Chapter Three

Three years had passed since Ada arrived at the Stark household. Within those three years, a lot had changed.

Her hair had gotten longer, now growing down past her shoulders. She'd gotten taller, and signs of her young age were beginning to disappear. Tony liked to joke that even if she wasn't a Stark by blood, she looked the part, and she often acted the part. She kept expecting to wake up one day and find out that being adopted by him had been nothing but a dream, and that she would be back at the orphanage. Of course, that never happened. Yet, it was still strange to think that she had officially become a Stark.

Once she started school, Ada moved through her classes quickly. She impressed the teachers by learning five different languages, and acing all of her tests. Science, history and math had been her favorite subjects. While friends were difficult to come by, Ada knew that was partly because she spent most of her time in the books or working with Tony in the labs, where she continued learning new things every day. Making friends had never been easy to begin with because she was a Stark. Most of the kids at her school tried taking advantage of her so they could have easy access to whatever money he had. Fortunately, Ada knew well enough to know that those kind of people needed to be avoided.

She had to laugh when the teachers accused her of cheating one day. One of the teachers had told the principal that Tony was doing her homework for her. So, the principal had asked Tony to show up in school one day, and sit in the office while she sat in a separate room to take a standard test. She had an hour to complete the test in question, and did so with ease, taking everyone except Tony by surprise. The teacher had just gaped at her when the test was graded, and she had passed with flying colors.

The teacher who questioned her had been a science teacher who wanted nothing more than to prove that she had been cheating. About the only positive outcome she had was seeing the satisfaction of proving them wrong.

"She may not share my genes, but, she's a genius in her own rights," Tony had informed them, the smugness and pride in his voice enough to make Ada nearly roll her eyes.

The teacher hadn't bothered trying to prove that she was cheating since then. Though, he had grudgingly graded Ada's tests, and he had given her more assignments than the other students. She knew this was all thanks to what Tony said. At that point, she didn't bother arguing with the teacher, knowing it would just make things worse.

Ada shook her head at the thought. She was officially nine years old. Her birthday would more than likely be ignored by Tony, since he was usually so busy with work or another woman that he didn't bother with her. She hadn't had the heart to remind him that it was her birthday. Not when he offered a home, and so much more. It wasn't thoughts on her birthday that had woken her up, though. Something else had, and, it was enough for her to stir in panic.

The early morning rays of sunlight barely penetrated through the blinds Ada had set up along her windows. She shifted uneasily under her covers, noticing a strange scent that made her think twice about what was going on. It was the acrid tang of smoke that caused her senses to go haywire. Panic swept through Ada when she realized why the scent was so strong.

Of course, no one bothered to stop by and make sure everything was okay. Ada didn't bother with Tony when he was in one of his moods. He may have acted like the doting parent he was around school teachers and other parents, but, truthfully, he wasn't. He ignored her whenever they weren't in the lab, and he focused his attention on the women who would often stop by for a 'visit'. Ada knew full-well what those 'visits' were, and she felt her stomach wrench in disgust at the thought. Sometimes it was better not to think of what went on behind those closed doors. Especially since she heard enough rumors flying around about Tony's involvement with women.

She leaped out of the bed, reaching the nearest wall to stare at the burned sheets in panic. Carefully, Ada checked to make sure that she hadn't been burned in the process of the fire. She eyed her arms cautiously, realizing with a start that they showed no burn marks. The rest of the room had been left relatively intact, with no signs of being set on fire. That only added to Ada's confusion. Something wasn't right. Bed sheets didn't normally catch on fire unless there had been a good reason behind it. She couldn't find anything that would have caused the fire.

"Hey, Jarvis, are there any burn marks you can scan throughout the room?" she asked cautiously, knowing the AI would be honest in his scans.

Maybe this was all just a bad dream. Ada tried pinching her arm to make sure. She winced after doing so, only to confirm for herself that this was real. A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought. The logical part of her mind was already trying to figure out how the fire could have been caused without any reasoning.

'It appears as though you are unharmed,' the friendly AI replied after running a full scan, 'The contents of your room show that only your bed sheets have burn marks.'

Ada sucked in a breath at that. Since adopting her, Tony had given her full access to Jarvis. She could still remember some of the many arguments she would have with the AI, who eventually told her that arguing with a computerized system was pointless, and a waste of time. Eventually, they learned to get along.

This just took on a whole new level of weird, Ada thought after reaching her bed sheets.

Luckily, they were now just smoking; the fire itself had diminished. Ada was left figuring out what to do with her now charred bed sheets. She knew telling Tony or anyone else what had happened was out of the question. They would immediately jump to conclusions. The last thing she wanted was to explain that she managed to burn down an entire mattress and set of bed sheets.

"I think it's best we keep this between ourselves, J," she whispered once she pulled apart her bed to make sure that no remains of the fire could be seen.

A new mattress was also necessary. She hadn't realized until than that the mattress itself had burned as well. She didn't want to explain to them why she needed a new mattress. Living in the orphanage taught her not to take advantage of anything.

'As you wish, Miss Stark,' Jarvis replied.

She let out a sigh of frustration and folded the sheets as best as she could in a ball. Once that task was finished, Ada made a mental note to see if she could get her mattress replaced without Tony or anyone else noticing. Getting past Tony would be easy, though. It was Pepper that she worried about, more than anything else.

The sun had fully risen by the time Ada had finished cleaning up and got changed. She glanced at the clock, noting that it wasn't even nine in the morning. Most likely, Tony would either be fast asleep or working down in the lab. She shook her head at the thought once more.

Maybe it's better that he's so ignorant, she thought when she walked out of her room and headed for the living room. She wasn't surprised to find Pepper already there. While the strawberry blond normally spent most of her afternoon hours at Stark Industries, Pepper would often step by to check on her. Ada was grateful Pepper always checked on her, and made sure everything was okay. At least someone seemed to care whether or not something was wrong.

"Hey, Pepper, do you know where Tony is?" she asked hesitantly.

Pepper was sitting at the desk, listening to the classical music playing softly in the background. She used these early mornings to get things ready for work. Not that Ada didn't blame her for that. She knew that things were always busy at Stark Industries.

The older woman looked up in surprise, hardly aware of Ada's arrival.

"He's down in the lab," she replied. Though, the reluctance in her voice suggested otherwise. Ada made a face at that, deciding she didn't want to know. "Do you need anything?"

"Actually, I was kind of hoping that you could order some new bed sheets… along with a new mattress," Ada admitted, embarrassment sweeping through her.

Back at the orphanage, she was lucky if she got a replacement for her bed sheets. Money had always been a difficulty, and Ada knew better than to ask for new things. Pepper seemed to notice her hesitance, and she shook her head in amusement.

"Sweetie, all you have to do is ask," she reassured her. "What happened to the old ones?"

Worry gnawed at the back of Ada's mind. She knew she had planned on keeping that part a secret. Yet, she also knew that she should tell someone, at least. Pepper might understand what was going on. She at least wouldn't judge Ada based on one mistake.

"I'd rather not say," she finally murmured, looking down at the floor halfheartedly.

Pepper raised an eyebrow when she noticed something was clearly bothering her. She stood up and reached Ada as she felt heat rising up in her chest. When Pepper placed a hand on her forehead, her eyes widened in alarm. Ada had to swallow back the lump forming in her throat when she realized something was wrong with her.

"You're burning up," she drew out, looking at Ada anxiously as she moved from her forehead down to her arm, feeling the same intense heat, "Do you have a fever?"

"No, I feel fine," Ada protested, trying to avoid getting questioned.

That only seemed to add to her worry. Pepper always seemed to reach some wild conclusion when she noticed something was wrong. It was one of the qualities of Pepper Potts that Ada both admired and found annoying at times.

"Maybe I should call Tony," Pepper suggested, already reaching for her phone on the desk.

Alarm swept through Ada at the thought of Pepper telling Tony. The last thing she wanted was to explain that the sheets had somehow set themselves on fire because of her. She quickly wrenched herself free from Pepper's grasp and stepped back.

"Please don't tell Tony," she whispered, looking down at the floor guiltily. Pepper's face softened as she looked at Ada seriously, "I'd rather he not know. He's already busy enough to worry about me."

And he'll be too busy to be bothered with my birthday, she added silently. There wasn't any bitterness or resentment in her thought process. At that point, Ada had gotten used to the way Tony behaved around her. Most kids would have been ecstatic to be adopted by Tony Stark. But she often found herself wondering if he only adopted her as some sort of ploy for the media.

The older woman let out a sigh when she realized there wasn't any point in arguing. Ada was dead set against telling Tony. She could only imagine what he would say once he found out. If he cared at all. Honestly, there were times when she wondered if he did.

"Alright," she murmured in agreement after putting her phone back down, "Sweetie, you know if anything is bothering you, you can tell me, okay?"

Ada gave a nod to show that she understood. To her relief, Pepper didn't question her any further. She used the silence as a chance to escape before things could escalate any further. After spending six years of her life in an orphanage, Ada wasn't in any hurry to make anyone regret that they adopted her.

She let out a sigh as she reached the kitchen. So much had changed in her life, yet she wondered if her life had changed for the better. Sure, she had a roof over her head, and she could finally call herself a Stark. But, at what cost?

When she opened the refrigerator, Ada blinked in surprise after seeing something on one of the shelves. While the package itself was small, she knew immediately what it was. She pulled it out carefully, smiling at the box in question.

Over the last three years, someone had been giving her a birthday present. She knew it wasn't Pepper, Tony, or anyone else in the household. How they managed to slip in and out without causing an alarm was beyond her, but she always got a letter and a small piece of cake as a present.

She set the box itself on the counter and opened the letter, reading it word from word curiously. It was written in the same handwriting as the envelope she was given before leaving the orphanage. Ada had a feeling that 'C' knew more about her than even she understood.

'Happy birthday, Miss Ada Stark. I hope you're enjoying your new life, and this gift – C.'

"Thanks, C," Ada whispered, taking the cake and grabbing a fork, "Whoever you are."

'Miss Stark, Mr. Stark has informed me to warn you that he is on his way to the kitchen,' Jarvis suddenly warned her.

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Ada quickly finished her cake and threw the contents in the garbage, minus the letter. She always kept her letters. She kept them as a reminder that someone was looking out for her, and that she wasn't as alone as she felt.

It didn't take long for Tony to arrive minutes after Jarvis' random announcement. Ada suspected that Pepper had informed him of their conversation, earlier. She couldn't help but chew the bottom of her lip when he reached her, frowning when she leaned against the counter and crossed her arms.

"You know, when Pepper told me that you came to her asking for new bed sheets, I almost didn't believe her," he snorted in amusement, cutting through the awkward silence. "But, when you asked for a new mattress, I knew something was up."

"I'm surprised you give a crap," Ada scoffed, ignoring the look he threw her.

"Where is this coming from?" Tony raised an eyebrow in surprise, clearly aware something else was bothering her.

"You only seem to care about me when it concerns you," she retorted, "It's the same with everything else – all you care about is yourself."

She hadn't meant for the last part to come out so bitterly. The moment it did was when Ada looked down at the floor, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself. She was frustrated, mostly with what had happened and the fact that he had missed so much.

Tony frowned when he finally seemed to understand what was bothering her, "Look, kid, I'm sorry – I know I can be an ass. I'm still new at this whole… parenting thing. Truth be told, I don't even know why they asked me to adopt you; there's about a hundred people who would've been a better choice."

Ada flinched, knowing full-well he would have never adopted her had things gone his way. Even when she first arrived at the mansion, she firmly believed it was just a publicity stunt. Anything to gain favor on the media that seemed to focus on him, and every move he made.

"Why did you adopt me, Tony?" she demanded, feeling a surge of anger as she glared at him.

She refused to call him 'dad', for multiple reasons. She could be just as stubborn as him, if not worse. And after the way he acted around her since he adopted her, her reasons were justified. What bothered her more than anything was that he didn't seem to understand why she was so annoyed with him.

"I wish I knew," he admitted, running a hand through his hair.

A shiver ran through Ada when he moved forward. She had wondered what would happen if Tony hadn't agreed with whatever terms were given when he adopted her. She would have probably been stuck at the orphanage. No one wanted someone like her.

She flinched once again when Tony finally reached her and wrapped his arms hesitantly around her. It took a few seconds for Ada to register that he was actually hugging her. He was hugging her, and didn't seem repulsed by it. Ada finally returned the gesture, feeling more confused than ever.

"So, does that mean you don't mind being a parent?" she asked hesitantly when they pulled apart.

"Of course, not," he chuckled in response, shaking his head as they both straightened up after that, "Ada, adopting you was the best choice I could've made. And don't you ever forget that, kiddo."

Ada couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed. Maybe Tony wasn't as bad as she first thought. True, he may have forgotten her birthday, but, she wasn't expecting anything extravagant. For now, this would do as a birthday present. So long as he and Pepper didn't find out about what happened with the bed sheets, or the mattress, she was perfectly happy with the way things were run.