"Do you like Tony?"

Pepper looked up from her Blackberry at Anna. They were in the ladies' bathroom in the downstairs lobby. The little girl was supposed to be washing her hands, but was mostly blowing bubbles from her soapy hands.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

Anna sighed as if she were being very put upon as she rinsed the soap off.

"I hate repeatin' myself," she grumbled under her breath as she pulled a paper towel out of the dispenser.

"Do you like Tony?" she asked again slowly.

"As what?"

"A boyfriend."

Pepper gaped for a moment before she answered.

"Do you even know what a boyfriend is?"

"You hold his hand and kiss him and he buys you flowers and y'all go out together. I like daisies. I know how to make a daisy chain. Would you please stop avoidin' the question?"

Pepper lowered her phone and put one hand on her hip.

"Did Tony put you up to this?"

"No, he didn't," she sighed. "I guess since you're gettin' so upset, you don't like him then," she averted her eyes and shrugged.

"Oh, well," she walked past Pepper to the door, paused and said over her shoulder. "'Cuz he really, really likes you."

And walked out, giving Pepper no time to respond.

"Wait, what?" Pepper asked the empty room before she followed Anna out.

"So she's Logan's kid?" Rhodey confirmed.

"Yep," Tony spun the keys to his car around his finger. Getting it back hadn't been much trouble at all since most of the police knew every one of Tony Stark's cars intimately. A few of them could say from personal experience that the Corvette started to pull a little to the left when it reached one-twenty. He'd been pulled over so much that he knew several cops by name and well enough to ask how the kids were.

"He's that short, scary, hairy dude, right? The one who used to come see your dad?"

"Yep. He looks exactly the same."

"And you're watching his kid?"

"Why do you say it like that? Like that's such a shocking, terrible thing?"

"Because you haven't had her twenty-four hours and you already lost her."

Tony didn't respond to that. He sniffed and turned his head away. Rhodey sighed and rolled his eyes. Pepper came out through the doors alone.

"Where's the kid? What's going on? Did she sell the company?" Tony asked.

Pepper sent an apprehensive glance over her shoulder then looked between Rhodey and Tony.

"She thinks you're still mad at her."

"But I told her I'm not."

"She doesn't believe you. She thinks you don't like her."

"I never said that."

"I asked her that and she said you never answered her other question but that doesn't mean it's not true. What question?"

Tony paused a moment, going over in his head what Anna could be referring to.

"Oh…Yeah, I 'm going to talk to her," he said nodding his head as walked past Pepper, "Be back soon."

As soon as he got through the door, he immediately spotted Anna sitting on the floor in front of a leather couch in the lobby and messing with the marble things that the décor people had put in the crystal vase on the table. He walked to the couch and sat down next to her. She didn't even glance at him.

This isn't awkward at all.

He sat on the couch and watched the people coming and going for a while and Anna continued taking the marbles out and lining them up by color.

"So why do you think I don't like you?"

This was a very comfortable couch. He needed to get this to his house and replace the other one. He could probably just switch them.

"It's 'cause ya don't. I was bad and Daddy says if ya bad then people won't like you. One time, I asked him. He says a lot of people don't like him and that's why we have to move a lot. But I don't think he's bad."

Tony leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. They weren't really marbles. They looked to be more flat on the bottom and top and rounded on the sides. What was the point of those things?

"Huh. Listen, I don't not like you. I just think that we got off on the wrong foot."

Anna looked up at him for the first time, her finger moving one of the not-marbles around in a little circle.

"What do you say we try this again? Try to be nice to each other."

"I'm always nice," he heard her mutter.

Anna stared at him as if she was really thinking very hard about it. Then she shrugged.

"Okay."

"Cool. Hello, I'm Tony, and I'll be your, uh,"

Don't you say 'baby-sitter', Tony. Don't you dare!

"Host this week!"

He stood up and bowed slightly at the waist and spread his arms towards the door.

"If you'll be so kind as to come with me, then it would be my honor to escort you to brunch."

Anna giggled at him.

"You're really weird."

"Thank you," he flashed her a smile.

When they came out, Pepper had disappeared, but Rhodey was still waiting for them.

"Where's Pepper?" Tony asked.

"She said that she had to get to a meeting," Rhodey shrugged.

"Who are you?" Anna asked.

"Oh, that's just Rhodey. What meeting?"

"I don't know, man. It's your company. Shouldn't you know that? And what do you mean 'just Rhodey'?"

A frown formed on Tony's face and he crossed his arms.

"Ya don't have to pout about it," Anna told him. "She probably went out on a date with someone else 'cause he wasn't afraid to tell her he liked her."

"I officially like this girl," Rhodey chuckled.

"Okay, you know what. I am not pouting. And she did not go on a date. It probably is just a meeting and I am not afraid to tell her I like her."

"Then why don't you do it if you're not a big scaredy-cat?"

"I will! When I'm ready and shut up, Rhodey!"

Technically, Rhodey hadn't said anything; he had his hand covering his mouth and his shoulders shook as he watched the two. It didn't surprise him that Tony would get into an argument with a child; he just never realized it'd be this funny.

"He's not sayin' nothin'," Anna pointed out.

"He's thinking it though," Tony told her, sending his friend a dangerous glare. "Just for that, you can't have brunch with us."

"But I want him to come."

"What? Why?" Tony looked back at her confused.

"'Cause I don't wanna have to talk to you the whole time," she informed him and walked away to wait by the car.

"What happened to trying to be nice?" Tony called after her.

"I am!" she yelled over her shoulder.

"Little smart-mouth, midget lady! I swear that kid's got a mean, old lady inside her or something," Tony declared as he stared after the kid.

"M-hm. You drove a Corvette, right?"

"Yeah. Two seats."

"Where are we eating?"

"Well, free-loader, she wants Chinese food so Wasabi would be it."

"Meet you there then."

"Fine," Tony sighed as he walked off after Anna.

For some reason, he felt like someone somewhere was laughing at him.

A/N: This has been on my jump drive for MONTHS. The beginning has anyway. There were two different ways it could have gone so I just left it alone for a while.

Kids are very smart, really. They learn pretty fast. Especially from TV and life. When Anna gets called on something by her dad, she tries to avoid doing it herself, but then also notices when other people do it. Ha, my cousin (no relation) is actually this girl I use to babysit beginning when she was six months. She's seven now. One time, she said that my sister was her 'Titi', I'm her cousin, and my brother is her brother. How does she figure that? That's what she told herself. Love that kid.

After this one, I'm going to break from the poll again and write up Lord Shade a.k.a the God-father's ,ahem, 'request'. What can I say? He made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Well, I could have refused. If I wanted to end up in the river with a new pair of cement shoes….y'know, mobsters are scarier than gangsters. And more creative. Lord Shade, you should know that I now picture you as an Italian mobster wearing Armani suits and a fedora and a BIG pinky ring.