Thursday

February 11, 2016

5:30 PM

Pepper Potts's Apartment

Morgan feels like she's had the wind knocked out of her. Her lungs are on fire as she stares, wide-eyed and unbelievingly at the man standing at her front door. Tony freaking Stark is standing in the doorway of their shabby little apartment building in a suit that costs more than the entire building.

A thousand questions raced through her head. Why was he here? What did he want? Did mom know he was coming? How did he find us? The last question was stupid. He was Tony Stark, that's how. He had more resources than the United States government.

Realizing she was still staring, she closed her expression off into a mask of cool indifference. If he had the nerve to show up here at her house after sixteen years of ignoring her he'd damn well better expect a hostile encounter. She wasn't one of his boot-licker employees. She wasn't going to beg and plead for him to pay attention to her or even hope for a split second that he could possible give a damn.

He was too late for that kind of reception.

"What do I owe the... pleasure, Mr. Stark?" she asked coldly, her tone short and clipped.

Tony Stark reached up and removed the sunglasses from his face.

He was taller than her so Morgan tilted her head back slightly to turn her chin up at him. She kept her feet steady and her head held high. She wouldn't be intimidated by this man in her own home. If anyone didn't belong here it was certainly him.

"You've got spunk, kid. Now why stand of formalities, it's Tony. Mr. Stark was my father, he was a fan of all that stuffy conventionality. Now is your mother home, I was quite looking forward to seeing her again."

Morgan's face heated. "No, she isn't! So you should go the hell away."

Tony Stark snorted quietly and looked her over. It felt as though she was a fascinating specimen or a rather complex puzzle that the man was trying to solve. "Yeah, that's a no. I've spent quite a bit of my time tracking the two of you down so I'm not going anywhere for a while." He moves forward and Morgan stumbles back from the door, allowing the man to enter her apartment.

Morgan watches the man glance around the small apartment with interest. His gaze lingers on the few family photos her mother has hanging on the walls in the living room. There one of Morgan's first birthday party with bright pink cake icing smeared all over her tiny baby face. Another showed Pepper and a ten year old Morgan at the zoo. The most recent one on the wall was a picture of Morgan, Pepper, Peter, and Ned on her fourteenth birthday.

"That reminds me," Tony said suddenly. "Happy belated birthday."

...

Pepper Potts wasn't expecting anything exciting to happen when she returned home from work. It'd been a long and busy day with all the phone calls she had to take and make. All the messages to record and the emails she had to keep track of and send. That's why when the clock finally hit six she was ready to leave.

Nothing strange struck her as she walked the steps up to her apartment. It wasn't until she head the sound of heavy footsteps coming from inside her apartment that she became worried. Those steps were too heavy to be Morgan. Plus Pepper knew what Morgan's footsteps sounded like. Did someone manage to break in?

How? Panic coursed through her. Morgan had texted her when she got home and her daughter always locked the door. There was no damaged to it and it seemed like it must've been opened. Did Morgan open the door? Surely she knew better than that.

Pepper grabbed the door and wrenched it open.

Before she got a chance to speak she met a pair of brown eyes and her heart leaped into her throat.

...

Her mother opened her mouth, but before anything came out, she froze. Her eyes wide, her whole body stiff. It was like she'd been stunned.

"T-Tony...?" she stuttered out, blinking a few times as though to make sure she wasn't just seeing things.

"The one and only, Pep. You look good."

Pepper frowned. "Oh, yeah. Sure. In my dirty, sweaty work clothes."

"You look great, you smell great. Doesn't really matter what you're in."

"As much fun as this catchup is, that doesn't tell me why you're here Tony," Pepper said, closing the front door behind her with a quiet click.

"Oh," Tony said, sounding surprised. He shoots a knowing glance at Morgan, who scowls, before looking back at Pepper. "I thought that was obvious."

"What about Morgan? Surely you wouldn't be here to see her."

Now it's Tony's turn to scowl, mirror that of his daughters. "And why not? It's not like anyone ever told me about her in the first place."

Pepper pauses. What?

"What are you talking about? When I learned about my pregnancy I contacted Obadiah Stane and let him know. He said he'd spoke to you and that you told him you wanted nothing to do with me or the baby and that Stark Industries would be willing to provide a college fund for Morgan as I'd requested."

Tony snorts. "And trusting Obadiah Stane is really the smartest thing to believe now? If you remember he did try to have me killed in Afghanistan and again at the company. So anything that guy said was bullshit. He never said a word about you having a baby."

Pepper's eyes went wide. "You mean he never told you. You didn't know about Morgan, than why are you here now?"

"After everything that happened with Ultron there was a lot of corrupted files that I've been sorting through. One of the files I uncorrupted was the first email you sent to Obadiah Stane in 2000. Which led me through the other ones. One of which revealed that you were having a baby and then my AI, F.R.I.D.A.Y. found the paternity test results that were done with Morgan was born, so I've been looking around for maybe a week, possibly less."

Morgan felt as though the whole room was spinning. She couldn't seem to get out of the never ending spiral.

All she could focus on was the fact that Tony Stark was standing in her apartment.

How was this even possible? She couldn't seem to be capable of comprehending this reality. She knew how it all linked together but for some strange reason her mind seemed unable to fully latch onto the notion that she was the daughter of someone like him. How could she be?

She didn't feel any different. The revelation didn't change anything about how anyone had acted around her and she wasn't suddenly any smarter than she had been before. Morgan felt like something about her should be different. Should have been different when her mother confirmed her accusations.

Then again maybe that was the shock. The inability to fully grasp the truth.

She felt no different because essentially she was no different. She was who she'd always been, just with an unexpected father. A father who was probably one of the richest and most influential people on the whole damn planet. The guy who literally built a suit of armor in a cave in Afghanistan.

"Why don't we all sit down." Pepper suggested at last, trying to keep everything as calm as possible given the circumstances. "I need a drink, I be right back."

Calm... calm. How was she supposed to be calm when her entire world has just shifted on its axis? She felt like the world was spinning out of control and she was desperately trying to hold on.

"Sure, that's fine with me. We've got a lot of catching up to do."

Tony Stark walked across the floor of their tiny apartment and dropped down onto their pathetic couch that was probably at least seven years old like it wasn't the scummy building he's ever been in. They must seem like dirt people to someone like him. Small pesky little ants skittering around a hovel.

Morgan could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Then it was replaced by anger. What did she have to be embarrassed about? He practically bared into her apartment and into their lives like a damn wrecking ball. Destroying everything peaceful that they'd had going on.

What now? It has always been Morgan and her mother. The two of them against the world.

How would his sudden arrival interfere in their lives?

She'd heard some of the conversation between her mom and Tony Stark. Something about him having not been told about her, about Morgan. if that was true then could she even be angry? Did it make her a terrible person to still want to rage and scream and cry?

Instead she pushed the turbulent feelings down. Trying desperately to swallow the lump that was blocking her throat and making breathing a chore.

What would he do with her mother? Did he just want to see how she was, pop in to say hi, and disappear? No, that couldn't be his plan. Why go through all the trouble of finding someone if you didn't want something from them.

And then her thoughts shifted.

Her. Maybe she was the reason. The great Tony Stark couldn't have his legacy tarnished by some bastard that could someday grow up and claim herself as his daughter. She would be able to prove it with a blood test and then she would be known by the whole world. Morgan could make him look bad and that, in turn, could ruin his entire company.

Morgan narrowed her eyes. That made more sense. It was logical. From a business standpoint, He wouldn't know how much she knew about him and their relationship but he would want to take control of the situation before it became a problem.

Pepper came back into the living room with a glass of water.

"Sorry about that. After all this excitement I needed something to settle me down," she said, taking a seat on the love seat across from him. Morgan is still hunched up in the rocking chair catty cornered from bother the couch and loveseat.

Her head is drooped low and her knees are pulled to her chest. Her dark hair falling over her shoulders, obscuring her face.

Tony Stark was in her house.

The thought reverberated around her head like a mantra. Never ceasing, always there in the recesses of her mind like a torturous symphony.

What was he going to do them? If he needed to keep control of the situation then what would a man in his position do? She highly doubted he'd do anything illegal, like have the two of them killed by a hitman. Plus that seemed a bit overdramatic a though, even to her.

Maybe he'll have them sign a nondisclosure agreement to keep quite about their connection and allow them to go on living in peace. Who knows? Maybe nothing has to change after all and they can resume their happy life together without everything falling apart.

"Morgan. honey? Are you alright?" Pepper's voice pierces through her thoughts.

Morgan doesn't say anything only giving a quick nod.

Pepper frowns but doesn't press her daughter. Clearing she's having a difficult time coming to terms with everything.

"That still doesn't explain why you came all the way here just to see me, Tony," Pepper said at last, returning to the main point of conversation.

Tony raised a brow. "Really? Because I'm pretty sure it does. I found out that I have a daughter," Morgan flinches but Tony ignores it. "Which is a pretty big deal to me."

"So what do you want then?" Pepper said, leaning forward to put the glass of water on the coaster.

He has all the money and power in the world, Morgan's mind keeps racing. He could do whatever he wants and nobody could stop him.

So what would he want with some nobody like her?

Then her eyes widen in realization. He could take her away from her mother... He could afford the best and most expensive lawyers to fight a custody battle. He'd win easily. Then he'd have her, the brat, the problem, right underneath his thumb.

He could ship her off to some boarding school far away to keep her out of the public eye. To essentially hide her away like a bad mistake.

"No!" Morgan shouts furiously, not even realizing she said anything at all. Pepper and Tony jump at the sudden sound of her voice.

"Morgan, what's wrong are you alri—"

Morgan jumps to he feet, back straight as an arrow and brown eyes alight with fury. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing but it's not amusing. I figured out your little scheme."

Tony shoots Pepper a baffled looked, mouthing 'scheme?'

"Morgan, honey. Maybe you should go to bed, I think this is getting to be too much for you," Pepper said, trying to calm her daughter down.

Morgan shakes her head. "You are not going to take me away from my mother just so you can hide me away in some far off boarding school because I'd be an inconvenience if anyone found out about me."

Tony and Pepper look at her stunned.

Then Tony laughs. Hard enough that he has to wipe his eyes when he's done. "That's what you've been doing this whole time haven't you kid? Sitting there dwelling on some supposed plan of mine. Well you're wrong. I have no intention of taking you away from Pepper. And I'm certainly not shipping you off to some boarding school. I hated going to those and I wouldn't do that to me own kid."

Morgan froze, her face starting to burn. Had she really been wrong?

"Why would I want to take you from Pepper? She's clearly the better parent even if I hadn't missed the last fifteen years. You have a life here and friends, why would I send you away?"

"B-because well, I mean—"

Tony narrows his eyes. "Because you want me to be the bad guy. Please kid, it's the most obvious explanation. You don't trust me and want me to have some ulterior motive."

Before he can say more, a phone rings. "Gotta answer that," Tony said, pulling out some fancy phone created by his company. "Hey Happy. Yeah, okay, fine."

Tony hangs up the phone and turns to Pepper. "Well sorry this was so short, but I've got company stuff I have to deal with," his eyes flick to Morgan. "You don't need to worry about Morgan tomorrow. I'll have Happy pick her up. We'll have a day of it."

"W-what?" Morgan stutters.

Tony winks at her. "Tomorrow kiddo," he says, before heading out the door.

Then he's gone, just as quickly as he came.

A/N

There we go, I finally got this chapter done. I had quite a bit written a week ago but I just hadn't bothered to really start working on the rest of it but there it is. The moment everyone's been wanting. I still have one other reveal that'll happen in the next three chapters so that'll be great. Anyways comment below and let me know what you thought. I hope this was how you all wanted it.