Things changed rapidly after Tony went and spilled the beans on live television. The flashing cameras, the nosy reporters, they all remained, but the pressure, the scrutiny doubled. No longer was Amelia just another rich kid, another legacy, she was the Iron Daughter. Or at least that's what Harry liked to call her.
Graduation came and went and despite her rocky finish, Amelia passed with flying colours, submitting a thrilling thesis that had her leaving top of the class with honours. A lot of honours, too many honours in her opinion. Tony even came to this one, fighting Uncle Rhodey for the title of loudest cheerer, and Amelia finally understood what it meant to have a parent embarrass you publicly. She didn't like it, not one bit, and she subsequently banished Tony from any further graduations. "Like you could stop me." He smirked, ruffling her black hair fondly and Amelia just blinked.
After everything that had happened, all the bad, with Tony's kidnapping, Obadiah's betrayal and everything in between, it left Amelia with stuff to figure out. But the one silver lining, the one good thing to come out of it, was her father's attention. He actually invested himself in her life now, they spent so many nights catching up over the summer whilst Amelia interned at the company. The new direction Tony installed took a lot of time to figure out, the Stark Industries of today was not the company Amelia grew up with. The company she knew, the company she was prepared to work for. Not that she wasn't proud of Tony's responsible new direction. More than anything, she'd wanted the company to stop selling weaponry, and now they were finally digging into anything but Amelia found herself wanting to take charge even more than before. Just so long as she knew what she was taking charge of.
"Are you hiding?" Amelia smirked as she poked her head into the office, catching Tony with his feet propped on the desk, snoozing lightly.
"No." Tony yawned, peering at Amelia over the top of his dark tinted sunglasses. "What makes you say that?"
Amelia gently shut the door behind her, crossing her arms. "Because you know Pepper won't come looking for you in here." She glanced around at the cozy office, the plush gray carpet, the mahogany brown cabinets lining one of the walls and the modern glass desk to match the giant windows behind it looking out over the water. "An office is where people get work done." She glanced over the ugly painting hanging on the wall, the long gray and brown brush strokes matching the room and making her nose crinkle. "Although how anyone can get any work done with this horrid thing hanging over them, I've no idea."
Tony clapped his hands together, "Just like me." He pulled his feet from the table as Amelia stepped over, dropping into the seat opposite him. "So, this came this morning."
Tony waved an envelope around, leaning across the desk and Amelia dove to swipe the letter from his hands. "Why didn't you tell me you applied to MIT?"
"Because I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to go." Amelia answered truthfully, running her fingers over the letter addressed to her, the MIT logo clear in the corner.
She hooked a nervous finger under the flap, tearing up the seam of the envelope and pulled out the letter inside, unfolding it slowly as Tony came round to peer over her shoulder. For a moment she misread the letter, her heart sinking through the floor and it made her realize just how hopeful she'd been. Just how much she wanted to study there. Then Tony snatched the letter from her hands, cheering girlishly, and yelled for Pepper. "My daughter is going to MIT!" he shouted excitedly, voice echoing through the living room and Amelia dropped her head in her hands exhaustedly.
Tony drove her up to Cambridge himself that autumn, Amelia didn't know how many times she told him not to, that Happy could help her out fine, but he still showed up outside her door. It looked completely surreal to watch him pack her boxes into the back of a van, all the while bickering casually with Happy, and Amelia had to pinch herself when they reached her dormitory to make sure she didn't imagine the sight of him setting up her dormitory.
The campus started buzzing as soon as Amelia arrived, a lot of her classmates gravitating towards her, towards her famous name, and soon enough she was enrolled on the same course her father took twenty years prior. "Good to finally see you here, Miss Stark, you'll find MIT is where all the Starks truly belong." One of her professors said on her first day of lectures, "The faculty and I were beginning to worry when we heard you'd gone from Columbia to Yale, but I see you found your way to us eventually." The man smiled warmly at her, "So welcome home."
The course proved challenging at first, it had been a few years since Amelia studied anything so specifically science oriented and she ended up taking a few refresher courses during that first semester. All the while dealing with Tony's quick rise as the country's own personal superhero. Everybody always wanted to know about that whenever he made the news, some things just wouldn't change, and it didn't help that most people at MIT sought her out just to ask about Iron Man. But despite the admittedly rocky start, Amelia finally found her feet, walking the halls of the college with a spring in her step and falling back into her old ways of taking more electives than she had common sense.
"Okay, but if you graduate anything other than summa cum laude I'm revoking Pepper privileges." Tony threatened one afternoon over the phone, whilst Amelia ordered a cappuccino from the same place she always went after lectures on a Wednesday.
"You know, that never worked on me when I was a kid and it definitely isn't gonna work now." She set herself down at a table with her laptop and books. "And I gotta pass Electromagnetic Fields, Forces and Motion first."
"Ah, it's just charge conservation and relaxation, kid, you could pass that in your sleep."
"Math, Dad." She reminded him, "It's math I'm good at, why'd you think I went into business in the first place, I can't figure out all this polarization, and magnetization stuff."
"Well, Maxwell's equations and the Lorentz force law is just math with a bit of pop."
A flat look fell onto her sharp features as she nestled the phone against her shoulder, setting up her laptop to work on her submission for the Annual MIT Robot Design Award, running a hand through her long black hair.
"Math with a bit of pop?" she repeated into the phone as the barista came by with her coffee.
"Perhaps a bit of flare, too." Tony added, "Look, you'll figure it out, mechanics runs in your blood remember?"
"Yeah, but this isn't just mechanics, Dad." She fretted as the sugar cube plopped into her coffee, "It's spicy mechanics."
She heard a chuckle down the phone, "Well, we Starks are nothing if not spicy." Something made a loud clanking sound on the other line and she heard Tony curse.
"Everything good?"
"You still coming to the Expo launch tomorrow?" Tony queried, ignoring her worry completely.
"Yes, I'll be there." She sighed, "But I still don't know why you're bothering, it's a huge waste of time."
"Yeah, you keep to the spicy mechanics for now, let me worry about everything else."
"Alright, but if the spiciness sets me on fire, I'm blaming you."
"So long as your charred corpse is at the launch, I can live with that."
Amelia rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see. "Bye, Dad."
"Give em hell, Sparkplug."
Amelia used to balk at the childhood nickname, a term of endearment he didn't deserve, but now a small smile filled her lips. "You first." Amelia hung up the call, setting her phone facedown beside her and turned her concentration to the schematics, sipping quietly at her warm cappuccino and letting the soft ambience of the coffee shop wash over her.
The Stark Expo. Her father's attempt at reviving some of the collateral they lost during the transition, a big display to boost their reputation. Everyone loved a party after all, yet Amelia saw it for what it was. Her dad's ego. The Expo was all he wanted to talk about recently, the partying, the entertainment, the demonstrations, all of it a way for him to show off his journey to a responsible new direction. The robotics team at the university were even taking something of their own up later in the year, once the competition was through, to demonstrate some of the future minds of America. Amelia had been asked to join, she was participating in the competition after all, but she quickly declined. Two trips, one to humor her father and the other her friends, was enough of the expo for Amelia. This specific future mind of America had a damn robot to design so the last thing she wanted to spend her evening doing was attending a flashy tech party.
"Hey, Amy!"
A little piece of her died inside when she heard Kason's voice yelling across the coffee shop, groaning quietly to herself as she greeted him, "Hey, Kason." Amelia forced a smile, subtly moving books onto the seat beside her, forcing him into the one opposite.
Kason Deek, the campus heartthrob according to every girl within a five mile radius of the man, his brown hair flopping into impossibly blue eyes, and an absolute pain in Amelia's ass. He sat in almost every single one of her lectures, he had the professors wrapped around his finger and he did the work like nobody's business. If Amelia didn't know any better she'd say he was an exact copy of her, only male and incredibly annoying. Like, annoying on a cosmic level with about as much arrogance as a white politician. "There's a party at Noah's later, you down?" Kason invited, brushing a hand through his hair to sweep it back. "Maybe I could pick you up, give you a ride?"
"Are you seriously still bothering her?" One of his football buddies sighed, leaning on Kason's shoulder. "She ain't interested."
"You should really listen to him." Amelia agreed, recognizing him from her Differential Equations class. "For once, Finn knows what he's talking about."
"Hit me where it hurts, Stark." Finn smirked, returning to their table near the back, all of them watching the interaction curiously.
"It's just one little party?" Kason pleaded, "Come on, have some fun."
Amelia closed her laptop, "The first word I ever said to you was no, so please save us both the time and stop asking." Amelia set a finger to Kason's lips, all his buddies laughing behind them, as he opened his mouth to argue. "No means no, Kason, not convince me."
Amelia dropped her finger, finishing her coffee with a smirk as Kason returned to his friends defeated, and she decided to take her research to the library for the afternoon. She didn't need to have them looming over her as she worked, snickering all the while.
Once a couple hours passed, and Amelia had some sort of blueprint fixed in her mind, she returned to find an empty dorm, her precocious roommate already off for the evening and leaving her in complete silence to pack. After her early lecture the next morning, she caught the first flight to New York, a familiar face greeting her when she came through the arrivals gate.
"Hey, Happy." Amelia smiled, slapping her hand against his as hard as she could, smile growing when he recoiled.
"Not so hard." He whined, waving his hand through the air before taking her overnight bag from her, leading her out of the bustling terminal and into the even busier parkway.
"She new?" Amelia asked as Happy led her to a sleek white car, running her hand along the frame.
"You're already coming up with a name, aren't you?" Happy sighed as he tucked her bag in the trunk, taking the keys from his pocket.
"I'm thinking Stay Puff Marshmallow Man." She told him, slipping into the passenger side seat.
"Too long." Happy disagreed, taking the wheel.
Amelia gave it another thought as Happy pulled away from the terminal, seamlessly joining the stream of traffic trying to escape the airport. "Casper?" She suggested.
"As in Casper the friendly ghost?" Happy frowned and Amelia nodded. "Better."
"Casper it is then." Amelia decided, rolling down the window as they broke into the city traffic, the honking sounds of New York rolling over her.
"How's Cambridge?" Happy queried, "You enjoying it?"
Amelia chuckled softly, "MIT certainly but Cambridge is a bit too slow for my tastes."
"Missing the Big Apple that much?"
"Even more." Amelia smiled, switching on the radio as the light wind ruffled her black waves.
Oh, how she missed New York. Between studying and spending time with Tony, she hadn't been back for a few months and she felt each and every second of it. California was great and all, with the beaches, the warm nightlife, but nothing beat the vibrant atmosphere of the city that never sleeps. Surrounded by bright lights, the distant echo of a screeching metro carriage and no matter where you went you could always smell coffee. New York City ran through her veins, it always would. Tony had surprised her at graduation with the deeds to the Manhattan apartment, all the paperwork turned over in her name and she'd been rendered speechless. That apartment held so many memories for Amelia, it had been her home, her safe place ever since she first moved there. She'd moved everything she owned here, switching to the master bedroom and she had so many plans for redecorating once she graduated MIT. Getting rid of all the glass walls was first on her list. But for now, she settled with hanging a few vintage movie posters, to give the place a bit of character. Casablanca took centre stage above the fireplace, with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on one side and Sunset Boulevard on the other.
"How's Dad getting here?" Amelia asked through a mouthful as they stopped for some food. "What?" she frowned when she caught Happy staring at her with his eyebrows raised. "Do I have something on my shirt?" Amelia glanced down at the red and white striped shirt, smoothing it over, trying to find a mark.
"Do you always speak with your mouthful?" he grimaced and Amelia rolled her eyes. "Your dad's making his own way." Happy answered, thrusting a finger into the sky, wiping his fingers and hands with a napkin.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me?" Amelia sighed, looking up into the darkening sky as Happy disposed of their rubbish.
They returned to the car, delving deeper into Flushing and Amelia heard the echo of fireworks somewhere in the distance, the light spray from giant, curling fountains reaching the car and cooling her sharp features. It felt strange coming back to Queens, she hadn't been since boarding school, and yet she still recognized the street names, the buildings, the Unisphere piercing the growing darkness.
Happy pulled around to the back of the stage and Amelia swapped her sneakers for a nice pair of white heels to match her white jeans, adjusting her bag on her shoulder as Happy led her inside, a few people already buzzing around before the start of the opening ceremony. Already she could hear the echo of loud music, the pounding rhythm filling the night air, and fireworks exploded above her head.
"Miss Stark?" a redheaded woman wearing a plummy purple cardigan stepped in front of Amelia as she made for the main stage, smiling politely.
"Can I help you?" Amelia smiled back, brown eyes flickering to the envelope in her hands.
"I'm from the US Marshal's office." She introduced, offering out the letter. "You are hereby ordered to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning at nine am."
Amelia blinked, taking the subpoena, "May I ask what it concerns?"
"I'm just the messenger and you've been served." The woman smiled, giving her goodbyes, and Amelia waited until she was out of sight before dropping her eyes to the paper.
"It appears I have." Amelia's lips quirked in an almost smile as she flashed back to the mansion in Malibu and a different strange woman when she said the exact same thing.
"This can't be good." Happy muttered as Amelia opened the subpoena, following him through to the back of the main stage.
Several girls wearing shiny Iron Man costumes, if you could call the tight booty shorts and what was basically a sports bra a costume, skipped past Amelia onto the stage, more hairspray on their heads than hair. "It's for the Weaponized Suit Defense Program." Amelia read out, shouting a little to be heard over the belting music.
"What does that mean?" Happy asked anxiously as the girls began to dance onstage.
Amelia clenched her jaw, folding up the letter and tucking it safely in her shoulder bag, watching the dancers as a bad feeling filled her gut, the huge screen at the back playing a video of an American flag waving in an imaginary wind.
"It means they want the suit." Amelia explained glumly, crossing her arms.
The heavy rock music lifted to a crescendo, cutting off Happy's reply, and sparks shot from cannons behind the stage, forcing Amelia to squint as her father landed front and center in the metallic suit. He stood straight and threw his arms wide, spinning rings disentangling him from the red and gold panels, the girls kicking their legs high in a line behind him. He dropped his arms as the last of the suit fell away, leaving him in a smart black pinstripe suit, bow tie tucked at his neck, and the girls strutted up to him in time to stick their hands out for the final beat of the song.
The whole show threw the crowd into a rage of cheers and whistles, the girls filing away offstage with their glowing palms facing outward. "Oh, it's good to be back!" Tony greeted, clapping himself as he watched them go, then turned to his adoring audience. "You missed me?"
"Blow something up!" a man screamed.
"I already did that." Tony replied as the crowd slowly calmed and Amelia leaned back against a black crate to watch the show, suppressing a sigh.
"I'm not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me." Tony began, "I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history." Tony spread his arms wide again and this time Amelia did roll her eyes, the crowd hanging off his every word. "I'm not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on the lawn chair, sipping an iced tea because I haven't come across anyone who's man enough to go toe-to-toe with me on my best day."
The crowd erupted once again, hooting and howling, quieted only by Tony's waving hand. "Please, it's not about me." He clasped his hands behind his back, "It's not about you, it's not even about us, it's about legacy."
Oh god, please no. Amelia began to shake her head as Tony caught her eyes backstage, a mischievous smile perking his lips and Amelia waved her hands in a stop signal. He reached towards her, goading her on, but Amelia stayed stuck to the spot until Happy gave her a shove, pushing her out onto the bright stage.
Millions of cameras flashed, the enormous lights bearing down on her and she couldn't pick out a single face in the never-ending crowd, their roaring approval as Tony introduced her drowning out the sound of her own heartbeat as she plastered on a smile and walked over to him.
"This is about what we choose to leave behind for future generations." Tony continued, wrapping an arm around Amelia's shoulder and giving her a playful squeeze. "And that's why for the next year and for the first time since 1974, the best and brightest men and women of nations and corporations the world over will pool their resources, share their collective vision, to leave behind a brighter future." The crowd cheered and Tony spoke over them. "It's not about us, therefore what I'm saying, if I'm saying anything, is welcome back to the Stark Expo."
The crowd cheered louder, if that were even possible, and Tony spread his free arm wide. "And now, making a special guest appearance from the great beyond to tell you what it's all about, please welcome my father." He gestured to the wide screen behind them, beginning to step backwards and Amelia followed. "Howard."
The lights darkened on the stage, leaving the huge screen illuminated with a vintage film from the seventies as her grandfather appeared, the two of them disappearing backstage as he began to speak.
"Well that was unnecessary." Amelia shuddered, "If I'd have known you were gonna do that I wouldn't have come."
"Come on, it's for the future, kid." Tony replied with a smirk, shrugging off his blazer. "You are a member of the next generation, aren't you?"
"Is that what this is about?" Amelia sighed, "My generation?"
"It's about legacy." Tony corrected, handing his blazer to Happy and gripping Amelia's shoulders as they walked through backstage to a dressing room.
"Right." Amelia nodded, unconvinced, and left Tony to change from his pinstripe suit. "The landing was a little dramatic, though." She called through the door.
"Amelia Stark, where is your showmanship?" he poked his head around the doorframe, directing his question at Happy, "Can she even be a Stark without a bit of flare?"
Happy thrust his blazer into his hands, shoving him back into the dressing room. "She can be a more tolerable Stark." Happy grumbled.
"Tolerable?" Amelia raised an eyebrow as they waited for her father, "Geez, you really know how to compliment a lady, don't you?"
Tony stepped out a moment later, jacket slung over his shoulder, having changed into a simpler black suit and shirt, a worrisome look on his weathered features as he sucked his thumb. "Dad?" Amelia called and Tony startled from his thoughts, "You good?"
"Peachy keen." He replied, shaking out his hand and clipping her cheek. Tony threw Happy his jacket, grabbing Amelia by the shoulders as they made their way to the exit. "You up for dinner tonight? Little catch up." Tony asked.
"Happy and I already ate."
"A drink then?" Tony released her shoulder to press his palms together pleadingly, "Come on, we're already dressed for it?"
"Okay, but not too late, I've gotta be in DC tomorrow."
Happy held up a hand as they approached the backdoors, "Alright, it's a zoo out there, watch out." he warned and the technician nudged open the doors, a swarm of voices spilling through as Happy stepped out first.
Tony drew Amelia close unconsciously, a light smile spreading across her lips as they dove into the onslaught of people. A few tried to get too close, all of them calling for Tony's attention, and Amelia sucked in a breath as she felt a hand brush her arm. Tony immediately put himself in between, blocking them from Amelia with his own body, scribbling an autograph on several photos, patting the head of a young boy wearing an Iron Man helmet. A blonde scribbled her number on Tony's palm when Happy wasn't looking, scurrying away as the bulky bodyguard caught her, her blonde curls bouncing on her shoulders, and Amelia winked at a young girl they passed. Even the stairs were littered with a crowd of people.
"This is Larry." Happy introduced and a man in an awful tanned suit jacket stepped up.
"Hey, the oracle of Oracle." Tony greeted, shaking his outstretched hand. "What a pleasure, nice to see you."
"Call me." The guy instructed as they continued down the steps.
"Larry King." Happy said and a stern looking man with black rimmed glasses and suspenders watched stoically as they approached.
"Larry!" they shook hands quickly, sharing a few words and then they were taking a sharp left towards the exit where even more fans lined the way.
They all clapped as Tony passed, squeezing through the tight plastic corridors filled with people smiling, and Amelia released the tight breath she'd been holding as they burst through the glass doors and into the chilly Queens evening. "How do you do that all the time?" Amelia groaned, shuddering, "All those people."
Tony laughed at her as they reached the car, the redhead from earlier slouched against it. "Look who we got here," Happy pointed, clicking the car keys to unlock it, "The new model."
"Hey, does she come with the car?" Tony purred, eyes flickering up and down and Amelia took pleasure in punching his shoulder. "Ouch." Tony rubbed it, offended, "No fair."
Amelia gave him her sweetest smile, "You gonna let me drive?"
"Not after that." Tony answered, dropping his hand to turn his best smile on the Marshal.
"Hi." She smiled back, subpoena already in hand.
"I'm on the wheel." Tony pointed at Happy as he began to take the driver's seat, the two swapping around the car. "You got a name?"
"Marshal." The redhead answered.
"Irish, I like it, pleased to meet you." The two shook hands.
"Pleased to meet you, Tony."
"Where you from?"
"Bedford."
"What are you doing here?"
"You don't wanna know." Amelia murmured, hopping over the door into the backseat.
"Oh, I think I do wanna know." Tony replied, making a point of opening the driver's side door.
"I'm looking for you." the redhead grinned and Tony wagged his eyebrows at Amelia.
"You found me." He cleared his throat as he shut the door. "What are you up to later?"
"Serving subpoenas." She answered without missing a beat.
Amelia shuffled forwards to lean between the front seats, peering over his shoulder. "Told you." she smiled smugly and the light died in Tony's eyes.
"Yikes." He blurted as the Marshal held out the folded slip of paper.
"He doesn't like to be handed things." Amelia told her with a weary smirk, snatching the subpoena from her fingers.
"Yeah, I have a peeve." Tony rubbed his forehead.
"You are hereby ordered to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning at nine am." The marshal instructed as Amelia sat back in her seat.
"Snap." Amelia joked, tucking Tony's subpoena in her bag beside her own.
"Can I see a badge?" Tony requested, staring up at the redhead.
"You wanna see the badge?" The marshal repeated, pawing through her bag.
"He likes the badge." Happy nodded.
The redhead held it up, along with a quirky smile, "You still like it?"
"Yep." Tony replied after a second studying the silver, plugging the ignition. "How far are we from DC?" Tony turned to Happy.
"No." Amelia objected quickly, catching his train of thought and leaned forward to glare at him. "You said a drink."
"But I didn't say where." He slid the car into gear and hit the acceleration, knocking Amelia back into her sweat and swinging them onto the road, leaving the marshal far behind.
The wind whistled in Amelia's ear as the flickering lights passed by, black hair fluttering around her face and she groaned, seatbelt clicking across her chest as Tony picked up speed along the straight road. Tony didn't stop badgering her until she gave him a full recap of her studies, how the semester was going, if he should send Happy after this Kason or not. "Maybe Rhodey?" He suggested, "He likes putting your suitors in place."
"Yeah, with a gun." Happy snorted.
"That's exaggerating things a little." Amelia countered, "He only mildly threatened the last guy."
Amelia recalled the story for Tony, omitting several parts she thought irrelevant only to have Happy immediately interject with every excruciating detail. By the end of it, Amelia wasn't sure whether she was more angry at Happy for doing it or at Tony for knowing it. "Anyway…" Amelia continued, returning to the college and her studies, "I think Professor Merritt has it out for me for some reason."
Tony gave an ugly chuckle, "Not you, dear, but me."
Amelia narrowed her eyes, suddenly intrigued, "What did you do?"
"Is this the foam explosion story?" Happy frowned, "Or the power cut story?"
"Power cut." Amelia answered for him, "I've already heard the foam explosion story."
"From who?" Tony exclaimed and then answered the question himself. "Rhodey."
"You think he'll be at the hearing tomorrow?"
"Nah," Tony surmised, "He's got less important things to do."
"If you say so." Amelia covered a yawn with her hand. "But he is their only weapons expert unafraid to stick it to you."
"That's rude." Tony snorted, "Your godfather would never do such a thing."
"Keep telling yourself that." Amelia crossed her arms tightly across her chest, resting her head back and shutting her eyes, "Now, you promised me a story?"
Another two hours later and the three were checking into an upscale hotel in central DC, not far from Capitol Hill, and Amelia sank into a pair of soft grey pyjamas, taking the semi-formal suit she'd packed just in case on the edge of the wardrobe. Amelia scoured through some of the Expo coverage on the news, rewatching footage from the opening ceremonies and Tony's keynote, cringing when he pulled her out on stage, before switching it off and trading it for one of her textbooks. Some light reading wouldn't hurt before bed, Amelia worked best at night anyway, but after a few pages of equations and physics law, Amelia slumped back against the pillows.