Sixteen years ago, Tony Stark was in a somewhat stable relationship. His long-time girlfriend, Katherine, was pregnant with their first child. It wasn't exactly the best time for a child in their lives, but they embraced it. When their daughter was born, Katherine spent three years with her young family before she left Tony, escaping their life together for good, and abandoning her daughter. However she wasn't totally abandoned, Tony vowed to raise his daughter the best he could as a single parent, and it wasn't easy. The coming of the teenage years was a particular example of the horrors they had fought together, but nonetheless Tony managed to raise a beautiful, incredibly intelligent daughter. Rebecca Stark.

The music was blaring on full volume when Pepper walked downstairs to Tony's workshop. Rebecca's legs were only just visible beneath the rusty old car she was working on, calling instructions to the robotic device Tony had created.

"No!" she sighed loudly, annoyance in her tone. "I said number 4, not this." she handed the metal tool back to it, waiting for the right one in return. "Ah ha, that's it." she praised when she was presented with her tool of request. "Now was that so hard?" she teased as she removed something front the engine and tossed it aside.

Pepper put the security code into a device before the door accepted and opened. She held a coffee in her hand from Starbucks and a small package wrapped in brown paper in the other, after turning the volume down to a reasonable level.

"Rebecca," Pepper called as she walked closer to the girl. "A package came for you, and a coffee from me." Rebecca continued rattling around with the engine of the car, ignoring Pepper's information. "It's extra strong cappuccino, double shot, just as you like."

"Soy milk?" the girl responded after a short pause in her work. "No sugar? Starbucks?"

"Yes, Miss. Stark." Pepper waited for her to roll out from under the car. Usually, she'd call her by her first name, but when Rebecca spoke like her father as she sometimes did, Pepper addressed her as a Stark. Rebecca soon took a break from her work, telling Jarvis to turn the music down for a while, realizing it didn't seem as loud under the car. Pepper handed her the coffee before setting the package on the working desk next to her. "You received another letter from Harvard."

Rebecca rolled her eyes whilst taking a sip of her coffee. "Nope." she waved off the subject. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun and grease and all sorts of mess covered her mechanic jumpsuit. After a few mouthfuls of coffee, she sat the cup down and picked up the package. "Ah, it's the part I ordered last week." she smiled. "Remind me to do something about the slow delivery."

Pepper nodded before looking around the car she was working on. "So, this is what you're doing lately." she observed. "Any thoughts on what-"

"Pepper," Rebecca stopped her. "I don't need to be lectured about what to do with my future. I have plenty of time to think about it. Can we just…not have this discussion? Again." she held her hands up, protesting.

Pepper folded her arms in front of her. "You have more potential than any other sixteen year old out there. You have a level of intelligence that others can only dream of and a wonderfully gifted mind." Pepper reminded her, looking proud. "I just want you to make something of it."

"I am." she replied before lowering herself back onto the board and rolling beneath the car.

Rebecca often helped Tony in designing weapons, despite his occasional objections, she understood everything just as he did. As Pepper said, she had a wonderful mind. One of the many traits she had inherited from her father. She would suggest certain altercations in order to make them appealing to the armed forces. Pepper put her hands on her hips in a scolding position, although there was very little to do to convince Rebecca of her talent so she wouldn't waste it. She had grown so attached to Rebecca that she felt as though it was her own child, and Rebecca couldn't deny the motherly bond they shared either, but she was just as stubborn as Tony was and their was no way of changing either of their minds once they'd been set.

Tony walked through the living room of his California home, followed by Happy, his bodyguard. They were laughing at something, but as usual, Pepper didn't bother to ask, knowing it would be something silly.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then to take you to the airport." Happy clapped his hands together once, making his way to the door. "Nice to see you Pepper."

"Bye Happy," Pepper waved him off, before turning to face Tony with a confused look. "Tomorrow? Airport?" she asked. "You have a press conference scheduled tomorrow, that doesn't require flight travel."

Tony braced himself for Pepper's wrath as he informed her of the changes events. "Well, see, military demonstration has been moved to tomorrow." he smiled like a child trying to avoid any anger in Pepper.

"And when did this happen?" Pepper asked, staying calm. "Because this press conference has been scheduled for a week and the demonstration isn't supposed to be for another three days."

"Well, I felt like doing the demonstration tomorrow and they made it work." he shrugged. "Obi will deal with the press, don't stress about it."

"Don't stress about it?" Pepper looked at him with a look of disbelief. "It's hard not to, Tony, when you've arranged to go to to another country tomorrow and ditch a very important press conference which benefits your company."

"Like I said," Tony held Pepper's shoulders. "Obi will take care of it. Everything will go smoothly, nothing to worry about." Tony patted her shoulders before she let out an exasperated sigh. "Where's Bec?"

Pepper whisked the hair out of her face, taking a deep breath. "Your daughter is downstairs in the workshop, pulling a car apart." she told him. "A letter came from Harvard, another one, requesting her. She won't go."

Tony smirked. "She's too good for them." he walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink.

"Tony," Pepper sighed once again. "She could make so much of her life, if she just had some interest."

"I'm not going to pressure her into going to Harvard," Tony placed the glass lid on top of the bourbon bottle. "She's already graduated university, and she's sixteen. Top of all her classes, distinctions in all physics, science, mechanics and engineering classes. Graduated engineering college, degrees already. What more can you want?" he boasted his daughter's remarkable intelligence.

"It's not what I want, you know I would never pressure her into anything wrong for her, I just want her consider it. So many children start their lives and find their career path at college-"

"Which she's already graduated." Tony cut in loudly.

"She graduated, yes, but she never attended the actual university. Never got to have the same experience as other people have. She's excelled beyond everyone her age, but she's losing the most definitive moments of her youth. Harvard is an opportunity for her. I just want her to consider it, that's all. If she hates the idea so much, I'll leave the topic alone." Pepper vowed.

Tony looked at the letter Pepper handed him, addressed to Miss. Rebecca Stark. "I'll talk to her about it." he nodded, turning in direction of the stairs.

The workshop was a mess, which was no surprise considering Rebecca was just as dedicated to her work as her father was, and shared the same frustration with certain robotic assistance.

"I swear I'll pull you apart and make my own damn tools out of you if you can't manage a simple familiarization with them, you've been looking at them all day." Rebecca complained as she was constantly presented with the wrong tools and equipment. "You know what? Just pass me that box on the table, carefully." Rebecca waited until she was handed the package that she'd already opened, taking out the part she had been looking for.

Tony opened the door and walked into the room, cringing slightly at how loud the music was, even for him. There were tools lined up in a row, ascending in size, and the computer screen on the desk was showing a website for late model car parts, which was just what she needed.

"Hey, take a break huh?" Tony asked when he bent down low enough to see her. He walked over to the computer and browsed through the items she'd been looking at, nodding at the choices. "Should be done by the end of next week." Tony referred to the complete remodeling of the car. "Maybe."

Rebecca scoffed. "By the end of this week." she corrected, feeling confident in the work she'd done already. She picked up a piece I material and started wiping the oil and grease off her hands and some that was on her face before she noticed the letter in Tony's hand. "Please don't tell me you want me to go to that place."

Tony sighed, taking a seat on the stack of boxes to her side. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to." he said simply. "But, in saying that, I do want you to consider your options."

"Dad," she groaned. "I thought we talked about this." she stood up, walking over to the computer and selecting a few more items to purchase. "Do you know how many sixteen year olds get requested to go to Harvard?" she looked over to him skeptically. "None."

"And how many already graduate university classes at sixteen?" Tony pointed out. "None, and you did it."

"Yeah," she looked back at the screen. "I did. So why do I have to go to another one?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "You don't have to. I'm just saying, consider it. I was the same at your age, thought I had it all worked out, well, granted I did, but I could've done so many other things. That's all I'm gonna say about it, okay? Done." he stood up as well, walking over to his area of the workshop.

"Did Pepper put you up to this?" she waited a short moment before following him.

"Maybe, well yeah." he shrugged. "She worries, you know Pepper."

Rebecca leaned her elbows on his desk, her chin rested in her palms as she nodded thoughtfully. "I know she does." she spoke quietly before taking another pause. "I'll think about it, I will."

"Oh, Bec," Tony stopped her as she began walking past him to the door. "I've got that demonstration tomorrow, Pepper and Obadiah are doing a press conference so you'll most likely be here alone." he looked at her sympathetically.

"Aw, Dad we were gonna do the paint samples of the car tomorrow." Rebecca whined. "You said you weren't going until Saturday." she looked confused by the change of plans.

"Im sorry honey, we can do the paintwork and stuff when I get back instead." he encouraged the idea. Although she didn't know, Tony had arranged to go on the demonstration tomorrow she they could spend the weekend together on the car. It was their bonding time, and with Rebecca just finishing an engineering course, she had only just started coming down to the workshop more often. She didn't like him canceling his weapons commitments for her, so he left it be.

"Rebecca," Pepper called out. "Pizza's here." She thanked the delivery boy before carrying the pizza into the living room and setting it on the bench.

"Thanks," Rebecca made her way over to the bench, freshly showered and feeling tired, but she began eating the pizza with an obvious hunger. "Where's Dad?" she asked with a mouthful.

"He's sorting out some stuff with Rhodey about tomorrow." Pepper told her, closing her folder and resting back in the chair. "You're welcome to come to the press conference tomorrow, you're just as important as the rest of the members." Pepper smiled.

Rebecca shrugged. "I don't like those press things, but I'll let you know." she continued munching of a slice. "Pizza?" she offered.

"No thanks." Pepper politely held her hand up in refusal. "Not hungry."

"Pizza?" Rebecca heard a voice coming into the room. "Yes please." It was Rhodey.

"Uh uh, not you," Rebecca picked up the box and moved it away from his reach, teasing him. "You always eat my food."

"Well you can't eat a whole pizza yourself." Rhodey pointed out, trying to get to the box.

"Oh, think again my friend." Tony warned as hit the side of his arm while walking past to take a seat on the couch. When he looked back over to the bench, Rebecca was relenting and had offered him a piece of pizza, but the smallest slice, making sure he took that and not the others. At this, Tony let out a slight chuckle.

"Okay, I've got some things for you to look over for the conference tomorrow." Pepper handed him a small folder.

"But I'm not even going to it, Obi is." Tony looked up like a whiny child. "I don't want to read all this now."

"I'm gonna head off guys, don't be late tomorrow Tony." Rhodey warned. "See ya Pepper, Beccy." he walked toward the door, laughing at Rebecca's face when he referred to her as Beccy. It was his name for her when she was little and he just hadn't gotten out of the habit.

"Bye Rhodey," Pepper farewelled him before turning back to Tony. "Yes, you're not going to be there, which is why you have to read these now so Obi can either accept them or not."

"Accept what?"

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Just read."

Later on in the night, Rebecca walked downstairs for a drink when she noticed Tony still in the living room reading the forms Pepper had given him.

"Dad?" she yawned. "Why are you still up?" she stumbled over to the couch next to him.

"Just fixing some stuff up," he looked up from the papers. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Can't sleep," she yawned again. "I don't feel good." she leaned her head against Tony's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her. "Do you have to go tomorrow?"

Tony slumped his shoulders. "I know, I wish I didn't have to, but I've been putting it off for too long."

"Can't someone else do it for once? You always have to do it." she asked. She was looking forward to spending more time with her father now she had no schooling commitments. "Can Obi do it?"

Tony laughed quietly. "Obadiah wouldn't know how they worked. They need the man who made them. Trust me, if someone else could do it, I'd have them on it, but that's not how it works."

"I know," she spoke quietly.

Tony and Rebecca stood up and he still kept his arm around her shoulder. "You should go back to bed. Try and sleep." They walked upstairs and he stopped at her door and pulled her in for a hug, knowing he'd be gone before she woke up. "I love you kiddo." he held her tight.

"Love you too dad." she mumbled, tired, but enough energy to hug him back with the same enthusiasm.

"See you when I get back."