welcome to the first chapter of a new story. the prelude to my first fic called The Iron Maiden. I'm kinda jus making this up as I go, literally no plans for this one so if you like it please let me know. I would like to point out that if you haven't already read The Iron Maiden I would suggest you read that first but you really don't have to seeing as this is the prelude. ok, you back from reading IM? good. Presenting... the one... the only... Amy Stark!

"Good morning Miss Stark. It's 7:00 a.m. The weather in Malibu is 72 degrees with scattered clouds. The surf conditions are fair with waist-to-shoulder high lines. High tide will be at 10:52 a.m."

Amy groaned, "Seven am? Jarvis, buddy, that's way too early." She mumbled, half asleep.

"Miss Potts wanted you awake." Jarvis tried again.

Amy rubbed her eyes and sat up, "I'll be there in a minute." She said, mid-yawn, laying back down and snuggling into the blankets.

"Melia?" Came a call from just outside the door and Pepper walked into the room. Amy looked up at her, half her face buried in her pillow. Pepper laughed at her static filled auburn hair that stood up straight like a mane around her.

"Mum it's too early…" Amy murmured.

Pepper sat down beside her, pulling back the covers, "it's only seven o'clock, you can stand to get up before ten once and awhile." Amy shook her head and turned away from her mom, almost in an attempt to escape the inevitable terror called… getting up in the morning. Pepper tried not to laugh, pulling the young Stark up and escorting her out of the room. She had a quick breakfast of blueberry pancakes, bacon, and orange juice.

Tony came up behind them, "morning Pep." He muttered, grabbing a cup of coffee before going back down to his workshop. Amy groaned, running a hand through her hair, when was he ever going to acknowledge that she actually existed?

"Mr. Stark," Pepper said before he could walk away. He turned, annoyed. "You've got a board meeting at eight." Even though she was Amy's mother she was still Tony's assistant.

Tony sighed, "tell them I'm busy." He turned to go back downstairs and Amy rolled her eyes, getting up and pushing past her dad to get down to the workshop as he started again, arguing with Pepper. Amy frowned, her dad's music was playing, and, in her opinion, it was awful.

"Jarvis, shut that off would you?" The AI complied and Amy went over to her dad's holo-table, drawing up a new weapon design she'd recently come up with.

"Huh." Came a voice behind her and she turned. Tony. Hang, on, what was that expression? Admiration? Amy smiled and was about to say something when Tony instead said.

"Amilia, get away from my stuff."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no!" Amy continued, "you're always wanting new weapons for Stark right? Well, I've been trying to come up with something but everytime I try you stomp down here and yell at me!"

"Because you know you're not supposed to be messing with my electronics."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No."

Amy glared at him and went upstairs, making sure to hit him on the way past.

As she came upstairs she ran into Pepper who was standing, arms crossed.

"We got your report card." She said, looking at her daughter, "all B's exept for science. What's up with that?"

"What do you mean?" Amy asked, thinking that was a pretty good score, as she waltzed into the kitchen.

"I mean, are you okay?"

"Course I'm okay." Amy replied, giving her mother a strange look as she took a bite of a pop-tart.

"You haven't been studying."

"I don't usually study."

"Maybe you should."

"Don't need to."

"Your report says otherwise." Pepper replied, leaning on the island.

"Mom, they're B's it's not like I got an F." Amy whined.

"Yes, but usually when your grades go down there is something else on your mind." Pepper replied. "And I'm not liking this new aditude of yours."

"What are you talking about?!" Amy asked, getting stressed.

Pepper sighed, "ugh, Tony!" She shouted, "come up here and deal with your daughter!"

"She's your daughter too!" Came the faint reply.

"I'm aware of that!" She shouted back.

"Wait, hang on, deal with me?" Amy asked, it was only a B for heaven's sake. "Ugh!!" She shouted, shoving Pepper out of the way as she stormed off.

Later that night was worse, if possible. Amy was wearing a long blue dress that nearly reached the floor, and she was allowed to use Pepper's makeup which made her happy. Amy and Tony were walking side-by-side, Happy on Tony's left and Nathaniel, another bodyguard, on Amy's right.

"Nice party." Tony commented.

"Yeah, it'd be great if you actually showed up this time." Amy responded.

"I will this time, you'll see." He said, punching her playfully. She returned the punch, harder. Happy gave her a look. As much as she disliked her father it was bad for their public image to be constantly fighting. So for the time being she had to pretend to like him. The reporters were everywhere. Tony turned to Amy and grinned, "I'll see you in a bit, go find Obie and Rhoadey." Amy rolled her eyes as Tony went into the casino with Happy. She walked over to the table where Obadiah and Rhoadey were sitting.

"Hey!" Amy grinned, sitting between them. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Rhoadey replied, "waiting for Mr Tony Stark who's almost certainly not going to be here." Amy laughed, taking a sip of water from a cup on the table before her.

They had their party, and of course Tony wasn't there.

He brought a pretty reporter home with him that night and Amy didn't come out of her room. She sat there for nearly five hours upgrading her laptop before Pepper finally interrupted.

"Hey." She said softly, sitting down at the other end of the bed.

Amy ignored her, eyes glued to the screen. "You okay?"

"No!" Amy said harshly, startling Pepper. "No, I'm not okay!"

Her eyes teared up and threatened to cry but she wouldn't, not with Pepper there.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her mother asked again.

"No. Go away." Amy grumbled, going back to her work and completely ignoring everyone who tried to talk to her. Around one am that night Amy changed into a t-shirt and jeans before taking another stack of clothes from her dresser and stuffing it into her backpack, slinging it over one shoulder. She crept to her bedroom door, pressing an ear to the wood, just to be sure no one was up. She heard no voices so opened the door and went out into the main hallway. Her room was right next to her father's but the doors were so far apart there was no way he could hear her even if he was awake. Amy padded down the hallway and down the stairs. She made it down to the front door and was stopped by Jarvis.

"Miss Stark, I cannot allow you to leave the premises."

Amy groaned, she'd thought of everything else. "I'm sorry J," a tear rolled down her face, "I can't stay here anymore."

Jarvis seemed to understand and the door unlocked. "Thanks buddy." She headed out, taking one of her dad's bikes, and not looking back.