Despite Pepper not wanting Ellie to miss class, Eleanor had been staying at the mansion for two weeks, and because she wasn't going to school, her best friend, Maddy, would bring over her school work so she didn't fall behind in her studies. Although, Eleanor couldn't help feeling unsafe in her own home due to the events happening in Afghanistan. This lead to Pepper sleeping at the mansion with Eleanor, so Ellie did not find herself on the couch waiting for her missing father to show up every night.
She knew it was Ellie's way of trying to process the fact that Tony was being held captive, but it broke Pepper's heart to watch as her daughter buried herself in her school work and locked herself in her dad's lab.
Although, today was different. Today was the day they brought Tony home. And there were two things Tony wanted to do: get a cheeseburger and go see his daughter. As he walked out of the plane, he told Happy to get two cheeseburgers and drive him back to the mansion. Tony couldn't wait to see Eleanor, getting home to her was what kept him fighting when he was stuck in that cave with Yinsen.
Pepper was at the mansion because she wanted to stay with Eleanor, even if that meant only seeing her when she emerged for the lab for dinner. The woman was on her laptop when Rhodey walked in the front door with Tony. Pepper stood up and looked at the billionaire in shock. His right arm was in a sling and he was holding a brown bag, which contained two cheeseburgers.
"Oh my God!" She said softly as she walked up to Tony.
"Where is she, Pep?" Tony asked and Pepper pointed to the lab.
Tony walked down the staircase with both Pepper and Rhodey trailing behind him softly. Tony saw his daughter testing out different simulations with J.A.R.V.I.S as she sat at his desk. He opened the lab door and walked towards his daughter and the fact that he was in the same room as her, almost brought him to tears.
Ellie groaned, thinking it was her mother standing behind her to ask, yet again, if she had finished her homework. She did, in fact, and just wanted to left alone. "What mom? I did my homework." Ellie stated as she placed her sketchbook on the table and turned around to the person behind her.
Her jaw dropped at the sight of her father and Tony gave her a weak smile. Eleanor stood up slowly and walked towards her father. Her first few thoughts were that she was so sleep deprived, from the night before, that she was hallucinating. But when she reached out and touched her father's shoulder, she broke down into tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Tony put the fast food bag down on a table nearby before he wrapped his good arm around his daughter's waist. Pepper was covering her mouth, trying not to cry, and Rhodey just wore a small smile before they both retreated upstairs. Tony and Ellie didn't pull away for a long time, as the father tried to comfort the crying girl in his arms.
"I'm here," he whispered to her. "It's okay, it's okay."
"I was so scared," Eleanor sobbed and he shushed her gently. He looked down at her as she pulled away softly and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"It's alright. I'm here and I'm never going to leave you like that again, ok?" He asked and she nodded before burying herself in her father's chest. In fear that if she would let go, he would disappear.
〜〜〜
Eleanor was asleep in bed when she shot up, wide awake. Sweat covered her from head to toe as she swung her legs to the side of her bed. Her dad had been back home for about two weeks now, and she had started going back to school a week ago. She hated how everyone there gave her sympathetic looks because of what she had been through, and she just wished they would go back to treating her like normal.
But her nightmare never changed. It was always her waking up, finding herself in the mansion all alone with her dad still being held captive. She got up and made her way to the kitchen, hoping that a glass of water would help her calm down, but when she got to the living room, she saw the lab light on. Furrowing her eyebrows together, Eleanor made her way down there and saw her dad sitting at his desk, working on something.
It looked like a suit of armor, and she knew he wasn't making it for the company since he swore off making things like that in his press conference. Then why is dad making armor? She thought as she typed in the passcode to the lab. Her dad was so engrossed in his own work he didn't notice her walk inside.
"Dad?" She asked and he turned towards the noise. Tony looked confusedly at her as he closed the window on his suit.
"Why are you up?" Tony asked and he walked over to her. Ellie's eyes shifted down to the blue circle on his chest. It was still surreal that this little arc-reactor was keeping her dad alive, but she was grateful for it. Ellie looked back at her father and swallowed the lump in her throat.
"I - um - I had a-a nightmare." She said not wanting to lie to her dad, but not wanting to confess about the nightmares she been having either. Tony looked worried but bent down in front of his daughter.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked and she shook her head as she looked towards his desk again.
"What were you doing down here?" She asked.
"Just working on a last-minute idea," He answered
"What's the idea?" Ellie asked curiously and Tony sighed as he stood up.
"I'll tell you tomorrow," Her father stated, even though he had no intention of telling her.
"But dad-"
"No buts, missy," He cut off. "It's way past your bedtime, and you need your sleep so you can do well in school tomorrow." Ellie frowned and huffed dramatically as she crossed her arms. "Come on Ellie, I'll take you back up to your bed," Tony said and walked her up the stairs to her bedroom.
〜〜〜
Iron Man, named by the press, had made his debut to the world and Ellie was pissed. Her father didn't tell her about it at all, and instead, she heard the information come from her mother's mouth rather than his. Pepper was cleaning some of her father's wounds from the battle as Tony read the paper. "Iron Man that's kind of catchy?" Tony commented and glance at his daughter who sat in front of him. "I mean it's got a nice ring to it. I mean, it's not technically accurate. The suit's a gold-titanium alloy, but it's kind of evocative, the imagery, anyway."
Ellie looked down as she rolled her eyes at her father. A man in a black and white suit, who she believes is Agent Coulson, hands her father a blue note card and says, "Here's your alibi."
Her father closed the paper, takes the note card and says, "Ok," as her mother started to cover up the cuts on his face with makeup.
"You were on your yacht," Coulson explained.
"Yeah," Tony said.
"We have port papers that put you in Avalon all night, and sworn statements from 50 of your guests." Ellie was impressed as her father looked between her mother and her.
"See, I was thinking maybe we should say it was just Pepper, Ellie, and me on the island. Like a family getaway," Tony suggested and Ellie gave her dad a small smirk, as her mother glared at him.
"That's what happened," Coulson stated.
"All right," Her dad said, coming to terms that his idea was shut down.
"Just read it, word for word," Coulson said as Tony glanced over the cards confused.
"What is it, dad?" Ellie asked him.
"There's nothing about Stane here," Tony answered. Ellie felt a wave of anger and betrayal wash over her. She didn't understand how Obadiah could betray her father, and try to kill him, for money.
"That's being handled. He's on vacation," Coulson told him. "Small aircraft have such a poor safety record."
"But what about the whole cover story that it's a bodyguard?" Tony asked unconvinced. "He's my... I mean, is that...That's kind of flimsy, don't you think?"
"This isn't my first rodeo, Mr. Stark," Coulson assured him. "Just stick to the official statement, and soon, this will all be behind you." The agent looked to the TV behind Tony. "You've got 90 seconds." Then made his way to the door as Pepper followed him.
Tony looked at his daughter who sat in front of him with a hurt expression on her face. "You ok, Ellie?" He asked her and she shrugged.
"I'm happy you're alive and safe, but I still feel hurt that you didn't tell me about the suit." Tony sighed as he looked down. "I could have helped you design it and run tests!" She explained and Tony let out a small laugh.
"You are definitely my daughter," Tony commented as he looked at her. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"Apology accepted," Ellie said as her father stood up and pulled her into a hug.
He pulled away and walked over to her mother as Ellie stood in front of the TV watching her Uncle Rhodey talk to the press. She watched as her father walked on and said the four words that would change all of their lives.
"I am Iron Man."