Chapter 2: Pushy Tony
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Tony couldn't wait until Christmas to bring Ivy her doll. He hadn't found much about her parents' deaths, but he did find that they had not been killed in a car accident. As far as he could tell they had been murdered, and it was unsolved. That was strange in and of itself. There was no investigation as far as Jarvis could tell. The report said that the cause of death was unknown and the whereabouts of the daughter was the same. He was going to dig deeper before he revealed where Ivy Harriet was.
It had happened on Halloween and the whole thing was shrouded in mystery. Tony liked mysteries, and so did a few of the Avengers. He could get Clint and Natasha on this. They might be able to dig up something from the SHEILD database. Not that he couldn't but he was trying not to upset Fury for now.
Right now, he wanted to see Ivy Harriet again. She was just the cutest thing he had ever seen before and he wanted to see her eyes light up when he gave her the doll. He got the feeling that she didn't have many toys. Her aunt didn't seem the type to let her play often, from what little he knew of the woman. He also wanted to see her living arrangements. He had a bad feeling about it. Like he told Happy, not abusive, but not good.
"Pepper, come with me and meet Ivy," he said to his ex-personal assistant. She was his now girlfriend, hopefully more soon. They were on shaky ground now, because he was suffering from a form of PTSD, but he was working on it. "I want to give her this doll," he said, holding up the Shirley Temple doll that was still in the box. There was an assortment of clothes that went with it. "You'll love her, I promise," he added, his eyes all but begging her to join him.
"Tony, you can't give a six-year-old a doll that she can't play with. That's just mean. You have to buy one that she can appreciate and play with. Something she can get dirty," Virginia 'Pepper' Potts said, shaking her head at her boyfriend. She was a tallish woman with red-blonde hair. A stunning beauty without being overly so. She was casually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She didn't wear business clothes on the weekend.
Tony liked that about her. In his experience many of the upper-class women like to put on airs no matter what day it was. Not Pepper though, she was comfortable in Daisy Dukes and a crop top.
"Why not? My dad gave me things I couldn't play with. I did just fine," Tony protested. He learned to appreciate the finer things in life because of those antiques that his father had given him as a child. It was one of the reasons he was so into cars. Then again, Ivy's aunt might not like it.
"Let's go to the store and get something softer that she can play with, and you can give her this one when she is older," she added, liking the Shirley Temple doll, but thinking it just too old for the young girl. "Little girls like to play mommy. We'll get her a doll that she can change diapers on," she said, knowing that most girls loved to play with dolls like that.
"But…" was all Tony said when he was interrupted by Happy, who was coming up from the garage. He was doing his daily check on the cars.
"She's right, boss," his driver said, coming into the room sipping from a mug of coffee. It was only ten in the morning. "Or you could get her a stuffed animal. Kids love those. They can sleep with them." He didn't have any kids, but he knew that they liked to cuddle and the softer the better.
"Fine, we'll get something else, but it'll be something expensive," Tony said, putting the antique down with care. He still thought if the doll had red hair she'd look just like Ivy. However, Ivy had a certain something that Shirley lacked. There was a vibrance around her that just made you want to do things for her. All Tony wanted to do was make her happy.
The three of them went to Hamley's and got three dolls that each of them thought a six-year-old would like. They were all different in colors, style and dress. Tony's was the most expensive, of course. Pepper went for the most baby-like with accessories, and Happy got an overstuffed ragdoll that the little girl could sleep with.
"Take us to see Ivy, Happy," Tony said, not caring that they weren't calling first. It was Saturday and he was sure they didn't have plans. Even if they did, he was Tony Stark, who would deny meeting him? He was one of the most well-known men in the world. He had had people cancel plans on less.
"Sure thing, boss," Happy said, turning the car in the direction of Surrey. Tony and Pepper talked of business while they rode in the limo and got caught up on some of the things they had been putting off during the week. Tony hated doing business during the weekend but needs must. That and it was a long ride out to the burbs.
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Little Ivy Harriet was doing the gardening again. It was hot out. She didn't know what month it was, but school was out, and her Aunt Petunia made her do the garden every day. She was running out of things to do. The weeds didn't grow overnight. She diligently looked for weeds in between the plants, making her hands and clothes dirty.
She was wearing one of the dresses that the neighbors had given her Aunt Petunia. She was made to wear them outside, so that the neighbors knew that her aunt 'appreciated' the gesture. All it really did was make them think of her as a petty woman who wouldn't spend money on her niece. Who made a child wear a dress to do the garden in? That and they were spiteful that she would take their gift and abuse it in such a way that it would get dirty and torn.
A long car drove up and stopped in front of the house. Mr. Tony got out with a really pretty woman. "Mr. Tony," she squealed and ran to greet him. She knew she would probably get in trouble for doing so, but that was okay. As long as she got to see her friend. She had wondered when Mr. Tony would come to visit her.
"Hello there, little bug," Tony said as he picked her up and rested her on his hip. He was frowning seeing that she was once again doing the gardening. Not that he minded that she was dirty, but should she be doing the yard at her age? He didn't know much about children, but he knew that they had chores, when they were older. How old though? Was six years old too young? He would have to research this. He made a mental note to do just that.
"I'm not a bug, Mr. Tony," Ivy giggled. She didn't think she looked like a bug. Well, maybe a roly-poly, but they were cute. They just rolled up and hid when they were scared, like she would like to do when her aunt yelled at her.
"Well, you're dirty like one," he pointed out, tugging one of her curls. She giggled again. The woman came up to them and smiled. "Pepper, this is Ivy Harriet. Ivy, this is my friend Pepper Potts," he said, nodding to each in turn.
"Hello, Miss Pepper," Ivy said, her voice joyous at meeting someone new. "You're very pretty," she said in a tone that said she was only speaking the truth.
"Thank you, Ivy. You're adorable," Pepper said, meaning every word of it. She had never seen such a cute kid. "You could make a fortune with that smile," she said, smiling back at the little girl. She knew there were agents in Hollywood that would sell their soul to sign on this kid. Tony was right she was the next Shirley Temple. They were going to have to protect her from the sharks.
Just remembering Tony's description of how he met Ivy was enough to send shivers down her spine. What if Tony had been a predator? Ivy could have disappeared never to be seen again. She could have been… best not to think of all the horrible things that could happen to such a lovely child. She shivered a moment and then smiled at the little girl.
By this time the neighbors were all watching from the windows, and Petunia, who was standing in the doorway, had had just about enough. She came storming up the walkway. "Who are you people?" she demanded, snatching Ivy out of Tony's arms. Ivy gave a little cry of protest. Petunia set the girl down and shoved her behind her. "What are you doing with my niece?" she said, putting her hands on her hips. She looked like she was defending the little girl, but everyone knew different.
"I came to give her a gift," Tony said, still smiling though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm Tony Stark," he said, holding out his hand to shake. "This is my soon to be fiancée, Pepper Potts," he added, taking Pepper's hand, and drawing her forward. "My driver, Happy," he added, nodding to the man, who was still by the car with the Hamley's bag.
That seemed to rattle the woman. Suddenly she was all charm. "Oh, dear me, and you are being kept out here in the heat. Come in, come in," Petunia said, making fussing noises. "Go put the kettle on," she said to Ivy, giving the girl a shove. Not hard enough to make her fall, but enough to get her moving.
"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Ivy said, hurrying in the house and to the kitchen. She didn't have to worry about it, Uncle Vernon had already started the kettle. He just nodded his head and made her go and wash her hands. She did that quickly, using her stool to reach the sink. She dried them off, while the adults were talking to Mr. Tony.
"Come in, come in," Vernon repeated his wife's words as the group approached the house. "I'm Vernon Dursley, welcome to my home," he said, smiling and then turned to his son, who was coming down the stairs. "This is my son Dudley." He beamed with pride at the boy, who was looking at Tony with wide eyes.
"'ello," the boy mumbled, then fled back up the stairs. He made quite the impression, waddling up the stairs as fast as he could. He knew that Tony Stark was Ironman and he didn't know what to do with himself. A superhero was in his house, and he'd just run up the stairs like a berk.
Tony felt bad for the kid. Who fed their kid so much that he got that big? Hopefully, the kid recognized the fact before it was too late. Then again, seeing his father…
"He's shy," Vernon said, chuckling. "Ivy, come and sit. They're here to see you," he said, waving the girl over. Petunia looked like she was sucking lemons, but she didn't say anything.
Ivy shyly came into the room and went to Tony, who was still standing. He sat on the couch and took the bag from Happy. "We couldn't agree on what kind of doll to get you, so we got you all three," he said cheerfully. He pulled out the first one.
"You got me a dolly?" Ivy said, her tone was one of awe. She watched him pull a pretty doll from the bag.
"Yes, we did. This one is mine," he said, giving her the expensive one. She squealed and hugged it to her. He gave the other two a smug look. It was a silky doll with expensive clothes and real hair. It was hard cased and stood on its own power. You could move its arms and legs and make it sit, but there wasn't much else you could do with it.
Pepper took the bag and took out the babydoll. "This one is like a little baby," she said, taking the doll out of the box. She showed her the diapers and things that came with it. She then explained to her how to make it pretend to drink the bottle and dress it in the onesie that it came with.
Ivy put the pretty dolly down and looked and played with the babydoll for a minute. She smiled and thanked Pepper. "It's really nice," she said, putting the dolly up on her shoulder and pretending to burp it. Her smile lit up the room. Everyone, bar Petunia, was affected by its radiance.
Happy took out the overly large ragdoll and showed it to her. "Hello, Ivy. I'm Happy, I drive Mr. Tony around. Now, this one is to sleep with," he said, handing it to her.
She put down the babydoll and took the ragdoll and cuddled with it. "She's really soft," she said in awe. It didn't have any hard parts at all. Not even buttons. It wasn't fluffy, but it felt so soft, like Aunt Petunia's sheets.
"Why don't you put your dollies away in your room, so we can talk some more," Tony suggested, wanting to see his little friend's room. He wanted to make sure she needed nothing. He was sure that the relatives did their best, but he could do better. The uncle looked like he pulled an upper-middleclass income. The things in the house supported that theory. The large flatscreen tv, with the state-of-the-art gaming system said that they were not hurting for money.
"Okay," the little girl said as she started putting them all in her arms. It was hard, her arms were small, but she grabbed the ragdoll by the arm and held the two stiffer dolls, one in each arm. "I don't think they will fit though," she said, looking lost. She was looking around the room like the answer would come. Her room was so tiny, and she didn't want to make Mr. Tony mad by not having a place to put the dollies.
"What to you mean, Ivy?" Pepper asked, seeing the look of horror on her aunt's face and shame on the uncle's.
"Ivy, give me the dolls and I will put them where you can play with them later," Petunia said, in a sickening sweet tone. She was trying to smile encouragingly at the girl, but there was no hiding the malice in her eyes.
Ivy started walking backwards, knowing that if she gave the dolls to her aunt, she'd never see them again. "No, Mr. Tony gave me these dollies. You can't take them away," she said, crying. She was shaking her head and backing up to the wall. She would run out of the house if it saved her dollies.
"What is going on here?" Pepper asked, standing up and moving in front of the child.
"Now, sweetums, Ivy can have her dollies," Vernon said, making a gesture for Ivy to go to her room. He was hoping that the richest man in the world would save his niece. If he saw where the poor child was kept, then maybe he could take her away from his wife.
Tony stood too and crouched in front of Ivy. "Show me your room," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Okay, Mr. Tony," she said, her tears drying up and she was not the least bit worried about what her room looked like. She had no idea that little girls weren't supposed to be in boot cupboards.
"Don't you dare," screeched Petunia, trying to get passed Pepper and Happy to stop the child. Vernon grabbed his wife's arm and dragged her back, making her turn to him. "Vernon?" she questioned in a threatening tone.
"It's time that you face up to what you've done," the man said, standing firm.
"Go ahead, Ivy," Tony said, not even looking at the shrew.
Ivy skipped down the hall, arms full of dolls, and opened the door and proudly showed Tony her room. "This is where I sleep," she said, proud that she had made her bed that morning. She always kept her room neat and tidy. It made her happy to have everything where it belonged.
Tony smiled at the child's pride, and he looked inside. He saw the sign that pronounced that this was Ivy's Room. He took out his phone and took many pictures and then called the local police.
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They say that money talks, well they're right. Tony had Ivy out of that house in five hours flat and in his apartment within three hours more. He couldn't remove her from the country, but he did have her away from her aunt. Petunia was facing a court case, and they were talking about probation for the woman. The abuse wasn't enough for jail time, but it was enough that Petunia would have to take classes on parenting to keep Dudley. What she was doing to him was just as bad as what she did to Ivy.
Tony, on the other hand, didn't think that Petunia wanted Ivy, so he worked it so that the girl could come and live with him. Pepper backed him 100%. She'd do anything to keep that smile on the little girls face when asked if she wanted to live somewhere else. Petunia had said she'd sign away any rights to the girl, for the right price.
They called the Avengers and told them what was going on. At first the others were flabbergasted that Tony would rescue a child. He wasn't the type. Then they got over it and all wanted to meet the child the captured the man's heart.
"Jarvis," Tony said, while they were on the conference call, "show them Ivy sleeping." Jarvis, who was in Tony's London apartment as well, pulled up a hologram both in the London and the New York apartments of the adorable little girl hugging the ragdoll, but surrounded by the other two, sleeping calmly in a large bed. Her red ringlets were falling down in front of her forehead, but she looked like an angel sleeping. She had the cutest little snore. It was more of a sighing sound.
"Aw," came the collective response from the Avengers across the pond. Even Natasha, who rarely showed that kind of womanly reflexes.
"You're bringing her here?" Steve asked, staring at the cherub face. He had never seen such a cute kid. And he had seen tons of kids in his lifetime.
"That's the plan," Tony said, he too looking at little Ivy. His lawyers were drawing up the paperwork needed to get Ivy stateside.
"We'll need to fix up a room," Clint stated, looking to Thor. They looked to Natasha, who shrugged. She never had a little girl's room. She had been groomed to be a spy at a young age.
"Think fairies, princesses, castles and ponies," Pepper said, helpfully, remembering the talk she had with Ivy. "She likes all things magic," she said to the group in New York. "She said that her aunt didn't like the word, so she would really like to see anything that has to do with magic. So, Disney is the way to go." She could just picture the scene now.
"I can do that," Bruce said, he was looking at the little girl with wonder. The Other Guy was making cooing noises inside him. It was strange. "Is there a particular princess?"
"She's never seen any of the films, so you'll have to pick one for her. We can change it later if she likes a different one," Pepper said, tapping her chin. It shocked her that a little girl had never seen Disney.
"Jarvis, while they're doing that, get every Disney film ever made. We'll need to set up a library just for Ivy. Stock it with books for little girls," Tony said, taking out his phone and scrolling through some things on it.
"Yes, sir. Should they be about magic as well?" Jarvis asked, wanting to make sure he got the right things.
"Magic, horses, babies, puppies, anything little girls like to read about. Also make sure you put some educational books in there," Tony said, waving his hand in the air. "I have some paperwork I need to fill out. I'll call you guys later," he added, leaving the room. He made his way to the study.
"How's he doing, Pepper?" Bruce asked, being the friendliest with Tony.
"Much better," she said with a sigh. "This thing with Ivy is pushing him to get better," she confessed. She was happy for it. The image of Ivy sleeping was still being displayed. "I think it was just what he needed."
"Who were the child's parents?" Steve asked, looking at the girl again.
"Lily and James Potter. Both deceased. Tony knew her mother for a week, that's all I know. I know, he's looking into their death," Pepper said with a shrug.
Ivy moved in her sleep and hugged the doll to her more. She made a sweet little sigh and turned over.
Everyone 'aw'ed.
"We'll do what we can to make her life better," Steve said, looking to the other Avengers, who all nodded. They swore on it.