Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't updated this story in forever. There's just been so much rewriting with it as I've constantly tried to figure out where I wanted to go with not only a storyline but Ivy as a character. Mostly because I've decided that as a Latina I didn't want to write anymore white OCs since I think there's so many of those out there and I will only be writing Latina OCs for now. I've always complained about a lack of diversity regarding Latinx characters but I was guilty of writing so many characters who were white despite being Latina myself and I guess that's because that's what I was mostly shown growing up as being beautiful, funny, complex, and interesting in films, tv shows, and music. I also thought that if I wrote too many characters who were Latina, people would think it was boring or I was just writing the same thing over and over again until I realized no one feels that way if you create a bunch of fics centering around white OCs.

I'll still write the fics I have that already have white OCs but I won't be making any new fics with white OCs. All my OCs for now on will be Latina and if anyone doesn't like that then I guess don't read my fics. That being said, I thought I could just rewrite Ivy as Latina and I actually love her backstory a lot better this way. It's also helped me form a better idea towards the origin of her powers and how to develop her as a character.

I'm also rewriting her dog Sirius as a Belgian Malinois mix in honor of my own Belgian Malinois. Other than that, everything will mostly stay the same.

I think I've finally decided what I'm going to do with the pairing for this story. I think I might have an Ivy/Steve pairing in this story but it won't be the endgame(pun intended) pairing of the story. After learning that Oscar Isaac is Moon Knight now, this will probably be an eventual Ivy/ Marc Spector pairing. I've waited so many years for Oscar Isaac to be in the MCU and now that he is, it seems inevitable that I would write an Oscar Isaac in any MCU role/OC pairing. I love him so much and I can't wait for Moon Knight but this pairing would be in the VERY distant future. I'm talking post any Endgame storyline and probably post the new tv series.

Ivy's new face claim is Melissa Barrera. I'll make a better cover when I have time. The place I normally made covers changed their format and I really don't like it anymore so I need to find a new place to make covers. If anyone has any suggestions just let me know. Thanks.

Thanks for being so patient with me as this story has gone under so many changes but I think it's finally at where it needs to be.

Upstate New York

Saint Mary's Academy

1997

Ivy Stark stared at Lucy Mayfield as if the thirteen-year-old girl was someone she couldn't quite put together. Like a puzzle, really. Lucy was in Ivy's grade even though she was five years Ivy's senior. Like her father, Ivy was well beyond her years when it came to intellect. A very Stark trait.

'I don't know why Melanie keeps inviting me to her sleepovers. Ugh! I can't stand her.'

Ivy stared harder at the blonde as she tried to understand what she was seeing. Lucy was quietly eating her lunch in the cafeteria next to Melanie McHugh but Ivy couldn't see her lips moving. Not that it would've made sense if her lips had been moving, after all. Lucy's voice was inside her head just like Ivy's own voice. She knew it was normal to hear your own voice inside your head but not other people's voices.

It was just starting to become clear to her that it was not normal to hear people's voices inside your head. Not by a long shot. She knew this from research and also from the fact that her father never seemed to understand her the same way she understood him.

'I can't believe Lucy is coming to my sleepover. Why did mom make me invite her?'

It seemed like Melanie Mathers also didn't seem to like Lucy all too much either. Ivy didn't really have any friends, but she was starting to be glad she didn't have any. Girls were weird. They pretended to like each other while secretly disliking each other at the same time. It was enough to give eight-year-old Ivy a headache.

On a good day like this, Ivy could hear people's voices as she passed them by in the hallway. On a bad day, she could hear everything. The voices in her head became so loud that she'd be in pain and she'd lock herself in the girl's bathroom just to try and drown everything out. It still seemed to be no help and Ivy thought it was the very reason she suffered constant nose bleeds. Her doctor assured her father that constant nose bleeds were common in children, but Ivy wasn't so sure.

"What are you staring at, freak?" Vanessa Swanson questioned, and Ivy was snapped out of her thoughts. She blinked and looked up at Vanessa. The redhead was the same age as Melanie and Lucy. Something of a popular girl type who took an interest in constantly teasing Ivy.

"Nothing," Ivy mumbled, cursing herself for being too obvious when staring at Melanie and Lucy. She hadn't meant to stare but the voices got to be too much sometimes. Ivy sometimes wondered if she was just imagining everything.

"Why are you so weird?" Vanessa asked, hands on her hips as her two friends stood behind her. They never said anything. They just followed Vanessa around.

"I don't know," Ivy said quietly as she avoided eye contact with Vanessa. She didn't want to give the girl any reason to torment her any further than she already had.

'I can't believe everyone says that this girl is a genius. She's so weird. She's more like a retard than a genius.'

"Is that all you got? You can't come up with anything better than that?" Vanessa mocked and Ivy looked up at her.

"You shouldn't say the r-word. It's offensive and derogatory," Ivy said quietly and Vanessa just stared at her. The same with Vanessa's two friends.

"What?" Vanessa questioned and Ivy's gaze was unwavering. Her somewhat transfixing brown eyes fixed on to Vanessa's green ones. Vanessa stared transfixed into Ivy's eyes, entranced by the way her pupils dilated and seemed to lure Vanessa in. Vanessa's tried to think of something else to say but she became lost in the younger girl's eyes…almost hypnotized.

"My Uncle Rhodey says that it's not a nice word to use. It's bad," Ivy stated, and it was in that moment that whatever hold Ivy seemed to have on Vanessa broke. The redhead blinked rapidly as she tried to form a coherent sentence. Her mind seemed almost fuzzy.

"Whatever," Vanessa said, wondering if she had spoken aloud earlier instead of just thinking it. She then glared at the small girl. "You know, everyone's talking about that news story that came out about you."

"What?" Ivy said in confusion, her eyebrows knitting together. Vanessa smirked.

"The one about your mother. Your Mexican mother," Vanessa informed her in a smug tone. Ivy just stared at her. This was news to her. She knew next to nothing about her mother, and it never really occurred to her to ask about her mother. Ivy had always been okay with it just being her and her father. She never minded it. "It's all over the news. Apparently, they found her body in the Everglades. By the time they got to her, the alligators already got to her. There wasn't much left. Rachel Michaelson heard it all over the radio during third period."

Ivy fell silent as she tried to process Vanessa's words.

Should she believe her?

Or was Vanessa just playing a trick on her?

It wouldn't be unlike Vanessa to do so to her. She had in the past, after all.

"Yeah, turns out your dad likes Mexicans, I guess. Since you're apparently Tony Stark's Latino love child," Vanessa told Ivy who grew quieter and quieter. "My dad says that Mexicans like coming over here and stealing jobs from hard-working Americans. He says they're taking over this country, so I guess if this country is rid of one more Mexican then that's a good thing. If it were up to my dad then he'd deport them all back to Mexico…including your mom but I guess she's dead now so he wouldn't have to."

"Miss Stark," One of the nuns called as she raced over to Ivy. Sister Catherine. Ivy was always scared of Sister Catherine. She was very stern and serious. Not someone Ivy ever wanted to cross even with all her rebelliousness. However, in this instant, Sister Catherine looked concerned and slightly panicked. "You need to go to Father Henry's office right away."

"Am I in trouble?" Ivy asked her and Sister Catherine shook her head.

"No, of course not. Your father's just arrived to pick you up early from school," Sister Catherine assured her. Ivy's jaw nearly dropped in astonishment.

Sister Catherine sent stern look in Vanessa's direction.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be, Miss Swanson?"

"Yes, Sister," Vanessa said quickly, and she hurried ran off with her two friends. It seemed as though Ivy wasn't the only person scared of Sister Catherine.

"Come along now, Miss Stark," Sister Catherine told the eight-year-old as she began to head for Father Henry's office, giving Ivy no choice but to follow her. Ivy was still thinking about the story Vanessa told her about her mother and whether or not it was true. It probably was. Her dad never picked up her up from school. Only Happy did that. The chauffer/bodyguard that had been working for her father for the past few months.

Ivy just wondered if everything was as bad as Vanessa said.

Her father hardly spoke after he picked her up from school. He didn't even take her home. They just seemed to be aimlessly driving around upstate, only stopping at a fast-food place for burgers. He even let her eat in the car which he never did. It was one of his nicer luxury vehicles from his prized collection.

His thoughts were loud. Ivy knew this because she could hear his voice in her head. She couldn't make anything out. They sounded like mumblings, and everything was incoherent. Ivy finally gained the courage to speak up.

"Was my mom Mexican?" Ivy abruptly asked him. She was unable to contain her curiosity any longer. "Am I Mexican?"

"What?" Tony said, sounding startled as he glanced over at Ivy. The small girl was looking up at him with big innocent eyes and Tony was left speechless.

"Vanessa Swanson said that my mom was Mexican," Ivy stared, giving him a curious look and Tony sighed before silently cursing whoever the hell Vanessa Swanson was. She wasn't making this day any easier on him. Not with all the news coverage he and Stark industries were currently receiving. Not to mention how this was all going to affect Ivy.

Probably for the worst.

"No, your mom wasn't Mexican," Tony denied before continuing as Ivy stared at him. She couldn't help but notice how he referred to her mother in the past tense. It already answered another question she hadn't yet asked. "She was actually from El Salvador, apparently. Usulután, I think. That's the name of the town she was from."

"So, I'm Salvadorian, then?" Ivy asked him and Tony shook his head.

"No, you're American because you were born here," Tony explained to her. "But you have Salvadorian heritage, yes, because your mom was from El Salvador."

"Vanessa said that I was Tony Stark's Latino love child," Ivy told him, and Tony winced. This was actually getting worse. "What does that mean?"

"It's just something ignorant that, whoever the hell Vanessa is, said," Tony tried to tell her. "Love child is just a stupid name for a child born out of wedlock and there's nothing wrong with that. It's the nineties, okay? Not the fifties. People don't get married anymore."

"And Latino?" Ivy questioned and Tony shrugged.

"Latino means people who come from Latin America or have ancestry rooted there," Tony tried to explain to her although he didn't really know much beyond that himself. His only experience with the Latino community aside from Ivy's mother had either been the help or nannies which was due, in part, to his white privileged upbringing. "Because your mom was from El Salvador that would make you Latino…or Latina, I guess."

"How come you never talked about this before?" Ivy asked him in a small voice. Tony swallowed hard.

"Well, I didn't really know much about your mom until now," Tony tried to say but this wasn't something easily explained to a kid. "I didn't know anything about her."

"But she's my mom…" Ivy trailed off, still confused and Tony actually blushed.

"Well, you see, Vi Vi," Tony said, using another nickname for her. The one he used fondly or whenever he teased her in an effort to get her to laugh. "Sometimes when two adults really like each other, they um…have a baby."

"Are you talking about sex?" Ivy asked bluntly and Tony's eyes widened in horror as he glanced over at her from the driver's side.

"How do you know about sex?" Tony questioned, clearly horrified that his eight-year-old daughter knew what sex was. Ivy shrugged.

"I watched Titanic because all the girls at school were talking about it," Ivy explained to him, and Tony hadn't actually seen Titanic, so he wasn't sure about any sex scenes. "I asked Jarvis what Leo and Kate were doing in the car, but he wouldn't tell me, so I asked a girl at school, and she said they were having sex. Penis in vagina sex, specifically, which is the only way you can have a baby. Apparently there's other types of sex-"

"That's enough of that!" Tony exclaimed, completely red in the face. It really took a lot for Tony to get embarrassed but hearing his daughter talk about sex seemed to do it. "That's it. I'm putting parental controls on all the TV's in the house. I can't believe Jarvis let you watch that."

"It was a historical movie," Ivy explained. "Besides…all the girls at school were talking about Leo and I really wanted to know what the big deal was. I guess he's cute enough, but I think Keanu Reeves is cuter."

"Stop talking about cute boys," Tony warned her, clearly disturbed by all of this. "You're only eight. I'm going to have to have the talk with you now, aren't I? I thought I was safe for another couple years. God damn it."

"So, you and my mom had sex," Ivy said casually and Tony took a deep breath before answering.

"Yes," He managed to say, and Ivy looked at him curiously.

"But you didn't love her?" Ivy questioned and Tony tried to formulate an explanation, but he was almost driven speechless.

"Look, your mom was very beautiful. Like, hands down the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen," Tony said honestly as he recalled the night spent with Ivy's mother. "But I didn't know her. We just talked for a bit, had a few laughs, and then tada! Vivien Maria Stark was conceived."

"So, you didn't know her name or anything like that?" Ivy asked him after making a face at her full name. She always thought the name Vivien was an old lady's name but apparently her grandmother named her that so it's not like she could complain much. Tony nodded.

"She told me her name was Soledad and that she was from El Salvador. Nothing beyond that," Tony told her truthfully. "I didn't know anything else about her. She just kind of vanished until you were born then she vanished again. Not until today, anyways."

"Why today?" Ivy asked quietly and Tony finally pulled over to the side of the road. It was a deserted country road upstate and it was very quiet. Peaceful even. Her dad turned off the car and she looked at him questioningly.

"Look, kiddo, this isn't easy to say but more info's come to light about your mom today," Tony finally said, and Ivy listened intently to her father.

"Vanessa said that my mom was on the news. They found her somewhere with the alligators," Ivy informed him, and Tony winced because he knew the kids at school were talking about it. He'd meant to pick up Ivy before the word spread but it seemed like he was a little late. Tony never wanted her find out about it like that.

"Your mom's body was discovered in Florida which is true. She um…passed away, apparently," Tony said softly. Ivy just sat in silence. "She'd been there for a while. Probably right after you were born."

Tony only knew this because her body had been decomposed beyond recognition. The only way her body had been identified was from her ID that was still on her. The connection was made through Tony because the ID matched security footage from the hospital where Ivy's mother had vanished. It was the same woman and it was only now that Tony learned her true identity.

"How did she die?" Ivy asked quietly and Tony swallowed hard.

"Well, no one really knows. It's harder to tell, the longer someone is dead," Tony informed her, trying not to tell her that it was more than likely homicide. That her mother had ties to the corruption scandal within El Salvador's own government. Politicians who ordered killings, who were on the take, and embezzled money. An agent from the CIA told Tony that they believed that Ivy's mother might've even been a spy for one of those corrupt politicians. Spying on Tony and hoping to get secrets from Stark Industries to sell to interested parties.

Tony couldn't remember Soledad ever asking him questions about Stark Industries or the weapons they made there. She hadn't seemed interested in any of it. They talked about stuff of little consequence but everyone else seemed certain that Soledad Adriana Orellana Campos was a spy. Tony just knew he couldn't tell any of that to his daughter. She was too young to understand.

"What was her last name?" Ivy asked him and Tony shook his head.

"Orellana. Her name was Soledad Adriana Orellana Campos," Tony said, recalling the name which he didn't think he would ever forget now. Ivy gave him a curious look.

"That's a long name," She observed, and he chuckled, trying make light of the situation they were both in.

"In the Latin culture, they take the last name of both the father and the mother. Orellana was probably her father's last name," Tony explained to her, and Ivy took this in. This was the most she'd ever learned about her mother. She knew next to nothing about her mother before today.

"That sounds cool," Ivy said, not knowing what else to say to that.

"I'm so sorry you had to hear it from the people at school," Tony said to her after Ivy fell silent. "I tried to pick you up as soon as I heard but it's been a crazy day."

"Where will she be buried? With Grandma and Grandpa?" Ivy asked him and Tony shook his head.

"She has family in El Salvador," Tony informed her, and Ivy just stared at him. "I think her family's having a funeral there."

"I'd like to go to it," Ivy said softly and Tony nodded. At this point, he was willing to do whatever Ivy wanted. If going to her mother's funeral in El Salvador was what she wanted, then that's what was going to happen. Tony wanted to go too. She was the mother of Ivy, after all, even if Tony never really knew her.

"Okay. Sure," Tony said, nodding enthusiastically. "I'll tell one of the PA's to make the arrangements. It won't be until next week, so we have a bit of time."

Tony didn't want to add the reason why the funeral wasn't for a week. It would've had to do with explaining to his daughter that her mother's remains had to be sent back to El Salvador from Florida. She didn't really need to hear anymore of that.

"I thought she was waiting for me," Ivy said after another pause of silence. The small girl looked down at the floor of the car. Tony gave her a sad look before placing her small hand in his.

"I know, kiddo, I know. So did I," Tony told her comfortingly. He always wanted answers from Soledad about Ivy and why she left but he supposed neither he nor Ivy would ever get answers. Soledad Orellana would always remain a mystery. Even in death. "But we're going to be okay. We always will be and if you ever want to talk, I'm here. You know that, right?"

"Yes, Daddy," Ivy said, nodding as she gave her dad a small smile. Tony nodded to himself, and they sat there for a moment in silence. It was a comfortable silence as they both processed the news that was Ivy's mother. It was clear that neither of them knew how to feel. Ivy didn't shed tears for her dead mother but instead grew curious about her mysterious mother instead.

A mystery that would plague her for years to come.

"Woah…" Ivy said in awe as she looked around at the city of Usulután which was her mother's birthplace. She had never been to Central America before. Her father had never had any business in Central America before but for her mother's funeral, Tony made the trip.

The city was unlike any city back in the states. Colorful and vibrant. More so than New York yet it was so full of life. Markets everywhere, people everywhere, and music in the distant background. The architecture also astonished Ivy.

"It's pretty cool, huh," Rhodey said as he also looked out the window of the car, they were riding in. Tony sat across from them next to Happy who wasn't driving for once. It's not as though he was familiar with El Salvador, after all. Instead, Happy was just serving as a bodyguard since El Salvador wasn't the safest of places…as far as Obadiah was concerned, anyways. He was the one who insisted on bodyguards for the trip since Tony and Ivy were the sole heirs to Stark Industries.

"I've never seen anything like it. Can you believe my mom's from here?" Ivy said excitedly as she looked at the city in wonder. "How cool is that?"

"Very cool," Rhodey answered before glancing back at Tony who'd grown pretty silent. He'd come along on the trip as emotional support for both Tony and Ivy although he thought Tony might've needed it more. It had to be odd learning about Ivy's mother like this. Through her death instead of learning from her when she'd been alive.

"I can't wait to meet Mom's family," Ivy said almost excitedly despite the sad occasion. Tony didn't think it had quite hit Ivy yet that her mother was dead. She hadn't really known her, after all, but someday it was going to hit her hard that she didn't have a mother and Tony just hoped that she'd be okay. "I hope they like me."

"They'll love you, Ivy," Rhodey assured her. "How could they not? Everyone loves you."

"It's pretty here," Ivy said as she resumed looking out the window. She was completely enthralled by El Salvador. It was like she was getting to know her mother through the city itself.

"It's really hot here. Does anyone else feel hot?" Happy inquired as he sweated through the Central American heat. Ivy ignored him as she continued staring out the window while Rhodey pointed out certain buildings to her. Tony smirked in amusement behind his glass of scotch.

"I think it's just you, Happy," Tony teased, and the similarly aged man just sank back in his seat, glowering at him while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"It's always me," Happy Hogan grumbled as he tried to think cold thoughts. Anything that would distract him from the blistering heat but even so, he couldn't deny that it wasn't great to see Ivy more cheerful than usual. She hadn't been herself for the past week. It was great to see the younger Stark with a bit more pep in her step than usual.

It was a sad occasion, but everyone was making the best out of it.

The four of them sat in the back of the very old yet beautiful Catholic church. The service was entirely in Spanish and really only Rhodey understood it. Tony only knew bits and pieces of Spanish from school and Ivy hadn't taken Spanish in school yet. The church was packed, and it seemed as though Soledad's family were well-known in Usulután.

It was also closed casket for obvious reasons.

Ivy looked at an older lady sitting in the front row of the church. The woman sobbed as two men at her side comforted her. Ivy wasn't sure how she knew but something told her that the lady must've been her mother's mom.

Her grandmother.

The service was beautiful, and they listened to several people go up and speak about Ivy's mother. People who knew her and remembered her. Both Tony and Ivy learned so much from that service. Not because they understood the words being said but that Soledad Orellana was very much loved in this vibrant city.

She was mourned.

"You're Soledad's daughter," Nazarena Orellana said in broken English. The four of them had attended the wake after the funeral service. Tony didn't know how Soledad's family would react to him or even Ivy since it wasn't like he and Soledad had been in a relationship. Tony hadn't really known anything about Soledad until last week.

"Yes," Ivy said shyly, and the older woman took a good look at Soledad's only child. The girl was small and short in stature. Not too unlike Soledad had been at that age. Maybe she had the same lips and nose as her mother, but Nazarena noticed that she resembled the man that was with her a lot. The girl and her father shared the same eyes and hair color. Her skin was even a lot lighter than Soledad's had been. An almost olive tone. She could've even passed for white.

"Hi, I'm Tony Stark," Tony introduced himself as he tried to find the best way to explain what he and Soledad were to her mother. "I'm Vivien's father. Um…this is Vivien."

"Vivien," Nazarena murmured looking from Ivy to Tony and then back to Ivy again. She stared at her granddaughter for what felt like the longest time.

"I hope it's okay we came here," Tony said, feeling a bit anxious as he tried to find something to say to his daughter's grandmother. Someone he never imagined he would ever meet. "It was last minute."

"It's fine," Nazarena told him as she looked back up at Tony. "Nazarena."

"Tony. Uh…it's nice to meet you," Tony said even though he already knew her name. He expected that the woman wouldn't like him. That she would look at him in contempt for knocking up her only daughter, but Nazarena did no such thing. She just smiled and looked back at Ivy longingly.

Nazarena spent a good chunk of time doing that throughout the wake.

Watching Soledad's daughter.

Eventually, Tony told his daughter to go spend time with her grandmother which Ivy was all too eager to do. He watched Ivy talk Nazarena's ear off about one of Stephen Hawking's dissertations. He honestly doubted that Nazarena understood a word. Even if Ivy had spoken Spanish. Tony didn't even get her fascination with stars and space. It was entirely different from Tony and his father. However, Tony was encouraging in whatever Ivy wanted to do.

If she wanted to study the stars, then Tony was more than supportive.

"It's so weird being here," Rhodey told his friend as they watched Ivy and her grandmother talk. "For so long, we didn't know anything about Ivy's mom but now we're at her funeral with her family."

"I don't know whether to be relieved or even more confused about everything," Tony said as he tried to figure out just who Soledad Orellana was. The answer to that question still stumped him even after learning her full name and where she came from.

Why did she leave? Was she really a spy? Why did she come to the party that night? Why did she die?

There were probably a million questions that Tony would never have the answers to. He wished he could find those answers. For Ivy if nothing else.

"It's so weird that you came from such a small family. Both of your parents didn't have siblings and neither did you," Rhodey reminded him. "But Ivy's mother had such a huge family. Look at all the people here. Cousins, aunts, uncles, and even great-grandparents. Who would've thought?"

"It's nice…maybe I'll bring Ivy over here more," Tony said in response as he looked around the small, cramped house that was packed with people. Family members of Ivy. "The culture and everything. I don't want her to lose that. It also might be good for her to visit. She's got lots of family here and she could always learn Spanish. I never paid attention in Spanish, but it might benefit Ivy to be bilingual. Especially if she runs Stark Industries one day…or if she ever wants to go on spring break in Cancun like I did."

"Look at you, becoming a responsible parent," Rhodey teased Tony who shrugged. "Several years ago, you were hopping from one party to another with not a care in the world and now you're all concerned with Ivy's education and her social skills."

"So?" Tony retorted and Rhodey just patted his friend on the back, giving him a warm smile.

"So…I'm just saying that I'm proud of you, man," Rhodey told his friend. "You've come a long way. I know you're still set in a lot of your old ways, but you keep Ivy, and those old ways separate. You're a good parent and I think Ivy's lucky to have you. Your dad was so wrong about you."

"Well, that's always been my life's dream. Proving Dad wrong," Tony said jokingly before returning Rhodey's smile. "Don't get all mushy on me, Rhodey. I'm doing my best. I just want her to have it better than I did."

"I think she does have it better," Rhodey told his slightly younger friend.

Tony then glanced back over at Ivy and her grandmother who was currently laughing at something Ivy told her. He felt a tug at his heart. Mostly because this was Ivy's family and Ivy's poor widowed grandmother had just lost her daughter. The only child she ever had. He always felt like an asshole for not being able to give Ivy a mother or give her any answers about her mother. Tony had been close to his mother growing up and it bothered him that Ivy didn't have a mother.

"What do you think about me inviting Ivy's grandmother to come stay with us?" Tony asked Rhodey abruptly and his friend stared at him in surprise.

"What?" Rhodey questioned and Tony nodded.

"Well, she just lost her only daughter and her husband died years ago so maybe she'd like to get to know Ivy a little better," Tony mentioned as he continued to watch Ivy and her grandmother. "I could always use a nanny. Jarvis is getting up in his years and can't really keep up with Ivy so maybe he could be able to relax a little while Ivy gets to know her long-lost grandma. Seems like a good plan."

"You barely spoke for five minutes," Rhodey said in surprise and Tony just shrugged.

"It feels right," Tony told Rhodey who shook his head in astonishment. "I think I'll ask her. What do you think?"

"I think you're crazy," Rhodey said, still clearly shocked by the crazy idea running through Tony's head. "I also think she'll say no. I mean, she's from here. Why would she want to leave El Salvador to live with you…some random guy who boned her daughter nine years ago."

"We'll see," Tony said, already certain that she was going to agree to come live with him. Well, he hoped she would, at least. He thought it would be good for Ivy. Especially so she could learn more about her mother and culture while also having a female figure in the house.

"You're the craziest person I've ever met, Tony," Rhodey told him and Tony didn't say anything as they both went back to watching Ivy and her grandmother.

Ivy enthusiastically went on about her life in the states and Nazarena hung on to every word.

Ivy was Soledad's daughter and that meant the world to Nazarena. Ivy was a gift Soledad left behind when she left this world. It was something Nazarena couldn't deny.

It was why when Tony Stark, her daughter's former lover, asked her to come back to the states with them, she agreed without hesitation. Her brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews all thought she was crazy but to her it wasn't. There wasn't anything left in El Salvador for her anymore. Not her husband and now not even her daughter either.

For years she held on to the hope that her daughter would someday return home but it seemed like that hope had finally been crushed with the news of her death.

But maybe not all was lost.

Not when her granddaughter existed.

That much was now clear.