Welcome back folks! I LOVE all of my reviews! Even the ones that point out my miss-spellings and errors! I will find those mistakes and FIX THEM post haste!
College is going good. My Ethics class is really interesting and my communications class both tie together at times. I am glad I took those classes for they shall help with my writing. Geography is kicking my tail but I like and hate it all at the same time. Good people though. Same for my history class. So many terrorist. Overall, I am glad I get to spend a part of my week [or month depending on hw] typing up these stories for all of you. This one is a baby but now I have more. Look out for Deadpool and Wolverine fics. I have some fun ones. Mainly Deadpool. IT'S INFECTIOUS! Once you get ideas you cannot stop! It's beautiful though and I can't wait to write it and hear your reviews! [Oh My God. Soulmate fics have taken my very being and so has Pietro. Frigging ACCENTS! All the people. So many stories. Dance parties. Feels. Ugh. I fail.]
WE ARE GETTING TO THE FIRST BIG ARCH PEOPLE! HUZZAH! I mean it. The big twist is about to begin its Coriolis Effect [See what I did there Geography? Huh? Huh? –evil cackling—] Let's Get it STARTED!
-Radioactive
Of Spies and Monday Dates
There were times she loved life and enjoyed the perks of her job. The list would take days to read off all her reasons. At the moment though, Emma felt murderous. She laid on her back withering in pain and she cursed herself for not moving fast enough but at the same time reminded herself that moving fast had landed her right where she was. Yes friends, the time when her insides turn against themselves and shred each other was upon her. Mother Nature's way of showing the miracle of bearing children felt all too sadistic and familiar. Emma's current time was a gut buster. As per usual with periods, there was a light period and then this. Periods that caused the world to spin, joints to ache, and the need to hurl ruled the hours. She had been so close to getting the pain relieving magic meds when she crumbled to the ground in the kitchen.
That was how Tony found her. He grimaced sympathetically.
"Bad?" He inquired, stepping over the sprawled form of his assistant. Her only reply came as a whine and shiver of pain.
She heard him moving about the sink and cabinets.
Tony sat down next to her with the pain reliever and a glass of water.
"Can you move up yet?"
Emma shifted to sit up but fell back onto the hard wood with a whimper.
"Nope." Tony snorted before he laid back next to her.
Emma nearly cried at the gesture. No one had done something like that for her and it meant the world that Tony did.
After a few moments, Pepper walked in and took one look at the two.
"That bad?" She commented as she took a seat next to Tony.
It made Emma laugh so hard she nearly had tears in her eyes. Pepper in her pencil skirt and crisp white blouse sitting on the kitchen floor and all done with the same grace and pose Pepper masterfully wielded. Tony and Pepper joined in. Once more the kitchen filled with laughter.
Tony joked about only needing Bruce and Steve to complete the picture.
Eventually Emma was able to peel herself off the floor, take the meds, and get on with her day.
Another floor related incident occurred in the lab one afternoon. Emma was dead tired from dealing with stupid politicians for Pepper and had taken to napping under a lab table with a pillow.
"M'M RANDOM IDEA GO!" Tony shouted smacking the table and startling the sleep deprived women.
"SUPER SPIT!" She shrieked as she flung up to a sitting position only to smack her head under the table.
Tony loved asking her questions or ideas when she was sleepy or hyper on candy. They were the best.
"Spit?" Bruce questioned adjusting his glasses. He could tell this would either be really bad or down right hilarious.
"Yeah like' she drawled yawning as she dragged herself out "Did whatever done to ya effect viscosity of ya spit? Do the serum or being a god er- demi-god? differ?" Emma elaborated as she rubbed her eyes.
Tony stared at her in amazement.
"That is a great point. Once Thor gets here we'll go to the roof and test this." Tony said bouncing on his feet.
"Test what?" Bruce interrupted confused looking between the two.
"We gonna hack loogies at people from the roof." Emma giggled manically.
"To test viscosity of our saliva!" Tony gleefully exclaimed.
"That's ridiculous." Bruce replied shaking his head fondly at his childish friends. Though he would still be dragged along for the fun.
In the kitchen one morning, Tony wondered in around six for once. Steve already had the paper and Emma swayed while making an attempt to breakfast. Tony knew Emma pulled an all-nighter and saw his opportunity. He snuck up to Emma while she messed with the coffee machine. She turned—
"GOOD MORNING!"
"AH! I PLEDGE ALLIGENCE TO Face of United Captain America! Which fees I stand-Whaaaa?"
Tony fell to the ground laughing as Steve collapsed onto the table hiding his face in his arms as his body shook with mirth. Emma gaped at them for a good minute.
"Damn it all! It's too early for this shit!" Emma huffed. "Make ya own damn breakfast." She muttered as she shuffled out of the kitchen and back to her comfy bed leaving the howls of laughter to stay in the kitchen. Though she wished she knew what she said that was so funny.
It was two weeks later when Clint, Natasha, and Thor arrived to live at the Tower. Pepper had gotten a call and volunteered to give a shorten version of the tour. When they all arrived the scene they came upon would definitely qualify as unexpected.
Tony ran down the hall past them as an axe flew right past his head to imbed itself into the white bare wall. Emma came chasing after with rage defining her features. Her hair and clothes were slightly singed and soot speckled her fair skin. Tony held similar signs of a lab explosion.
"Those papers took me all week Tony. ALL WEEK! And you had to go and blow me up with them!" Emma shouted as she wretched the axe from the wall. The elevator group stood directly between Emma and Tony as they faced off.
"I didn't even mean to blow you up. Actually, the experiment should not even of blown up and where the hell did you get the axe?" Tony replied in a loud voice.
"IT was on a work bench." Emma answered in an equally loud voice.
"You put a hole in my wall!" Tony yelled. Emma glanced back at it.
"We'll put one of Steve's art pieces there." Emma reasoned. Steve looked up from his spot on one of the visible arm chairs and sent a thumbs up causing Bruce to snicker. Tony paused then gave a shrug and nod of his head.
"Good idea. Oh hi Pepper." Tony greeted turning Emma's attention to the group.
Emma squeaked before she quickly straightened her burnt plaid green button up. She then hid the axe behind her back and smiled shyly as she flushed in embarrassment.
"Wel-welcome to to Avenger Towers-" She looked at Tony.
"—Assassins and Thunder God." He prompted.
"Agent Barton, Agent Romanov, and Lord Thor. I'm Emma. I am here to help with any needs and food preferences along with your host—Tony Stark!" She began in her talk show host voice.
"Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you for the intro Miss. Dewey. It's an honor. Really. We have Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner lounging in the living room and Pepper giving us the look which means I am shutting up now." Tony trailed off under the power of Pepper.
"Allow me to show you to your rooms. Feel free to relax before you join us for lunch. We are having soup and cookies. Thankfully I was prepared this time unlike others." Emma said giving Tony a pointed but teasing glance.
"Everything turned out fine!" Tony exasperated dramatically before kissing Pepper.
Emma rolled her eyes good naturally at the couple and began to walk away when Pepper held out her hand.
"The axe." The CEO stated with a quirk of her lips.
Emma sighed and pouted as she handed over her new found favorite toy.
"Follow me, please." She said leading the three remaining Avengers to the left of the elevator.
"How did you end up with Stark?" Clint asked in an attempt to converse. He did not remember reading about an assistant.
He glanced over at Natasha and saw her sizing the young girl up. She did not know of her either it seemed.
"I met Tony in a park while I was crying my eyes out and having a moment of mental breakdown. In the end I got a job and you guys get a den mom or so Tony calls me." Emma answered casually with her normal charming smile. "We'll get matching jackets." She grinned. She could not wait until Christmas.
"You are quite young, Lady Emma. Why take a position alongside the Man of Iron?" Thor questioned in a loud but not booming voice.
"Needed the money to pay the chemo bills." Emma easily answered.
"Chemo?" Thor parroted in confusion.
"Cancer?" Clint prompted at the same time.
"My youngest brother had cancer—a genetic disease or illness—in his left eye. He's clean now but the other bills were bad. My first month's paycheck cut right through the debt. Now I'm helping repay the mortgage my parents took and helping with college stuff. This last room is yours Agent Barton. If anything is lacking please inform us as soon as possible. Or whenever. Pretty sure Pepper does not want to do damage control if she Tony and I loose on IKEA." Emma informed as she topped besides a door.
"Thanks." The archer said and gave a nod of his head once he entered the room. Emma smiled.
"Agent Romanov's room is this next one and oh damn. I blame Tony but your room, Thor, is on the other end of the hall. Shoulda kept the axe." Emma began before she mumbled off about Tony and pink shampoo.
Natasha entered the room with a slight dip of her head leaving Emma to guide Thor to his new abode.
The first few weeks were not as uplifting as Pepper and Emma had hoped though better than what they expected sort of. Tensions ran high, toes were stepped on-literally and metaphorically, and new furniture ordered after the first four fights. Somehow they made it work and Emma questioned the power alcohol held over friendships.
During the next month Emma somehow befriended the spies. Mainly while she cooked or watched the two spar when no one else was around. Natasha was the first person she told about the strange feelings she had at times. They had started out as just first time away from home jitters but Emma knew the difference between that and this kind of paranoia. Natasha and JARVIS did a sweep of the Tower for her. She most certainly felt safer but that niggling feeling of being watched never lessened.
As the weeks wore on, Emma lost time to hang out with her supers. Tony was putting her to work regulating paperwork to other levels lately.
Then, it happened so suddenly—no just kidding. It did not happen like a cheesy office romance. She had a crush. Very small and unimportant with very little backing other than some nice brief words and some smiles. Only a minor attraction to a male accountant. The one the grannies warned her about. She still held her suspicions but overall he was a gentleman to her. Being new to the dating realm, Emma brought this up with Pepper and Natasha on Thursday—designated Girls' Night ironically.
They both encouraged her suspicions and agreed that if he did ever ask her on a date to give it a try. She could always back out and they would support her. Emma loved them so much. Even though Tony nearly freaked out over it when he overheard. That sneak! Tony countered with;
"Bros protect bros."
Emma really had no arguments against that. More T-shirt ideas.
So when David did ask her out on a date for dinner, Emma said yes albeit hesitantly.
David was nice to talk to but he was arrogant in a not Tony loveable way. He was also a massive flirt and the word along the grapevine worried her of his true intentions. She was not a one night stand kind of girl. There were some rumors of him having bad relationships and being a jerk which was something Emma did not want. She took these words with a grain of rice but she had friends who had dated jerks and some of the outcomes were not pretty. It was one date. One chance to see if it would be beneficial to her to be with him. She would cast aside the words of others and take what she learned from him. Then she would decide.
If was Tuesday the day after the date.
Emma remembered the safe dating lecture she got from Tony, Steve, AND Thor! The night before. It filled her little heart with love. She left out telling them that Clint and Natasha gave her tiny knives to hide on her person.
They also left her with a subtle message that they were going to teach her how to defend herself. Which would start Wednesday.
The date had been decent but unsettling to Emma. Her gut—which she trusted very much—was telling her to run from David. Normally in the office, David gave off very little warning bells but alone with him was different. He was slightly different. She had concerns that he was in this to mess with her. Especially since most of his comments to her were mildly condescending and mocking. A far cry from his complementary and flirty words in the office. Maybe she just watched too much crime time TV or watched the Justice Network too much. He also spent the whole dinner talking mainly about himself. He never asked her or gave her time to respond to any personal questions. For the most part after being cut in mid-sentence five times, Emma simply let him talk and enjoyed her amazingly delicious lasagna. What really threw her was how he reacted to returning her to the Tower instead of some apartment.
"You actually live with them?" He questioned in a tone that sent the hair on the back of her neck on point and made her want to go into fight mode. She felt very protective of her people. They were hers.
"Yes." She stated shortly keeping her face neutral as she could. She did not appreciate how he called her friends 'them'. He gave her a side glance and slow smirk as if it was enough to win her over. She narrowed her eyes when he moved to wrap his arms around her to pull her into him. Irritation flared in her at the audacity. She did not give him any permission and she was about to call him off on it when flood lights turned on. Emma had to bite her lip to suppress her grin.
"Alright kiddies! Separate! Separate! Hands to self. It's past curfew." Tony exclaimed from the company garage entrance smiling a very smug 'I ruined the moment and I saw what you tried to do and it is so not happening on my lawn' smile.
David scowled and moved away, practically shoving Emma to the side. Both Tony and Emma narrowed their eyes. Rude much.
"I'll see you later sweet cheeks." He stated with a wink and smile that met the unmoving force of Emma's stare.
She said nothing. Only walking confidently up to stand besides Tony who glared at David until the man was in the cab and gone.
"Sweet cheeks? Really? I take it went bad since you look like you'd rather lick my shoes than kiss him." Tony commented swinging his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against his arm.
"I would. The food was good. David was kinda an ass." Emma replied as they entered the elevator.
"I could tell. I mean really? Who calls someone sweet cheeks anymore? Honestly?"
"Agreed. Totally not going to have a second date. He did not even get me ice cream. That's like the dessert of must haves for first dates if TV is anything to go by."
"Hallmark channel totally ruined the dating level."
"Yup. Soo ice cream?"
"Hell yeah."
That is how the kitchen ended up flooded with ice cream and Tony had a new idea.
So now it was Tuesday afternoon and Emma was looking for David to tell him in person that she did not want to continue seeing him. She would rather be with her supers than someone who did not make an effort to get to know her. Even their small talk over reports never truly branched into private life. She knew next to nothing about his ideas or goals for the future. He went on and on about what he did for the company—which in all honesty seemed over empathized, she hoped he had not been fishing for her to do something—and how important his family contributed to society. He did ask questions during their dinner but never solid questions. The ones that he did ask he answered himself without giving her a moment to answer.
After being interrupted two times, she got the picture. He did not make her feel as she and others told her a relationship should feel. The feeling of being important, of being the desire, the companionship that she felt with her family both bio and adopted. David made her feel lacking. It reminded her of the kids who used to bully her when younger. The ones that used her love of knowledge to gain higher standing and gave sickly sweet phony friendship or those who were forced to invite her to parties by parents. It was not real. Emma made a promise to herself after seeing both positive and negative relationships from her friends and family and she knew what she expected out of a companionship. David did even ask her what she saw in their relationship. He only assumed. He assumed wrong.
So it was Tuesday afternoon and she could not find David. She had half a mind to send an email but she dealt with him on a near weekly basis. It felt rude to do so and not be up front with it. Communication and all that.
It was not until Friday when she finally ran into him that she had her chance.
She had left one phone message and text stating her wish to speak with him after not finding him Tuesday. Then she kind of forgot about it when her team had a mission which left Pepper and her gravitating to each other in worry for their family. Clint was still nursing a few bruised ribs that nearly sent Emma into a panic that only Natasha and Tony could calm her from.
She was surprised that upon her calling out to him she saw his shoulders tense and body go ridged before he sighed heavily as if burdened by something. It sent her alarms blaring. She did not face three am wake up calls to analyze a situation and come out victorious for nothing. She surprised the hell out of Clint after the first time especially since her first reaction was to smash a lamp into his skull.
Her instincts screamed for her to run for the hills and get away. This was not the David she spoke to over reports. This was the David she saw bits and pieces of that he hid. The one that made her wary of him in the first place. It finally clicked who he had reminded her of in the beginning. Way back in high school there had been a boy who hurt one of her friends. Now that she had her eyes wide open she saw the similarities and felt ashamed that she allowed herself to fall for his games.
"Look Emma, if we are going to date I can't have you being Stark's go to girl, okay? It's—" He started but Emma cut him off as her normally dormant wrath bloomed at the slight against her.
"Just what do you think I am to Mr. Stark?" She hissed coldly holding her ground just a few feet from him.
"I know he's our boss but it's a scandal to sleep with him when you're dating me. I thought better of you really." David replied snidely.
"One, I am not sleeping with Tony he loves Pepper. Two, how dare you insinuate that I am someone like that. Three, who said we were full term dating? I have been attempting to contact you to tell you that a second date is not in your future." She nearly snarled but kept her tone to surprisingly level neutrality. Be proud ma!
"As if anyone else is going to date your ugly-" David began but once again Emma was not having any of it.
"Are you truly that moronic that you believe such an insignificant and poorly made attempt to hurt my feelings or self-esteem would work on me? Pathetic. I have better things to do then spend them watching you save face in such a childish manner. Stay far from my people and myself." Emma ended stunning him with her declaration.
She turned sharply on her heel to walk away but as many prior events this was regretted. First rule of any fight verbal or brawl, never turn away from ones opponent.
David grabbed her by her upper arm and bodily threw her into the nearby wall.
"You little bitch." David sneered.
"So that's your real name." Emma snarked. If he thought she was going to back down in fear he had another thing coming. She lived with supers.
She dropped her body breaking his hold on her arm and rolled away from him. The back of her head stung from the impact and the bruise most likely forming from hitting the wall but she ignored it at the moment. Bigger fish to fry.
"You should of just listened to me." David chastised casually but she could see the anger in his eyes. Fear gripped her. She could take him but outside of sparring with the spies she never truly fought before. Going to have to work on that.
"Nope. Not gonna happened." She replied and moved to tackle him or run—she was still deciding—when David went flying. Bub-bye. Emma stared wide-eyed and stunned until a familiar and comforting booming voice echoed the hall.
"Are you damaged, Lady Emma?" THOR TO THE RESCUE! ON A Thurs—FRIDAY!
"Now yeah. I owe you a cake or something." Emma mumbled as she rubbed the back of her head with a hiss before rotating her arm where he had grabbed her. It hurt too damnit.
"Damnit Thor. I wanted to hit the bastard." Tony whined as he approached the two with a team of security guards. "Oh by the way, he's fired." He tacked on.
"Fantastic. Can we get some ice?" Emma sighed feeling a little better that JARVIS had ratted her out just in the nick of time. Love that AI.
After a bag of frozen peas and some mint chip ice cream later, the team found themselves in the living room watching The Princess Bride. One of her favorite movies to watch when mad besides Kill Bill.
Natasha had told—order cough cough—Emma that they were going to start teaching her more defensive moves and weaponry. Steve gave her hug and promise to make dinner. Bruce checked her head and arm reporting only some bruising and slight strain muscles. Nothing bad. He even allowed her to cuddle with him and made some soothing tea. He was so the old man of the group. Tony joined in because he did not want Bruce having all the fun. Thor was the one to request the watching of movies for the rest of the day.
Emma was happy and so reverently grateful to her friends that she almost started to cry which caused Tony to whine about making him cry. It was a wonderful rest of the night that was only disturbed by the phantom feeling she kept having whenever she looked past corners of the room. It was strange. Almost as if something was there in the shadows. She brushed it off as frayed nerves for now and returned to relaxing with her beloved family.
OK FOLKS! GETTING THE REALLY LAMELY DONE HINTS?! Sorry it took so long. On a brighter note, I am doing fantastic in my classes! WOO! I also got a half teacher's assistant slash partial tutoring position for my Geography class! It will be great for improving my goal of becoming a teacher of SCIENCE!
The incoming Arch will not contain Loki. He is an Arch of his own-lol. This will be more of Emma growing and more of her impact on the group before Loki crashes in—hint hint. BUT Loki does enter the conversation soon. THAT ENDS IT FOR THIS EPISODE OF UNIVERSAL INFLUX. STAY TUNED FOR NEXT TIME:
CHAPTER 6: Green or Blue, Shadows, and Vents
[That is lame but come on! It's 8 in the morning! Work with me!]
-~-Radio! [THIS IS HALLOWEEN! HALLOWEEN! HALLOWEEN!] [4302 words via 15 pages wow]