Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the MCU, that right belongs to Stan Lee and Marvel Studios. I only own my character and the plot that I made up.

So I've recently gotten into Marvel and decided to write something, and this is what I came up with. As of the moment I have no idea where this story is going, so you guys can guess as much as I when it comes to future plots. This story will be based in the first Iron Man movie and follow the events with my own twist to it. I hope you enjoyed reading my story!

I saw stars. Thousands of bright white circles shined in the inky blackness of the night, almost seeming to pulsate with energy.

My eyes stared unblinkingly up at the heavens for what seemed like minutes before they travelled down... down… all the way down to my body.

I blinked once.

I wiggled my toes.

I flexed my fingers.

"What…?" I whispered, my voice hoarse as if I hadn't spoken in weeks. Where was I? What was I doing… wherever the hell I was? Who was I?

Vaeta Callahan. The name seemed to come out of nowhere from within my mind. I didn't know anyone with that name, so therefore it must be mine.

Vaeta Callahan. I repeated it in my mind a couple of times. It had a nice ring to it, I suppose. It would do for now.

I had no idea how long I lay there, the long blades of grass tickling my back through the thin material of my shirt; the stars winking at me from above; a cool wind breezing over my exposed arms and legs, but eventually I slowly lifted my head. My right arm automatically moved so my elbow was taking all the weight from my body, and eventually I was in a sitting position.

My eyes moved over my body, inspecting every last detail. I was somewhat pale, well-muscled and long-legged, though how I knew all that I had no idea. I just… knew.

Bending my legs at the knees, I moved myself into a crouching position and slowly straightened them out so I was standing properly. I staggered as the wind blew past me, goosebumps erupting on my arms.

Now that I had a higher vantage point, I could see the ocean down below, white caps breaking on the rocks. To the side were bright lights of a city that seemed to never stop moving. I still had no idea where I was.

Hugging my arms to my chest in an effort to block out the cool breeze, I began walking away from the city, letting the beach stay on my left side. I don't know what it was, but the city didn't feel like the place to go, so I went the opposite way.

I walked for what seemed like hours, though from looking at the moon it had only been roughly thirty minutes, before I saw a large and rather fancy-looking house sitting on the edge of a cliff in the distance. Relief flooded through my body at the sight.

It took me about five minutes to reach the beginning of the driveway. I hesitated, still having no idea where I was or what I was doing. I couldn't remember anything prior to waking up, and I felt as if it should bother me, but it didn't.

I began walking up the driveway. At times my steps faltered, but I kept going. I had no idea what I would be facing, but I wasn't scared. More like curious… and wary.

I gazed openly at the doorway when I reached it. It was huge and made completely out of glass, except for the support columns. I could see right into the house, not that there was much to see. White walls, plain flooring, nothing really popped out. At least, that is, until a light turned on.

Taking a step back, I cautiously eyed the man who walked right up to the door, opened it without touching it, and stood just outside, arms crossed over his chest. He had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Who are you?" He demanded. I had been too busy taking in his mussed up black hair and brown eyes to register what he had said.

"What?" I mumbled confusedly, before it finally clicked in. "My name… is Vaeta Callahan," I said softly, wincing slightly at the hoarseness of my voice.

The man glared at me for a few seconds before muttering something beneath his breath. I shifted uneasily beneath his gaze. He cocked his head to the side, eyes raking up and down my body, and though I could see his lips moving, I couldn't hear what he was saying.

After another few seconds he stepped to the side and gestured at me. I stared at him, wondering what he was doing. He sighed heavily, "You can go inside you know." I still didn't move. "I don't bite, I swear," he added quickly, as if sensing my hesitancy, though I could hear an amused undertone when he spoke.

I slowly stepped forward, never taking my eyes off the man until I was inside the house. It was even more beautiful inside, but I didn't get the chance to admire it for long before a male British voice called out from seemingly everywhere at once.

"Hello Miss Callahan. It is a pleasure to meet you." I whipped my head around, searching for a body to go along with the voice. There was no one, excluding the man and he definitely hadn't spoken with a British accent.

"Who is-" I began to ask but was interrupted immediately by said man.

"That's JARVIS. He's an AI system. Takes care of everything within the house," he said casually as if it was the most normal thing in the world. My brows furrowed.

"You have programmed a computerized artificial intelligence to run everything?" I questioned, instantly intrigued.

"Yes, he controls everything, from the air conditioning to locking the doors. He is very invaluable." The man seemed pleased with himself.

"Sir, I would advise that you introduce yourself," JARVIS said formally.

"And why would I need to do that? Everyone knows me," the man exclaimed haughtily, turning to face me with a winning smile.

I gazed at him, quickly registering that he was waiting for me to respond. But with what? "Uh, I have no idea who you are…" my words trailed off as the smiled dropped from his face.

"Oh, well that's just great," he muttered to himself. "I'm Tony Stark," he said with a slight frown, his voice almost condescending, as if I should know who he was. But how could I, when I didn't even know myself?

"JARVIS, scan her again," he said impatiently.

My eyes immediately jumped to his face, body tensing and a flash of fear flowed through my body. What did he mean by scan?

"Still no records of her existence, Sir," the British AI responded almost instantaneously.

"Damn," Tony said quietly to himself. He looked to be deep in thought for a few moments and I took the time to take a few steps away from him, thoroughly confused with what was going on. "Where do you come from?" He suddenly asked me.

I shook my head. "I don't know," I whispered, straining my memory for anything. Nothing came to mind.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Tony questioned incredulously. I flinched, self-consciously raising an arm in front of me as if to protect myself.

"Sir, may I suggest you take it easy on her. She has very low blood sugar levels and her body has very high stress levels. I recommend you give her the chance to sleep and eat before questioning her any further," JARVIS called out, the tone of his voice seeming as if he was berating a young child.

"Of course," Tony responded and reached out to grab my arm. I tensed and took a step back. "It's okay, I won't hurt you, I promise," he said, pulling his hand back. I nodded slowly, forcing my muscles to relax. It was only now that I realized how fatigued I really was. "This way." The man spun on his heels and walked away, leaving me no choice but to follow him.

He led me to a plain room with a double bed and en suite attached. I gazed somewhat longingly at the bed. "You can sleep here for the night. My room is just down the hallway. JARVIS will attend to anything you may need." And with that he was gone.

I walked in and closed the door behind me, kicking off the shoes I was wearing and burrowing myself under the covers. I think I fell asleep almost immediately, but I'm not really sure.

I woke to bright sunlight streaming through the window right into my face. Groaning, I buried my face into the bed covers, not wanting to wake up.

"Miss Callahan, it's time to get up. Breakfast will be ready soon," JARVIS said in a suspiciously cheery tone.

Throwing the covers back I blearily opened my eyes, rubbing them with my fists and stumbled into the bathroom. Resting my hands on the counter, I stared into the mirror. Piercing grey eyes stared back at me and medium-length golden blonde hair hung down my back. I looked as bad as I felt: horrible. There were black shadows beneath my eyes, my skin was very pale and I looked as if I hadn't slept in days.

After washing up, I slipped on my shoes once more and hesitantly stepped out of the room. The smell of bacon and eggs was in the air, even though I couldn't remember where I knew it from. I followed the delicious scent to the kitchen where Tony Stark was sitting at the dining table, plate of food in front of him, a tall glass of what looked like vegetable juice and magazine in his hand which he promptly threw to the side when he saw me.

"Sleep well?" He asked me. I shrugged. "There's another plate of food on the counter for you," he said, taking a bite of his breakfast.

I grabbed the plate and a pair of utensils and sat down at the table. With no idea of what to say to spur the conversation, I took a bite. It was absolutely delicious.

"Enjoy the food?" Tony grinned at me. I nodded in response. "Pepper made it."

I frowned. "Who's Pepper?" I queried curiously.

"My assistant. She takes care of everything that JARVIS doesn't."

I decided that I needed to meet this 'Pepper'. We were quiet for the rest of the meal, and as soon as I finished my last bite Tony rested his chin on his fingertips and gazed unblinkingly at me.

"Where do you come from?" He repeated the same question as the night before, though now he seemed a bit calmer.

I fiddled with the table cloth. "I don't know." The man raised an eyebrow at me. "I… don't remember anything," I added, hoping he would understand.

"You remembered your name," was all he said in response. I bit my lower lip.

"That's the only thing I know prior to… waking up last night on a grassy hill near the city." Tony seemed to perk up at this.

"So you remember nothing before then?" He questioned. I felt annoyance bubble up inside me. I had already told him this, yet he refused to accept it for what it was. Luckily JARVIS stepped in or I may have done or said something I shouldn't have.

"If I may say something, Sir, Miss Callahan has no records of any kind, not even restricted records. It is as if she never existed, according to the system. I suggest you keep her inside and away from other people until we figure out where she comes from."

Tony leaned back in his chair, hand on his chin as he thought about what the British AI said. "Good thinking JARVIS." I looked at him, thoroughly confused. Did he mean to keep me here… like a prisoner? As if sensing my mood the man glanced at me. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hold you hostage. You'll be able to leave the house, just not the grounds. At least until we know a bit more." I calmed down at that.

"Might I also add we tell no one about her, Sir? We don't want the government involved," JARVIS added.

"Well, Pepper already knows about her, but she's the most trustworthy person I know. You don't have to worry about her," Tony said the last part to me, and I simply nodded in response.

"Um, Mr. Stark?" I said quietly, "Where are we?"

"I think she means the country, Sir," JARVIS said.

"I know what she means JARVIS," Tony snapped at the AI, but when he responded to me his voice was a lot kinder. "Malibu, California." His brows furrowed at my expression in response to his answer. "In America?"

I glared at him, knowing what he meant the first time. I knew where it was, I just don't remember how I knew. It was like knowing how to use a shower, but not remembering ever using one before. Just trying to figure out how I knew made my head hurt, so I stopped. "It's in the northern hemisphere," I added somewhat sarcastically.

Tony clapped his hands together. "Oh, she remembers something! Progress."

Barely managing to hold back a snarky retort, I settled instead for asking another much-needed question. "What year is it?"

He sighed. "Of course you don't remember that." I stared at him. "It's 2008," he said, throwing his hands into the air.

2008. I thought hard on that number. There didn't seem to be anything special or strange about it. It was simply a number. I held in a sigh of frustration. All I wanted was to be able to remember the simplest of things, such as knowing why the hell I was here and not in… Canada or someplace like that.

"Sir?"

"What is it now JARVIS?" Tony sighed noisily.

"You're going to be late again for the meeting scheduled today, which happens to be starting in ten minutes."

"Shit," he muttered under his breath, leaping up from the chair. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He grumbled.

"I assumed this was more important, Sir."

"Well just don't assume next time." He hurried off to his room, presumably to get changed into a more appropriate outfit than the simple white tee and sweatpants he was currently wearing.

"Meeting?" I queried JARVIS curiously.

"Stark Industries is a weapon manufacturing company, Miss Callahan," he responded in a tone that suggested he wasn't going to say anything more on the matter.

"Oh," was all I had to say about it. Of course the first person I meet makes weapons of mass destruction. Just my luck.

It wasn't long before Tony emerged from his room wearing a rather fancy suit and a pair of dark shades. He tipped his head to me as he passed on his way to the front door.

"You're just going to leave me here on my own?" I said indignantly, crossing my arms for further effect. I didn't want to be on my own; there were so many things I still wanted to know about.

"I'm not going to babysit you the whole day. And you have JARVIS to keep you company. If you need anything just ask him," he said in a rushed tone as he opened the door. "Oh, and Pepper will be arriving in an hour or so to meet you," he quickly added before closing the door behind him.

I watched as he hopped into his car and drove away, my mind swiftly wandering as a wave of tiredness crashed throughout my body. I was confused. I had just slept, so why was I still tired?

"Miss Callahan, I suggest you return to your bed as your body levels are all over the place. Would you wish me to contact Pepper and ask her if you want a doctor to look over you?" JARVIS said, and quite politely at that.

Shaking my head, I dragged myself from the seat at the dining table and trudged to my room. "No, I'll be fine. Thanks for asking, though, JARVIS."

"It's my duty, Miss Callahan," he responded formally. I made a grumbled noise in response as I, once again, buried myself beneath the covers of the bed. I suppose I fell asleep with my shoes on. Oh well.

When I awoke again, the curtains were still closed. I silently thanked JARVIS for not rudely waking me up like before. I realized that I happened to not like getting up out of bed. Clearly I was not a morning person.

Rolling over onto my back, I stared up at the ceiling, thoughts churning around in my mind. Why was I here, what was I doing, who was I? I was still unable to answer any of these questions. It frustrated me, not knowing the answers. Whatever had happened to make me lose my memories, or whoever had done it, would feel the full force of my wrath.

"Oh good, you're awake," a calm voice called out to me. I startled, jumping up from the bed and turning to face a kind-looking woman with blonde hair standing in the doorway. "I was starting to worry you wouldn't wake," she continued in the same tone.

I shrugged, mainly to relieve the tension in my limbs. "I guess I'm just a really heavy sleeper," I said nonchalantly. "You must be Pepper?"

"My real name is Virginia, but yes, you may call me Pepper," she answered with a smile. I returned one in response.

Pepper ushered me back into the kitchen with the promise of making me a warm beverage. How could I refuse?

"So," she began as she placed the mug of coffee in front of me. "JARVIS has informed me of your situation." I merely shrugged in response, cupping my hands around the mug, letting the warmth flow into my fingers. There wasn't much to say on the subject.

"I understand that it may be difficult, not knowing where you come from or why you woke up where you did, but I'll always be here if you need me," Pepper said in a somewhat motherly tone. I took a sip of coffee, giving myself a couple of seconds to think about what I wanted to reply with.

"Thanks Pepper. It's nice knowing that I'm not completely alone. I just wish I knew something, anything at all apart from my name." I bit my lower lip. "I don't even know my own age."

The blonde woman looked me over, eyes narrowing slightly in concentration. "I'd say you're in your late twenties, maybe… twenty eight, twenty nine?"

"I can deal with that," I said with a small smile, taking another sip of coffee.

We chatted for a while after that, and I learned that she lived on her own in an apartment in the city, even though she was Tony's assistant and could very well live in his house. When I asked her why she didn't she said it wasn't very appropriate. I didn't comment in response. She had graduated with a degree in business administration before working in the finance department of Stark Industries, but she was quickly promoted.

She seemed really nice and I felt as if I had made a new friend, though I was hesitant to say anything along the lines for fear of rejection.

Just as the sun began to dip down out of sight, JARVIS called out a hospitable greeting. "Welcome home Mr. Stark."

He looked tired and irritable… and maybe just a little bit drunk. I opened my mouth to say something, but decided against it when he walked past Pepper and I without saying a word. I heard her sigh softly under her breath.

"Does this usually happen?" I asked curiously. She nodded in response, lips thinning in distaste.

"Unfortunately," she said dryly. I wanted to prod further but not wanting to cross any lines or boundaries, I kept my mouth closed. I could ask later.

I turned around just as he exited his room, now wearing casual clothes, and stomped his way down some stairs I hadn't noticed before. "Where is he going?" I turned to Pepper for an answer.

"Down to his workshop. I highly advise you stay out of his way. He dislikes people bothering him on the best of days." This certainly was far from the best of days.

Pepper stayed for a while longer, showing me to an unused library filled with many books, and as she packed her things to leave, told me there was some food in the fridge if I was hungry. I smiled and waved goodbye to her, waiting until I could no longer see her car before silently making my way down the stairs to Tony's workshop. I just had to know what was down there.

I could see him bent over next to very fancy, old fashioned car that was decorated with flames on the sides. He seemed to be working furiously, as if letting off steam, and I watched him until he suddenly yelled out, shaking his hand in the air as if he had hit it with a hammer or something. I quickly darted back up the stairs just as he began to turn around, hoping that he hadn't seen me spying on him.

After grabbing a couple of books from the library, I lay down in my bed and opened one of them. I felt wide awake due to my day nap, and as it was currently 10 pm, I knew it was going to be a long night.

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