Possibility of Tomorrow - 23

Cont...

 Tony had never seen someone do what Darling had just done, threaten danger in the face, and then hang up. The girl had also been staring at the same spot on the table for five minutes straight. 

"You okay?" Tony eased himself down into the chair next to her.

 She didn't acknowledge him, still staring.

 "Hey, Darling." Tony reached out and tapped the metal table in front of her line of vision. A few too many mistakes invading Peter's space during anxiety and panic attacks teaching him not to shake her. 

Darling jerked out of her daze and looked over at him, "Sorry, what?" 

Tony leaned back and say the same scared eyes he'd seen with Peter too many times when thoughts threatened to overwhelm, "Are you okay?" 

"Fine. Why?" Darling seemed so nonchalant, and it made Tony mad that she and Peter, and all the other young people caught up in events they couldn't control, had to fake nonchalant and normalcy. 

"You just seemed out of it. Thinking about Australia guy?" Tony shrugged, dampening his anger and using his techniques he used to talk to Peter. 

"A little. Has FRIDAY found anything yet?" Darling brushed off his question with practiced ease that reminded Tony hauntingly of himself. 

Tony went with it, leaning back, "FRI?" 

"I have not been able to locate any of the Rouge Avengers so far. The suspect hasn't moved." FRIDAY lit up the hologram map to highlight the one GPS marker they had on "Australia guy." He was still in the middle of nowhere, Australia.  

Darling nodded numbly, and she stared a thousand yards beyond anything in front of her, "I need to go." 

"Not alone." Tony objected.

 "He knows who I'm working with; if I bring anyone else, Barnes'll be dead." Darling shook her head, eyes still far away, preparing, "No, this I have to do alone." 

"No," Tony shot down that idea like he did when Peter tried to put himself in danger, "You're too close to this. I've seen you with Barnes, and that man knows it too, the way he was talking, it'll break you." 

Darling was shaking her head, "That's why I have to go. He thinks he knows what's going on. It makes him vulnerable. I can get him off balance. I can take him." 

"Kid, he knows exactly what's going on. You and Barnes, father-daughter, it doesn't take a genius." Tony huffed out. 

"It doesn't matter; we're not that. It'll be fine." Darling went quiet, looking away. 

Tony put two and two together, "What'd he do?"

 Darling looked at him quizzically, "What who do?" 

"Barnes and being your father." Tony clarified, "What he do?" 

Darling's eyes got bigger, "How'd you know?" 

Tony huffed, "Really, kid? The way he acts, talks, moves. He loves you like his own. DNA be darned." 

Darling let out a strangled half laugh looking away, "DNA be darned. Right." 

Tony frowned; something much bigger was going on, "What does that mean?" 

Darling sighed, deflated, "Someone might as well know. I found my health records. I'm a failed DNA experiment to try and recreate the Winter Soldier. Biologically, I'm his," Darling paused there, tossing her hands up, "Daughter, I guess." 

Now things made sense. Tony pushed away the revelation for a later time and focused on her, "What he say?"

 "Not much. I told him before I left to come here. He said he needed time. Let's be real; no one wants a genetic mistake they didn't even make." Darling chuckled humorlessly. 

Tony inwardly sighed, "Darling, that's a big thing; time is natural." 

"I don't really want to talk about it." Darling straightened, pushing her thoughts away. 

But Tony wasn't done, "No, Darling listen. It doesn't matter if a stupid piece of paper says you're a failed project; it doesn't matter you've spent your life fighting someone else's war; you are important. You're unique. And your Barnes', DNA or not, the way he looks after you and cares about you, that's the connection. Family isn't DNA, Darling." Tony reached out and spun around Darling's chair, "Are you listening right now, cause you need to hear this, okay?" Darling nodded. "Family isn't DNA. Family is a choice. And Barnes chose to be your father figure long before you found your records. Making it official is just a little daunting, that's all. It brings a lot of baggage, but none of that is you. Got that?" 

Tony looked at Darling seriously. Darling looked at him hopefully, "Are you sure?" 

Tony smiled and thought of Peter, Rhodey, and Happy, of choices and DNA, "Yeah, I am."

Darling smiled, "Thanks. That still doesn't change the fact I need to go alone." 

Tony felt that heart-clenching spike he felt what Peter did something reckless, the feeling of helplessness. "Not alone." Tony repeated softly, "We may not be able to go with you, but that doesn't mean we can't back you up." 

Darling looked over at him, eyes back here in the now, "You'd do that for me?" 

The soft question and the hesitant relief hit Tony hard in the chest; he might be hard and a pain, but he wasn't cruel or mean, "Why wouldn't I?" 

Darling shrugged, looking down at her feet, "I'm with what equates to your greatest enemy. People don't normally do that." 

Tony didn't know why that pained him, but it did, "Well, nothing I do is normal, princess, so get with the program; you're getting help to do this thing like it or not." Tony clapped his hands and rose. 

Darling snorted and smiled a bit. Tony took it as a win, "Alright, kid, whatcha need?" 

Darling thought for a moment, "Doesn't Peter specialize in biochemistry and nerve toxins?" 

"Just the former, not sure I want to know why you mentioned the latter." Tony bounced on his toes as she got up.

 "You'll see, let's pay him a visit in his lab." Darling brushed past him with a smile, progress.

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