Rivulets of rain ran down the windows of Margo's car. She watched them in annoyance as a chill ran through the vehicle. The heater did almost nothing and she internally scolded herself for not bringing a jacket. Oh, sweet New York weather.

The cold and rain weren't exactly her favorite, especially after getting her unruly hair done. She ran her fingers through her locks and frowned at the knots that had formed. In a hurry to get to where she was now, she opted for her hands than a brush or comb and she soon regretted it. After pulling out the worse of them, Margo gathered the paper work and personal items which she had settled on to the passenger seat.

Reaching for the umbrella in the back she grunted and shook her head.

Let's get this over with.

The young woman rid herself from the car, hunching over her files and personal belongings as she drew the umbrella low over her head. The meter still had about an hour so she didn't bother in putting any quarters. Suppressing a growl, she jogged to the building just a block away from her parking.

If I could get this job then I wouldn't have to worry about this. The perks of being an employee of Stark Industries: Free and personal parking.

She repeated the last part to herself as a means to up her pessimism but it only did so much.

Margoret "Margo" Roth, a woman of 26 with a PhD. in Electromagnetics specializing in radiation and mechanics and a Masters in Physics for minoring in Thermodynamics, wasn't a genius but she liked to believe that she was pretty smart. Many of this came from her parents though. She received her PhD. at the age of 20 from The University of Queensland after spending her younger years home-schooled in the States.

Pressured didn't sound like a nice thing to say but it fit best with what her parents did to her. She was pressured into being the best. Her father, a German man who commuted to the States but chose to remain after meeting her mother, worked for a secret organization that up to this date, Margo had no clue of. Though his time spent at home were almost little to none, he was a decent man. Her mother, a Hispanic woman who passed away when Margo turned 16, was a Forensic Botanist who specialized in emotional neglect.

She wasn't complaining though. If there was one thing she gained from her experiences growing up it was a will to be strong. Despite her huffing and puffing from a little rain and cold, this was something she kept to herself.

As a child, it was natural for her to cry over a stubbed toe but she learned that there were some things you had to get over. There was no comfort for the tears she shed nor was there anyone to properly console her during the hard times.

She soon learned that one just dealt with problems quietly.

As she bounded into the building, her features grew stoic. Not one person who passed by her would have suspected that her teeth were chattering away from the cold.

Margo looked around the lobby that welcomed her body with a joyous warmth. Spotting the receptionist, she made her way to the woman clad in blue and made herself known.

"Hello."

The receptionist whose tag read "Leslie" looked up with a weak smile.

"Hello, what can I do for you?"

"I have a meeting with Andrew Landis. I'm Margoret Roth."

"One moment, please."

She watched as Leslie called for the man she was to meet then averted her eyes to those around her. People walked to and fro with cases and paper work. Not with haste but with, no doubt, a purpose. Security lined entrances and walls, a few of them chatted away with smirks and chuckles. Despite the cool and bland appearance on the floor, it felt welcoming.

Almost all of the employees were dressed in professional attire. The men in suits and the women in blazers and pencil skirts.

She was definitely not dressed for the part.

"Here you go Ms. Roth."

Margo looked back at the woman who presented her a pass.

"He's on the 8th floor. As soon as you get there, a guard will be waiting for you and he'll take you to Mr. Landis."

"Right." Margo nodded. "Thank you."

Andrew Landis, a worker who was employed by none other than Tony Stark himself. An expert in the field of Physics; he was the man to see.

Andrew and Margo grew to know each other early on in life. He, a friend of her father's, knew Margo since she was but a girl of 10. He watched her grow and praised her for the field she chose to invest her time in. As time passed, he had made a promise to her mother. Andrew swore to give Margo a spot, as soon as she graduated from University, in Stark Industries. Or at least try to.

Everything was business and money to that woman. Margo thought. What it was about her that charmed her father, she had no idea. In the end, when her father was home, scarcely did she ever see them together and there was no ill-talk coming from either of them on their marriage. Now and again when Margo talked to her father he would say how he loved his wife but he never expressed it.

She grew to believe that her parents' marriage was a false oath and that love was but a fib.

Mr. Landis though...

On the day of her graduation, all of those in attendance for her were her father (who left after a few minutes in) and Andrew. Soon after she received her degree, the two of them came to meet under a tree not far from the other graduates. He congradulated her and very bluntly, offered her a chance to get a job within Stark Industries.

She didn't think he was serious about that. Especially since her mother had been dead for some time, but he was. He encouraged her to pursue her career with him and that Tony Stark was actually interested in meeting with her. She thought that hard to believe and only shrugged at the offer.

He pestered her for a bit and left her with a card with his name and number. Never taking into consideration his words, she kept the card tucked away in an old school book beneath her bed.

Margo took some time off. No work nor school and soon she found herself longing to do something. Besides the fact that she was forced into working hard during her years of education, she missed it. She missed the experiments, the theories and the branches of Science. She missed the formulas and the kinematics. Thinking about it made her long for it even more.

Soon after, she called Andrew and they set for a meeting. Tony Stark was said to be there as well and if the big man said yes; the thought made her a bit wild with anticipation.

Accommodating the papers she had in her hands, she dropped one that skidded towards the elevators. Suppressing the urge to sigh, she quickly made her way there and leaned over to pick it up.

"Whoa, I got that."

Already in a crouched position, Margo looked to the man who got down to mimic her stance.

Soft shaggy brown hair peppered with white swooped slightly onto the man's brow as he looked down. Glasses which were perched on his nose slid down a bit as he reached for her paper. He looked up with an almost nervous and shy smile as he extended his arm with her lost work.

Margo slightly quirked her eyebrow up at this man who looked a bit out of place with his business casual attire. But she wasn't one to talk with her plain black long-sleeved shirt and skirt.

His eyes were a dark brown, his skin a tad darker than her own. Though one could see that he was an older man, he had a youth about him.

"Uh. Here. You go." He paused in between his words with a slight nervousness bringing the woman before him out of her thoughts.

"Thank you."

The two stared at each other for a quick moment and straightened up at the same time. In an awkward attempt, they tried to side-step each other to be on their way. Each time though, they stepped in front of the other.

Roth and the man smiled at their situation.

"Thank you." Margo pursed her lips at her words. "Again, I mean."

"You're welcome." The man nodded.

With eyes cast down, the man went around her to the elevator on the opposite side of the one she was to take. If Margo knew any better she would know that that elevator specifically belonged to the man who owned the building. But seeing how easily this man here accessed it with a code he punched into the panel on the wall beside it, she thought him to be a worthy worker in Stark's eyes. Had to be the only reason, right?

She wondered if Andrew used it as well.

Trying not to dwell on the lives of others, Margo pressed the button to her set of elevators and entered as soon as one opened.

This wasn't the time to concern oneself with others. Margo had an important meeting to attend to. One that could land her a job here, she hoped.

Margo fixed her papers appropriately. These papers were some of her best work from Uni and if Stark wanted to see how good she was, she might as well let him have it. Andrew encouraged her to bring all that she could. Especially her essay on fundamental interactions. Now that, Landis believed, would get the billionaire going.

She reached the 8th floor and as the receptionist said, a security guard awaited her. The guard was but a boy. He looked no more than 24 and it surprised her that he worked here. What a stupid thought that was though as Margo recalled why she was here in the first place and her age being not so far from his.

With a quick exchange of 'hellos' the two made their way to Landis' office. She suddenly felt on edge as she neared her father's long time friend's door. Now it didn't seem like such a good idea to be here. But she couldn't back down. No. Not now, not ever.

The security guard knocked on the door and opened it for Margo. Andrew knew she was on her way up and it would be the only reason why the guard was so forward. Otherwise, she doubted that this would be considered acceptable behavior. The guard may or may not hear it in the end.

"Hey, Margo." Andrew greeted with a smile.

"Hello."

"How've you been? Please, take a seat." He motioned to the chairs on the opposite side of his desk.

Margoret took in the sight around her as she sat down. The office was relatively plain save for a few awards and certificates encased in frames. No pictures of family or friends. None of that aligned the walls nor his desk. Come to think of it, Margo never knew if Andrew had a family. She never thought to ask.

"How've you been?" He repeated his question.

"Oh, I've been good. What about you?"

"Great! I've been great. So are you excited for today?"

Margo smiled despite the desire to go to a bathroom and hyperventilate. She never really did good at keeping her cool during interrogations.

Interrogations. She wanted to laugh. It was just a meeting. An interview really. But sometimes these things felt like interrogations.

Though her outward appearance seemed collected, inside she was close to having an anxiety attack. This was the same back when she went for college. At a young age, she came to meet many deans who wanted her to give their schools an even greater name. Some would bribe her and it only made her feel sick.

"You'll be okay."

Roth looked at Andrew with confusion etched onto her features.

"Sorry?"

"You're nervous. I can tell."

"I'm not nervous." Lie.

Andrew chuckled and pointed to his eye. "You have this twitch. Right here. Every time you get nervous, your eye twitches a bit."

"Leave it to you to notice these quirks," she sighed.

"You're going to be fine. I promise."

Feeling relaxed by his presence alone, Margo slouched back into her chair. "Mmhmm."

Andrew looked up from his work and frowned at her. "When have I ever lied to you?"

The woman looked to the ceiling and thought back to all of the things Andrew has ever told her.

"Don't think too hard. You know I never did."

She caught his eyes and smiled.

He never did lie to her. He never did or said anything to hurt her either. Andrew was almost always there and played a better role as a guardian than her own parents.

Looking him over, she took in his appearance. Andrew Landis was a foot taller than her, standing at 6 feet, with brown hair that, suprisingly (note the sarcasm) never grayed. Laugh lines were etched onto his features as well as crows feet that lined his green eyes. He was a happy man. Rarely did she ever see him not smiling. Only once did she see him serious and that was during Margoret's mother's funeral. He didn't seem sad, just serious. But as soon as him and her younger self locked eyes, he smiled like there was nothing wrong.

She nick-named him "Smiley" after that point.

"So Smiley," she smiled at the horrendous name she had given him. He didn't seem all that fond of it either as he suddenly grew stiff. "What am I supposed to be expecting?"

"Well," Andrew started as he scribbled something down. "I'm waiting for the 'okay' to meet with Tony. I was told he's at a meeting right now, though I doubt that."

Margo raised her eyebrow at that.

"Anyway. After that, of course, I'll present you. You answer anything he asks and give him your work. He likes to be quick with these things so this probably won't last for long."

He looked at the woman whose eyes were a bit wide as she took in all that he was saying.

"It doesn't mean he would want to be done with you so quickly, per say. He has pretty good judgment so in the first half of the interview he'll most likely have made up his mind."

"Hn."

A silence fell between the two as she picked at her nails. A nervous habit of hers. Well, besides the twitching of her eye as Andrew had pointed out. Even though that within itself wasn't a habit.

She thought back to all of the hard work she's ever done and finally being able to put it to proper use warmed her heart up a bit. As cheesy as that sounded, it was true. And despite the pressure her parents put upon her, this was something she loved and enjoyed. They didn't make her choose this field. This was all her.

Though she did her best in trying to keep the negative thoughts back, they began to surface and clouded her mind. Margoret worried over the fact that maybe Tony would think himself too good to have her around. He would look down on Andrew and think, Of course he would bring Ms. Roth. He's known her for so long. Andrew, we can't play favorites now.

Oh the horror.

She scratched her eyebrow and laughed mirthlessly on the inside.

Bzz. Bzz.

Andrew and Margo looked to his phone. A soft buzzing sound came from it as a red light blinked in attention. Picking it up, Landis answered it with a smile.

"Yes. He's ready? Wonderful. We'll be there in a moment."

"Now?"

The older man stood and patted his hands over his chest looking for his glasses. He found them in his chest pocket and nodded. "Now."

Now.

The two exited the office and walked down the corridor to the elevators.

"He's 3 floors up," he answered her unspoken question.

Margo didn't answer him as she changed her face into the stoicism she had before.

"Don't be a stick in the mud." Andrew chided. "You'll be fine."

Not taking in his words, the two of them entered the elevator and made their way up. It wasn't that she wanted to ignore him or push away his words of encouragement but this was the best she could do without feeling like she was going to blow up. This was why she wouldn't complain about her parents. Their way in raising her was good for something after all.

They reached the floor and Margo hesitated at first but she soon followed after the Physicist.

"Hey, Happy."

The man named Happy looked up from his position and smiled at Andrew.

"Hey, Andy. Ready to see Mr. Stark?"

"As ever." There was a hint of sarcasm but it was all out of humor.

Fixing his eyes onto Margo, Happy spoke. "This must be Margoret Roth," he said as he stood up, reaching over his desk to shake Margo's hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Margoret shook his hand. "Same."

"I heard a lot about you from Andy. Let's just say that you're quite popular around here." He winked.

A light blush crept over her cheeks as she looked to the father figure at her side.

"Alright. Enough Happy. We're going in."

"Good luck!"

"Thank you," was all Margo said before she entered into Tony Stark's office.

This was going to be the highlight of her day. Whether it be good... or bad, she'll get through. She'll live. Despite the fact that she was going to meet the Iron Man she'll get over the nerves.

Yeah, sure.


AN:I wanted this chapter to be solely based on the OC Margo. To get an idea of who she is and what it is that brings her into meeting Bruce.
If anyone noticed, yes that was Bruce she bumped into earlier but seeing that he's not playing an important role in her life (at the moment) she shrugs the encounter off.

I may or may not make the next chapter about Bruce. You'll have to wait and see! Until then, ciao.