Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm so sorry for the long wait yet again!

Hey, guys, I need your help if you don't mind. I have vague idea of where I'm taking this story from here but I need lots of stuff in between. If you guys don't mind, I would love to know things you'd like to see happen. Any ideas (Possible motivational words) are welcomed! Just the smallest review letting me know you're enjoying helps! Thank you guys so much!

Words: 2,693

It doesn't take long for Ada to start feeling bad. Whatever food she manages to get down finds its way back up minutes later. Her head officially hates her, and it's nothing new, but her hands won't stop shaking. Hell, her whole body won't stop shaking. She feels cold but her body is almost always covered in sweat. All around not a good time.

Pepper appeared the next day. Tony had called her back. Ada cried again when she saw the woman, apologies spilling past her lips. But being the amazing human that she is, Pepper only wrapped her arms around her teenager and held her until she calmed down.

Sleeping is still a big issue. Ada manages to get a few hours here and there if she's lucky. Any medication is off the table for obvious reasons. Pepper has been making her many teas, testing out different ones to see if they would help. So far, not much luck.

Ada feels guilty on top of everything. She's once again causing more problems for the couple. Tony hasn't left the apartment in days. Pepper barely has only after Ada all but pushed her into the elevator. She only stays gone for a few hours before coming to check back in. They're all exhausted but Ada still can't sleep. Apparently, she's not the only one.

When a soft, melodious noise finds its way past her bedroom door, the teenager sits up in bed. She cocks her head to the side, eyebrows furrowing as she listens. She knows that noise, it's hard to mistake, but why is she hearing it?

The piano in the living area hasn't escaped her attention. She passes by it often, she just never paid it much mind. She'd thought it was just for looks. "Guess I was wrong," The teenager mumbles to herself before shaking her head slightly. "Great, now I'm talking to myself. Stop."

Huffing, Ada climbs out of bed and walks to her door. The handle is cold to the touch but she grasps it tightly and twists. She hadn't known exactly what to expect, someone is obviously playing the instrument and there are only two other people here besides herself. So seeing Tony sitting on the bench, his fingers pressing precise keys isn't that surprising.

"I didn't know you played," Tony makes no indication that he's surprised by her voice. He only hums and motions for her to join him.

"My mom taught me," He tells her with a sigh, his hands reaching forward to straighten the sheet music. "I find it calming. I didn't wake you, did?"

"No, wasn't asleep," Ada mumbles and shakes her head. She feels better now than she had even the day before, despite her lack of sleep. Those teas don't help her sleep but her head only hurts occasionally now. "Can you teach me?"

An unreadable look flashes across Mr. Stark's face but it's gone quickly and he nods. "Here," Grabbing her wrist gently, Tony lifts it towards the piano and positions her fingers onto the right keys. "This one is middle C."

Ada nods and points to the others, calling out there proper names. "I had a lesson when I was like, seven." She says in response to the look he gives her. "That's all I remember."

"It's a start," Tony smiles, his eyes scanning Ada's profile before he turns back to the instrument in front of him. "Alright, I'll show you the basics..."

At first, Ada wonders how Mr. Stark finds this relaxing. Every time she hits the wrong key, a wave a frustration washes over her. But Tony gently guides her back on track and reassures her. When she's able to play what he taught her smoothly, her lips turn up. She understands then.

"I was thinking..." The man says after a moment, his voice trailing off. Ada ignores the way her stomach drops and quips.

"Oh no,"

"Hey," Tony nudges her shoulder but smiles. It falls quickly. "Maybe we should go up to the compound. Just for a bit," He's quick to say before Ada can butt in. "Get away from the city. If you're feeling up to it."

"Can I sleep on it?" It's meant as a joke and Ada does see Tony's lips turn up slightly but the serious glint never leaves his eyes. "Um...maybe. Could be good."

"You don't have to decide now," He informs her. "Or ever. It's whatever you want to do."

"I'll think about it," Ada whispers, her fingers ghosting over the piano keys. "Can you keep playing?"

"Yeah, sure, kid," When she feels her eyelids drooping, Ada moves to the chair next to the piano and folds herself into a tight ball. Tony continues to play, the soft music eventually lulling the teenager to sleep.

When the car comes to a stop, Ada makes no move to exit the vehicle. She blows out a heavy breath through her mouth and grabs her bag before throwing the back door open. Tony and Pepper follow.

She separates from the adults to take her things to her room but she doesn't linger there.

Sighing, Ada runs her fingertips along the wall as she walks. Tony had asked her not to stay by herself for too long. And despite the fact that she doesn't want to be alone, she doesn't know who's company she cares to be in at the moment.

When the library comes into view, she gets her answer.

"Hey, Trickster," Ada greets Loki, her lips twitching up when he lifts his head from his book to look at her. "Long time no see."

"Child," He greets back almost boredly but Ada takes no offense and she falls onto the couch opposite of his chair.

"Have you read all the books in here yet?" She's seen the god with a book more than she has without. Before she met him, she never would've guessed he was so...calm. She's sure he has his moments though.

"Twice," Loki mumbles and Ada snorts.

"Was that a joke?"

"Maybe," He says while turning the page in his book slowly, eyes never leaving the words. "You're not sleeping."

Ada's head snaps up and the small smile drops from her face. "Why do you say that?"

"The marks under your eyes," Loki states, still without looking up. "You reek of exhaustion."

"Wow, thanks," Ada mutters blankly, turning her head to stare up at the blank ceiling. "If I'd known you were just going to insult me, I wouldn't have come in here."

Loki scoffs and grumbles something to himself. Ada doesn't bother trying to figure out what, she doesn't even move until a shadow falls over her. Her eyes shift to Loki's face and her eyebrows furrow. "What-" But before she can finish her question, everything goes dark.

Sighing at the now sleeping child on the couch, Loki turns back to his seat and resumes reading.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Tony sits heavily on the edge of his bed. "You doing okay?" Pepper's soft voice flows from across the room and he sighs.

"Just worried about her."

"Yeah, me too," Pepper nods and moves to stand in front of him, running her hand through his hair. "But she'll be okay. Look at her, she's already doing so much better. She came to you, admitted she needed help. That takes unimaginable strength."

"I know," Tony mumbles, leaning into her touch. "But it's not over yet, it's still going to be hard."

"And we'll help her through it, whatever she needs." Leaning down, Pepper presses a kiss to her fiancé's forehead before pulling away. "Happy will be here soon. I don't think he's overly happy with this latest errand."

"He's a contradiction to his name," Tony jokes. "He only agreed when he found out it's for Ada."

"She's definitely grown on him. Peter too."

"Beneath that hard outer shell, he's a soft teddy bear," A big sigh follows Tony's words and he squeezes Pepper's hands before standing. "I think I should go find her."

"Okay. But try not to hover," Pepper warns. "We're at the compound, after all. There are eyes everywhere, how much trouble can she get in to?"

"Did you seriously just ask that?" Tony points to her, his eyebrows furrowing. And in Pepper's defense, she does realize it wasn't a good question. "And hover? I don't hover. I take offense to that."

"Okay," Pepper mumbles while her fiancé leaves their bedroom.

Striding down the hall with a purpose, Tony first stops by Ada's bedroom. When he finds it empty, he searches the common room and the kitchen. Also empty. Sam says he hasn't seen her when Tony nearly runs into the man and he's not worried, he's not. Friday would've told him if she'd left the building. It's that exact thought that reminds him that he can just ask his AI were his teenager is. He nearly facepalms before starting towards the library.

It's known to all those living in the compound that the reading room has been silently claimed by Loki. The trickster took to the quiet room as soon as they arrived and Tony isn't complaining if it means he's not doing anything...evil. He also isn't blind to his and Ada's friendship, or whatever it is. Tony isn't exactly happy about it, but so far no harm is being done, so.

As soon as Tony enters the room, the dark-haired god places a finger over his lips and looks pointedly towards the couch before he can be questioned. When Tony's gaze lands on a slumbering Ada, Tony's face softens. He can't remember the last time he saw her really sleep and look so peaceful while doing so.

Ignoring the other occupant in the room, Tony crouches on the floor in front of Ada before gently moving a lock of hair away from her face. Thankfully, the teen doesn't stir. Tony had wanted to talk to her but it can wait. There's no way he's going to interrupt her sleep when she hasn't been getting any. He understands what that's like and he would never wish that on anyone he cares for.

Looking over his shoulder, Tony blinks when he sees that Loki is gone, nowhere to be seen. He hadn't heard him leave. With a shake of his head, Tony stands, ignoring the way his knees pop. He carefully reaches for the blanket lying over the back of the couch and places it over Ada before taking a seat bu her feet. He texts Pepper, updating on the situation before sitting back and waiting.

When Ada wakes, she tries to stretch out her legs, only for her feet to hit something. It takes her a moment to remember where she is and she could've sworn that the couch was longer. While rubbing her eyes, a hand lands on her ankle, causing Ada to jump. She relaxes when she sees it's only Mr. Stark.

"That was quite the trip you took to snoozeville," The billionaire smiles down at the teenager, chuckling when she buries her face in the pillow under her head. "You feel okay?"

Nodding in response, Ada yawns while sitting up. She can't remember the last time she felt this good. Sleep is so not overrated. She'll never take it for granted again. "How long have you been there?" Tony only shrugs with a glance at his watch.

"You hungry?" Ada takes a moment though she doesn't need to. Her hand rubs her stomach and she holds back a grimace and shakes her head. "Okay," Tony mumbles and Ada does wince at the disappointment she hears in his voice. He tried to hide it but she's a pro at picking up on those things. "Well, that's okay because..." The man trails off and reaches beside him, causing Ada's eyebrows to furrow. "There's someone I want you to meet. And don't worry, you'll like him." And with that, he tosses the hidden object towards her and she easily catches it.

The texture is the first thing she notices. Soft but tough. Cold and hard. Ada looks down, her confusion deepening when she sees she's holding a red, dog collar. By the time she looks up to question him, Tony is already halfway out of the room. "Wait, what?" When he continues forward, Ada jumps to her feet, hurrying to catch up. "Mr. Stark!"

With his back to her, Ada can't see the growing smile on Tony's face. He slows his pace to allow her time to catch up before they reach the common room. Stopping, he looks down at Ada who looks right back before he gestures for her to go ahead of him. She does so, though hesitantly.

Heart racing, Ada creeps further into the room. She sees Pepper first, the woman turning to her with a smile before her gaze shifts down to see the dog sitting by her feet. The dog. A laugh pushes its way past Ada's lips. The sound almost scares her but she pushes past that and moves forward until she's on the floor, next to the animal that proceeds to greet her with a large smile of his own.

"Holy shit,"

"Language," Pepper and Tony both chastise at the same time but there's no heat in their words.

"Oh my goodness, hi," Ada raises the pitch in her voice absentmindedly, her hands running over the almost completely white dog's fur. He's a mix, that's obvious, she's just not sure with what. Despite loving them, she's not well versed in dog breeds. He's bigger than a medium-sized dog but not large. Ada would say he's perfectly in the middle of the two. "Aren't you adorable? Or, sorry, handsome."

Twisting around, Pepper smiles brightly at Tony and reaches her hand out for him to take before turning back to the teen. Both adults watch their all but adopted daughter with matching expressions, a warmth filling their chests. It's been a long time since either has seen her smile like that.

"We adopted him from that shelter a few weeks ago," Pepper starts after a moment, watching her fiancé join her on the couch from the corner of her eye. "We sent him to a trainer right after..." She trails off and pulls a piece of paper from her purse. "He's now a certified service dog."

Ada tries to look too Pepper but another laugh escapes her when the dog licks her on her nose. The dog. That has to change. "Does he have a name?"

"No," Tony speaks this time with a shake of his head. "That's up to you." Ada raises her eyebrows and he himself laughs. "He's yours now. Your responsibility. You up for that?"

"Definitely." Ada nods. She tries not to read to much into the whole service dog thing. She knows they aren't just for handicapable people. Sometimes they're for other things. Such as anxiety disorders. Emotional support dogs. "Oh, Peter is going to freak." She wonders what Athena will think. Cats and dogs sometimes get along, right?

"He's not allowed on the furniture," Tony points to her sternly and Ada nods. She'll follow the rules if it means she can have a dog. She's always wanted one and now she does. Ada's smile spreads wide over her face and laughs, hugging the ball of fluff that's all but sitting in her lap.

Not allowed on the furniture. Ha, how long do you think that will last? But yay! The dog is here! Find out his name next chapter!

And that scene at the beginning with Tony and Ada? So cute. Gotta love father and daughter bonding. And we got to see a little bit of Loki, that was nice. Who's a character you guys want to see more of?

Speaking of the next chapter, I have barely anything written so there won't be any teasers this time. I'm so sorry you guys!

But again, if you guys have something you think would be good, something you would like to see happen in this story just let me know!

Thanks for reading! Reviews, no matter how small or how big are welcomed!

'-'