The Forgotten Child.
By: Broken Elfling And my sisters.
Key: "talking" "different language" &thoughts&
Warnings: This will be graphic. Its teen for now but will be mature. Will have elements from different stories but won't end up a crossover. Contains abuse. You've been warned.
"Three. You, Mister Stark, and Miss Potts." Jarvis answered. Snow grumbled but started enough for three people. For some reason unknown to Snow, Miss Potts, or Pepper, hated her. Snow had been living with Tony for six years, since he had found her in the foster care system. Snow thought, but had no proof, that Pepper was the only one who truly knew what Tony did to her while he was drunk enough to black out. Snow didn't blame Tony, as he seemed to honestly have no memory of what he did. So, Snow kept Tony as far away emotionally as she could, to keep herself from being hurt more when he beat her. It never once crossed her mind that, if she told Tony what was actually going on, that he would stop drinking and do everything in his power to make it up to her. Snow thought that she deserved the abuse, because she grew up with it and knew that she was a worthless, ugly, disgusting girl who needed to be abused. Snow had, for as long as she could remember, been abused. The only thing that she wanted in life was to protect children who might be in the same situations as she had been.
Just as Snow put dinner on the table, Tony and Pepper showed up.
The new chapter.
A/N: Snow is Tony's biological Daughter. Her mother 'died' in childbirth. She ends up being important. But for now, Snow only has Tony.
Snow pulled herself out of her thoughts, and put on a fake smile. Neither one of the two that were joining her for dinner would be able to recognize her fake smile from her real smile, which was fine by Snow. She didn't like either of the people (or so she told herself) sitting at what was deemed her table by everyone who sat with them for a meal. The only thing that might give her away was the fact that her eyes were a guarded blue colour, rather then the normal sky grey colour they were when she was content.
"I made Chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, and corn." Snow said rather awkwardly, not knowing how to start a conversation with people who she didn't really know.
"Smells great Harley." Tony smiled, ruffling her hair. Snow was proud of herself for not flinching, as she hadn't seen Tony moving to touch her. Snow had an aversion to being touch as the only touch that she was use to was touch that would cause her pain.
"Thanks." Snow mumbled, sitting at the table with her glass of milk. She hated milk but Jarvis forced her to drink it anyways. (How an artificial intelligence could force her to do something she didn't want to do was an unsolvable mystery)
After about fifteen minutes of Tony and Pepper talking about the company, Snow was staring at the clock which read 5:47, wondering to herself when she would be able to leave when Pepper turned her unwelcome attention onto Snow.
"So, Harley, what are you planning on doing now that your done school?" Pepper asked. Snow mentally groaned, knowing where this was going.
"I don't know. I only turned sixteen two months ago, and I only finished Medical school a month and a half ago. Medical school took up all of my time as I had to study so much. So I'm planning on taking a few months to myself before I decide what to do with my life." Snow answered, her tone calm and kind. She treated everyone with kindness, no matter who they were.
"So your just going to be staying here for a while then?" Pepper asked.
Snow nodded, slightly confused. "I'm sixteen years old. I'm not allowed to live on my own yet, not really. Plus, I am to young to get any good jobs. I may be able to make myself look older then what I really am, and I may act older then sixteen, but my physical age is still only sixteen." Snow told her with an eye roll, taking a bite of her chicken.
"So your going to sit around doing nothing while living off of your Fathers money?" Pepper asked. Tony looked at her sharply but didn't say anything. Snow swallowed her chicken and forced herself to believe that the pain in her chest was from the chicken that she just swallowed.
"Considering that Tony could buy a small county, and make enough money to be back up in the billions within a year, I think he can afford to have me live off of him for a while. The only things that I use Tony's money for is food, most of which is eaten by other people, clothes, of which I haven't had to buy in a while because I haven't grown very much, and a few other necessities. I don't spend very much money, and I probably never will. He didn't even have to pay for Medical school as I got a scholarship." Snow said, her tone unchanged.
"So your just going to live off of your Father for the rest of your life?" Pepper demanded. Tony was looking at her like she had grown two heads while Snow was staring back at her with an expression unchanged, no matter how annoyed she was getting.
"No, I will be here until I'm eighteen, and then I should be able to get some job in a Hospital, especially with my degree. Once I have a steady job I will move out and everyone can forget about me. Lives will be able to go back normal." Snow answered her.
"Why would we forget about you? I wouldn't. You ARE my daughter." Tony said quietly, giving Snow a wounded look. Snow didn't bother giving him a response, instead getting up and putting her dishes in the sink.
"Your Father asked you a question." Pepper said in a sickly sweet voice. Snow wandered over and picked up the empty dishes.
"I don't know how to answer that question. So I was going to remain silent." Snow answered softly.
"So if you think you will be forgotten about why don't you just leave? No one wants you here, so just leave bitch." Pepper yelled at her. Snow simply picked up the bowl that had the peas in it. Tony opened his mouth to say something, a deep frown on his face, when Pepper cut him off. Grabbing Snow's wrist in a painful grip, making Snow yelp and drop the bowl of half empty peas. The bowl shattered and shards went everywhere, including Snow's shoeless feet, again making her cry out. Tony jumped up from the chair, making it fall to the floor, but before he could do anything, Pepper hit her and started to yelled again. Before Pepper could say more then one word, Tony had her arm in a vice like grip. Pepper looked up at Tony with wide eyes, as he had a dangerous look on his face.
"Let go. Of my. Daughter. Now." Tony said in a deadly calm voice. Pepper let go automatically and Snow stumbled backwards a few feet to the counter, biting her lip to keep from making a sound. Tony was still glaring at Pepper.
"Leave. Now. I will deal with you tomorrow." Tony ordered. Pepper huffed and left. Tony took a deep breath before turning back to Snow, who was sitting on the counter with her feet over the sink, picking sharps of glass out of her feet with her nails. Snow had her lip in between her teeth, and tears in her eyes. It wasn't that painful but she hadn't been expecting it, and hadn't been able to brace herself for pain. Snow nearly jumped out of her skin when Tony put a gentle hand on her back. Tony frowned, though he didn't remove his hand from her shoulder. He thought that she had flinched because Pepper had hit her. Tony couldn't blame her, no one should hit a child.
Snow's head whipped up and stared at him with wide eyes, before dropping her gaze and going back to staring at her feet. "I'm sorry Tony. I'll clean up once I finish my feet." Snow all but whispered. Tony gently grabbed her hands and pulled them away from her feet, making Snow look up at him in confusion.
"You have nothing to be sorry for Harley. It was Pepper's fault, not yours." Tony said gently. Snow's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Give me a moment to get the first aid kit and I'll take care of your feet, ok Harley?"
Snow shook her head. "I can do it Tony. You don't need to worry." Snow said.
"You may be a Doctor, but I'm your father and I will take care of this." Tony told her, more firmly though still gently. Snow continued to look at him in utter confusion. Tony smiled softly down at her before turning and all but sprinting out of the room. Snow turned back to her feet, but before she could do more then to move her hands towards her feet, Jarvis spoke up.
"Miss Snow, Sir would be very upset if he came back and found you taking glass out of your feet." Jarvis spoke quietly, knowing that Snow was already spooked.
"Why is he doing this?" Snow asked just as softly. Jarvis didn't answer her, and Snow saw Tony coming back with one of the first aid kits she had hidden around the house.
"Jarvis said that this was the kit where I would find what I need to heal your feet." Tony said as he placed it on the counter and opened it.
"Under the gauze is the tweezers. Under the band aids are the ointments. All of the kits have about the same things in them, this one though, also has a paste I invented to heal bruises in a shorter amount of time." Snow informed him. Tony nodded, getting out the things that she had mentioned, before pausing and looking at her in shock.
"You invented a paste to get rid of bruises faster?" Tony asked.
"Mmhhhhmm." Snow hummed in agreement, scrunching up her nose in distaste as Tony began to gently pick glass out of her feet.
"How did you do that? And how well does it work?" Tony asked, wincing as he pulled a particularly large piece out of the very bottom of her foot. Tony was trying to distract her from what he was doing.
"I am just as smart as you are, and I just stumbled across the answer. And when you rub it into your skin it helps it heal much faster then what it normally would." Snow said. She had tried to create something for other people to use that worked like her own gift, how she could heal so fast.
"Have you published your creation yet Harley?" Tony asked, moving onto her other foot. &Just how much glass is in her feet? Damn her foster families to hell and back for making her able to withstand pain without making a sound.& Tony thought to himself.
"No, not yet. I want to try it on other people before I do anything with it." Snow said honestly.
"Which one of these should I use on your feet?" Tony asked, gesturing towards the bottles.
"The Black with blue lid one." Snow replied. Tony picked up the bottle and began to put some over her cuts. Tony picked up the gauze to wrap it around her feet when Snow stopped him.
"It's ok, Tony. You don't need to wrap my feet. They'll be healed in a an hour. I'll just sit here until they're healed." Snow said, leaning back to brace her forearms on the counter.
Tony gave her a disbelieving look. "I am still going to wrap your feet. I won't have them getting infected. After that, you're going to bed to rest. Understand, Harley?" Tony asked her. Before Snow could do more then open her mouth, Tony had grabbed her foot and was wrapping her foot. Snow sat there and pouted at his back, before she started to complain. Tony ignored her, and moved onto her other foot before Snow could move it away. All this accomplished was Snow complaining even more.
"You're done now, may I leave? After all, I'm being ordered to sleep." Snow drawled.
"Yes. But you're not walking." Tony said, smirking. Snow narrowed her eyes, before they opened wide.
"No!" Snow yelped, scooting backwards on the counter, only for Tony to grab her and hold her in his arms. Snow wriggled but it was no use, Tony just wouldn't let go of her.
"PUT ME DOWN GODS DAMN YOU!" Snow shouted, struggling for all that she was worth. It was no use, Tony refused to put her down. All of his time in his Iron Man suit, combined with Snow's slight weight and build, made it impossible for her to get away. Tony hummed and ignored her, walking through the open door to Snow's bedroom. Tony put the still struggling Snow down on her bed before looking around her room in amazement.
"Who painted your room, Harley? Whoever they are, they're great at their job." Tony said, moving to inspect the walls further. The ceiling, he could tell, had only recently been painted. All but a small part of Snow's room had been done up to look like a dark forest at night. The sky had a bright full moon, with stars painted into the ceiling. The trees even had the glow from the moon in them.
"It was me, I painted my room. And it's not that good. And it's not done yet. I still have the floor, the closet, the bathroom, and that bit of wall to do. And I'm running out of paint." Snow told him.
"I'll get you more paint. And you should do this for a living. It looks amazing. The six floors below this one are all guest room floors. You can have free rein of those rooms. Paint them however you want to, and I expect your best work, Harley." Tony told her with a smile.
"Are you sure you wouldn't mind? Because I would love to paint them." Snow asked, sounding almost excited.
"Yep. I'm sure. What kinds of paint do you like?" Tony assured her. Snow pulled out a metal container of paint, it was a generic brand and looked watery.
"I use this. Its cheep. I have to use at least two coats to get the right colour, sometimes three or four." Snow told him, handing him the container.
"What kind would you like to use?" Tony asked, placing the container on the desk, noting that even that was painted to look like a moss covered rock.
"I would absolutely love to use acrylic paints. I've used them once before, they are the best, especially for the amount of space that I will be doing. I'd only need a coat to make the right colour. But they're to expensive, especially for the amount I would need for all the rooms. Like I told Ms. Potts, I don't use very much of your money, my friend gave me these paints as a gift, otherwise I wouldn't have them." Snow assured him.
Tony waved a hand. "I don't care about costs. You can spend as much money as you would like to. Jarvis, put an order in at what ever store sells the best acrylic paint and get ten of the largest containers possible of each colour that there is. And make it twenty of white and twenty of black. And order all brand new brushes, four of each size from smallest to largest. And one of those paint tray things that you can mix colours on. And Harley is not allowed to cancel this order. And what ever colours she ends up using the most of, order more of those." Tony told Jarvis, ignoring Snow, who was trying to talk over him.
"Yes Sir." Jarvis answered, sounding pleased.
"TONY! THAT IS WAY TO MUCH! I'm fine with what I have!" Snow exclaimed, frowning at him. Tony waved her protests away.
"It's already done and you can't change it." Tony told her smugly. Snow scowled before sighing.
"Thank you Tony. You really didn't have to do this." Snow told him softly.
Tony's eyes softened, and he reached over to rub her head. "I know kid. But I wanted to. I'm sorry for being so distant, I'll try to be there for you more. I just realized that, even though you live with me and are my daughter, I know nothing about you and that you grew up on your own. I'm sorry for that." Tony told her.
"Its fine. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. At least you've given me a roof over my head. That's more then what I often had with my foster families growing up. I like this place, and I had Jarvis who helped raise me. So I wasn't completely on my own. He made sure that I have at least two meals a day." Snow told him kindly.
"Being raised by a computer, even one such as Jarvis, does not count as being raised by a parent." Tony argued with her.
"It's better then the previous foster families. So I'm not going to complain." Snow shrugged. Tony scowled but let the matter drop. Snow sat on the bed that she had been dropped on and gazed around her room, before starting to unbraid her braids. Snow had three braids, one in the middle of her head, and one on either side of her head. Snow had braided the three braids together to make one big braid. Once all of the braids had been unbraided, Snow picked up her hair brush and started to brush her hair.
"Just how much hair do you have?" Tony asked in disbelief, staring at how her hair pooled on the floor.
"Dunno. But if I let it down, I could step on it. I have to braid it tightly for it to even come down just past my butt." Snow told him, brushing through a knot. "It grows really fast."
"What do you normally do during the days?" Tony asked, changing the subject.
"Watch movies, read, draw, paint, or see if I want to get another degree in something." Snow told him, moving onto the other side of her head.
"Have you seen anything that you might want to study further?" Tony asked.
"Nope. Not yet at least." Snow answered.
"Well, what movies do you like to watch?" Tony asked, sitting in one of the bean bag chairs awkwardly.
"Lord of the rings, Harry Potter, anything that catches my eye really." Snow told him, moving to braid her hair in a simple braid at the back of her head.
"Then let's watch those movies! Jarvis, pull up Lord of the rings first." Tony called out before Snow cut him off.
"I don't have a T.V. in here Tony. Never have." Snow told him.
"Ok. So, the living room then?" Tony asked.
"Sure? Do you even like Lord of the rings?" Snow asked.
"Sure I do. And lets go." Tony stood up as Snow pulled herself to the edge of her bed. Standing, Snow made to take a step when Tony scooped her up again. Snow instantly started struggling.
"PUT ME DOWN YOU GREAT BIG OAF!" Snow shouted. Tony laughed and put her down on the couch carefully.
"Oaf? Really?" Tony laughed. Snow scowled and glared at him.
"Yes. You are a giant oaf." Snow told him.
"I'm not that giant. You're just tiny." Tony informed her, entering the kitchen to get popcorn.
"I AM FIVE FEET TALL! I AM NOT THAT TINY!" Snow yelled.
"Miss Stark, you are 4' 11" tall. You are not five feet tall." Jarvis' cool voice spoke out.
"TRAITOR!" Snow howled.
"Oh, don't pick on Jarvis. He was programed to be honest. And from what I can remember, your mother was small as well." Tony said as he entered the room with two bowls of popcorn. Snow snatched her bowl of popcorn and grumbled to herself as she snuggled into the couch. Tony laughed again and settled into the couch to watch the lord of the rings.
The pair ended up watching the complete set of Lord of the rings movies. During the second movie, Snow unwrapped her feet and, when Tony complained, shoved them into Tony's face to show him that they were healed, leading to Tony becoming fascinated by her healing ability. Tony stood up and stretched, before turning and finding Snow curled in a ball around a pillow, fast asleep. Tony's eyes softened as he looked at the innocent picture that she made.
"Jarvis, will Harley wake up if I move her into her bed?" Tony asked quietly, glancing at the clock which told him that it was 3:34 in the morning.
"If Sir picks her up slowly and carefully Miss Stark should stay asleep. Miss Stark has not been sleeping well lately, which is why she fell asleep." Jarvis informed him.
"Why hasn't Harley been sleeping well?" Tony asked concerned, gently working his arms under Snow to lift her.
"Miss Stark has very bad nightmares each night. Nothing helps, and Miss Stark refuses to go to anyone professional for help. Miss Stark would not allow me to tell you without you asking after her." Jarvis told him. Tony carefully stood with Snow in his arms. Snow's nose scrunched up and she curled closer to Tony, wrapping her arms around his neck though she stayed asleep.
"Does she always cuddle so much when she is asleep." Tony asked quietly.
"I do not know. This is the first time she has fallen asleep in someone's presence." Jarvis answered, opening Snow's door for Tony.
"Do you know why?" Tony asked, curious.
"Miss Stark trusts no one, because of severe trust issues." Jarvis once again answered. Tony hummed and tried to put Snow down, only for her to whine and curl closer, legs wrapping around his middle and arms around his neck. Tony carefully let his arms drop, only for Snow not to budge an inch.
"Jarvis, what do I do? She won't let go and is holding herself up." Tony asked, wrapping his arms around her again.
"Sir can lay her down on her bed and Miss Stark may let go, or Sir can simply curl up with her to sleep." Jarvis' cool voice sounded out. Tony nodded, and tried to lay her down again. This time, Tony managed to get her arms unwound and shoved one of the many pillows (Tony had no idea where they all came from) from her bed in her arms before she grabbed him again. Snow whined but curled into a ball on her bed once Tony fully got her off of him. Tony smiled and covered her with a pile of blankets, all different colours though they were mainly different hues of blue. Snow snuggled into her bed until only the top of her head was visible. Tony turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Snow shot up off of her bed with a strangled scream, attempting to leap from her bed but she was tangled in her blankets, and fell half off of her bed onto her head. Snow groaned and pushed herself up and dragged the rest of her off of the bed. "Jarvis, how did I end up in my room?" Snow asked, looking around. The last thing that she remembered was watching Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli with the spirits.
"Sir carried you to bed when the movie ended Miss Snow." Jarvis answered her promptly.
"Why did he do that? Its not like I take up a lot of the couch." Snow commented, throwing her blankets onto the bed along with her pillows.
"Sir thought that you would sleep better in your own bed." Jarvis answered her. Snow hummed and got up and showered. Stepping out of the shower, Snow dried off and dressed, and put her hair in a low pony tail, marvelling that her hair pooled a little bit on the floor.
"I really do have long hair." Snow mused to herself. Snow went to her closet and entered her secret room. Once there, Jarvis once again shone the lights brightly and Snow set to work. By the time that Snow left at twelve to start brunch, she had finished one full wing. Entering her kitchen, Snow pulled several pots, pans, and food out of the fridge. Snow paused, before she put away the pots and pans and some of the food.
"I want to bake. Jarvis, can you please put on some high paced music please? Something good." Snow asked kindly, pulling out different bags of things. Jarvis started playing Not gunna die by Skillet. Snow smiled and started bobbing her head to the music, putting things in bowls and mixing.
Hours later, Tony stood in the door way watching Snow with a slack-jawed expression. Snow was dancing around the kitchen, putting things in and pulling them out of the oven. The table was already piled high with food and so were the counters. There was everything from muffins to triple layered, fully decorated cake. Tony had never seen this much food in his kitchen since he had built it. Snow paid him no mind, not even knowing that he was there, and with her music playing danced to the beat of the song. Snow pulled out a pan of what looked like muffins and put them on the counter. Closing the oven door with her foot, Snow put the hot pan on the last bit of clear space that there was on the counter. Snow turned, spotted Tony, yelped, tripped on her hair from a hasty step back, and fell onto the ground.
"Fine! Fine! I'm fine!" Snow said as she got up quickly and brushed herself off. Snow glared at Tony, who was using the door frame to hold himself up as he was laughing so hard. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Snow complained, scowling at him. Tony just continued to laugh, after all, it wasn't everyday that you see a girl trip over her own hair.
"Stop laughing at me or else you won't get any of these goodies." Snow threatened, making Tony stop laughing and pout.
"Ha! knew that that would work." Snow snorted. When she had turned around for a moment, Tony snatched a blueberry muffin off of a stack of muffins and bit it. Tony hummed in appreciation.
"What kinds of muffins did you make Harley?" Tony asked, taking another bite of his muffin.
"I made oatmeal, oatmeal chocolate chip, banana chocolate chip, blueberry (as you already know), banana, double chocolate muffin, blueberry chocolate chip (not sure how those will be), and something else maybe?" Snow said, looking from muffin to muffin.
"You missed peanut butter, oatmeal coconut, and oatmeal raisin muffins." Jarvis informed them.
"I think I made a lot of muffins." Snow said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck with a light pink blush on her face. Tony chuckled and ruffled her head, making her squawk and bat his hands away.
"Jarvis, shut off the music please!" Snow called out, and the loud music shut down. "Thank you!"
"You are welcome Miss Stark." Jarvis said, sounding pleased.
"So, whatcha doing today?" Snow asked Tony.
"What ever you want to do today. I'm going to hang out with you." Tony informed her, snitching another muffin.
"Well I don't know. This is one of the first times someone has actually spent the day with me. Normally its just me and Jarvis." Snow said awkwardly, giving the ceiling a smile. Tony frowned, hating the reminder of her failed childhood.
"Well, do you feel like watching more movies? Maybe play a game?" Snow asked uncertainly.
"Sure Harley." Tony smiled warmly.
The two ended up watching badly animated movies for the rest of the day, feasting on the baked goods that Snow made. Snow made a bet with Tony that she could eat the entire three layered cake -if she won she got a thousand dollars, and if he won then she would make blue berry muffins for him for the next year- in under a half hour. Tony watched in shocked awe as she ate the whole cake in under a half hour.
"I win!" Snow exclaimed.
"How the hell did you manage to eat that whole thing?" Tony demanded.
"Just because I'm tiny doesn't mean that I don't or can't eat. Trust me, I do my damnedest to gain weight but never succeed." Snow smirked, before turning so that she was watching the T.V. upside down, her feet over the back of the couch.
"Well, I seem to owe you money. Jarvis, transfer the money into Harley's account." Tony called. By the time the two of them were ready to call it a night, it was four in the morning and both were yawning.
"Good night Harley." Tony said as he walked towards his room.
"Night Tony." Snow called back and entered hers. Snow changed into pajamas and flopped into her nest of blankets and falling asleep.
Snow woke up with an earsplitting scream. "Jarvis stop the flight that is leaving the airport in New York closest to here for Miami in a half hour. It is going to crash and kill everyone on board and in a small town." Snow ordered, her tone would have made anyone agree with her. It was ten minutes later that Jarvis answered her.
"Miss Snow, the plane has been grounded. The flight crew looked over the mechanic's of the plane and found a wire that had been tampered with. You have saved many lives Miss Snow." Jarvis said, sounding as proud as a computer could. Snow smiled up at the ceiling, relaxing back into her bed.
"I saved 8,719 lives, 23 people from being permanently paralyzed, and 120 more people from various different long term disabilities." Snow informed him. Snow shivered, remembering the terror that she had seen in her dream.
"I am glad Miss Snow." Jarvis said.
Snow sat up, and wandered down into her room. Snow finished her other wing by the time noon rolled around, trying to focus on something else rather then the images in her head. The wings were an off-white colour, and glowed softly. Snow was sure that she had seen the type of metal that she was using somewhere before but couldn't place where. Snow wandered up to the kitchen and grabbed a couple apples, before grabbing a book and curling up in a chair and opening it to a random page.
"Hey, Jarvis, where did Tony disappear to?" Snow asked after finishing her book.
"Sir is attending a conference and will not be back for another couple of hours still." Jarvis answered. Snow sighed, getting up and starting dinner for herself.
"So he will be returning with a new woman, and I have to kick her out again? Great. Please tell him, if he asks, that I am in my room painting and will not be leaving my room until morning." Snow sighed. Her room had been built sound-proof when she had first moved in, because Tony had not wanted to worry about her when he brought home women. Jarvis had counselled against having strange women over when Snow had joined the house hold, but Tony had ignored him and so Jarvis had taken it upon himself to teach her how to act like a proper woman, and not like the ones who she had been exposed to growing up.
"Most likely, Miss Snow. I am sorry. And I will tell him." Jarvis sounded sad when answering her.
"It is not your fault Jarvis." Snow sighed.
After eating dinner, Snow retreated to her room and locked her door. Snow braided her hair back again before plopping down on her chair at her desk. Pulling up a heavily encrypted file, Snow made some modifications to the electronic devices along her spine. Starting in two hours, they were going to change from being absorbed by her spinal cord with a two line strip on either side of her spine from neck to tailbone to making two five inch long, and a centimeter wide openings on either side of her spine connected to her nerves. How they would be positioned would allow her to, once her inserted her wings, fully control them as though she had been born with them. Snow needed to have the metal holding open the openings because of her healing ability.
Setting the timer for when the computer program would change the electronics to start counting down, Snow grabbed her sleeping pills. Taking some, Snow curled on her bed and sleep soon claimed her.
Snow moaned as she woke up, as her back ached more then what it had ever had before. Scrubbing her eyes, Snow yawned before pushing herself into a half sitting position before flopping back down onto her bed and debated weather or not she wanted to actually get up or not. Deciding that the world could do without her for a while longer, Snow closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
Snow woke up a mere hour later with a scream. Leaping to stand in the middle of the room, Snow stood panting. "No more sleep I guess. How long did I sleep for Jarvis?" Snow asked softly, throwing discarded stuffed animals onto her bed.
"Miss Snow, you went to bed at 9:02 and woke up briefly at 11:31, it is now 2:43 in the morning." Jarvis answered promptly.
"I slept for a little over five hours?" Snow gaped.
"Yes Miss Snow." Jarvis sounded amused.
"I haven't slept that much in forever." Snow mused, walking into her bathroom.
"I also assume that Tony and his 'friend' are still here?" Snow asked, flicking on the light.
"Yes Miss Snow. I am sorry. I advised him not to bring home the woman, but I was ignored." Jarvis said, sounding sad.
"It's fine Jarvis." Snow stood in front of her full length mirror and examined the two thin, long gaps in her back. They were a pinkish colour, showing that they had been newly made. Other then the colour, the cuts seemed fine.
"Jarvis, is it safe to get to my exercise room?" Snow asked softly, moving to her closet to enter her secret room.
"Miss Snow, I would advise you to wait a minimum of 30 minutes, an hour would be better though." Jarvis advised.
"Ok Jarvis." Snow nodded, landing on her feet at the bottom of the room. Entering her room, Snow unhooked each side of the wings from where they had been anchored and picked them up. Snow the awkwardly climbed up the ladder and placed the wings on her bed. Snow then took the two thin metal parts and lined them up on her bed so that when she leaned back, they would enter her back.
"Miss Snow, are you certain that you should be doing this on your own?" Jarvis asked, sounding worried.
"Nope. But I'm gunna do it anyways." Snow answer. Snow pulled her tank top up so that it wouldn't get in the way. She took a deep breath, clenched her hands into fists, and then dropped back. The aim was good and the wings entered the cuts. The electronics combined, and Snow gasped in pain as she could feel the wings connecting with her nerves and spinal cord.
After laying on her bed for a while, Snow got up and without thinking, pulled her wings so that they were close to her body.
"Jarvis, did my wings just react without me trying?" Snow asked, her eyes slowly turning a bright blue colour.
"Indeed they did Miss Snow." Jarvis said, amused. Snow squeaked happily and ran to her mirror to see. Standing in front of her mirror, Snow slowly extended her wings and squeaked happily as they did so. Snow grew more and more excited and happy as her wings reacted and did everything that she gave thought to, just as a leg or an arm would.
"Miss Snow, it would now be safe for you to make your way to your exercise room." Jarvis' voice startled her, and her wings curled around her to protect her.
"That was cool! I didn't even think about doing that! It's clear to go Jarvis? Ok! My room is big enough to fly in! Let's go see if they'll fly!" Snow exclaimed excited. Snow hurried to her door, opened it before closing it tightly again, and then racing down the hall to her special room. Entering, Snow paused to marvel at the beauty of the room.
Snow's exercise room had beams of varying lengths and widths, covering the length and height of a twenty foot by thirty foot wide room. The beams had been hooked up to Jarvis' mainframe and they moved at random intervals to keep her speed and agility as high as possible. Snow was so tiny that any normal fight she would get her ass kicked, but Snow had taught herself how to twist and turn to escape any kidnappers that way. It was easier, she was a range fighter or knife fighter. Being able to twist out of the way of a knife made fighting so much easier.
Snow shook off the daze and displaying amazing acrobatic skills, Snow made it up to the top and panted. Standing Snow waited for Jarvis to spread out the safety net, even though she had never needed it.
"Jarvis, can you please retract all of the beams into the walls please?" Snow asked, fidgeting near the top of the twenty foot ceiling.
"Of course Miss Snow." Jarvis said and retracted the beams. Snow took a deep breath, released it, extended her wings to their full fourteen foot length, and jumped off of the beam. For a weightless moment, Snow was suspended in mid air. Snow started to fall, before pumping her wing slightly and she stopped falling. Snow was hanging vertically , her feet dangling, while her wings kept her in place. Snow gave a whoop and started to swoop around the room, going faster and faster. Snow did all kinds of twists and turns, barrel rolls, and every other type flip and turn that she could think of.
"Miss Snow, I hate to interrupt you but Tony and Emily will be up shortly." Jarvis spoke after several hours of Snow flying around.
"Awe." Snow pouted. Snow landed though, and fell on her face as gravity took over again.
"Stupid floor!" Snow complained. Snow used her wings to push herself up into a standing position. Snow then unhooked her wings. Snow started to walk, slightly off though she was still walking and hid them in her room. Going into the kitchen, Snow pulled out several different baked goods and grabbed an orange. Peeling it, Snow read a book while nibbling on a muffin and slices of her orange while waiting for the chick to wake up.
"Oh, hello there. I didn't know that Tony had a child here." The woman said in a fake sweet voice. Snow rolled her eyes, before marking her page and closing her book. Looking up, Snow saw a blonde, brown eyed woman standing there, leaning against the wall as though she owned the place.
"Of course I'm here. Where else should the daughter of Tony Stark be?" Snow asked, eyeing the woman.
"Tony has a child?" Emily, the woman, asked, sounding shocked.
"Why does everyone forget about me? I could see if I had only been here for a little bit, but I've been here for six years." Snow complained.
"Oh its ok. When I'm your new mom no one will forget about you." Emily fake cooed. Snow burst out laughing at how serious she looked.
"You won't be my new mom. You'll probably never see inside of this house again." Snow told her.
"How do you know, child? I am very pretty. He'll beg me to stay." The woman seemed affronted.
"Ha! No. Based on looks alone, I'd say that you wouldn't even rank in the top twenty. I've seen many women who are prettier then you leave and never come back. Tony only does one night stands. So pack your bags and leave." Snow said.
"I will not leave until Tony comes out and says goodbye." Emily said adamantly.
"Why do you have to make my life difficult? If you don't leave I'll get Jarvis to hack in and destroy anything that is on the internet about you. Your credit rating, what money you have in your accounts, everything. And then I'll air all of your dirty little secrets." Snow threatened.
"You... You couldn't do that! You'd get caught!" The woman exclaimed, looking frightened.
"That's the thing about having the worlds greatest A.I. at your disposal," Snow stood up. "You tend not to leave evidence behind." Snow smiled, though it did not reach her eyes, a blue-black colour. "Do we have to do this the easy way, or the hard way?"
"I'll, I'll just go then, yeah?" Emily said, grabbing her purse and all but running out the door.
Snow rolled her eyes. "They're all so easy to frighten off. Say you'll air their secrets and they scatter." Snow started to clean up the kitchen when she let out a gasp of pain and clutched her head, doubling over in pain.
"Miss Snow, are you alright?" Jarvis asked urgently. Snow didn't answer, to caught up in the shooting pain in her head. Snow let out a scream as the pain reached its peak. Snow's eyes rolled back in her head and she crumpled to the floor unconscious.
"ANTHONY EDWARD STARK! GET UP NOW! YOUR DAUGHTER NEEDS YOU!" Tony jerked awake and almost fell off of his bed as Jarvis' voice sounded out. Tony had never heard Jarvis yell, and forgotten that he had programed him to be able to.
"Where is she? What's wrong?" Tony asked rapidly, jumping up and running to he door.
"Miss Stark is in the Kitchen. I do not know what is wrong. Miss Stark grabbed her head in pain, curled in on herself, before she collapsed. She has been unconscious for one minute and thirty three seconds." Jarvis reported, sounding very worried. Tony rounded the corner and fell to his knees beside Snow, rolling her onto her side and felling for a pulse. Finding one, Tony let out a relived breath.
"Sir, the ambulance will arrive in two minutes and eleven seconds." Jarvis told him.
"Good." Tony grunted as he picked Snow up. He carried her over to the couch and laid her down carefully. Snow's eyes were closed and her face was tense, as though she was still in pain even though she was unconscious.
"Has anything like this ever happened before Jarvis?" Tony asked.
"No Sir. Miss Stark does get headaches but has never had anything like this happen before." Jarvis reported. Snow's face suddenly smoothed out and it looked as though she was asleep.
Two long minutes later, Jarvis led to harried EMT's into the living room.
"Sir, your A.I. informed us of the situation. Have you seen any blood?" The first responded asked.
"No. I haven't seen anything. Is she ok?" Tony asked worriedly.
"Her vitals are stable. Their is no reason for her to be unconscious, so we will be taking her to the hospital to have a look at her." The EMT reported.
"Of course, of course." Tony agreed. They got Snow onto a back bored and then into the ambulance, and Tony rode in the back with Snow. Happy met them at the Hospital, having been alerted by Jarvis what had happened.
Tony and Happy ended up spending hours in the waiting room, waiting for news on Snow. Even Tony's influence was getting them no answers. Finally, at almost six in the evening, the Doctor came out.
"Family of Harley Stark?" The Doctor called. Tony and Happy both made their way over to the Doctor quickly.
"Anything you say to me you can say to him. I'll hack into servers later and find out and tell him anyways." Tony said quickly. The Doctor nodded, deciding to ignore the fact that he had said that he would hack into the Hospital DATA base.
"There appears no reason for your daughter to have collapsed. None at all. We are, of course, running more tests but are hoping that she will wake up on her own." The Doctor then went on to explain in more detail the tests that he had run and why. Tony and Happy were lead into the room that Snow had been given for her stay. The two spent hours in the room, talking, with Happy leaving briefly to get them both some food.
At around midnight, a male nurse came in that instantly put Tony on edge. Tony was sure he had seen him somewhere before, and where ever that was could not have been a good experience. Tony forgot about it as Snow groaned, her head rolling to the side and eyes cracking open, blinking rapidly, eyes a pale blue unfocused colour.
"Hey Harley. How you feeling?" Tony asked softly, taking her hand.
"Head hurts." She all but whimpered. Looking over at the nurse, who had taken out a needle, Snow squinted at him before trying to shift away.
"Snowdrop, there tis not liquid in the nettle." A deep voice said urgently within Snow's mind.
"Tony, the needle has no liquid in it. He's trying to kill me." Snow said in an urgent, but quiet (because of the head ache) voice.
"Happy get him! He's trying to kill Harley!" Tony shouted, making Snow whine as her head throbbed. Happy was already moving, before Tony had even finished his first sentence. After a short fight, Happy had the man pinned and Tony realized where he had seen him before.
"You're one of the ones who kidnapped me. I thought you were all dead. Now you go after my daughter? You will never see daylight again." Tony growled, standing protectively over Snow's bed. Happy hauled the man off as security came in.
"What's going on? What happened?" Snow asked softly. Tony carded his hands threw her hair and softly explained that she had collapsed and what had gone on since.
"The last thing that I remember is chasing out the woman you had brought home. And then I had blinding pain through my head and I..." Snow trailed off, as though remembering something.
"What Harley?" Tony prompted gently.
"Nothing. I just thought I had heard a voice when I had collapsed." Snow said evasively.
"Maybe it was Jarvis." Tony suggested.
"Maybe." Snow said. She didn't look very certain though. Tony dropped the subject as the doctor entered the room. Happy stood once more and crossed his arms, looking intimidating. The Doctor explained that, since medically there was nothing wrong with her, Snow was going to be discharged in the morning. Tony tried to protest, but Snow over rode him and told the doctor that she understood, and asked if she could get any medicine for her headache. The Doctor injected some medicine and left. Tony and Happy settled themselves as Snow drifted back off to sleep.
"You don't have to stay Happy." Tony said at around four in the morning.
"Its fine Sir. Miss Stark has been a large part of your life. I don't want to see what you would be like if something were to happen to her." Happy told him.
After that, the pair fell into silence and waited for Snow to wake back up. By midday, Snow was back home with a tired Tony hovering around her. It took a while, but Snow eventually got Tony to leave, saying that he had a meeting at the Company that he could not miss. Hesitant to leave, Tony eventually left with instructions to Jarvis to call him at the first sign of trouble with Snow.
"Is Tony really gone?" Snow asked.
"Yes Miss Snow." Jarvis answered promptly. "I am glad that you are ok." Jarvis sounded relieved when he said it.
"I am glad that I'm back. Jarvis, I may have to leave within the next few days. Something happened. You know how I have visions of the future? This was almost an extreme version of it." Snow explained.
"Do you know when you will leave, and when you will be back?" Jarvis asked eventually.
"I don't know, Jarvis. I really don't know." Snow said softly. When Jarvis remained silent, Snow's mind wandered back to what had happened when she had fell unconscious.
Flashback
Snow opened her eyes and saw that she was in a golden room. It had high walls, arches, and a small sitting room. The walls had leaves, vines, and others carved into the walls. The chairs were a darker brown colour, matching the floor.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" Snow called out softly.
"Of course Snowdrop." A deep voice answered from behind her.
Snow turned, and gaped when she saw who was behind her. The man was easily over a foot taller then her, with golden armour and matching eyes. His skin as a dark, rich colour. His eyes were soft and kind, and he had a sheathed sword at his waist.
"Who are you? Only one person calls me Snowdrop, but he's not really." Snow asked, looking up at the man. For some reason, she wasn't afraid, trusting the golden man.
"I am Heimdall, Lady Snow. I am the Guardian of the Bifrost, and God of the Dawn and Light. I posses the ability of Foresight. To mortals, or humans, I have super strength, stamina, speed, agility, and durability. Even among Asgardians, my people, I am one of the strongest. I have incredible hearing and vision. I require not sleep, and I can sense the life essence of each Asgardian, no matter where they might be. I can assure thou, I am verily real."
"Verily?" Snow asked, looking bemused.
"Aye. Verily." Heimdall nodded seriously.
"Wait, so all of those times where I thought that I was going insane was you? You have been the voice in my head during all of these years?" Snow asked, shocked.
"Aye Milady." Heimdall answered.
"Well, thank you. Despite me thinking that I have been going insane, you kept me from killing myself. So, thank you for that. You were always there whenever I hit the bottom." Snow said softly, walking over to Heimdall.
"Thou will be very important. I can see how every living thing in earth is going to end up, all except for thee. Thou is verily special." Heimdall said, putting an arm around her and drawing Snow to him.
"So, I'm an even bigger freak then what I thought that I was originally? I'm so glad." Snow said sadly. Snow yelped as she was roughly grabbed before being sat down on one of the chair.
"Thee is NOT a freak! I nary wish to hear the pudh (horrible) word again!" Heimdall said fiercely, staring into her eyes as he knelt in front of her. Snow stared back at him wide eyed.
"Okay?" Snow asked.
"Thee is beautiful." Heimdall said.
"I'm not. But thank you for trying." Snow began only for Heimdall to cut her off.
"Lady Snowdrop, come." Heimdall asked/demanded. Without waiting for an answer, Heimdall pulled her off of the couch and lead her through an arch. Snow was lead in front of a mirror, and gasped.
"Wha... What happened to me? Who is this? Did I switch bodies with some one?" Looking back at Snow, was a young woman. The woman had long, silky, wavy black hair pulled away from her face. The woman had a circlet that was made of vines and leaves, with the leaves made out of emeralds. There was also a sapphire blue gem in the centre of the circlet. Large, forest green eyes were widened with shock. The woman had a small nose, with full crimson lips. She was the same height still. The woman was wearing a strapless, form fitting, white gown, and it highlighted her curves and chest. The most shocking thing was that the woman had no scars on her body.
"Tis thee, Snowdrop." Heimdall said, smiling over her shoulder.
"But she's so pretty. She looks so innocent. She's nothing like me." Snow said.
"Snowdrop, this is thine's mind. Thou looks here how thou spirit looks." Heimdall explained.
"Oh." Snow said after several minutes of silence. Heimdall lead them back into the sitting room. Snow pushed Heimdall down and then snuggled into his side. Heimdall automatically wrapped an arm around her and Snow let out a contented sigh.
"I did not think that thee would like to sit in this manner." Heimdall admitted after a few minutes of gentle conversation.
"My mind, my way of sitting. I wanted to cuddle so we will cuddle. What are you even doing in my mind? I mean, I know that I have almost always been able to talk to you mentally, but never have I been able to see you." Snow asked.
"I was encased in ice on Asgard, and tis not yet the time for me to break free." Heimdall explain.
"Why did you pick my mind to enter?" Snow asked.
"Thee needed someone to show thou how important thou is."
"Why did you only speak to me when I was going to end my life? Why not before or even after?" Snow asked.
"The All-Father would have erased me entirely from thy mind. I kept myself hidden, and I was able to remind thee of what good the future can hold." Heimdall told her.
"Okay." Snow agreed.
"Snowdrop, thee shall have to help Thor, prince of Asgard. He shall be attack in two days time, and if he falls it will spell the end of all the worlds." Heimdall suddenly requested softly.
"Damn, so he's pretty damn important, eh?" Snow asked. "No worries. I will do everything that I can to protect him. Tell me when to leave and I will." Snow nodded against his chest. Heimdall had been coxed into removing his armour, leaving him in a tunic and leggings.
"And if the All-Father will erase you from my mind, why are you in here now?" Snow asked.
"The All-Father has fallen into a deep sleep and is not aware of what is going on." Heimdall again explained.
"I'm tired." Snow said sleepily.
"Then sleep, dear Snowdrop." Heimdall rumbled gently, and Snow fell asleep.
End of Flashback.
"Miss Snow, Sir's blood alcohol level is dangerously high. I advise moving and finding somewhere to stay until Sir goes to sleep." Jarvis' worried voice spoke and Snow got up from the couch.
"What caused this Jarvis? Do you know? He normally won't drink himself out on a week day." Snow asked, as she gathered her blankets.
"Sir confronted Miss Potts about her hitting you. After the argument Sir went to a bar for a drink. That was a few hours ago." Jarvis said. Snow rushed into her room and threw her blankets onto her bed. Locking her door, Snow went to her bean bag chair and flopped onto it.
"Thanks for the warning Jarvis." Snow told him with a relieved sigh.
"You are welcome Miss Snow. I warn you when I can warn you about the danger you might be in." Jarvis said.
Hours later, it was after two in the morning when Snow looked up from her laptop. "Jarvis, is it safe for me to go and grab some food? I'm starving. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast."
"I would strongly advise you not to. Sir is back and is wandering the house. Sir could enter the kitchen at any time." Jarvis said sounding worried.
"What about you? Do you think I should risk it?" Snow asked Heimdall. Snow still thought that she was going crazy, but had decided to go with it. Her father was Iron man, how much weirder could her life get?
"I can not see how it will be. Thee will risk much if thou goes." Heimdall warned.
"Where is Tony right now Jarvis?" Snow asked kindly.
"Sir is in his lab." Jarvis answered promptly.
"I'll go quick. I'll just grab something small." Snow said. Without waiting, Snow unlocked and threw open her door before sprinting quietly down the hall. Snow grabbed a couple of muffins and had turned around when she saw the light of the elevator blink on, indicating that someone was about to enter the room. Not waiting to find out who it was, Snow dropped down and folded herself into the tight space in between the two counters.
&Thank the Gods I'm so small. I will never complain again.& Snow thought to herself. She heard Tony start stumbling around, and coming closer to her hiding spot. Snow made sure that her hair was all hidden, the forced herself to be silent. Everything went quiet.
&And now this is the part in horror movies where I get caught.& Snow thought to herself. Just as she was finishing the thought, Snow's leg was grabbed and she was hauled out from under the counter. &I knew it.&
"You Bitch! How dare you hide from me? Your own father!" Tony yelled. Snow looked at his eyes and saw that they were unfocused, and the stench of alcohol was overwhelming. Snow liked to call this version of Tony Edward, after his middle name, as he became a completely different person. Snow refused to say anything, and felt a pull at the back of her mind. Closing her eyes, Snow decided the hell with it, and let the pull take her away.
"Snowdrop, is thee alright?" Heimdall asked urgently, from where he was kneeling next to her head.
"I'll be fine, Heimdall. I can feel him hurting me, but while I am here, it doesn't affect me." Snow said. Heimdall gently helped her to her feet and lead her to the chair as though she was finely spun glass.
"You don't have to be so careful. I won't break. Trust me, I know from experience." Snow said, not use to being treated this way.
"Thee is a young Lady, thou should always be treated this way. If thou is strong or not, a Lady demands respect. Thou must always remember that. If I was able, I would punish those who have made you think differently." Heimdall growled.
"I'm not important enough for you to risk your life on Asgard. Just let it go. A few more years and I will be free. You were the one who told me that, remember?" Snow said softly.
"Tell me his name and I shall punish the one who is hurting you now. I can not see him, tis like he is a different person." Heimdall pleaded.
"You told me that Thor is important to the world. Well, so is this guy. I won't let him face punishment for something I no doubt deserve." Snow said stubbornly. Heimdall glared at the wall but let it go.
"How can you even see me if you can't see my future?" Snow asked out of the blue.
"I can see all the lives thou shall change. I can see your present." Heimdall explained as Snow curled into his side again.
"Ok. I had been wondering about that." Snow nodded.
"I think he's stopped. The pain is like a steady throb, instead of bursts of pain." Snow said, looking thew an arch that she just knew would take her back to the real world.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to go. Today is the day that I have to go save Thor, and I need to get my wings and put a new shirt on." Snow explained, standing.
"I will be here, if thee needs me." Heimdall promised. Snow smiled, kissed his cheek, and the sprinted threw the archway.
Snow gasped as pain flooded her body. Groaning, Snow forced herself to stand. "Jarvis, i have to go. Please, can you clean up the mess and tell Tony that I will be going to a friends house for the next while?" Snow asked, stumbling down the hall.
"Of course Miss Snow. But you should not leave now." Jarvis said, sounding worried.
"I have to. I am sorry." Snow said, near tears. She would not let them fall however, as it had been years since she had last cried.
"Of course." Jarvis said, seeing her distress. Snow peeled off her blood soaked shirt, and rinsed off as much blood as she could. Then, Snow pulled up a random shirt and put it on over a loose bra, and almost laughed. It was a white shirt, and it was long enough on her to look like a dress. She pulled on a pair of leggings, which were a light cream colour. Snow cut two long stips down the back of the shirt, and her wings connected with her spinal cord once again. The wings bothered her wounds, but she ignored it. Snow braided back her hair, before opening a window.
"I'll be back soon Jarvis." Snow called, her leg dangling.
"Goodbye Miss Snow. Good luck." Jarvis said softly. With that, Snow closed her eyes and pushed off the window.