The L.A. Mishap

It was going to be the best summer ever. They were spending it in California, and Sharon had gotten to come along. Angie was working on a movie adaption of a play she'd done years ago, and a documentary about Peggy's time leading the Howling Commandos was nominated for a big award. Natasha was taking a ballet class with a well known now retired ballerina, and later in the summer she and Sharon would both get to participate in a gymnastics program they were both really looking forward too. They were spending the summer in Howard's, well Tony's now, L.A. mansion, which had among other things a flock of pink flamingos that lived on the grounds.

Tony had just arrived a few days ago to join them for awhile and promised to take the girls out for the day. While exploring the city with her moms had been fun, Natasha was really looking forward to seeing L.A. with Tony. He was twenty and far cooler than her mothers after all. They really hadn't gotten to see much of each other over the last few years. Tony was away at school, and during breaks he was off jet setting. She'd once heard her Mum say that he was running away from the grief over losing his parents, and that he didn't want to deal with reality so he loses himself in his genius, and parties away the pain. Natasha was actually really glad that her Mum agreed to let her and Sharon spend the day with Tony. Maybe they could help him feel better for a little while.

"Don't have them out to late, Anthony." Peggy warned as they were preparing to leave.

Tony smiled a warm and charming smile. "I won't Aunt Peg. I promise."

"Have a good time." Angie said with a warm smile. "Stay out of trouble!"

"Us find trouble?" Tony replies. "Never."

They went to Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier, Tony took them shopping on Rodeo Drive, and they sang along to Bon Jovi, AC/DC, and The All-American Rejects from the backseat of Tony's convertible as they went down Sunset Boulevard. They had lunch at Pinks and searched for celebrities. Tony even took them to this beautiful cliff in Malibu that overlooked the ocean and told them that he's just bought it, pulling a bottle of champagne from the car to celebrate. Natasha was so caught up in Tony's excitement that she didn't even think twice when he gave her a glass. Since both Natasha and Tony were drinking it, Sharon had some too.

"I'm going to build the biggest, most beautiful, most tech advanced house anyone has ever seen." Tony said excitedly. His smile was bright and hopeful, a smile not seen by his loved ones in awhile. He practically danced around the open space, gripping the neck of the champagne bottle in one hand while using the other to point and gesture as he explained his basic ideas for the house. Then he walked over to Natasha, gulping from the bottle, and then put his arm around her shoulders. He pulled her into his side and promised, "Every house I ever build will have a dance studio for you, Nattie, so you'll have a place of your own to practice for when you become a world famous prima ballerina."

"I dance for fun, Tony." Natasha insisted, but smiled sweetly at his gesture. She was just thrilled to see Tony smiling like his old self again, to see the light of excitement in his eyes again. She missed her Tony. Since losing Uncle Howard and Aunt Maria, and learning of Aunt Ana's illness, her Tony had gone away. She hoped that seeing a glimmer of her Tony now meant that he was coming out of whatever shadows he'd been hiding in.

Tony took Natasha's hand and twirled her around before reaching for Sharon and dancing with her. "And what about you little bit?" He asked the blonde, "What can I build for you?"

Sharon giggled, her head spinning not only from Tony twirling her around but the glass of champagne. Tony was twenty, Natasha was fifteen, and Sharon was only thirteen. It was her very first glass of alcohol. Sharon liked computers, she was saving up to buy parts to build her own, but Tony would certainly have a work room or lab in his house. She thought about what they all liked to do together and the first thing that came to mind was the late night movie marathons they used to have before the accident that changed Tony. She smiled up at him, like Natasha she was so happy to see him smiling back, a real smile, their Tony's smile. "The biggest movie room ever!"

"A top of the line home theater! That's a great idea, Shar-Bear!" Tony replied, kissing her cheek and twirling her into Natasha's arms.

They went to the Beverly Hills hotel after leaving Malibu where they changed into the clothes Tony had bought them on Rodeo Drive. Two ladies came to the suite to do their hair, make-up, and nails. While it was hard to hide the fact that Sharon was so young, Natasha looked much older than she was by the time they were finished. Tony was taking them out to dinner at one of the most expensive and hard to get to new restaurants in town. It was all very exciting, and Natasha was having a blast getting a tiny taste of Tony's lifestyle, but she couldn't help but wonder why Tony seemed to be trying so hard to impress them. She would have been just as happy spending the day at Universal City Walk and lunch at Pink's, she just wanted to spend time with her cousin.

"Nattie?" Sharon said softly as they waited on Tony to finish getting ready. "Is Tony ok?"

"Yea, Shar." Natasha reassured the younger girl. "Tony's fine. You know Tony, he loves to show off."

Sharon nodded agreement and then asked, "Nat, what if we don't like the food?"

"Then I'll order the best pizza in town and have it brought to the restaurant." Tony answered as he walked in. He looked the girls over and smiled. "You two look amazing." Holding out his arms for them to take he asked, "Are you two ready to paint the town red?"

The food was new and strange to them but they both liked it, which seemed to make Tony happy seeing them enjoy themselves. He ordered a very expensive bottle of wine and poured both girls a glass. Sharon looked at Natasha with a concerned expression. Leaning close the blonde whispered, "I don't think Aunt Peggy would let us have this."

"Just sip it, Sharon." Natasha whispered back. "It's ok, we're with Tony, and it's just wine. My Papa Martinelli lets me sip wine at Christmas and Easter."

While the girls sipped their glasses of wine Tony drank the bottle.

Tony had promised them fireworks to cap off their day of adventures, so he drove them up into the Hollywood hills, knowing that there was a private party going on that would be setting off a celebratory display. He hadn't been invited to the party, but that wasn't going to stop him from giving his girls fireworks. He haphazardly parked his car because he was a bit tipsy, grabbed another bottle of champagne from the trunk and led the girls to the back of a property with a natural spring pool. Tony poured glasses for the girls, and raised a toast to them as the fireworks began lighting up the sky above them. Then, still in his expensive suit, bottle in hand, Tony falls backwards at the edge of the pool, splashing into the water with a laugh.

"Tony!" Natasha called out, concern clouding her voice as she waited for him to break the surface of the water. When he did, smiling up at her with his stupid smirk, she sighed and shook her head. "You're an idiot, Tony."

The police officers there to check on a report of trespassing teenagers also thought Tony was an idiot, and were not impressed by his attempts to pay them off. Natasha gave them her mother's name, and the dread that had settled over her from the moment their flashlights landed on them in the dark, only got worse.

"I'm pretty sure Aunt Peggy isn't going to like that we're in jail for trespassing!" Sharon squeaked as she sat beside Natasha on a bench in the small room made of cinder block walls painted a dirty beige.

Tony moaned softly from where he was laying on the bench along the other wall. "We're not in jail. We're in holding. It's different."

"I don't think my Mum's going to see it that way, Tony." Natasha said as she put her arm around Sharon, drawing the younger girl close and letting her cuddle. "Pretty sure being brought in by the police is just going to generally piss her off."

"Relax, Nattie." Tony said with a wave of his hand. "You two just give her sad remorseful pouts and let me do the talking. I can handle Aunt Peg."

Despite his bravado and confidence Tony sat up quickly with a look of dread at the distant sound of click-clacking heels. It honestly could have been any woman walking in the distance, but he knew it was her. He knew the sound of her stride, and could just feel it in the growing knot of tension in the pit of his stomach. He tried to swallow down the sudden lump in his throat but his mouth was suddenly dry. Looking over at the girls he could see they felt it too, that anxiety that comes when you know you're in trouble, and it made him feel like shit. When the holding cell door opened and Aunt Peggy stepped in Tony shot to his feet, a hopefully well thought out response ready to go.

Peggy shot her nephew a look that made soldiers wither and retreat. "Not a single word." She warned him, her voice carefully measured, curt but firm. Then she turned to look at the girls before ordering, "Lets go. Now."

The ride home was silent and intense. The three teens sat in the backseat, Natasha holding tightly to Sharon's hand, the youngest of them fighting back tears. Sharon had never seen Aunt Peggy look so mad before, and her imagination was running wild. At the very least her aunt would probably send her back east to her mother, and she would miss out on everything they'd planned for the summer. Natasha did her best to reassure her cousin that it would be ok, but she had her own nervousness about how angry her mother was. It didn't help that when they got back to the house Peggy simply told the three of them to sit on the sofa and not to move, admitting that she was too angry to deal with them properly, and then went up to her room.

"I've never seen Aunt Peggy's face that color before." Sharon whispered.

"Me either." Natasha replied.

Tony sighed. "I have, but it was normally because of something the old man did."

"I wish she would just yell." Sharon said softly, and then groaned a bit as she leaned into Natasha. "I think I'm going to be sick. My stomach really hurts."

"Mum doesn't really yell." Natasha said softly. "Ma does, Ma yells, I'm kind of surprised she isn't yelling."

"I think she's trying to convince Aunt Peggy not to kill us." Sharon moaned.

Natasha looked down at her cousin and frowned. "Shar, if you're gonna puke, please don't do it in my lap, because then I'm gonna puke."

Stepping into the master bedroom Angie looked around for her wife. The balcony doors were open, a gentle breeze causing the curtains to flutter. Walking across the room Angie stepped out onto the balcony to stand beside her wife. "Peggy?"

"Tony's being ticketed for operating a vehicle while under the influence." Peggy told her wife as she looked out over the massive Stark grounds. "He had the girls in the car with him, Angie. And

I think the girls were drinking as well. Which means Tony gave them alcohol. Natasha seems fine, but Sharon's a bit drunk I think. She was looking pretty green on the ride home."

"We don't have the details of what happened tonight, Peggy." Angie replied as she reached for her wife's hand to hold. "And yeah, he shouldn't have given the girls booze, hell he shouldn't even be drinking yet, but I don't think Tony would have let them get drunk off their asses."

"I wish I could be so sure." Peggy said sadly. "He's so much like Howard it frightens me, Angie."

"Yeah, he's a lot like Howard." Angie nodded in agreement. "But he isn't Howard, and you know that better than anyone because you've been bustin' your ass his whole life to make sure he didn't turn into Howard." With her free hand Angie reached up to rub soothing circles on Peggy's back. "I know how much you loved Howard, Peg, hell, he was practically your brother. And I saw how much his downward spiral hurt you, and I know you still blame yourself for not being able to save him. But that's not how it's going to play out with Tony. Howard was damaged long before you met him, but you've been in Tony's life since the day he was born, he isn't going to crumble the way Howard did." Leaning in she kissed Peggy's temple. "We won't let him."

"How are you so calm right now?" Peggy asked as she leaned into her wife's embrace and comforting presence.

"Oh, believe me I'm pissed." Angie replied. "But we have to at least hear their side of things before we decide what to do with the little miscreants."

"Impeding their ability to sit properly is very tempting." Peggy huffed.

"Not saying we take that off the table, just that we hear them out before we make a final decision." Angie told her. "I'm fairly sure the girls have convinced themselves that's where this is going, I don't think it's the alcohol that has them looking so sick, it's their own worst imaginations. You were pretty pissed, hon. I think you scared the hell out of them."

"Good." Peggy nodded firmly. "We'll let them stew a bit longer and then we'll go talk to them."

Angie nodded. "We'll give ourselves some options, and then pick one after we get the full story."

Peggy nodded with a slow sigh.

When they finally made their way downstairs to the living room, the two women sat across from the three teens. Tony would try using his charm and talking in circles if they asked him to tell them what happened. Natasha knew them well, and would know just how to frame everything in a way she hoped would make things seem less troublesome than it was. So Peggy went for the weakest link in the trio. "Sharon Marie," As soon as she says the girl's name Sharon's head snaps up to look at her. "Tell us what happened today, everything the three of you did." Sharon's big brown eyes widened and she turned to look at Natasha and Tony. "Don't look to them, young lady, eyes on me please. They'll get their chance. I want to hear from you first."

Sharon swallowed, her gaze turning back to her aunt, whose own gaze was firmly fixed on her. She took a deep breath, and told her aunts everything. As Sharon talked, Peggy slowly relaxed. Up until the single glass of champagne and the single glass of wine, the day sounded like any other day out the girls would have spent with Tony. He was always buying them overly expensive things, which Peggy had put limits on, and taking them out to fancy meals was a treat for them. When Sharon said they didn't know they were trespassing, Peggy could believe the girls were aware, but wasn't so sure about Tony. When Sharon was finished, Angie asked Natasha if she had anything to add. Natasha, being Natasha, defended Tony. Both the champagne and wine were for special reasons, to celebrate Tony's new land and being at a fancy new restaurant. She even reminded her Mama that her grandfather let her have a bit of wine during the holidays.

"The difference Natasha," Angie said firmly. "Is that you are given a small amount of wine by an adult with your mothers' permission. None of you, and this includes Anthony, are of age."

Sharon gasped softly and whispered, "I've never heard Aunt Angie call him that."

Peggy raised a brow and fought back a smile. Then she brought up the next thing that needed to be addressed. "There's also the matter of Anthony driving while intoxicated and the two of you getting into the car with him instead of calling us or a taxi."

"Oh come on Aunt Peg." Tony grumbled. "I wasn't drunk. I wouldn't drive drunk with the girls in the car."

Peggy raised an eyebrow at that. Would he, has he, driven drunk while alone or with others in the car? She realized the answer was most likely yes and it frightened her. As far as the children were concerned Howard's accident had been caused by his drinking, and Peggy wasn't sure how to process Tony driving drunk believing this.

"I've gotten into the car with both of you after you've had a drink." Natasha argued, still determined to defend Tony even if it made things worse for herself.

Peggy had been glaring at Tony, ready to tell him off about how much he'd had that night, but quickly cut that heated gaze to her daughter. "After one glass of wine, or one pint, Natasha, never when we've had enough to be inebriated. Your mother and I know how to drink responsibly. Anthony, who is still underage in this country, does not and was inebriated despite his protests to the contrary." Looking back at Tony she said, "Which is why you've been issued a DUI."

"Don't sweat that, Aunt Peg." Tony waved it off. "I'll just pay and…"

"You will not just pay it off and walk away, Anthony Edward." Peggy stopped him. "The fine will be paid, yes. But you will be doing community service, which your aunt and I will find for you, and surrendering your driving privileges to me for a month."

Tony, who'd been slumped back against the couch, sprang up. "You're grounding me? Aunt Peggy! You can't do that! I'm a grown as…:"

"Finish that sentence, Anthony, I dare you." Angie cut in, giving the boy a look that made him snap his mouth shut.

Peggy turned to the girls. "You are both grounded as well. For the next three weeks the only time you leave this house is if Angie and I decide to follow through with the plans we've made for family outings."

"And don't think for a second you'll spend those three weeks sitting around doing nothing." Angie added. "We'll find things to keep you busy."

"And if anything like this happens again," Peggy added. "We will not be as lenient. Am I understood?"

"Yes Mum." Natasha replied with a nod.

Sharon nodded too. "Yes Aunt Peggy."

"Good." Peggy replied. "You two, upstairs, get ready for bed."

"We'll be up to say goodnight later." Angie said as the girls got up to do as they were told. She had to fight off a smirk as she watched them both give herself and Peggy a wide berth as they passed, making sure they were nowhere within arms reach.

Once she was sure the girls were upstairs Peggy moved to sit beside her godson. "Anthony," She sighed softly. "We'll go to the hotel in the morning and pick up everyone's things, and check you out. You'll spend the rest of your time off here with us."

"Aunt Peggy…" Tony said softly.

Peggy shook her head. "If you want us to trust you with the girls again, Tony, you'll do as I've said." She watched his eyes twitch a bit wider at the thought of not being allowed around the girls, and the slow realization of what his behavior could have cost him. "I need to have you close for awhile, Anthony, so I can make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine, Aunt Peggy." Tony shifted in his seat, unable to look at her.

"I don't think you are, sweetheart." Peggy said honestly. "I'm worried about you, Tony." She reached over and wrapped her fingers around his hand and squeezed. "Both of your parents had addiction problems, love, you know this. You need to be more mindful of how you're dealing with things."

"I'm sorry I've made you and Aunt Angie worry about me." Tony said, finally looking up at her and then over at Angie, and then back at her. "You don't have too you know."

"Don't be a knucklehead, T." Angie said as she stood and walked over to the sofa, making her wife and their nephew move over one so she could sit on Tony's other side. "You're our kid, we're gonna worry."

Peggy nodded her agreement. "We love you, Anthony, which means we will always worry. And I promise, we'll always be there for you, whether you think you need us to be or not."

When Peggy reached out to pull him into a hug Tony gladly let her, and when he felt Angie join, he relaxed. Then he was sent to his room like he was a boy, and he didn't even moan about it. He did stop to apologize to the girls, who he knew would be together in Natasha's room despite Sharon having her own. They insisted that there wasn't a need for him to apologize, but he insisted. Then he looked at Natasha, "You really need to stop defending me, Nattie. One of these days you're just going to make it worse for yourself."

"I'm always going to be in your corner, Tony. I am always going to be on your side." Natasha reassured him. "Even if it means getting into more trouble for it."

"You may regret that some day." Tony sighed and then pulled the redhead into a crushing hug.