Chapter 6
Darcy hunches over her desk, working through the backlog of paperwork that'd accumulated on her desk over the span of her and Jane's impromptu weekend off.
Phil had scolded them as soon as they walked through the doors, not for taking time off but for doing it without informing anyone prior. It was a fair criticism, and Darcy promised that they'd do her best to give him notice in the future. As far as bosses go, he's proving to be a good one.
"What time are you going over to the tower tonight?" Jane asks, rolling out from under one of the machines she's been tweaking with since it was delivered a few days ago. It was good, she'd said, but not good enough. She has high standards where her equipment is concerned.
Darcy looks up from the dull contract, pulling the tip of her pencil out of her mouth. "Six? I'm not sure, but he'll only complain if I get there any later than that. You know how he gets."
"Are you spending the night?" Jane asks as she picks up a smaller screwdriver than the one she'd previously been using.
Darcy sighs. "Probably."
Jane frowns at her weary tone. "You okay?"
"He's going to freak out."
"Yeah?"
"Big-time," Darcy nods, letting her head fall into her hands. "Ugh. He's going to lock me in the tower and never let me leave. Janey, I'll be a real-life Rapunzel."
Jane snickers. "Ha. Father Gothel."
"It's not funny." Darcy whines. "I'm being deadly serious."
"I know." Jane snorts. "That's exactly why it is funny."
Darcy scowls at her. "You might never see me again after tonight. How would that make you feel, huh? I bet you'd feel bad for joking about it then."
"You're being dramatic," Jane states, fiddling with the part in her hand.
Darcy tosses her pencil across the room, aiming to hit the slight astrophysicist. "It's justified!"
"Sure." Jane easily dodges the pencil. "Darce, Tony loves you. He'll come around."
Darcy shakes her head. "You weren't there to witness the aftermath of the false positive in London. He was more of a mess than me. And I was a mess."
"Right," Jane makes a face. "Will Pepper be there tonight? She's always been pretty good at calming Tony down."
"Yeah, I think so. I hope so." She says and then lays her head down on her desk with a weak sigh.
"Yeah." Jane agrees lightly. "You okay?" She asks.
"Yeah," Darcy whispers. "This is just all happening very fast."
"Are you scared?"
"Terrified," Darcy admits, tears filling her eyes. She sniffles.
"Oh no." Jane sighs, looking between Darcy and her equipment. "Do you- do you want a hug?"
"No, I'm okay," Darcy says, but the tears flowing freely down her cheeks say otherwise. "You should get back to work. So should I. I have so many signatures to sign."
Jane watches her for a moment. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Darcy pulls herself together, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "Yeah. I'm completely okay. So okay. Better than ever."
Jane quirks her eyebrows. "Are all Stark's such bad liars?"
Darcy laughs wetly. "Yep. It's a generational thing."
Jane purses her lips. "Shall we talk about something else?"
"Please." Darcy breathes, picking up her pen and resuming her reading.
Jane returns to her tinkering. "Things between you and Brock seem good."
"Yeah," Darcy says. "I think they are."
"You think?" Jane asks.
"Yeah. It's- well, I don't know. It's weird. No, not weird." She corrects herself. "It's different."
"Good different?"
"Yeah," Darcy admits. "I really enjoyed actually spending time with him yesterday. He's fun. And drop-dead gorgeous."
"True that." Jane nods. "Do you think he's serious about you being "his girl"?"
Darcy sighs and shrugs, signing her signature in swirly letters at the bottom of the proposal. "I hope so, but I don't know. Did you know he was engaged to Sharon Carter for five years?"
Jane gapes. "Really?"
"Mhm," Darcy nods. "It's strange. We've been sleeping together for almost a year and I had no idea." She takes one look at the next pile of papers and throws them in the paper bin. Hammer Industries would not be getting their hands on her Janey's work, no way. "He says he's not in love with her anymore but.. five years is a long time."
"Yeah." Jane agrees carefully.
Darcy takes a deep breath. "I'm just worried that the only reason he wants to date me is because he feels obligated."
"He told you that he wants you to be the mother of his children." Jane points out. "That's heavy stuff, Darce."
"Yeah." Darcy rubs her eyes. "Ugh, I really need to focus on this grant proposal, Janey. Recoup in twenty?"
"Sounds good," Jane says. "I'm ordering us protein smoothies for lunch."
Darcy blanches. "Why?"
"Because they're healthy," Jane says simply. "Now get back to work before I fire you."
A smile tugs at Darcy's lips. "Yes, ma'am."
----
At six pm on the dot, Darcy steps into the private elevator and presses her hand onto the biometric scanner. "Hey, Jay. You had a good day?"
The scanner glows green and the elevator doors shut.
"Good evening, Little Stark." The AI greets as soon as the doors are secured and the elevator has started moving. "I've had a satisfactory day. No bugs were detected in my codes." If an AI could preen, he would be.
"That's good." Darcy tries for a smile toward the camera in the top corner, but it becomes more of a grimace. Her stomach turns and her hands become clammy with nerves the higher the elevator travels. "Is Tony in a good mood?"
"Sir is in a pleasant mood," Jarvis reports. "Are you quite alright, Darcy? Your heart rate is elevated."
"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous." She says. "Is Pepper here?"
"Miss Potts entered the penthouse three hours ago, Miss." Jarvis confirms. "I've taken the liberty of informing Sir of your impending arrival."
"Thanks, Jay." She says, leaning back against the mirror and staring at the buttons on the opposite wall. "ETA?"
"A few moments, Darcy," Jarvis states. "Sir has asked me to inform you that he and Miss Potts are awaiting your arrival in the kitchen."
Darcy nods and takes a deep breath.
Once in the penthouse, Darcy toes off her shoes and puts them away in the case before strolling through the open-plan space and into the kitchen. The sight that greets her is her dad standing over the stove and Pepper sat at the round oak table, a business magazine laid open in front of her.
Nostalgia creeps into the pit of her stomach. This is how dinners looked when she was a teenager, only she'd be sat next to Pepper, critiquing one of her dad's blueprints, and he would be throwing pieces of orzo at her in retaliation.
They both look over at her when she clears her throat, her smile disguising her nerves. "Hey, guys."
"Darcy!" Pepper beams, jumping up and sweeping her into a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you! I've missed you so much."
Darcy sinks into her almost step-mother's arms and breathes easily for the first time all day. "Hey, Pep."
Pepper pulls back to examine her. "You look beautiful! Is that Alexander McQueen?" She inquires, gliding her fingers over the sleeve of Darcy's sweater.
Darcy nods, glancing down at her cashmere knit sweater. "Mhm. It's pretty, right?"
"Gorgeous." Pepper agrees.
"Balmain?" Darcy asks, referring to Pepper's dress.
She nods. "Part of their new Summer collection."
"It's lovely." Darcy compliments.
"Thank you, darling," Pepper says. "Tony, come and say hello to your daughter."
"I was waiting for you to stop hogging her," Tony grumbles, abandoning the stove and wrapping Darcy up in a tight hug. It's so different to the one Pepper had just given her. It's the type of hug only a dad can give. He smells like motor oil and day-old aftershave and home. "Buonasera, Darlene. You and Foster like your water bottles?"
"Buonasera, old man," Darcy says with a short expel of breath, worries momentarily forgotten. She plants a customary kiss on his stubbly cheek. "We love them. Thank you."
"Well, I hope your pee issues-," he shivers in revulsion. "Have improved."
Darcy snickers. "They have. Thank you, Papi." She kisses his cheek again before handing the chocolates to Pepper. "Here."
"You brought me European chocolate?" Tony frowns at the rectangular box that Pepper excepts happily. "Why would you do that? Are you mad at me?"
"No. I brought Pepper European chocolate," Darcy says pointedly. "Besides, isn't Cioccolato di Modica your favourite chocolate? Hm? That's European."
Tony rolls his eyes and waves his hand dismissively. "That's like comparing apples and oranges. It's blasphemy for Italian chocolate and Scandinavian chocolate to even be mentioned in the same sentence. Il rifituto," He sniffs.
Darcy laughs. "You're ridiculous." She knocks their shoulders together. "Shouldn't you be making sure that my ossobuco isn't burning, old man?"
Tony noogies her before retreating back to the stove.
Darcy smoothes down her curls, glares at him half-heartedly, and then sits down next to Pepper.
Her step-mother inspects the chocolates with a warm smile. "These are my favourite. Ignore your father." She kisses Darcy's cheek. "Thank you, darling."
"You're welcome," Darcy smiles. "How was Fashion Week?"
"Oh, I can't believe I haven't told you about it yet!" She gasps, eyes lighting up. "Darcy, it was incredible. I couldn't believe it." She says.
"I saw all of your insta posts. I'm so jelly." She says.
"We'll go together next year. Make a trip out of it. How does that sound?" Pepper suggests, looking excited at the prospect. "We'll take your fathers Amex and have the time of our lives."
"I object," Tony exclaims. "Darlene has her own Amex. Why would she need to use mine?"
"Because spending someone else's money is always so much more fun," Pepper says with a playful grin.
"Amen," Darcy smirks.
Tony sighs and mutters in Italian under his breath, shaking his head as he went back to stirring the pot.
Amused, Pepper stands up to put the box of chocolates away in the kitchen cabinet that houses the sugary treats. There used to be a child lock on it when Darcy was a kid, put there by a nanny who was big on healthy eating, but it's long since been removed. "When were you in Denmark, darling? I don't remember your father mentioning it."
Tony looks over his shoulder, looking sharply at his daughter. "Porca miseria, Darlene. You better not have left the country without telling me."
"I didn't! I didn't." Darcy mollifies. "Erik came to visit over the weekend with a suitcase full of tourist memorabilia for me and Jane. I spotted these and thought of Pepper. That's all. No unapproved trips to Europe for me."
"Hm." Tony stares at his daughter through narrowed eyes. Only when he's convinced that she's not lying to him does he turn his attention back to the stove.
Pepper carries a basket of breadsticks and a bottle of wine over to the table. "French breadsticks just for you. From Paris." She winks.
"How did you keep them fresh?" Darcy blinks in astonishment. Her soon-to-be step-mom might just be her favourite person in the universe right now. She picks one out of the basket nibbles on the end. "Oh em gee. Pepper, I love you so much."
Pepper chuckles and kisses her cheek. "Are you drinking tonight, darling? I'll have to get you a glass."
Darcy glances at the bottle of wine. "I shouldn't. Um, Jane's working tonight, so she might need me to drive back to the lab at some point." It's an excuse. A terrible excuse considering Darcy is usually a sucker for a glass of quality red wine and Jane's never called her away from family time before, in fact, she makes a conscious effort not too, but Pepper excepts it with nothing more than a curious hum and simply fills the two stemmed glass that'd already been set on the table.
Tony serves the food and Pepper divvies out the breadsticks before Darcy gets the chance to hoard them all for herself.
"How is Foster? She taking the transition to Shield jurisdiction well?" Tony asks around a mouthful of bread, earning a scowl from Pepper and a displeased nose-scrunch from Darcy. "What? This is how real men enjoy their food. Andarsene."
Pepper leans over and whacks him with the back of her hand.
Darcy smirks.
"Jane's okay," Darcy says. With her spoon, she starts dividing the vegetables and the meat. "She still gets miffed sometimes about not being able to do anything without approval from Phil, but she is getting used to it. Slowly."
Pepper beams. "How is Phil? It's been a while since we've had lunch."
"His name is Agent." Tony grunts, but goes ignored.
"He's doing really well! He only has to have PT twice a month now and as far as I know, he's still dating Audrey." Darcy says. After a second, she clicks her fingers in thought. "Oh! I just remembered. He actually gave me some papers for you. Just some revisions with the contract between SI and Shield. I have them in my bag."
"Give them to me after dinner, darling. I'll take care of them and have them ready to take with you when you leave tomorrow morning." Pepper says before taking a sip of wine. "You are staying tonight?" She checks.
"Of course she is," Tony interjects. "We're watching a movie after dinner and it'll be too late for her to drive home afterwards."
Darcy sniffs. "I'm twenty-five years old."
Tony rolls his eyes. "Tohmato, tomato. You're staying. End of discussion."
"Tony, stop it." Pepper chides, shaking her head at him before turning to look at Darcy with a soft smile. "What your father is trying to say, darling, is that we'd love for you to stay the night. We miss having you here."
Tony mutters. "Sure. What she said. So, you'll stay?"
"Yeah. I'll stay." Darcy says with a lopsided smile.
Knowing that she's still missed, after half a decade away from home, is nice.
"How was your week?" Pepper asks. "Has Jane been keeping you busy?"
Darcy nods. "Oh yeah. I'm also working pro-bono for Phil, but I'm pretty sure he's raised my wage without telling me since I started helping him out, so maybe it's not pro-bono." She chuckles. "And I've been writing up a treaty deal between us and Asgard. I know we technically already have one, but Phil's starting to get nervous because it's not on paper."
Tony frowns. "Darlene, are you sure you're not stretching yourself too thin? You look tired. And pasty. Pep, doesn't she look pale?"
"Dad-"
"You do look a little tired, darling." Pepper touches her arm, worry shining in her eyes. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"
"Yes, I-" Darcy puts down her spoon and closes her eyes. Oh my god, this is actually happening. Okay. Alright. She takes a deep breath. "Um, I-"
"What's wrong?" Tony drops his spoon with a clatter. "Has Jane done something? Hm? Or is it Shield? Do you hate working for them? I knew you'd hate working for them. Darlene, I tried to warn you. Andare a puttane." He says vehemently.
"No, it's not that," Darcy says, shaking her head. "Look, I-" She cuts herself off with a shaky breath.
Pepper puts down her spoon slowly. "Darcy.."
"I'm pregnant." Darcy squeaks.
Silence envelops the kitchen.
Pepper's jaw drops and she brings a delicate hand up to cover her open mouth.
Tony blinks. "No, you're not."
Darcy winces, looking down at her bowl. "Um, I kinda really am."
She's done it. She's said the words that she's been rehearsing for the past two days and now the silence lays into her skin like a poison. It seeps into her blood and paralyzes her brain. Her pupils dilate and there's a tremor in her hands.
Her dad's face is emotionless.
Darcy gulps.