Diary of Ashley Stark, AKA Iron Man's long lost daughter
A few facts about me, before we get started.
I'm 17. I live in the UK, specifically, I attend Cheltenham Ladies College in England. My mum was English. I never knew my dad until a year ago, when my mum was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer and she died. My dad never knew I existed either. That was a bit of a shock, bless him. So now I live with my dad in Malibu when I'm not at school and I'm heir to Stark Industries.
What a joke. My dad's a genius. I barely passed my exams with average grades. Out of his friends, the only person I understand is Steve. Oh, sorry, Captain America. But I call him Steve. And Pepper too. Pepper dumbs everything down for me to understand.
For my 17th birthday, Dad bought me a car, a Mini Cooper with a Union Flag on the roof. I love it. I think he was tempted to buy me a faster and better car but he was torn between me being in a cool car and not killing myself. Clearly the latter won. Or Pepper told him not to be an idiot.
He's also paying stupid amounts of money to bribe Harvard to take me. It worked; I got in. My teachers insist it's because I'm bright, I just laughed in their faces. To be honest, I'd rather just get a job. I'll probably end up working for SHIELD because I know too much. Plus, Nick Fury would love having inside knowledge on one of his Avengers. I'd get massively overpaid for it and I wouldn't have to rely on my dad's billions then. I think he has more than billions, actually.
Whatever. I'm rambling.
July, 2013.
My dad was throwing one of his parties at the house in Malibu. He made Pepper take me dress shopping. Neither of us minded too much, we like each other's company. I think Pepper likes talking to someone who isn't up their own arse as much as my dad is. Don't get the wrong idea, she loves him to bits, but he is ridiculously arrogant.
"Nothing too slutty," he'd warned me before we left. He had good reason; at his Christmas party I'd worn something that made Rhodie's eyes nearly pop out of his head. That was when everyone found out that I was Tony Stark's daughter. He even got the suit out to scare the blokes off. Happy has to follow me around everywhere now.
Pepper was in charge of picking the dress. She does have good taste, in all fairness. She picked out a lovely blue ensemble, and I tried it on. It looked kind of good on me, actually. It suited my pale skin and dark hair and eyes. I have my dad's eyes.
"Perfect!" Pepper announced as I stepped out of the changing room. Happy nodded to show his approval. He tries to do the whole "cool bodyguard" thing but he really can't pull it off at all.
Pepper and I went to get our hair and nails done... To be honest, I think I fell asleep. I sleep a lot, especially on the beach. My dad invented some super effective sun block that doesn't let me burn, or tan either. He says he's still working out the kinks in the formula.
It was around eight when Pepper and I got back to the house. Fashionably late, as my dad would say.
"Ready girls?" Happy asked, opening the doors for us to step out.
Oh God, the paparazzi. I hate them.
"Smile," Pepper whispered in my ear. "And relax. They can't hurt you here."
"As if Dad would ever let them get away with it," I laughed in response.
Lots of important people were here tonight. All the Avengers, even Thor, with his girlfriend, Jane. Erik Selvig, her mentor, who now works for SHIELD. Darcy. I love Darcy to bits. She's excellent. It's hilarious when she argues with Jarvis, especially when he won't let her into Dad's lab. She was talking to Bruce, AKA the Hulk. Clinton and Natasha, AKA Hawkeye and the Black Widow, were floating around. Natasha is absolutely stunning. No woman can look more beautiful than her, although plenty had certainly tried. Steve was busy trying to work out how my dad's sound system worked.
"I wouldn't touch that, if I were you," I said, walking over to him.
"Ashley," he smiled, pulling me into a hug. "You look great. I haven't seen you since Christmas. What's new?"
"Apparently at a party full of superheroes, my dad still won't let me walk around without a bodyguard," I gritted my teeth.
"I heard that," Happy shouted from ten feet behind me.
"You were meant to," I replied, shooting him a look that clearly told him to bugger off. Happy rolled his eyes and obliged.
I mean really. All six Avengers, Rhodie, plenty of SHIELD agents and my dad chooses Happy to follow me around all night. Ugh.
I grabbed a cocktail, and my dad spotted it from twenty feet away and raced over to take it off me.
"You're not 21 yet," he smirked.
"Am I allowed to have any fun?" I grumbled.
"You could rescue Hulk from Darcy."
I rolled my eyes, but obliged him. Dad took Steve down to the lab to see his cars.
"Hey Darcy!" I shouted across the room. "Jarvis was asking why you haven't hit on him yet."
Darcy shot me evils that said go away, I'm flirting with the Hulk. Bruce, however, turned around and silently pleaded with me to save him.
I walked over and dragged Darcy away.
"Hey!" she protested.
"Get me drunk while my dad's in the lab," I begged her.
"Only if we can look at Thor in a tux," she replied.
"Thor's wearing a tux?!" I craned my neck, trying to see above all the tall people. "Oh my. He does look very dashing."
"And he hasn't smashed anything yet," Darcy said, handing me a bottle of champagne after taking a swig.
"Give it time," I said.
"Slow down!" Darcy said in alarm, as I drank half the bottle. "Have you eaten anything?"
I snorted. "Don't be stupid, girls don't eat in LA."
"Er, were you planning on drinking all of that or is it for sharing?" A British male voice from behind us said.
"Hgurrr," was all that Darcy could manage when we turned around to look.
Even with all the muscled superheroes present, this guy was easily the most handsome in the room. He had dark hair, darker than mine, effortlessly styled, and black eyes. His beard wasn't as neat as my dad's, but still suited his face. He was wearing a checked shirt, jeans, and... oh dear.
"Flip flops? Really?" I couldn't help but ask.
He gave an embarrassed smile. "I know, I have terrible taste in shoes. I feel awful, everyone else is dressed up and Tony told me it'd be casual."
"But you're so pretty," Darcy babbled.
He flushed slightly. "Thanks."
"Jay!" Pepper greeted warmly from behind us. "I'm so glad you could make it. Girls, this is Jay. Jay, this is Tony's daughter Ashley, and Darcy, who tasered Thor when she first met him."
"Hey! I thought he was drunk!" Darcy protested.
Pepper took me aside. "Where's Tony?"
"In the lab, where else?"
She sighed. "Get him back up here, I can't keep an eye on this many superheroes at once."
Darcy and Jay followed me down to the lab.
"Miss Stark, Miss Lewis, Mr Smith," Jarvis greeted us.
"Hey Jarvis, are you going to let me in this time?" Darcy demanded.
"I'm sorry Miss Lewis, but you don't have clearance."
"Screw clearance, let me in."
"It's fine Jarvis," I said. "I'll make sure she doesn't break anything."
"No offence, Miss Stark, but I think you're more likely to break something than Miss Lewis."
"Enough of your sass, Jarvis," I narrowed my eyes at his keypad. Jay chuckled from behind me.
"Mr Stark, your daughter is arguing with me again."
"I don't care Jarvis, just let them in," Dad said, appearing behind the glass, wearing half his suit.
"Dad, why are you wearing your suit?" I asked as the door slid open.
"Party trick!" Dad beamed. "Hey, Jay. When I said casual, I didn't mean that casual."
Jay blushed again. My God, he was adorable.
Steve stepped out from behind a wall in his Captain America costume.
"Ngheerrrr," Darcy mumbled at the sight of him. In all fairness, he was awfully attractive.
"Really?" Dad asked her, amused. "A man in spandex?"
"An attractive man in spandex!" she replied.
Steve blushed an even deeper shade of red than Jay had a minute ago.
While Darcy bantered with Dad, I asked Jay something I was curious about.
"What do you do, Jay?"
"Oh! I'm an actor. I'm up for a part of playing Tony in a movie, and he decided he wanted to meet me... so he came to my apartment the other day. It was a bit of a shock opening the door to Iron Man, let me tell you."
"Oh God, he wasn't wearing the suit, was he?"
Jay nodded. "Then he invited me to this party, and here I am."
"Dad, you're so mean," I told him.
Dad did his trademark Tony Stark smirk. "It was funny."
He was still walking around in half his suit. I sighed. "Jarvis, you'd better put the suit on for him. I don't think he knows how to do it himself."
"Agreed."
"Pepper wants you back up there," I told Dad, as his mask snapped over his face.
"Not so rough, Jarvis," his voice always echoed in the suit. "Ready Steve?"
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Steve shook his head.
"I can't believe you let him talk you into it," I grinned.
"Clench up, Justin Hawkins," Dad said, grabbing Steve, and flying through the hole he had installed in the ceiling, because he's too lazy to walk up the stairs.
Jay and I laughed at Dad's joke, and Darcy looked confused.
"British thing," I said to her, as we walked up the stairs back to the party.