AN: Well, here's where our story ends... This probably could have been 2 chapters, but I decided to make it 1 big one. I'm debating on making this series into a trilogy, so leave me a comment on that, because believe me, it will make a difference... ;) For you're approval, the final chaper of Haunted!

Chapter 15

Nicole sighed as she stood. Her head ached, her heart ached, she was just all around confused.

"Nikki," Bruce said at last. "You know I can only help you as much as you're willing to help yourself."

Nicole glared at him, "You think I want to be a psychotic suicidal maniac who can't even look at her newborn baby daughter?! Fuck it, Bruce, I want to help myself; I don't want to be locked up here forever! I want to be with my baby... Hell, I just want to be with Tony!" Her expression saddened as tears came to her eyes. "I'm not even 27 years old," She said quietly. "But already I've managed to screw myself over in so many ways it's not even funny." She smiled grimly, "What Tony ever saw in me... I'm not even sure of."

"Shut the hell up, Nicole."

Nicole's eyes flew up. Tony was standing, leaning against the doorpost. Nicole wondered how long he had been there, but it was obviously long enough for him to be feeling angry, or so Nicole thought. Tony walked closer to her, so that he was just a few feet from her.

"You know exactly what attracted me to you, Nicole," Tony snarled. His tone was harsh, but his eyes spoke a different story. "You and I never got along while we were growing up, despite how often we saw each other, and you know what we were both like at MIT."

"Horrible, jealous, SOB's," Nicole mumbled.

"For lack of better words," Tony agreed with a shrug. "But, all that put aside, after Rhodey came to me and asked me to put the reactor into you, I got to know you like I never had before, probably because I saw you at one of your weakest times."

He saw Nicole bite down and clamp her jaw. He knew Nicole would probably shoot herself rather than admit that he was right, but that was the least of his worries. He had to get Nicole out of that place; both the hospital and the place where she was trapped in her mind.

"Wayne," Tony said after a few moments of awkward silence. "Can you give us a few minutes?"

"Sure," Bruce rose to his feet. "But I'm warning you Stark, hurt her, and I will tear you apart, and if you don't think I can, Iron Man, just ask Nikki."

Bruce left and Tony shot Nicole a look, "He knows?!"

"Oh be quiet," Nicole groaned. "He's fucking Batman."

"Oh, really?" Tony hummed. "Didn't know that. No wonder he thinks he could tear me apart..."

"And he probably could," Nicole sighed as she laid down on the hospital bed. Different drugs given to her throughout the few hours she'd been in the hospital to relax her were finally starting to kick in. She hated feeling the damned drugs in her body...

"Nikki," Tony said at last. He sat next to her hesitantly. "She's beautiful."

"Is she?" Nicole inquired quietly after a few moments. "I haven't even seen her."

"She's gorgeous," Tony nodded. "But she's nameless..."

Nicole nodded, "I wanted to talk to you about that, actually."

"Talk away," Tony said. He wanted so badly to just reach out and hold Nicole, but a nag in the back of his head told him to let her come to him.

"This entire situation..." Nicole paused. "Well, it made me end up here, but it also made me think. I know you, Tony, and I know your mannerisms, not that your mannerisms are bad, but I know you don't like to be tied down to anything. I'm not going to force you to help me take care of the baby, especially not when we don't even know if it's yours. But, all that put aside, I still want you to have some say in naming her."

Tony looked at Nicole for a few long seconds, "Who says I don't want to help you, regardless if the baby is mine or not?"

Nicole shrugged, "I just don't want you to feel like you're obligated to, Tony."

"I kinda am, considering I love you, Nikki," Tony grinned.

Tony could swear he saw the hint of a smile flash across Nicole's face as she looked at him.

"I was thinking of naming her Natalie," She said at last.

"Natalie Stark," Tony hummed. "Wait a second, all things considered, why are you naming her 'Stark?'"

Nicole finally smiled, "Because I still love the one who may or may not be her father."

The weeks went by rather quickly after that point. Both Nicole and baby Natalie were released from the hospital, and Nicole finally went to get professional help. She saw a psychiatrist for a few weeks and made rapid progress. Tony couldn't be happier for her. While Nicole wasn't busy taking care of Natalie, she returned to work at what was now Lion-Stark Industries and Laboratories as Tony had made a deal with her about the vast company's ownership. Nicole had also unofficially moved into Tony's house as she spent so much time there with Natalie.

"Nikki!"

Nicole groaned as she opened her eyes a slit. The digital clock read 6:45. God, she'd only slept for 45 minutes. God HELP the person that had just woken her up. Baby Natalie was the cutest baby in the world, and normally she slept pretty well, but that night she'd been a little sick, and Nicole, like all new mothers, had been worried and didn't even think of sleeping until Tony had finally woken up a little over an hour before.

"Leave me alone," Nicole mumbled sleepily, pulling a pillow up over her head.

"Nicole!!"

Nicole growled as Tony appeared in the doorway, a grin on his face. The grin only seemed to irritate Nicole further. Oh, she was not a good person to be around when she was sleep deprived

"Should I kill you now, or later?" Nicole inquired angrily.

"Nicole, the e-mail came."

Nicole sat bolt upright, "What! When did it come?"

"Must've been last night," Tony responded. "It wasn't there when I left work..."

Nicole bolted past Tony and ran straight down the staircase. She ran down to his workshop, jumping the last few steps and finally landing on the cold concrete floor. Tony entered the workshop after her, just as she was settling in front of one of the computer screens.

"Come on!" Nicole urged him.

Chill, Nikki," Tony drawled.

"Oh, how can you be so relaxed?!" Nicole demanded. "This could change everything!"

"This will change nothing," Tony yawned. "I told you already, I don't even give a fuck if..."

The end of Tony's sentence never left him as Nicole kissed him. She'd stood up so quickly that he didn't even realize what was happening until a few seconds after she was already kissing him. It took him a few moments to react; Nicole had been getting better and better at being the woman she was before she was raped, but she hadn't really kissed him like that in months...

Tony's hand found the small of her back and he pulled her closer. When they broke apart, Nicole's hand was on his chest, right beside his reactor, she looked up at him, sighing slightly as she did.

"Let's get this overwith."

Tony nodded and sat down in front of the computer screen.

"Jarvis, e-mail," Tony said.

Tony's Stark Industries inbox popped up on the screen. Right there, at the top of the list, was the e-mail both Tony and Nicole had been waiting for. Nicole put her head on Tony's shoulder as he opened the message.

"Dear Ms. Lion and Mr. Stark," Tony began reading. For once, Nicole didn't mind, she was too damned tired... "We regret to inform you that due to recent backlogging of our system and a server crash, we have lost some of the data required to complete your paternity test..."

Tony's voice trailed off and Nicole's eyes blazed, "This is bullshit!"

She stood up and stormed off back up the stairs. She had reached the second floor by the time Tony reached her.

"A month!" Nicole snarled, whirling around to face him so suddenly that he nearly fell down the stairs. "A fucking month we've been waiting for this fucking test to come through! It's like the entire universe doesn't even want us to know the truth!"

Tony could see the distress already piling up behind Nicole's eyes. But before he could say anything, Natalie began crying.

"Figures," Nicole sighed as she stormed off to the nursery to comfort the crying baby. She entered the nursery and hoisted the two month old baby out of her crib, trying to sooth her. Something still felt off with the baby though, Nicole could sense it as she held her.

"Tony?" Nicole called, unsure whether Tony had gone back downstairs or not. Instantly sorry that she had snapped at him, she walked a few paces to the door, but Tony appeared before she could walk through it. He took one look at Nicole's pained expression and took Natalie from her.

"She's burning up," Tony said, holding the infant close to him.

"I know," Nicole said. She was so fucking tired that she was almost falling over herself to try and stay awake...

"Go to sleep," Tony said.

"And leave you alone with her?" Nicole inquired. "Tony, she's so cranky--"

"So are you since you haven't slept yet," Tony commented. "I'll be fine with her."

"You're the best," Nicole said, kissing Tony on the cheek. She returned to Tony's bedroom where she had been sleeping and fell asleep nearly the second she hit the mattress. She had no idea how long she slept for as the room around her was dark when she woke up. She really didn't know what had woken her up. She lifted her head to hear her neck crack pleasently and heard what had woken her up again. Humming. Someone was humming softly. She looked around to see Tony sitting in a corner of the room on a rocking chair. In his arms was Natalie. She was sleeping softly as well. Nicole propped her head up in her palm and watched for a few moments.

Tony looked around suddenly, as if the absence of Nicole's even breathing startled him. When he saw her awake, he smiled.

So what if he is or isn't Natalie's father? Nicole wondered silently. He loves her, I can tell from the look in his eyes. He's going to be her hero, I know that for sure. Hell, he's already mine.

END!