from her dad when he slowly started to get out of the car. Grace decided to exit the other way with Pepper instead, wanting to keep her distance from Obadiah...well, as much as possible.

When she came to stand next to Pepper she saw the way Obadiah greeted her dad. He had a big smile and pulled him into a hug. Obadiah appeared happy to see him but Grace still felt iffy towards him. Her wariness faltered and was replaced with amusement when she saw Obadiah's reaction at Happy giving her dad the last cheeseburger he had.

"You had to have a burger?" Obadiah asked.

Tony nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah."

"You get me one of those?" Obadiah asked as they started making their way inside.

"There's only one left and I need it." Tony easily replied back. "Grace already finished hers. She still has some fries and her chocolate milkshake left but I wouldn't dare ask." He joked. "She's very territorial when it comes to her food."

Even though Grace knew it was meant to be a joke, there was still a sense of truth there. She was one to sometimes be territorial with her food. She, however, did share. After all, sharing was caring as her mom used to say. Except she only shared her food with people she liked. Needless to say Obadiah was not one of those people. Even thinking about sharing her food with him made her grip tightly onto her Burger King bag. Her other hand that was holding onto her milkshake tightened as well but she made sure to not put enough pressure to make it overflow.

Therefore, Grace certainly was not going to share her fries with Obadiah, let alone let him have her chocolate milkshake as well. He was the last person she would ever share her food with. Grace made a face directly aimed at Obadiah's retreating figure before she was gently ushered inside by Pepper. The redhead this time did not miss the face the six year old made. Pepper though at the moment didn't think much of it. Tony's sudden arrival (him being alive and not dead) and the press were all she could focus on.

Once inside the Stark Industries building, Pepper and Grace went to the side. From where she was standing, Grace could see how the herd of news reporters were zeroing in on her dad. Bright flashes from various cameras were going off and people were already hurriedly calling out his name. This made Grace want to tell them to back away from her dad but she managed to stop herself. She told herself that her dad being surrounded by reporters was a given. It was what happened before in the past.

Grace felt it was a bit different now considering it's been a while since she had been to something like this with him actually here. As a way to cool herself down she finished the rest of her milkshake before throwing it away by a nearby trash can. Once doing that she went back to stand next to Pepper who gently brought her closer to her.

The redhead knew how uncomfortable Grace got in public gatherings like these. So she was trying to do her best in soothing any nervousness the young girl must have been feeling. The grip she had on her fast food bag was just one of the signs that made this perfectly clear. She quickly gestured to where Tony was making his way to the center stage that was in the building and she could see Grace relax from locating her dad again.

"Ms. Potts?"

A male voice that neither Grace or Pepper recognized spoke. This caused the both of them to look towards said direction, curious to see who it was. They were pleasantly surprised to see a man who appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. He was wearing a dark grey suit and had on a serious, yet polite expression.

"Yes?" Pepper asked.

"Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Pepper looked around the room before looking back at the man. "I'm not part of the press conference, but it's about to begin."

The man shook his head. "I'm not a reporter. I'm Agent Phil Coulson with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistic Division." He easily informed her as if saying that was an everyday thing for him.

Grace blinked a few times at this Agent Coulson fellow. She was completely awed from what she just heard. Any form of shyness she had when meeting new people disappeared for some reason. "Mister, you just said a whole lot of words." And they had been words that a six year old little girl could not comprehend right away.

Beside Grace, Pepper held in a laugh that wanted to escape her. "It was quite a mouthful." She amusingly agreed with her. Even though she hadn't fully laughed, it was impossible to not sound somewhat amused by Grace's reaction.

Coulson spared Grace a glance patiently taking in what she said. By now he was used to people commenting on the name length that he hardly ever made a reaction. However, hearing such bewilderment from someone so young was somewhat amusing. He still kept his face neutral as he redirected his full attention onto Pepper again.

"I know. We're working on it." Coulson answered as he handed the red haired woman a business card.

Pepper gazed down at the card before looking straight forward again. "You know, we've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA..." She listed as if someone handing her an organization card was an everyday thing...which it kind was.

Coulson already had a reply for this. "We're a separate division with a more specific focus." He informed her. "We need to debrief Mr. Stark about the circumstances of his escape."

Grace's ears perked up when he said this. First captivity as her dad mentioned and now escape? She gripped her Burger King bag tighter. Despite being extremely relieved that her dad was alive and okay (at least he seemed like it) she still wanted to know what exactly happened to him in the past three months he had been missing.

"I'll put something in the book, shall I?" Pepper ended up complying.

Coulson appreciated that. He nodded his head. "Thank you."

There was silence between them now. The only noise being the ones coming from the reporters in front of them. From the corner of her eyes, Grace saw how Coulson was moving further away from them to the side. Seeing this made Grace act for some reason. It was weird but out of nowhere she felt a sense of trust in her gut towards Agent Coulson. Despite just meeting him something within Grace told her that he was in the same level of trust like her dad, Pepper, and Rhodey were in. And even though it was weird she decided to not fight against this feeling.

"Would you like some fries?" Grace asked, catching Agent Coulson's attention. From beside her, Pepper watched the scene attentively. She was shocked and amused to hear Grace actually offering some of her food.

Coulson blinked, thrown back but the sudden random question. He stared at her for a few seconds, thoroughly processing what she said before a small smile appeared on his face. "That's very kind of you but no thank you."

His answer did nothing to falter the sense of trust that Grace suddenly had for him. She shrugged her shoulders. "Alright." She said before reaching into her Burger King bag and munched on a few of her fries.

Coulson stared at the young Stark girl with bemusement now. When he looked at Miss Potts as a way to maybe get a form of answer from the young girl's behavior, the red haired woman just simply shrugged her shoulders. Coulson decided to leave it at that as he put space between them. He concluded from this meeting alone that Grace Stark was going to be quite the character. One he would realize later on was much like her father.

Grace's attention was soon caught when she heard her dad's voice. "Hey, would it be all right if everyone sat down? Why don't you just sit down? That way you can see me, and I can...a little less formal and..." He trailed off before taking a bite of his burger.

Grace, along with pretty much else in the building, were beyond puzzled to see Tony sitting down on the stage. He was already half-way done with his burger. As he continued eating his burger, Grace took another handful of her fries. After doing so she happily sat down on the floor. Pepper and everyone else in the room followed, expressions muddled. Once everyone had taken a seat on the floor, Rhodey discreetly walked over to where Grace and Pepper were sitting. He took a knee as he looked at the both of them.

"What's up with the love-in?" Rhodey asked. The question was more directed toward Pepper.

"Don't look at me." Pepper quietly answered him. "I don't know what he's up to."

Rhodey's eyes then shifted towards Grace. The dark brown haired girl felt his questioning gaze but remained nonchalant. In return she just shrugged her shoulders as she happily continued chewing on her fries. She was just as lost as everyone when it came to her dad's eccentric behavior at the moment.

"I never got to say goodbye to my dad." Tony suddenly announced. He briefly looked at Obadiah as he said this before looking at the various reporters in front of him. "I never got to say goodbye to my father." He put his remaining hamburger down as he got serious. "There's questions I would have asked him. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did. If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remembered from the newsreels."

Grace felt a sense of sadness go through her at the mention of her paternal grandfather. As she had come to know in the past year since living with her dad, Tony was not usually the one to openly talk about his own dad with her. Tony tended to talk more about her grandmother with the few times he had mentioned her, but not her grandfather. It made Grace wonder why that was. Maybe Tony and his dad weren't close? That was a good guess.

Whatever the reason, thinking of her both now deceased paternal grandparents made Grace feel sad. And what made things even sadder was that she knew very little about them. More so with her Grandfather Howard than with her Grandmother Maria. It made her feel awful when she found herself asking about them because she could see how emotional her dad would get when talking about them. So that's why she barely asked about them. What she did know was that her Grandmother Maria was kind and understanding, while her Grandfather Howard was smart. Real smart. A trait her dad had inherited but she lacked (in her opinion anyway). And of course she knew that they ended up dying in a terrible unfortunate car crash.

A car crash that Grace wished never happened. She would have loved to actually have gotten a chance to meet them...her grandparents. Just as she would have loved to meet her maternal grandparents. Who unfortunately died years before she was born. The reason being? Sickness. It was always some type of sickness when it came to her mom's side of the family.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she heard her dad's solemn voice. "I saw young Americans get killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."

Given how resolute he looked and sounded, Grace was able to tell how serious her dad was at the moment. It was a rare thing to hear and see her dad be so serious with the public. That sort of earnest behavior was displayed only when it was just the two of them. Overall, his confession got to Grace. It made her wonder just what else her dad had seen and had been through during those three months he had been missing.

"Mr. Stark!" A male reporter from up front called out.

"Hey, Ben." Tony read the name tag he was wearing.

"What happened over there?"

Grace intently stared at her dad...waiting to hear his response. That was a question she out of all the people in the room wanted to know.

Tony looked around the room, his dark brown eyes catching sight of his daughter. For a few seconds there he stared at her, allowing him to gain more emotional strength. He cleared her throat as he looked at the reporters again. "I had my eyes opened." He vehemently announced. "I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International."

That immediately caused a riot with the reporters who were now all standing. As Tony was expecting it would and he was very much prepared for. As he stood up again, Obadiah made his way towards him. No doubt to gain control of the whole ordeal, but Tony calmly talked over the commotion he had created. "Until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be. What direction it should take, one that I'm comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good for this country, as well."

After Tony finished saying that he walked off the stage, leaving Obadiah to finally hush down the reporters. "What we should take away from this is that Tony's back!" Obadiah exclaimed. "And he's healthier than ever. We're gonna have a little internal discussion and we'll get back to you with the follow up." That did nothing to quiet down the questions all the various reporters were shouting.

With all the nonsense that was happening, Grace kept her cool. She no longer was sitting on the floor (neither were Pepper and Rhodey), nor was she eating her fries. Despite this, Grace wasn't a blabbering mess like all the reporters. At least she wasn't on the outside. Sure, inside Grace was having all sorts of thoughts and feelings, but she managed to keep all of them to herself. Much like Pepper and Rhodey, who were silent. Just by looking at the two of them, Grace could very much tell her dad's announcement surprised them.

And despite her young age, Grace Stark had a feeling things were about to change even more drastically now.


Once the press conference was over, Tony finally gave in (reluctantly) to Pepper's request to go to the hospital. He made a show in front of Pepper and Grace before arriving at the hospital. There was only one doctor he was going to let check him over. This happened to be Dr. Anderson, a thirty something year old raven haired woman from Cherokee descent. She was one of the few doctors Tony could thoroughly trust.

Despite trusting Dr. Anderson completelywith her knowing all about her past medical historyTony still didn't know a lot about her personal life. Which was understandable given that Dr. Anderson was very...stoic. The level of professionalism she was on was very high. Except that was why he preferred her from any other doctors out there. Even if she needed to crack a damn smile every now and then. Dr. Anderson took her job very seriously, making her patients top priority. Plus due to Dr. Anderson's serious demeanor she was easy to mess with. Although not all the jokes Tony told got a joyful reaction...actually they never got a joyful reaction out of her. Which really wasn't at all surprising but that certainly didn't stop him from cracking his jokes and his lighthearted teasing. Not even when he went to get looked over.

Needless to say Dr. Anderson was greatly surprised to see what was now present in the middle of his chest. However, she did a good job on quickly covering up any shock that appeared on her face. Tony couldn't help but comment on the bewildered shock expression that he was able to catch, saying she was showing emotion for the first time since meeting her. This of course resulted in Dr. Anderson giving him an unimpressed expression before continuing her check up on him, as if she had not discovered anything out of the ordinary.

Yup, Dr. Anderson sure was a stoic human being...and Tony Stark was strangely grateful for that. Not only did she not react badly but Tony knew she wouldn't go blabbing her mouth away. That just wasn't the kind of person she was.

It wasn't until a couple of hours later (after his check up) that Tony returned back to his home in Malibu with Grace and Pepper.

The car ride back home had been very insightful. Grace's attachment towards him did not lessen at all. She still held his good hand tightly with one of her own. His daughter also kept happily engaging in conversation with him. And as this happened Grace mentioned several things. One of the topics that stood to Tony the most was how during his absence Grace had learned Spanish. Something his daughter took upon herself to learn on her own. It amazed Tony how she was able to pick up a second language so quickly and without anyone's help. He, however, wasn't really surprised. His daughter, after all, was very smart.

All the books Grace has read proved that. Books which have multiplied during his absence. Even though she struggled in the math and science department (as he noticed before his disappearance), Tony knew his daughter was a very bright child. It didn't matter if Grace didn't share the same passion he had for science and math. Grace was her own person. And that in no way made Tony look down or think less of his daughter.

Another thing that Grace mentioned was that Rhodey had been kind enough to teach her how to ride a bike. Which was yet another activity Grace was able to catch onto fairly quickly. Although it deeply saddened Tony that it hadn't been him to have taught Grace how to ride a bike, he was at least somewhat happy that it had been Rhodey. He knew Grace viewed Rhodey as a sort of uncle figure.

Tony still felt sad that he had missed out on that. He, after all, hadn't been present in Grace's first five years of life on account of her mother Louisa keeping her existence from him. Something that would forever cause anger and guilt to reside within Tony. But like the letter Louisa had given him (a heart-felt letter he still kept) when Grace first came into his life at the age of five, there was a reason for this. Except that did nothing to lessen Tony's fervent emotions. Not when it came to Grace. His daughter.

Now adding to those five years without Tony in Grace's life were these three months from which he had been held under captivity. Despite that not being as long as five years, three months to Tony still felt like a lifetime. Especially because of the horrible conditions he had been in. Tony, however, gained a lot from that experience. He realized he had work to do. But besides finally coming to terms with the arc reactor (which was something he still needed to talk to Grace about), he realized something else. This was a realization Tony had made long before but since coming back home it left him even more determined to go through with it. And that was that Tony was going to make sure that he no longer missed any more moments with Grace. He wanted to make up for the time he had missed with her and he was going to make sure he did so.

Despite feeling like a lousy father for the time he had missed with Graceespecially with him not being able to teach her how to ride a bikeTony just kept telling himself that there would be other things he could teach Grace himself. Thus, allowing more opportunities for them to spend time together. More father-daughter moments. Which started the moment they arrived.

Even though Tony wanted to go to his bedroom and let sleep take over he pushed away any tiredness he had. Along with learning Spanish and learning how to ride a bike, Grace also mentioned all the painting she had done. Her excitement with wanting to show him of course not only made Tony happy on the outside but also on the inside.

Tony happily followed his daughter into her room. Once inside he noticed that Grace's bedroom hadn't changed a lot. The only difference was the amount of books that were in there. As well the number of paintings that were displayed on her walls. It was obvious by just one look alone that Grace's painting skills had gotten way better. Not that they weren't before. It's just now one could truly see the talent the young girl had. Tony was vastly impressed.

To Tony's surprise and joy he spent the next couple of hours in Grace's room. Just talking...catching up. It was nice having a simple yet meaningful moment with his daughter. It was exactly what he needed...not sleep. However, much to his amusement it appeared that one of them actually did need the rest. Grace. His daughter had fallen asleep when he had began reading Charlotte's Web. She knocked out sometime during the fourth chapter. Luckily for Tony, Grace was already in bed so that saved him the challenge of having to carry her. It would have been difficult given his injured arm at the moment.

Putting the book to the side, Tony then pulled the blankets to cover his daughter. As he was smiling down at her peaceful form, a familiar voice filled the room.

"She's never going to leave your side now, you know." Pepper softly told him. The red head was leaning against the bedroom door entrance. She had been silently admiring the sweet scene that was occurring right in front of her before she finally made her presence known.

Tony smiled. "I know." He answered having no issues with that whatsoever. After he said this he continued to look down at his sleeping daughter. He gently moved a piece of her wavy hair away from her face. It still amazed Tony how much Grace looked like him. Grace had his dark brown eyes, hair color, and even the same nose. Although he liked to think hers was more button shape than his. The resemblance was there though. However, if Tony were to really analyze Grace he'd be able to see some of Louisa's features as well. The type of hair style Grace had was the most distinct feature from her mother. Grace's hair (although a dark brown like Tony's) was wavy and somewhat curly, like Louisa's used to be.

Another feature Grace inherited from her mother were her dimples. Beautiful dimples. As Tony would call them. He remembered how much he liked Louisa's dimples when she smiled. It's what made Louisa standout when he first met her all those years ago. When she had smiled sweetly at him from across the room they had been in. It hadn't been a flirtatious smile. Unlike the coy smiles he would get from women whenever he went out. No, Louisa's smile had been a genuine one, and it was a smile that made Tony want to talk to her and get to know her. And ultimately he did that and it was nice...for a while. Tony hadn't intended anything serious with Louisa but sometimes things turn out differently than what people expect. Sometimes for the worse...and other times for the better.

The few memories Tony had of Louisa weren't bad ones. As a matter of fact they were nice memories. Despite the short time they had together, Tony did come to like Louisa. She was different...but sadly that uniqueness she had wasn't enough to make him stay. A decision Tony had come to regret for various reasons. If he was able to go back in time and be there for Louisa when she had been diagnosed with Leukemia he would have done so, no questions asked. Ever since Grace came into his life, Tony wished he had been there for Louisa and Grace since the beginning. Except Louisa was now gone...and all Tony had to remember the delightful woman that changed his life were the memories he had of heras well as Grace...their daughter.

Yes, thinking about Louisa was bittersweet. Mainly because despite the reminder that Louisa was now gone forever, thinking about her made Tony shortly then think about someone else. Someone who wasn't Grace and this certain someone was a person Tony wasn't too fond of. A person he wanted nowhere near his daughter. "I'm sure he saw the news." Tony suddenly said in a firm voice. All the tenderness he had from spending time with his daughter disappeared in an instant. His gaze shifted away from Grace onto Pepper instead. He gave his red haired assistant one of his more serious faces. "Did he try contacting?"

Pepper maintained her professional demeanor with the sudden topic of conversation. It shocked her a little to hear and see Tony lose that less serious act he always had going on. However, she wasn't that surprised as to why the sudden mood change and question. She knew exactly who Tony was referring to. "Once." She solemnly admitted to him. "He called sometime during the first month of your disappearance. He asked if he could talk to Grace but I didn't let that happen." Pepper answered earnestly. "I noticed that he sounded..." She gazed intently into his dark brown eyes, giving him a knowing look. "Out of it."

A flash of anger passed through Tony's eyes. He had a pretty good guess as to why Miguel had been so zany over the phone. This guess he had was the reason why he and Pepper wanted Miguel far away from Grace. Why, despite the animosity Tony felt for Miguel, he had offered his help many times before. Tony felt he owed it to Louisa to help her younger brother. However, no matter how many times Tony offered to help him, Miguel rejected the offer over and over again. The man was stubborn...or just plain stupid. Tony assumed the worst.

Even though he thought this way of Miguel, Tony knew based on what he was able to get out of Grace from the past, was that she loved her Uncle Miguel. His daughter had nothing but good things to say about her uncle. Grace thought he was a good person...and maybe Miguel was a good person. But he certainly had a lot of issues. Issues that Miguel brought upon himself with the choices he'd made. And one of those awful choices almost cost Grace her life. Thankfully Louisa got there in time...otherwise...well, Tony didn't even want to think about it.

Despite Grace being alive and well, Tony was still angered that she had been in that type of situation...and all because of her dear Uncle Miguel. That was something Tony was never going to let go, let alone forgive him. If one day, Miguel were to ever get his act straight, then Tony would allow visitations (heavily watched of course), but he would never seek friendship with that man. Ever. And he would only arrange these visitations if Grace wanted them...and he hoped they would never occur. But he knew better than to think they wouldn't happen eventually.

Still, it angered Tony greatly that Miguel had called, especially when under that kind of state. And to want to talk to Grace of all people...it just wasn't acceptable. Tony in the past hardly ever had to worry about Miguel trying to make contact. Miguel either must have seen the news about his disappearance and felt he needed to make sure Grace was okay...or he was too out of his mind to even think straight and just called for the hell of it. Tony liked to think he called for the first choice but he knew better than to think that way. That just didn't seem like something Miguel García would do...not when sober anyways.

Tony sighed letting his anger leave little by little. He looked down at his sleeping daughter. It caused him to feel pain knowing that someday he was going to have to tell Grace the truth regarding her dear Uncle Miguel. The heavy heartbreaking truth that would probably cause her great emotional pain considering how much she cared for him.

Grace only knew the good side of her uncle. She had yet to know the bad side, and as much as Tony wanted to keep quiet he just couldn't. Not forever anyways. Hopefully when she did learn the truth, whenever that would be, (he hoped it would be years from now) that she'd be able to handle it and carry on. Until then, Tony was going to make sure to keep this Miguel drama away from his daughter.

"Grace asked about him a few times." Pepper suddenly said, wanting to be honest.

Tony's eyes went towards Pepper again. What she said put him a little on edge. He walked over to her. "What did you tell her?" He asked, leaning the opposite from where she was at. By now her posture straightened out and her facial expression had become resolute.

"I'd just try to keep the response short. Or I moved the conversation along." Pepper answered him honestly.

Tony greatly appreciated this. He started to feel guilt but he quickly shook it off. Yes, it did feel a little wrong to keep Grace away from her uncle, but Tony kept telling himself that it was for a good reason. He wasn't about to put Grace's life in danger again because of Miguel. He nodded his head. "Do you know if he's still in the same place?" He asked Pepper.

Pepper let out a sigh. She kept her light green eyes onto his dark brown eyes. "The phone he used had the area code of Chicago."

Tony nodded his head again. He wasn't at all surprised to hear this. Miguel was a skilled traveler. Even with the low amount of money he had, Miguel knew how to get around. The last time Tony had actually talked to Miguel (which had been over the phone) he had been in Los Angeles, but that was months ago. Tony of course had an idea as to why Miguel had been in Los Angeles. It had been around the time Louisa had passed away. Maybe he was paying tribute to his sister or something.

Tony didn't really know. It was hard to really understand Miguel anyways. What Tony did know was that Los Angeles had been where the García siblings had grown up. As Tony had come to learn during the fling he had with Louisa all those years ago, her parents were from Durango, Mexico. Although she had been born in Durango (something she took great pride in), when around the age of five her parents were approved of their Visas and came to the United States. They moved to Los Angeles, which was where she was raised and where her younger brother Miguel had been born as well.

The same place Grace was born and where Louisa raised her all on her own up until Grace was five years old. When he learned that he hadn't been that far away from his daughter, Tony was flabbergasted. He of course didn't know about her existence but to learn that Grace was that close to him...it just made him feel various emotions. Tony wanted to feel only anger towards Louisa, but anger wasn't the only emotion he felt. And as much as Tony wanted to hate Louisa for not telling him about Grace sooner, hating her was never an option. Not fully anyways. And as he said before, Louisa had her reasons as to why she kept Grace's existence a secret from him.

Louisa, despite being unique, was also a complex human being. At least Tony seemed to think so. She didn't fall for the usual charm he pulled on women. She was smart. Which was one of things that Tony admired about Louisa. Another was how hard she worked in order to get by in life. During their time together the Hispanic woman told him about the struggles she went through in order to get a proper education. It wasn't easy for her given her nationality.

However, despite the challenges Louisa faced she was able to move forward and get a scholarship for her college education. So yes, Louisa García had been an independent hard working womaneven before the birth of Grace. Miguel, however, lacked that hard working drive Louisa once had. He was the complete opposite of Louisa. Tony at times wondered how they were even related...it was absurd.

But this new information that Pepper gave him of Miguel being in Chicago was good. There was a high possibility that he wasn't there anymore, but he figured he'd still be somewhere far away. Nowhere near Malibu he hoped. The farther away Miguel was from Grace the better. Perhaps he would try contacting again now that he had returned, but if that were to happen Tony wouldn't let Miguel talk to Grace. Not until he fixed himself. If he ever fixed himself, because Grace did not need the negativity Miguel would bring into her life. No, she certainly did not.

Tony's expression softened as he refocused on Pepper again. His kindhearted assistant. It occurred to Tony that he hadn't properly thanked her for looking out for his daughter. Which was something he really needed to do. Pepper meant a lot to him. Even if he hardly ever verbally made that clear, it was the truth. He honestly had no idea what he would do without her in his and Grace's life. They'd be lost without her...he would be lost.

"Thank you for being there for her." Tony softly said, earning a small smile from Pepper. "For looking after her. I...I am eternally grateful for your help." His voice lowered with what he said next. "If it weren't for you she would have gone with him. Not that I think he'd actually want the full responsibility. He wouldn't have been able to handle it. But who knows what would have happened if she had gone with him."

Pepper hated to think the same thing. Just the different scenarios of Grace with her uncle ran through her head, and she didn't like any of them. She shook her head, gaining composure again. "You don't have to thank me." She told Tony. "I looked after Grace because she means so much to me. I care for her."

Like a mother cares for a daughter. That's what Pepper wanted to say but she decided to keep that part to herself. Her shyness got the better of her. "I would have taken full responsibility if need be." Pepper said, her voice wavering a bit towards the end. It hurt to think about Tony never returning...but that wasn't the case. Not anymore. "But you're here now." She said pushing back tears and giving him another relieved smile. "And that's all that matters."

Tony found himself smiling back. He wanted to say so much more to Pepper, but at the moment he felt that the silence between them was more meaningful. Besides, a lot can be said through silence, or so he read that somewhere...actually in one of Grace's books. Go figure. His thoughts went back to Grace again. He glanced over to his sleeping daughter. She looked so peaceful and there was no doubt happiness still resided within her. It made him want to always keep her feeling this way. Never sad. He never wanted to cause her sadness again. He knew though it was impossible to stop her from feeling sadness (especially when still a kid) but he was going to try his best to prevent that from happening. And he knew exactly how to do that.

Tony promised to himself that he was going to be a better father than his own. He in no way was going to be like Howard when it came to how he was going to treat his daughter. Grace would know nothing but love and support. And when she needed him, he'd be there for her.

Like Tony had promised Grace, he was here now. And he wasn't going to leave her. Not again.