"Rhea…" She heard her name being called out. Who was it?

"Kid, wake up." "Dad?" She croaked.

"Rhea… kid wake up. You are okay I am okay." He sounded more like he was assuring himself. Rhea clung to him as if her life depended on it. She lost her mother; she wasn't ready to lose her dad.

"Sh… Rhea, baby girl daddy is here." Tony whispered, hugging her.

"I can't lose you, Dad." She sobbed.

"You will never lose me kiddo," Tony promised her. Rhea felt she was that small girl who used to wait for her dad to turn up one day at their doorstep.

"I would have never forgiven myself if something happened to you there." She whispered slowly.

"I am fine and that's in the past, let us drop it. I am happy that I got to see my daughter again. Kid all that mattered to me inside that cave was coming back to you. I couldn't let them know about you. I lied to the very person who helped me to escape until I realised I need to tell him that." Tony paused had it not been for Yinsen he wouldn't be holding his little bird in his arms right now.

"What's his name?"

"Yinsen, you would have loved meeting him."

"What happened to him?"

"He sacrificed himself so that I could be with you," Rhea was sad.

"We should do something for him." She said after a deep silence. Tony nodded.

Rhea decided they would hold a memorial for Yinsen and his family. Tony gave her full reign on it. Pepper decided to help her. Though Rhea did it all by herself, refusing Pepper's help. She recruited Happy in her mission.

Pepper watched proudly as the fourteen-year-old gave instruction to Kichu and Happy what to be done where to place to what. "She reminds me of a Drill Sergeant," Rhodey said as he stood next to her. "Of course she does. I think that's her mom because Tony-" "Would never be able to do that unless it's a machine." Rhodey finished for her.

A few people attended the memorial, to Rhea's dismay she was obliged to invite Stane but he had to go to New York for the board of directors meeting. That was the silver lining. Only select Journalists were invited.

"Yinsen is the reason why I am standing in front of you, holding my daughter next to me. He told me not to waste my life and which is a promise I intend to keep. He was a good man. He could have left me to die but he didn't he chose to save me. My life is a gift from him. May, his soul rest in peace."

Rhea wiped off a tear from her eyes. Kichu placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He held her close to him.

In between arranging for the memorial, Rhea knew she had to keep an eye on her dad. She would find Tony in the lab from time to time. She would shoo him off to take rest but failed spectacularly in keeping him out of the lab. She realised her stubborn streak wasn't her mother's gift but her dad's.

Rhea was sitting in the living room with Kichu, going through flight charts for his return journey. Pepper entered the house with a package and followed by Obadiah. She just smiled at Pepper before giving a curt nod to Stane. Kichu smirked at her gesture. She swatted his head.

"Ri, where is your Dad?" Pepper asked as she went to the kitchen to brew some coffee for her Dad.

"The obvious place." She hollered into the kitchen. Kichu winced, "Could you not shout?"

"I am loud and proud about it." She snapped. She noticed Stane giving a look. She wanted to gag. Please one last time, not my boyfriend. She is just fourteen, she didn't need a man yet. Rhea saw Pepper go downstairs.

"I brought pizza," Stane said assuming a grandfatherly appearance.

"Veg?" Rhea asked him.

"No.."

"Kichu is vegetarian." She said, "That doesn't mean I am saying no to Pizza." She waltzed to Stane snatched the box. Kichu was giving a disgusted look as she shoved down a slice of pizza.

"Whuat?" She glared at him.

"Aarthipandaram." He said, Rhea launched at him, abandoning the pizza box. They were wrestling on the couch. Obi stood clueless. Rhea managed to get Kichu beneath her, She was sitting on his back. "Apologise."

"Nope."

She pulled his hair. "Children…" Obadiah tried to stop them. Rhea ignored him.

"Oh my god! Pepper gasped as she saw the teenagers on the floor.

"Rhea Durga! Off to your room now." Pepper hissed.

"Yes, Mom." She snarked before leaving with the box of pizza. "I am sure you brought another for Dad." She stated arrogantly at Stane.

"Rhea!" Tony was shocked at Rhea's sudden change in demeanour. "Apologise to Miss Potts and Obi now." Rhea huffed and left the room.

"You are grounded."

"I don't care." She hollered back. "Don't worry, I will talk to her," Kichu told as he ran behind her. He knew something was wrong.

He found Rhea staring at the ocean. "I am sorry; I was just pulling your leg. I didn't expect you to explode like that."

Rhea continued staring at the ocean not sparing a glance at Kichu.

"It's her birthday tomorrow." She said after what felt like an eternity. "I miss her, I don't know. It's this emptiness inside me. I feel like I am going in a circle. I have no goals no aims. This is not me, I can't be lazy."

"Ri, mourning for your loved ones isn't wrong but this," he paused. "This is taking you to darker places." He said, hugged her, pulling her closer to her chest.

By the time she came back to the living room. Pepper was alone. Rhea went to her, she sat down next to her. Pepper smiled at her and opened her arms to hug her. A dom broke loose. Rhea was crying. She was sobbing hard.

"Pepper, I know I had been a jerk. I didn't mean to say that. I don't even know what came over me. I was missing mom and ended up fighting with Kichu for no reason. I feel lost." She said in between her sobs. Pepper held her till she calmed down.

"It's her birthday tomorrow. Can you please ask Dad to un-ground me? I want to go to the temple. Maybe pray for her." Rhea asked after some time.

"I will sweetheart."

"And I won't apologise to Stane." Pepper chuckled. "And that pizza sucked," Rhea whispered before gagging.

"But you took an entire box of it into your room," Pepper asked her curiously

"I was hungry and angry. Case rested." Rhea said with full flare. Peper hugged her and kissed her forehead.

The Next day, Unfortunately, Rhea couldn't go to the temple as she had her periods. Though she never believed in the myths she respected her mom's beliefs with it. Hence she decided to go for a walk go around the town. She came back around noon. Not finding her Dad in the house she decided to go to his lab.

"What exactly are you doing inside the lab instead of resting?" Rhea stood at the entrance of the lab with her arms resting on her hips. Her dad was basically suspended in the air with what looked like thrusters from his hands and legs. Kichu stood right behind her. The boy was expecting Rhea to blast off Stark. "Okay, I will explain, let me finish. Thrust per cent 2.5." She saw her dad flying towards the car. Kichu winced next to her. "No, Not here." He flew towards the desk near which both she and Kichu were standing; Rhea ducked pulling Kichu along with her as Tony came towards them.

"Dad, are you planning to burn down the house?" Rhea asked Tony. "If you give me heads-up I need to save a few things. For example dum-ee butterfingers and Granny's piano."

"Okay I will kid," Tony replied, actually not paying attention. Rhea was getting irritated. She wanted to kick him, but again she decided not to pick up another fight with him after yesterday.

"Dad, did you have lunch?" She asked as Tony tried to land back. Dummy was getting ready to douse him. Her Dad yelped. Rhea was giggling. Kichu was looking star-struck at her Dad. "I am seriously considering staying back." He said. "You could always come back." She turned to her Dad. "Dad… Lunch!"

"I will kid," Tony said absentmindedly. Rhea was staring at her Dad. Kichu could feel the lava rumble as the dormant volcano was ready to burst. He silently prayed.

"DAD" Rhea screamed. Tony flinched, he was surprised to see her so riled up.

"Woah, Kid I will." He said raising his hands in surrender

"Upstairs now." She left in a huff. Tony looked at Kichu. "That's her during those days." He said.

"Oh!" Tony nodded.

"Don't get into her bad side."

"That bad huh?" Tony asked as he got out of the repulsors.

"She can strangle you to death."

"You were on the receiving end of it?"

"Always since last December. Actually we celebrate it with such pomp there. She wasn't allowed to see me for a week. The first thing she did was hug me and demanded that I take her out."

"Always the rebel." They were walking upstairs.

"Yep," Kichu said stressing on the p.

"How was she as a kid?" Tony asked, he wanted to know how she was as a child.

"Trouble magnet nothing short of that. She used to be bullied, with her knowledge of martial arts she could snap anyone into two."

"So she tried doing it but you saved her ass every time."

"Yes. I couldn't imagine her at the receiving end of Durga ma's scoldings." Kichu always called Rhea's mom Ma.

"Thanks, kid."

"Mr Stark Rhea would always be my sister."

"I am happy she had someone to keep her grounded and I am really thankful for that."

"Mr Stark,-" Kichu was cut off by Tony.

"Nah, Tony."

"How about Uncle Tony.?"

"Don't push your luck kid," Tony warned him playfully.

Aarthipandaram means hogger.