A CAR NAMED ARLEEN

For the umpteenth time that evening, Pepper sighed hard as she tried to direct her attention to the comments of one of the chief engineers of Stark Industries. This afternoon in particular the scientific chatting was being unbearable. That R & D meeting was beginning to feel eternal. And more even now, watching trough the huge window as it was slowly becoming dark night. She couldn't help thinking that it was Tony who should be here and not her. He was head of R & D Engineering after all. He maintained himself busy at the Stark Innovations Division, creating utilities and messing with his interns now that he no longer got inside a suit of armor to save the world.

But she had to remind herself that was only when he had free time, on school hours mostly, because since their daughter was born he was the stay at home parent as they agreed to. She thought about how sometimes she felt like a thousand storms raged inside of her stomach at the mere thought that Tony had been the one to see Maria grow up day by day and not her. The books called it the Bad Mother Syndrome. What an accurate name, Pepper thought the first time that regret of not being by her daughter's side when she needed her, had eaten her from the inside out. But she loved her profession too much and she was good as hell at doing it too. They both knew she was the best CEO Stark Industries had had in all it's history. And both were proud of their marriage and the good balance they had achieved raising their ten year old daughter together. So there was light in the shadows too. Her life wasn't perfect, but nobody's is.

Towards 6 p.m. she had already received a message on her Stark Phone where Tony was letting her know that he had already picked up Maria from school and were both at home, waiting for her arrival. She felt a single pang of jealousy course trough her as she imagined father and daughter in the workshop playing with some invention, repairing something, Tony enjoying Maria's contagious laugh… And then she was stuck here wearing herself out and carrying all the weight of the company on her shoulders. She comforted herself, thinking that at least Stark Industries was all theirs now. In equal parts. 50% main shareholder's pack shared between Tony and herself.

"And Mrs. Stark, what do you think of this projection's costs?" The ingeneer next to her asked timidly.

Pepper raised her head slightly distracted, she had been Mrs. Stark for twelve years now and she kind of still felt a rush of adrenaline course trough her body when she heard it. At first she tried to make them understand she was still Mrs. Potts as she kept her maiden name when she married Tony. But the employees, the media and the rest of the world preferred Mrs. Stark. It stuck in everyone's mind and that was the name she was referred as nowadays. Same as when her husband nicknamed her "Pepper" so long ago, she had grown to love the sound of it. She was even proud now of being Mrs. Stark, because Tony had grown into such a great husband and father through the years. She truly didn't mind.

"It won't be a problem, I think we can go ahead with the prototype" She smiled with obvious fatigue in their direction.

The engineers got lost again in their conversation about circuits, costs and utilities. Pam, her personal assistant looked at her quizzically over some papers. She seemed to want to say *What is happening to you today? You never seem to be so clueless.* It was because during the meal they had earlier, when they chatted and caught up with their lives and all the new details of Stark Industries they also talked about the holidays. Pepper found herself thinking again that they shouldn't have returned from Hawaii. She was lost in her memories again, which was too improper for her. She missed the sunrises on the beach and the sunsets too. They were one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen in her lifetime. Pepper remembered vividly how they spent their afternoons, slowly, semi-rearing on a white lounger on the terrace of their beach house resting his head on Tony's shoulder enjoying the sight of the sun disappearing across the horizon, with all the time in the world for the two of them… It had been such a great family vacation. Those times when Maria came running from the sea shore with a sea shell in her hand to show her... Baths on the beach with her daughter, Tony and Maria building sand castles... She bit her lower lip remembering them and sighed again. Those fifteen days as a family had been a real wonder and it was taking all her willpower to get back to work 100%. She smiled at the thought that even the most efficient CEO Pepper Potts was able to get used to the good life. Her husband was right, damn. She looked slyly at her wristwatch so as not to give the feeling of showing disinterest to her employees. She could see that it was already 8:00 pm and she hoped with all her might that the meeting would not be extended any longer. She was exhausted and wanted to go home.

30 minutes later Maria Elizabeth Stark rushed into the workshop like an exhalation, without even taking off her private school uniform. She had a bag of a hardware shop in her hands. Once she put the palm of her hand on the holographic lector, the blasting rock music stopped.

"I'm home!" She shouted to reveal herself.

"Have you brought it?" The voice of her Dad reverberated trough the workshop.

"Of course Daddy! Here they are, the last pieces we need" She retorted smartly.

Tony raised his head suddenly, completely forgetting where was he working and slammed the top of his head hard into the chassis of his 1932's Ford Flathead Roadster.

"Ugh, Goddamit! Shit! OUCH! That hurt!"

"Language, Dad! Uncle Steve is going to hear you even from Washington D.C. Hahahahaha" Her daughter laughed pointing at him. Then she felt a little concerned about his wellbeing. "Are you okay?"

He rubbed his aching head with one hand and shouted some more curses into the air. Once he was satisfied, he threw away the wrench he had been holding in his other hand. The object landed in the floor with a loud clang.

"Yeah, I just hitted my head hard back there…" Then he smelled it. "Okay, Peanut what is that sweet smell?" Tony asked turning back to look at his ten year old daughter. He was in his MIT old gray sweatshirt and a pair of old comfortable dark blue jeans.

Maria munched into her chocolate doghnut hungrily. Ignoring him. Tony was directly looking at her now, astonished, getting up and starting to walk towards her.

"Well, can you stop eating doghnuts and give that to me?" He pointed at the plastic bag.

She stopped chewing and looked intlently into his eyes as he had just approached her, standing next to the work bench.

"Daddy, are you sure you are okay? I can patch you up I've learned how to do it seeing Mom taking care of you trough the years..."

Tony rolled his eyes, feeling warm inside at the same time. Leave it to Pepper Potts's own daughter to worry and care for him so much.

"I'm okay little munchkin. Trust me…" He calmed her. "Come on, Maria… Give me the bag okay? I sent you outside at this ungodly hour for this. Hand me the spark plug"

"Yeah… Okay Okay… Here it is. The misterious bag…" She said mischievously, handling it to him finally. He left it over the work bench with a carefree actitude.

Tony looked at his daughter intently. Such trademark Stark behaviour. Red hair dishveled, not a trace of the braid Pepper styled her that morning so carefully before leaving for school, bright shiny brown eyes, and very dirty school uniform. Too dirty. Damn. The engineer smiled to himself.

"Pffffff Baby, Mom is going to kill us when she comes back home and sees your uniform all covered in engine grease and… It's that melted chocolate over there?" He aimed his finger over her chest.

Maria looked down into her white shirt, suddenly worried.

"Yeah, I think so… It must be from the doghnut…" She sheepishly mumbled back, caught in fault.

Tony rolled his eyes hard. Then stared at her questioningly.

"You just had to stop at the backery uh?"

"I was hungry!" His daughter cried out. "Unlike Mom, who brings me juice and a toast you always forget my afternoon snack. The Baker is so nice, by the way. I bought one for you too. Cream and color sprinkles…" She said handing him another little paper bag she had been hidding behind her back. "So you can't say your little ten year old daughter doesn't love you."

Tony smiled warmly to his little peanut. And got this second bag from her. Tossing it aside with the other one.

"I love you my Little Bean." And he meant it oh so much. The gesture of her buying his favourite doghnut for him had warmed his heart even more. "But you are getting a little fat. I'll tell Peter to stop bringing you those churros when he babysits you…"

Her face fell.

"But I love churros… Dad you can't do this to me. I'm still growing up!" She protested.

"It's that so?" Her father teased her, then grinned and winked. He was messing with her again. He loved to work her up like that, it was hard to know when he was being serious or not. "You look perfect, my Iron Girl, beautiful even…"

Maria smiled broadley at him, then.

"Stop it Daddy. I love you too, even if you don't deserve it sometimes…" Then she looked back at him, still a little concerned. "I'm so dirty?" She asked genuinely oblivious…

"Uh…" Her Dad started… "Well…"He stammered and fidgeted with his hands up and down.

"Oh okaaay Dad. We'll deal with Mom later, but we need to end this work tonight. The car is almost done." She started jumping up and down. "You said earlier it only lacks the last piece and if I brought it we would even see her in motion tonight... Please?" She pleaded giving him the Stark trademark puppy dog eyes. "We've been working in Arleen for years now! I can't wait!"

Tony laughed, taken aback about such enthusiasm.

"I can't get used to you calling the Ford Flathead Roadster Arleen" He complained for the upteenth time.

Maria sent an angry look his way.

"When I started helping you with her, you promised me I could name her as I pleased!"

"Okay okay… Have to remind you I was working on her, if it's a her, years before you were even born? Even with your Grandpa." His father touched the tip of her nose leaving a dark grease stain there too. "So a little patience here Miss Stark. This is a work of generations of Stark engineers." He'd been stalling the moment on purpose, beause that car linked him to the past somehow.

The redheaded girl huffed and started patting the floor with her right foot.

"You always mention that little, innecessary detail. Precisely, you have waited for so long and tonight we'll finally get her to work. We literally did it together. You and I."

She beamed at him in expectation and suddenly Tony gathered all the courage he needed to finally put the final piece of work on his father's car. It had been the work of a lifetime, he felt close to his family when he was working on it. And now it felt like the end of an era. But the future looked so bright. He was amazed by the fact that he didn't care about the past anymore, as he had all his future with Maria and Pepper to look forward to. Waiting for him.

"Hold this for me, one second" Her Dad said tossing her way a big screwdriver. "And now I'm going to connect that plug. Fingers crossed, Peanut" He said theatrically.

Maria handed him the piece he wanted, taking it from inside the plastic bag.

"Here we go. Wish me luck!" He smiled broadley at her.

"Good luck!" Maria exclaimed crossing her fingers. Tony walked away from her and soon dissappeared again under the car. He toyed with the engine some more time which Maria used to completely eat the chocolate covered doghnut. She thought it was delicious.

And then, after some more minutes passed by, Dad was back, resting beside her against the work bench, grabbing his own doghnut and then chewing graciously the bitten piece as he cleaned the grease in his hands with a dirty rag cloth.

"It's done." He smiled at Maria eaguerly.

"Really?" She asked. Eyes big in anticipation.

"Yeah. If my math is correct. And it always is…"

"Not always!" Maria suddenly interrupted. "Don't you remember how you met Mom? She bursted in your office with all that wrong projection of numbers and…"

"That was ONE time!" He protested. "Do you want to hear her roar or not?" Tony asked, briskly.

"Oh my God, yes Daddy, yes of course! This is the best day ever!" She exclaimed clapping with her little hands and beaming at his father.

Tony looked at her amused.

"Yeah, then come on let's start her." He said starting to walk towards the convertible car.

"Yes!" Maria jumped from her chair following him.

"Come here, Baby" He said taking her into his arms and suddenly letting her inside the driver's seat on the car. He kissed her in the forehead tenderly.

"So on fire!" The little one clapped happily over the steering wheel. And then started to make see as she was driving Arleen under the sun.

"Okay, then Little Bean. Lit her up." Tony said tossing the keys in the starter.

Once they were in place, Maria turned the keys on and suddenly the car got alive with a thundering roar of the motor engine. It was celestial music to both their ears. Two pairs of big warm brown eyes looked into each other amused. They've done it. Arleen was functional. After all those years. After surviving being tossed into the Pacific ocean under tons of concrete. She was running as good as new. Tony was in the verge of tears, if only Mom and Dad could see this. Could see Maria's light up face right now… Their only grandchild. Howard would have been so proud and his mother would have loved her little grandaughter so much. He felt a lump forming in his throat for a brief moment, lost in his inner turmoil. Then he came back to reality, to the family he had here and now.

"Friday take a picture of us, please? And keep the surveillance video footage. I want to show it to Pepper as soon as she comes home."

"Of course, Boss" The AI quickly said.

Tony hugged his daughter tightly against his chest trought the metal door of the beautiful convertible as she screamed in pure joy.

"We did it Daddy! We did it! Arleen is alive again! We brought her back to life!" Maria raised her hand and crashed it into his father's one in a victory gesture.

Dum-E, and U whirled near both of them approaching the car curiously and started making happy metallic noises as if they were greeting the new member in the workshop. Tony smiled brightly looking around to all his children, metallic ones included.

"Yeah, my Princess we did it." He finally said ruffling her hair sweetly.

He then opened the car's door and lifted Maria, sitting himself in the driver seat and pulling her over his lap, her little hands never leaving the steering wheel. Brown big eyes shining with joy.

A few minutes later, Friday's voice made Tony jump slightly of his slumber inside the car. The soft rattle of the Classic Ford motor surely must have lullied him to sleep in the driver's seat, and he'd dozed off. He look down and saw that Maria was sleeping all over him too.

"Boss" Friday repeated "Mrs. Stark just arrived home"

Tony smiled widely at the ceiling. "Mrs. Stark" for as long as had passed, he was still mesmerized by the sound of that. It had such a nice ring to it, he thought amused.

"Thank You" He answered looking down to see the now deeply asleep figure of his little girl "Tell her we are here, on the workshop"

"Right Boss, as you wish." Friday answered and then she continued some seconds later. "She's on her way"

In an incredibly fast amount of time and at an even faster rate of movement, Pepper was entering her fingertips on the crystal door and hurried into the workshop, having left his heels and suit jacket somewhere upstairs. Tony probably deduced that on the bedroom, as she used to.

"Hey..." The redheaded smiled looking into the sweet vision that Maria presented, with her happy little face deeply asleep over her father's lap. Both inside the black Ford.

Trying not to wake her daughter up, she approached them slowly, leaning her body against the old convertible's plate, while Tony inclined his head slightly to kiss her gently on the lips. They separated too soon for his taste. Pepper circled the car and sat next to them in the passenger seat.

"How was the meeting?" Tony asked with genuine interest. Pepper snorted, pulling her red bangs of hair away from her eyes and sighed hard. Then caressed Tony's chin sweetly making him pay attention to her.

"Do you know that R & D meetings usually go much better if the Chief Engineer is present in them?"

Tony raised both eyebrows in surprise, faking innocence.

"Was it R & D now?"

Pepper thought resignedly that she might have let the subject go if only he had removed that little satisfied smile from his face. That coupled with the fact that she had reminded him of the meeting last night. She was used to him trying to not show up on meetings, had been this way since she started working for him so long ago, it wasn't new. But since Maria came into their lives, Tony made no effort to pretend anymore. He just wanted to spend all the time left by the affairs of the Young Avengers and SHIELD with her. "I don't want my only daughter to grow up between strange and selfish people," He said. "She needs the love of her parents to be emotionally stable" And Pepper knew far so well what he was talking about: his own experience growing up as an only child in a busy powerful family. They both wanted the best for their little girl.

So Tony used to pick her up from school and take her to spend much of the day in the house with him, or together in the park. Especially the evenings he had left free. If someone had told her twenty years ago that Tony would one day be as emotionally attached to someone as he was to his daughter, Virginia would have laughed non-stop for hours, wondering if such a person was in their right mind. She was afraid to think about what her husband would do when Maria went to college. Letting her go was going to be as hard as Tony would ever have to do in his life.

"Well, anyway, on Monday when you get to the office…" She said resuming the conversation and emphasizing her last words. "You can give your approval to the final design and your name will appear in a new renewable energy generator. And I warn you that the prototypes..."

"It's also your name now." Tony cut her off with intent.

"Won't be cheap." Pepper finished the sentence by deliberately ignoring his last comment.

Then the redhead's eyes fell on the Ford Flathead Roadster and the half-closed toolbox in the center of the shop.

"Please don't tell me that this thing so urgent you had to do today was to work in your father's old car..." She fixed her gaze quietly and then noticed. "But something's different in it… It works now?" She asked amazed. "It's… It's running steady… Oh my God!"

"Yeah. We did it. Maria and I we made her work." Tony clarified smiling at her. "What do you think if tomorrow we take her for a run in the sun? Maybe go to the beach and later a good family lunch? It's Saturday, let's enjoy ourselves!"

Pepper smiled happily. "It's a very good idea." Then kissed him in the lips softly.

Later, they parted and Pepper looked at his two loves again and sighed hard.

"Today's been so long. First week of work after our great family vacation. I missed being with you and Maria all day playing in the beach and sunbathing…"

"Ah, that's what happens when you try the good life, my beloved wife. You should definitely get used to it... We should delegate much more... I already told you that we should stay all year in the Hawaian beach house..." He smiled mischievously at her.

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah? Mmmm but if we want Stark Industries to continue reporting us benefits, which among other things, we need to be able to continue financing the Young Avengers intiative, we can forget about it. By the way, what happened? Why is Maria's uniform so dirty?" She pointed to the big chocolate stain in her white blouse. "Was she eating doghnuts again?" She asked while gently pulling away the red strands of hair from her little girl's forehead, looking at her with infinite tenderness. "How has she been?"

"Good, we had the best of times together. She was so happy when the car started running. You need to see her face. I have it stored and ready to play for you." He stared at the ceiling and gave an order. "Friday, play the videos and photos for Pepper in the TV screen."

"Of course, Boss." Came the AI's quick reply.

The big screen became alive with images of Maria and himself working in the car, eating their doghnuts and having quality father-daughter time.

Pepper marveled at the video in the exact moment Maria fired it up and the engine started running. It was a wonderful vision of happines and love between father and daughter indeed.

"Oh this is amazing Tony. She did so well at helping you with this personal project. It has made you both come closer."

"She helped me so much and even went to the shop for the missing piece we had left."

The video feed stopped instantly once the last one had ended. Pepper, shaking her head, looked at the pair of geniuses beside her. And focusing her attention on the older of the two asked:

"Are you okay? You seem tired. Being the stay at home father is a very hard job."

"I'm exhausted Pep. But I wouldn't change it for anything."

Pepper felt a warm churn in her chest. And then caressed his cheeck with love, the small facial hair of his goatee tingling softly in her fingers.

"Who would have known twenty years ago uh? Tony Stark, the stay at home and proud husband and dad?" She teased him.

Tony nodded. "The only thing I can say in my defense is that I adore her. Just as I adore her mother. I do it more than happily, Pep."

Pepper caressed his hair tenderly and then kissed him in the lips. With the sudden movement Maria woke up. She scrunched her face sleepily with both tiny hands.

"It Works!" Was the first thing she screamed reaching for Tony.

Their parents broke the kiss inmediately hearing her scream.

"Yeah. We did it, Little Bean." Tony proudly said.

Then she turned in his father's lap to say something and saw Pepper sitting inside the car, there with them.

"Mommy! You are already here!" She raised her arms reaching for her.

"Yes Baby, and it's time for you to take a bath before dinner." Pepper said smiling at her. Then kissed Maria in the head.

"Oh Mum, now really? I'm starving!"

"Really, you are soaked in dirt." Pepper retorted. "And in chocolate!"

"But…"

"No buts Miss. Come on, Maria go with Mum and tell her how you helped me this evening. She wants you to tell her everything. Every single little detail." Tony added.

The little one beamed at this.

"Yeah! Come on Mom. Let's go upstairs and I'll tell you. Arleene is alive now! We made her work…" She started.

"Yeah I saw a video." Pepper said beaming at her daughter. She tried to comb a lost strand of reddish hair behind her ear and smiled.

"Oh cool." Maria was so happy. "I've missed you all the evenings Mom. I'm glad it's Friday at last…" All her longing was reflected in her eyes.

"I've missed you too, Baby" She nearly chocked with emotion looking into those beautiful brown eyes, same shape as Tony's.

Pepper moved outside the black car and got Maria out of it then hand in hand they both started walking towards the exit, talking about her day at work and the little one's progress at school. Tony saw them both climb up the stairs in the workshop and then stopped the car, got the keys inside the pocket of his jeans and followed the two loves of his life upstairs.

"Honey, I'll make dinner. So you can take a shower too and relax" He said as Pepper stopped in his tracks and turned to face him again.

"Perfect Tony. That's great." Her wife beamed at him.

"Make some spinachs with cheese" Maria suggested.

"Yes, we need to eat more vegetables" Pepper said.

"Okay… I think I bought cheese this morning" The engineer added.

Pepper and Tony kissed briefly on the lips.

"Ugh… Again with the kissy kissy?" Maria asked making a face. "You're always kissing in front of me, it's so gross" She said dissappearing into her room. "I'm gonna pick my pajamas, bye!" She shouted from there.

"Someone is jealous!" Tony teased their daughter playfully. "Come here Maria, we'll give you a kiss too…"

The little girl's head peeked out the door of her room. She made a doubtful face, wondering if her Dad was being serious or not. Then went back in a hurry to the corridor and stood in the middle of both her parents. Pepper and Tony knelt down at the same time and gave Maria one kiss on every flushed cheek each.

All the family laughed hard.

"Where were we before being so rudely interrupted by our little offspring, uh?" Tony teased his wife once Maria disappeared again inside her own room.

"Come here, husband. I've missed you so much" Pepper retorted driving him to her by the hem of his worn sweatshirt and teasing his lower lip playfully, then kissing him intensely. Her tongue invading his mouth fiercely.

*Me too* He thought losing himself into the passionate kiss. Deepening it and melting his body with hers.

Once Pepper was having her well deserved shower, Tony was cooking dinner while Maria, now dressed in her Spider-Man pajamas, laid the table with care and as her father supervised her lovingly, a single thought crossed his mind: going trough all those rough years, then having their family, raising a new person in this changing world meanwhile trying to keep each other happy when they could, and calm each other's pain when they couldn't, hadn't been easy in the long run, but it had been absolutely worth it. Tony would do it all over again. Maria was her unique, awesome person and someday, he was sure, she would change the world in unimaginable ways and they both, Pepper and himself, would be so proud of their Little Bean.

Yeah, the future looked great.

It's finally done. Okay when you create a Stark-Potts kid you usually get trapped in the "genious kid" personality. I wanted Maria to feel real. She's smart for her age, yes. But not too clever either. She's ten years old! Now she has her mother's hair but she likes to get it styled on a braid which she feels more comfortable. She has Tony's eyes, which are brown and more common, unluckily she didn't inherit Pepper's blue ones. And she loves to eat. So yes, she's a little chubby. Not ill fat, but she's not thin as her mum either. She's a healthy chubby girl. I mean she's a normal girl, she's beautiful and smart but she's still growing up. And I wanted to reflect that she loves to eat as much as she loves engineering.

Well, I think this is the end. It's been great fun writting about Maria and Pepperony parenting her the best they can. I don't have more ideas right now to keep following this story. I'm not shutting the door forever either. If someday I get inspiration I may as well keep writting. Until then, this is the end. Thanks for reading!

(I'm working in a completely different Pepperony related thing I will publish soon if everything goes as intended, so keep posted on) ^^