Tony P.O.V

I stayed with Callie until I felt her breathing change to the slow, shallow pattern of someone deep in sleep, then I carefully slipped through the door and make my way to my room. Slipping my phone out of my tight back pocket the screen lights up to reveal a series of notifications; Pepper Potts being at the top of them.

I quickly rush to unlock the screen, "Call me." she says giving me a burst of hope. I press the phone icon hesitating slightly before confirming my action, and wait while my phone begins to dial and then ring. 

"Tony." She answers finally. Her voice is neither warm nor cold, she sounds almost indifferent. 

"Hey Pepps," I say, taking a tentative breathe before asking, "how are you?" 

"How do you think I am Tony?" She snaps. 

"Well, I don't know," I respond, successfully keeping my irritation out of my voice. 

"I miss you," she admits, taking me aback. "Which is the only reason I am even considering this ludicrous idea." she adds making my annoyance spike back up. 

"Okay, so what are you expecting in this phone call? Like what can I say to help you make a decision?" I'm desperately trying not to lose my patience, but the last few weeks of sleepless nights has left me slightly on edge. 

"I think I need a trial run, but..."I was about to agree until she added the 'but' and now I am holding a breathe as I wait for her to finish her thought. 

"But?" I push. 

"But," she repeats, "my one stipulation is that you need to hire a nanny." 

"What? Absolutely not, you can't force that on me." My anger finally flashes through, I hold back the urge to hang up, knowing that doing so would ruin any chances we had at agreeing.

"Calm down Tony," Pepper sighs and I can imagine her eye roll. "Just think about it for a second. If I come back home and you haven't got a nanny one of two things is going to happen. Either 1: You'll be so busy and stressed between parenting and work that we won't even be able to spend time together; or 2:" I can picture her lifting her second finger motioning the number two and thought makes me smile, "I'll end up having to take care of her, and I am NOT doing that Tony. I refuse to become the nanny." she says forcefully at the end. 

I chew on my bottom lip, thinking. I can see where she's coming from, if Callie was an ordinary child it'd make sense. But I'm also just worried that bringing an outsider into her, our, lives isn't a great idea. "I don't know..." I say at last. "I don't even know how to begin looking for a nanny." 

"I'd be happy to help you with that," I can hear the smile in her voice and I audibly scoff, rolling my eyes. "And besides, you can hire her on a trial basis. If it doesn't work out, fire her." Pepper says reasonably. 

"If we try this, I have the ultimate decision okay?" 

"Yes, absolutely."

"Okay," I agree, and instantly I feel a pit in my stomach, but I push the feeling aside. 

"I'll come to The Avengers Facility for a visit and we can look into hiring the nanny." Pepper says, already beginning to plan things out like she always does. "I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Okay, see you then." I confirm, and quickly hang up before I change my mind. 

Callie P.O.V

I wake up the next morning feeling a little bit groggy. I'd had a pretty restless sleep, haunted by dreams of the big purple man, but Daddy isn't in bed next to me so I must have made it through the night without screaming so that's an improvement. I open my door and creep down the hallway, on my feet this time. Despite the episode I had at dinner yesterday I actually feel much more at ease here than I do in the mansion. Perhaps it's because here we are surrounded by people, where as Daddy's house is big, and cold, and empty. 

I find myself in the kitchen where I spy Uncle Steve flipping pancakes, "Hi," I say causing him to startle slighly mid-flip and catch the pancake on the handle rather than on the pan. 

"Ouch," he mutters nudging the hot cake back into the skillet, "Hi Callie, how'd you sleep?" 

"Better."I admit as I glide onto a barstool tucked under the counter. 

"That's good!" He says, not trying to hide his surprise. "Do you want a pancake?"

"Yes," I nod, I'm starving. I didn't get a chance to eat much of my dinner the night before. 

"Yes please." He says and I look at him quizically. "You say please when you're asking for something, and thank you when you receive it." He explains his eyebrows drawn in confusion. 

"Really? I've never heard of that before." I am equally as confused. 

"Tony, I mean your Dad hasn't taught you that?" He says incredulous. I shake my head no, "Wow! Okay well, now you know. So here is your pancake, and you say..." 

"Thank you?" 

"Yes exactly." He smiles showing off his perfect teeth. 

I smile back and accept the plate in his hand and begin digging in, "Well atleast he taught you how to use a knife and fork," I hear Uncle Steve say quietly but just shrug and continue eating. There is clearly some tension between him and Daddy, but I like both of them so I don't plan to get in the middle of it. 

As I'm polishing off my first plate and about to ask for seconds Uncle Bruce and Natasha saunter into the room, Bruce pats me on the head and says good morning before grabbing himself a plate I look up at him and he winks at me. I look over at Auntie Natasha, she isn't looking at me though, her gaze is locked onto Bruce, and a small smile is gracing the corners of her lips. Bruce's eyes meet hers and there is a sudden tension that fills the space in between them, I shift uncomfortably, there is obviously something going on between them but I have no idea what. It's a different kind of tension than that between Daddy and Uncle Steve, this one is much more passionate and less angry. 

Just when I'm thinking I ought to move out from between this stifling energy, Thor barges into the kitchen, "Pancakes? The little one can move in if this is the outcome!" I applauds, reaching over my head, thus breaking the eye contact between Bruce and Natasha, I sigh in relief. 

"I don't think that's happening," Daddy's voice carries through the room, I look up abruptly, I hadn't even noticed his prescence. 

"What? I thought yesterday you said..." Steve's voice trails off with a warning look from Daddy. 

"Pepper is coming up today so give it a trial run," he says smiling at me slightly, I can feel the uncertainty in his voice and I gulp nervously. 

"Give what a trial run?" Bruce asks placing a protective hand on my shoulder. 

"A trial run to see if her coming to live with the kid and I would actually work out. Basically a trial run on whether or not we still have a relationship." He says the last sentence softly making me feel guilty, I hadn't really considered that. 

"Okay, so how long do you plan to stay then?" Steve speaks up, flipping another pancake onto my plate and winking. He seems to try and keep things emotionally light on my behalf, I don't think they understand yet that I can literally feel all of their emotions so smiling and winking doesn't cover the uncertainty he is feeling. 

"Well, like I said, she's coming here for the trial run. And if she thinks we can make it work we'll go back to Malibu." He says shrugging, "But she wants to hire a nanny, that's the only part I'm not super sure of." He admits casually, trying not to convey that he's actually not wracked with anxiety over it. I don't know what a nanny is, but the emotions he is feeling make me think that it can't be a good thing. 

"A nanny? Seriously?" Bruce spits angrily. "Tony, how is bringing a strange civillian into this a good idea?" 

"Yeah, what if what happens last night were to happen in front of the nanny?" Steve asks, slightly calmer than Bruce. 

"I've thought of all of this okay? And besides, it's my decision, she's my kid." He says inunciating the word 'my' agressively. "It isn't your place to question me." He huffs grabbing his plate and stalking over to the couch. 

I look around nervously, feeling sick to my stomach. I don't like the angry air that has filled the room, and I also don't like all these decisions being made that I don't understand but they seem to be about me. 

I push my plate away unfinished, feeling a lump rising in my throat. 

"Are you finished eating?" Uncle Steve asks quietly; I look up to meet his kind, concerned eyes. I nod my head, unable to speak. "Want to go outside?" 

I light up, "Yes!" I say, feeling the weight lift off my shoulders, "please." I add quickly, remering his lesson from earlier. 

"Okay, let's go." He grabs my hand and we leave the problems in that room for another time, and I try my best to forget about them.