"This wasn't part of the plan Rogers," Tony said after Steve had explained the situation…with a few creative liberties, that is. He conveniently left out the part about bedding Stella, instead implying Loki had attacked while Steve was keeping an eye on the girl and gathering intel. Steve didn't think adding the truth about he and Stella would help Tony get over the shock of his daughter being in the same building.

One problem at a time.

"What did you want me to do Tony? Loki attacked her." Tony was pacing the length of his office. Steve could tell the man was still putting together the pieces of Steve's story.

"I don't understand. Was Loki after you?"

"No, he was after Stella," Steve explained.

"But why would he…" Tony drifted off. Steve could practically see Tony's brain working a million miles a minute. "Oh God. She's mine, isn't she?" Steve nodded after a moment.

"Bruce verified earlier today. During the security breach her information and the DNA tests were leaked, which must be how Loki knew to go after her." Tony ran a hand through his hair. Steve could tell the man was distressed at the news, but Steve's primary concern was Stella.

"What're you gonna do Tony?"

"I don't know. I just found out I have a kid. Give me a break."

"She's a person, Tony and she's been on her own for a while now. Her life hasn't been easy. She needs a family."

"Is that what I am? Her family? She doesn't even know me," Tony snapped.

"Then change that, Tony. She's here. The time is now." Tony seemed to think this over.

"Where is she now?"

"With Natasha. She was going to take Stella to Bruce's lab to get checked out. She was hurt by Loki." Tony's eyes flicked toward him.

"Is it bad?"

"I hope not." Tony didn't move from the spot, still looking hesitant. "I'm going to check on her. Come with me," Steve urged. Tony didn't speak but after a moment he did walk around his desk to stand beside Steve. It was odd seeing Tony this vulnerable but Steve didn't comment on it. The two men walked down to the lab that Bruce shared with Tony. Outside the glass doors Tony came to a halt, staring inside.

Stella was sitting on top of an examination table while Bruce cleaned her arm. Steve was grateful Natasha had let the girl change into a pair of her leggings and a hoodie before bringing her down to the lab.

"Is that her?"

"Yes." Tony stared through the doors at Stella. She let Bruce clean her arm, watching him as he did. Natasha stood off to the corner, observing them.

"God, she looks so much like my mom did when she was younger." Steve let Tony marvel at the girl for another moment before interrupting his reverie.

"Come on, Tony." Steve opened the doors and Tony followed. The three people in the lab looked up at their entrance. Stella's eyes locked on Tony. Neither of them spoke.

"How is she?" Steve asked.

"Not too bad. She'll need a couple stiches. We're just waiting for the anesthetic to kick in." Bruce touched her arm. "Can you feel that?" Stella shook her head. Bruce nodded and picked up the needle from his equipment tray.

"So I'm not sure what Rogers told you-" Tony started.

"He told me you're my biological father," Stella interrupted, surprising everyone. Natasha's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Ah…yeah." It was rare seeing Tony at a loss for words. It seemed Stella had inherited more than Tony's eyes…She was just as blunt as he was. Steve wondered what other traits they shared.

"So what happened? My mom wasn't good enough for you to stick around?" Stella watched Tony impassively as Bruce began stitching up her arm. Tony cleared his throat.

"Stella…"

"I get it. She was just a waitress, right? Why would you bother?" She sniped. Steve could tell Tony was getting mad. The man's hand clenched into a fist.

"I didn't even know you existed until a few weeks ago," Tony defended. Stella scoffed. Tony took a deep breath. "Listen Kid, I'm really hoping we can start over."

"Don't call me kid." Stella snapped. "It's easy for you to ask that isn't it? Does family mean that little to you?" Tony was clearly caught off guard by this. "My mother, my mom- she worked herself to the bone to provide for me. She never came to any of my parent's nights or softball games…I ate dinner alone almost every night because she was always working. Always." Stella's voice cracked. "And now she's gone. And you had all this," She gestured around to their surroundings, presumably the entire compound.

"Stella, please believe me if Camilla had told me about you-"

"I can imagine why she didn't. She would rather me not know about your existence than be raised by the infamous Tony Stark." Stella blinked away some tears. Steve stepped towards her to comfort her but she slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me Steve!" The vehemence in her voice was apparent. Steve stepped away, as if burned. Stella sniffed, clearly trying to reel in her emotions.

"Stella, you've had a hell of a night. You're lashing out because you're stressed; your life has been turned upside down."

"Don't patronize me." She wiped at her eyes. "Once Dr. Banner is done, I'm out of here. You'll never have to see me again. I'll go back to my corner of the world and you can go back to pretending I don't exist." Her eyes flicked from Tony to Steve. "All of you." Steve felt his chest constrict in pain.

"Stella…we can't let you leave," Natasha said after a moment. Stella turned to face her.

"What? Why?"

"Loki knows who you are now," Bruce explained as he finished her stitches. "That means he'll come after you again."

"But why? Tony and I never met before tonight."

"Loki doesn't know that, nor would it matter to him. You're blood so it means you're a bargaining chip." Stella processed this for a few moments.

"So what does that mean? What will I do?"

"You'll have to stay here," Tony said. "It's the safest place for you. The compound has 24/7 protection." Stella stared at him in disbelief.

"But I have a job. I have a life," She argued.

"I'm sorry," Tony replied. She shook her head.

"You're sorry?" She managed.

"Stella, you don't know what Loki would do to you…" Natasha started again.

"Please explain then." Her tone lightened when she spoke to Natasha.

"Torture you…Use you by any means to get to Tony. This guy has killed hundreds of people. He wouldn't hesitate to hurt you, especially if it meant getting to the Avengers." Stella wrapped her arms around herself.

"So I'm just supposed to live here forever?"

"Once we find Loki, you'll be able to return to your life…If that's what you want," Tony said the last part a moment too late. Stella's eyes narrowed.

"Fine," She agreed through gritted teeth. "But once he's behind bars I'm out of your life for good. I made peace with my dad being dead a long time ago. I don't need one now."

"Fine," was all Tony could manage. The room was painfully silent for a moment.

"Let me show you to your room," Natasha offered. Stella nodded, seeming grateful to be able to leave.

"Thank you, Bruce." Stella said to the man. It seemed her kindness extended to him as well as Natasha, unlike Steve and Tony. Bruce smiled. Stella followed Natasha out of the room, not even bothering to glance in Steve's direction.

"Tony…" Steve started once she was gone.

"Don't." He said stiffly.

"She doesn't know what she's saying. Her whole life was just turned upside down. She thought you were dead," Steve pressed.

"She's clearly not interested in having a father. What was I thinking? I don't even know how to be a dad. Not like mine was some great role model."

"I know you and Howard had your differences..."

"DON'T-" Tony whirled on him. "Talk about my father. You don't know anything about us." Steve fell silent. Tony turned on his feet and stormed out of the room. Steve sighed.

"Families huh?" Bruce quipped from behind him.

XXX

"This will be your room." Natasha flicked on the light. Stella stepped inside, glancing around the space. The room was massive, bigger than her entire apartment. Opposite her, an entire stretch of floor to ceiling windows looked out over the grounds. "I'm right next door. You can wear my clothes until we can buy you some of your own."

"Thanks," Stella managed. She wrapped her arms around herself, still reeling from the night's events.

"I'll bring over some more options tomorrow morning," Natasha continued, observing the girl before her. Stella looked terrible. Deep dark circles marred her under eyes and her fingers were trembling. "Are you hungry? I can have the chef cook something for you."

"I'm fine. Really." Stella replied, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Natasha nodded, hesitating before continuing.

"…Listen I can't imagine what you're going through right now but if you want to talk, I'm right next door."

"Thank you," Stella answered, trying her best to be polite. "I'm just really tired."

"Right. Of course." Natasha turned to leave the room, before pausing. "Oh breakfast is at 0700 by the way. If you're not too tired you should come and meet the team."

"The team? Oh, you mean the rest of the Avengers."

"I promise they're all really nice. You'll fit right in."

"I'll see how I'm feeling," Stella conceded, though she knew she wouldn't attend. Natasha nodded and headed out the door, closing it behind her. Stella was alone for the first time since Loki had attacked.

She glanced around the room. It was plain, but still more extravagant than anywhere she had ever lived. Her bed was all white, including the metal bedframe, pillows and comforter. In fact, everything in the room was white with the exception of a few of the light fixtures and the massive tv. It was all so…bland.

She thought of all her belongings back in her apartment. Her studio was covered in colors; tapestries that had been her mom's, dozens of books, her rainbow quilt her abuela had made for her. Her home…Would she ever see it again?

She laid back on the bed and curled up into a ball. She felt exhausted, but also wired. She couldn't even begin to process the last few hours. How had everything changed so quickly?

Steve.

Her expression hardened. Her life had been fine before Steve had come into it. And to investigate her of all things?

She hadn't even known her father was alive, let alone that he was the Tony Stark. Her mother had never spoken of her dad and before Stella had learned not to ask about him, her mother simply said he wasn't around anymore. Stella had gotten small tidbits from her here and there; that they met at a party, that she never regretted her decision to have Stella, that they were better off without him…

Stella couldn't help but think about what her life would have been like if her mom had told Tony about her. Would she have grown up living a life of luxury, attended the most prestigious boarding schools, jetting around the world during her down time? Stella couldn't even imagine it. She had worked for everything in her life. To get her apartment, to pay her bills, saving to attend college... Realization clicked in her mind and she suddenly understood why her mother never told her about Tony. She had wanted Stella to know the value of hard work, to have gratitude and to be humble.

The woman curled up tighter if possible. This wasn't the first time Stella missed her mother and it wouldn't be the last. There were so many things she still wanted to tell her. Things like when she had a crazy day at work, when she saw something unique or funny on the subway, when she had met the mysterious blonde stranger at Russo's who seemed so different than other men…

Stella felt her face heat at the thought of Steve. She couldn't even begin to process the anger and betrayal she felt towards him.

She had let her guard down, something she never did, something she had learned long ago not to do…And she had paid the price. She felt tears well in her eyes and let them fall down her face, unchecked.

She barely slept a wink that night, not even bothering to get up and shut off the light or crawl beneath the covers. It wasn't lost on her that Steve and she had spent the last week wrapped in each others' arms every night. He would go to Russo's and keep her company while she worked and once the bar closed they would go back to her place. Then they would fool around and stay up late talking, eventually falling asleep sometime before dawn.

Stella knew things had escalated quickly between them, but it had felt so right with Steve. She hadn't needed to pretend to be someone she wasn't with him and Steve wasn't like guys her age. He was kind and sweet and she adored listening to his stories from the war and his early days as an Avenger. She had thought him honest too…Before she knew he was spying on her, that is.

When the first rays of morning sun crept through the expanse of windows in her room, Stella rose and headed into the adjacent bathroom. Stripping off the clothes Natasha had loaned her last night, she stepped into the hot stream of water gushing from the shower head. The warm water soothed her sore muscles, but stung the wound on her arm.

It was red and tingling this morning, not a pleasant sensation. She hoped it wasn't infected. After she showered Stella wrapped a towel around herself and returned to the bedroom. It was then she realized the only clothes she had were the ones from last night. She had no desire to put them back on, besides the sleeve was stained with her dried blood. She would have to pay Natasha back.

Stella wondered if the woman was awake. She glanced at the alarm clock. It was 6am. Natasha seemed like an early riser and she did say she was right next door... Stella decided she would knock lightly and if the woman was still asleep she would hide out in her room until breakfast.

Still dripping wet and clad only in her towel, Stella crept out of her room and towards the door next to her own. She pressed her ear to the door and was surprised to hear the sound of music playing softly from inside. It was a good sign. She knocked.

The door opened a minute later, revealing a bare chested man whose face she knew too well. And incidentally was the last person she wanted to see.

"Oh." Her heart dropped.

"Stella?" Steve questioned, taking in her appearance. His brows furrowed. "Are you okay?"

"I was looking for Natasha…She said she was right next door to me."

"She's on the other side, around the corner," Steve clarified, his eyes softening. Stella looked down the dark hall, now noticing in the morning light that it did in fact not end but continue around the corner.

"Sorry to disturb you. I'll just go find her." She turned.

"Stella. Wait, please." She halted, her back turned to the man. "Can we please talk?"

"About what Steve?" Her voice was weak, her head bowed. She supposed she was too tired to argue after last night.

"About everything. I know I owe you a huge apology." She shook her head, the wet strands of her hair falling in her face.

"I can't even look at you right now."

"Stella, please believe me when I say that everything that happened between us in the past few days was real. My feelings for you are real." His voice was soft and earnest, but she could sense his nervousness. He was afraid of her reaction.

"I don't know how you can expect me to believe you after you lied to me day after day."

"I didn't want to hurt you or lie to you. Tony wanted to be sure you were actually his daughter." She laughed but there was no humor behind it.

"Why would he even care? He has everything and I'm sure the bastard child of a one night stand isn't the one thing he's missing."

"He wanted to get to know you, Stella." She could feel Steve standing behind her now though he didn't touch her. Stella pinched the area between her brows.

"No he didn't. He wanted to make sure I wasn't a risk to his lifestyle. I can't imagine a secret child from the glory days is good for headlines."

"Stella…" She shot a look at him over her bare shoulder.

"Why are you defending him? Why did he even send you in the first place?"

"I told you why."

"I mean why you of all people." Steve hesitated.

"I owed him a favor." Stella shook her head.

"A favor. So that's what I was?"

"Stella-"

"Just don't Steve." She took off down the hall, not giving the man a chance to respond. She rounded the corner at the end of the hall and headed to the first door before knocking a bit more aggressively than she meant to. The door opened a moment later revealing Natasha already clad in an all black workout outfit.

"I was just going to stop by to see if you were awake. Come in." Stella followed her inside. Natasha had laid out at least 20 different outfits on the bed.

"You can have these." Stella couldn't help but admire the clothes. They were all gorgeous, definitely better quality than anything she owned.

"Thank you. I promise to return them once I get some of my own."

"Consider them a gift."

"Natasha…"

"I mean it." The woman smiled at her. "My closet needed a good purging anyway."

"Thank you," Stella said. She managed a half smile. "That's so generous of you."

"How's the arm?" Natasha questioned. Stella held it out so Natasha could see.

"Painful but still hanging on."

"I'll get Bruce to prescribe you some pain meds."

"Does this place have a pharmacy too?" Stella questioned, but her words were devoid of her normal humor. Lack of sleep did that to a person.

"We keep a supply around in case someone takes a spill during training."

"Or during battle?" Stella finally managed a full smile. Natasha returned it.

"Right. You're coming to breakfast right?"

"Sure." Stella didn't really have a choice now that the redhead knew she was awake.

"Great, I can't wait for you to meet the team. We have training after but it should be over by 11. If you'd like I can give you the tour." Stella's smile widened. She could tell Natasha was trying to make sure she felt comfortable and she appreciated it.

"Thank you Natasha." Stella took the clothes back to her room and changed into a pair of boyfriend jeans with a plain sage green mini top. The clothes were a bit snugger on her than she was sure they were on the redhead but she was just grateful they fit.

When 7am rolled around there was a knock on her door. Natasha walked with her to the kitchen which was down two levels. There was already a group of people crowded around the table consisting of a woman, three men and Steve. They looked up when she walked in.

"Team, this is Stella. She's going to be staying here a while," Natasha introduced.

"New recruit?" A man with dark skin and a goatee asked, reclining in his chair as he observed her.

"Tony's daughter actually." The man choked on his toast.

"I didn't know Tony had a daughter," The woman said, her voice heavily accented. She had red hair as well but it was a different shade than Natasha's bright hair. It took a moment for Stella to recognize her as Scarlet Witch.

"It's kind of a long story," Natasha explained gently.

"He didn't know I existed until a few weeks ago," Stella added frankly. This was met with a few raised brows around the table. She supposed she could have broken the news more easily, but it wasn't her style. Besides, it was the truth.

"Sounds like an interesting story," Another man replied, this one shorter with a stocky build. He pulled out a seat next to him. Stella smiled and took it.

"Clint," He said, holding out his hand for her to shake. "That's Sam," He nodded to the man with the goatee who she had spoken with. "And Wanda." He nodded to Scarlet Witch who smiled and waved back. "This is Steve-"

"I know Steve," She said curtly without looking at the man. She had been avoiding his gaze since she had entered the kitchen. Clint recovered and then continued, "And this is Vision"

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Ms. Stark."

"Please call me Stella." Anything except Ms. Stark, she thought to herself as she poured herself a cup of coffee from a carafe on the table. The table was covered with different dishes including pastries, pancakes, sausage, fresh fruit…anything your heart desired, or they could have eaten for that matter.

"Certainly." The man smiled. Stella helped herself to some eggs and bacon.

"Where's Bruce?" Clint asked Natasha.

"Still holed up in the lab. Speaking of, these are for you." She placed a bottle of pills next to Stella on the table. "Two with meals."

"Thanks." If anyone on the team noticed the stitched up wound on her arm, no one commented on it.

"And Tony?"

"No idea."

"Mr. Stark actually left this morning. Said he had a meeting on the West Coast." Stella felt of mixture of surprise, relief and something like disappointment. She shook off the feeling quickly.

"After his daughter just arrived?" Clint questioned skeptically. Vision shrugged.

"It's fine," Stella said quickly.

"We need to have a team meeting tonight," Steve said to the table suddenly. Stella was grateful for the interruption.

"Oh?" He nodded.

"It's about Loki." The table fell silent of clinking glasses and silverware on plates.

"Why not tell us now?" Sam asked.

"The whole team needs to be there for it. Thor should arrive by nightfall. We'll convene when he gets here." The group nodded. The meal passed quickly. Stella vaguely remembered the faces of the people around the table from tv, but she had never been obsessed with them like some. Still, it was strange seeing them eating and horsing around like normal people.

"You going to join us in training?" Clint asked. Stella shook her head.

"No, I was thinking about exploring actually."

"I could show you around," Steve volunteered.

"Nat already offered," Stella said stiffly. She didn't miss the look of dejection that passed across Steve's face. A shot of satisfaction stole through her.

"Meet you here at noon?" Natasha questioned. Stella nodded. The team got up and dispersed. As Vision stood, he transformed. The blonde, pale man faded, his skin turning red, his hair shrinking back into his skull. Stella choked on her orange juice.

"Vision," Steve chastised. Sam cracked up at Stella's reaction.

"Err, sorry Captain. I thought you said only to stay in my human form for breakfast." Steve shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Nevermind." Vision turned to Stella.

"Sorry if I scared you, Stella. My true form can be quite…jarring."

"You didn't," She said, recovering. "It was just a shock. I'm sorry." Clearly Steve had asked the man…(Was he even a man?) to pretend to be human for her sake. Must've thought I've been through enough shock…She thought to herself dryly.

The team left the room as one, presumably to head to training. Stella stared at the table which was still covered in dirty dishes and untouched food. Were they just going to leave all the food and plates here?

In answer to her question, two women dressed in maintenance uniforms manifested from a door nearby and began clearing the table. Stella finished her meal before following them into the kitchen, picking up a few stray dirty dishes as she did.

"We can handle this Miss," One of the women said to her, taking the plates from her arms.

"I'm happy to help."

"We'll be fine. Thank you."

"Okay." Stella couldn't remember the last time someone had cleaned up after her. She poured herself another cup of coffee and took it with her as she left the kitchen.

She ended up heading off in the opposite direction of the team, deciding to do a little bit of exploring on her own before Nat showed her around.

She stared out the floor to ceiling windows at the expansive grounds as she passed them. The grass went on for acres, ending eventually at a forest and beside that, a lake. It was a beautiful fall day. The leaves covered the grass in a bright collage and she knew the first frost was scheduled for that night.

Tony had mentioned a force field. Did that mean she was allowed to go outside?

As if in response to her question the glass windows in front of her slid open. Stella stepped through the doors, inhaling deeply. The air was so much clearer here than the city. She walked down the steps to the grass. The grass was still wet with morning dew and she was barefoot, but she didn't mind. It was a welcome change from the city.

She continued walking around the exterior of the compound until she reached the other side. To her surprise, she noticed a man standing on the lawn throwing knives at a tree.

Is he one of the Avengers? He must be if he's on the grounds right? Stella watched as the knives embedded themselves deeply in the tree from his distance of at least fifty feet.

Definitely an Avenger, she thought to herself. As if the man heard her thoughts, he paused and looked towards her. She froze. Well, she had been caught staring. No point hiding now. She lifted her arm in a wave. The man watched her for a moment, before giving her a small wave himself. His arm glinted in the sun. Was that…a metal arm?

She found herself walking towards the man, unable to control her feet. He continued throwing his knives. Stella watched, amazed at his strength and precision.

"How'd you learn to do that?" She questioned, coming up to stand beside him. He looked down at her. His brown wavy hair brushed his shoulders, his eyes a bright blue. He observed her for a moment, before continuing.

"Someone taught me a long time ago." He threw another, and it lodged directly above his last.

"You must be one of the Avengers." He looked at her again, his eyebrows raising.

"Not quite." He replied, his mouth turning down in a frown. Stella was caught by his gaze. He was undeniably handsome.

"Sorry I shouldn't have assumed." If he wasn't an Avenger, what was he doing here?

"And you are?" He questioned, still not letting on about his identity.

"Stella." He waited further for an explanation.

"Friend of Natasha's?" He asked after a moment.

"Ah, no actually." He stared at her, waiting for her to continue. Stella sighed.

"I'm related to Tony…Stark," She clarified after a moment. She could have kicked herself. Obviously, he knew who Tony was.

"Related how." The man said flatly.

"He's my father," She managed eventually. It was still difficult to say, even to admit to herself. The man's expression changed.

"I see." He abruptly turned and began throwing the knives again, this time quicker and with more aggression.

"Do you mind if I watch?" Stella asked. The man paused and then turned back to her, his gaze resigned.

"It's probably not a good idea, Princess."

Princess?

"Excuse me?" Stella managed, jilted from the man's abrupt mood change. He had been acting perfectly civil to her before this.

"Listen, I'm not exactly your old man's favorite person so maybe we should just keep our distance." He turned and began gathering his remaining knives from the ground. Stella felt anger beginning to swell within her.

"Listen, I don't know what you think you know about me, but I guarantee your assumptions are wrong."

"Oh? So you're telling me you weren't given everything you ever wanted in life thanks to daddy? That you didn't grow up in mansions and on yachts? That you weren't handed everything in life on a silver platter?" Stella felt her anger spike.

"Tell me something. Did you ever hear about me before today?" The man paused before looking back at her. Stella crossed her arms. "Well?"

"No."

"That's because Stark didn't know I existed until a few weeks ago. My mom never told him I was born. Hell, I didn't even know he was my dad." Stella knew she was over sharing but she had been holding this in since yesterday and it seemed she had reached her boiling point. "I grew up dirt poor and in the dark about his existence until yesterday. I don't even know how Stark found out about me. All I know is that my life has been hell ever since and now I can't even go home because of some asshole with an agenda who wants to destroy the Avengers. Now, I'm stuck here with a bunch of people I don't know and my life is over. That's how charmed my life has been."

The man was clearly surprised at her outburst. He was frozen where he had bent to pick up his knives, his eyebrows raised and struck dumb. Stella turned on her heel suddenly before the tears she felt brimming could fall. She stalked to the nearest doors which slid open and headed back the way she came, determined never to speak to the man again.

A/N: Bucky finally makes his appearance! I know all you Bucky stans have been waiting patiently for this moment so thanks for sticking with me this long! As always, if you're enjoying the story please leave me a review to inspire me to keep writing!