You need to look strong (Tony Stark's daughter fanfiction)

8: I missed you

I was walking along the little meadow. Trees around me with no birds singing, no squirrels jumping around. No sun shining. The sky was cloudy. Just a normal winter weather. The whole graveyard was sad and lonely. No one there. Flowers on the graves already faded. Everything was just different. Just sad.

I passed about ten graves when I came to one particular. It was a dark shade of grey with flowers that are still kinda alive. On the tombstone was written a name: Pepper Virginia Stark/ Potts. She died on May 7. A month after my birthday. I sat on the grass in front of it so I was facing her.

"I wish you are here mum. Everything would be easier then." I said while fidgeting with my fingers. "Everyone were reassuring you that he's dead but you never lost hope." A tear slipped from my eye as I was watching her picture. " Would you forgive him if you were on my place and I was on yours?" I smiled slightly. "Of course you would." I stood up and fix the flowers on her grave. "Why can't I?" I kissed the tombstone and left.

As I was making my way towards the exit I got a text. It was form Steve. 'I'm waiting you in front of a graveyard. I want to apologised.' Two days passed since I discover the truth. They lied to me. About my own father. But Steve was there when ever I needed him. He helped me get over it for the past eight years and I have to respect that. Although he lied, although he was hiding him. I can't be mad at him.

I came to the exit and saw Steve's car on a parking lot. It was turned away from me so I couldn't see him but since he already sent a message I just enter in the passenger seat. Although what I found there wasn't Steve. It was him. I smirked. "You made Steve go that low ha?" He took off his glasses and looked at me.

"I just wanna talk." He said but I wasn't in the mood. I tried to open the door but they were locked.

"Open the door." I said trying to calm myself down.

"Not until we talk." He said while starting the engin and driving away to who knows where. We were riding for about five minutes which I spent looking out of the window while feeling his gaze every now and then. After about five minutes he said. "I'm sorry." When getting no respond from me he countinued. " I'm sorry for not being there to prevent what happend to your mum I'm sorry for not being there for you when it happend. Hell I'm sorry for everything that happend in the past ten years." My hands started shaking. He obviously noticed cause he said. "Do you want me to stop a car. Do-Do you have a ph..."

"A what?!?" I half yelled while looking at him. "You mean phobia of driving in a car because of what happend to mum?"

"Do-Do you?" He asked and I could see that he is feeling guilty but that wasn't enough.

" No. No I don't. But if I do that would have been because of the acctident I had seven years ago and not because of her. Why?" I said knowing that what I'm about to say next will hurt a lot. "Because mum didn't die in a car acctident." He kept his gaze on the road until now. He looked at my eyes and I looked at him while trying to hide the feelings in my eyes. I needed to look strong. We stayed like that for a moment until I kept going while turning eyes to the road. He kept looking at me. It wasn't a problem cause we were outside the city and there were no other cars here."When you disappeard we took it hard. I was five so I didn't understand half of things that were going on but she... she wasn't that luck." I took a deep breath. " I was barely seeing her. She was in her room. Sometimes I would heard crying, sometimes smashing but I couldn't do anything cause her room was locked." I made a short pause cause my hands started shaking."She didn't eat or drink anything for a month. She passed out from exastion six times. We took her to the hospital six times..." My whole body started shaking. "She woke up five times." My vision was blur it felt like the whole world is spinning. "O-open th-the d-door."

"Ay..."

"Open i-it!" he did as I told him and I sprinted out of the car. The road was next to the ocean so I climb down to the beach and sat on the rock listening the waves I was able to calm down. I heared footsteps behind me but I didn't turn around. I stood there quiet for a few minutes until I completely calmed down and the shaking stopped. "I was three years old. It was my birthday. You were on a mission. Mum told me you'll come back late at night. I didn't care. The party was over. Everyone left. I sat on the beach until two in the morning. You came back sat next to me and said..." he countinued.

"Whenever I'm away and you miss me look at the sky and remember that I'm watching the same sky and that I miss you too." I nodded slightly.

"I was five years old. It was my birthday. You had to leave for the mission. The party was over. Everyone left. I sat on the beach until five in the morning. Y-you came back." I turned around. Tear rolled down my cheek. I stood up,came in front of him, looked him in the eyes and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me and I could feel his tear on my hair.

"I missed you daddy."