A/N; you guys, I just found the coolest thing. It's a Marvel Fanfiction awards! By marvelfanficawards . Yes, go check it out and PLEASE NOMINATE MY BOOK! That would be so cool if I one something like that!
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"Top or bottom?"
Maggie snapped out of her daze and glanced at her older cousin. She had been thinking about what had happened earlier.
"What?" She asked.
"Which do you want? Top or bottom?" Her nine-year-old cousin, Annie, asked her whilst pointing to the bunk bed in front of her.
"Oh, bottom. I don't like heights." Maggie responded quietly.
Annie shrugged, "Okay, I'll take the top. I'll be right back, I have to make sure my stupid baby brother isn't eating something off of the floor."
Annie left for her little brother, leaving Maggie alone in the large bedroom. Maggie stood in the middle of the room. She set her backpack on the bottom bunk and sat down. Tears pricked at her eyes as she recalled what had happened earlier.
**********
Maggie slammed her door shut and ran to her bed. She grabbed her backpack off of the ground and began packing everything that was hers.
The door opened slowly and Stark walked in. He gave her a sad look. He had taken off his sunglasses and now was just in a white shirt and black vest with black dress pants and shoes.
"Go away, Tony!" She yelled at the verge of tears. She sat on the floor beside the bed, gathering her clothes.
"I guess you heard what happened in there, huh?" He asked as he sat on the edge of the bed facing her.
Maggie wiped at her tears vigorously. "You don't want me anymore?"
"It's easier this way. You don't want to live here with me. My life isn't suitable for a kid. Constantly going to business meetings or throwing parties, that's not what you want." Tony said quietly.
"But, I like going to business meetings with you. I like having parties past my bedtime. And I like hanging out with you and the Avengers." Maggie defended herself.
She stood up and went inside the small bathroom, gathering her toothbrush.
"Well, you can still crash random people's meetings and parties." Stark called from her bedroom. "And you can probably still see the Avengers."
Maggie glanced at herself in the mirror. Her long brown hair fell over her shoulders in waves of a chocolate ocean, and her hazel eyes shone underneath her long, thick eyelashes. Her shirt had a Captain America shield on the front. And her knee-length light denim shorts with blue gym shoes tied her outfit together.
She went back into the bedroom holding her backpack.
"Don't you get it? I want to do all of these things with you, Tony. You're my daddy. You're the only family I have left, and family takes care of each other." Maggie stuffed her bear in her backpack.
"You still have Aunt Kathy and her kids." Tony said, not making eye contact.
"You know what I mean." She planted her hands in her hips.
"Excuse me, sir, Miss Kathy is here." J.A.R.V.I.S informed them.
Tony walked out of her temporary bedroom and down the steps of the mansion. Maggie trailed after him, throwing her backpack over her shoulder.
"Please Tony, don't let them take me away from you." Maggie pleaded.
Tony stopped in front of the glass doors. He grabbed her bird cage with the little yellow bird. He turned around and handed her the cage.
"I've already signed the court papers. It's better this way." He answered her.
In a last desperate attempt to convince him to let her stay, Maggie threw herself around his mid-section in a tight hug. Tony was shocked, but he wrapped his arms around he small figure. Tony felt something in his heart that he didn't like. Sending Maggie away was breaking his heart.
"I love you, Tony." She whispered in his shirt. It was barely audible, but he still heard it.
He gently broke her away from him and squatted in front of her.
"Hey," he put a hand on her frail shoulders. "The sun will come out tomorrow."
She frowned. "Is that a movie line from the 80's?"
"What? It's from Annie. Annie the little orphan girl. C'mon, you've never seen Annie before?" Stark asked her.
She shook her head, oblivious to what he was saying.
"Oh well, never mind. But it's going to be okay, squirt. I'll....miss you." He admitted.
Maggie nodded in defeat. She grabbed the cage from him.
"Here this is yours." She took off the bracelet he gave her.
"Nah, keep it, kid. It's still got about 70 shots left. Just try not to enslave the world with it, okay? Then I'll have to call the Avengers, and we'd have to stop you." Tony joked, getting a small laugh out of her.
She turned to walk out of the door, but stopped suddenly.
"Goodbye J.A.R.V.I.S, I love you too." Maggie called out.
"Goodbye Miss Maggie. If I could feel love, I'm sure I would love you too." J.A.R.V.I.S. responded.
Maggie walked out of the mansion and to her aunt's grey minivan. She got in the back, setting the bird cage down.
"Oh, she's got a bird. Where did she get a bird?" Kathy mumbled.
Tony leaned against her car door. He was slightly horrified that she was driving already. "Everything's ready."
Kathy nodded, pursing her slightly chapped lips. "T-take care of yourself, Stark."
"Take care of Maggie for me."
"I will."
And with that, she pulled out of his driveway, taking away his only family left.
***********
The elevator stopped at its destination and the doors opened. Tony stepped out into the Avengers lounge. He casually walked in and over to the window, passing his coworkers.
Natasha was behind the bar, drinking something that definitely wasn't water. Clint was directly in front of her, sitting on a bar stool, playing with one of his arrows. Steve was sitting in the large L-shaped couch, reading a newspaper. Thor sat on the other side of the couch, gazing off into thin air. Dr. Banner was over on the table, working on his computer.
Natasha was the first to realize Stark didn't have his little shadow.
"Where's Maggie?" She called after him. Steve looked up from his newspaper.
Tony hesitated. "Maggie went back with her aunt to live."
Now he had everyone's attention. Clint spun around on his stool. Steve set the newspaper on his lap. Bruce looked up from his computer. And Thor snapped out of his daze.
"What are you talking about, Tony?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrow.
"She wanted custody of Maggie, and I let her have her." Tony answered shortly. He didn't turn around to face them. He just continued to gaze out at the bright lights of New York City.
"Wait," Clint started, "is this the aunt that was in a coma?"
"Yep,"
"So, she's gone?" Bruce Banner asked.
"Yep,"
"Why didn't you talk with us about this before you sent her away?" Natasha glared at the back of his head. Since Natasha couldn't have any children of her own, she felt as if Maggie was somehow hers too.
Tony spun around quickly. "Why would I care what you all think?! She's not your burden to bare, she's mine. You aren't going to be the ones to tuck her into bed at night or braid her hair before school. No, that's all on me. And-and I can't raise a kid. I can't even take care of myself sometimes."
At this, Thor laughed.
"I don't know anything about little girls." Tony continued. "I never had a sister or a daughter before. I-I especially can't take care of her if I'm still doing this Avengers thing. My life would do a complete...flip."
The room filled with a dead silence. Natasha was the first to break it as usual.
"Tony, you know we would help you." She said softly.
"Ha! But what happens when you guys just up and drop everything. Then it's just me making emergency run to the store for pads and chocolate. It's me that's going to be the one who tells her she can't be with a boy. Oh my god, what am I going to do when she gets pregnant?!" Tony's eyes widened at the sudden realization that he would be a grandparent.
"Woah, woah, woah," Steve stepped forward and put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "You're thinking too far in advance. Just take this one day at a time."
"Yeah, doesn't Pepper run Stark Industries now, anyways?" Bruce asked as he readjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"It's still my business!" Stark yelled suddenly.
"Okay, okay, just calm down!" Natasha handed him her own drink. He took it and gulped the remainder down.
Thor stepped forward and set his hammer on the coffee table. Then, he turned towards Tony.
"Stark, I of all people should know what abandoning your family is like. It feels good the first few days, but this feeling does not last. You begin to feel....lonely." He grabbed Tony by the shoulder and looked into his brown eyes. "Do not turn your back on your family, not when they need you most."
Tony nodded and stepped back, clearly uncomfortable with the demi-god so close to him. He ran his hands over his face tiredly.
"I-I don't know how to get her back." He said barely louder than a whisper.
"We can help with that." Black Widow smirked. "After all, we are the Avengers."