It was about Valentine's Day when she knew something was wrong. For weeks she had been feeling sick and sluggish, and no amount of antibiotics were helping. So she brushed it off, and focused on her plants. It worked before, why not again? Only, it only prolonged what was inevitable. Now, March 2nd, the brunette let the small stick fall to the floor, hands holding the sink to keep herself upright. This was ridiculous. It wasn't happening. She had been busy for months on end and when was there even time to do-

Maya Hansen was many things, but a mother was not one of them.

Glaring at the smiley face, she could feel her blood pressure rising. How did she not notice the absence of her period? When was the last time she even had sex? Wracking through her mind, Maya tried to come up with a face within the time span. She had slept with Tom, but that had been two weeks ago, and the symptoms were going on much longer than that. So who could it be? When was the last time she was away from work enough to-

"Oh God, anyone but him."

Sliding down the white tiles of her bathroom, Maya ran a hand through her tousled locks. Tony Fucking Stark. There was no way. Sure it had been a drunken night of fun and had satisfied her inner self, but he had used a condom. They were safe. They were careful. So how did something like this…?

Squeezing her head, the brunette ignored the burning sensation behind her eyes. She wasn't ready. She was a bio-technologist, discovering just what the repair center was capable of. She was only 25, and one night in Bern wasn't going to take her life plans and toss them aside like a dirty napkin. Never had she wanted a child; it wasn't compatible with her lifestyle. She was a hardworking woman who was on her feet for hours, sometimes days at a time. Would she even have time to be a parent?

This was too much. This was too much with too little time to think. Taking a few deep breaths, Maya attempted to calm her heart rate. She needed to clear her head. If she was pregnant then her hormones were out of whack, and her judgment was clouded. All she needed to do was take a minute to calm down. Crying wasn't going to solve anything. Crying wasn't going to help her decide what to do about a child and it most certainly was not going to make all her problems vanish.

With one last glare at the pregnancy test from hell, the brunette wiped her eyes and shakily stood up, a determined look upon her face. She quickly made her way into the kitchen, forgetting she was clad in only a tank top and undergarments. Picking up a slightly bulky object, she pressed a few select digits into it before pressing the object to her ear.

She was Maya Hansen, and there was no way she was going to give up her lifestyle to single handedly raise a child. Oh Hell no. She was not the only participant in Bern; she most certainly was not going to be the only one to bear the burden.

May always had nice weather. The light breezes and warm sunshine, coupled with all the blooming flowers made for a wonderful atmosphere. Maya enjoyed the serenity it brought, and relished in the warmth. Taking a sip of her drink, she allowed her hand to rest over her swollen stomach. It was obvious she was pregnant, if her swollen ankles and protruding stomach said anything about the matter.

A small dinging noise filled the diner, and Maya felt herself glancing up at the newcomer. A man with a dirty blonde mullet walked in, dark shades over his eyes. Equipped with a ripped flannel with a grease stained wife beater, his washed out jeans and timberland boots screamed construction worker. Only, that goatee was singing a different tune.

Waving him over, she brushed a lock of hair away from her forehead as he walked over, motioning for him to sit down. He flopped down into the booth with so much arrogance it caused her eyes to roll to their own accord. She just gave him a look, one that was responded with a smirk.

"So, I don't know if you're aware, but one night stands are not supposed to end like this."

She felt her blood pressure rising once again.

"Cheap diner with a grease monkey? I'm pretty sure this is what every girl dreams of."

He gave a huff of air before taking a long sip of her coffee, prodding at the plate of waffles. He took a bite, scowling at the taste. He sent Maya an accusing look.

"These are the worst waffles I've ever tasted. Are they cardboard?"

"Glutton free, actually. And your child loves them."

His face lost all color, and she was positive that his hands were shaking. She let out a sigh as he cleared his throat.

"Right. This is a thing. What are you trying to get at?"

Maya felt a ping of agitation. He may have had money to burn, but that was no attitude to have over such a pressing matter.

"Well, since you were so persistent on ignoring my calls, it's a bit too late for abortion. We can do a paternity test as soon as the kid is born, just, I can't support a child by myself."

Tony's face was set in a scowl, and his posture was significantly tenser than when he'd entered the restaurant. He laced his fingers together and set them under his chin."So you want money? Going to sue me for child support or some shit?"

The brunette glared at the man, putting a hand over her stomach protectively. "I'm saying that I will put this kid up for adoption if you don't want anything to do with it. I just so happen to be in the middle of working through cutting edge technology, I have no qualm with giving it to a family that will take proper care of it."

But his face only grew fiercer, knuckles growing white with pressure.

"It? You're referring to a child as an it? You could just give them up no strings attached?"

Maya scowled right back, taking an angry bite from her waffles as she tried to stop herself from ripping Tony's head off."I'm saying that I know where my limits are. Tony, I work a tough schedule; I don't have time to raise a kid. Clearly neither of us want to be here. All I'm saying is giving it up is an option, one I think is for the best."

She took another angry bite from her meal, and the brown haired man watched in spite. They sat in silence after that. Maya angrily finished her waffles and Tony bitterly drank her coffee. The waitress came by once to refill the coffee, but quickly left when the pair sent equally wrathful stares towards her.A solid hour passed before a little chirping noise cut through the air. Maya pulled out a pager from her messenger bag, and let out a soft sigh. Her blue eyes were filled with regret as she laid out enough crumpled bills to cover her meal.

"…I've got to head out, ultrasound and whatnot. Just…just call me, okay?"

He nodded dumbly, and helped her out of the booth. Her stomach caught his attention immediately, and he took note of just how round it was. She thanked him, and they walked out of the diner together.

"Listen, Maya, can you…can you just put a pin in this whole adoption thing? I need a bit to…process everything."

She nodded, and unlocked the driver's side of her dingy little Chevy. Setting her bag into the passenger seat, she turned back to Tony. Deciding to give him a little embrace, she climbed into the car.

"I'll call you later, Tony."

With that, she pulled out of parking lot, disappearing into the mix of cars and buildings. The billionaire walked to his own car in turmoil. Was he ready to be a dad? Was he even father material? Lord knows his own dad did such a wonderful job. The last thing he ever wanted to do was raise a child like Howard had raised him. Or hadn't. Same thing.

And Maya. She was obviously not a fan of the circumstances. Having a tiny human being growing inside of you that would come to look up to you for love and support? Count him out on that whole motherhood thing. She didn't want to be a mother. Who was he to force her? If she wanted to live the botanist lifestyle, why would he stop her? Maya was a fully capable adult… But what about the child? That baby that was sleeping in her stomach, waiting to be born and experience life for itself. Who was Tony to stick that child in an orphanage just because he couldn't handle a kid?

Throwing his wig into the passenger seat, the brown haired man ran a hand through his hair. This was just too much.

He got there as fast as he could. Fireworks were sounding outside, cheers of the crowd and live music filtering through the white walls of the hospital. He was told to put on scrubs and cover his shoes with these bag things, but otherwise he made it to Maya's room without anything stopping him. Happy was just outside the doors, making sure no annoying camera man caught sight of Tony Stark.

Maya lay in a stiff looking bed, various tubes and needles going from her skin. One bag was filled with a dark red liquid, and Tony felt his insides go cold. She was abnormally pale, sweat beading down her brow and rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes had dark purple bags around them, and lips appeared to be chapped. She caught him, and her blue eyes looked hazy and unfocused.

"Tony…"

Her voice was hoarse, and he could practically feel how exhausted she was. He noticed the how smaller her stomach looked since the last time he saw her, and dread filled his body immediately. Grabbing her hand, he took a seat in one of the dingy little hospital chairs, pulling it up beside her bed. Her hand was clammy, and it worried Tony.

"What happened?"

He had gotten a call from her hysteric grandma at eight last night, wailing to him that Maya had to be rushed to the hospital and that something was terribly wrong and he had to get his ass out there. Malibu to Miami was not an easy feat, but it helped when one owned their own private jet.

She took a shuddering breath, and clutched his own hand back. She was clearly distraught, and it showed.

"The baby…The baby was dying, Tony. It was going to die. The doctors had to take it out before it died. The…the nurse said it was a little girl. We had a little girl, Tony. A girl who may not make it to morning. I… I haven't even seen her. She could die and I don't even know what my baby looks like."

Tony's heart skip a beat. A baby girl. One who was in danger of losing her newly appointed life. He felt his eyes burn, and quickly tucked his head down in hopes Maya hadn't noticed. Luckily she was too drugged out to mind, and Tony tried to control his breakdown. A baby girl who he may never see alive.

It was too early. Maya was had only just turned 7 months into the pregnancy. Even if the doctors did manage to fix whatever went wrong in the womb, organs were still underdeveloped and systems were still being formed. If her underdeveloped organs didn't shut down, then her nonexistent immune system would. Tony just felt overwhelmed with the sense of impending doom. He was just starting to get on board with this whole dad thing. To have it brutally ripped away before it had a chance to begin? That hardly seemed fair.

Pressing his lips into her hand, Tony rubbed his thumb over her knuckles reassuringly, squashing down his emotions for the time being. Maya needed him to be here, and their daughter needed both of them more than ever. For once in his life, Tony felt like an adult. He had to set an example for that baby girl. How would she respect her father if he was off partying and sleeping around?

It was as if something inside of him had been filled. The idea of partying and women seemed so pointless in comparison to the hours old infant with half of his DNA. For once, the idea appalled him. What would she think of him? If he had no respect for himself then how could she have respect for him? Making a silent resolve to put his best foot forward with her, Tony bestowed another kiss on Maya's hand, trying to shift his attention from the possibility of his daughter dying and being helpless to everything. Deciding to change the subject, he thought of the most logical thing he could.

"Have you named her yet?"

The brunette gave a dry laugh, and his question was suddenly answered. "They cut me open and ripped her from my insides, I didn't exactly have time to pick out a name."

"Well, then we've got our work cut out for us."

An airy breath left her throat, and Tony could tell she was exhausted. But his heart was hurting and it was common sense to let his brain take over when his feelings were getting out of hand.

"Any requests? Because I'm thinking Maria has a wonderful ring to it."

Maya made a face at once, nose scrunching up and eyes crinkling. "How about for a middle name? I think's it's a bit outdated for a first name."

"My mother's name was Maria, thank you very much. But you're slightly correct. Ava sound more punk anyway. Don't even give me that look, we both know she's going to love the classics."

"Denied. What about Vanessa?"

"No good nicknames. Savannah?"

"God no. How's Emma sound?"

"Too average. Jasmine's unique, like it?"

Maya paused for a second, clearly thinking it over, before letting a small smile spread across her face. "Jasmine Maria Stark. What a mouthful; perfect for your offspring."

He lightly tapped her forehead in response to her jab at him, but it obviously had no real ill intent behind it. She nodded off not long after, leaving Tony to his thoughts.

Jasmine Maria Stark. It was a mouthful, but she was his little mouthful. Wait, no, that sounded wrong. Oh God, she wasn't even a day old and he was already making dirty comments involving her. Lord help him. This parenting thing was already causing his blood pressure to soar through the roof, and he hadn't even met the ball of sunshine yet. Rhodey was going to get a kick out of the whole thing, that was for sure. At least the pilot would raise her right if Tony somehow fucked something up.

Another burst of fireworks went off outside, and a sense of irony washed over the brown eyed man. July fourth, huh? Maybe this was the ghost of his dead father mocking him or something. Either way, the CEO knew this day had gained a new meaning.

Oh yeah, he was totally going to rock this dad thing.

"Mr. Stark? Ms. Hansen? I'm Doctor Weber. I'll be taking care of your daughter for the next few weeks."

Tony stood to shake the man's hand. He had salt and pepper hair, some of the white reaching his beard. His green eyes were nothing but kind though, and it reassured Tony, even if only a little. Maya smiled, though her frustrations were clearly shining through. Almost a whole day had gone by, and the lack of updates were frustrating at best.

"How is she?"

He motioned for Tony to retake his seat, a grim look on his face. The brown eyed man knew something had happened, and gripped Maya's hand in anticipation.

"For starters, congratulations. Your daughter-"

"Jasmine. Her name is Jasmine."

Doctor Weber sent the brunette an apologetic look, but continued on nonetheless. "Right, my apologies. Jasmine, is quite the fighter. Once we got her in the OR, she did nothing but fight." He chuckled a little, and glanced over his chart. "But with a premature birth two months early, complications are to be expected. But I have a feeling you two are well aware."

"Jasmine's lungs aren't fully developed, and if we don't monitor that closely it could develop into something in the future. Her immune system hasn't fully formed yet, so we have to keep her in isolation with a select nurse and myself to monitor her. We don't want to introduce an illness her body isn't ready to fight off, so I'm going to have to ask you two not to visit. But the matter at hand that concerns me the most, is her heart."

Maya gave a sharp intake, and Tony could feel his own heart give out for a moment. God, her heart? Could a body that small even cope with a heart that wasn't working right? If something went wrong, could they even operate on an organ that delicate?

Doctor Weber shook his head, and looked over the charts once more. "We almost lost Jasmine once in the womb, so my nurse is keeping an extremely close eye on that. We predict that it's early heart failure, but nothing is set in stone. Your daughter is a fighter though, so have hope. I just want you two to be fully aware of what lays in Jasmine's future. Please excuse me now."

He left with a miniature flare of the lab coat, and the soft taps of his shoes. The bright blue of his scrubs vanished, leaving the pair alone in silence. God, this was just too much. Heart failure? Underdeveloped lungs? Compromised immune system? His mind was racing, and limbs shaking. This couldn't be real. This shouldn't be real. Jasmine had two healthy parents, two extremely healthy parents; why was she so sick? He hadn't even met her yet, and already she ran the risk of dying if he even visited her. Maya didn't look to be fairing any better, her skin pale and sticky, breath coming out short. How was he supposed to comfort her, when he himself was a hot mess?

God, what if she actually died? What if Jasmine actually died? He didn't even want to think about it, so he flung his mind to another topic.

"…I'm going to check into a hotel. Shower, grab a change of clothes, that sort of stuff. I'm sure Happy would appreciate it. You can call your grandma or something. I'll be back in a few hours. Or something. I'll see you then."

She gave a huff of laughter, eyes shining with something he was positive wasn't there earlier this morning. "You brought that body guard of yours? ...Of course you did."

He winked before stepping out of the room, removing those stupid plastic covers from his clothes. Happy was sitting in the waiting room, flipping through a People's Magazine. Snapping his fingers, Tony stopped for nothing, making a beeline towards the black car in the parking lot. Happy hopped in the driver's seat without a single question, something Tony was immensely grateful for. There was just so much to do, so much to think about.

He had to call Sam, see if that paternity test could be done asap. Better make sure the kid was his before he went and got all attached. Though, something told him Jasmine was indeed his daughter. Maya seemed like the kind of person that chose work over home, and having a kid clearly wasn't in her schedule. She had also wanted to give Jasmine up for adoption, or did she say abortion? Maybe it was both. Who knew at this point, the letters and phone calls discussing adoption were at a ridiculous number at this point.

Opening up his wallet, Tony glanced at the small black and white picture there. Her last ultrasound. Grabbing a pen, Tony turned the small photo over and scribbled something on the back, ignoring the burning behind his eyes. Adoption seemed like such a ridiculous idea now. Giving Jasmine to a family that couldn't support her? Or worse, what if she slipped through the system? What if she was that sick kid that would be rotated out of the system? Tony couldn't live with himself if she remained in an orphanage her whole adolescent life.

What if she didn't make it to 18, and died thinking her parents hated her?

Shaking his head a bit too violently, Tony placed the ultrasound picture over his license, running two fingers over the photo before snapping his wallet shut. He wondered how much it would take to get Doctor Weber to take a photo of Jasmine for him, considering the male was the only one allowed to get near her. Whipping out his phone, Tony dialed the hospitals number, smirking only a little when a female nurse picked up the phone. His mind was still stuck on that picture, black ink sticking out like a sore thumb on the white back.

Jasmine Maria Stark- 27 weeks

A/N: And that concludes the very first chapter. Yes, hate me all you want, but this is a thing. Too much Iron Man 3 and too many feelings about Tony Stark have led to this creation. Let me know what the feelings are on this, and i'll see how I can perfect it.

And yes, premature births are terrifying. My cousin was born super early, and she had to be in an incubator thingy for two months. She got asthma from her lungs being underdeveloped, and is still really small for her age. So I will be taking the medical knowledge from my aunt on premature births, but if i'm wrong on anything feel free to correct me.

Also i'm posting this from my Ao3 account, so don't go reporting me. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and have a wonderful day. Updates should be every Wednesday, give or take a day.

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