PANDORA
I hate surprises.
The last time someone surprised me, I ended up punching someone in the face. To be fair, it was a blind date, and he deserved it.
It was safe to say that I wasn't expecting any more surprises for a while. My friends had learned their lesson. But, as I should have known, getting thrown into a new universe tended to throw a wrench in those plans.
When the knock on our apartment door came in the middle of the night, I had groaned and mumbled some curse words. Steve, being the world's largest gentleman, answered it anyway. It wasn't until they asked for me that I rolled out of bed and caught a glimpse of the black hooded figure at the door.
Steve sensed my hesitation and tried his hardest to politely shoo the caller away. However, I had already seen the figure standing at the door. I had to admit, I was intrigued, and if it came to it, at least I knew I had a mean right hook.
Then, she lowered her hood.
My knees threatened to collapse on their own as I took in the face of my best friend whom I was about to lose hope of ever seeing again. Emerald stared back at me, a smile creeping up at the corners of her lips.
"Is it really you?" I questioned, my hands flying to my mouth.
She untucked her long blonde hair from the black hoodie, tilting her head to one side. "It's me," she said with tears in her eyes.
I didn't waste another minute before I yanked Emerald into the largest hug I could muster at two o'clock in the morning. "I thought I would never see you again," I sobbed, squeezing her tightly.
I was afraid that if I let go, I would wake up from this dream and she would fade away again.
"I always had hope."
I could feel the vibrations of Emerald's voice within the hug, and that only made me grip onto her tighter. She gave me a sad smile as she finally wrenched away from our grasp and took my hands in hers.
"Have you heard from Val?" she asked softly.
I shook my head, feeling despair creep into my heart. "I was hoping she was with you," I responded, biting my lip.
In my excitement, I had almost forgotten about our other friend, lost somewhere in this universe. There was no way that two of us ended up here and one of us didn't. I had to believe that.
Emerald saw the look that crossed my face and gave me a sympathetic one in return. Something told me the same thought came over her too.
"She'll find us," she said, squeezing my hands gently. "If we managed to find each other, she will too."
I smiled back at her. Man, I had missed the constant ray of sunshine that Emerald was.
My thoughts stopped completely when I heard a slight cough behind me. I almost jumped in the air, forgetting that we had an audience. Emerald's gaze shifted past mine and landed on the man that I had completely neglected behind me.
"Oh shit, I've been rude," I said, slipping away from Emerald for a moment and throwing my arm around Steve's shoulders. "Em, meet Steve Rogers. Steve, this is Emerald Maitland."
Steve immediately held out a hand towards Emerald, a small smile appearing on his tired face. "You're the best friend, then," he commented.
Emerald accepted his handshake with a slight flush on her cheeks. I gave her a lot of credit for keeping calm when she was face to face with Captain America. For the first time, I wondered what had happened to her while I was sharing meals with a super soldier.
"Guilty," Emerald finally responded, smiling right back at Steve. "And as the best friend," she smirked. "I approve of this." She took a step back and gestured to the two of us.
I frowned, clearly confused for a solid moment, before I nearly jumped away from Steve, removing my arm from his shoulder as quickly as possible.
"What!" I exclaimed.
Steve shook his head, only getting Emerald's insinuations when I did. "No, there's nothing going on-"
"Between us, no," I interjected, trying to compose myself.
From the smirk still plastered on Emerald's face, I was unsuccessful. A skeptical look crossed over her before she sighed, giving up on the argument.
"You two share an apartment," she pointed out.
I could have told her all of the details of our living space, of how Steve and I barely even talked the first month or so we knew each other, of how he was helping me train. But instead, I merely sighed. It was too late for these kinds of explanations.
"It's a long story."
"One we'll all have time for in the morning," pointed out Steve, and I shot him a grateful glance. "I'm afraid we only have two bedrooms, but I can offer you the couch."
I, on the other hand, gave him an incredulous glance. "The couch?" I demanded, raising both of my eyebrows. "I thought you were old-school."
"What?" questioned Steve. He really was clueless when it came to women.
I heard a snort from Emerald, one that I dutifully ignored. Steve continued to give me the same blank stare, and I rolled my eyes, giving up.
"Whatever Em," I said. "You can sleep in my bed."
After all of that, Emerald only shook her head with a tiny smile on her face. "I'm sorry," she commented. "I would have stopped you sooner, but that was just amusing. I have to be getting back to my place. Tony will be out of his mind with worry since he probably figured out I hacked his computer by now."
If I hadn't been standing next to Captain America, I would have thought I heard her incorrectly.
"Tony," I repeated, holding my hands up in the air. "Like Tony Stark." I paused, letting her words sink in further. "Em, don't tell me you're staying in Stark Tower."
"Guilty."
Emerald smirked, lifting her black hood back over her head gently. The sparkle in her eyes was the same, but I could see all of the other changes in her. She had hacked Tony's computer, she had gotten into this apartment building, and I didn't want to know what else she had done.
"Emerald Maitland!" I exclaimed, picturing all of the scenarios in my head.
She covered my mouth in an instant, glancing around to each side. "I don't want to wake up the guards," she shushed. "I have to come back the way I came in."
I paused, letting Steve beat me to the punch, figuratively this time. "How exactly did you come in here?" he wondered aloud, taking the question right out of my brain.
Emerald grinned again. "There are a lot of things that you don't know about me," she said to Steve before turning back to me. "And a lot of new things you still have to learn."
She pulled me back into another hug, one that I returned gratefully. I hadn't realized how much I needed this.
"Tomorrow," she finished, pulling away reluctantly. "Come to Stark Tower around noon."
"You have a lot of explaining to do," I commented, although it felt like my insides were exploding. I was actually going to meet Tony Stark. I was actually going to the real Stark Tower. It hardly seemed real.
Emerald gave me one last grin before she scampered away from the two of us, darting down the hallway with stealth that I had never seen before.
It hit me in that moment as I thought back on everything that had just occurred. I knew what had changed about Emerald. That sparkle in her eye, it wasn't excitement like it usually was. This time, it was thrill.
I was bouncing out of my skin the next morning when Steve and I took the long walk through Times Square. Somehow, my legs knew how to get to Stark Tower subconsciously, and I half-wondered if it was programmed in my blood.
Steve, always the pessimist, wasn't as excited as I was. He kept looking over his shoulder like we were being followed, and while that was always a legitimate concern of mine, I knew it wasn't for the right reason today.
"Are you sure you want me tagging along?" he questioned for what seemed like the millionth time.
I shook my head. "I promise you," I said. "Emerald's my OG best friend, and I want her to love my new best friend as much as I do."
A flush creeped up on Steve's cheeks, but I could tell I didn't help to ease any tension. "I'm happy for you," he insisted. "I just don't understand why-"
I didn't let him finish another argument, just like he learned to stop questioning my modern-day slang. "I barely go anywhere without you anymore," I suggested, shrugging my shoulders softly.
That part was true.
I couldn't think of the last time that I was alone other than running to the grocery store or entertaining Phil when he stopped by. Steve was the only friend I had, prior to last night, and it looked like I was the only one he had. I knew he preferred to be alone, but I liked to think that he enjoyed my company too.
"It's just…" Steve trailed off, a wistful gaze crossing his eyesight. It hadn't shown itself in quite some time, but it still made me wince every time I saw it. I knew the pain he was going through. "The last time I heard the name Stark," he finished.
I wanted to slap myself for being so ignorant. I had been so caught up in being with Emerald again that I forgot about the baggage she brought along with her too.
"Shit, that's right. You and Howard were besties."
I glanced back over at the soldier once more, and a twang filled my heart. I really was ignorant. Here I was, so joyous and gleeful because I was going to see my best friend again. And here Steve was, knowing that he wasn't going to be as fortunate as I.
I was an idiot.
"And now, I'm going to meet his son," he commented, shaking his head in disbelief. He paused, stopping at the edge of the sidewalk. "Is this ever going to get easier?"
"No."
He gave me a surprised glance which only prompted a soft smile from me. "I'm being honest," I explained, knowing that brutal honesty was better than comforting lies. "But you're not going to get rid of me that easily. I'm here for you, Steve."
Silence lapsed over us as we continued to walk until Stark Tower loomed over us. I froze in front of Grand Central, staring at the skyscraper with my jaw dropped. As a self-proclaimed Marvel fanatic, this was one of the greatest moments of my life.
Steve was even left speechless, although I had a sneaky feeling that it was the opposite of what I was feeling. I was almost positive he wanted to tear it down with his bare hands.
"Why did I survive that crash?"
I was so fixated on the structure, however, that I almost missed Steve's last question.
I simply smiled in response. "Because your story's not over yet."
I didn't wait for a reply from my companion before I buzzed the button on the main door, waiting for the invisible security of JARVIS to scan us. I wasn't quite sure how to handle this, mostly because the building was finished but not completely online yet. Nonetheless, I heard a click from under my fingertips as the door unlocked itself.
"42nd floor!" came the electronic voice of Emerald from the intercom.
As we exited the elevator, I was instantly enveloped in a giant hug. I laughed against Emerald's arms and squeezed her back.
"I'm so glad you're here," she said as we pulled apart, grinning widely. "Thank you."
The same emotions passed through her eyes that I had been feeling all morning.
"Why the hell are you thanking me?" I questioned, shaking my head.
That was certainly true. I would have given my two feet to be standing inside Stark Tower, and having my best friend beside me was an added bonus. A really really great added bonus.
I took a minute as she laughed to examine her. She had her long blonde hair cascading down her shoulders like she usually did. Her clothes, however, were the first change I noticed. She had the same style as she usually did, sporting a long sleeve tight-fitting dress, but the price tag had been drastically changed. She was Stark-ified.
"I can't get over that you're actually here," Emerald commented.
She shook her head, biting her lip. I watched her gaze shift past my shoulder towards where Steve was standing by the elevator, looking completely lost per usual. Once again, I felt bad for being rude, but I had a lot of catching up to do.
"And Steve!" she exclaimed, her voice squeaking with surprise.
"Lovely to see you again, Miss Maitland," he responded ever so politely.
I rolled my eyes as he finally made his way over to our side and shook Emerald's hand again.
"Emerald," she corrected with a smile.
She held Steve's gaze for a moment, and I could tell that her mind was going a million miles a minute. There were certainly some things that didn't change with her, and for that, I was grateful.
After the moment passed, she released his grasp and turned back to face me with an unreadable expression. "Dora, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, taking my arm and pulling me off to one side.
I raised my eyebrow as she used my nickname that she knew I hated. I had a quick war flashback to when I heard my name called in the park, and I wondered if that really had been Emerald that day. I didn't have time to ask her now.
"Why the hell did you bring him here?" she demanded, her hands shaking as she whispered her question in my ear.
I frowned, missing something clearly. "Why wouldn't I?" I asked, tilting my head to one side.
"Because Tony and Steve aren't supposed to meet until Germany."
