{Chapter 1}
Emma tore her gaze from the shadowed New York skyline when the kettle started to whistle. Unable to contain her sigh, she switched off the gas burner and quickly poured two mugs of thick, bitter coffee (using the fresh grounds, of course). Two sugars and a dollop of cream in one, a thin trickle of milk in the other.
The apartment was made of wood, brick, and dust. It was old and warm, and sat cosily in SoHo. Her mother had been living there for just over four years, but it still didn't feel like home to Emma.
Turning her back on the kitchen, she walked down the hallway to her mother's room and knocked gently on the old, wooden door.
"Morning, Mom. Made you a coffee."
Robin Brooks blinked sleepily and smiled. "Hi, sweetie. Oh, God." She pulled herself up into a sitting position with a slight groan, glancing at the clock. "You're up early."
Emma shrugged, handing her mother the coffee with cream and sugar. "You have an appointment this morning and I want to make sure you get to it on time. I know what you're like before eight a.m."
"Oh?" her mother quirked a little smile and took a sip of her coffee. "And your conclusion is?"
Emma kept a straight face and shook her head teasingly. "Subject A proves to be highly Insufferable and Impossible before the hour of eight a.m. Test Moderator would even go so far as to say that the subject proves to be troll-like, but in the most attractive way possible."
Robin chuckled and shook her head. "My daughter, the biochemist with a biting tongue."
Emma blushed and quickly changed the subject. "Can you be ready to go in twenty minutes?"
"Of course, of course." Her mother took a deep gulp of coffee and smiled. "You always did make it perfectly."
"Thanks. Twenty minutes, Mom, okay?" Emma turned to go back down the hallway, raising her own coffee to her lips. It was all bitterness and unrelenting heat, just the way she liked it.
"Okay, Ems." Robin's reply was lost in Emma's creaking treads.
Emma stepped into her room with a brief sigh, closing the door behind her. Although she loved her mother dearly, she wasn't sure if she was ready for a life back in New York City. The Big Apple had taken a big bite out of her ego, not to mention her career and studies. She had spent the last year and a half in Los Angeles, working for a small, independent scientific journal. The sun had kissed her olive skin and soft brown hair, but New York was sure to turn her paler than a sheet.
God, she thought. Malcolm is waking up somewhere in this city next to a busty, breezy brunette with a tiny waist and huge feet from all the yoga she does. No, stop. You can't think about him, not now. You'll be twenty-eight in less than a month, for crying out loud. You're an adult, Emma Brooks, so you'd better start behaving like one, or this city will eat you alive.
She hugged the mug close to her chest, relishing the warmth. October in New York was famous for bitter winds and piercingly cold nights, and after the warmth of Los Angeles, it was a bit of an adjustment for her to make.
Her room was a small maze of boxes and a few miscellaneous items of furniture, most of it wrapped in packing materials. Emma had been in the city for almost a week, but she hadn't the heart to begin unpacking all of her possessions.
With a small sigh, she shuffled towards her window and took one last look at the peaceful skyline, wishing that she was back on Venice Beach instead of this heavy, dusty city.
"So, Ems, have you given any thought as to what you'd like to do, like a job? Maybe an internship at the local research lab-"
Emma suppressed a frustrated huff and tried to focus on the traffic. "I don't know yet, Mom. I might go back to school and get my doctorate. That's the only way I can see myself getting a real job."
Robin considered, glancing at her daughter. "Are you sure? That's an awful lot of work, and it takes several years to complete-"
"Look, can we please not talk about this right now? I'm really tired and I haven't had enough time to think clearly about it."
"Of course. No worries, sweetie. I'm just planning ahead, because, well..." she paused and cleared her throat. "Well, you know."
Emma nodded. Her mother's illness was a shadowed topic lurking in the crevices of conversation, and they tried their best not to bring it up. The breast cancer was only at stage two, but these things spread quickly...
"Turn left here, Ems."
Caught unawares, Emma made a sharp, sudden turn. A few cars honked at her, and she swore under her breath before righting the car and continuing down the road. Emma didn't need to meet her mother's concerned gaze to know that she really wasn't okay, that the morning's meeting had made her stomach boil and her head pound, while her mother just sat there and nodded, taking it all in like water. It was all too much, too much for her to deal with all at once.
They opened the apartment door to a ringing phone. Emma frowned at the blasted thing before unbuttoning her coat and heading off to her room.
Her mother glanced at the caller ID: COULSON, PHIL.
"Oh!" Robin smiled before reaching forward and picking up the phone. "Hello? Hi, Phil! I'm not so bad, and yourself?... Good, good! The appointment? Oh, the usual." She glanced at her daughter's retreating frame before adding, "Ems didn't take it too well, though, poor thing. She's had a real tough time moving back here and all. Hmm? Oh, no, she hasn't got a job yet. Well, she's considering her options and all that. Hmm? I'm not feeling worse than usual, but I have an appointment with my consultant in two days to talk about treatment options. But enough about me, what about you? I hear you're in government work now. How's that going? Good? Oh, wonderful! I'm so happy for you!... Sorry, what? Say again?" Robin paused, and her forehead knit in confusion. "Emma's degrees? She's got her masters in biomedical and chemical engineering from NYU, and a minor in journalism. Why?" Robin paused again, her eyes slowly widening. "R-really? Are you sure? Is he sure? Oh! Okay! Well, um, she can come by tomorrow at ten, if that's okay with Mr. Stark. Sure! Thanks! I'll see you soon, Phil. Bye."
Robin grinned before putting the phone back on its hook and shouting down the hallway: "EMMA! YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!" She ran to her daughter's room and threw open the door. Emma was sitting in the middle of her bed, laptop open to a page about Graduate Study at Columbia and her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. There was an open package of regular Toblerone next to her knee.
Emma glanced at her mother and raised an eyebrow. "Hippos took over the White House? You bought me a pet dolphin? Chocolate was discovered to not cause weight gain and actually have regenerative properties?" As she spoke, she broke a piece of Toblerone off its respective chain and popped it into her mouth.
"Hah. No. But... I just got you a job interview!"
Emma choked slightly and coughed a couple of times before regaining her ability to safely inhale. "You're kidding me! Mom, that's great! Where? What? Who?!"
Grinning broadly, Robin announced the news: "Country: the United States of America. State: New York. City: New York City. Borough: Brooklyn. Place: Avengers Tower." At this, Emma's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Robin stifled a chuckle and continued: "Employer: the one, the only... Tony Stark."
Emma stared at her mother. "Wh-... What?! Tony Stark, of all people!"
"I know!" Robin hopped up and down a little in excitement. "How cool is that? You get to work for a billionaire!"
Emma chuckled at her Mom's enthusiasm. "Whoa, Mom. Calm down. I haven't even had the interview yet."
"Who cares? Anyways, your appointment's at ten in the morning. Phil will be expecting you!"
Emma frowned. "Phil? Who's Phil?"
