The Old There Before
Life after death is never an easy one. Throw in a feisty preteen girl with special abilities, and a pregnancy halfway through its final trimester, and hard starts to feel damn near impossible.
It had been almost five weeks since the world ‘un-blipped’ and those lost to Thanos’ initial snap returned. That meant Evie had survived five weeks without her father, Tony Stark. Five weeks without talking to him. Five weeks where she woke everyday to crying, just to go back to bed later that night to cry herself to sleep. Everyday was a battle from sun up and at sundown. But no matter how much it hurt, the weight of the world trying to crush her, Evie fought relentlessly. Afterall she had people depending on her. And giving up was never an option.
Today was no different. She woke with a gasp, unable to fill her lungs with air as yet another night was spent with vivid flashbacks to that fateful day. As her heart pounded against her chest, she forced herself to focus. To say outloud the names of three blue objects and then the names of three more. This time, white.
“The walls…” her breathing was shaky, and her back was aching. “The painting…” Deep breaths. She needed to take deep breaths in between. “My pajamas.” She inhaled slowly through her nose, feeling how her heartbeat became normal with each passing second. “White, the curtains, the flowers, and the alarm clock.” There, the ritual was complete, and Evie was once again semi-stable. But as she swung her feet over the edge, the baby in her belly decided he still wanted some excitement. When her feet touched the cold wooden floors, a strong kick made her jump. Letting out an, “Omph! Christ baby, let mommy stand before assaulting my bladder.”
Her rushed waddle across the room was prompted by her unborn son, who seemed to think that 4 AM was the perfect time to exercise his legs, repeatedly kicking her bladder like a soccer ball. After finishing her morning routine in the restroom, she moved to change into more professional attire. Once she had pulled her trousers up, she stared at her floor-length mirror, rubbing her hand over the large bump that prevented her from zipping her pants. She hummed contentedly. “Mister, you get harder to conceal every day…” A ripple of blue and black cascaded from her head down to her toes. As she glanced at her reflection, she saw that her stomach appeared smooth and flat once again. After getting dressed, she made her way downstairs, knocking on Laura’s door along the way. The breakfast she prepared was simple: a bowl of Fruit Loops with a side of orange slices for Laura, and a ginger green tea with a piece of toast for herself.
As she sipped from her mug, Evie was reviewing the day’s latest reports from Stark Industries, going over the details with Friday. “Ms. Stark, don’t forget you have that meeting with Ross today.” Laura looked up from her book to glance at her mother.
“Remind me again, is it Everett or Thaddeus?” Friday instantly replied with, “Thaddeus.”
“Fuck…” Evie grumbled lowly.
“That’s a dollar.”
“What honey?”
“Eso es una mala palabra, ma. Curse word.” Evie lowered the screen from her face and smiled sheepishly at her daughter. “You’re absolutely right. Thank you for pointing that out.” She went to her purse and fished out a bill, promptly sticking it in the fishbowl at the corner of her kitchen’s marble countertop. “There, we’re square,” She glanced at her phone. “We’re also about to run late. Grab your coat and bag, and let’s get going.”
When they stepped out into the chilly New York air, the girls caught sight of a minivan waiting by the curb.
Evie went to open the side door of the gold-colored Honda Odyssey for Laura. “Nice new wheels, Logan. But I gotta say I kinda miss the El Camino, even if it was a rolling pile of scrap metal.” The Wolverine huffed indignantly. “Stark, don’t get me started…” he said warningly. Evie chuckled, giving her daughter a peck on the crown. “Behave, okay? I’ll come get you Wednesday. Till then-”
“I need to listen and be on my best behavior. Brush my teeth, make my bed, and make sure my homework is done before I can watch cartoons. Yes, mami. I got the drill…” The girl looked exasperated, but Evie couldn’t help but giggle. “Well then, missy, if you’re all set. Logan.”
“Stark.”
Right before she could close the door completely, Laura caught it. “Ma, deveras tengo que ir a la escuela si nos vamos pronto? Can’t I stay with you in case the baby decides to come early?”
Evie pushed a lock of Laura’s hair behind her ear. “Sweetheart, we talked about this… if the baby decides to get here earlier than expected. Nana and Morgan will come to get you and meet me before he’s born. Now go, I’m sure your friends missed you. You’ve played hooky for a month now, and you need to be all caught up before the trip.” The little girl agreed, nodding her head and closing the door the rest of the way. Logan gave Evie a small wave, before pulling out and driving down the road.
With a final sigh, she turned to walk towards her awaiting black portal.
Once in her office, Evie switched into business mode. Burying herself deeply into her work. That was till around lunchtime when Clara knocked at her door. “Got you some food, boss.” Distracted by the pages in her hands, Evie replied, “Great thanks, Clara just leave it on the coffee table.”
But her ever-loyal and faithful assistant knew if she did that, Evie wouldn’t taste a single bite till well past midnight. Especially since Laura was off to school for the next few days, unable to scold her mom for not taking better care of herself. “You got it, Evie. I got you the special at that Greek joint down the block. They stacked it high with beef and loaded with tzatziki sauce.” The mere mention of the yogurt-based topping was enough to make Evie gag.
If there was one thing that didn’t agree with her pregnancy, it was dairy and cucumbers. And tzatziki sauce had both. “Oh Clara, I’m so sorry.” She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. Meanwhile, her friend was busy laughing. “I bet, now, please. Put down the paperwork and come eat.” Evie pouted, unhappy with the way Clara had gotten her attention. “It’s a delicious and nutritious pho soup. Lots of veggies and made from a really good bone broth.” Evie did as told and together they enjoyed their meal. But like always all good things come to an end. Just as Clara was letting her know that she was ready to cover her workload in her absence, Friday came over the intercoms.
“Ms. Stark, your 1 o’clock is here and he’s not alone.”
“Great, just as I was starting to hope he’d cancel… Well fuck it, let’s get it over with.” Clara got to her feet and extended a hand to Evie, who took it gratefully. “Murdock should be here any minute now too, I’ll get them settled in the conference room. Make them sweat a little before you gotta go in there.”
“That right there is why you're my favorite employee,” Evie said amusedly.
“Boss, after all these years I'm pretty sure I'm that, your best friend, closest confidant, and at least three more titles I can’t think of off the top of my head.” Once again Evie was giggling, agreeing wholeheartedly with the other woman.
Just as Evie was getting ready to head to the meeting, her blind lawyer entered her office five minutes later, as if on cue. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. “Matt!"
“Angel, you don’t know how happy I was to get your message,” he said. She blinked away the moisture that gathered in the corners of her eyes, going around her desk and wrapped him in a tight hug. “It’s so good to actually see you. How have you been? How's Foggy?”
Matt held her at arm's length, admiring her and appreciating the sound of her voice. “We’re doing okay, just trying to find our footing after all the chaos,” he replied easily. He listened closely to her heart and lungs; they seemed to be working harder than usual, and she felt a few degrees warmer. “But enough about me. What about you?” He cupped her cheek, sensing her sigh as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. “Well, I’ve certainly been better.”
“I'm truly sorry about your dad, Evie.” Taking a step back after rubbing his arms, she gave him a small smile saying, “Yeah, well… Life happens, and we gotta keep moving forward.”
“Still-” Evie placed a hand on his shoulder, her body language screaming that now wasn’t the moment she wanted to touch the subject. “I’m okay Matty, honestly. At least in that aspect. But currently, I kinda got the government breathing down my neck.”
He nodded. “Yeah, of course. So what is it they’re saying?”
Evie grabbed her phone and took Murdock's hand, planting it on the crook of her arm to guide him towards the conference room. “Long story short, they’re here to cross-examine me with a fine-tooth comb.”
“Why?” He questioned curiously.
“Well… a former Avenger stepped out of line accidentally. It looks like grief got the best of her, and consequently, an entire town paid the price for it. But since the feds weren’t given their pound of flesh, they’re here to try and leach off of me.”
Matt took in the information, and right before they reached the glass doors of the conference room, he spoke. “In other words, they think that you might do the same. Go AWOL and fall into some sort of manic state of mind due to your recent loss and lash out because you’ve seemingly lost control of your powers.”
“Right on the money as always, counselor.”
He gave her a determined and leveled face. “Very well then, let’s show them they’re barking up the wrong tree.”
Inside the conference room, an oval table was already occupied by three men in suits and four armed private escorts. They all stood up as she entered.
“I was beginning to think you were going to ditch us. Glad to see you joined us, Stark,” Secretary Ross said with a hint of sarcasm. Evie responded with a condescending smile, “Now, why would I do such a thing? I’m far too professional to play games with you, Ross.”
Ross glanced between the two, momentarily focusing on Matt’s cane and glasses. “Gentlemen, this is Matthew Murdock, my lawyer.” As he returned to his chair at the foot of the table, Ross introduced the members of his entourage. “These fine men are government-appointed officials who are here to oversee today’s meeting: Agent Clemmons and Agent Smith.”
Evie exchanged firm handshakes with both agents, as did Matt before they took their seats at the table. She purposefully left a chair open for Clara to take once she arrived.
“And what about the muscle? Shouldn’t we get their names if they’re to be present?” Matt said in an even tone of voice. Evie quickly added, “Yeah, Ross, why are there armed men in my office? Don’t tell me you're expecting to be jumped. Or have you been getting nasty hate mail again?”
The whole time, Evie didn’t even look up to the man she was addressing. Instead, she was informing Clara via text that she could bring the refreshments whenever ready. Ross cleared his throat loudly. Clearly unhappy with the way she was so casual when holding such a high-level meeting. “Well, Stark, they’re here to ensure we keep the peace during this meeting. After all, you’re the one with powers in a building full of civilians.”
The comment made her chuckle as she placed the phone down with a dull thud. “Funny, I’ve worked in a corporate setting for years and never once felt the need to showcase my abilities for any reason,” she said. Just as the old man was about to respond, Clara walked in, announced by the soft swish of the doors opening. She was accompanied by two young women carrying trays filled with fresh hot coffee, water, and chilled club sodas.
Once the trays were set and the assistants dismissed, Clara moved to the left of Evie, distributing a small stack of documents to those at the table. “Good evening, everyone. I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to review the files before you,” she said politely.
Ross and the others all looked over the paperwork. “What’s this sweetheart?” He said. Both women exchanged tired glances at the pet name thrown in. “It's a legal disclosure that all those present for this meeting are being monitored via video and audio recordings. After all, you did bring weapons into a building full of civilians. You must all sign if you wish to stay for the party we’re about to start.” Evie clasped her hands together, a smug grin on her lips. The men all looked to their leader, and after an indignant huff, he signed the dotted line. The rest promptly followed suit. With the last bit squared away, they officially started the meeting, with Evie speaking to the ever-present AI.
"Friday?”
“Yes, Ms. Stark.”
“Please initiate privacy mode, and time stamp the commencement of this meeting at 1400 hours.”