"I did not see that coming."

Clint's words of pure shock seemed to rebound around the room and settle in the centre. Neither he nor Steve registered that they appeared to be the only two that had no idea, as they both just stared at Tony and the woman who's shoulders he still had his arm slung over. Bruce and Nat shared a look, her confirming that she had, indeed, known about the revelation long before now. The man just shook his head with a smile, knowing never to underestimate her being in the know. There was silence for a solid minute as the two men looked between Anna and Tony, and then each other, neither knowing what to say. Finally, once the atmosphere became too strained and positively uncomfortable, Steve broke the silence.

"Are you sure?"

Tony stiffened at the accusation, barely feeling Anna dig her fingers in to his side in an attempt to keep him grounded. He cleared his throat, setting a steely-eyed gaze on Steve. "DNA doesn't lie, Captain."

"Dad," Anna whispered in his ear in an attempt to keep him calm, though knowing it wouldn't work. "Don't rise."

"I trust science, and I trust her mother; I don't need someone questioning it," Tony bit out, stepping forward away from Annabelle and squaring his shoulders at Steve. The look he threw at Steve was so pure and genuine and filled with raw emotion, it was enough to cause the super-solider to throw his hands up in surrender. It didn't stop Tony there, though, he was too far gone. "I know that she's mine. She knows that she's mine."

"Dad, please," Annabelle pleaded, a hand resting on his arm now, ready to grip him like a vice if needed.

Tony looked at her now, finding her eyes wide and almost fearful, as though she wasn't sure how far he'd go, at what point he'd stop. It only took a second, but that was all that was needed for Tony to back down. He fell back against Anna, letting the woman pull him in to step beside her. His face relaxed instantly, giving her a sloppy grin, once more ignoring the rest of the room.

"Sorry, sweetpea."

"Uh huh," Anna said, rolling her eyes. She slapped his arm and he rubbed it, feigning hurt. She only shook her head. "JARVIS, did we ever get around to scanning mom's recipe book?"

"We did, Miss Cooper. Would you like it brought up on the screen in the kitchen?"

"Please," Anna said, moving away from Tony now and taking a few steps towards the kitchen before stopping "I'm gonna make a start on dinner. Oh, Dad," Anna called, turning on her heel and facing him. "Pepper said to go ahead and eat without her and that she probably won't be up for the next couple of hours; she's working on that proposal she got from, um, Garnett Enterprises."

"Why is she bothering with them?" Tony asked, his face screwed up in disgust.

Anna shrugged nonchalantly. "SI isn't my business, no matter how much you two try and get me involved, but I do know it has the potential of being a multibillion-dollar deal." Anna turned to face Clint as he let out a low whistle, seemingly impressed. She smirked at him before continuing her slow journey backwards to the kitchen. "I know right? Does anyone have any preferences on what they want to eat?"

No one answered, leaving Annabelle feeling a little underwhelmed. She couldn't tell what anyone was thinking, accept for Tony. She caught his eye and he shrugged apologetically, as if it was his fault no one had answered her. She bit her lip, shifting from foot to foot and waited to see if anyone would answer her eventually. Clint and Steve continued to stare at Tony and Bruce was nowhere to be seen, evidently having slipped from the room unbeknownst to any of them. After a few seconds of awkward silence from all parties, Natasha shook her head and stepped up to the young woman.

"I'll come with you, these guys can never decide." She held her hand out. "Natasha."

"Anna," Anna said, taking the offered hand.

"I know."

"Yeah, about that," Anna said as she led them both to the kitchen. Much like Tony, she was intrigued as to how she'd figured out her existence. "How?"

A both women disappeared around the corner and in to the kitchen, the three men left in the main room stood staring at one another, not one of them talking. Gentle laughter could be heard from Anna and Natasha, and Tony was happy at that. It was pleasing to know that at the very least, two members of the team were at least trying to accept his daughter; Bruce earlier, Natasha now. Tony observed the two men in front of him, trying to gauge their thinking. Clint was the first to break, cocking his head towards the kitchen and grinning with a thumbs up before throwing himself on the couch and flicking on the TV. Tony knew that was probably as much as he was going to get from the archer until the questions came, no doubt later after a few drinks. Steve, it seemed, couldn't decide how to proceed with his line of questioning. He opened and closed his mouth so many times, he truly resembled a goldfish. If he wasn't so pissed at the super-solider, Tony might even of made a joke about it. Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw Bruce slip back in to the room and, just when he had given up standing in silence and was about to make his way over to the scientist, Steve decided it was time to speak up.

"So…" Steve said, letting his voice trail off.

Tony groaned, turning to face the man with a faux smile upon his face. "Yes, Spangles?"

Tony was unaware how loud his voice was, and the fact it had carried to kitchen until Anna poked her head around the corner, giving him a stern look. "Play nice!"

"You have a daughter?"

Tony turned back to Steve, rolling his eyes. He gestured to where Anna was still standing, staring at him. "Clearly, she's standing right over there."

Steve sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "Tony, I didn't mean –"

"Dad," Anna said, appearing beside him. "Go help Natasha."

Tony looked at her disbelievingly, eyebrow raised. "You really want me in the kitchen?"

"Yes," Anna said, giving him a look that made it clear she was being completely serious. "Shoo."

A few seconds of silence followed as Tony grumbled about being ordered around in his own house and moved off to the kitchen to join Natasha. As he passed past Bruce, he grabbed the man by the arm and pulled him along to, the other man going willingly. Anna faced Steve, about to address him when a sharp bark of laughter from the couch stopped her. Both she and Steve turned to Clint, who was grinning widely.

"I can see it;" the archer said, waving his hand between Anna and where Tony had disappeared. "The similarities."

"Clint is it?" Anna returned his smile as he nodded to her. "Can you help Dad and Natasha please?"

Clint looked at her for a second before sensing that she needed a moment alone with Steve but didn't want to ask outright. He leapt off the couch, calling out to the rest of the group that 'the master is coming'. They both watched him go and an awkward tension settled between them. Anna bit her lip as she looked up at Steve. He was staring at her with a look of curiosity, but his eyes were soft.

"Please don't be offended, Captain, that you didn't know and wasn't told. There's only a handful of people who did know." She paused, but Steve nodded at her to continue, a smile playing on his lips that told her he was understanding. She breathed a sigh of relief, glad at how easy it was to talk to him. "Tony would have been happy to tell everyone years ago, but he respected my privacy during a –" Anna found herself cut off by a loud crash coming from the kitchen, a string of profanities coming from both her dad and Natasha, laughter from Clint. Anna cried out, running a hand through her hair as she apologised to Steve and strode with purpose towards the argument breaking out. "That's it! Get out of the kitchen!"

Tony was pushed out of the kitchen, stumbling ever so slightly. He was laughing as he walked back in the room, only to stop abruptly upon realising he was now alone with Steve. They stood awkwardly, Steve staring directly at Tony while he was trying to look anywhere but the super-solider. He failed. When Tony's eyes reached his fellow Avenger's, he felt anger bubble in his chest. In that instant he was reminded of the accusations Steve had made and found he just could not spend another minute alone in the room with him. Ignoring the man, he strode straight to the balcony doors, throwing them open and stepping out in to the evening sun, letting the warm rays heat his face. He leant against the wall acting as a barrier between him and the decent to the street below, closing his eyes and letting the soft sounds of New York calm him.

He knew it would be too much to ask for some peace and quiet, for some time alone before he was forced to sit amongst them all. With his eyes still closed, he heard the doors behind him slid shut behind the man who had decided it was be wise to join him. The presence of a body next to him made him stiffen, regardless of there being no outward threat. Tony just couldn't help himself. He opened his eyes but refused to look and the person standing on his left.

"Save it, Rogers," Tony said harshly, keeping his eyes on the horizon. "If you're gonna spew that we're a team and you should have known, don't bother. I can't change it, and to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't even if I could."

There was a good, solid minute of silence where neither of them said anything. It was deafening. Eventually though, if it hadn't of been for the gentle evening breeze present to them at the very top of the tower carrying Steve's whispered words, Tony may not have heard them.

"I'm sorry, Tony."

Tony bulked, choking slightly as he processed the apology he would not admit to a single soul he had longed to hear. He still refused to look at Steve, shaking his head. "Wow… that's – that's really something coming from you, Cap."

Steve sighed beside him. "I'm trying here, Tony."

"What are you apologising for exactly?" Tony exploded, rounding on Steve. All the anger towards his teammate was finally coming out, and Tony made no effort to stop it. There was so much Tony had to say to the super-solider, so much pent-up frustration against the man who had once known his father. Tony knew, at some point, it would all come barrelling out and he was not surprised that now was that time. He'd spent years choking down his thoughts about his father's unhealthy obsession with the man standing next to him, and he'd thought he'd be able to say something when he first met Steve but found that was not the case. After three years of knowing the man himself, Tony just couldn't take it any longer. "Tell me, Rogers because I'm done waiting for you to get your head out of your ass. Is it for accusing me of cheating on Pepper, having a scandalous affair with a minor or not believing me when I told you that said minor was in fact my own flesh and blood, my god-damned daughter?"

"For all of it." To his credit, Steve looked utterly ashamed at the amount he had to be sorry for. He cast his eyes down, refusing to look at the fire in Tony's eyes. It took a good few minutes, but when he did finally lock eyes with Tony, Steve tried to put every ounce of emotion he could muster in to his stare. "I was wrong; you're not – you're not the man you used to be. You're better."

Tony wanted to scoff, to tell him to piss off and that he didn't believe him, didn't accept but he couldn't. Tony could see straight off that Steve was being a hundred percent genuine and he wasn't at all sure how to feel about it. Years had been spent wishing the man had never existed, yet it was never Steve's fault. He was never to know how shitty of a father Howard would turn out to be. A range of emotions swept over Tony, and it was almost too much to bare.

"Way to tug on the heartstrings," he muttered, discreetly wiping away the wetness that had appeared in the corners of his eyes.

"Hey guys." Both men jumped ever so slightly as Clint pushed open the door to the balcony, calling for them. "Annabelle said dinner will be ready in like, forty-five minutes." Neither replied, leaving the archer puzzled. He looked between the two, only to receive no sign of a response or an acknowledgement from either of them. He backed away slowly, shaking his head. "Okay, then."

The balcony was left in silence, save from the gentle sounds of the New York evening breeze. Neither men for what felt like a lifetime, both standing and staring off in to the distance. Beside him, Tony could tell Steve had more to say, but he didn't want to be the first to speak. In a way, Tony himself felt just the same, no matter how much he had to say. Tony mentally calculated almost a full twenty minutes of silence before Steve sighed beside him and made to move back inside. Tony knew if he was ever going to open up to Steve, it would have to be now. If he didn't, he never would and something inside him told him he should. Those closest in his life (Anna, Pepper, Rhodey and Happy) knew almost everything about his relationship with Howard. Something inside him told Tony it was only right Steve knew to, not because they were close, but because of how close the man had been with his father. Maybe then, Steve would understand that little bit more why Tony was the way he was. Tony took a breath, opening his mouth before he could stop himself.

"I never wanted to be like him."

Steve spun round, surprised that Tony had actually spoken. "Who?"

Tony had to refrain from rolling his eyes. Only Steve could have no idea who he was talking about. "Him. Howard. My father."

Tony scoffed as Steve went to open his mouth. He could only imagine what Steve would say, how he would defend the man he knew back in the forties. "Yeah, he was your friend, but you knew him in a different time." Tony sighed and shook his head, looking away from Steve briefly, lowering his voice. "He was a different person. I lived as a constant disappointment in his eyes. You know what he was doing every year on my birthday?"

The oddness of the question didn't seem to faze Steve as he moved to once again stand beside Tony. Steve shook his head. "No."

Tony sighed again, looking Steve straight in the eye. "Trying to find you."

Steve's eyes widened at the admission and Tony wanted to feel a little twinge of satisfaction at shocking the super-soldier, but nothing came. Instead he was left staring at the man, watching as a range of emotions littered over Steve's features. Finally, Steve's eyes settled on portraying a sense of deep regret, as though he felt responsible. Steve's hand twitched as though he wanted to reach out, only stopping himself at the last second. "Tony, I -"

Tony waved a hand, dismissing the man's train of thought. "Not your fault, even I know that," he sighed again, lowering his voice further, as though the pure burden of relishing in his deepest secrets was too much for him. "But after the twelfth year running it was kind of pointless celebrating it, so I stopped. You know it was a week ago?"

Steve shook his head. Shamefully, he'd never even thought of it. Come to think of it, Steve wasn't even sure he knew when any of his teammates birthdays was. Perhaps it was time to learn more about the people he fought alongside. He voice was almost regretful when he spoke. "I had no idea."

"Good," Tony stated, nodding his head. "Let's keep it that way."

Uncomfortable silence swept between them again, giving both men food for thought. Steve was just realising how little he knew his comrades, both former and present and Tony was still in debate whether letting Steve in to his personal life was the right thing to do.

After a few minutes Tony cleared his throat, deciding to continue; he'd already started, so why not finish? "I never wanted kids, not really." Tony shrugged at the unasked question of 'why' playing on Steve's lips. "Didn't want anyone to depend on me; didn't want the opportunity to fail anyone else. That would truly make me like Howard."

"You seem to have done an alright job with Annabelle," Steve said, giving Tony a slight smile.

Tony shook his head. "That's because her mother did the raising; I, thankfully, don't get that credit."

Steve chose not to comment on the faintest hint of bitterness that had crept in to Tony's voice, fore it had gone before he'd even finished the sentence. "Where is she now, her mother?"

"Dead," Tony said lowly, blinking back tears as he watched Steve's eyes widening as he took in the information. "Car accident, six years ago."

"Let me guess," Steve's said quietly, his eyes softening in realisation. His voice was low and sympathetic. "Around the time –"

"Time Annabelle was first photographed with me." Tony confirmed, sighing. "Yep."

Steve took a moment before speaking, choosing his words carefully. "Why keep it a secret?" Tony raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking him to continue. "All the trouble you went through…"

"Because she was a seventeen-year-old that had never lived in my lifestyle before," Tony said quickly. It was a question that he'd asked himself on very few occasions, yet always came back to the same answer. It was in Anna's best interests to keep it quiet and, at the end of the day, that was what she had wanted for all these years. Tony looked at Steve, finding him waiting patiently for him to continue. Tony groaned. "The day she lost her mom was the day she found out I fathered her. She lost everything and gained so much, a whole new family, in such a short space of time; we were all worried how she'd cope. I didn't even know how I'd cope."

"But you did," Steve said. "You all did."

"Eventually." Tony run a hand through his hair as he thought back to those first few months after Anna came to stay with him and Pepper. Whilst there hadn't been arguments per se, they had been many disagreements, boundaries that had to be explored. Tony had had to work on communicating with someone other than Pepper and Rhodey and Anna had had to learn that Tony would be there to hear her concerns. It took a while, and at certain time it still felt like they were still working on things, but they got there. "The adjustment was… unlike anything I'd dealt with before."

Steve nodded in understanding, a faint red tinge creeping up his neck. "Yet still she managed to turn in to a fine young woman."

"And I'm stopping you right there, Rogers," Tony said instantly, holding up a hand to Steve's face, glaring at him. "No daughter of mine is having relations with a super-being, even if they are a hero."

It felt to say it out loud, that Annabelle was his daughter. He couldn't help the smile playing on his lips as he stared Steve down. Steve's eyes widened comically.

"No worries there, Stark," Steve held his hands up in surrender, the faint blush now appearing on his cheeks as he laughed at Tony. "She's a little on the young side."

"You've got a point there, Captain," Tony agreed, a glint in his eye. "What are you, pushing a hundred now?"

"Ha, ha." Steve rolled his eyes, glad that the two of them were able to joke together without tension.

An easy silence settled between them for the first time since, Tony believed, they'd first met.

"You're forgiven, by the way," Tony said suddenly, glancing at Steve. "I accept your apology."

"Thank you," Steve said, sincerely.

"Yeah well," Tony said, shrugging and scuffing his feet against the floor, hands placed deep in his pockets. He refused to meet Steve's eyes now. "I don't want another lecture about forgiveness."

"Pepper?"

Tony looked up at his teammate now, smiling with a glint in his eyes. He shook his head. "Anna."

Both men laughed as the balcony door opened, the woman in question appearing before them. The smile never left Tony's face as she stepped towards them, eyebrow raised in question.

"Hey, guys. Dinner will be done in ten." Both men nodded at her. "Clint's already broken two plates, can one of you help set the table?"

Steve and Tony shared a look, before the super-solider rolled his eyes. "I'll do it."

"Thank you, Captain."

"Please, call me Steve," Steve said brightly, glancing back at Tony only to find the man glaring at him once again. It made him laugh once more.

"Thank you, Steve."

Anna and Tony watched as Steve left them standing in the evening breeze. Once the door closed, Tony seemed to deflate next to her, sagging against the wall. She looked at him in concern. "Everything okay?"

"Peachy."

"Dad," Anna sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I brought up Howard," Tony muttered. He closed his eyes and puffed out a harsh breath. "It's always…"

Anna patted his shoulder in sympathy as he trailed off, knowing all too well what talking about his father could do to him. "I know."

Tony stared off to where Steve had disappeared. He sighed again. "Things are always harder than they should be when it comes to Steve."

"You'll get there – eventually," Anna said, tilting her head at Tony.

"Well, tonight has been a breakthrough, don't you think?"

"We haven't eaten yet," Anna reminded him with a smile. Tony rolled his eyes, swatting her hand away where she'd started to pat his cheek.

"What are we having?" He asked as he wrapped his arm round her shoulder, leading her back inside.

"Baked meatballs," she stated, knowing it was one of his favourite recipes from her mom's cookbook.

Tony's eye lit up. "Your mom's?"

"Of course."

"Yum."

By the time they returned inside, Steve had had the table laid and they found Clint sulking on the couch, where he'd been banished from the kitchen by Natasha. Bruce was consulting with JARVIS on how the meal was supposed to be finished while Natasha stirred the sauce, stopping it from burning. Anna left Tony with his teammates, shooing everyone away, assuring them that she had it covered.

The night had, surprisingly, been completely fine. No arguments and been endured and there were only a few questions asked about why they'd lied to everyone before conversation moved on to other things. Both Tony and Anna were grateful that the group had taken it as well as they had, neither wanting to imagine what would have happened if they hadn't. Annabelle still hadn't brought up the fact that she was thinking of moving to New York to be closer to Tony, believing it best to leave it until after the press release at least. There was only so many bombshells she could drop on him in the space of twenty-four hours. Annabelle had managed to have a conversation with everyone in turn, enjoying the company of Natasha and Steve the most. Neither pried too much in to her life before coming to live with Tony, but they were content with hearing anything she did happen to mention. Clint, on the other hand, seemed to want to make it his mission to find out everything he could about her, to the point where she and Tony had both looked at each other and, at the same time, asked JARVIS to lock him out of the network. That had caused a great deal of laughter from the group, who truly got a first glimpse of just how alike the father daughter duo was.

Pepper had managed to join them close to ten o'clock, well after the meatballs had been demolished and four bottles of wine had disappeared between the five of those drinking. She took Anna's place next to Tony on the couch while the younger woman jumped up to warm the plate of food she'd place aside for her hours ago. When she's returned and handed the plate over, she'd taken the seat on Tony's other side, snuggling under his arm and the seven of them talked well in to the night. Without realising it, they'd seen in Anna's birthday. Tony had jumped up, declared that there should be cake and had tried to instruct JARVIS to order one when a hand from each of the two women in his life had been placed on either arm stopped him. The rest of the team had looked on in awe as Tony simply shit off mid-sentence and lowered himself back in his seat. Nothing close had been seen by the team before and, honestly, none of them had known how to react. The night had eventually ended after a chorus of 'Happy Birthday' and Tony proclaiming presents will be given in the morning. Anna had left the rest of the adults and slipped off to bed, not before hearing Steve exclaiming that none of them had gotten her anything.

For the most part, Anna had enjoyed her birthday. Gina's morning call had woken her a little earlier than she'd have liked, but she was grateful nonetheless. Back and forth texting from Sam had followed and she'd barely had time to change before Tony came barging in declaring a full itinerary of birthday activities before the press conference at six. Anna spent the entire day surrounded by people, even Rhodey had managed to squeeze an hour in the middle of travelling between meetings, leaving her barely a moment to herself to think. Eventually, Pepper had been the one to notice that she'd needed a minute to herself, informing everyone else that the two of them needed to get ready and prepare for the conference. They'd gone down to Anna's floor and she had thanked her sort of step-mother, who simply brushed it off and told her to be in the lobby in forty-five minutes.

She'd made it downstairs with less than five minutes to spare, Pepper, Tony and Happy waiting patiently for her. Whilst Pepper and Happy were dressed in their usual business attire and Tony his trademark look including the glasses, Anna had opted for a deep red, long sleeved dress that reached mid-thigh and heeled sandals, her hair pinned at the base of her neck. Tony greeted her with open arms the moment she stepped off the elevator, ignoring Pepper's cautions to be careful of the young woman's hair. Tony kissed the top of her hair lightly and held her at arms-length by her shoulders.

"You really do not have to do this today, there is honestly no obligation for you to even be the one to do this." His eyes told her he was serious, his face set as he tried to reason with her. "Why don't we just go back upstairs and enjoy the rest of birthday whilst we still can. Pep can cancel this whole thing, can't you?"

Pepper raised an eyebrow before walking away, heading to speak to the man she'd been coordinating with since the previous day. Clipboards were brought out, Pepper running her finger along what she assumed was a list of the approved people present outside the tower. Anna swallowed and gave Tony a nervous smile.

"And let all Pepper's hard work go to waste? Shame on you, Stark." She tried to laugh, but it fell short and betrayed just how nervous she was feeling. The country was about to find out that the richest man in the world was her father, something no one out there was expecting to be divulged to them today. Her heart pounded against her chest as she thought about the bombardment of questioning she would no doubt be getting as soon as she opened her mouth. She and Pepper had gone through what to expect at length the day before, whilst cooped up in the older woman's office as the final arrangements were made. Pepper had showed her a few of Tony's previous press conferences, as well as some other rather high-profile examples, highlighting how brutal reporters could be. She'd warned Anna that they may know things she thought hidden and to expect the worst. She shook her head. "No, we're doing this. I asked for this to happened today, Dad – this was my idea and I'm sticking by my decision to do this… with you standing out there right by my side."

Tony raised an eyebrow but didn't actually seemed surprised or affronted by the revelation… he seemed rather… proud. "And since when, exactly, was that decided?"

"About twenty seconds ago." Though, from the street side view, the glass doors were tinted to prevent outsiders looking in, they could see the crowd that had built up outside perfectly clearly. Anna started pacing as she saw just how many people had turned up to hear her speak. She hadn't been expecting that. Pepper hadn't told them just how many people had been called upon, just simply telling them to expect a few. "Shit, this is scary."

Tony held am arm out to stop her, but she shrugged it off, so he joined her in pacing instead, keeping right by her side. "It's only going to get worse once it's out there." When she finally stopped long enough to look at him, Tony found his heart breaking for her. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and hiding her from view. "Trust me, Anna, they're gonna ask you questions – they'll want to know everything. Every single detail there is to know."

"I'll be fine," Anna said, blowing out a breath against his chest. She tried to pull away, but Tony wouldn't let her. She sighed, giving up. "Just promise me you won't leave my side."

Tony held her at arms-length now and looked as though this was the easiest thing ever requested of him. "I promise."

Pepper came striding back over to them, smiling softly at the pair. She pulled Anna away from Tony and in to a quick hug before releasing her, smoothing away the stray hairs framing Anna's face. Anna swallowed, knowing what was coming.

"They're ready for you," Pepper said, throwing on her business mask once more. "Keep your head up and remember you only have to say what you want to; nothing more, nothing less." She took Anna's hand in her own. "There is no obligation to give them any more than that. The ball is in your court, not theirs."

Anna simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak for fear of backing out. With Tony at her side, she stepped through the lobby doors and out in to the street, up to the little podium set out with a small microphone. Instantly there were flashes of light as multiple reporters took photos, all aiming to get the best picture to publish to whichever magazine or newspaper they were there to represent. Anna would have bulked if she hadn't felt Tony's hand on the small of her back at that moment. It was the lightest of touches, missed by most if they hadn't of been watching, but it was enough for Anna to hold herself straight and confident as she cleared her throat, leaning forward ever so slightly towards the mic, ready to address the crowd.

"Okay, here we go," she said quietly to herself, taking a deep breath. She spoke directly in to the mic now, surprising herself with how strong her voice was carried to every last person.

"Evening. I haven't done this before so please bear with me. There's been a lot of speculation about who I am and my relationship with Tony." Immediately, an onslaught of questions came her way. She took a few deep breaths, giving everyone a few seconds to realise that she was not answering anyone anytime soon. Nodding once only the flashing lights remained and the hoard of people were once again silent, Annabelle continued the speech she had written down and memorised. "My name is Annabelle Maria Cooper, I grew up in Boston and today is my twenty-third birthday.

"There is nothing scandalous or sordid about my relationship with the man standing beside me today," she turned briefly to Tony, who was grinning widely at her, a look of pride in his eyes behind the tinted glasses. It was all the encouragement she needed; her voice became stronger and unfaltering. "Honestly, the mere thought of it is quite frankly both disturbing and disgusting. Anthony Stark is not, nor has he ever been, my lover. Tony Stark is my father."

A sharp intake of breath from the crowd was instantaneously followed by a further barrage of questioning, which she once again ignored. She raised her voice, letting the mic carry it over every single person trying to have their moment, their question heard.

"Six years ago, not even a few weeks before the first photo of myself and Tony was published, I had only just found that he was my father, and he my existence. My mother had been killed in a car accident and it had led to a revelation that would change both our lives, all our lives. An exceedingly difficult time was made worse by an invasion of not only Tony's privacy, but my own, something I was in no way prepared for. The stories you are all running about Tony, about the both of us, are disrespectful and a defamation of character." She paused now, letting her eyes travel over everyone in front of her. She could tell, after just one quick glance, that not a single one of them cared. They were all there for a story, the best story they could get. Not one of them cared that they could end up ruining lives, destroying relationships or ripping friendships apart. It sickened Anna to know that they would do anything, write anything, just to have their name at the bottom of the article. There was more Annabelle had wanted to say. She had written down more details, had wanted to share more to give an insight to the relationship she'd built with Tony, but she decided against it. The realisation that it would only be used against her, used to portray the both of them in a bad light. She shook her head, feeling Tony step ever so slightly closer to her, his hand on her back again. She turned to look at him and he gave her a subtle nod, letting her know it was okay to stop, that she could end it. She nodded in return.

"You now have the truth; I am the daughter of Tony Stark. I don't know about my Dad," Anna gestured to Tony, smiling. "He may wish to clarify a few things, but I will not be answering any questions for you tonight."

Annabelle stepped back from the podium, completely ignoring the people shouting her name, calling her back and demanding more. She locked eyes with Tony, taking a deep breath and giving him a kiss on the cheek. It only riled the reporters up more. She made to push open the lobby door but Tony's hand on her arm stopped her. She looked at him questioningly, but he shook his head and slipped his hand in hers, keeping her out there with him. He turned to the reporters, flashes of light coming thick and fast as those with cameras fought to capture the perfect picture of the two. Tony's face was set; mouth in a thin line and eyes dark beneath the glasses. He didn't even try to smile.

"Well, I think Annabelle had said enough for both of us, don't you?" He glared at them all before morphing a faux smile on his face. It made him look… dangerous. Annabelle almost cringed back, almost. Tony gestured to her, keeping his eyes on the reporters. "Like she said, you have the truth now. Anyone publishing anything other than that will be receiving a lawsuit. You have been warned."

And with that, Tony turned on his heel and pulled the both of them through the lobby doors, letting them bang closed behind the two of them. It partially drowned out the screams of people demanding to know more than what they'd already been told, but not completely. Tony led them both over to where Happy and Pepper were waiting for them, both smiling widely. Once Tony was happy with how much distance he'd put between them and the doors, he spun round and engulfed Anna in a hug, squeezing her tightly.

"I'm so proud of you, you know that right?"

Anna returned the gesture, holding on to Tony as if her life depended on it. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Anna pulled back, not enough to release herself from Tony's hold, but enough to be able to look at Pepper.

"Was that alright?" she asked, uncertainty seeping in to her voice. Any confidence she'd built up standing outside in front of everyone had gone. "Did I give them enough?"

"You did brilliantly, Anna.," Pepper said, coming over and pulling her away from Tony, the man reluctantly letting her go. Pepper once again smoothed down the stray hairs from her face as she grinned. Happy come over now, patted Anna on the back before handing a phone she recognised as her own to her. She thanked him but looked at Pepper questioningly. "Take minute and call Gina before we finish celebrating your birthday."

"Right." Anna nodded, pulling up her godmother's contact and allowing her phone to hover over the call button. She looked back up between Tony and Pepper, shaking her head. "That was scary."

"Love you," Tony said before instructing Happy to take the girl upstairs. As they disappeared on to the elevator, Tony spun round and pulled Pepper in to his arms, planting a kiss on her lips with a sincere smile. "And you. You are amazing, thank you for this, Pep."

Pepper laughed and kissed him back. "Always, Tony."

Phew, finally. For some reason, I found this chapter difficult to write. I'm not sure why. I've been finding it difficult to write in general for the last couple of weeks. I'm glad I split this chapter and chapter 11 because 16/17 thousand words would have just been far too long.

As per, please review! I'm loving hearing from everyone about how you feel the story is going. Please let me know what you thought about Steve and Tony's interaction, I'm honestly not sure if I did that part of the chapter justice.

Much love everyone, Courtney xx