Twisted in Ties (Loki x OC)

Chapter 86

Tony's POV

"Happy Birthday to you~!" She sang to our little girl and blew out her one glowing candle. I smiled at my two girls. Pepper was smiling, she was happy, but there was a part of me that couldn't be. When I looked up, I could still see her. She was there. It was only for a second, but I could see her standing on the other side of that quaint little high-chair. I could hear her voice singing too. It was beautifully tragic. My eyes and my heart told me she was there, but my mind told me...it wasn't real.

"Tony?" I snapped out of it. "Hey, honey...I lost you for a second. You were...staring again." I took in a deep breath.

"No, no, I was just...infatuated with that lovely performance. Have I ever told you how great your singing voice is? 'Cause it's fantastic."

"Tony."

"No, seriously! Sing it again! How about I record it instead of a picture? Damn, I should've thought of that before. A picture isn't enough, is it? The candle didn't burn down too much-"

"Tony, I know how you feel." I frowned a bit. Pepper silently got Morgan her cake and she let Morgan make a mess just this once as she then sat down next to me. I stared at the spot where she should've been, absently tapping my finger on the table.

"...I can see her, Pep." She placed her hand on my shoulder. I pointed behind Morgan. "She's standing right there...I can see her." Pepper looked down, having nothing to say. "Well, I could. She was there for just a couple of seconds." 

"Tony, honey..." I frowned, swallowing hard as I looked down at my hands, taking in a shaky breath.

"I-it's just me, right? ...Just in my head?"

"Tony, I miss her too."

"She should be here." 

"I know...but we can't let that take away from what we still have. Tony, we're lucky."

"I know we are...I don't want to act like we're not, I just-"

"I know." She leaned in and kissed my cheek as a tear rolled down my face. I swallowed again.

"...God, I should've been there..."

"No, no, Tony, please, don't keep doing this to yourself." I looked over at her. 

"I just want her here, Pep." There were tears in her own eyes. "She would've loved having a little sister, don't you think? I think she would've been really good with her. Heh, I can...see them up on the roof and giving me a heart attack." Pepper laughed a little before biting her lip. 

"Yeah, I can see that too."

"They would get into so much trouble together."

"Yeah."

"...I always thought I would've dreaded Izz doing all that stuff with a little sister or brother...but I would give anything to see it."

"...Me too." 

That night, I stayed up. I went through our old training videos. I watched them a lot. I knew in the back of my mind that it probably was a bad thing to do so much, but I couldn't help it. I played the first one. It was her very first time in her suit. The video started to play and her voice came on.

"Uh...Tony, Sir? Are we sure this is a good idea?"

"Yeah, you'll do fine, kid. Remember, start off small. Jarvis, don't let her go over two percent thruster power, okay?" 

"Yes, Sir." I smiled as she stepped onto the platform, ready for her test run. 

"Okay, Izetta! Let's get this show on the road! You got this." She nodded timidly.