Tony couldn't stand watching his little sister wallow in self-pity. He decided after two days of watching her wander around the penthouse like a depressed ghost; he needed to do something, “That's it, I can't take this anymore. Take a shower; you're gross, then get dressed. We're going Christmas shopping.”
“I don't want to,” Alina told her brother.
“I don't care; we're going.”
Alina sighed and turned around. She went to her bedroom to shower and change. Alina didn't feel like dressing up, so Alina wore a pair of jeans, a red sweater, and black boots. She had her black hat and scarf in her hand. When she walked out of her room, Alina saw Tony dressed in his usual tailored suit. He looked at his sister and rolled his eyes.
“Good enough.”
Tony took the hat from his sister and placed it on her had then wrapped the scarf around Alina's neck. Tony then helped Alina with her coat then put on his own. They made their way down to the parking garage, where Happy was waiting for them. “Where to, Mr. Stark,” Happy asked.
“To Alina's favorite restaurant for breakfast.”
“I'm not in the mood to eat, Tony.”
“Once again, I don't care. Besides, you need to eat more than junk food. You need to eat something fairly nutritious for your kiddos.”
At the thought of her children, Alina's hand went to her belly. Tony was right; she couldn't be selfish. Alina had to eat and take care of herself for the sake of the babies. Resigning herself, she nodded, and they headed off to the diner that Alina loved.
When they arrived, the owner came out and greeted the Stark siblings. He had been serving them breakfast since Alina was a little girl and had always considered their privacy. Charlie had a special booth for the Starks that was out of the way and blocked from view from any of the other people in the diner. And if they were spotted, Charlied didn't allow anyone to bothers the siblings.
Charlie led the siblings to their table and gave them their menus. A waitress named Emma came over with two cups of coffee for them, “Hello, Tony, Hello, Alina. It's been a long time since we've seen you.”
Alina looked up at Emma, forcing a smile, “Hey, Emma, how are you?”
“I'm good, Sweetie, how have you been?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“Not feeling the Christmas spirit?”
“Not yet, Emma, but that's something I'm hoping to change today,” Tony tells one of the sibling's oldest friends.
“Okay, what would you like for breakfast? I know what you want, Tony, eggs over easy, bacon, and a stack of blueberry pancakes.”
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Tony smirked at Emma, “You know me so well, darling.”
“Of course, I do, Honey. It's your sister who's the mystery. Always getting something different every time she comes in. What will it be this time?”
