The Unknown Variable

(Beta'd as of 1/25/14)

I haven't owned it before, why would I own it now?

"Daddy?" I said softly, breaking the silence that had reined since Pepper had left.

"Hm?" He responded quietly, focused on repairing the suit.

"What did she mean…?" I hesitated, wondering if I should ask before I continued. "When she mentioned Mom?"

I glanced up at my father as he sighed, and put down his tools.

Tony motioned for me to sit, so I hopped onto his desk, as he flopped down into his chair.

Dad was silent for a while, as he was lost in thought. He brought his hand to his head and rubbed his temples.

I knew that this was hard for him, and guilt clenched my stomach. Perhaps I shouldn't have asked.

Just as I was about to tell him to forget about it, he opened his mouth, but didn't met my eyes.

"It was three years after your mother left that I met Pepper," Tony started, and I gave him my full attention. He deserved that much.

"I was a mess," he laughed harshly, before saying, "No, I was a complete disaster. I was drinking, even though I had sworn to your mother never to touch the bottle, and was out clubbing all night.

"It was different back then than it is now, back then, I could go out and be unrecognized if I wanted to be. And I had no attention of being myself."

He took a deep breath, and slowly continued, I could hear the pain in his voice. "I was slowly killing myself, and I didn't care. I blamed myself for Evanna leaving, and my father's death. I didn't care about anything. Not the company, not the world, not Rhodey, not even myself.

"I met Pepper at some pub in LA. She had just been fired, and was a mess. Somehow, I'm not sure how as I was beyond wasted, I ended up telling her everything. She helped me get back on my feet, I took over the company, and I started trying to distract myself."

He sighed, and continued, "I didn't mean to become a playboy. Your mother always hated them, but it was the little things that stood out… and I couldn't help myself. All of them, every single one, had something in common with your mother. The same color eyes, similar hair, the smile, the laugh, it was always something. When I was with them… I could pretend it was your mother."

My eyes widened, he really had loved her… I was touched and shocked. She really had broken his heart…it was all bloody Howard's fault.

"Pepper found out what I was doing pretty quickly, but after one particularly large blow up…didn't say anything.

"I eventually hired her, and she became my friend who I saw as often as possible, to my assistant who I saw every day.

"It took years…many, many years before the pain started to fade… it didn't go away… I doubt it ever will. But I was able to push it to the back of my mind. I drowned myself in work… it was the only thing I knew how to do."

Dad's voice broke, and I could tell he was holding back sobs; I slid off the desk and into his arms.

"Pepper…she saved me." He stated, wrapping his arms around me. "I was practically suicidal when I met her. I don't know what would have happened without her."

A sad smile appeared on my face, while I had some issues with Pepper, they were personal. I had acknowledged long ago how important she was to my dad.

"But you," Tony stated, lifting my chin so I could look into his eyes. "You came into my life, and oh, how you remind me of your mother. You two are so much alike I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. When I was around you… the pain would fade, it would fade more than it ever had before. I could be happy truly happy for the first time in years.

"Then," Tony said, as tears fell down my face, "then I discovered that you were mine. You were the best thing that I could ever ask for. A perfect mixture of Evanna and myself, everything I could ask for in a daughter."

Tony wiped away my tears with his thumb as he said, "Pepper may have saved me, but you, you are my angel. My special little angel."

I buried my face into his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. Unaware of the disasters to come.

I stayed in Tony's arms until my Tablet started buzzing. That broke our comfortable silence and I stood up wiping tears off of my face.

"I should check that…" I said, clearing my throat.

"You do that." Tony said awkwardly, as he set back to work on the Mark Three.

I opened the Tablet quickly to see the screen flashing red, and an instant message on the page.

The color drained from my face as I recognized the email. I had created it for a friend in case of an emergency. If he was using it after all this time, it couldn't be good.

We need to talk. Important. You know where I am. I am waiting.

"Shit," I cursed, and threw my tablet down onto Tony's desk.

"Dad, I got to go." I said, walking quickly to my room.

"What? Why?" he asked looking up at me in concern, when I didn't answer he said, "Is everything ok?"

"I sure hope so." I replied trying to give him a reassuring smile but failing miserably. I opened the door and ran into my room.

Tony walked around his desk his eyebrows knitted together.

Following me into my room he said, "Where are you going?"

"To check up on an old friend." I replied, and before Tony could say another word, I touched the rod, and was gone.

I flashed down, invisible, into an empty street.

After eyeing my surroundings I looked down at my outfit; I was wearing a white tank top, and a blue button up with a jean miniskirt. The outfit wasn't practical in case anything happened, but I knew that I didn't have time to change.

"Is everything alright, Miss Penny? Your father is requesting to know what is going on." Jarvis stated from my wrist, as I unhooked the bracelet. I couldn't get Tony involved. "Miss Penny, your father will not approve…" He said, as I stepped on the bracelet and walked away.

'He can't approve of everything I do.' I thought to myself.

I dropped my invisibility as I opened the door to the apartment. I had never been here before, but it was close enough to my mother's that I knew where it was.

I walked as silently as I could, wishing that I had at least put on my boots instead of flip-flops.

The apartment was dusty, and dark. All of the lights were off, causing my senses be on high alert.

I sent out an EMP pulse, checking to see who was in the apartment. It was empty besides for one person, who was in the living room.

Creeping slowly, I kept my eyes on every door, worried that I had missed someone…or something.

I quietly opened the door, and with a twist of my hand a palladium ball was in my hand. I was extremely grateful that Tony told me to keep the cuffs on at all times.

I stepped into the room, charging up an energy ball but froze, seeing who was sitting in a chair waiting for me.

He appeared to be in his late fifties, his grey hair was thinning, but his blue eyes were just as bright behind his round glasses as I remembered.

He was unshaven, and even from here I could sense his fear. He looked up, the light from the energy ball giving me away, and a small smile appeared on his face as he saw me.

I reabsorbed the energy, but kept the ball in my hand, just in case.

"Hello Penella. It's been a while." He said his voice soft, but echoed in worry.

I relaxed; a small smile appeared on my face as I replied, "Hello Dr. Millod. It's great to see you."

"I wish I could say the same my dear, we have a problem."

Dr. Millod sat on the couch opposite of me rubbing his temples.

"What's going on? Why contact me?" I asked, my eyebrows knitting together.

The old doctor sighed and spoke quickly and quietly, "My dear, someone is looking for you."

My breath caught and my brain froze, but I tried to think rationally, "SHEILD is doing a background check…are you sure it just wasn't…"

"Penny." Dr. Millod said harshly, and I froze. The doctor had never called me that before. Ever.

"They weren't looking for Telnets, they were looking for Penella, daughter of Evanna Grace. Two men, wearing black suits, showed up at the Ward yesterday. I retired after you left; I only come in to help with paperwork. But I was glad I was there.

"Shella, she got the receptionist job after you left, directed them to me, as they couldn't find your records in the computer. I have to say, you did a great job of erasing your history. Even the nurses that knew you couldn't prove it.

"I told them I couldn't help them that I had no clue who they were looking for. I was terrified. Not for me, I've lived a long life, and I've done my share of good in the world. But for you.

"These men…you could tell just by looking at them that they were looking for trouble." Dr. Millod sighed tiredly and continued.

"When they realized that they wouldn't get anything from me, they started questioning all the nurses. Some of the brighter ones, the ones that could tell they meant trouble, denied knowing anything. However… some of the younger ones, the ones you rubbed the wrong way, they spilled everything.

"While the nurses were being interviewed, I went over to the main building…and broke into the Archives."

My eyes widened, the Archives was where a physical file on every patent ever admitted was kept. No one but the Dean was allowed inside. I had pleaded with Dr. Millod before I disappeared, to destroy my files, but he wouldn't.

"I took your files." He said, and pulled them out from beneath his jacket. He passed the large file to me, and I couldn't help but feel in awe, he had done all of this… for me.

"I barely made it out of there, when one of the men stormed down, obviously looking for your file. It was that instant that I knew I had done the right thing."

Dr. Millod sighed loudly before continuing, "That night, I didn't go home. I knew I was being followed. So I went and visited my sister. She could tell something was wrong, but didn't push it.

"I…I tried to call Ashley, to warn her about the men looking for you, but I only got her machine."

Dread filled my gut as Dr. Millod's voice became more and more broken; it was if he was going to start to cry.

'No…' I thought. 'Not Ashley.'

"I must have called her twenty times that night, and…it wasn't until I saw the news the next morning that I knew."

"No," I said horror filling my voice as I repeated my thought, this time aloud. "Not Ashley."

She had been my best friend growing up, the only one of the staff besides the Doctor that cared.

"Not just Ashley, they got her, her husband, her sister who was visiting….and…they even got little Kyle." Dr. Millod said his voice grave and his eyes downcast.

We had all been somewhat of a family, Dr. Millod, Mom, Ashley and me. Kyle had been born only a month before I got out of the hospital. I never met him, but the pictures the proud young mother brought for me caused a tear to run down my face.

It was like my heart broke in two, and despair swallowed me. How could someone do this? It was all because of me. Ashley and her family died, protecting me.

"Wha…what did they want?" I asked my voice horse. I was blinking back tears at this point, and I wasn't sure how much more I could take.

"I don't know child. I've haven't stopped moving since Ashley…that was two days ago. I just knew I had to contact you, so I emailed you from a library computer, and came back here."

Dr. Millod started talking strange, he was looking at me weirdly and my stomach clenched at his next words.

"My dear child, you've grown into such a beautiful young woman. I want to help you, one last time. I don't have a family, and you have always been like a daughter to me…"

"Come on," I said weakly, "Don't talk like that Dr. Millod…"

"Penella, as long as I'm alive, they can find you. I wouldn't be able to survive torture, and trust me, those men could do it."

"No!" I cried, as I leaned over the doctor. It was only now that I noticed how pale he was, or how he was covered in a thick layer of sweat. "Don't do it Dr. Millod!"

"It's already done my dear," Dr. Millod said, and my eyes widened as I saw De…Mortem appear.

His eyes widened, seeing the two of us, and he said, I am sorry.

"Bu..But, but why?" I cried, tears streaming from my eyes. I couldn't believe it, he just couldn't die he had given me everything.

"I've always helped you my dear, if I have to die to protect you, then I am willing to go on." He said, his breath became shallow, and he coughed.

"It won't be long now my dear. Fast acting poison, even when delayed, is a quick death." He wheezed, "Look at me my dear child."

His old callused hand lifted my chin up, just as my father had done a few hours before, and his blue eyes met my own. "You will do amazing things, I just know it. Stay safe my dear, and never doubt that people care."

He coughed harshly leaning back into the couch, and fell silent.

"Dr. Millod, Dr. Millod! No, please don't go! Dr. Millod." I sobbed into his chest, I didn't even see Mortem leave, but I felt him return.

He pulled me to his chest, as sobs rocked my body. I cried for the doctor, I cried for Ashley and her family, I cried for my mother, and I cried for Yinsen. I even cried for Howard ruining everything.

He slowly rocked me, silently comforting me. Being my rock amongst the storm.

"Everyone is gone," I whispered some time later. I don't know how long I cried, or how long I stayed there in Mortem's arms. But eventually my eyes went dry and my sorrow slowly turned into determination.

I had learned years ago that the pain of loss never truly went away, but there was also another when one was lost.

For when one door closes, another opens; even if we can't see it.

"Everyone is gone." I restated, my voice turning hard. "Everyone but Dad. He's the only one left. I'm not going to lose him too. I just can't."

Bit of a depressing chapter, I know, but hey! The plot thickens, and the confrontation with Stane is just around the corner. What will happen now that Penny is there?

You'll see. *smirk*
Cp