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He'd gone about this all wrong. That much had become blatantly obvious to Tony after his meeting with Roxanne. He should've listened to Carrie, of course he should have – she'd raised Roxanne, she knew her better than anyone. And now he might have actually soured that mother-daughter relationship by going in all guns blazing.

He'd take a day – the suit needed some touch-ups, or at least that was the excuse he'd make for himself for staying around a little longer somewhere he wasn't entirely sure he was wanted anymore. But there was something unsettling him, a lead weight in his gut, a nagging little feeling that something was wrong.

“Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir?” The crisp British voice came, attentive as ever.

“Where is she?”

In an impulsive moment, Tony had attached a small tracking device to Roxanne's cell while she drank her coffee. He'd seen the look in her eyes, he'd seen it in his own, and it might have been a stupid idea, but he needed to know that wherever she was he could find her. Where the sudden fatherly impulse had come from, he couldn't say, perhaps he was making up for what his own father lacked.

“Hospice of Michigan, 400 Mack Avenue.”

She was with her mother, good. Except it was 10pm, well past visiting hours, she shouldn't be there. Something was wrong.

Before he knew it, he was outside the hospice, still suited up, much to the shock of the elderly janitor, who had to look several times just to be sure what he was actually seeing. “Hey,” Tony gave a small awkward wave as he powered down the suit, and walked through the door. The janitor returned it, watching as the visitor made his way further into the building, too stunned by the billionaire's appearance to stop him.

Tony retraced his steps from the day before, heading toward Carrie's room for the second time in as many days. He opened the door carefully so as not to make any noise in case Carrie was sleeping. But, he wasn't so lucky. Inside, Roxanne slept on a couch by the window, bathed in the soft light of a table lamp, a bottle sitting on the floor beside her.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” She might have been whispering, but Carrie's words were as harsh as if she'd been shouting loud enough for the whole building to hear. He turned to her, eyes downcast much like a chastised child. “I told you she wasn't ready. I told you she was having a tough time right now – but NO, the great Tony Stark won't listen to anyone but himself.”

He moved closer to the bed, keeping his voice low also, “What happened?”

“An hour before visiting hours were over, Roxanne burst in here, blind drunk, wanting to know why I hadn't told her about her father,” she said sternly, eyes hard. “Imagine my surprise when she tells me about the coffee she shared with you this morning. Only a few hours after I talked to you about not doing exactly that.”

Tony huffed, “She's my daughter too, Carrie.”

“For about a week!” She raised her voice for a moment, but noticing Roxanne stir slightly, she lowered it again, “Tony, you can't just walk into her life and drop that on her. Not at a time like this.”

“I didn't think--”

“No, you didn't. I had to beg the nurses to let her stay here, if she left I don't know what she'd do.” Carrie's face was lined with anxiety, “Recklessness is clearly one of the things that passes down through Stark DNA.”

Tony sighed, looking over to Roxanne's sleeping form on the couch. She seemed younger somehow as she slept, as though all the worries in her life had ebbed away. “It can't be that bad.”

“She almost died Tony!” She yelled, covering her mouth quickly, as tears filled her eyes. Both expected this to wake their daughter, but all she did was shift position, curling up as she turned herself towards them. When all was safe again, Tony returned his confused gaze to Carrie. “When I first thought that something was wrong, I went to get tested. I didn't tell Roxanne because I didn't want to worry her, but the hospital called to say they had my results. Roxanne picked up. They didn't tell her any more than they had them, but it was enough for her to know I'd lied to her. She asked me and I told her what the results were.”

She paused, “And?” Tony urged her to continue.

“She left, and I didn't know where she'd gone and I couldn't find her. Roxanne has never lost anyone before, I'm all she's got. That night I got a call from the hospital – Roxanne had been in a car accident. The hospital said her blood alcohol was point 2 and she tried to drive. The car was hit, it flipped and the impact broke three of her ribs, crushed one foot, dislocated her shoulder, fractured her jaw and punctured a lung. They told me the internal bleeding was so bad that if they'd been twenty minutes later operating, I'd have lost her.” The tears ran down her face, as she swallowed hard. Tony felt his chest ache, just the idea of Roxanne being so hurt caused him pain, he couldn't imagine having been there as Carrie was. “I sat by her bedside for three days waiting for her to wake up, and then helped her through four months of recovery. She made me promise not to lie to her again and I wanted to tell her about you then and there, but I couldn't.”

“You should've told me sooner; I could've been there. Or at the very least you should've told me when I came to see you yesterday. I just thought you were worried what Roxanne would think, I didn't realise what had happened,” Tony had been by Happy's side when he was in the hospital, and that was difficult enough, but seeing your own child's life hang in the balance like that, it was too much for Tony to even consider.

“You should both come to New York,” Tony said instinctively, continuing before Carrie had the chance to interrupt, “I can help keep an eye on Roxanne, get her any help she needs, and I can get you the best care money can buy. Please, let me do this, Carrie.”

“I don't know Tony, that's a lot to ask of you--”

“You're not asking,” He cut in, “I'm offering.”

She sighed, “I need to talk to Roxanne about it, I can't make this decision.”

“Just consider it.” Carrie nodded, and there was quiet for a moment.

“No way I'm going to New York,” Roxanne mumbled, sitting up on the couch and rubbing her tired eyes. She reached for the bottle, but finding it empty, she slumped back against the cushions. “Especially not with you. You can't just walk into our life and uproot everything.”

She stood, taking a cigarette from her pocket, “I need a smoke.”

Both her parents watched as she left the room, but something in Tony snapped. They were trying to help and he especially wasn't going to let her speak to her mother in that way. Giving Carrie's hand a light squeeze, he got up, following Roxanne from the room.

“Wait a second.”

This time she kept walking, “Why?”

“For your mom.” She turned back, eyes narrowing in a way that said she was listening, however begrudgingly. “No one knows how long she's got left, but if you two come to New York with me, I promise that for the time she has left, she will have the very best care. So, if you're not going to do this for me, or yourself, Roxanne, do it for your mom.”

Her eyes had softened, if only a little, and Tony could see how her mother's illness had truly affected her. Behind the tough exterior, she was a child afraid of being alone in the world. And Tony knew that – he'd been that child. If he could change that for her, he'd move heaven and earth to make that happen.

But, she turned her back on him again, and continued to walk.

“Fine,” she mumbled in the quiet of the hospice halls, just loud enough for Tony to hear. He smirked a little at the victory, backing up to return to Carrie’s side.

There was hope for them yet.

Description
He'd gone about this all wrong. That much had become blatantly obvious to Tony after his meeting with Roxanne. He should've listened to Carrie, of course he should have – she'd raised Roxanne, she knew her better than anyone. And now he might have actually soured that mother-daughter relationship by going in all guns blazing.

He'd take a day – the suit needed some touch-ups, or at least that was the excuse he'd make for himself for staying around a little longer somewhere he wasn't entirely sure he was wanted anymore. But there was something unsettling him, a lead weight in his gut, a nagging little feeling that something was wrong.

“Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir?” The crisp British voice came, attentive as ever.

“Where is she?”

In an impulsive moment, Tony had attached a small tracking device to Roxanne's cell while she drank her coffee. He'd seen the look in her eyes, he'd seen it in his own, and it might have been a stupid idea, but he needed to know that wherever she was he could find her. Where the sudden fatherly impulse had come from, he couldn't say, perhaps he was making up for what his own father lacked.

“Hospice of Michigan, 400 Mack Avenue.”

She was with her mother, good. Except it was 10pm, well past visiting hours, she shouldn't be there. Something was wrong.

Before he knew it, he was outside the hospice, still suited up, much to the shock of the elderly janitor, who had to look several times just to be sure what he was actually seeing. “Hey,” Tony gave a small awkward wave as he powered down the suit, and walked through the door. The janitor returned it, watching as the visitor made his way further into the building, too stunned by the billionaire's appearance to stop him.

Tony retraced his steps from the day before, heading toward Carrie's room for the second time in as many days. He opened the door carefully so as not to make any noise in case Carrie was sleeping. But, he wasn't so lucky. Inside, Roxanne slept on a couch by the window, bathed in the soft light of a table lamp, a bottle sitting on the floor beside her.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” She might have been whispering, but Carrie's words were as harsh as if she'd been shouting loud enough for the whole building to hear. He turned to her, eyes downcast much like a chastised child. “I told you she wasn't ready. I told you she was having a tough time right now – but NO, the great Tony Stark won't listen to anyone but himself.”

He moved closer to the bed, keeping his voice low also, “What happened?”

“An hour before visiting hours were over, Roxanne burst in here, blind drunk, wanting to know why I hadn't told her about her father,” she said sternly, eyes hard. “Imagine my surprise when she tells me about the coffee she shared with you this morning. Only a few hours after I talked to you about not doing exactly that.”

Tony huffed, “She's my daughter too, Carrie.”

“For about a week!” She raised her voice for a moment, but noticing Roxanne stir slightly, she lowered it again, “Tony, you can't just walk into her life and drop that on her. Not at a time like this.”

“I didn't think--”

“No, you didn't. I had to beg the nurses to let her stay here, if she left I don't know what she'd do.” Carrie's face was lined with anxiety, “Recklessness is clearly one of the things that passes down through Stark DNA.”

Tony sighed, looking over to Roxanne's sleeping form on the couch. She seemed younger somehow as she slept, as though all the worries in her life had ebbed away. “It can't be that bad.”

“She almost died Tony!” She yelled, covering her mouth quickly, as tears filled her eyes. Both expected this to wake their daughter, but all she did was shift position, curling up as she turned herself towards them. When all was safe again, Tony returned his confused gaze to Carrie. “When I first thought that something was wrong, I went to get tested. I didn't tell Roxanne because I didn't want to worry her, but the hospital called to say they had my results. Roxanne picked up. They didn't tell her any more than they had them, but it was enough for her to know I'd lied to her. She asked me and I told her what the results were.”

She paused, “And?” Tony urged her to continue.

“She left, and I didn't know where she'd gone and I couldn't find her. Roxanne has never lost anyone before, I'm all she's got. That night I got a call from the hospital – Roxanne had been in a car accident. The hospital said her blood alcohol was point 2 and she tried to drive. The car was hit, it flipped and the impact broke three of her ribs, crushed one foot, dislocated her shoulder, fractured her jaw and punctured a lung. They told me the internal bleeding was so bad that if they'd been twenty minutes later operating, I'd have lost her.” The tears ran down her face, as she swallowed hard. Tony felt his chest ache, just the idea of Roxanne being so hurt caused him pain, he couldn't imagine having been there as Carrie was. “I sat by her bedside for three days waiting for her to wake up, and then helped her through four months of recovery. She made me promise not to lie to her again and I wanted to tell her about you then and there, but I couldn't.”

“You should've told me sooner; I could've been there. Or at the very least you should've told me when I came to see you yesterday. I just thought you were worried what Roxanne would think, I didn't realise what had happened,” Tony had been by Happy's side when he was in the hospital, and that was difficult enough, but seeing your own child's life hang in the balance like that, it was too much for Tony to even consider.

“You should both come to New York,” Tony said instinctively, continuing before Carrie had the chance to interrupt, “I can help keep an eye on Roxanne, get her any help she needs, and I can get you the best care money can buy. Please, let me do this, Carrie.”

“I don't know Tony, that's a lot to ask of you--”

“You're not asking,” He cut in, “I'm offering.”

She sighed, “I need to talk to Roxanne about it, I can't make this decision.”

“Just consider it.” Carrie nodded, and there was quiet for a moment.

“No way I'm going to New York,” Roxanne mumbled, sitting up on the couch and rubbing her tired eyes. She reached for the bottle, but finding it empty, she slumped back against the cushions. “Especially not with you. You can't just walk into our life and uproot everything.”

She stood, taking a cigarette from her pocket, “I need a smoke.”

Both her parents watched as she left the room, but something in Tony snapped. They were trying to help and he especially wasn't going to let her speak to her mother in that way. Giving Carrie's hand a light squeeze, he got up, following Roxanne from the room.

“Wait a second.”

This time she kept walking, “Why?”

“For your mom.” She turned back, eyes narrowing in a way that said she was listening, however begrudgingly. “No one knows how long she's got left, but if you two come to New York with me, I promise that for the time she has left, she will have the very best care. So, if you're not going to do this for me, or yourself, Roxanne, do it for your mom.”

Her eyes had softened, if only a little, and Tony could see how her mother's illness had truly affected her. Behind the tough exterior, she was a child afraid of being alone in the world. And Tony knew that – he'd been that child. If he could change that for her, he'd move heaven and earth to make that happen.

But, she turned her back on him again, and continued to walk.

“Fine,” she mumbled in the quiet of the hospice halls, just loud enough for Tony to hear. He smirked a little at the victory, backing up to return to Carrie’s side.

There was hope for them yet.