Can't See the Truth

Two Months Later

“Okay, Mr. Stark,” Dr. Swartz said calmly. “There are a couple of things we need to discuss with you before you can take your daughter home.”

Tony nodded, holding Steve's hand a little tighter.

“She's going to need an anti-anxiety medication for a while. She also needs to continue her daily dose of ____ to combat the poisoning she suffered a few months ago.”

“You never really did explain that to us,” Steve said. “What exactly happened?”

Doctor Swartz folded her hands on her desk. “Toni was poisoned by one of the orderlies here, which caused her to have a mental breakdown instead of killing her. It took a few days to figure it out, but once we did, we brought her out of solitary confinement and put her into a more secure location.”

“And the orderly that did that to her?” Tony asked.

“He came forward with proof that his wife and son were being threatened. He'll still get some jail time, but with the information he provided, his time will be lessened and his wife and son are in a witness protection program. He'll join them once his time is up.”

“Did he say who did it?”

“Someone by the name of CJ in Thailand. That's all we know.”

Tony felt his heart sink and his stomach churn. “Are you sure?”

Dr. Swartz nodded. “The FBI are currently investigating, along with some SHEILD involvement.”

Steve gave a single nod and cleared his throat. “So, what else do we have to do for Toni?”

****

Tony escorted his daughter out of the pristine building, holding her hand and giving her extra support. The walk to the front entrance was the farthest the young woman had walked in the three or four months she had been in the asylum, and it was starting to show as she tried desperately to catch her breath.

Tony still wasn't used to seeing his daughter with such short hair. It was a culture shock every time he looked at her. Steve was obviously less surprised, or at least, he pretended he was.

“Am I actually going home?” Toni asked, stopping dead about twenty feet from the set of four doors in front of them.

Tony turned to face Antoinette, giving a warm, reassuring smile. “Of course,” he said, rubbing her shoulder lightly. “Look, I know it seems really intimidating, but it's gonna be okay. I promise.”

Toni smiled lightly, appreciating her father's optimism. She nodded and the two of them continued towards the doors. With one last breath of sterile air, Tony pushed open the glass door and stepped into the warm sunshine.

There was a sleek, black car waiting for them by the curb. Schaefer was sitting in the driver's seat with a smile on his face. Steve, who had been sitting in the backseat, opened the door and invited the two Starks inside.

Toni scooted in first, feeling the leather on the seats as she did so. It was such an odd feeling, she had almost forgotten how leather actually felt.

“Guten tag!” Schaefer said happily. “How are you? Vell, I hope.”

Toni only nodded. She had seen Schaefer twice since she had been admitted, so his face was the only familiar one, but he was only there on official SHEILD business. It was different now that they were in a vehicle together.

The trip was fairly quiet, with the exception of Steve trying to explain the events that happened over the past couple months.

“Herr Rogers,” Schaefer called back. “Perhaps zer iz a better time und place for zis?”

Steve nodded. “You're right. I'm sorry Toni.”

The rest of the ride was silent, which nice for the young woman. The one thing she would never forget about solitary confinement was the screams she could hear from the other padded rooms. If she wasn't already insane when she went in, those screams definitely made her that way.

As the car pulled into the garage at Avenger's Tower, JARVIS's voice sounded through the car's speakers. “Welcome home, Ms. Stark.”

Toni felt her face get a little warm. “Thank you, JARVIS,” she muttered.

Schaefer parked the car and led the group into the house, where they were greeted by Loki, Hetalia, Pamplemousse, Bruce, Thor, and Clint.

Loki was the first to approach Toni, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. He didn't say a word, but Toni could feel love radiating off him in warm waves.

“TONI!!” Pamplemousse shouted gleefully, practically throwing herself at her big sister of sorts. “I missed you so much!”

Toni chuckled lightly. “I missed you too, Pamplemousse.”

“We all missed you,” Hetalia said with a smile. “And we're happy you're feeling better.”

“Come!” Thor bellowed, clapping a hand on the young woman's back. “We are going to prepare a feast to celebrate your return! What is it that you want?”

Toni thought for a minute before locking eyes with Clint. “Can you make some pancakes?” she asked timidly. “That's the only thing that sounds good.”

Clint scoffed. “Can I make pancakes? Do you even have to ask?”

Tony sighed and rolled his eyes, reaching for the small plastic bag in his jacket pocket. “Toni,” he said, pulling the bag out and handing it to his daughter. “These are your things.”

Toni carefully took the bag and looked at the contents. Clothes from the night she went to the hospital, a pair of battered sneakers, a prescription bag with her medications, her dead cell phone, and a ring with a large, sparkling diamond.

With a hesitant smile, Toni slipped the engagement ring back on her ring finger. It was then, staring at the beautiful ring, that she remembered. “Where's Brooke?” she asked.

Pamplemousse looked like someone kicked her puppy and walked out of the room without a word. Bruce quickly walked after her, calling out her name as he went.

Schaefer cleared his throat uneasily before looking at Toni. “She, uh,” he started, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“She was discharged two months ago, right after your breakdown,” Clint continued when he saw that his friend could not. “When she heard that you were coming home, she went to stay with some friends out in Jersey.”

Toni felt her heart sink. “She...left? Forever?”

“Oh no, not forever,” Clint added quickly. “At least, don’t think so. She left some of her stuff here, so we’re pretty sure she’s coming back. I mean, she didn’t even break off the engagement with Schaefer.”

“Ja,” Schaefer added quietly. “So ve are all hopefully.”

“Come on, let’s not think about this right now,” Tony said, leading his daughter into the kitchen. “Let’s focus on dinner. Pancakes. You said you wanted Clint’s pancakes. What else? Cake? Ice cream? Hard liquor?”

Toni laughed and shook her head.

****

After the delicious meal, the whole family piled into the living room and watched some Supernatural, laughing at the episode of Changing Channels.

Pamplemousse was the first person to go to bed, but not without protesting.

“But daddy!” she whined. “I don’t wanna go to bed! I wanna spend time with Toni!”

“I know sweetie, but Francis is getting tired. He’s ready for bed.”

As if on cue, the Newfoundland dog came bounding up to the ten-year-old and licked her face. Toni marveled at how large Francis was compared to the tiny brown fuzz ball that was in the box during Christmas.

Pamplemousse sighed and patted the dog’s head. “Okay, Francis, bedtime. Good night, Toni!”

Toni gave a little wave. “Good night, Pamplemousse.”

Clint gave a small yawn and stood. “I guess I should go to bed too. It’s been a long day. G’nite Toni.”

One by one, everyone else went to bed until it was just Toni and Loki sitting up in the dimly lit living room.

“Darling?” Loki said quietly. “Come over next to me.”

Toni crawled across the couch and sprawled out next to Loki, resting her head on his lap.

“I missed you,” Toni said quietly, cuddling up as close as she could.

“I missed you too,” he replied, running a hand through her short hair. After a few minutes of silence, Loki placed a kiss on top of Toni’s head and just held her close for a while.