Chapter 7: Finding Tony

Pepper swallowed hard and broke the silence, her face and tone as calm as possible yet her eyes could not hide the horror to see Brigid in such a state. Her knees trembled as as she found the courage to face Brigid. "Brigid, sweetie, I'm so sorry."

"My father is gone," Brigid whispered her voice full of animosity and grief, "And you wanted to lie to me."

Pepper shook her head, willing her to understand, her eyes wild. "No, no, sweetie. That's not what I wanted at all."

"I heard you," Brigid barked. "You, Jarvis, and Happy wanted to lie so I wouldn't know my father is missing! Why would you lie to me?"

"Brigid, we would never lie to you," Pepper breathed, beckoning Brigid to sit down. "We simply didn't want you to be hurt."

"I might be eighteen years old, but I'm not an idiot," Brigid snapped, her voice fiery. "Don't treat me like one."

Jarvis, although he was a synthetic program, could sense that there was tension and tried to bring peace. "Miss Brigid, if I may interject-" Jarvis interrupted.

Alas, Brigid was in no mood to deal with anyone whether it be human or sentient programming. "No, you may not! You tried to cover for them, you b* ball of wires. Everyone, leave me alone!"

Brigid stormed out, leaving an exasperated Pepper behind. Just then Happy barged in, oblivious to the argument between Pepper and Brigid.

"Pepper, I think we should work on our cover story with Brigid," Happy said, his voice urgent.

Pepper gave him a sour look. "Little late, Happy!"

Happy turned red. "Oh, whoops. Kids."

"Yeah, kids," Pepper said, rubbing her head.

She was exhausted and frustrated. She did not intend for Brigid to be hurt and yet she wounded her heart anyway. She felt lost without Tony and confused how to guide his daughter.

Pepper sat down, rubbing her head as if she had a headache. "Doesn't help that this one is as smart as Tony is."

"Worse, she's as stubborn as he is," Happy added.

"I think you're right," Pepper agreed. "We really should have seen this coming."

"Maybe but Tony is just as stubborn when it comes to business and when it comes to these nightmares Brigid's been having, it's really hard to say what's going on," Happy reasoned.

"Still we could've handled this better," Pepper sighed.

Pepper simply sat there, rubbing her head, as if trying to force a solution into her head.

"Hey, I don't think the solution is in your head," Happy said. "It's up there."

"Come again?" Pepper asked.

"Go talk to her," Happy prodded her.

Pepper shook her head. "No, she needs her space."

Happy laughed. "That's just an excuse for 'I'm afraid of a Stark teen.' Tony is Brigid's dad and since he's not here, someone has to look after that girl. Might as well be you."

"She hates me," Pepper argued, feeling defeated.

"She's eighteen. She'll get over it," Happy said firmly. He did not know children very well, but he was certain of two things: Brigid was just like her father and she needed someone to guide her in her father's absence. "Just go up there and talk to her. If Tony were here, he'd say the same thing."

"If I may, Miss Potts, I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Hogan," Jarvis opined. "Brigid's father is absent. In the absence of her father, she needs someone to look after her. That someone should be you."

Pepper sighed. "Sometimes I don't like you."

Happy grinned. "I know, but where would you be without me?"

Pepper climbed up the stairs to Brigid's room and sighed. What do you say to a stubborn teenager who's just like her father? she thought. Tony, I really wish you were here now. Pepper was nervous about how to approach Brigid. She knew she was not her mother, but she knew Jarvis and Happy were right. Tony was not there, and Brigid needed someone.

"Brigid, I know you're in there," Pepper said, a mix of sterness and understanding in her tone. "I just want to talk. I know you find this hard to believe, but I would never hurt you or lie to you. Your father made me promise to look after you. I know your dad and if you know him as well as I, he'll be okay."

There was no reply, only dead silence from the other side.

"Brigid, can I come in? Please, I know you're angry, but please don't ignore me," Pepper pleaded.

With a glower on her face, Brigid opened the door. She looked as if she could have thrown Pepper from her window the way she glared at her. Her nails dug into the door and she stood straight like a cat ready to pounce.

"Can I come in?" Pepper asked.

"That depends," Brigid replied sourly. "Do you intend on having an honest conversation with me, or making up some kind of lie?"

"Don't give me any s, Brigid. I knew about your nightmares, and I thought I was doing you a favor, " Pepper barked.

Reluctantly, Brigid let her in the room.

Pepper noticed a large duffel bag packed on her bed and her hair stood up on the back of her neck. She felt as if she was looking at Tony through Brigid's eyes. "Are you going somewhere?"

"What does it look like?" Brigid snapped. "I'm going to find my father."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Pepper questioned, fearful for the safety of the girl and taken aback by the carelessness of her plan. "Your father is lost in one of the biggest countries. We don't even know if he's alive."

"I know people who might," Brigid replied, her fists balled as if ready for a fight. She wore a look of determination in her eyes that Pepper had never seen before. "He never left me after my parents died. I'm not leaving him. He's all I have left. What the hell do you expect me to do?"

Pepper calmly motioned for Brigid to sit down on the bed. "Your father wanted your life to be better. He gave you a new start. He wouldn't want you risking your life to save his."

"So what? I'm supposed to just leave him to the wolves?" Brigid questioned, her temper rising.

"Sometimes things are beyond our control," Pepper said wisely. "Your father would not want you rushing off to danger when you have a life to live."

Brigid softened, her face lightening. "I suppose that makes sense."

"Besides, if I know your father, and so do you, he's a smart guy and he'll find his way back to us," Pepper assured her, putting her arms around Brigid.

Brigid smiled, considering her words. "I'll take your word on that."

Three months later…

Brigid had spent three months of her education studying for her Bachelor's Degree in Observational Astronomy. In all that time she had not heard a word on her father and she worried for him fiercely. She constantly called Pepper and even Rhodey for news of her father's whereabouts. Each day with no news of her father's whereabouts she suffered. Her grades went up and down, she spent many sleepless nights waiting for news if he were alive or dead. After months of struggle, Brigid received her degree Summa Cum Laude in Observational Astronomy. Despite her achievement, Brigid felt the moment was wasted without the man who inspired her to be there. It wasn't until one day when she felt something was not right. Happy had taken her out for the day and there was no sign of Pepper. On the car ride back from the science museum, Brigid read her program to herself as if trying to memorize it.

"You're awfully quiet back there, kid," Happy noted to Brigid in the back of the car.

"Why isn't Pepper here?" Brigid demanded, knowing something was off.

"She was busy," Happy dismissed , trying to keep a cool head.

"Cut the bullshit," Brigid snapped, "My father told her to look after me, and she would be here if there were an earthquake. What's going on?"

At that moment, Brigid stopped and put the pieces together. Her face instantly lit up and she sat up ramrod straight in the back of the car. "You heard from my father, didn't you?!"

"We might've heard something," Happy gulped.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Brigid shouted, her face flushed with fury.

"I suppose Pepper just wanted to protect you," Happy reasoned.

"I don't need her trying to protect me," Brigid said, her frustration a mask on her face.

Happy parked the car in the garage. "Look, I'm sorry, kid. I know you miss your father. I miss him, too. Try to give Pepper a chance."

"Just give me a moment," Brigid sighed.

Brigid crept into the kitchen, careful not to be seen by Pepper when she saw her on the phone.

"Rhodey?" Pepper asked. "Do you have any idea where he might be?…Gulmira?...Where is that? Afghanistan...How soon can you set off?...Do you know if he's alive?...Rhodey, please find him."

Brigid took off before Pepper could hang up. Taking the BMW from the garage, Brigid set out to DC to put her plan in motion. Before she could start the car, it sputtered and stalled. Then she heard Jarvis' monotone voice. "Miss Brigid, I must advise you that Miss Potts has advised against you traveling."

"Shut up, Jarvis. I'm going to find my father," Brigid said, her voice firm.

"I must inform Miss Potts of this," Jarvis argued.

"Fine. I don't give a damn," Brigid snapped, her voice full of anger and determination. "I'm eighteen. I can do what I want, and she's not my mother."

"I won't tell Miss Potts as long as you go back inside the house," Jarvis reasoned.

"Aw, Jarvis. That's reasonable of you," Brigid chuckled, all the while keeping her hands busy under the steering wheel. Her fingers slipped into the wires.

"I may be a program, but I can be reasonable," Jarvis snarked. "We can come to a civil solution."

"Jarvis, I'm sure we could, but I'm afraid that while we've been talking, I've hotwired the car and overridden your controls, so you can help me, or go fuck yourself."

Hearing Jarvis' sigh, Brigid knew she'd won. "I'm going to regret this. I hope Mr. Stark and Miss Potts can forgive me. "

With a triumphant chuckle, Brigid clicked the button on her keypad opening up the garage. In seconds, she revved up the ignition and sped off, bound for Washington D.C and someone who would help her find her father.

"Hello, Rhodey."

Rhodes turned to find Brigid standing behind him as he went over plans at the base to rescue Tony.

"Don't make me stun gun you to get you out of here, Brigid," Rhodes said, his annoyance written on his face. "I don't like that you're here to begin with. This is a military base. How did you get here?"

"I'm my father's daughter. How do you think I got here?" Brigid snapped.

"I don't even wanna know," Rhodes sighed, rolling his eyes. "Look, we don't know anything, Brigid."

"Nice try, Rhodey. I know everything thanks to Pepper and Jarvis," Brigid smirked.

Rhodes rolled his eyes and sighed. He was exhausted and he did not have time to deal with Brigid's nonsense.

"You got the worst parts of your dad," Rhodes groaned, trying to keep cool. "What do you want, Brigid?"

"You know what I want," Brigid said wisely.

"I can't do that," Rhodey argued. "You're a civilian."

"Oh, and those hookers you and my dad took on the plane before his presentation of the Jericho missile weren't?" Brigid snarked. "Yeah, I have ears, and I know how to use them. Whether you like it or not, I'm not staying here. I'm going with you to find my father."

"Not if I have you escorted off my base," Rhodey countered

"I'm not going anywhere except with you," Brigid argued, showing Rhodey an altered identification.

"Where did you get that?" Rhodey demanded.

"None of your business. I'm going with you to find my father and you can't stop me," Brigid declared.

Rhodey put together Brigid's plan in his head. "Jarvis helped you, didn't he?"

"More like persuasion, but yes," Brigid replied. "So am I going with you, Sir?"

Rhodey rolled his eyes. He knew Brigid was as stubborn as her father and nothing would persuade her otherwise. He knew he lost this fight. "Damn it! Your dad is gonna kill me when we find him. You owe me big for this."

"You're a wonderful man, Rhodey," Brigid chortled with a smirk.

Brigid, wearing fatigues and mixed in with a hearty group of soldiers, waited eagerly as the helicopter circled the blazing desert. She said nothing as she did her best to blend in among the soldiers Rhodey gathered. However, she could not quiet her mind as the chopper reared around the desert.

Where is he? she thought desperately. Is there a chance he's alive? Are we too late?

Before Brigid could think any further, she heard the pilot shout. "Colonel!"

Brigid's heart was racing in her ears as the pilot pointed to a spot on the radar. Could it be him? Brigid thought desperately, her hopes rising as high as her heart.

The chopper circled again to find a bedraggled and wounded figure waving the craft down frantically. Brigid's heart leapt as the helicopter set down and they raced toward their target. Brigid could not believe her eyes. All of her hopes and prayers had brought her father back to her.

"How was the fun-vee?" Rhodey chuckled to Tony. "Next time you ride with me."

"Father!" Brigid cried.

She wasted no time ripping off her helmet and embracing her father so tightly, she felt he would disappear if she let go.

"Little Leprechaun, what the hell are you doing here? How did you get here?" Tony asked, surprised and delighted to see his daughter in his arms. His eyes glazed over to see his daughter standing before him and his heart was doing backflips. He was weary, wore many wounds, unshaven, but he wore a broad smile on his face nonetheless as he saw his daughter before him.

"I just used a little friendly persuasion," Brigid said with a wink.

"That's my girl," Tony said proudly, hugging his daughter so tight as if she would burst if he squeezed any harder.

"Papa, just one request?" Brigid asked.

"Anything, Little Leprechaun," Tony obliged, stroking her hair.

"No more last minute trips to present missiles in a war zone?" Brigid laughed.

"You got it, Little Leprechaun!" Tony chuckled, hugging his daughter and kissing her head once more.

After what seemed like an arduous journey, father and daughter were reunited once more.

A/N: Aww, together again! What did you think? Please let me know! This story is for you and would be nothing without you!