When I was only three years old, I recall being in some type of ginormous and bland hospital. I'd been having trouble formulating words, and it was frustrating that I couldn't actually express my thoughts without screaming and hollering at someone. It was weird being in a hospital, being tested on like some kind of lab rat, but they promised cookies so I went along with it. As my father was talking to some doctor nearby, I'd been in this playroom with a bunch of Barbie dolls. There weren't any electronics for me to mess around with, so I had to make do with my imagination.

"So what's the problem, doc? I mean, she's only three- -"

"Mister Stark. I hate to burst your bubble, but your daughter Tyra is much more unique than other children."

"In a good or bad way?" Tony raised his eyebrow.

The doctor seemed to be taken back at the wording and suggestion of Tony Stark's question, but shook her head as she tried to explain further.

"Tyra is on the spectrum, Mister Stark. From what you and your assistant, as well as Mr. Hogan have informed me, she exhibits various signs of autism."

This time, Tony looks surprised and nearly chokes on his own saliva before quickly regaining himself.

"Autism? Really?" Tony's voice wavers. "But how?"

"Please just sit down, Mister Stark- -"

"Tony. I think we're past formalities don't you, doc?" Tony lets out a breathless chuckle.

The older woman gives Tony a look of sympathy and sits down with him on a bench.

"It's a lot to take in, I know, but- -"

"Please don't bullshit me." Tony smiles at her thinly.

"If you wouldn't keep cutting me off every few seconds, Tony, I was going to say that with early intervention, Tyra can receive the best care possible and be able to effectively communicate and interact with others in no time."

Tony is impressed by the older woman as he folds his arms together.

"Alrighty then. You've got my attention."

"Good. Now, let's go back to my office and discuss this further. Tyra will be fine here in the meantime."

"Listen….uh...thank you."

"It's not a problem." She returns the smile.

14 years later...

When Pepper made me come to this award ceremony to honor my father, I wasn't exactly the most pleased. I made myself busy though, talked to other associates of my father's, and made an effort to seem interested. Although, all I wanted to do was crawl under the covers and watch videos on YouTube from my tablet. So when I came to this extremely stupid and bullshit ceremony in honor of my father, it wasn't entirely a surprise that my father didn't actually show up. However, it's when Pepper gives me a nudge as Rhodey is on stage looking a little bit foolish that I'm forced to go up on stage an accept the award for him. Rhodey seems furious underneath his smile, but is surprisingly maintaining his composure fairly well.

"Tony?"

Obadiah shakes his head from in the crowd at Rhodey, letting both him and I know for certain that my dad was a no show. I reluctantly get to the stage and feel my heart thumping in my chest as everyone is clapping at me. Rhodey looks confused at seeing me, but doesn't question me when I take the trophy from him.

The shit I do because of my dad...

"Obviously I'm not Tony Stark!" I joked. Everyone laughed. "But I can absolutely say that he would be honored for receiving such an amazing award. I'm sure my father has a very good reason for not being here. He's probably busy as we speak! He's always working." I smiled. "Anyway, thank you so much for this award. My dad would love it."

Everyone whistled and applauded even louder as Rhodey and I exited from the stage. Pepper smiles as I return back to my table, and squeezes my hand gently as she murmurs in my ear.

"I'm so proud of you. You did great."

Despite hearing Pepper's praises, which made me feel so reassured and happy, I couldn't help but feel this giant gap in my heart. I was outraged that my father skipped out on such an important night when he assured us that he'd be there. As Pepper and I left the award ceremony, she could tell how angry I was when I stormed over to my red Ferrari and slammed the door shut as I get in the drivers seat.

"Listen, I know you're mad...but I'll be having a very big talk with your father when we get back home, okay?" Pepper assured me.

Pepper smiles as she gets comfortable in the passenger seat and buckles up. I can't help but crack a smile underneath her gaze, and drive home swiftly.

By the time we get home, it's almost nine o'clock and the two of us are exhausted as we both plop down on the couch and kick off our high heels. Despite the fact that Pepper is my father's assistant, the woman has grown on me quite a bit, and I'm surprisingly able to relax around her. I quickly avert my gaze from Pepper and stare at the ceiling instead as my face grows warm.

"I really want some Chinese right now…" I groaned.

"Yeah, they didn't really have anything at the ceremony." Pepper chuckles dryly.

"JARVIS, can you order some Chinese? I need to get out of this dress and stuff my face right now." I whined.

"Yes, Miss Stark. The usual then?" JARVIS replied.

"That would be great." I nearly sighed in relief

I quickly turn to Pepper and ask her what her clothing size is before running upstairs to change. I return moments later and bring Pepper some casual clothing to change into as well. Soon enough, we're both settled down and watching TV as we wait for the food to arrive. We go from Dog the Bounty Hunter to Pirates of the Caribbean in the matter of two hours, laughing our asses off as we enjoy ourselves.

When I wake up the next morning, everything is cleaned up in the living room and I'm covered with a blanket and have my bedroom pillow tucked underneath my head. There's no sign of Pepper, but I assume she went to work or is getting ready to for the day. I yawn deeply as I stretch on the couch before walking into the kitchen to make some scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, something Pepper taught me to make. After I'm sat down, it's not even five minutes before I hear an unfamiliar voice in the house. I take a sip of my beloved coffee and try very hard not to lose my shit as I can hear the voice become louder, closer, and more obnoxious.

"Tony? Toonny!" A woman sang.

I rolled my eyes and got up from the chair before I could even take a bite of my food.

"You are not authorized to access this area." JARVIS said.

I quickly went over to the woman and my eyes widened.

She's that news reporter! Christina...something...Everheart? Hell if I know...what was my dad doing with someone like her?

"That's JARVIS by the way...he runs the joint around here." I spoke up.

The blonde nearly jumped out of her skin and screamed, before recognizing me and calming down. She puts on her dazzling news report smile and shakes my hand despite me being uncomfortable with her presence.

"You must be Tyra Stark. My name's Christine Everheart from Vanity Fair Magazine." She introduced herself with a smirk on her face. "So...how's it feel being Mr. Starks daughter? Is she like her father?"

Ummm….what?

At this point, I'm really craving my coffee because I'm an absolute monster in the morning. Christine doesn't seem to understand that I'm not relaxed, and continues to pester me further.

"I hear you've been seeing this boy at a nightclub in Manhattan, are those rumors true?" She laughs.

I then give her an icy glare before giving her the most fake smile I can muster, trying to impersonate her as I lose my patience with the woman.

"Hi, Christine! I'm Tyra Stark from I Don't Give A Fuck Magazine. How's it feel being another pointless one night stand for my father?"

In less than five seconds, it's my turn to smile at the look on Christine Everheart's face. Her smug smile quickly fades before replaced with a deep frown. She's absolutely pissed off, and I admit I'm not helping matters, but again, I was in no mood for this bullshit so early in the morning.

"Excuse me you little bitch?" Christine glares at me.

"Oh don't worry. You'll be excused from this property in under ten minutes, Nancy Drew."

Christine looks ready to fight, and I am too, but the two of us are brought out of our spell when Pepper arrives quickly.

"Hello, as Tyra must have explained, that was JARVIS. He runs the house. I have your clothes here and they've been dry cleaned and pressed." Pepper came over and handed Christine her clothes. "There's also a car waiting for you outside that will take you wherever you'd like to go." Pepper finished politely.

"You must be the famous Pepper Potts..." Christine smiled thinly.

"Indeed I am." Pepper replied.

"After all these years, Tony still has you picking up the dry cleaning." Christine smirked again.

Oh, she really wants to go there? I swear this bitch is gonna get an ass whooping.

"I do everything and anything Mr. Stark requires." Pepper said.

"Like occasionally taking out the trash." I smile into my coffee cup.

Christine whirled around to throw me another icy glare, but I merely wink at her and give her a hand gesture to 'shoo'. Christine angrily takes the dry cleaning from Pepper and stormed off to the nearest bathroom, so she could get dressed and then leave.

"That was a little uncalled for don't you think?" Pepper chuckled.

"I was only being honest, Pepper. Plus I hate strangers wandering around in my home." I then batted my eyes innocently.

"You really are your father's daughter." Pepper tried stifling her laughter.

My eyes widened as I took another glance at Pepper and finally remembered...

It's her birthday!

"I'll be right back!" I shouted.

I run up the stairs in a mad dash, going to retriever my gift for Pepper from inside my closet and come back down in a hurry. Pepper looks confused, but accepts my gift and slowly unwraps it. Pepper had mentioned a few months ago about how her grandmother had passed away, and that due to a house fire, there weren't many pictures of her left. It wasn't hard to tell that this woman meant a lot to Pepper, so I managed to scrape up everything I knew about the woman, and painted a portrait of her. Pepper stares down at the painting and immediately recognizes the portrait of the elderly woman on the canvas. Her eyes glimmer with tears, and immediately, I'm thinking that my painting was the worst gift in the world if it's enough to make someone cry. I apparently misread Pepper's reaction as one of hurt, when it was one of happiness, as she puts down the painting as if it's something delicate before moving to hug me tightly.

"Aw...Tyra. This is beautiful. Thank you so much..."

I stiffened at the sudden contact and slowly returned the hug, but barely wrapped my arms around her as I grew anxious. Before I can help it, I'm stuttering and averting my gaze from Pepper.

"It's uh...it's fine...I wanted to make you something special is all. You're my favorite assistant after all. Well...my dad's assistant anyway..." I fumbled on my words.

Pepper smiled at me and picked up her painting taking it with her as she walked towards my dad's workshop.

"You go ahead and eat your breakfast. I have to talk to your father about something. And thank you again, Tyra. This painting is amazing." Pepper said.

After Pepper left I was once again alone. I went over to my breakfast and placed it back in the microwave knowing it had gotten cold.

"Would you like some orange juice, Miss Stark?" JARVIS asked.

"That would be great, JARVIS. Thanks..." I mumbled.

I took my food out of the microwave and saw the cup of orange juice already on the table. I sat back down and continued on with my morning.

Later that day, I manage to muster up the strength to come out of my room to do something productive or hear about how lazy I am from Pepper later. Pepper has helped me in establishing a routine, and I follow it perfectly as I go about doing some small chores, helping Happy when he's unloading the groceries from his car, etc. When I do finally get to see my father later in the evening, he's already tipsy as he tinkers with his latest tech at ten thirty that evening. He drunkenly waves at me to come join him and even gives me some of his liquor as we spend some time together. The more we exchange the bottle of good scotch, the more talkative and expressive I am. Dad keeps asking me about my day, and if I've made any good artwork lately, and in return, I ask him about how the company is going. Overall, everything feels light and relaxing as we continue to drink and work around our tools together.

"So, is that a yes?"

"Huh?" I glance over at him in confusion.

My dad playfully rolls his eyes and takes away the almost finished bottle of scotch.

"I asked if you were gonna come with me tomorrow. To Afghanistan. I have this awesome weapons demonstration I'm doing for the army, and I'd like it if you tagged along. As my moral support of course." He smirks.

"Since when have you ever required moral support?" I snickered. "You're so bad."

My dad's smirk falters when he sees that I'm not joking.

"What's that supposed to mean, kiddo?" My dad playfully glares at me.

"It means, you have never given a shit about things being right or wrong. As long as we make a buck or two right?" I roll my eyes as if it's obvious.

My dad's smile completely fades, his expression turning into one of hurt as he looks at me.

"Do you really think that about me, Tye?"

I can feel my stomach drop, and it takes me a minute to realize that I'm feeling guilty for hurting my dad's feelings. I say the first thing that pops into my mind.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." I tried assuring him.

"Tyra…"

My dad's hand hovers over my own before he reluctantly pulls away and sighs.

"What did I do wrong? Just tell me...please." I blurt out.

My dad can see how I'm struggling to formulate a thought, and he gives me a small and warm smile reserved for me. Immediately, I relax under his gaze, and move closer to him as I hesitantly reach for his hand.

"I'm sorry." I repeated.

"Look, I don't want you to be sorry. I can tell you were just being honest." My dad shrugs nonchalantly.

"Pepper tells me that honesty can hurt someone's feelings, I'm sorry if I hurt yours." I frown deeply.

My dad brings back the bottle and takes a sip from it before handing over to me.

"It's okay. I know how hard you try to express yourself, Tye. I'm proud of you. Plus, I appreciate honesty. Can't stand that stupid 'don't wanna hurt your feelings' bullshit."

My dad pokes at my side, and I let out a giggle after I take a sip of whiskey.

"So come on, let's get back to work huh? Gotta teach you some good work ethic." My dad jokes.

I roll my eyes, but does as he says. The two of us fall into a comfortable silence and continue to tinker with his newest invention. Half an hour later, I grin excitedly as I show him my latest design in a holographic shield, inspired by Captain America.

"What's with your obsession with Captain America anyway?" My dad snorts.

"He's cool! I love him!" I argue.

"Please, don't gush over him like my old man did. It's embarrassing."

I pout and fold my arms.

"Oh do not give me that face. I'm not taking it back." My dad musters.

The next morning, I go to the workshop earlier than usual, eager to prove my dad wrong as I improve and even bring my latest invention to life. I notice that my dad is gone, probably left for Afghanistan early this morning. I feel bad that I wasn't able to say goodbye, but my eagerness to finish my holographic Captain America shield that could deflect physical matter like a real shield made me work harder. I already couldn't wait for my dad to return to the USA, so that I could give him an awesome demonstration of my own. I'm listening to ACDC's Shoot to Thrill, and I get excited and anxious to shoot something. I'd recently added the function to my holographic shield, the bracelet it was powered from, could shoot lasers. So not only did I have a shield, but also possessed a laser gun.

"JARVIS! Turn the music up a little louder!" I ordered.

"Yes, Miss Stark." JARVIS replied.

"Thank you!" I replied happily.

"Hey Dummy! Come here! I need you to throw something at me!" I waved over at Dummy.

He was dad's first robot I think...

The robot slowly made its way over towards me with a bottle of scotch in his hand. I got into a defensive position and waited for Dummy to throw the bottle. Dummy threw the bottle and I put up the shield praying I wouldn't get hit. The noise of glass shattering had me tense up, but when I saw the remains of the whiskey bottle around me, I realized that my invention was good to go, that it was a complete success.

"HELL YEAH!" I cheered. "JARVIS! This calls for a celebration!" I sang.

And for special occasions and because JARVIS knew what made me happy, he played a different song, "Sweet Victory" from that episode in Spongebob with the marching band. A smile broke out on my face as JARVIS promptly played the song, and I jog upstairs after remembering that Pepper brought me cheesecake fairly recently. I'm eating my cheesecake in front of the TV and am watching Codename Kids Next Door when JARVIS mutes the TV and interrupts.

I can't wait for dad to return. He's gonna be so impressed with my shield.

"Miss Stark, you have one incoming phone call. It's Miss Potts and it sounds urgent.." JARVIS spoke up.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead and answer." I replied.

"Tyra, go turn on the TV right now. There's something you have to see on the news..." Pepper sounded upset.

It was Pepper's tone, that made me nervous, but I reluctantly complied with her request anyway. In a minute, I have on a news channel, looking at the TV with wide eyes when I see, "TONY STARK MISSING AFTER TERRORIST ATTACK!" I feel completely shell-shocked as I sit back on the couch and turn off the TV. It's hard to take the information in and process it knowing that I just saw him last night. I think it's even harder for me to formulate a thought, but Pepper finally spoke up and tries her best to help me remain calm.

"Tyra, are you there?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah..." I managed to say.

"I'm gonna come over there. There is no way I'm going to leave you alone at a time like this." I visualize her worried expression.

I run my hands over my face and my hair and feel my breathing pick up.

"It's fine, Pepper...I'll be okay..." I muttered.

"I'm still your father's assistant and it's my job to also look after you. They'll get him back, Tyra. They have to..." Pepper sounded confident.

I feel my entire body shaking uncontrollably, but knowing there's nothing I can do to help my dad, it has me feeling empty inside.

"I'm gonna get a shower, Pepper...I'll talk to you later." I finally spoke up.

"Okay...I'll be over in a half hour at least. This traffic is insane." Pepper lightly jokes.

"Okay...bye."

After JARVIS ends the call, the feeling left inside me is almost indescribable. It's almost like an out of body experience as I walk upstairs and shed my clothing before locking myself in the bathroom. JARVIS already has the water running as I step into the bathtub and sit in the hot water. Finally, the panic begins to set in, and I'm rocking my body back and forth in the bath as I hug myself.

Was I horrible not being able to cry over my own father? What if he was hurt or worse?

The guilt became overwhelming the longer I sat alone, my only company being my thoughts. My mind is racing with the worst possibilities, visions of my father's dead body in a casket surface, and I'm left with the idea that this was going to be just like the time Howard and Maria Stark passed away and left their son all alone. I sunk into the tub a little more as I try to shake these notions of fear, the notion that I would be running Stark Industries, the very idea of my father being...dead.

"Could you add some steam in here JARVIS?" I asked.

Steam fills the room slowly, and my body inches more into the water as I attempt to relax my body.

I have to remain calm. They said that my dad was only missing, so he could still be alive! They haven't found a body.

Ten minutes pass...

The lights flicker briefly, but enough that I'm more alert and probably thinking of leaving the bathtub.

Twenty minutes pass…

My eyes reopen to find that the entire room is now filled with steam, making the visibility in here seem almost impossible as I drain the bathtub. The steam seems almost abnormal, as it doesn't linger away, and keeps increasing.

Is it just me or is it getting harder to breathe in here?

"JAaaarvvi- -JAArrvisss..." I spoke up weakly.

No reply...What the hell? JARVIS?

I walk over to the door, thinking JARVIS has malfunctioned as I try to turn the door handle. I continue to jiggle the door handle, feeling the panic set in when the steam increases. The door was...locked. The most bizarre thing of all of this was that this door had a lock on the inside.

"J- -Jaarrviis? Open the door...and turn down the steam..." I moaned.

I wrap a towel around my body despite how incredibly hot it is inside the bathroom, and struggle to open the door.

Pepper should be here any moment now!

"Pepper?!" I yelled worriedly. "You there?!"

No answer...where is she? I thought she said she was coming!

"Shit." I gasp for air. "It's so hot in here."

I start pounding my fist on the door, hoping anyone would come by and hear me shout for help. I kept praying that Pepper would help get me out despite the fact I'm not that religious, but it seemed that I would be alone for quite some time. However, as time progresses, it's becoming harder to breathe, and the idea that I could die from heatstroke or something of that nature begins to really set in. I grow desperate in my attempts to get out and start ramming my body against the door and ignore the pain setting in my shoulder. Eventually, however, my energy starts to decline, and I find myself panting against the tiled floor before realizing I probably fell. Soon, it becomes hard to think, and all I want to do is sleep and never wake up. I get my wish when my vision starts fading into blackness.

What do you guys think? I like how the rewrite for this first chapter turned out! :D