Author's note: I'm back! With a new story and everything! Disclaimers thought, I don't own the Avengers or any other reference material mentioned in the story. Thx!

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Chapter 1

Pepper Potts was just coming up stairs after putting a few papers on Tony's desk to sign when the doorbell rang. Her eyebrows creased in confusion. 'That's weird.' She thought to herself,' Tony never told me anyone would be stopping by.' She walked over to the door when J.A.R.V.I.S spoke through the intercom.

"Miss. Potts, it appears Director Fury is here with an unknown civilian." Pepper quickly opened the door to Director Fury and…..no one else?

"Director Fury, I was not expecting you. Come in, Tony's not back yet though."

"I know Miss. Potts; I thought it would be best to arrive before he did. We need to talk." Fury told the woman as he entered.

"Excuse me sir, J.A.R.V.I.S said that you had someone with you." Pepper replied when she saw no one else followed him in.

"That's what I'm here about. Come on out little one." Fury told his leg. Pepper was just about to question his sanity when a small child, four maybe, walked out from under his trench coat. She had long brown hair that went to her shoulder blades, blue eyes, and wore a dark purple shirt and a black skirt. She also wore a black jacket while holding an Iron Man plushy. Pepper gasped, not because of the sudden appearance of the child, but because of all the bandages and gaze wrapped around parts of the child's body.

"What happened to her?" Pepper asked outraged to see the state the child was in.

"Well we recently got her out of the hospital." Fury told the angered ginger(A/N: It is never a good idea to make gingers mad, they maybe soulless, but they're not dead). Pepper was about to say something, but Fury didn't let her.

"Later. When Tony arrives." Pepper knelt down to the young girl, only to have her flinch severely as Pepper went to put her hand on the girl's face. She quickly pulled her hand away and looked up at Fury, who just frowned and shook his head.

"What's her name?" Pepper asked.

"She doesn't have one." Pepper shot up and stared at Fury, angered.

"Why does she not have a name?"

"Her mother never gave her one. She will not talk to you though, unless you tell her you like Iron Man. Found that out the hard way." Fury stated. Pepper just smiled at the girl, "You like Iron Man?" The girl nodded slowly, holding her plushy closer to her, "I like Iron Man too." The girl instantly brightened and started to talk.

"Iron Man's da bestest in da world! Aldough I don't know why day call him Iron Man, it's cearwy a titanium awoid. "The little girl stated. Pepper stared at her in shock. 'Tony never told anyone that other than me.' she thought to herself. The young girl started running around in circles, acting as though her Iron Man plushy was flying, laughing while she did. Pepper thought she looked like an angel in disguise. J.A.R.V.I.S's voice broke through on the intercom, causing the girl to stop running and look at the ceiling.

"Miss. Potts, Mr. Stark has just arrived. Should I send for him?"

"Yes, thank you J.A.R.V.I.S." Pepper said to the computer. Pepper stared at the little girl who pointed to the ceiling.

"Was dat God?" she asked and Pepper laughed.

"No little one that was a computer." Pepper told the girl.

"Ooohhhh." The girl said in understanding. She continued to play until Tony came up the stairs.

"Hey Pepper, Why-"Tony stared only to stop at the sight of a little girl standing next to his couch. She was staring at him intently. Tony and the girl were having their own version of a stare down and it was intimidating to Pepper. The little girl walked right up to Tony and tilted her head like a curious puppy.

"Uh…hello?" Tony said, for lack of better words. Pepper was about to explain to Tony that she would only talk to him if he said he liked Iron Man when the child spoke.

"Do you wike Iron Man?" Tony raised an eyebrow and looked to Pepper and Fury who both looked surprised.

"Uh, yes, yes I do." Tony told the child and instead of smiling she walked closer to him. She grabbed his pant leg and held up her Iron Man plushy up to him with a smile. Tony took the plushy looking really confused and looked to the young girl, who smiled brightly at him. Tony's heart melted as he smiled back causing the little girl to giggle slightly. She stared pulling on his pant leg leading him to the couch. As he walked to the couch with the little girl he looked back to Fury and Pepper were beyond shocked at this and looked like they were not breathing. Tony sat on the couch as the young girl sat next to him.

"Iron Man is weally cuw! I fink he is da bestest out of all da Avengers." She told Tony who smiled mischievously.

"Yes he is, isn't he." Tony said looking over to Fury and Pepper, who rolled her eyes. The girl started to laugh and talk to Tony some more when Pepper and Fury decided to join them on the couch. They were both surprised to see how quickly the girl had warmed up to Tony. The girl suddenly stopped talking and stared at Tony's arch reactor. Tony noticed this and was about to explain when the little girl put her hand on the reactor. She then put her hand on her chest and gasped. The girl turned to Fury and pointed to her and Tony's chest. Fury just nodded and what the girl did next surprised everyone but Fury. She took off her jacket to reveal a small glow coming from her own chest and Tony's eyes widened. He turned to Fury, clearly angered.

"How did she get a hold of an arch reactor? Did you give it to her?"

"No, she built it herself. I just gave her the plans to do so." Tony was in disbelief, how a four year old child could build a miniaturized arch reactor.

"She needs your help Tony." Fury stated. "Her arch reactor was built with platinum, you know how that goes." The young girl looked down, clearly understanding the meaning behind Fury's words.

"Not to sound cruel, but why should I help this girl?" Tony asked. Pepper gasped.

"TONY!"

"It's alright Pepper; he has the right to know the truth." Both adults were now looking at Fury in confusion. "She was born with a very weak heart. The doctors gave her six years to live, but even that small amount of time was cut short. She was in a car accident with her mother who was abusive. Her mother was killed instantly and she barely survived." Fury said nodding his head in the girl's direction. "I knew that she would be able to save her own life if I gave the plans to the arch reactor. So she built it and now, her she is." Fury remarked pointing to the child.

"How?" Tony asked.

"This girl has extremely high intelligence. Close to yours and Poma's (A/N: my sister's character)."

"How-"Pepper started but Tony cut her off.

"Where's her father?" Tony asked, watching the child curl up against him. She grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her and soon fell asleep.

"He's alive, if that's what you're asking." Fury stated watching the girl as well.

"Who is he?" Tony asked slightly pale, his eyes never leaving the girl next to him. It tool Fury a long to time to answer, but he did.

"You." Both Pepper and Tony snapped their heads in his direction.

"What?" Tony asked.

"Her mother was Sarah Kingston, remember her?" Fury asked. Tony just nodded. "She was born June 21, 2008. She was going to sue you but someone paid her to keep quiet."

"Who?" Tony asked.

"We still don't know, but whoever did put her through four years of hell. Her mother abused her constantly and rarely feed her." Tony looked ready to kill that woman, and if she wasn't already dead, he might of.

"One day Sarah decided to take her daughter out for a drive. By the time Sarah realized that the breaks were cut, she crashed into another car, killing her and severely injuring her daughter." Tony visible winced at this, clearly remembering his parents' death, or murder to him. Fury continued.

"We were called in once they discovered you were her father while they were trying to locate her other parent. We convinced them to stay quiet. When the child showed your intelligence, I gave her the plans and equipment to save her own life, for now. The longer that machine is in her, the more it poisons her. That's when I decided to bring her to you, her now legal guardian. You can keep her if you want, but if not help her first, then we will take her to child services." There was a long silence in which all eyes were on Tony, waiting for him to make a decision. All he did was watch his daughter sleep, her chest slowly rising and falling. She still held onto his arm like it was a lifeline. Tony's eyes softened and he spoke, "What's her name?"

"She doesn't have one." Fury told him.

"Yes she does." Tony said quickly, causing Pepper and Fury to look at him in confusion. Tony tore his eyes away from his daughter and smiled.

"Are you going to keep her?" Pepper asked. Tony just smiled and nodded. They all smiled at him.

"Well, if you're going to keep her, what are you going to name her?" Fury asked standing up. Tony looked back down at his daughter and smiled again.

"Her name is Maria Natasha Stark."

SOOOOOO? Did you like it? Quick heads up, Poma is my sister's, otteranddragon, character. Read her story and you will understand who she is. So I need peeps to R&R my story so I know where to go, I'm a little confused on where to take my story. Thx!

~foreverDPgirf