Well I got one review, but it was a good one. So, if only for one person, I will continue the story :D I still don't have a title for it yet.. I'm hoping it'll come to me in a dream, or something.

I'm sorry it kinda starts out slow, the story picks up as it goes along.

I also figured out the line thingy to separate the story from my rants, Yay me! It only took me a couple days... :P

Anyways, please review. Reviews make me feel obligated to update faster.

"Hey, kid! Wake up!"

A small groan escaped from the child as she woke up, her eyes squinting against the bright afternoon sun. She looked around in confusion as to where she was, the back of a car was all that was obvious.

Then she remembered. She was out of the military, and in the care of a billionaire super-hero. She grinned, things weren't going too badly. Alexis looked up to the man who has woken her up, he was still driving and now looking back at her again. She raised a single brow at his unsafe driving habit and tilted her head to the side slightly, silently questioning him why he had woken her up.

Tony burst out laughing at the expression on the child's face. "We're here," he said as they drove up to an immense building. Her eyes went wide as she realized that it must be Mr. Stark's home. She slipped out of the seat-belt still around her and stood up on her seat to see better. The car slowly pulled into the driveway, Tony had noticed the girl standing in the car and drove more carefully. He stopped the car and got out, stretching his arms as he did so. She stared up at the house in awe, not noticing that she was being watched until Mr. Stark cleared his throat in an obvious attempt to get her attention.

The little girl turned to him and he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her over the car door and setting her back on the ground. She blushed a bit, not used to being carried around at all. Looking up she noticed Mr. Stark watching her reaction and shifted her gaze to the ground uncomfortably.

"Come on, I'll show you around." He smiled reassuringly and took her small hand in his own.

Alexis let him lead her into the modern home, looking around at everything as they entered. The place was huge, especially from the three and a half foot tall view of a five year old. They walked through the bright front room to what the girl assumed was the living room. A window stretched from the roof to the floor letting in the bright light as well as the spectacular view. A large television took up one wall, and expensive looking furniture surrounded it. She could see the kitchen through a doorway to her left and stairs down a hall to her right.

"Mr. Stark," A voice caught her attention and she turned to see a very attractive woman in a business suit and heels. She was tall and her straight red hair was tied back, not a strand stuck out. Looking down at a blackberry phone, she had yet to notice the small child holding Tony's hand. "I'm glad you're back, your four o'clock was moved to three, so you'll have to-"

"Ms. Potts, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Tony interrupted her.

"It will have to wait Mr. Stark, I'm a little busy..." The woman trailed off as she looked up for the first time and saw the girl. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise. She looked around the room, trying to find the child's parents. "Tony.. Who's child is this?"

"Mine." He grinned at the woman as he lifted the girl up again and held her on his hip. "You're always saying I should be more responsible, so what's more responsible then raising a kid?"

"W-What?" Shaking her head Ms. Potts walked up to him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you serious, Tony?"

"Of course I am, I wish everyone would stop asking me that." He sighed. Ms. Potts leaned in closer to look at the girl, who squirmed under her stare.

"You have a son?" She looked back to her boss. "Who's the mother?"

"Daughter."

"What?"

"I have a daughter, she's a girl," he explained. "I adopted her, so I'm not sure who her mother is." There was no trace of a smile left on his face as he watched Ms. Potts for her reaction.

"Tony Stark you.. you cannot raise a child," The woman shook her head as though affirming what she said.

His eyes went cold, the little girl in his arms tensed, knowing that he was angry. "Why not, Ms. Potts? I am a grown man after all. I own one of the biggest companies in the world, the world that I am constantly saving by the way. So why can't I raise a child?"

"All of the reasons you just listed, Mr. Stark. How will you look after a little girl while doing all of that?" She purposely left out his late nights spent partying and drinking and continued on. "Children need attention, and stability."

"I'll manage," He said shortly. Alexis played with his tie as though it was the most interesting thing in the world, not wanting to be brought into the argument. She still wasn't sure how to properly act like a five year old. There was a pause as neither of them said anything, neither backing down.

Ms. Potts sighed and turned to the little girl. "What's you're name, sweetie?" she smiled at the girl warmly. She knew when to let Tony have his own way, and now was one of those times.

"Alexis," the reply was almost to quiet for anyone to hear, but the woman caught it.

"Ah, well my name's Pepper, it's nice to meet you." Pepper smiled at the child again. She turned to Mr. Stark, "Shall I cancel the meeting then?"

"Please, Ms. Potts." Tony placed his new ward down and turned to his assistant. "I suppose this one will need some new clothes as well."

"Yes, Mr. Stark." Pepper nodded as she made a note in her blackberry. She also made a note to have someone named Rhodes come talk to Tony later. Alexis's attention was quickly caught up by the view of the water outside of the window, across which lay a busy city. She wondered what city it was, not having left the base at all in her stay, she also realized that she wasn't even sure what ocean it was. But the view was beautiful, and the little girl had wandered over to the window before she knew what she was doing.

"Alexis," Ms. Pott's voice woke her from her daydreaming. "Will you put your arms out for me like this?" Pepper held her arms out at her sides to demonstrate what she wanted the child to do. The little girl tilted her head to the side as she did when she wasn't sure of something. "I need to know how big you are so I can get you new clothes." She explained, smiling at the child.

"Ok..." Alexis held out her arms as Pepper had instructed her to. Ms. Potts quickly summed up how tall she was and made another note.

"Alright," she put her phone in her pocket and smiled again at the girl. "Will that be all Mr. Stark?" she asked as she walked toward the door, pausing at the exit for his reply.

"Yes, Ms. Potts. Thank you." Tony watched her leave. He sighed when she had gone, but quickly put on a smile. "So want to see the rest of the house?" he asked with a smirk, knowing what the answer would be. Alexis nodded her head and ran to his side, a habit she had developed in training. She peered up at him shyly, and he just smiled and took her hand in his once more.

He led her down the hall first, and up the stairs. She had never even thought about how stairs would be difficult now, and pouted as she nearly tripped on the way up.

"You don't talk very much do you?" Tony asked her as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Uh, I guess not.." her words sounded childish in her ears and she almost didn't believe it was her own voice. But she felt that way a lot.

"That's ok," He got one one knee so they were eye to eye. "I know it's hard to lose your parents, but I'm here to help."

"Thanks, Mr. Stark," she said softly, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. He smiled and patted her head.

"And one more thing," He paused. "No calling me Mr. Stark. You can call me Tony or whatever, just not Mr. Stark. Alright?" she smiled and nodded her head. "Good." He stood up and held her hand again.

He continued on the tour, showing her the rooms on the second floor, bathroom, guest rooms. Alexis was sure that she'd get lost a few times before she learned her way around the mansion. They stopped in front of a door at the end of the building.

"This is my room," he opened the door to another room with an amazing view. Alexis let go of his hand and wandered inside. The room was fairly plain, just a king-sized bed in the centre of the room, covered in a dark duvet. A night-stand next to it with a single framed picture of a couple, smiling into the camera.

"Are you really Iron Man?" She blurted out suddenly, as the question popped into her head.

"Yeah, I am," Tony laughed, surprised that the little girl even knew about Iron Man. "How do you know about Iron Man?"

"Well.." Alexis bit her bottom lip, debating telling him the truth about herself. She sighed and looked down at her tiny hands, she knew the truth would eventually have to be told. It was embarrassing for her to admit how old she actually was, especially after she had acted so immaturely. "I know because, uh, I was actually one of the soldiers at the base." She looked back up at Tony for his reaction.

"Is that so?" He cocked an eyebrow in question. Not saying anything else, he crossed his arms waiting for the child to explain.

"Yeah, I know it's weird. I mean, I look like I couldn't be, I know." She took a breath before continuing. "I'm really older then I look. A lot older really." Tony stayed silent, and she took that as a cue to continue. "I'm actually eighteen, same as all the others." She dropped her gaze to the floor and waited for his response.

"Hmm." He ran a hand through his hair, Alexis looked up reluctantly. "That is weird." he admitted. He walked to bed and took a seat, he motioned for the girl to sit next to him. She climbed up with a bit of difficulty and sat next to him. She almost held her breath waiting for him to tell her that she'd have to go back to the base.

"It's not a bad thing to be young," He said gently. "It must have been hard to live in the military, it's not really a place for kids. But you don't have to be grown up here, there's no Generals around, just me and Pepper, oh and Jarvis if you count him." He smiled and patted the girls head once more. She sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to convince him, even if what she was saying was the truth. At least not at the moment, she wasn't sure if it was even a bad thing. If it all came out, she could say that she had told him.

"Who's Jarvis?" She asked, as soon as it occurred to her that he had listed someone she had yet to meet.

He laughed again, "Jarvis is the AI of the house." He paused as he realized a five year old may not understand. "He's a computer program that acts like a person, and he can hear you from anywhere in the whole house."

"Really?" She asked incredulously, not sure such a thing could even exist.

"Yeah," He smirked and cleared his throat. "Jarvis, say hello to Alexis."

"Hello, Miss Alexis." A voice filled the room, sounding just a tiny bit mechanical. If she hadn't know it was a computer talking, she never would have guessed. With a smirk, she noticed the British accent.

"Um, Hi.." She wasn't sure if she should say hello, she looked around for a speaker.

"There's speakers and microphones in every room," he left out the cameras, not wanting to scare the child. "So if you ever need anything you can ask Jarvis, he'll probably have an answer."

"I always have an answer, Sir." The computer corrected, Alexis thought it even sounded a bit smug.

"Sorry Jarvis," Tony said with a grin. "Pretty neat, huh?"

"Yeah!" She replied enthusiastically. "Did you make Jarvis?"

"I did," Tony looked at the girl closely, though still smiling. "You're pretty quick, kiddo."

"Yep, I know." She joked with a grin to match his own. He laughed and stood up once again.

"Do you still want to see the rest of the house?" He asked, knowing that she would. Alexis nodded her head and slid off of the bed, landing on her feet. He turned and led the way out of the room, the little girl followed behind him.

He showed her the rest of the house, including the kitchen and the pool outside. She had been given specific instructions not to be around the pool unless she was with someone, besides Jarvis. They ended up in the the room they had started in, the giant window of the room showing the red and orange sky which flooded the living room with it's colours. She looked the corner of the room and noticed that there were stairs leading down, next to a build in fountain. Which was contained entirely within a transparent casing, it almost seemed to be a part of the wall.

"Where do those stairs go to?" She asked, pointing to the stairs to further illustrate.

"Oh, those lead to my workshop," Mr. Stark said looking over. "The same rule as the pool goes for down those stairs too, ok?"

"Ok," Alexis agreed, a bit disappointed. Though she was used to rules and restrictions, many more then she had been given here. Tony sat on the couch and picked up the remote sitting on the table. he turned on the giant television and proceeded to flick through the channels. Alexis was starring out of the window, but left the view to sit next to him.

"Oh oh oh!" She said suddenly, hopping up and down and pointing to the screen. "Batman!" She looked to Tony hopefully, her eyes wide and bottom lip poking out in a bit of a pout as he stopped changing the station.

"Batman, huh?" He turned back to the cartoon, an animated batman was fighting his arch nemesis, the Joker. "I used to watch Batman when I was a kid," He laughed. "Though they always ended up dancing at the end, doesn't look like they will now."

"Dancing?" The little girl shook her head. " Why would Batman dance?"

"I really don't know," Tony admitted. "It was a long time ago." The continued to watch the cartoon in silence, until Pepper entered with an armful of bags. She set them down in the middle of the room with a sigh.

"Mr. Stark, Rhodes is on his way here, he'll be here in about ten minutes." Pepper straightened and brushed off her pencil skirt. "I also rescheduled your appointment for eleven thirty tomorrow." She paused. "In the morning," she made sure to add. "These are all the clothes I was able to get on short notice." She made a gesture to the bags on the floor. "Did you need anything else, Mr. Stark?"

" Rhodes's coming here?" Tony narrowed his eyes at his assistant who merely smiled professionally and nodded. "I don't suppose it would be to talk me out of anything, would it?"

"I wouldn't know, Mr. Stark." She answered simply.

"Well, would you mind helping Alexis get dressed? You can take the clothes to the guest room across from my room, I think that'd be a good room for her." Tony turned back to the tv and turned it off. He stood and looked to his assistant. "I guess I better get ready for Rhodes."

"Sure, Mr. Stark." Pepper picked up the bags and turned to the hall, waiting for the child to follow her. "Follow me Alexis." She climbed off the seating and walked up to the woman.

"Thanks, Pepper." Tony smiled at the woman, a real, grateful smile. She smiled sweetly back at him and nodded. She led the way up the stairs to the guest room that would now house the ex-soldier. Alexis followed, glancing back at Tony for reassurance, only to find he had already made his way down the stairs. They got to the guest room quickly, with Alexis stumbling only once or twice up the stairs.

"I don't need help dressing," She sulked a little bit.

"Well it never hurts to have another opinion on an outfit, right?" Pepper said as they entered the room. It was one of the nicer guest rooms, another window took up an entire wall, looking out on the ocean as well. It was bigger then any child, or adult really, would ever need. The only thing that differed this room from Tony's own, was the lack of the picture on the side table. Ms. Potts set the bags down atop the king sized bed and began to take out the contents of each one. "So what would you like to wear?"

With a grin the little girl sprang forward and looked at the pile of clothing spread out before her. After so many months in the military and being told what to wear, she was eager to put something a little different on. She shifted through the clothing, unsure of what the pick until she found something she couldn't resist wearing. It was an Iron Man T-shirt; a white shirt with a red collar and a cartoon picture of the famous Iron Man in flight, as far as Alexis could tell. In bold red printing above was the words "Iron Man." She giggled and held up the shirt for Pepper to see.

"Ah, I see." The young woman smiled, trying not to laugh as well. She looked at the rest of the clothes and pulled out a pair of jeans, holding them out to the girl. "Would you like to wear these too then?" She received a nod in response. "Alright," she looked next to her and picked out some underwear and socks for the girl to wear as well. Alexis looked a little lost as she realized just how much had changed in a mere day, and got caught up in her own thoughts. "Do you need help getting undressed?" Pepper asked the child, bringing her out of her daydreams. She shook her head and proceed to change into the new clothing. Ms. Potts began to sort through the mess of clothing that now sat on the bed, looking for the shoes that she knew she had also bought.

"Pepper?" Alexis asked as she pulled the shirt over her head. The woman looked up at the child, the shoes in her hands. "How long do you think it'll take my hair to grow longer? Everybody thinks I'm a boy.." she trailed off sadly.

"It shouldn't take too long, you'll be needing a haircut before you know it." Pepper tried to cheer her up. "Enjoy it while you can," she said with a smile. "Cause long hair can be a lot of work too, I'm always struggling with mine."

"I guess," the girl sighed and pulled on the red canvas sneakers that were handed to her. She didn't see the point of wearing more feminine clothing with short hair. She also wanted to see Mr. Stark's reaction to the shirt. "How do I look?" she asked as she finished putting on the shoes, standing up and turning around once.

"Adorable." Pepper said, as she resisted the urge to pick the child up and give her a hug. She didn't say that there was no way that anyone would be able to tell she was a girl, she figured it was better to let her wear what she wanted. Pepper had been hoping she would chose the Iron Man shirt. When she had seen it in the store, while picking up the order of clothes, she had to get it as well.

"Let's go show Mr. Stark,"

Alexis nodded and rushed out of the room, leaving Pepper to scramble after her. The young girl had her way memorized to the room, and remembered which way to go to get back. Ms. Potts quickly caught up to the child and took her hand in her own.

"It's not a race," She laughed. "We'll get there fast enough." She smiled as the girl blushed and looked at her feet as they walked back to the main room.

"Just trust me Rhodes, ok?" Tony was talking to a man Alexis hadn't met yet. He was wearing a marine uniform, she started to worry. She followed Ms. Potts into the room, mostly because she held her hand.

"Ah, hello Alexis." He smiled at the girl, who quickly dropped Peppers hand and went to his side. She half hid behind him when she noticed Rhodes staring at her. She peered at the man from behind Tony's leg, not caring about acting young at the moment.

"A bit shy, huh?" The man got down on a knee and gave her a smile.

"Alexis, this is my friend, Rhodes." Tony introduced him, stepping to the side slightly so she couldn't hide behind him. Suddenly with nothing to hide behind, she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.

"Hi, Rhodes." She hoped that he wasn't there to take her back to the military.

"Hello," The man chuckled. "Is that an Iron Man shirt your wearing?"

Alexis smiled despite herself. "Yeah," she grinned. "Isn't it cool?"

"Very," Rhodes agreed, nodding his head. Tony had leaned over to look at the shirt as well, he seemed amused, and perplexed by it.

"I don't remember signing anything about T-shirts.." He turned to his assistant. "Do you?"

"I think it's public domain, Tony." Pepper smirked, just a bit. Tony shrugged it off.

"How old are you, Alexis?" Rhodes continued to smile, Alexis figured that he must not have come to take her back. He probably didn't even know about her.

"Um," She couldn't remember exactly how old she was now, she was pretty sure it was four going on five. "Four and a half." Close enough, she figured. "How old are you?" She asked in return.

He laughed, " I'm 28."

"It's not polite to ask grown-ups their age," Pepper gently admonished. Mr. Stark merely chuckled at the question as he leaned down and scooped Alexis up into his arms.

"It's alright, Pepper." Rhodes stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of his pants. "I'm not that old yet." He grinned at the child in his friend's arms. She smiled shyly back.

"Hey, are you hungry kid?" Tony asked, suddenly realizing neither of them had eaten since breakfast. She nodded her head immediately at the mention of food. "Heh, sorry I didn't even think about it until now," he laughed, embarrassed. "Do you like pizza?"

"Yeah!" A grin stretched across her face. Pizza was something she hadn't been able to have in a very long time, she was sick of the healthy, nutritional food that was forced upon her. Tony chuckled and nodded his head.

"Jarvis, place an order in for pizza, the usual." He said to the computer. It amazed the small girl that it could do so much, in fact Rhodes was still surprised sometimes by it.

"Yes, sir." The reply sounded through the speakers Alexis still couldn't locate.

She rubbed her eyes, already getting tired again. The day had not been what she had expected, in a way, running laps all day would have been less exhausting. Tony still held her in his arms, she was starting to get used to being carried around; she knew she probably had been as a child, but couldn't seem to remember it. She could smell alcohol on his breath, but didn't think too much of it, he didn't seem to be drunk after all. He also smelled of metal, oil, and expensive cologne, it was a strange mix.

Pepper excused herself from the group, saying that she had a few more things to finish up before the day was done. Tony took a seat on one of the couches, Alexis sitting next to him. The two men began to talk about the latest sport game. Alexis had stopped listening, she struggled to stay awake, mostly for the pizza. The little girl lost to the pull of sleep, resting her head against Mr. Stark and breathing in the smell that only belonged to him.

"I guess she was tried," Rhodes said quietly, noticing the child next to Tony had fallen asleep. He looked to his friend seriously. "Are you sure you can take care of a kid, Tony?"

"Yeah, I think so," Tony sighed and placed one arm under the child's head and the other under her knees. He stood up and lifted her with him. "I mean, I'll do my best. That's what everyone does, right?"

"Yeah," Rhodes smiled and nodded. "She sure is cute, you're going to have a hell of a time when she gets older." He chuckled. It seemed fitting that his playboy friend should end up having a daughter. Tony winced at the thought of the child he was carrying growing up to be like one of the women he chased after.

"She seems pretty smart.." He trailed off, looking for the first time a little nervous.

"You'll do fine, I know you. When you get set on something, there's no stopping you." He grinned. "Maybe keep her hair short for a while." He joked.

Tony sighed again, " I better get her to bed." He left the room, Rhodes laughter behind him.