She couldn't remember how long she had suffered from the voices in her head.

Maybe since she was five?

Maybe since she was younger?

Who really knew?

Ivy didn't really know where to begin with her story. She could've started the day when things truly started falling apart but not even she could make much sense of certain events. Ivy supposed it was best to go back to where it all truly started which was the beginning. The beginning of everything, really.

Ivy was raised for the first couple years of her life by her grandparents. They took responsibility for the consequences of her father's actions. Her father who was flighty and slightly unstable. Tony Stark, the heir to the Stark empire, was mostly afraid of his daughter rather than resentful. He didn't know how to act around babies. Ivy barely remembered her grandparents other than little memories here and there but she knew that they loved her. Ivy loved them in return as well. She knew that they were good people who cared for her when her father wasn't mature enough to.

Her father was fairly wild in his younger years…but then again when wasn't Tony Stark wild? He had a brief love affair with her mother, a mysterious woman that her father hadn't really known much about. She had asked him numerous times in the past about her mother but he never had an exact answer for her. Ivy later learned that this was because her father probably didn't know her mother at all. She was just another name to add to his long list of one-night stands and fleeting flings. Nine months later Ivy came to be but not long after giving birth, Ivy's mother mysteriously vanished. The hospital was left with one missing patient, a Jane Doe who was approximately twenty three years old, and a baby girl.

"Dr. Mirium! Dr. Mirium!" A young nurse yelled, the young nurse looked panicked with her blonde hair disheveled and her scrubs wrinkled from the excessive running. Dr. Mirium gave the nurse a confused look. Dr. Mirium was an older doctor, having delivered many babies into the world in his fifty seven years. His dark hair was sprinkled with gray from all the stress and long nights.

"Nora?" He asked in concerned.

"Doctor, we're missing a patient." His eyebrows knitted together in confusion at the blonde nurse's abrupt and unexpected statement.

"What?" The nurse looked stricken with worry at somehow losing a patient.

"Jane Doe. The one that just gave birth three hours ago. She was just in there, Doc, I swear. I dropped off her dinner and I came back with some blankets but she was gone." Dr. Mirium nodded, remaining calm.

"And the child?"

"Still in the nursery."

"Well, if you've just seen her she has to still be in the building. We'll have security check the video feeds and track her down. She couldn't have gone far." The nurse nodded, calming down a bit. "Don't worry. We'll find her and everything will be fine."

Only nothing was that simple.

Jane Doe somehow vanished into thin air. Security searched every corner of the hospital but there was no sign of the young woman. Video footage showed the young mother getting out her bed before leaving her room which was the last anything could be seen of her on camera. Not knowing what else to do, Dr. Mirium contacted an old friend of his. In under an hour Shield agents flooded the hospital, searching for any possible clues. Searching for a missing young mother probably seemed like something that was beneath Shield's pay roll but everything about this case was suspicious. For example, the fact that the young mother had no existing medical records to speak of was highly suspicious. The hospital hadn't been able to find anything on the woman. The young mother even refused to give out her name. Now the young mother had vanished without a trace without her child so something definitely wasn't adding up.

"Have you found anything?" The old doctor glanced at his friend in poorly concealed hope. His friend wasn't a tall or imposing man for being a Shield agent but something about him was still intimidating. He was stiff looking in his business suit and maintained a professional demeanor despite being in the company of his old friend. Phil Coulson was the definition of professional.

"I'm afraid not, Gary." He then gave his friend a quizzical look. "Why did you call me? A missing patient should be a case for the local police. Not that I'm unwilling to help you out here but I don't think there's much more I can do." Gary sighed before nodding to the door.

"It's best that I show you. I didn't know what to do and I didn't think it would be a good idea if this somehow got out to the press." Phil was beyond confused as his doctor friend led him down the hall. They stopped in front of the nursery, dozens of newborns resting comfortably in their little beds. Phil still didn't get what Gary was trying to say.

"Newborns? Gary, what is this about?" Gary shrugged.

"The woman that's missing... Jane Doe. She didn't give us much information. She was really out of it." Gary explained to his friend. "She wouldn't even give us her name. She just said that the baby needed to live. She was very adamant about it; actually, like she was convinced the child would die." Phil nodded.

"Yeah but I don't understand why you would think this was so fishy?" Phil tried to tell him but Gary ignored him, continuing with his story.

"It wasn't until before she passed out after having the girl that she said anything coherent… Stark." Phil's eyes widened. He looked back at the infant in the nursery who was currently asleep. It wasn't like he could spot any distinct features that resembled Stark since she was only a few hours old. Maybe her dark hair but that was it.

"Are saying that she's Stark's illegitimate child?" Gary shrugged again.

"That's why I called you. I know Shield can clear up this confusion. I'm just telling you what the girl said. It's the only clue that might give us an idea where this child came from." Gary told his friend, not quite believing the words he was saying himself. It didn't really make any sense that this newborn baby could be a Stark but nothing about this whole case made sense either. "I didn't really believe the girl at first but after she mysteriously vanished...well, I don't know what to believe, Coulson. Something's going on here. That's all I know. I wanted to call you guys because I know if I contact the police, it'll get out to the press." Phil stared at the infant, without looking back at the doctor.

"I just don't see how Howard could do that to Maria. I really hope this isn't true." Gary gave Coulson a bewildered expression.

"It wasn't Howard's name she said."

Shield was able to eventually gain custody of the mysterious infant from the hospital. It was three days later and they still couldn't find the girl's absent mother. All they had to go on was a grainy video feed of a young redhead as well as the doctor's description. They contacted Howard and Maria Stark immediately, both of whom visited Shield headquarters the very second they could, their son Tony in tow. Howard barged into the small room which now served as a makeshift nursery. The newborn was very welcomed at the headquarters, showered with love and affection by all the female agents and some male agents as well. Balloons and stuffed animals littered the girl's room. But lying smack dab in the middle of the stuffed animals was no one else but the very same someone who had caused much controversy in the Stark household for the past couple days.

"What the hell is going on?!" Howard demanded the second he stepped foot into the room. Coulson immediately approached him. This needed to be worked out calmly and rationally.

"I get a phone call from Fury, of all people, telling me that I have grandchild that was ditched at the hospital? The mother MIA?" Coulson nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Stark. We have reason to believe that the child could be your son's child." Howard seemed annoyed by this while Maria just eyed the baby with adoration. She looked ready to take the girl home with her right then and there. Tony just eyed the girl with something that mirrored curiosity as well as a hint of fear.

"Well, how can we be sure that the kid is his?" Maria gave her husband a warning look.

"Howard!" Howard just rolled his eyes.

"Tony is heir to Stark Industries, Maria, there are people out there that would try to pin anything on us to try and get a piece of that fortune." He glanced back at his son in disdain. "Although it wouldn't be that farfetched given my son's reputation."

Tony rolled his eyes at his dad's obvious disappointment. It was always disappointment with him. Picking apart all the bad things Tony was capable of before even considering all the good things he had done. Tony doubted that there would ever be a single thing he would do that would somehow prevent him from somehow disappointing his father. He was a total fuck up in his father's book. There was no doubt in Tony's mind about that.

"Gee, thanks a lot, Pops." Howard just glowered at his son. Coulson glanced warily between the two before trying to get them back on topic

"We've already collected a sample from her. All we need is a sample from you." Coulson set his gaze on Tony who looked uncomfortable at the prospect of possibly having offspring. Maria looked concerned at the thought of a bunch of people prodding the poor girl with needles.

"How exactly did you collect the sample?" Coulson smiled.

"Mouth swab." She nodded, feeling more at ease.

"Well, that settles it then." He gave Tony a hard look. "Go on then."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just pretend none of this ever happened?" He asked his dad, trying to plead to his father's need of discretion. However, this time it didn't work. His father's gaze hardened as he looked down upon Tony.

"You need to grow up, Anthony. You made your bed...now you get lie in it." Tony sighed, knowing that he wasn't likely to get out of this one.

"There's something else you should know about the baby, Howard." Coulson said and the Stark family gave him worried looks save for Tony who just seemed caught up in the predicament itself.

"What?" Howard questioned. "Is there something wrong with her? Is she ill?"

"She's healthy as a horse." Coulson told them honestly. "Although the doctor did suggest bringing her back in when she's a few months older for a checkup but other than that she should be just fine."

The Starks nodded, satisfied. Although Howard, still had his doubts that the baby was Tony's. Either way, it was best to be prepared for every outcome. Coulson let the team of medics in the building take a swab of Tony's DNA for the paternity test as Howard and Maria busied themselves with the baby. He watched the younger Stark open his mouth large and wide with an annoyed look on his face as they took the DNA sample. Coulson could feel his heart racing in his chest as he looked between the young Stark and the newborn baby Stark.

Shield had learned a lot these past couple days. From the DNA swab they previously took of the newborn, they were able to determine just who her mother was. Not that the Starks needed to know that bit of information. The newborn Stark's biological mother had been part of a program at Shield. That much was obvious from the slight abnormalities in her DNA. Human DNA but slightly altered which was no surprise. The only problem was that Shield had no idea where the girl's mother was. The girl's mother who happened to be a missing participant from Shield's Project Prometheus. Project Prometheus was a classified Shield program which involved experimental drug treatment. The newborn's mother, who was a participant in this program, had gone missing nine months ago and now they knew why.

Ultimately Fury decided that it was best to notify the Starks of the existence of the girl although Coulson didn't completely understand his reasoning. The best way to go would be to keep the girl at Shield, right? So they could determine that she wasn't a threat and keep her out of harm's way. Fury didn't seem to think so. He told Coulson that the girl was to remain in the Starks custody. When Coulson questioned Fury about this, the older man seemed adamant that this was meant to be. A lot of people would be after the girl if they knew that her mother was part of Project Prometheus which meant that she could possibly have the results of the experimental drug treatment in her body. No, the girl was safer in the custody of the Starks where she would be protected and where no one knew of Project Prometheus. Not even Howard Stark was privy to that kind of classified information these days. So Fury decided that it was best for the girl to be with her real family. It was also best to see how this whole thing played out too because Fury didn't believe that this was the last they would be seeing of the Stark girl.

It was three days later when Coulson called the Starks to confirm that Tony was the father of the still unnamed baby girl. They weren't surprised by any means; it was more unlikely that Tony wasn't the father. Shield released the custody of the infant to Tony who was stumped as to what he was supposed to do with a baby when he was practically a kid himself. Maria was in love with the girl the moment she laid eyes on her while Howard remained neutral. Tony was always so scared around her.

What if he hurt her? Dropped her or something? It didn't take Howard long to be able to determine that Tony really didn't want to be there. He wasn't surprised at all at his son. His son seemed more concerned with women and partying than a newborn baby. Howard really couldn't judge him either. He had been the same way when he was Tony's age. It was really his own fault.

"Just go." He told Tony coldly. Tony stared up at his father in surprise.

"What?" Maria looked up from the newborn to watch her husband and son.

"Just leave. She's better off without you here. We'll take care of her. Don't you worry your pretty little head, son. We'll clean up your mess like we always do." Tony should've felt relief but he didn't. His father always had a way of putting him down and making him feel insignificant.

"Yeah, because you were such a great father." Tony told him sarcastically. "Whatever, I don't need this." He grabbed his jacket, starting to leave before his mother stopped him.

"Tony, please don't do this. Give her a chance, she's your daughter. She's a part of you." Maria lifted the newborn up so that he could see her. Tony paused for a moment as he stared at his daughter. It was the first time he had really gotten a good look at her. He hadn't been able to look her in the face before. Seeing her face to face had been too difficult for him to stomach…mainly because he knew it would mean that she was real and if she was real then that would mean that Tony was a father. Tony didn't want to be a father. He didn't want to turn out like his own father and make the kid resent him. No kid needed that.

But somehow Tony locked eyes with hers. He didn't know how it happened. One moment he was just staring at her cute little button nose and then he glanced up at her eyes. Tony didn't know how to explain it but he could've sworn he felt a pull as he stared into the somehow entrancing depths of her eyes. It was a weird feeling as he suddenly felt like he might drown in them but at the last second he blinked, looking away. There was no way he could be a father, not after having his own father as an example. He'd be a terrible father. What could he possibly give her? He was still nineteen. Frat parties were supposed to be his life. Not changing diapers and waking up at all hours of the morning to a screaming baby.

"I'm sorry, mom." Tony told her before walking out the door, closing it behind him. Maria's eyes were filled with unshed tears at her son's sudden departure.

"Why do you always have to push him away, Howard?" Howard met her gaze before looking down at their granddaughter and, for the first time since the mess started, he smiled at her fondly.

"I know, Maria, but it's for the best. Maybe once he's grown up a bit more, he can be a father but now is not the time." Maria nodded, knowing that he was probably right. "Anyways…does she have a name yet?"

"I've thought of a first name." Maria admitted and Howard raised a brow.

"Have you?" Maria blushed but nodded.

"Yes, I was thinking of Vivien." Howard chuckled.

"Of course you would want to name her after Miss Leigh. I should've known." Maria frowned. Gone with the Wind was Maria's favorite movie. Howard had only watched it about a thousand times with his wife since he had met her. Howard was sure she would've named their son Clark instead of Anthony had he not stopped her.

"You don't like it?" Howard shook his head.

"No, I think it suits her just fine. What about a middle name? Don't tell me you've already named her Vivien Scarlett?" Maria shook her head.

"I'm not crazy, Howard." Howard smirked as he glanced back down at his granddaughter.

"I think I know. How about Maria? Vivien Maria Stark." Maria smiled, a blush coming over her face at her husband's suggestion.

"I think it's a lovely name." Maria told him as they both set their gaze on the newborn that was now fast asleep. She looked entirely peaceful and even Howard could feel his heart melting at the sight. Vivien Stark seemed to already be making a claim on both of her grandparent's hearts.

"Hello, Vivien," Howard said softly as both he and Maria looked down at her fondly. "I'm Howard, your grandfather, and this is your grandmother Maria. Welcome to the family."

Author's Note: I published this story a while ago but I've recently decided to rewrite it after not updating for the longest time. My writing's improved a lot since I last wrote it and I decided that it needed some re-editing as well as a different direction for the storyline. It just felt like I kind of randomly dropped my character in the Civil War storyline and she really needs a better backstory. So it'll take a lot longer to get to Civil War then it did before.

This story obviously has a new title as well. So same character but different title and MAYBE different pairing.

This story will take place pre-Iron Man, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Avenger's: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War.

So I'm also not sure if I want to keep this story an Ivy Stark/Ant-Man pairing. I'm not even sure what pairing I would want it to be anymore. I'm just mainly focusing on Ivy's storyline for now. I'm not that interested in a Scott/OC pairing anymore and I know that might make people annoyed with me but I'm just not sure if I want to keep going with that. I just don't feel invested anymore in an Ivy/Scott pairing.

Here are some ideas for pairings:

Ivy Stark/Scott Lang(Again, I'm not saying that I won't go with that but I'm sure if I'm interested in it either)

Ivy Stark/Steve Rogers(The original idea for my Tony Stark daughter fanfic was to make it a Steve/OC pairing so this might actually work out.)

Ivy Stark/Bucky Barnes(I know Bucky killed Ivy's grandparents but I feel like she would be more understanding than Tony. Ivy also wasn't that close with her grandparents since they died when she was young. I can see a good storyline with this pairing as well so I think it might be a good pairing too.)

Ivy Stark/Loki(I've never written a Loki fanfic before so it could be interesting. I'm not completely sure right now but we'll see.)

Ivy Stark/T'Challa(I'm not really that invested in this one but I just decided to throw it out there)

Right now I'm really thinking it'll either be Steve or Bucky but I'm not sure. It's kind of weird. I've never written a story before where I'm not sure about the pairing before going into it.

I also just want to say that I own nothing except Ivy Stark.