{Chapter Twenty-One}
"Everything is achievable through technology."
Abby laid with her head on Tony's chest her eyes closed as she tried to sleep. The young girl had been up for hours, mostly just sitting with her dad, but spending your whole day with Tony Stark is exhausting so who can blame the girl for being tired. Her father was reading through journals written by Howard Stark containing a multitude of brilliant ideas. In the background, there was a video playing of her grandfather advertising the original Stark Expo.
Tony sighed looking down at his daughter with a fond smile as she moved closer to him for warmth. Placing the journal down, Tony grabbed a banket and placed it over her sleeping form.
"Tony?" Howard Stark's voice spoke softly from the screen causing Tony to look up from his daughter to the screen, "You're too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you. And someday you'll realise that it represents a whole lot more than just people's inventions. It represents my life's work. This is the key to the future. I'm limited by the technology of my time, but one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is and always will be my greatest creation is you."
As her grandfather spoke Abby's eyes fluttered open so that she could look up at her father. The man was staring at the screen his father had once filled, staring at it in shock. Tony blinked at the screen before seeing Abby move.
"Hey, munchkin." He smiled down at her.
"Hi," Abby replied in a tired voice as she closed her eyes again.
"Come on, let's get you into an actual bed," Tony spoke lifting Abby into his arms causing her to rest her head on his shoulder.
Tony carried Abby through the house to one of the spare bedrooms, which was the only one still standing. After pulling her shoes off her feet the father laid his daughter on the bed pulling the covers over her. Abby smiled at Tony before sighing and looking around the room.
"I'm gonna call the construction workers tomorrow, get them to start rebuilding so that you can get back into your own room," Tony promised, placing a kiss on top of her head.
"Okay," Abby nodded watching her father turn to leave the room but stopping him as he reached the door, "Dad?"
"Yeah, munchkin?" Tony turned back to face the small girl.
"Do you think your mom and dad would have liked me?" Abby asked in a small voice.
"What do you ask?" Tony moved to sit beside the girl on her bed.
"I don't know," She shrugged, "I just think it's sad that I never got to meet them."
Tony smiled down at the girl before speaking, "My mother would have loved you. She would have taken you everywhere and bought you so many clothes."
"What about your dad?"
"He would have loved you too, he might have just shown it in a different way." Tony nodded before leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead, "Get some sleep, kid."
The next afternoon Abby made her way into her semi-built home instantly making her way down to the lab in search of her father. The young girl found him stood over a table muttering to Jarvis and made her way over to him.
"Where did you find that?" The girl asked as she looked down at the 1974 Stark Expo model that was resting upon one of her father's worktops.
"Pepper's new office. You're early." Tony spoke looking down at the girl.
"No, I'm not. This is the time I get home every day, from school." Abby shrugged walking around the table to take a closer look at the model.
"Jarvis?" Tony asked, checking the girl was telling the truth as he stared at her suspiciously.
"She is correct, sir," Jarvis replied.
"Fine. How many buildings are there?" Tony said returning his attention to the Stark Expo model and lifting the projection of the model to move it.
"Am I to include the Belgian waffle stands?" Jarvis asked causing Abby to giggle as she followed her father.
"That was rhetorical. Just tell me." Tony instructed, glaring at his daughter as she laughed,
Abby watched as her father worked making her way over to the fridge to get a capri-sun.
"What does that look like to you, Jarvis? Not unlike an atom." Tony spoke, to himself mostly. Abby made her way over, looking up at the projection her head tilted to the side slightly.
"Would that make that the nucleus?" Abby asked pointing at the middle, causing Tony to looked down at her with an impressed smile.
"Exactly," Tony nodded before speaking to Jarvis, "Highlight the Unisphere. Lose the footpaths. Get rid of them."
"What is it you're trying to achieve, sir?" Jarvis asked.
"I'm discovering... Correction. I'm rediscovering a new element, I believe." Tony answered causing Abby to look up at him with wide eyes.
Tony continued to throw orders at Jarvis as Abby watched him work until he took the nucleus and expanded it. Abby's eyes widened in awe as the two became surrounded b the new element.
"Dead for twenty years, and still taking me to school," Tony muttered before snapping his hands down so that the model shrunk and could be held in his hands.
"The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium," Jarvis spoke.
"Thanks, Dad," Tony whispered.
"Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesize."
"Mom used to tell me that nothing is impossible." Abby shrugged smiling up at her father.
"And as we all know, Sarah is always right. Get ready for a major remodel, fellas. We're back into hardware mode." Tony called out grabbing a sledgehammer.
"Does that mean it will make you better?" The girl asked her father as he worked causing him to look at her in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Tony questioned her softly moving so he was crouched down to her level.
"I know the reactor had been making you sick," Abby whispered pressing her finger to where the ark reactor sat in his chest.
"Who told you?" Tony sighed
"Nobody," Abby shrugged, "I could just tell."
"I'm sorry, munchkin," Tony pulled Abby into a hug with a small sigh.
"But the new element will make you better, right?" Abby asked pulling away from her father and looking up at him with hopeful eyes.
"I hope so," Tony nodded.
"So we're gonna be okay?"
Tony smiled at the girl pulling her into a hug and holding her tightly, "Yeah, munchkin."
"We're gonna be just fine."