At first I was afraid I was petrified.
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side.
But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong.
And I grew strong.
And I learned how to get along!
Gloria Gaynor "I will survive"
Seventeen year old Josette Stark ran down the stairs from her fathers office ,with tears in her pale-blue eyes, how could he do that? She had done nothing wrong and yet...NO she would think about that later ,for the time being it just hurt too mutch, Josette whiped away a tear.
She had tryed so hard ho be the ,perfect daugther, to get perfect grades, memmorise everything from computers to poetry. In short everything that could impress him! and what did she get out of it? the cold shoulder ,her father had ignored her, for years. When he had been abducted by terrorist's she had ,cryed herself to sleep at night, because she didn't know if he even was alive. When Obadiah, Rhody, Happy and even Pepper wanted to declare him dead she ,said no, because she had still belived there might be a chanse that he was alive. She had ,sertched, for him and ,found, him.
More tears came ,when Josette rememberd how he had been, when he came home ,with the arc reactor, he had been so loving towards her. She really had ,belived, that he would start to treat her as ,his daugther, and he did for a few days. Then he went back to ignoring her. Of course now she knew that ,her dad, had been working on his ,iron man suit, to save the world and stuff like that. But it ,still, didnt change the fact that he ,forgot her again, right after they had started to get to know eatch other.
Then he had to fight Obadiah and for a second it seemd to her like she might loose her father. But he survived. Shortly after when her dad would give a speech to the reporters ,to prove that he wasen't, iron man. What did he do? instead of sticking to the cards he ,confessed, that he was iron man. Making himself even a bigger target than he alredy was.
and now when she tought he might ,notice her again, she ,found that contract, yes it was before he became iron man but it was from this year. Before the abduction he really was ,going to do it, he proberly ,still, was and it broke her heart. That was all she was to him a burden ,a burden he needed to get rid of,.
Before now Josette didn't know someone could experience ,so mutch pain, only caused by one person. Now she did.
Tony Stak looked up from the television ,when he heard the sound, of footsteps comming down the staris. Or more like running when he tought about it.
When the person come down the stairs Tony flinched. His ,daugther, had tears streaming down her round face, her not quite brown but not really blonde hair, framed in her pained face the only expression he could read in her face was pain ,so mutch pain. And he didn't even know what to do about it ,he truly was a worthless father,.
"Is something wrong?" he asked and ,nearly kicked himself, for it. She was crying ,for gods sake, of course something was wrong.
When Josette heard her dads voice asking ,if something was wrong, she couldent belive it. One look at her would tell if ,something was the matter, as he so geniously put it. Josette turned around and faced him finding her dad sitting comfortably in front of the telly. He looked so relaxed like he had just asked her ,about the weather, does he even care about me at all? she tought. But of course ,she alredy knew, the answer, he didn't not even a little bit.
Josette took a deap breth and opend her bag ,it didnt take long, before she found what she was looking for ,the contract,. She held it up and ,slammed it down on a table, infront of her father, or could she even call him that anymore?,. Tony looked at the paper in recognition ,dread and guilt filling him,.
"Is that all I am to you?" she asked her voice breaking. "a burden!".
"No of course not" Tony said. how could he had been so stupid ,to let that thing stay in his room, he should have burned it.
Josette desperetly wanted to belive him. But she couldent ,not with how he had treated her, the past seventeen years. "Oh really!" she said disbeliving. Tony was taking aback by her thone ,did she honestly think she was a burden to him?, well you havent really treated her as your daugther. a nasty piece of his mind reminded him. But I'm trying he tought ,I'm trying to do better, I got a second chanse with her I am not going to give her up that easily.
"Yes" he said "and don't you ever belive anything else"
Josette flinched. Did he really mean that? ,that she wasen't a burden? She looked at her father ,the one man she had always been trying to impress,. Did he really mean that? If he did then why did he ignore her, why did he make her feel like trash, for seventeen years! and now when he claims that he want to get to know her why doesen't he? and then there was that contract. That stupid piece of paper. But right now it felt like ,that paper bit was the only thing, witch was true. Josette knew ,she should not, feel that way ,but she coulden't help it, it was all there on black and wite.
Josette closed her eyes when she felt more tears comming. She didn't want her dad to see her cry ,even if, he had alredy seen her crying. She knew it didn't make sense but that was how she felt about crying infront of him right now. Josette took a deap breath ,opend her eyes and gave him a pained smile.
"Doesen't feel like that" she wisperd.
"But it's true" Tony feebly said ,like that was going to make everything okay,.
"Yhe right" Josette said her voice barely a wisper and ,her eyes avoiding, her fathers.
"It is!" he insisted more forcefully this time. "Josette you know it is".
Know? how could she know that? how? her whole life this man had ignored her. Made her feel bad. He had her starved for love, a kind word, affection and did he give that to her no! it was always Pepper who had made her feel a bit better, offered a kind word, just lisened to her. But it wasen't enough because what she really wanted was for her dad to notice her ,but he never did, untill recently and now she had been disapointed again. Story of her life.
When she didnt say anything Tony coninued. "Look I know that I havent always been there for you. I was a jerk and I realise that. But ,I have changed, and the years before now ,didnt mean anything, I think it's best if we just ,put it behind us, start fresh. That contract... it's not a big deal. Let's talk about it in the morning when you have calmed down you're ,not thinking straight, right now "
Josette stared at him ,did he honestly expect, that she was just going to ,forget the last seventeen years of her life,? forget how badly she had wanted a father? forget how he had taken her hopes and distroyed them? forget that he had slept with her friend ,Carren,? forget how it had slipped his mind to send someone to pick her up when ,she returned from her year abroad,? forget how he had taken ,her cuddly toy and sold it, because ,he tought, she was to old to sleep with one when she was five? forget the contract? Suddenly Josette didn't feel ,sad and hurt, anymore she felt angry actually she felt ,furious, all her life she had danced along his pipe. He set the terms and she followed them well that ,ended today, she was done playng by his rules.
"We'll talk tomorrow" her dad said and Josette finally snapped.
"No we aren't going to talk tomorrow ,we are going to talk, now" she told him her ,voice trembling, sligtly.
"Josette" her dad tryed but she interupted him.
"Why?"
he ,didnt say anything, so she repeated her question. "Why?"
Tony didn't know what to say what he had ,tryed to do, was unforgivabal. He ,never imagend, himself ,having this conversation, with her ,she wasen't supposed to, find out. But then again he wasen't supposed to have an ,arc reactor in his chest, keeping him from dying either. "I didn't want the responsibility" he said at last and ,even to him that sounded weak, but never the less ,it was true, he haden't wanted it. And because of that he had almost ,thrown away, the ,most important thing in his life,.
"You didn't want the responsibility" Josette said ,repeating, his words. Hurt and anger overpovering her.
"No"
Josette shook her head "Do you still feel the same way?" She knew that if he said ,yes, it would ,break her heart even more, but she had to know ,anything, was better than not knowing.
"What? no of course not" her dad said clearly starteld by her question. The relief that washed over her was short lived however. How hadent he known she would ask that? ,who wouldent want to know,? and there it was yet another proof of how little her father knew about her.
"Oh yhe! Then why don't you take some time to get to know me?" Josette questiond.
"I didn't have time"
he didn't have time to get to know her! he was seriously going with that. They lived together for goodness sake he saw her ,every day,! he could have talked to her in the hallways or asked her about a work project. But did he? no and that wasen't because he was busy but because he didn't want to.
"No! you don't want to" Josette said voicing her toughts.
"What? no I do!" Tony said desperatly ,not liking, were this conversation was going.
"Then why don't you?" she argued back.
"I....." Tony begun but for once he couldent find any words. Why hadent he? ever since he eskaped from that cave and came back to Malibu all he had done was to brag about ,Josette, telling everybodey how ,amazing and talanted, she was but he haden't actually said that to her. In the beginning he had spoke to her tryed to get to know her better and then ,he'd stopped, because of his ,iron man suit, and he never once considerd how it would feel like for her he had just expected she'd be fine with it. But after that cleard up he haden't really tryed ,he didn't know why he haden't, but now he was seeing the consequences off it.
"I don't know" he finally said.
Josette's anger increased she had done everything for him and he wouldent even give her any attention and now when she asked why he told her he didn't know! that did it. There wasen't a chanse she would spend another minute here she deserved better. Josette had given him plenty of chanse's and he woulden't take them she coulden't go on living like this if she did she'd ,loose herself and end up being miserable, she had to go. Congratulations dad you have finally driven me away she tought.
"Well thank you for being honest" Josette snapped and headed towards the door.
"Where are you think you are going?" Tony yelled after her. He couldent help it seeing her walking towards the door made him edgy.
"I'm leaving" Josette yelled back.
Tony felt as if she had just left him to drown ,she couldent leave!, she just couldent. Not when he tryed to be better not when he had changed. He wouldent let her leave ,there was no way she would be walking out of that door ,out of his life, Tony started running towards the door.
"You're not leaving!" he yelled.
"Try me!" Josette responded and grabbed her jacket. Tony threw himself infront of the door to stop her from leaving.
"no you are not" he said breathing heavily "now go to your room. This discussion is over."
Josette steard at him he was acting as if he still had a claim to her and it sickened her. She had given him ,so many opportunities so many tryes, and he had waisted them all besides then there was that contract he ,most certanly didn't, have a claim to her and she would make sure he knew that.
"Who do you think you are?" Josette enquired "Batman?, Santa Claus?, the president? you have no right to keep me from leaving. Not after what you have done" Josette finiched.
"I'm your dad!" Tony shouted angerly.
"No you're not!" Josette ecually agry skreamed and as soon as she said it she knew it was true ,he wasen't her dad,.
Tony drew a sharp breath "you don't mean that" he wisperd.
"Yes I do!" Josette said quietly and moved past him towards the door and without looking back she stepped out in the night leaving Tony Stark genious, billionare, playboy, philanthropist in her dust..
-7 years later-
"You're sure you want to do this hun?" Charlie Bright asked his fiance' Josette Stark who was standing infront mailbox with a ,wedding invitation, adressed to her ,old friend Pepper Potts,.
"Yes I am sure" Josette answerd. "If I don't do it I will end up regretting it" she turned towards him with a smile "Pepper is like my mom to me Charlie I want her to be at our wedding". Charlie smiled and looked lovingly at her "I know I have nothing against Pepper. But you don't know if he will show up and I know you don't want him there."
Josette sighed "I know but I'm ,pretty sure, he wount show up"
"you don't know that Jo" Charlie argued. Looking at her with serious grey orbes, witch was entirely against his caracter. "he is your father I think he might"
"he's not my father!"
Charlie held up his hands in defeat "alright the one that helped to consive you then" he said with a glint in his eyes.
Josette laughed and poked him "really consiaver you are going with that" she asked amused.
"you are the one who ,drinks coffe to help you sleap," Charlie teased her.
"and it helps" she defended herself.
he laughed " only for you"
"You haven't even tryed. Mr judgemental" Josette teased back.
"alright fair enough" Charlie admitted. "But I have my reasons not to".
"Are we going to send the letter or not?" she retored and turned towards the mailbox.
Charlie smiled "yes we are" he said ,took her hand in his, and together they sent the letter.