Thank you to everyone who has left a review. I love them.
I just want to explain something to everyone who reads my stories. When I first started this story, at least a year ago, I had been working part time. However this year I started studying Medicine at University and as a result I have not been able to spend a lot of time on this story. Since I had already started it, I really wanted to finish and publish it but it was a very rushed job. This story is not as great as I would have liked but I simply do not have the time to sit down and write it perfectly.
So please keep in mind that it's not exactly what I had hoped for but I wanted to get it up here for all those people who liked the first Morgan Stark story.
This also means that the Avengers and Iron Man 3 stories will be a long way away in the future. But they will come eventually.
Thank you to everyone who has waited for this story for years and left me reviews, they keep me going.
And a special thank you to princessabbie10, who let me constantly bother her and bounce around ideas with her.
Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man.
"Next time you want to drive my Audi, just ask."
Dad grinned as he walked into the jet and took a seat.
"I'm sorry," I said. "But I was getting sick of waiting." After driving the Audi to the tarmac, I had jumped onto our jet and immediately grabbed a coke and candy bar. I had sat and watched a rerun of Top Gear while waiting for everyone else, who had only arrived an hour later.
Dad just shrugged and threw his feet up on the small side table. "Gotta give the press what they want."
"Since when do you care about giving the press anything?" I said.
"Since they have supported Iron Man," Pepper said as she entered the jet and took the seat opposite dad's. "It's always good to have the press on your side."
I couldn't argue with that. I had seen many people get on the wrong side of the press only to deeply regret it later. And we definitely needed the press on our side if the Senate continues to push for the Iron Man suit to be turned over.
"Did you even listen to me this morning dad?"
"I briefly remember something being said about...something," he replied.
"I said not to antagonize them or insult them which is exactly what you did!"
Dad simply shrugged. "All I said was what needed to be said."
I raised my eyebrows with fake surprise. "Oh, so you needed to imply that the senator was a prostitute?"
"Yes." He suddenly sat up in his chair and waved a finger in my direction. "And don't act so high and mighty. I saw you laughing at Hammer."
Woops. "Okay, you got me on that one. But that's only because the guy is a complete tool. Literally. Even his name says he's a tool. I can't believe they would actually ask him for advice on weaponry." I clenched my fists as my rage began building again. "But back to the original subject, you need to take this more seriously dad. Calling people prostitutes and insulting them is not the way to go about proving that the suit is safe in your hands. You have to accept the fact that you may have to suck up and kiss a few asses if you want to keep the government off your back." I looked to Pepper for encouragement.
"I already gave him this speech in the car," she said.
I sighed and lent back in my chair. "And I see that the message has really sunk in."
I dropped the subject and closed my eyes. I would bring it back up again later. All I wanted to do right now was go home and jump straight into my bed. I felt like I needed to sleep for days.
My mind was starting to drift off when dad's voice brought me back.
"Oh look who it is."
I opened my eyes to see Rhodey sitting down in the chair opposite me. I gave him a small smile which he returned.
Looking between dad and Rhodey, I waited for one of them to say something. It wasn't like dad to keep his mouth shut so I knew it was only a matter of time.
Sure enough, as soon as we were up in the air, he said, "Tell him to apologize for ambushing me."
"I ambushed you?" Rhodey asked.
"Yes, yes."
"I sent you a report."
"I didn't even know-"
"The one with bold red letters on the top of it-"
"Did not."
"Saying Tony. Please fact check."
"You received it," Pepper said.
Oh so that's what had happened. Rhodey had sent Dad the report he had been forced to read parts of for Stern. Dad, being dad, had ignored it. Rhodey should have anticipated that and sent it to Pepper instead.
"I didn't get that!"
"It was on your desk," Pepper said.
My eyes flew between Dad and Pepper, like watching a tennis match.
"Oh please, like I remember," Dad said indignantly, "Cause you know I wouldn't remember even if I did. Have you apologized yet?" He looked over to Rhodey as he slid his feet off the table.
"I wouldn't hold my breath," was Rhodey's reply.
"This would be a good time. I'm supposed to be Iron Man and you're suppose to have my back and I got out of the game, and that left a vacuum and now you're with Hammer, and I'm sorry-"
"You know what would be great?" Pepper asked. "If we could get through some of this stuff on the list."
Pepper had a list of never ending requirements of dad. Things to read and sign, things to approve, appearances to do.
"I'm Iron Man, okay?"
Okay, now he was being stupid and childish. It seemed with everyday that passed he grew more and more stupid. I didn't know what was going on with him to make him act this way but it needed to stop.
Pepper sighed. "Okay Iron Man, could we maybe-"
"You don't know what that means. You didn't make the suit."
"Yes, but I did," I said suddenly. "I helped you make it so I am just as much Iron Man as you are."
"No, I am Iron Man. I protect the free world."
Child. He is the child and I am the parent trying to get him to behave.
"We'll cancel Monaco-"
Oh Monaco. I had forgotten. Every year we went over to Monaco for the Circuit de Monaco. I loved watching the race, especially since we had our own car racing in it. I had many good memories in Monaco. Watching the race cars fly around the track, listening to the roar of the engines, breathing in the smell of burnt rubber. When the race was over Pepper and I would go shopping for hours then find a small beach to ourselves. Pepper always felt like that wasn't something a personal assistant should be doing so she never failed to take her laptop to the beach.
I had always enjoyed our annual trip to Monaco. But not this year. I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay on U.S soil and not run away from the problems plaguing us.
"You guys are going to Monaco?" Rhodey asked.
"What do you mean 'you guys'?" Dad asked, "You're coming to Monaco."
Oh, so now they were buddies again and he wanted him to tag along?
"N-...I can't go." I knew it killed Rhodey to say that. Almost every year he came with us to Monaco, the only except being when he couldn't get away from work.
"Oh come on. That's our thing. We need this."
Rhodey shook his head. "Nah Tony. I have stuff to do. I have responsibilities."
Dad sat up in his chair and swung it sideways to face Rhodey. "So you don't wish to come?"
I turned my head slightly to catch Pepper's eye. She wore the same look I had.
"Just say what you mean," Dad persisted. "You don't want to hang out with me anymore."
I rolled my eyes. Honestly, they were worse than teenage girls.
"I think...hanging out with you is bad for our friendship," Rhodey said.
I had to forcibly bite my lip to stop myself bursting with laughter. What did that mean? You had to hang out with someone to have a friendship.
"What do you call that?" Dad asked. "Call the shrink. Get him on the horn. I gotta find out what just happened. That was criminal."
Pepper picked up her clipboard and pen, ready and probably very eager, to get through the numerous items waiting to be addressed on her list. It was moments like these that made me wonder how on earth she did it all. How does she manage all the commitments and appointments people want dad for? How does she manage dad himself? Even I couldn't put up with him sometimes yet she did, 365 days a year.
"Let's move onto the birthday party," she said.
Dad agreed. "Lets."
"I think in keeping with economical times we should do something small, less wear and tear on your body, maybe a retreat."
I knew even before she had finished speaking that there was no way dad was going to do something 'economical' for his birthday. Every year, without fail, he threw an extravagant birthday party. They had been more demure when I had been little but each year they had grown more lavish and alcohol fuelled. I had hoped for a more low key party this year but I knew my wish was wasted. Dad's previous ways were slowly creeping back. Alcohol was appearing in the fridge, pizza and other fast food was being delivered daily and it was only a matter of time before the first one night stand appeared. I don't know why he was reverting to his previous lifestyle. I didn't want to ask, the more he changed back, the more distance he put between us. I had hoped the changes he made after coming back from Afghanistan were permanent. They weren't.
This year's part was going to be as bad as last years.
"Oh yeah. Lets do some ashtanga yoga in a retreat in Ohio. What!? That's what you want to do," Dad said forcibly.
"No, I'm not suggesting-"
"Why cancel...Oh I get it. Here's the message I'm getting, and tell me if I'm wrong again," dad said, looking to Rhodey, "because this is really really super toxic at this point; why celebrate my birth?"
After a moment, Pepper sighed, realizing there was no point arguing this issue any further. "Okay, we will throw a small party at the house."
Dad grinned as he had once again won another argument.
Pepper scribbled down something on the list and ticked a few things before she looked over to me. "Morgan, People magazine called again for the fifth time. They really want to interview you and get you on the cover. They've even tripled their original offer."
"That's a good magazine," dad said with a grin.
"You only like it because they've named you 'Sexiest Man Alive' four times." I groaned and sunk lower in my seat. "Pepper you know that's the last thing on earth that I want to do."
She smiled and nodded. "I know but I thought I would at least mention it again. They're really pushing for it and they want you to at least consider it."
"Do you think I should do it?" I trusted Pepper's opinion both as a friend and as an assistant so if she thought I should do it then I would consider it. I just hated drawing attention to myself and being on the cover of a magazine was probably the number one way to do so.
"Well, there are a number of things to consider," she said in an extremely professional voice. "Your father's been getting a lot of good press lately and having his daughter on the cover of one of the most popular magazines will only help his image. And yours of course. You've never given an interview before so I think this might be a good place to start. Plus, one day you will run and be the face of Stark Industries and that comes with a lot of responsibilities which includes doing interviews."
I started biting my thumb nail, a bad habit I did whenever I was nervous or stressed. "What sort of questions would they ask?"
"Obviously they will want to talk about your father and his suit but I expect they will also ask about what it is like being heiress to a multibillion dollar business, your love life, your childhood, your mother maybe."
My eyes immediately found dad's and I knew the sadness I saw in them would be reflected in my own. It was hard enough talking about my mother to dad and Pepper, I couldn't imagine doing it with a complete stranger.
"Then they would take some photographs and that's it. It would take around a day."
"They're not that bad Morgan," dad said.
"I'm sure they're not. I would just be nervous because it would be my first interview," I said. "Who would want to read an interview about me though?"
"Morgan, you underestimate yourself too much. You're an amazing person and the daughter of Tony Stark. I'm pretty sure everyone would want to read that interview."
"She's right," Rhodey chimed in.
With three sets of eyes staring at me, I squirmed in my seat. I guess I couldn't put it off any longer. For years magazines and television shows had been chasing an interview with me. I knew it was only because of my father and when dad had gone public with his suits, the offers had only gone up. I had to face the fact that one day I would be running a business and that came with the price tag of weekly press. Better to start now and get use to it I suppose. Plus, I had just been lecturing dad on sucking up to the press to keep them on our side, I guess I should listen to my own advice.
"Okay. Let them know I am seriously considering it and when I've decided I will let them know."
"Good." Pepper gave me a smile and ticked that off her list.
I looked to dad who gave me a wink which I returned with a small smile. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the fact that I was flying home. Home. Everything would be okay.
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