Tony Stark sat on his couch, trying to clear his mind. He hadn't spent long with the young woman, but he could see that she really did have his intellect and that she was stubborn. When she had told him that he had no rights over her, it actually hurt. So now he was determined to get his way and have it proven that she was his daughter.

"JARVIS, have you found what hotel she is staying at?" He called, not really knowing what else to do with his time now.

"I have traced the cars movements back to a rather expensive hotel in Los Angeles." JARVS told him. "However, there is no record of Ruby Matthews checking into the hotel. It would appear she is using an alias."

The man let out a small groan. "No wonder we couldn't find her." She really had been sneaky, using a different name. "Something tells me that she was never really in Kansas either."

"I believe that she has access to some rather advance technology, sir." JARVIS replied to him.

"How advanced?" Tony wondered. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, like how she managed to get to his home in Malibu without JARVIS being able to track her. And how her friend knew about her sugar levels when there was no way anyone could know.

"I would go as far to say she would be able to match your own skill and knowledge, sir."

There was a smirk forming on his face now. "Well, she is a Stark."

"Actually, sir, she is a Matthews." JARVIS told him, making his smirk fade slightly.

"I'll soon change that. Once the DNA test has proved she really is my daughter, I'll make sure her name is changed to Stark." He said.

"Don't I get a say in any of this?" A voice called quietly.

Tony's head quickly turned and he spotted his daughter standing by the doorway. "What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting." He told her, watching her carefully from where he was sitting.

"I couldn't sleep. I'm in a strange house with someone I don't even know. Plus, I'm kind of hungry." She told him, hanging her head so that her hair fell over her face.

"JARVIS, order some Chinese." The man called. "Any special requests?" Tony said, not taking his eyes from his daughter.

"Yeah, no meat. I'm a vegetarian."

Tony's mouth fell open. "Are you serious?" He asked in shock. If she was, life was going to be difficult for him. He wasn't very fond of vegetables, he loved his meat.

"No." She mumbled, trying to cover the smile that was slowly creeping onto her face. "I was, but, uh, my mother started getting a little annoyed. And the smell of burgers was just always too tempting."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Good, I'm not sure I could cope with you being a vegetarian, not with the things I eat."

"You're acting as if I'm going to be eating with you all the time." Ruby said, shuffling into the room and sitting down on the couch, but at a distance from Tony.

"Ruby, I know you don't really want to be here, but I'm not letting you go off on your own."

"I never said I didn't want to be here, Mr Stark. You're just making assumptions." Ruby told him, letting her eyes search the room.

"Can you please not call me Mr Stark, just… call me Tony." He hated being called Mr Stark, that was his father, but he knew she wasn't ready to call him dad. "How are you feeling anyway? Wasn't very clever passing out like that."

"Better, thanks. It was my own fault really. I've just had too much other stuff going on to really bother with other things." She told him. She could see that he was trying to make an effort to talk to her, and she wasn't going to push him away.

"I don't think your mother would be very happy with you not taking care of yourself, do you?" He asked, hoping she was okay with talking about Jasmine.

She let out a groan as she slouched a little on the couch. "You sound just like SWAIN."

"Is, uh, that the guy who you were with at the funeral?" Tony asked her nervously.

She turned and looked at him, a frown on her face. "No. That was Liam. He's my best friend, and before you ask, there is nothing going on between us. He has a fiancée."

"So who is this Swain that you keep talking about? Kind of a weird name if you ask me." Tony said, glad that he was making conversation with her.

"He's… well, he's complex. And it's really difficult to explain." She didn't feel that she was ready to tell him that she had her own AI that had actually attacked his AI. She wasn't sure that would go down too well.

"So, is he your boyfriend?"

Ruby couldn't help but laugh. "No, that is just seriously messed up."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Tony decided to keep trying. "So, tell me about yourself. What do you like to do?"

"Well, I graduated high school a while ago, and I… well, I've done some studying at Yale." She told him. "I've always had a thing about science and engineering. I guess I haven't really decided what I want to do yet."

"Yale?" He questioned. If she had really been into engineering, like she said, why had she not gone to MIT?

"Yeah, my mother was just as confused. I made a few strange decision, but I was still rather young and didn't know what I was really doing." Ruby admitted.

"And what about now? Do you know what you want to do now?" He asked her, wanting to find out more about her.

"Not really. Honestly, I've had other things to be dealing with."

Tony just nodded, understanding that the reason would have been Jasmine and her being ill. "Well, you're welcome to come to Stark Industries with me. See if we can find you something there that will interest you."

"There's already something there that interests me." She told him, earning a confused look. "The Arc Reactor."

"How much do you already know about it?" He asked, taking a big interest in what she had to say.

Ruby shrugged at him. "Just what I could find out by digging online. Hacking into Stark Industries turned out to be pretty pointless." She told him, before realising what she had said and clamping her mouth shut.

Tony didn't seem angry, he just chuckled a little. "At least I know my security is doing its job." He commented.

"Yeah, about that…"

She didn't get to finish what she was going to tell him, as there was an announcement from JARVIS. "Sir, the food you have ordered is here."

Tony just smiled at his daughter, before getting up and going to get the food that was waiting for them. Ruby was actually feeling rather calm, calmer than she ever thought she would. She was relieved that he hadn't kicked her out the moment he knew who she was, that had been her biggest fear.

"Here we go." Tony said, returning with a few bags full of food. "Help yourself."

The pair of them sat there in silence as they ate. Every now and then, Tony would ask her how the food was, and she would just nod at him. It was around an hour or so later when they were both finished and just sat on the couch in silence.

"You know, it's getting late. You should probably head back to bed now." Tony suggested.

This was what Ruby had been trying to avoid. She wasn't sure she was ready to spend the night there, they had only just met. "You know, I have got a hotel room that I'm paying for. It's pretty pointless having it and not using it."

Tony just frowned at her. "I told you before, you're staying here, Ruby. I will have your things collected tomorrow."

She let out a sigh, knowing that it was going to be a losing battle, and a battle she didn't really want to have in the first place. "There's an overnight bag in the back of the car. Can you at least get that for me?" She asked him.

"You don't want to get it yourself?"

Ruby scoffed at him. "Like you'd let me. You'd be too scared I would just jump in the car and drive off."

He smirked at her, that was exactly what he would think if she had asked. "Keys." He said, holding his hand out.

"It's unlocked."

"You're not worried about someone stealing it?" He wondered, watching her closely. He could tell that she was exhausted and that she needed to get a good night sleep.

"Not really. Maggie-May has a few… added security features. And I figured that since this was the home of the great Tony Stark, the chances of someone trying to steal her would be slim to none." Ruby told him.

"You named your car Maggie-May?" Tony asked her.

"No, my mother named her car Maggie-May. Come on, you already know it's her car and not mine. My car was… well, let's just say she couldn't handle the upgrades." The truth was, she had not really liked her own car that much, so had made sure to demolish it, in her own special way. Which usually involved a lot of explosions.

"So, you like cars as well then?" Tony had a feeling that she did. That would be something else that they both shared.

"Yeah." She replied, letting out a sigh.

Tony took that as he cue to go out to her car and grab the bag for her. When he opened the door, he was a little shocked to see a message for him flashing on the GPS, telling him to take good care of Miss Matthews. All he could do was assume that it was her friend Swain looking out for her.

When he got back inside, he saw her still sitting on the couch, but with her head now in her hands. "We'll go pick your things up from the hotel tomorrow." He told her as he placed the bag down on the floor beside her.

"Don't you have a company to run?" Ruby reminded him, opening her bag and rummaging through it.

"The company can look after itself. There are more important things to do tomorrow. My PA is coming over first thing, we're getting the DNA done and then we will go and collect your things."

"What if I refuse the DNA?" Ruby asked him. She was a little annoyed that he was just assuming she would go alone with all these things he was planning.

Tony raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you going to?"

"I don't know yet." She said, shrugging at him. "I haven't decided. I know what my mother would have wanted, but I don't know if that's what I want." She pulled a rather unusual looking tablet out of her bag, and began tapping away on it.

He just sat there and watched her. He had no idea what she was doing, and he didn't really know how to ask her. He was still thinking over what she had said, about her not knowing if it was what she wanted. He wouldn't admit it, but that hurt, because he really did want to be a part of her life now.

"Well, we can talk everything over in the morning. Right now, you should probably head to bed." He finally told her.

"Yeah, I probably should. But there are a few things I need to do first." She told him not looking up from the tablet in her hands.

"And what things are those then?" Tony asked curiously.

"Just… checking in with a few friends. Letting them know that I'm okay and not to go out searching for me. Although, I have to say, they would do a better job at trying to find me than what you did. I know it was you who was checking up on me and trying to track me." Ruby said, still focusing on what she was doing.

"How do you know it was me?"

She finally tore her eyes away from the device in her hands and looked at the man that was her father. "Because I'm the one who set the lions on you."

Tony's mouth dropped open as he looked at his daughter. "That was you? Why would you do that? How could you do that?"

"I didn't want to be found, so I sent you on a wild goose chase to Kansas. Then you looked up Maggie-May, that was your warning. There's a reason why there is so little information available about me, I plan on keeping it that way." She told him seriously. "I didn't actually know it was you until JARVIS mentioned the lions."

He didn't know whether to be angry or proud. She had caused him a lot of problems with that virus, but there were very few out there who could override his system and do what she did. "Well, that just proves it. You are definitely my daughter." He told her, giving her a smile.

Ruby let out a sigh. "Yeah, let's wait till the DNA test has been done. If it's okay with you, I think I'll head to bed now, before SWAIN starts nagging at me, again."

"Are you going to tell me who Swain is? Or am I going to have to guess?" Tony asked her, watching as she stood up and grabbed her bag.

She turned and looked at him, giving him a grin. "SWAIN is seriously wicked. See if you can figure the rest out. I'm sure JARVIS can help, after all, he is just a rather very intelligent system. Night." She said, walking off back to the room she had woken up in.

Ruby was rather proud of herself. She had managed to cope much better than she had expected, and she didn't hate the man as much as she thought she might. Sure he had a bit of an attitude, but so did she. There was no doubt in her mind that the DNA test would prove their relation.

She pulled out a pair of cotton shorts and a tee shirt, taking them into the bathroom with her. Ruby quickly washed her face and changed into the clothes she had with her. The stress of the past few weeks were starting to catch up with her, and she knew it wouldn't be long till it took its toll on her.

Once back in the bedroom, she picked up the earpiece that was sitting on the cabinet bedside the bed. "Hey, SWAIN?"

"Yes, Miss Matthews?" He replied in her ear.

"Stop being such a pain. Cut it out with the messages all the time." She told him, throwing her head back into the soft pillow.

"I am only doing what I have been programmed to do, Miss Matthews." He reminded her.

Ruby just let out a sigh, she wasn't in the mood for banter with him. "Whatever, how's Liam? Is everything okay back home?"

"Everything is running smoothly. There have been no problems. Mr Roberts expects you to call him tomorrow, otherwise he is prepared to come here to make sure you really are okay." SWAIN told her.

"Right, fine. Remind me to call him tomorrow afternoon at some point. It's going to be a long day tomorrow, time to get some sleep. Night, SWAIN." She called, ready to pull the earpiece out and place it back down on the side.

"Good night, Miss Matthews. I hope you sleep well." He replied, just before she took it out and set it back down.

The moment her eyes were closed, sleep started to take her over. It really had been a long time since she had slept for more than a few hours. That was how she had been living her life, getting a few hours here and there, never sleeping for more than 3, maybe 4 hours at a time.

Although she was in a place that was unfamiliar to her, with a man she didn't know, she felt strangely at ease. There was only one problem that, she would let her guard down, and the façade that she had been wearing since her mother told her she was dying would fall.

Ruby wasn't the only one who was getting some sleep. Tony had decided to head to his room to catch a few hours as well. Just like her, he had been living off a few hours a night, and plenty of coffee, to keep himself going. He had been too focused on finding his daughter to care about anything else, but now he didn't have to, because she was there with him.

He was feeling a mix of emotions. He was anxious about the DNA, that little hint of doubt creeping into his mind. There was also the strange sense of joy he was experiencing, finding out he had a daughter, one who really did seem to have inherited much from him. But then there was the foreboding feeling that he was not going to be a good father.

His own experience with his father had not been a great one. His father was always work driven, and it was rare for him to spend time with his only child. Tony was determined not to be like that. He didn't want to be like his father, he wanted to be a better man than that. He knew that to do that, he needed to change his attitude and lifestyle.

Tony Stark fell asleep thinking about the woman he had lost and the daughter he had gained. It was going to be a long and bumpy journey for the pair of them, but he was determined to make it work.

It was several hours later when Tony was rudely woke up by JARVIS. "Sir, I am sorry to disturb you, but you may wish to check on Miss Matthews."

He let out a groan as he rolled over onto his back. "What time is it?" Tony grumbled, as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"7am, sir. And I would highly recommend checking on Miss Matthews."

Tony got the hint and pulled on some clothes before heading out of his bedroom. He wandered down the hall and towards the guest room that his daughter was currently staying in. As he got closer, he could hear muffled sounds. He couldn't make out any words, and it wasn't until he was outside of the door that he finally understood what the noise he was hearing was.

"Hey, Ruby? Is everything okay in there?" He called, gently knocking on the door.

The sound he had been hearing quickly quietened down. "Uh, yeah. Fine." Her voice called back through the door, although it sounded a little shaky.

But Tony wasn't convinced. He knew something wasn't right. "Is it okay to come in?"

He heard some rustling before she replied to him. "Yeah, sure. I mean, it's your home."

He clicked the door opened and slowly poked his head into the room. He saw Ruby sitting in the middle of the bed, rapidly wiping her eyes, as if trying to get rid of the evidence. Only it wasn't going to wipe away the redness that he saw. "Hey, what's the matter?" He asked her softly, walking towards her on the bed.

"Nothing. It's fine. Everything's fine." She told him before sniffing a little. She really was trying her hardest not to let him see she had been crying.

"Then why are your eyes red?"

"Because I kept rubbing them, that's all." She told him, trying to pull herself together. Yes, she had been crying, but she didn't want the whole world to know. "What are you doing up so early, anyway? Don't you usually sleep till noon or something?"

Tony just shrugged at her. "Big day today. Pepper will be here soon so we can get the DNA test done. If you want do it, that is?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll do it. How long will the results take?"

"I'm Tony Stark, I can get them back by tonight." He told her, a slight grin on his face. He loved using his power and influence over others to get what he wanted and to get things quickly.

"Then, can I make a request?" Tony nodded at her. "We don't go to the hotel and get my things until after we have the results."

"Sure, but why?" He was a little confused by her request.

"Just in case. I don't want to have to pack everything up, bring it all here, and then just have to pack it all up again." Ruby told him. "It just makes sense to leave it all there until we are sure."

"You know, I can have JARVIS do the tests and have the results in less than a hour." Tony told her seriously. He couldn't tell if she was having doubts, or if she was just being prepared for all eventualities.

Ruby just looked at him blankly. "So, what are you doing it the long way then? If JARVIS can do everything, why involve outside elements?" She asked.

He knew he had to be honest with her. "Because I want to do this right, Ruby. Through the proper channels, I want it all to be legal."

"But why?" She pressed, wanting to get to the root of his reasoning.

"Because that's what your mother would have wanted. No short cuts, no cheat sheets."

Ruby chuckled a little. "Yeah, she always was one for doing things 'the right way', wasn't she?"

Tony let out a small chuckle himself, just as Ruby's phone started to ring. She looked at the screen and let out a sigh. "Hey Tash, everything is fine." She said. "Yeah, I know he was spying, it's what he does… Well, just smack him, preferably around the head." Tony just looked at his daughter, only able to hear her side of the conversation. "Tasha, I promise not to get into trouble… No, you will not need to come and bail me out any time soon… That happened once!" She cried, but with a smile on her face. "Yeah, tell everyone I said hi… Bye Tash."

"Who was that?" Tony asked, as she put her phone back down on the bed.

"Just a friend, checking up on me. She's got it into her head that I'm only here to wreak havoc."

Tony just grinned at her. "I think you already managed to do that. You owe JARVIS an apology still."

Ruby rolled her eyes at him. "JARVIS, I apologise for infecting you with my lions virus. And hacking into your system, and then trying to override your system. And for anything I may do in future that your oh-so-great creator doesn't approve of." She said, trying her best not to sound sarcastic.

"Accepted, Miss Matthews." JARVIS called, sounding actually… happy.

"But to be fair, you were trying to hack into my system. So technically, it isn't me who needs to be saying sorry." She said, turning to look at Tony.

"What are you looking at me for?" He asked,

"Hey, I gave you a warning. I told you to give it up, but you kept on pushing. So in reality, JARVIS getting the lions is all your fault." There was a smug grin on her face now. "I think you should apologise."

"You're not serious?" He asked, watching as the grin turned into a frown. "You are, aren't you? You want me to apologise for something you done?"

"You started off the chain reaction by not taking notice of the warning. What happened after was of your own doing." She told him calmly. "Also, you crashed my system for around 87 seconds, you need to apologise for that."

"No, see, that's not how it works." He said, trying his best to find a way out of the situation he had managed to get himself into. "Fine, I'm sorry."

Ruby just raised an eyebrow at him. "For?"

"For crashing your system and not taking the hint to leave you alone." He said. It looked as if he was now sulking like a little child.

"There, that was easy wasn't it?" She teased, treating him like a child.

Tony let out a groan. "You sound just like your mother." He moaned to her.

She chuckled a little. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Sir, Miss Potts has arrived. And you have a visitor waiting for you as well." JARVIS called to him.

Suddenly, Tony tensed up in fear. Pepper was there, the time to do the DNA test had arrived. He was actually kicking himself for not sneakily doing it during the night while she had been sleeping. "We better get dressed then. I need to introduce you to Pepper properly." He said, getting himself up from where he had been sitting.

"Virginia Potts, also know as Pepper, personal assistant to Tony Stark. She has to deal with not only Stark Industries, but also Mr Stark himself." Ruby told him, stretching out her arms. Tony just looked at her. "Oh yeah, I've done my homework, Mr Stark."

That was when something clicked in his mind. "It was you." He said, barely above a whisper. "Katie Lowes, that intern from… wherever it was. That was you, wasn't it?" He asked her, watching her carefully.

"Uh, yeah. I just wanted to make sure I was on the right track. You know, meet you and find out how much you really knew already." She was now hanging her head, trying to cover her face. "Anyway, I better start getting ready." She picked up her bag and headed into the bathroom and out of sight.

Tony didn't know what to think. She just kept surprising him, and now he was even surer that she was his daughter. Whatever doubt had been there before, had been completely eradicated.

A/N: Hey, I hope you guys are enjoying the story. I have a lot planned before we get to the first movie. But trust me, it's going to be good.

Let me know what you think by leaving a review, not only do they make me smile but they tend to provide me with motivation, which I seem to lack as of late. Those who read some of my other stories will know that.

Pippa.