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𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 floor of her bedroom in her small apartment with a metal box open in front of her. Spread out on the floor were several black and white photographs. Many of them were of Peggy's family that Grace happily took. However, it wasn't a picture that caught the brunette's eye. It was the family tree that Tony had done as a child for a school assignment.
Grace picked up the paper as her eyes scanned over the tree. Howard Stark Sr. married Victoria Henderson and they had two children: Howard and Grace. Howard married Maria and they had a son: Tony. Grace never married and remained the devoted, ageless aunt that she was.
Her gaze shifted to her father's name as she stared at it. Every memory she ever had of him came flooding back. Tony was ten years old when he was assigned the family tree assignment and while his mother had answered all of his questions regarding her family, Howard was never around to provide his son with information about the Stark family. Which only left one person: Grace.
"Aunt Gracie?"
Grace looked up from her book to see Tony walking toward her with a notepad in his hands. "Hi, little penguin," she said, setting aside her book and pulling her nephew on her lap. "What are you up to today?"
"I have to do a family tree," he replied, giving her the notepad. "Have you seen Dad? He was supposed to help me with your family."
"Really?" She let out a breath and rested her head on his. "Well, I'm afraid he already went on his business trip. He won't be home for a few weeks."
"Oh." Tony looked down at the tree before looking at his aunt with wide eyes. "Well, then can you tell me about your parents?"
Grace pursed her lips and nodded. "What do you wanna know, little penguin?"
"What was Grandpa like?" he asked. "What did he do for work?"
Grace paused and ran her hand through her nephew's hair. "Um... well, Grandpa sold fruit," she said, her eyes trained on the paper in his hands. "He, uh... he was a strict man. He liked order, and... he loved your grandma. More than life itself."
"How come you don't talk about him much?" he asked and she pursed her lips. "And grandma."
"It's complicated, little penguin," she replied, swallowing the growing lump in her throat. "Why don't you go work on that family tree, okay?"
Tony nodded and hopped off his aunt's lap, leaving her with her thoughts. She hadn't thought about her father in years. And she didn't want to be thinking about him at all.
Grace tore her sight away from the family tree just as JARVIS spoke up. "Miss Stark, you asked me to remind you that the benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund is tonight."
She nodded. "Thank you, JARVIS." She pursed her lips and locked the metal box, putting it under her bed. "He's not here anymore," she whispered to herself, standing up. "Nothing is going to happen."
