A/N: Hey everyone, welcome to the first chapter in the brand new re-write of Part 1 of Code Name Slayer.
Disclaimer: I do not own BTVS or any characters from the Marvel universe.
Trailer: YOUTUBE/ KIT SUMMERS | CODE NAME SLAYER: PART 1: TRAILER
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
Sitting on the bus on her way back to Sunnydale after her summer hiding away in L.A, the blonde eyes the roads carefully allowing that small pit of dread to fill her.
She hadn't spoken to anyone in months, not since that day, so the idea of going home after 3 months, was terrifying.
She just couldn't shake away her nerves.
So before she even knew it she was standing in front of her front door. To be honest, she barely remembered arriving at the bus station, nor did she remember walking back to Revello drive and approaching her home.
Standing there eyeing the door for a long moment, the blonde swallows her terror and panic deep down before finally raising her fists and knocking on the door.
After what felt like an eternity the front door finally opened, and there stood there was her mother. They're identical green eyes connecting.
There was a long moment of silence between the mother and daughter before finally without words, the two throw their arms around each other.
And so for that moment, as she held onto her mother Buffy let tears fall, she was home.
She was finally home.
As she unpacks her bag of belongings that she had taken to L.A. with her, the blonde vampire Slayer pauses as she spots a familiar photo.
It was of her at 7 years old with her dad and her god-father, she was sat on an old Harley motorbike with her dad while her god-father ruffled her hair. Just the sight of the photo made the blonde smile sadly, she hadn't seen her dad since she became the Slayer. And despite the fact she would never admit it, she missed him. No matter how much of a mess he was.
Tossing the photo on her bed the blonde makes her way out of her room before slowly walking down the hall towards her mother's open bedroom door.
Standing in the doorway the blonde eye's her mother who was currently reading a large history book on her bed "Mom?"
Jumping slightly at the sudden sound of her daughter's unexpected voice, the elder Summers woman glances over at her daughter in shock "Oh! Buffy!"
"Sorry."
"No, no." Joyce stutters softly as she places her book down before turning to face her daughter "Don't worry about it. I guess I just got used to all the quiet while you were gone. But it's no problem." With that, the elder Summers woman freezes as she spots Buffy holding her jacket in her arms "You going out?"
The young Slayer gulps awkwardly as she rubs the back of her neck "Oh. Um...well, if it's ok. I, um, I'd like to find Willow and Xander."
"Will you be slaying?"
Sensing the uncomfortable tone of her mother's voice the blonde merely shrugs, they were still in an adjustment period over this whole Slayer thing "Only if they give me lip."
"Uh, can I make you a sandwich or something before you go? You must be starving."
"I was until that 4-course snack you served me after dinner."
"Well, then, you know, why don't I drive you? I mean, they could be anywhere."
Buffy couldn't help but sigh, she knew what her mother was doing, she was trying to deflect the obvious elephant in the room here. She knew her mother wasn't okay with the whole Slayer thing, even three months later "Mom...If you don't want me to go, just say so."
"No, no. I just want to put this whole thing behind us, get back to normal. You go. Have a good time."
Buffy smiles slightly at her mother "Ok." She mumbles before she gives her mom a small wave before leaving the house and going to find her friends.
It hadn't taken long to track down her friends, they had been running through one of the many alleyways of the small town hunting a vampire. Which Buffy had quickly had to step in and stake before her friends got themselves killed.
So now despite the awkward tension between the group, the teenagers all stood in front of Giles's front door, waiting for the Watcher to open up.
As the door opens Buffy rubs her hands together awkwardly as she stands under her Watcher's shocked gaze.
While silence fills the air between the group Xander chuckles awkwardly from beside Buffy "Check it out. The Watcher is back on the clock. And just when you were thinking career change, maybe becoming a looker or a seer."
"Thank you, Xander." Giles interrupts not sparing the teenager even a glance as he keeps his eyes glued on the very silent and nervous Buffy.
"Welcome home, Buffy."
After a tense and slightly awkward reunion with his charge, Giles pours himself a glass of scotch intent on numbing his spinning thoughts. However, as he brings the glass to his lips intent on downing the amber liquid he freezes as he hears his telephone ringing.
Frowning in confusion the Watcher grabs the phone, curious to see who was calling him so late.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Rupert."
At the sound of Quentin Travers's voice, Giles couldn't help but sigh, it was never a pleasant experience when he received a call from the head of the Watcher's Council. Normally it meant something was wrong.
"Travers. What can I do for you?"
"It seems we may have an issue with Miss Summers."
At Travers's words, Giles couldn't help but feel a wave of dread fill his gut, the tone of his boss's voice was causing worry to spread through him "Why would you say that?"
"Wesley was doing some research and it seems as though we have been misled. When Miss Summers was called we were led to believe she was just like any other Slayer. However, we have discovered that her father is quite influential you could say. It could cause issues."
The Watcher couldn't help but frown in confusion as he moves to sit at his desk, he had a feeling he was missing something here. He had met Buffy's father he was nothing more than an environmental lawyer at a small firm.
"I'm afraid I don't understand, Buffy's father is a lawyer."
"Her step-father is a lawyer yes. But her biological father is in fact Anthony Stark the owner of Stark Industries. You can see how this could be a problem."
At that, Giles's entire body froze, if Tony Stark was actually Buffy's father, then he wasn't just influential, he was extremely powerful, with contacts in every major government agency. The Council would see that as a threat.
When it came to Slayers from prominent families the Council had always been cautious. Slayers like that had a history of being harder for the Watcher's to control. Meaning sometimes, they chose that calling a new Slayer was easier than dealing with the hassle of the girl's family.
"What is going to happen?"
"Well for now we will be keeping an eye on Miss Summers. Also, another Slayer will be sent to Sunnydale and her Watcher will help keep an eye on her so that we can take the appropriate action if it becomes necessary. Good day, Rupert."
As the line goes dead Giles sighs and downs his drink in one gulp, he wasn't blind, he knew a threat when he heard one. Buffy's father had access the Council could never dream of, which meant she was now a threat to them. One wrong move and they would eliminate that threat.
Meaning Buffy was now in danger more than she realized. The Council would want access to the Stark Industry weapons and if she didn't give them that...they would resort to old measures.
So right now all the Watcher knew, was that he had to find a way to protect Buffy.
To say things had not gone well in their meeting with Principal Snyder was a complete and utter understatement. Hence why right now Joyce Summers, despite her pounding headache had spent all morning on the phone with the city council and every school in a 10-mile radius.
Spotting Buffy enter the kitchen the elder Summers turns to face her daughter with a small exhausted headache "I've been on the phone with the superintendent of schools. At least he seems more reasonable than that nasty little horrid, bigoted rodent man."
Snorting slightly at her mom's insult towards the vile principal Buffy runs a shaky hand through her hair, guilt filling her, she hated that she was the one causing all this stress for her mother.
"Mom."
Ignoring her daughter's sigh, Joyce merely moves to pour the blonde a glass of juice "Anyway, I'm going in to speak with him this afternoon. As for private schools, Miss porter's accepts late admissions. I, uh, I wrote the information down for you."
At the mere mention of the possibility of having to go to a private school, Buffy's eyes widen in pure terror "A girls' school? So now it's jackets, kilts, and no boys? Care to throw in a little foot-binding?"
"Buffy, you made some bad choices." The elder woman reminds her daughter with a sharp look "You just might have to live with some consequences."
Buffy merely clenches her jaw tightly, she was already living with the consequences, she had to murder the man she loved, that heartbreak and pain were more than a lifetime's worth of consequences.
Spotting the defeated look on her daughter's face, Joyce exhales loudly before running a hand through her shaky hand. There was one option. An option she had been avoiding since their move to Sunnydale, but it seemed like this may be their last option. And maybe the best choice for Buffy. "Look nothing's settled yet... There may be one more option."
"What?"
Joyce merely shakes her head "Let me try first, then I will tell you."
With that, Buffy eyes her mother carefully before nodding and heading upstairs leaving the single mother alone with her thoughts. Inhaling tightly the curly-haired artist makes her way over to the telephone eyeing it with dread. This was a call she didn't want to make, but she didn't have much of a choice right now.
He was Buffy's last option.
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA
The one and only Pepper Potts assistant to Tony Stark, the woman who pretty much controlled every aspect of his life was fulfilling her normal duties at the main office of Stark Industries. Which pretty much included covering Tony's ass as he got drunk and avoided his job.
Organizing the overflowing paper on his desk the ginger sighs in exhaustion before turning in her chair so she could reach the draw behind her. However, to her surprise, as she tries to pry the draw open, the metal doesn't budge.
It was locked.
Pepper couldn't help but frown in confusion, Tony wasn't exactly one for being careful with his secrets, he had pretty much spent his entire life on Page 6 of the gossip circuit. Staring down at the draw curiously the assistant couldn't help but find herself curious, she knew everything disturbing detail about Tony's life...or at least she thought she did.
Letting her curiosity get the better of her the strawberry blonde begins rifling through his desk in search of the key for the mysteriously locked draw.
As she rifles through his things Pepper's eyes land on the small handmade turtle paperweight that had been in this office since the day she had started. That handpainted turtle which honestly looked like a child could have done it had always been a mystery to her.
She had asked once who had given it to him but he had merely grunted before downing a glass of scotch and passing out in front of her.
Hesitantly she reaches out and lifts up the turtle, turning it over her eyes widen as she spots a small key tapped to the bottom. A key that was the perfect size for the lock.
Pushing herself back over to the mysterious draw she quickly inserts the key and turns it only to be shocked by the sight revealed to her.
Instead of more hidden receipts for the expense report she had been expecting Pepper couldn't help but find herself staring in horror.
Inside the draw, was paperwork, but it wasn't business reports, it was school report cards for some Buffy girl.
Shaking her head in confusion the redhead continues to riffle through the reports filling the draws till finally, she freezes as her eyes land on a printed photo in a large frame.
The photo was of a young Tony, at most 25 or 26 years old, carrying a small blonde child on his back who couldn't be more than 6. The two of them laughing caustically as he carried her around what looked to be the New York Zoo.
Pepper couldn't help but stare at the little girl in Tony's arms, she had bright green eyes and blonde hair pulled back into pigtails, but there was something about her smile. It was a mirror image of Tony's.
Spotting another photo underneath she places the frame in her hands down before picking up the polaroid photo. Small tears filling her eyes as she stares down at the image in front of her. In all of her years working for Tony, she had never seen him like this, so happy and carefree. So complete.
Just the sight of the photo brought a small smile to Pepper's face, it was the same little girl only this time she was maybe only four and was sat on Howard's old motorcycle with Tony who was laughing as he helped the little girl hold up a crowbar.
Those two photos weren't the end of it though, the draw was filled with hundreds of photos and more memories. Between photos of Tony and the little girl as a baby before finally a photo of her in a cheerleading costume as he dropped her off at Hemery High School.
Shaking her head in confusion as she slowly starts to click everything together the ginger's eyes widen as she spots the newspaper articles at the bottom of the draw.
Her eyes slowly scanned over the title of the article causing her eyes to widen in horror:
'
'LOCAL GIRL BURNS DOWN SCHOOL GYM'
Pepper couldn't help but scoff in disbelief before slowly her eyes landed on the final document in the draw. A birth certificate.
BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS-STARK
BORN: 19/01/1991
MOTHER: JOYCE SUMMERS
FATHER: ANTHONY EDWARD STARK
Dropping the birth certificate from her hands Pepper couldn't help but find her entire body frozen in shock. She had known Tony for over 10 years, this couldn't be real, if Tony had a daughter then how the hell did she not know about this?
She just couldn't believe it. After all these years of dealing with Tony's crap, she had never expected this.
Clenching her jaw in hopes of finding some sort of explanation Pepper quickly begins flipping through all the papers and photos again before freezing. Underneath a photo of Tony stood with who she assumed with Joyce, both of them stood in front of Buffy with a birthday cake as Rhodey held her up helping her blow out the candles, was a drawing.
A crayon drawing that was clearly done by a small child.
Turning the picture over Pepper couldn't help but sigh, there it was, pretty much confirming everything once again.
Written along the back of the drawing were the words: Me and My Daddy.
Running a shaky hand through her hair the redhead stares down at the drawing for a long moment still trying to process everything.
Tony had a daughter, one she had no idea about, and clearly, she wasn't the only one. In all the years she had worked for Tony, a daughter had never been mentioned in the press.
He had kept this quiet for over 15 years.
Slowly as she continues to stare down at the photos of the mysterious Buffy Stark the redhead slowly stands from the desk and grabs everything from the draw.
After all the crap she had done for Tony he owed her some answers. And she sure as hell was going to get them.
As AC/DC continues to blast on the speakers filling his garage, Tony Stark barely takes his eyes off the blueprints in front of him as his cell starts ringing. Ignoring a call he assumed was coming from Obidah or Pepper he continues to make alterations for his next set of weapons.
He only had a few weeks till the deadline, he didn't have time to deal with his assistant nor Obidah.
However, despite wanting to focus on his designs his phone yet again starts ringing causing him to groan in annoyance.
"Jarvis could you answer that." He asks his AI without looking up as he continues to make alterations to his blueprints, his mind spinning with all the different materials he was going to need to make these work.
"Of course Sir."
Tony barely hears the AI's voice before suddenly his entire body goes stone cold as he hears a different voice pipe through the line. A voice he hadn't heard in months, not since she had moved to Sunnydale and taken his daughter with her.
"Tony?"
Tony couldn't help but inhale tightly at the sound of his best friend's voice as he drops his coffee to the ground, not bothered by the way the cup shattered around him.
"Joy." He breaths before trying to shake himself out of the shock, he knew something was wrong, Joyce sounded timid and nervous, which always meant something was wrong. The last time she said his name like that was when she told him Buffy had been arrested for burning down a damn building.
"What's going on?"
"Tony I need your help... It's about Buffy."
Without hesitation, panic begins to fill the billionaire at the sound of his only daughter's name. His little girl. The little girl that had been avoiding him for over a year. Hell, when she turned 15 she had practically gone full teenage breakdown. She refused to speak to him, even now 2 years later.
But despite their distance he had continued to try, he didn't know what happened to make her socially anxious and fire happy but she was still his little girl. He may not be the best man or hell even the best father, but when it came to Buffy, she was everything. Her entire life all he had ever wanted was to protect her, hell he had even distanced himself to keep her safe from the press despite how much it killed him. But she deserved a normal life. She deserved a chance to be more than just Tony Stark's illegitimate daughter born out of a one-night stand when he was barely 20.
"What happened?"
"Buffy got expelled from Sunnydale high."
Tony couldn't help but snort slightly at that, she was definitely her father's daughter, both of them had a tendency to get kicked out of schools "What do you need me to do?"
There was a small hesitation before finally, Joyce sighed loudly, clearly unsure of her own words "I want Buffy to get away from Sunnydale for a while, some things happened a few months ago and she ended up running away. Now that she's back I can see just how being in this town affects her. I can't get her into any schools here because of her past and I can't leave because of my job... So... I need you to take her."
There it was. The one thing he thought he would never hear, which promptly caused him to almost fall out of his chair in shock as his knees went weak. He couldn't believe it, Joy had barely liked letting Buffy spend the night as a kid to the point where he would have to make sure Rhodey was here just so he could have more than a few hours with his daughter. In his wildest dreams could never imagine Joyce would actually let Buffy live with him full time.
"Joy..."
"No, Tony, she is your daughter and she needs you. I have never asked you for anything, but know I'm asking you, please. Do it for Buffy."
Swallowing his overwhelming joy at the idea of Buffy living with him, the billionaire couldn't help but find himself nervous. If Buffy moved here there was a big chance she could lose her normal life. All it took was for one reporter or photographer to spot her and start putting the pieces together. Buffy deserved more than being harassed by the press.
But from the sound of Joyce's voice, he knew there wasn't room for argument. She wasn't asking, she was telling him, which meant things were worse off than she was telling him.
"Ok, when should I expect her."
"I will talk to Buffy and have her up there soon. Thank you, Tony."
With that, the line goes dead and Tony leans back in his chair in disbelief. All he had ever wanted was a chance to have Buffy home with him and now he was finally going to get it. He could fix whatever happened two years ago to make her disappear on him. He was going to get his little girl back.
"Jarvis get a room set up for Buffy."
"Of course sir. I will have furniture ordered for Miss Stark straight away."
"Thank you, Jarvis." Tony breaths trying to hide his smile as he turns back to his blueprints, attempting to focus once again. However, before he could even attempt to get his music flowing again in hopes of helping his work he freezes as he hears the door to his garage slam open.
Wincing slightly the billionaire glances over his shoulder only to spot a furious Pepper Potts glaring at him as she stormed over to him slamming a photo of Buffy on his desk as well as Buffy's birth certificate.
"You have a daughter?!"
Tony couldn't help but groan, the story was out, and judging by the look on Pepper's face, he was completely screwed.
"Oh, shit..."
