Disclaimer is back in chapter one.


A/N So sorry, illness got me delayed. Hope this will appease :D Also, extra big thanks for those precious few who took the time to review. Thank you!


The Meeting

The moment Tony laid eyes on the girl, he was in love. Not like that. He wasn't a perv, thank you very much.

No, the moment those blue-grey eyes of hers met his, Tony felt something deeply buried inside of him give a painful lurch as if awakening for the first time in a year (a decade, his mind pointed out wearily, but he pushed it back harshly). It didn't feel all that great to be honest, and he made a quick mental note to have JARVIS check him out at the earliest opportunity.

That damnable mind of his that never shut up, told him to stop getting all bent out of shape just 'cause the kid had the same color eyes as his baby-girl. Once again using all of his not-too-shabby ability to repress anything emotional, Tony refocused on the child in front of him.

The kid was probably one of the filthiest children he'd ever seen. Her clothes were threadbare and dirtied by various splatters that he sincerely hoped was only dirt. The sad excuses for shoes that she wore, was taped together with what seemed to be duct tape and even that seemed to be failing its mission to keep the thin shoes in one piece. They offered no protection whatsoever. The worst part though, to Tony's observant eyes, was the scrapes and hints of scars that could be seen under all the dirt on the peeks of skin that he caught through the near see-through clothing.

Something inside of him rumbled with anger at the sight, and he promised himself that if he ever found out who'd touched the child, they would see the part of him that had gone to Gulmira so long ago. Pepper cleared her throat and it occurred to the distracted billionaire that he'd been staring intensely at the frozen kid for way too long.

Copying his girlfriend's action, Tony coughed a little awkwardly before covering it all up with a charming smile. For some reason, he really wanted the kid to like him. "Welcome to our home, kiddo. Sorry the welcome wagon wasn't out when you came, but I'll rectify that sometime. Pepper make a note." He sent her a grin that seemed to only freeze the girl even more, and Tony's heart broke for her. That kind of skittishness wasn't normal, and he knew from Pepper that she'd seen way more of the darker side of life than a kid her age should ever have to.

Trust me, he thought out to the kid, trying to mentally send her the words that his ruined heart could never really verbalize, I won't hurt you.

Finally, very slowly, it seemed like his forced casualness and charming smiles were getting to the girl, and she straightened up and held out a hand. They all pretended not to see the trembling. "Thanks for letting me stay here, Sir," The girl said with a clear voice and a determined expression on her thin face that sent a shiver down Tony's spine as he was suddenly reminded of his late wife. "I know it was unexpected, but I promise that I'll work hard and won't get in the way."

"Relax kid," Tony expertly hid any of his unease with an even brighter smile. "Here in Casa de Stark, we like to have fun most of the time – Sure there's that little group of people I've invitd to live here, but they have their own floors and won't come up here unless invited. Anyway, I'm Tony and according to Pep here, you're Daria, right?"

The girl – Daria – nodded, unsubtly eyeing the part of the room that held the kitchen area and Tony decided to let the kid go for now. "There's food waiting for you over by the counter. We didn't know what you liked and you seem like you need a lot of food to grow out of that pipsqueak state you're in, so go nuts."

Daria vanished so quickly that Tony thought she might have had some mutant-powers or something, 'cause one minute she was standing right in front of him and the next, she was sitting on the edge of one of the kitchen stools and stuffing her tiny face with a groan of happiness that made him smile honestly for the first time since meeting her.

"Not bad for a first meet," Tony pointed out to Pepper, who was eyeing Daria with a very ferocious glint in her eye. Apparently, he wasn't the only one feeling a tad vengeful on behalf of the girl. Pepper shrugged and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before dragging him over to the kitchen to eat themselves.

Tony quickly grabbed a few condiments and made himself one of the only things he knew how to make well, a stellar chicken and bacon sandwich. Daria paused her eating to look at him curiously for a moment, and then, as if unable to stop herself, she asked why he left out the tomatoes 'cause most people liked that in their sandwiches.

Grinning and taking a big bit out of his sandwich, Tony answered, "First off, tomatoes are too indecisive for me. I mean, are they a fruit or a vegetable? Make up your mind. Secondly," he added after having chewed and swallowed noisily, "I'm allergic to tomatoes so couldn't eat 'em even if I wanted to, kiddo."

Daria smiled a small smile and then said something that made things subconsciously begin to click in Tony's mind. "You're not the only one, Sir. I'm allergic too."

Tony's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, but the suspicion barely formed in his mind before he cancelled it out, 'cause there was just no way and the evidence had been foolproof. He'd made damn sure of that before giving up all hope. "Coolio oh, and don't call me Sir, that was my dad's thing and we were nothing alike."

Daria nodded mutely and just continued to eat in silence. Evidently, their brief moment of connection severed for now.

Oh well, Tony thought with a mental shrug as he shared a rueful smile with a silently watching Pepper, still not a bad first meet and greet.

0o0o0

TBC…