"Papa!" Evelyn ran into the apartment. "Papa, are you here?"

"Kitchen!" called Phil, "What's up, Evey? You're home a bit early."

"Traffic was good," said Evelyn in explanation, "I have amazing news!"

"Okay…?" Phil asked as he turned off the heat on the stove. He was making sloppy joes since a lot of people were going to be over to see Evelyn now that she was back from school for the summer, diploma in hand. It was a fun little graduation party.

"So, you know the paper I've been working on for my final project? The one about using energy on cancer cells to inhibit the cell growth?"

Phil tried to remember. She went on a very long-winded and technically nuanced one-sided conversation on the phone. He only understood about half of it, the rest flew clean over his head. "Sort of."

"Well, on a lark, Professor McKenzie suggested that I submit it to a journal, just to see if I could get it published aaaaaaaaaaaaand" she smiled, "I got an answer back from 'The Journal of Cancer Science and Therapy.' They want me to rework some parts but they think it shows some promise and they are interested in publishing it this summer!"

Phil smiled, "Honey, that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you."

He pulled his daughter into a hug. She smelled softly of strawberries. He always loved a chance to hug his precious girl and keep her close to his heart. He had been looking forward to this day for some time.

"Is Clint in town?" she asked when they broke the hug.

"Yes. He and Natasha will be dropping by to see you."

"Sweet!" she smiled, "Who else is dropping by for the graduation party?"

"Anita wanted to fly out to see your graduation but one of her nieces happens to be graduating from high school up in Seattle tomorrow. I guess they are doing a small family reunion up there. But she is going to Skype us here in a bit."

"Sweet. I can't wait to hear from her."

"Bobbi and Maria are going to drop by in a bit. Nick is going to see if he can make it. Sharon might be coming too. Her aunt is in the hospital again."

Evelyn bit her lip a little bit. Peggy had the typical issues of old age. It only made sense. She was in her eighties now. She worked fairly actively in SHIELD up until very recently and that was astonishing. A broken hip three years ago limited her mobility severely but it did not interfere with her mind or her stubbornness. Sharon did end up arriving for the small party. She reported that her aunt was moving into an assisted living facility, not that she was very happy about it.

"She and mom are moving into adjacent suites," reported Sharon, "And Aunt Peggy was very specific that she didn't want people fussing over her. So she has an emergency call button for when she needs help but otherwise she is pretty much living on her own. There is just a nurse and some other staff on call to make sure nothing else happens."

"Director Carter was always very hands-on and liked to do things herself," said Nick, taking another helping of sloppy joes and fries off the tray, "I can't say I am really surprised that bleeds over to her personal life."

"It scares the hell out of me," admitted Sharon, "I am scared to death that she's going to break her hip again and I'm-"

"You're taking every precaution," interjected Bobbi as she picked at a spinach salad. She was on one of her vegetarian kicks. "That's the best you can do to keep everyone as happy as possible."

"I know," sighed Sharon, "I know."

The mood shifted when Nick spoke, "So, tell me a little bit about the cactus baby getting published and becoming a real scientist?"

Evelyn produced a stack of papers, about twenty seven pages in all, including appendices, diagrams, and other miscellany. Clint blinked at it a few times before taking a long drink of Pepsi.

"The result of pulsating energy on melanoma for purposes of cancer therapy," read Phil aloud, "By Evelyn J. Carlton and Penelope C. Lewis. Honey, this is fantastic!"

"So, explain this to me," said Nick as he began reading it line by line.

"Well, uh, it's the same basic principle as my powers. You can use energy to promote cell growth or you can use it to inhibit cell growth. It's just a matter of the proportions and where you target it. So this is about using that to treat skin cancers. If all goes well and I can get some funding, I'd like to see if this can be expanded to other kinds of cancers."

"I'm surprised they let you work on it in the mutant lab," noted Phil.

"Well, because some mutations cause photosensitivity. Martin, for example, is sensitive to light and more likely to be susceptible to skin cancers. Because of that, I was able to slip this one in. The targeting mechanism I propose in this can also be used for a variety of surgeries. Anything that requires a steady hand or the ability to target one location in particular. If I can get a mockup of this and get the programming just right, it could be something with a lot of applications."

"But you need funding?" inquired Nick, a twinkle in his eye.

"We all need funding," shrugged Evelyn, "Laboratories require all sorts of materials, from glassware to biological samples. All of those cost money. Not to mention things like paying the staff or cleaning up biomedical waste. So, yeah, funding is a biggie."

Nick had something like a smile on his lips, "Interesting. You ever looked into patenting this?"

"Patent?"

"Yeah," said Nick, "Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to protect your intellectual property while you are testing it. Plus, that way you can make some money off of it. I can put you in contact with someone at our office if you are interested."

"I might do that."

"Well, the sooner the better," instructed Nick.

The conversation with Nick became lost among dozens of other conversations, both at the party and after the party. Kitty called to wish her congratulations and plan and summer trip to the X-Mansion. Anita called to wish her congratulations and promise a graduation in the gift was in the mail. Professor McKenzie called to wish her good luck over the summer and that he couldn't wait to see her the next semester for the start of her graduate work. Penelope called to say hello and made her promise to keep in touch. It ended up being a long day.

Evelyn went into her bedroom in the family apartment. It had been a long time since she slept here but it was as familiar as ever. Once she put her childhood Captain America doll back on his spot on the dresser, it was like she had never left.

Almost.

There were a few boxes left over from school that she didn't have time to unpack today. They were mostly papers from school, some clothing, and housewares which needed to go back into storage. She almost decided to put it off but her eyes fell on a manila folder on top. It had her name scrawled on it.

A long while ago, Ian had sent her some information about her blood chemistry. She had saved the information in a folder and put it off to the side but never got around to reading it. Tonight, she sat down and started reading it. It was dry and clinical reading, the sort of prose which could only be appreciated by someone with more than a passing interest in science.

Apparently, the thing he found interesting and wanted to draw her attention to were three previously undiscovered protein structures in the blood which ought not be there. Two appeared to be a globulins which assisted with the immune system. The third was a regulatory protein which had something to do with gene expression. She wasn't sure exactly what that meant. Even in the notes, Ian made a sidebar which essentially said that he didn't where these came from or why they were there. That would require further testing.

Evelyn sat back on her bed among her pillows and looked at the ceiling. She had been trying to find who she was for years. Mutations were not the answer, but there was something slightly genetically different about her. She was an unusual case, one which may never be solved. The realization stung. It wasn't sad enough to elicit tears but it certainly didn't mean her sleep that evening came easily.

As difficult as that was to wrap her mind around, she was just going to have to find a way to live with the fact she was different. She placed the document in a file folder and tucked it into her desk. Perhaps there would be a day when there were answers. Ambiguity was the new way of life.

And with that attitude, she went back to work at Stark Industries. Evelyn was grateful to see the organization she set up last year was still in place this year. The files were actually really neat and tidy. There was a schedule for cleaning and maintenance on the whiteboard. It did her heart good to see her improvements were so readily adopted. She was actually making a difference and that made her happy.

"You've graduated already?" said Will incredulously when they met up once again, "But you've only been in school for, like, two years or something. What kind of mega genius are you and what are you doing here?"

Evelyn smiled, rolled her eyes, "It's actually less impressive than that. I had a lot of advanced placement courses through high school so when I started college, I was basically a sophomore. So, I took regular courses plus summer classes. A lot of hard work just means that I moved along quickly."

"How have you maintained your sanity?" asked Will, "I was taking half the classes you did, and I thought I would go crazy from the workload."

"Lots of coffee," she offered meekly.

"I guess," said Will, shaking his head.

"I also am going to be published next month," said Evelyn proudly.

"Published? Published where?" his ears perked up in interest and a sparkle extended into his eyes.

"'The Journal of Cancer Science and Therapy.'"

"Wow!" he smiled, "We need to make a wall of fame or something for all the people in the department which are published scientists!"

Evelyn smiled, "You too?"

"And Jay," said Will, "Giving credit where credit is due. Mine was about electron harvesting and magnetic fields. Jay's been published a couple of times for a couple of different things. Most of it has to do with the arc reactor but one of my favorite articles of his was a proposition for tiny motors powered by Tesla-style atmospheric energy. It's pretty kickass."

"But does it work?"

"It's just a postulation," he shrugged, "But since it is small-scale, I think it has a chance of working. And if we get permission, the arc reactor would be the perfect central conductor."

It sounded cool. It sounded a bit like science fiction. But far-fetched ideas sometimes resulted in more practical things. The cell phone in her pocket was a prime example of that.

"So, your paper ended up being part of the arc reactor?" she asked in clarification.

"Well, somewhat," he said, "The arc reactor was already a theory. My part of it is just the magnetic field to make this a more effective generator and… yada yada yada it saves money. That's why I got hired."

"I'd love to read your paper."

He perked up a bit, smiling, "Really? 'Cuz, if you really mean that, I have a copy of it!"

"You keep a copy of it on hand?"

"Well, yeah," said Will quickly as he hurried to his desk, "I've only been published once. It means a lot to me."

He handed her a stack of papers so she could read it when she had the time. The title read: "The Use of Magnetic Fields for Efficient Harvesting of Ambient Electron Harvesting by S. William Stone." If Evelyn was feeling more like a smart aleck, she would have commented the whole thing sounded like a Fallout Boy song. But the initial before his name was the thing that caught her eye first. When she asked about it, Will had a simple explanation.

"To tell the truth, William is my middle name," he explained, "My first name is too embarrassing for words."

"What is it?"

He paused, smiled, "I should probably preface everything by saying that both my parents are major hippies. They went to Woodstock, and lived in San Francisco, and they are totally into the give peace a chance and free love thing. So, they named me Siddartha."

"Really?" Evelyn smiled.

"Yeah," he rubbed his neck a bit in embarrassment, "My dad is actually Buddhist. He and mom are actually in Nepal right now working to teach English at a monastery. My mom is kind of an… earth child. She has her own beliefs which are an eclectic mix of whatever speaks to her. So, my sisters and I all ended up with funny names."

"You have sisters?"

"Two. Both are older than me. Lakshmi works in Costa Rica and builds wells and irrigation systems for underdeveloped villages. Innara went into ayurvedic medicine and is currently working in a clinic in Uttar Pradesh. I'm considered the black sheep of the family for having a 'normal' job."

Evelyn tucked the paper into her bag so she could read it later when she wasn't on the clock. There was actually a more pressing question that she had been reluctant to ask. It almost took to the end of the day before she gathered up enough courage to bring it up to Will.

"I actually have a question for you," she finally said quietly, "And I hope you don't mind me asking."

"No, I will not marry you," he joked, smiling to break the ice. "For real, though. What's your question?"

"I hope you aren't offended, but I want to put in a transfer to medical resources," said Evelyn quickly, getting the entire thought out all at once.

"Why on earth would I be offended?"

Evelyn stammered for a second. "I… uh… uhm… but…"

"Honestly, I'm not exactly shocked you didn't want to stick around. I knew you were a medical person and that whatever we did would probably bore the hell out of you," Will explained, "But I still insisted that they hire you."

"Why?"

"Because, you actually believe in innovation and making the world a better place. You don't just say it, I get the impression that you believe it. And I'm not looking for someone who can say the right thing to get a job. I could train a monkey to do that. But people who have a genuine desire to make something that matters, that's special. That's an attitude that is worth promoting. That's the attitude that I want to have around here. I dunno if you've noticed, but we need some of that mojo, that energy."

Evelyn shrugged one shoulder, "I really haven't done much."

"You've done a lot. It's been an honor and a blessing having you around," Will smiled at her, "Out of curiosity, however, where are you applying to transfer?"

"Well, I recently saw an opening in research and development. I would like to try to pursue that. I might actually have a chance to build something to help people."

"Hm. Well, I think you have a good chance of getting it. Publishing is a good first step. It means you are serious about your work. And you have experience in multiple fields, medical and engineering. That looks really good to you. It may be a good idea to get experience in either electronics or programming but other than that, I think you are in a good place. I see no reason why they shouldn't hire you."

Those words brought some comfort to Evelyn. Finally, the work was going to pay off. The long nights and frustrating classes, the planning and the mind-numbing and repetitive lab work was going to net some kind of result. All the stress and all the aggravation would soon come to an end. It made the days at work more exciting. She looked forward to hearing news, good or ill.

About a month after submitting her application, Evelyn was working in the lab by herself. She had a book on electrical circuitry in one hand and a soldering iron in the other. The tool was not her own. She borrowed it from Will so she could start to practice using it and learning how it functions. Jay soon walked from the elevator,

"Hey, Evelyn? You've been paged three times."

"What?" Evelyn squeaked, dropping what she was doing.

"Pepper Potts is trying to reach you," said Jay, jerking a thumb upward, "Twentieth floor."

Evelyn hurried to the elevator. Here was hoping that whatever Pepper had to say to her wasn't incredibly important. Her heart was fluttering in her chest. Perhaps this was the announcement that she was waiting for and she was going to talk about her transfer. In preparation, she tossed her hair and examined her face in the reflective surface of the elevator walls. Her long gingery hair was a bit flyaway with the humidity of early summer. Fingers flew between the locks to try to make them lay flat. She smeared on some tinted chapstick to her lips to appear a little more made up.

"Have you seen Tony?" asked Pepper as soon as she walked into the office.

Evelyn felt her stomach sink into her shoes. Was that honestly what Pepper brought her all the way up here to talk about? She tried to remain hopeful and told herself that maybe this wasn't the only thing.

"No," said Evelyn, trying to maintain an even tone to her voice, "I thought he was at that thing in… Amsterdam or Munich or wherever…"

"Bern," corrected Pepper, although the way she said the word sounded a little like a threat. "And he came back from that last night. I just got a message that he was looking for you."

Evelyn blinked, "Me?"

Evelyn paused for a long moment, trying to remember if she even caught a glimpse of Tony earlier in the day. As far as she knew, he hadn't set foot anywhere near the arc reactor. She had been distracted with learning the ropes of the soldering iron but she wasn't that out of it.

"I've been down in the clean energy labs all morning, Miss Potts. Tony hasn't been down there all day."

Pepper looked confused and reached over, dialing a number on the phone.

"Tony? Where are you? We have a meeting on your schedule."

She paused. Evelyn shifted from foot to foot, unsure if her presence was still needed. It seemed like this was not about what she had hoped it was about. It was a disappointment, to say the least. She just about to turn and leave when she caught Pepper waving at her to stay.

"Tony… she is in energy labs, not manufacturing. If you want to speak to her, she is in my office right now." Pepper looked up at her from under the fringe of her bangs, eyes slightly narrowed. "Okay, if you are sure, I'll send her on her way."

Evelyn slowly walked out of the room, feeling very uneasy. Why on earth did Tony Stark want to see her? Pepper hung up the phone and sighed, picking up a gold pen from the table to sign a series of triplicate forms on her desk. She took them, gathering them together and straightening them so she could paperclip them together. Pepper looked up.

"Is there something else you need?"

Evelyn stammered for a second and then spoke, "I, uh, I wanted to know if you had considered my, um, transfer request at all."

Pepper sighed, and stood, "I'm sorry Miss Carlton, but your transfer request has been rejected."

In that moment, Evelyn was fairly certain she forgot to breathe. Her heart stopped beating. Static prickled in her brain. She could almost see her dreams swirling down the drain and flushing right into the septic system. Sweaty palms froze. It was all for nothing. All her hard work, gone. Disappeared. In one cruel second.

"W-why?" she stammered, shocked. She had been so sure she had this one in the bag. Everything seemed to indicate she was a shoo-in for the role.

"I'm sorry," apologized Pepper, standing, "It wasn't my decision."

Evelyn followed her to the elevator, not quite finished. The answer wasn't satisfying to her. She needed answers, real answers. Not this evasive nonsense. But words were not coming smoothly and she seemed to be making only vague noises instead of coherent words.

"The clean energy project needs you more Evelyn," explained Pepper, tapping the button to the seventh floor.

Evelyn frowned. It wasn't really untrue. They were short staffed already and Will had already expressed that he was loath to lose her. But she had hoped there would be a new batch of interns coming in with the summer rush.

Pepper sneezed once. Loudly. Evelyn turned back to look at her boss. Her eyes were pink around the edges and slightly swollen. As Evelyn looked, she saw Pepper sneeze again and then a third time in rapid succession.

"Miss Potts? Are you okay?" whispered Evelyn back to her boss, digging through her purse to find tissues and pass them back.

"Sorry… I don't know what came over me…" sniffed Pepper, "M-must be allergies or something…"

Her eyes were getting worse and worse just as she watched. Pepper sneezed three more times in rapid succession before excusing herself to the hall. Evelyn gathered her papers up again and started rushing after Pepper. She continued to sneeze again and again with increasing velocity.

"Are you allergic to anything?"

"Strawberries, just strawberries," she sniffled.

"Oh… " whispered Evelyn, voice petering off, "Do you have to eat the strawberries or is it the smell."

"If the smell is strong… yes…"

"I have strawberry shampoo," admitted Evelyn.

"Oh," muttered Pepper as she held a tissue over her runny nose, "That… that makes sense."

"I guess I can't be in the same room as you… for today."

Evelyn got off at the twelfth floor and let Pepper descend ahead of her. While she waited for the next elevator, she had plenty of time to think. It wasn't the end of the world that her transfer to research and development was turned down, it just felt like it. She gazed into a great black void. For the first time in her life, Evelyn felt intensely aware of her place in time and space. She stood upon a precipice. The future that seemed so certain dissolved. In front of her was emptiness and silence. She was ashamed to admit that she had no idea what to do now. She had no plan B. That was frightening.

When she finally got home, Phil sat down and made her a cup of tea. She didn't drink it. She just stared into the swirling golden liquid, feeling utterly alone even though her father was sitting next to her. She heard about tea leaves telling the future but all she saw were little green floating specks at the bottom of her cup. It looked a little bit like an arch or a bent cross, but she had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

"I don't know what to do."

Phil took a deep breath, "There will be something else. It's not over."

"I know. I just… I was really hoping it would work out. I had… plans," she wiped her eyes. That made her feel terrible. She didn't want to cry over this but she couldn't help but feel awful. Scared. Lost.

"You know, they say 'when God closes a door, he opens a window,'" suggested Phil, "Maybe this isn't your path but there is another one coming. Everything will be fine in the end."

She smiled slightly, "I guess. It's just… I was so hoping… I wanted it so bad."

Phil pulled her into a hug. She buried her face in his jacket. It was comforting to be held in his arms like this and envelop herself in the familiar smell of his cologne and the softness of the jacket. It was like being a child again. During that time, she could dream and be and never have to worry about the next day. Problems seemed smaller. The grown-up world was so far away. Now she was in the middle of it, and it was not going like the expected.

"How about we go out for dinner tonight?" suggested Phil. "Just you and me. And we could go to a movie. I know you've been wanting to see the new Harry Potter movie."

"I guess," muttered Evelyn.

Phil went off to get his jacket and get ready to go. Evelyn sat for a minute and sipped her tea. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She reminded herself it would be fine. This wouldn't be the first time things didn't work. It wasn't the end of the world. She tried to find comfort in that.

Suddenly, her phone rang. The noise actually surprised her a bit, as she had long been stuck deep in thought for so long. The caller ID was unfamiliar to her but it was a Manhattan area code. Thinking it could have been Jay or Will, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cinderella," said a voice on the other end of the phone, "I just so happened to find an article with your name on it earlier this week. Really well done. I was trying to find you earlier to chat about it, but it seemed like we missed each other."

Evelyn sat there dumbly as she heard words in her ear but did not hear words in her brain. "What?"

"Your article. I read it. Last night."

"Who are you?"

"This is Tony."

Pause. Confusion. Recognition. Realization. Shock.

"Mr. Stark?"

"Yup, ten points to Gryffindor."

Evelyn sat the phone down for a second and stared down at it in confusion. She blinked a few times and then picked the phone up again. Taking a deep breath she decided to see exactly where this rabbit hole ended.

"Sir, how did you get this number?"

"Stop with the 'sir,' okay? And the 'mister' stuff. It's cute but very 'Leave it to Beaver.' I got your number from company records," said Tony easily, "So, do you want to come to an event? It's the Stark Foundation Music Dedication party. Something we do every year. It's a week from today."

"What?" She was starting to feel really inarticulate. Her vocabulary was reduced to one-word questions.

"You're under no obligation," said Tony, "I was going with a cousin but she decided that she would rather spend the first week of summer in Monaco. Something about a car show or whatever. Can you believe that?"

"Um, why me?"

"Just thought you would be good for the job. If nothing else, you would be more interesting conversation. I'm sure Pepper will have some sort of pay compensation or whatever you want. You'll have to talk to her about that. It's not particularly my arena. I'm sure something is in it for you. At the very least there's dinner. Probably a damn good dinner. Never say no to free food. Ever."

"Uh…" muttered Evelyn uneasily before snapping into her proper response mode, "Uh, sure. Sure. I can be there."

"You are a lifesaver and an angel. Pepper better watch or she will be out of a job. I gotta go."

"Okay, well, thank you for…" the line clicked on the other end before she could finish the sentence. She turned to look back at Phil who was surveying her, one eyebrow quirked in interest. He handed her a jacket.

"What was that?"

"I guess I'm going to the Stark Foundation Music Dedication… thing for Mr. Stark. Someone else was going to go but they couldn't make it."

"Was it Tony Stark who asked?"

Evelyn paused for a second. Her father probably wouldn't approve of Tony Stark. He didn't exactly have the best reputation. He rolled his eyes whenever Tony's name came up. She felt the need to play her cards properly at this point.

"This could be my one chance to move up," she said quickly, trying to make the case before her father immediately shut this idea down, "Maybe if I can put in a good word with the boss, I can get a place in R and D. My transfer may have been denied this time but if I can chat with him, I might be able to convince him that I am right for the job."

Phil paused for a second or two, trying to process exactly what Evelyn was trying to say. Eventually he managed to put his thoughts to words. "So, Tony Stark personally called and asked you to attend?"

"Uh."

"Evelyn, be honest."

Evelyn smiled weakly, "Yes."

Phil closed his eyes, world weary, "Honey…"

"Papa! I'm-"

"I know, I know, you're an adult. But I am worried that you and him are not thinking on the same level. I'm concerned that you're thinking this is business and he is thinking it is… social."

Evelyn blinked, "Like, what? He's asking me out?"

"Well… yes."

Evelyn considered it, "I don't… think he is. Is he?"

"I don't know," admitted Phil, "Evelyn, you are an adult. I'm not going to tell you how to live your life. However, I am going to speak as a father for a little bit and I want you to be careful."

"I think I understand. But, Papa, this is my chance," she smiled, pleading, "Maybe my last chance."

"Alright," Phil sighed and shook his head, "Are you getting paid?"

"I think so… Mr. Stark wasn't especially clear about that."

"He's never clear about anything," grumbled Phil as he rolled his eyes, "I suppose we have to bug Maria again to help find us a dress for this."

"Oh God!" muttered Evelyn as she slapped a hand to her forehead, "I don't suppose I could just recycle some other dress for this?"

"I don't think so," said Phil as he opened the front door to go get dinner, "But it's okay. We'll talk to someone, Maria or Bobbi or whoever is in town. They'll give us a hand."

It ended up being Bobbi who took on the herculean task of making Evelyn took presentable for a society gathering. She led Evelyn into a little shop at the mall. Evelyn expected they were just going to Macy's to pick something out but Bobbi shook her head and sighed when she brought it up.

"Sweetie, if you are going to a party for Stark Industries, getting something from Macy's is going to make you stick out like a sore thumb. You need something a little bit more classy than that."

Evelyn scrunched up her face, "Is this gonna cost a lot?"

"Probably," admitted Bobbi as they walked into the mall. Seeing the slightly alarmed look on her face, Bobbi linked her arm with Evelyn's as they walked along. "I got this one. Your dad gave me a budget and stuff. Don't you worry about it."

"I can pay."

"I know," she waved a hand to dismiss her, "But this is special. And you need me."

Bobbi led her into a small shop wedged between Godiva chocolate and Zales diamonds. The walls and carpet were a yellowish white, partway between ivory and beige. The shelving was walnut, a dark hue with some lighter grains of mustard yellow and tan wandering through. The lights were bright, sparkling in the full length mirrors between units of shelving. Along these racks were dozens upon dozens of formal dresses in every color of the rainbow. Mannequin models with blank, empty faces modeled the summer fashions: pretty sundresses with bold sunflower print, long gowns in tiger lily orange, flowing cocktail dresses in pastel colors like peach, mint, and mauve, and little skirt-and-blouse combinations in denim and khaki with cute little pockets sewn onto the front.

"I think for you," Bobbi surveyed the racks and then looked back at her, "A-line. Yes. A-line is the dress for you. It is the dress for all occasions. It'll forgive Dorito benders, period bloating, just about anything."

Bobbi flit between the racks like a monkey between trees, pulling down a selection for her to try on. There were red dresses, black dresses, pink dresses, long skirts, short skirts, strapless dresses, dresses with sleeves, off the shoulder dresses, one sleeved dresses, tight dresses, billowy dresses, sequins, tulle, studs, and virtually every other color, texture, and style that she could find. Evelyn felt a little bit overwhelmed as she walked into the dressing room to try on the selection.

She started with something with a puffy sequined skirt that was every shade of the rainbow. Stepping out from behind the curtain, Bobbi burst out laughing.

"You look like a Care Bear pinata!"

Evelyn echoed her laughter,"Why did you even pick this one out?"

Bobbi's laughter lasted for several seconds before she devolved into coughing. When she resurfaced, her eyes were leaking with tears. She hacked out a few more strained chuckles before finding her voice again.

"For laughs, I guess," she wheezed, "I just wanted to see how it would look."

"Well, it looks awful!"

It was probably the most horrible dress out of the lot but there were some other bad ones in the mix: a itchy crocheted dress that Bobbi called "the rice pudding affair," something with a god-awful peacock applique that covered half her body, and a fluffy pink one that Bobbi described as "Cindy Lou Who." Evelyn swiftly moved those dresses over to the rack to be reshelved, along with a few that didn't look particularly promising. Bobbi may have thought they worked, but she was vetoing that suggestion.

Her eyes fell on a violet tea-length dress with one wide sleeve on the left side. It was pretty, with some golden ribbon to accent the waistline. She was intrigued. It was unique, but not too weird. She went ahead and tried it on and stepped out onto the floor to turn in the mirror.

"Oh," said Bobbi, smiling, "Yes. I like that on you."

"Purple is my favorite color," said Evelyn as she scrutinized the dress from all sides, "It looks good on."

"Yeah," nodded Bobbi, "And the off-the-shoulder look is very flattering on you."

Evelyn paused in the mirror for a moment, walking in circles around her. Each angle was examined for maximum appeal. The angle of the skirt, the texture of the fabric, the decorative gold ribbon; everything was taken into consideration.

"That is really a great dress. It's sexy." Evelyn paused in the mirror for a moment to really look at herself. Bobbi looked up, surprise in her eyes. "What?"

"I don't know if I… should be too sexy, you know?"

Bobbi raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Is this appropriate?" she asked the older woman, "Going to a date with the boss?"

Bobbi looked back at her, eyebrows continuing to ascend in curiosity, "Is this a date?"

"Usually I figure if he pays, it's a date. My usual barometer doesn't quite work here," she shrugged, chuckling nervously, "So, I dunno what this is."

"You do realize this is the man who basically has an entire page of any given tabloid dedicated solely to him?" pointed out Bobbi.

That stopped Evelyn in her tracks for a moment. She hadn't really thought about the fact that more than technically Tony Stark was a celebrity. With that in mind, it just didn't make sense that Tony Stark would be paying any attention to her. He was powerful and rich. She was a college student. The imbalance of power could not (and arguably, should not) be ignored. It was probably just a phase, a little crush, she reasoned. He would give her attention for a little while and then disappear just as quickly as he appeared. She was a novelty, nothing more. It's not like she really had all that much to offer someone like Tony.

Bobbi adjusted the way the sleeve rested on her shoulder and sighed,"If you are okay with this being a date, then go for it. If not, then it's just something you are doing for your job. Just set the boundaries and go stick to them. Remember that it doesn't have to be anything that you don't want. Just because he's your boss, you don't owe him a damn thing."

Evelyn thought about it. She felt like she should want to have the attention of Tony Stark and enjoy the fact he was giving her attention. This was the sort of things that other girls would love, the sort of girls who fawned over his image in magazines, went on the fan websites, and cut out pictures to hang in their lockers. But she wasn't one of those girls.

"So," Bobbi pulled her out of her thoughts, "Is this the dress you want?"

"Yeah," she said, flaring the skirt out around her, "This is the one. And it's on sale so it is even better."

"It's a good choice. Looks fantastic on you," said Bobbi with a smile, "I always say, dress like today is the day you meet your worst enemy."

"If that's the case," Evelyn smiled, "I may need some shoes I can run in."

Bobbi shrugged a shoulder, "You're tall. You probably don't need super-high heels. But we can find some cute kitten heels or something to give you a bit of a hip swish. Actually, I might have a pair you can borrow."

"I'm size ten, though."

"Oh," Bobbi winced, "Yeah. My shoes aren't going to fit you, little Miss Amazon."

So they had to head down to the shoes at the local Macy's and try on a few different pairs before they found something that she could walk in without running the risk of twisting an ankle. She finally settled on a pair of small black heels which she actually liked. Maybe it wasn't the sort of thing she could wear everyday but if all high heels were like this, she could get used to it.

She took the dress and hung it in her room until the day of the event. Every morning she woke up, the dress was the first thing she saw. In some ways, she was very happy to have an excuse to dress up and look beautiful, but trepidation lingered in the pit of her stomach. She tried to push the twisty-turny feeling from her gut.

The day seemed to rush by. Evelyn couldn't remember a single detail of what happened that day. For her, the day started when Bobbi appeared on her doorstep to get her ready for the party. There was an intimidating bag full of all sorts of beauty implements: makeup, a flat iron, various bottles of product.

"Are you ready?" asked Bobbi with a smile.

"Sure," muttered Evelyn, feeling a bit intimidated. But Bobbi put a fond hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Relax. It'll be fine. I'm gonna make you look like a princess!"

Bobbi started by combing her hair out and running a flat iron over it so it was perfectly straight. Her hair didn't curl much naturally but it had a little bit of a kink to it which created loose waves when she left it alone. Bobbi's diligence forced the coppery locks to behave. She then pulled all the hair to the side and bundled it into a side bun next to her right ear. It took a lot of work to get it in the proper place but Bobbi succeeded. The look was finished with a few gold hair pins topped with chips of light green crystal. The colors matched the green crystal earrings which Bobbi let her borrow.

As the zipper of the dress was finally fastened and the drape adjusted for her body, she felt truly pretty. But Bobbi insisted on sitting her down and making her up all the way.

"I think I look fine," she said.

"Just watch," insisted Bobbi, "If you don't like it, I'll take it off. But I get the feeling like you won't want that."

So, Evelyn decided to trust the older, wiser woman. She didn't wear makeup that often. It was mostly limited to special occasions, such as this. Working in a lab limited her fashion choices. There were too many horror stories of stray fumes causing rashes or bunsen burners igniting hairspray. She wasn't taking any chances. Bobbi offered to give her a hand so she would look nice for the party.

Her eyes were outlined with brown and dusted with green shadow. Bobbi was more precise than Evelyn. As opposed to smearing makeup wherever it seemed like it needed it, Bobbi carefully used a slanted brush to direct the glittery powder exactly where it needed to go.

"I wish I could do makeup as well as you do," sighed Evelyn when she looked in the mirror. Her face no longer her own. The stress blemishes and tired blue smears under her eyes were gone.

"It's not that hard," said Bobbi with a shrug, "I just always watched my mom and aunt do their makeup and I learned that way."

Suddenly, Evelyn felt like she had severely wasted an opportunity. She should have spent more time watching Kitty or Natasha do their makeup so she could be better at it. Heck, she should have asked one or the other of them to give her a hand and teach her. It just never seemed all that important.

"You have pretty eyes," said Bobbi in explanation, "So, you can wear lots of pretty colors for eye makeup, like golds and greens and violets. You could probably even do a rosy red or terra cotta or a mauve if you wanted to. That could work."

Bobbi outlined her lips in pinkish-brown and then filled in the rest. The look was completed with a swish of brown-black mascara. It brought out her natural coloring and blended well with her coppery hair. She looked like a different person, maybe the best version of herself or maybe someone completely different. Evelyn walked out of the bathroom so her father could see her off before she left.

"Honey, you look beautiful," smiled Phil as he hugged her.

"Thanks, Papa," she smiled, "Bobbi did a great job."

"I had a great girl to work on," acknowledged Bobbi, "You gotta have a good canvas to get started."

Phil smiled at his daughter, "I think she's perfect."

Evelyn sighed. "Papaaaaaaaa…"

Phil smiled, "Have fun, honey. Have a great night."

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Evelyn, "I'll be home by midnight."

"You're an adult. Just be safe. Come back when you're done."

Evelyn skipped off down the stairs to the waiting taxicab. Phil watched the car merge into traffic and disappear between the buildings as it made the trek across the river to Manhattan. Bobbi stood next to him, trying to read his face.

"Are you okay?"

"I still feel like I should have had her followed."

Bobbi rolled her eyes, "No! When she was a wee little kiddo, I could see it being necessary because you never knew if she was going to go nuclear. And she hasn't done anything like that in years."

"I'm not worried about her powers. I'm worried about-"

"I know," interrupted Bobbi, "You're scared to death of the big, bad world getting their hands on your daughter. But I stand by what I've been saying all this time, girls don't like their daddies getting into every part of their personal lives. You have to give her some space. Otherwise you make her into one of those super sheltered kids who don't know a bad situation when they see one. You gotta give her some room to get street smarts."

"You have a lot of strong opinions about this Bobbi," he said accusingly, "It makes me wonder what your point is."

"My point is, I was one of those people who were so innocent that they got themselves in trouble," she admitted, "And as happy as I am now, it was a rough road. So, I guess my point is I'm looking out for her too, Phil. We all are."

That did make Phil feel a little bit better. He knew she was a strong girl. She could take care of business if she needed to. He knew there were people to support them no matter what happened. But that didn't stop him from worrying.