Hello all! This is my very first fanfic, and I hope you'll enjoy it. I should probably say that I don't own anything other than Emma Stark and the alterations to the original story. I know practically nothing about American school systems, so forgive me for any mistakes on that. Other than that, enjoy the story! ^^
The Daughter of a Genius
First day
If someone asked me right now if I was proud of my father, the answer would be yes. Of course I'm proud of him, he has successfully changed his life for the better, and is now doing something I can actually be proud of him for doing: providing clean energy, or at least he will be soon.
But the thing is, no one is going to ask me that question. Because no one knows I even exist. Only my father, the ones he holds dearest and the ones I myself hold dearest. But that's okay, 'cause I know he's only keeping me a secret to keep me safe, and to prevent me from being a public person. And I'm thankful for that, I really am. Because, honestly, I would hate not being able to live a normal life; to not be able to do normal stuff without having cameras in my face. I just want to live my life as a normal teenager.
I'm heading home now, just imagine what that would be like if I was as famous as my father. And as I'm walking, I generally like walking better than driving, I see my father's newly-built tower light up in the sky. I smile, when I see the writing on the top; Stark. Of course my father would do something like that. Not that I'm complaining of course, after all, it's my name up there, too.
We haven't lived here in New York a very long time; we used to live in Malibu. But my father wanted to move here to build the tower, and more importantly, to start his business of clean energy. So that's why we're here, to move on from the weapons industry.
Right now we're almost half through April, and I should be finishing high school. But as things are right now, with the move and all, my father and I decided that I should finish high school a bit early and then I'm starting college next term. So after the summer holidays. After all, my father is Tony Stark, it's not like I won't be able to keep up. And I was starting to get bored in some of my classes in high school in Malibu anyway. So it works for me; I like the idea of getting some more free time.
I haven't gotten any friends here in New York yet, then again I have been living all my life in Malibu. It's a bit hard to get new friends when you don't attend any school or anything else. But it's okay, now I have time to spend with my father, and I haven't had a lot of that lately, because of the tower, so it's good. Anyways, something will surely happen, something exciting! That's how it always is with my father. So I'm just going to wait and see. Something'll happen for sure!
After walking for about twenty minutes, I'm finally in the elevator of Stark Tower. My father and Pepper is probably celebrating, but I don't think they're going absolutely crazy yet, so I'm just going to pop in to say hi and congratulations, before I go down to my own room. I'll just make it quick. They deserve to have the night for themselves. I know that my father have saved a special champagne for tonight, just for the two of them. Not that he has actually told me that; he hasn't. He has managed to convince himself that I don't know about his relationship with Pepper, which I do, of course. He's not that sneaky, and the name isn't the only thing I've inherited from him.
As I walk to the living room, I quickly glance in, just to make sure they aren't doing anything I don't want to see. But what I do see aren't my father and Pepper drinking champagne or laughing. Instead I see my father alone, with what looks like a new project. I sigh, which would otherwise have made him look up, but he doesn't. He has probably said something to Pepper that he doesn't really mean, or that he didn't think about. So instead of continuing on to my room, I pause and step inside the living room.
"Hey, dad!" I say, because he hasn't once acknowledged my presence. He doesn't even look up from the files that are flowing in front of him. I can't really figure out what they're about, but I guess he can tell me. I smile carefully; maybe he will let me help him with whatever this is.
When he doesn't answer, I walk over to the couch where he's sitting. "Dad?"
"Hi, kiddo!" He looks up at me and smiles. I sigh relieved, so it's nothing bad. But still, it seems like something's wrong, so I do what I always do, when I'm nervous or worried; I talk.
"So I saw the lights from the tower on my way over. It looks amazing! Has Pepper left already? What did you do now? What's all these files about? Is it something I can help you with?" He stops me right there, and looks at me again. This time he doesn't smile. But then he smirks.
"So you liked the lights, huh? I knew you would! And why do you think I did something? She could have just left, you know." Typical him to ignore all of the questions. Well, I suppose it's alright, I did get kind of carried away.
I just look at him after his last statement. "Maybe it's because you always end up doing something, dad. Sometimes there's no filter between your brain and your mouth."
He smirks, "Oh, I do, do I? This time I didn't do anything. I just had to work," he said while kind of looking away, which makes me think that he wasn't telling me the whole truth. But okay, I'm not chasing the matter.
Then he looks up at me again, and… sighs? "Sit down, Emma, I need to tell you something, and you're not going to like it."
I frown, but do as he says. And then I just sit there, looking expectantly at him until he begins to talk.
"The thing is, I have to leave for a while. And I don't know when exactly I'll be coming home. I… "
I interrupt him midsentence, because he has to be kidding me! He can't leave me now! And besides, he sounds nervous, so he's probably going to forget half the story at this rate. "Dad, slow down! Why are you leaving? I thought we were going to hang out, have fun, until I start attending college. So if you're leaving me now, I need the whole story!"
He sighs. "Sorry, kid. But you have to promise me you won't interrupt," he says, running a hand through his hair. I nod, before he continues, "You know Pepper and I finished the lights in the tower this evening?" I just look at him, so he continues. "Okay, yeah you probably did, since you commented on it when you walked in… Well, we were having a good time drinking champagne, when Agent Coulson came."
"Phil was here? Why didn't you say that? How was he?" I interrupt him, before realizing my mistake. "Oops. Sorry, dad, just continue."
He smiles at me, and then wonders, "Seriously, why is everyone calling him Phil, his name is clearly Agent." I grin at him, and mentally roll my eyes. Of course he would try to make this conversation lighter.
"Anyway, he said that they have a situation, and they need my help. Apparently, they are continuing the Avengers Initiative." He smirks, "And this time, it's not only as a counselor!"
I can't help but smirk too, his enthusiasm always affects me. "So…"
"Okay okay, I'm continuing, jeez. I'm leaving tomorrow, I don't know when I'll be back and I, basically, have to read all of this by tomorrow. You don't think you could help me with that, could you?" He knows I can't resist his puppy eyes.
"Fiiine, I'll help you." I smile, and wait for him to smile back, before I say, "But I'm coming with you. I don't want to be left alone here."
He looks like he's about to interrupt, so I hold my hand up. "Just hear me out, please." He nods, so I continue. "I can help you. With this and everything else. And I won't get in your way, I promise!"
My father just sighs. "Emma, it's going to be dangerous. I know you're big enough to take care of yourself, but you have never tried anything like this before. I don't want you to get hurt. You're my baby darling, do you understand that? I can't let you get hurt." He sighs again, and looks sad. "I know you want to come, but you can't! And that's final." He tries to look stern, but I know that secretly he wants me to come with him. He's going to miss me, just as much as I will him.
The thing is, I can't lose him. He says it's going to be dangerous, how can I let him do it alone then? "Dad, that's my point!" When he looks confused, I start over. "You could get hurt, and then I would be all alone. I can't let that happen! Please! I swear I won't bother you, and you know I can take care of myself. Last time, I was so scared! You were gone, and everyone said you'd died, and I was alone!" I give him a small smile, while a single tear begins trailing down my cheek. "I won't get in your way; I just don't want to lose you again."
He looks at me sadly, and decides something. It's impossible to see what his decision is. When he wants to, he can really be a closed book. And then he reaches over to pull me into a hug.
"My sweet child, nothing's going to happen to me. I promise! I'll come back." He sighs. "You can come with me, but only if you promise to do what I say and get out of the way if something happens," he whispers into my hair, before he kisses me on my forehead and looks me in the eyes. "Do you promise me that, Emma?" he asks seriously.
"Of course, you just have to promise me the same," I smile at him and hug him again. It's good to be home with him, and now I don't have to lose him. "So… You want my help with all of this?"
And then he gives me the most relieved smile I have ever seen. "Yes, please!" I laugh.
"Then let's get started!"
"Are you seeing this, dad?!" I exclaim excited.
He looks at me confused. "Seeing what, Em'? All these files that we have to have read by tomorrow? Yes, those I see perfectly clear." The last sentence ended up sounding rather sarcastic, so I look reproachfully at him.
"No, of course not. I'm talking about this guy, the one in the green and gold."
"Oh him. That's the guy we're going to stop, umm L-something. I don't remember." Typical my father not to remember his name, but that's not what I meant. I know who he is, I've read all about him. And I'm not talking about these files, because I'm not even half done with those, I'm talking about the myths that I've been reading since I was eight, or at least around eight.
"Dad!" That made him look at me. "That's Loki! The god, Loki. The god of lies and mischief, you know, from Norse Mythology?" I almost squeal the last sentence; to be honest he has always been the most fascinating god from the myths to me. The guy who almost always does something wrong, not always on purpose, and then always manages to fix it in the end.
My dad laughs. "So do you wanna read his file and then just give me a summary? You know, he has a brother, too? Thor, his file is there." He points at another file, and my smile grows even more. "We can make a deal; you read those files and I read these ones." He chuckles even more at seeing my eager face. "So, should I just take that as a yes?"
I stick my tongue out at him. "Yes, please." He just smiles brighter at me for that. It may seem weird that I'm so interested in reading this, but I've always found this sort of thing kind of exciting. Besides, finding out gods, who you have always just thought of as stories, are alive, is really amazing!
And just like that, I start reading again, next to my father. This is what I was looking forward to, doing something with my father. Tomorrow we'll be leaving for the place, which I still don't know where is, and then the "adventure" can really begin. To be honest, I don't really care what will happen, for now I'm just content being with my father.
Second day
Getting woken up by my father is definitely not good. Firstly, I always wake up before him 'cause he likes to sleep in late, so him waking me up means that I've probably wasted a whole lot of the day. And secondly, it means that instead of gently waking up like I normally wake up, I'm rather forcefully forced away from sleep, not getting a chance to wake up properly. So when I find myself being shaken from my dreams, my first thought isn't "How kind of him to wake me up" or "Today's the day where we leave!". Instead it's something along the lines of "Shit! What time is it?!" and "I want to continue sleeping".
It's first after taking a shower to properly wake up, that I remember that we're supposed to leave for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters today. And that's exciting! So I forget about him not letting me wake up gently, and about the time. Anyway, it's not that late; since we're supposed to leave, my father decided to wake up early.
We finished late last night, since there were a lot to read. So that's why I didn't wake up on my own today; I was simply too tired. But it doesn't matter, excitement's a pretty good wake-up cure. Even though we probably won't be doing anything really exciting today; we're probably just going to finish reading the last of the files, but that doesn't calm me down.
When I finally emerge from my room and step into the living room, my father greets me with a big grin, "Good morning, sweetie. Excited for the adventure?"
Like he needed to ask. "You've got no idea," I say, even though I know he probably has a pretty good idea of what I'm feeling. I walk over to the kitchen and start making some toast for myself.
Finally noticing my father's puppy eyes, I ask, "What?"
He eyes the food I'm making and says, "You're not going to make me breakfast?"
I roll my eyes. "You know I'm not your waiter, right?"
He nods. "It's just that I can't cook, and you make wonderful food." Okay, now he's just trying to flatter me.
"Fine! What do you want?" I immediately regret asking, knowing that he'll probably want something taking much longer time than the toast I'm currently making. There was a reason why I chose toast. "When are we supposed to be there anyway?" I ask, hoping that he might forget about my first question.
"Coulson said Midday, so I'm thinking 1PM. And that means leaving at 12.30. Sounds good?" I roll my eyes, but end up nodding anyway. I'm not going to say no to an extra hour. "And to answer your first question," I groan, while he smirks, "I was thinking we might eat a big breakfast together today. You know, with eggs, bacon and toast."
I ponder the unspoken question in my mind. It's 9AM now, so that gives me about two hours to pack and get properly dressed, after breakfast. Yeah, I guess I can do that. I nod, and he grants me the biggest smile in return. And of course I smile back, how could I not? So abandoning my toast, I turn to the fridge and take out bacon and eggs. "If I'm going to make this, can you at least set the table or something?" I say, without turning away from the stove. But I hear him getting up and getting the plates and all. "Thanks, dad."
"You're welcome, darling," he says, giving me a kiss on my cheek as he walks by me on his way to the table again.
It's now 1.10PM, and we're about five minutes from the headquarters. At least that's what the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, who is flying the plane, says. That also means that I can see the place now. And… it's certainly not what I expected. Probably because I didn't expect an almost island-like place in the middle of the ocean. I was thinking more like an actual building. But I guess S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't do normal.
Landing the plane is apparently easy, 'cause he does it much quicker than he told us; he had told us that it would take about ten minutes just to land.
The welcome committee isn't people I thought I'd see again. But nonetheless people I liked the last time I saw them. Phil Coulson and Natasha Romanoff.
When I step off the plane behind my dad, their faces don't exactly show happiness at seeing me there though. Surprise, yes, which turns into silent acceptance. Phil looks annoyed, not at me, but at my father, understandable enough. While Natasha looks almost amused, as much as she can be anyway.
Phil just sighs, "Stark, Director Fury wishes to speak with you." And then he turns around. But not before actually acknowledging my presence with a nod, "And hello to you, Miss Stark."
"Hi Phil, hi Natasha," I smile widely. "Good to see you both again."
"Are you going to show me the way to Fury, or am I going to find him myself?" my father asks sarcastically. I look reproachfully at him.
"If you just follow, Stark, then that would be great," he answers before walking away.
"Come on, Emma. Ready to get yelled at by Fury?" he says with a smirk.
"Always." I grin at him.
Director Fury's office in the Helicarrier, as they call it, isn't anything special. It's not particularly big, nor is it personal or comfortable, but I guess he doesn't spend a lot of time in there. From the times I have met him, he doesn't seem like he's the type of person that spends his time in an office. And personal or comfortable aren't really words that I associate with him either.
His expression when he sees me walking through the door opening behind my father is hilarious. I almost laugh out loud, but luckily manage to control myself in the last second. I don't think he would find it all that hilarious.
He stands up from the chair he was occupying. "This was not the deal, Stark!" His voice is raised. Of course he's yelling the minute we step in. It's not like we're standing less than two meters from him. I mentally roll my eyes.
My father's already defending himself and me. "This was not the deal you wanted to make, no. But this is nonetheless the deal I'm making with you, Director." The last word comes out a bit sarcastic. "If you want me to help you, you're gonna have to deal with this," he says crossing his arms.
I can't help but feel slightly offended at being called "this", like I'm a thing or something. But of course I know my father didn't mean it like that, and he definitely doesn't think that way about me, so my offense quickly fades.
Fury is angrily staring at my father, contemplating what to answer, I think. But he ends up saying nothing, and my father takes this as a sign that he got it his way. But before my father can say anything, Fury says, "Your daughter better behave, Stark! Or she's getting the fuck out of here!"
Okay, I didn't expect that. "I'm not a baby, Director! Of course I'll behave. Besides I doubt you could throw me out if you wanted to; my father is pretty protective of me." My voice is adopting the same sarcasm as my father's as I speak angrily at the Director.
"Fine, both of you! Agent Coulson will be showing you where to stay." That's clearly a dismissal, so we both walk out of the office where Phil is waiting for us.
"That didn't go as bad as I expected," he says. And my father starts laughing.
"Nope, it sure didn't," he laughs, and I'm surprised he can even speak, he's laughing so hard.
I'm even more surprised when Phil smiles, not a big smile but a smile nonetheless. "Okay, we're going to put you in the same room. There aren't that many rooms on this thing, so you're going to have to share, I'm afraid."
"Oh that's fine. It's not like we haven't shared a room before," my father answers after he's done laughing. I smile, too. I don't really mind, as he said: it's not like we haven't shared before.
We end up spending the rest of the day in the room we got. It's quite big with two beds, obviously, and a table in the middle of the room. We spend the time talking, laughing and probably most importantly, reading the rest of the files from yesterday. We don't go outside of the room, and no one disturbs us, so it's just me and my dad. And that's great.
I hope you enjoyed the story, feel free to follow and review the story ^^ That would make me a very happy author!
