Chapter Text
Margaret "Maggie" Skold was a culinary student, with a focus on baking and pastry, and she worked as a part-time barista at the local branch of Stark Industries. The pay was way above average, they worked around her class schedule, and it was a foot in the door for later in her career since Stark Industries had several highly-rated restaurants connected to their buildings around the country. So it was a win-win! Maggie, never expecting to see anyone higher up than a department head scientist or maybe Pepper Potts' assistant was soon proven wrong.
The first time she met Them was when she had just passed through security after working a shift at SI when a little boy ran straight into her legs. Catching him by his arms and placing him back on his feet, she heard an exclamation come from several people around her. “Are you okay, little buddy?” she enquired as she steadied him.
“Yeah,” was the shy reply, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok, I used to do that all the time when I was little. But you gotta stay with your dad, or he’ll get lost,” she teased him and smiled down at him. “I know my dad would get lost all the time when I tended to wander off,” she lied a tiny bit since she unfortunately didn’t remember much of her childhood. She made eye contact with the man behind the little boy, and as her brain finally caught up with her eyes, she realized it was Tony Stark. Before she could correct herself (because all she could think was 'OMG that's Tony fucking Stark') the man himself picked up the little guy.
“Thanks for stopping him, he always makes a dash for it when we get here. It seems like all he wants is hot cocoa and to see Ms. Potts,” the billionaire said teasingly about his son when he smiled down at the curly-haired toddler.
“Oh…” she muttered like an idiot, unable to articulate anything more. Stark smiled at her reaction, winked at her, and then strode off to the elevators with the child in his arms.
Huh. So that explained why the tabloids in the last few years have been so quiet about Stark's more prolific activities, she mused silently to herself after her thoughts had finally realigned. Shaking her head, she adjusted her purse and headed towards her car to make her evening bread class at 7 p.m.
The second time she ran into the Starks was a Friday night, about 8 p.m. Pretty much by that time the business side of SI had gone home, but the scientists and R&D people tended to stick around much later. So here she was, going over her cake design project waiting for frazzled and desperate decaffeinated boffins to plead for a quad espresso or two before trudging back to their lairs for some more mad sciencing. It was mostly quiet on Friday nights since sometimes even the most devoted of the scientists had to go home at some point, so she often took the later shift for this reason. So when she heard a squeak and a tiny “Hello…?” she shot up from her stool and peeked over the counter. Seeing the curly hair and the bright eyes of the boy who had run into her the other day, she looked around for his father.
“Hey, buddy! Where’s your dad?” She asked the tiny child with wet doe eyes and trembling lips.
“I dunno and I can’t find Happy,” he whimpered, a tear sliding down his chubby little cheek.
Feeling her heart contract in sorrow for the little guy, she put down her notebook, strode around the counter, and knelt on the floor. Opening her arms, he moved towards her and allowed her to pick him up in her arms. “It’s ok, we’ll find him or your dad. Do you know where you saw Happy last?” He rubbed his face into her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her neck, his little sniffles getting quieter as he calmed down a little.
“No... and H-Happy was gone after I l-looked at the f-flowers...” By the time he finished the sentence, he had worked himself up again and was loudly crying and clutching her tighter.
“Shh..." she attempted to soothe, "It's okay, little guy. Why don’t I make you a hot cocoa and then we’ll call security and see if they can find Happy for us? Does that sound ok?” She murmured into his soft hair and shifted him to get a better grip on the wiggly child.
The little guy pulled back to look into her eyes for a second and gave her a small nod before he jolted forward to wrap his arms around her neck. After a minute or so, his tears slowed before he settled down and he wiped his nose on her shirt. Sighing at the grossness of child ooze, she distracted herself by wondering why he was trusting her so easily as she went around the counter and placed him on the stool she had just been sitting on so she could make his drink.
“Whipped cream on that hot cocoa?” she asked as she pulled the milk out of the fridge and started to steam and froth it. Pumping the chocolate and vanilla into a small cup, she topped it with the warmed milk and held up the canister. “Yes or no little buddy?”
“Yes!” He smiled and clapped his hands, the tears had dried up, and he was in a better mood. Laughing at his adorableness, she topped off the cocoa with whipped cream, put the cover on the cup, and set it in front of him.
“Straw?”
“Yes!”
“Ok.” She poked the straw through the hole and wrapped his little hands around the cup. “I’m going to call Security and they’re going to find Happy for you, how does that sound?” He hummed around the straw as he sipped down his hot cocoa and Maggie took that as an affirmative. “Alright,” she breathed, “I can do this.” She reached for the phone and punched in the numbers and waited for the phone on the other end to pick up.
“Security.”
“Hey, this is Maggie down at the café near R&D, I have a little guy here looking for Happy. Do you guys know where he is?”
“Oh, shit! You have the kid?!" The man on the phone shouted into her ear before he screamed something to voices in the room with him, causing Maggie to cringe at the loudness of it. "The Boss and Mr. Hogan have been freaking out for a half hour now,” The guy panted on the phone in his panic before someone started saying something to him in the background. “I’ll call you back,” he shouted again before he hung up on her.
“Well," she sighed, "Great.” She hung up the receiver and rubbed her temples looking over at her little charge. “How’s the cocoa, little buddy?”
“So, good! The best! Can I have a cookie too?” He batted his eyes at her, his little cocoa mustache giving him a more Tony Stark-like presence.
Laughing at his not-so-subtle attempt at manipulation, she tousled his curly hair and shook her head. “No, kiddo, I think your dad and Happy would not be happy with a supped-up-on sugar toddler. Maybe next time I see you we can negotiate a cookie,” she suggested. He pouted at her for a second before he went back to sipping his cocoa.
As she started putting away the milk and rinse the steam pitcher, she heard pounding footsteps behind her.
“Peter!? Hey buddy, what are you doing here?!” Mr. Stark exclaimed as he came up to the counter out of breath. “I told you to stay with Happy!”
Peter just hung his head and started to cry. “I’m sorry Daddy! I looked at the pretty flowers and then Happy disappeared!” Mr. Stark reached over and lifted his son from the stool, rubbing the kid's back as he clung to him. Mr. Stark breathed out a breath and the panic that had been so obvious seconds ago smoothed out and a stoic look passed over his features.
“It’s ok, bud, but new rules.” Pulling his son away enough to make eye contact with the boy, “You have to hold hands whenever we are away from home, no exceptions until we can trust you to not wander off. Capisce?” Peter bobbed his head yes before he buried his nose into the crook of Mr. Stark’s neck. “Ok, good.” Making eye contact with Maggie he smiled. “Thank you so much! You did exactly right and I can’t explain how relieved I am that you kept him safe and happy.”
“It’s okay, I just did what anyone would do,” she demurred, uncomfortable with being put on the spot. “He was really easy to take care of and Security had it handled." She cleared her throat and shuffled in place while she wished that Mr. Stark would stop acting so grateful for something anyone would have done. "I’m just glad we found you so fast.”
He shook his head and one-handed, reached into his pocket then handed her a business card. “Well, call that number if he runs into you again since it seems to be turning into a recurring event,” Mr. Stark joked with a little laugh as he jiggled his son. “Isn’t that right Pete?”
The boy hummed in agreement before he peeked an eye out at her. “Thank you!”
“Anytime, Little Stark,” Maggie said as she waved to the boy and his father as they walked away. Taking the card she tucked it into her planner that she still had open next to her project outline.
Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Maggie realized with a bit of shock that it was pretty late and she should start packing up before the next shift person showed up.
"What a night," she muttered under her breath, stuck on the surrealness of the whole thing.
The third time she ran into the pair, it changed her life irrevocably.
Maggie was again working the late shift when she heard footsteps in the empty atrium that led through to the café. Looking up she spotted Peter alone. Again. “What the hell,” she muttered under her breath. It was 10 PM and any kid that age should have been in bed or at least at home several hours ago. “Peter? What are you doing here? Did you lose your dad and Happy again?” As the little boy came up to the counter she noticed a red print on his cheek and tears running down his face. “Oh my god!” She shouted as she dashed around the counter and picked up the child. “What happened?!”
“Nanny Goltz brought me here and she said that Daddy would come get me and when I wanted to go with her... she hit me!” he wailed as he sobbed in her arms. Sucking in a breath, Maggie tried to calm herself down since it would only upset the little boy more.
“OK buddy, I have your dad’s number so I’m going to call him after I make you a cocoa." She rocked back and forth as she attempted to soothe him. "How does that sound?”
Peter nodded into her shoulder and after a few minutes his tears slowed and he calmed enough that she was able to set him back on the stool that he had been on only a few nights ago. Rushing through the drink she poked in a straw, wrapped his tiny hands around it, and pulled the card from her planner. Lifting the receiver, she dialed the number and waited.
“Who is this and how did you get this number?” Stark answered harshly. “This better be important.”
“Mr. Stark, this is Maggie from the SI Coffee Shop, I have Peter here with me and he said he was left here by his nanny...?" Maggie paused for a second before she blew out a breath so she wouldn't shout over the phone at her employer. "Whoever she was, she hit him, Mr. Stark. He came to me crying with a red handprint on his cheek!" Maggie spat into the phone unable to rein in her anger. She just couldn't process the fact that someone had hit a child, it was unfathomable to her that anyone could harm anyone weaker than them. "He’s very upset, Mr. Stark, and even though I'm only scheduled for another hour, I'm going to stay with him until you or one of your trusted staff members comes to pick him up." Maggie waited for almost a minute, waiting for Mr. Stark to reply but all she heard on the other end was silence and someone hyperventilating on the other end.
“Sir?” She eventually heard a male voice say in the background. “I need you to breathe." Which apparently didn't help because Maggie could still hear hyperventilating from Mr. Stark. "Miss Skold has Master Peter and he is safe." The faint British voice reassured Mr. Stark and she could start to hear counting in the background. After a few seconds, the line clicked, buzzed, and switched to the other voice.
“Miss Skold?” The proper British voice asked.
“Yes?”
“I am JARVIS, Mr. Stark’s, for lack of a better term, butler. Mr. Stark is currently unavailable and all of his trusted employees are currently engaged so I am sending one of our family drivers to pick up you and Master Peter to take him home. Is that acceptable?" Maggie hesitated, unsure if she could trust this. "You will be reimbursed for your time and a bonus will be given for your above-and-beyond performance,” JARVIS coaxed her into accepting.
“Umm..." Maggie continued to dither for a few seconds before capitulating since she had called Mr. Stark's personal number and she had recognized his voice. "Ok, Mr. JARVIS, I'll do it but is Mr. Stark OK?” She enquired. This whole situation was concerning. “What is going on?”
“Everything will be explained after Peter is safely home and I will answer questions when Peter is safe,” JARVIS stated almost robotically over the phone.
Maggie took a minute to think about the whole situation. It appeared that Tony Stark had some sort of crisis when she had talked to him on the phone and his butler was too busy watching him. Sighing, she rubbed her forehead and told herself that it wasn't her problem to solve but getting Peter home safe was. “OK, I’ll close up and leave a note for the next person. Who am I to expect for the driver?” She enquired as she started cleaning up the cocoa mess and closing up the café. She glanced at Peter as he continued to sip his cocoa and eye her with his still tear-damp eyes.
"Ms. Sophia Watts, Ms. Pott's usual driver, will arrive in fifteen minutes at the main entrance of the SI building. The vehicle she will be driving is a black Audi S8 with silver accents," JARVIS informed Maggie, "Ms. Watts is a familiar person to Master Peter, so if you are uncomfortable entering the vehicle have him verify her identity."
"Ok, thanks Mr. JARVIS."
"Your gratitude is unnecessary, it is we who are thankful, Ms. Skold." JARVIS paused for that to sink in before he spoke again. "May I speak with young sir, please?”
Maggie murmured her agreement, set down the phone, and walked over to Peter. “JARVIS would like to speak with you so hold tight to your cocoa and I'll just carry you and the stool to the phone so I can clean up." Peter nodded in agreement and as he clutched his cocoa, Maggie picked him and the stool up and brought it over to the corner next to the corded phone. Handing him the receiver she quickly ran through her clean-up procedures and started gathering her belongings while listening to him murmur one-word responses to JARVIS’S inquiries, she snatched a few baked goods from the pastry case for the boy. After a few minutes, Maggie heard a click of the phone being hung up, and glancing over she noticed that Peter was reaching towards her to be lifted off the stool. “JARVIS said you’re going to take me home?” the boy asked as he looked up at her when she stopped in front of him.
“Yeah, he said your Dad was unavailable and that me and a lady named Sophia are going to take you home, how does that sound?” She asked the little boy, who nodded while looking around distractedly before landing on the bake case.
“Can I have a cookie?” Laughing she pulled on her backpack and lifted him up in her arms.
“Maybe later,” she promised as she flicked the switch for the light and made her way around the counter to get the last of the lights near the entrance of the cafe. “How old are you, little buddy?”
He held up his hand, “I’m five!” He said with the biggest smile she had yet to see from him, “but I’ll be six in August!” He exclaimed as he bounced in her arms. Laughing she flipped the last light switch off and headed towards the main entrance of SI. He snuggled in her arms and tucked his nose into her neck as she adjusted him as she walked. Looking around she noticed that there seemed to be fewer people around than normal. Feeling nervous, she reached into her pocket and ran her fingers over her pepper spray and then the side of her bag for her chef knife, reassuring herself that she had some sort of weapon. Maggie had some self-defense knowledge along with some cursory bits of knife fighting so she could easily defend herself, but she was not too confident that she could protect both herself and Peter if things got rough. The thing that really surprised Maggie when she started this job was that she was allowed to enter the building with her full set of culinary knives and the small can of pepper spray. After hearing about Ms. Potts' stint that got her the job as Mr. Stark's personal assistant (or The Tony Whisperer, a title given by the lower admin staff) and the fact the detailed background check she had to do when she joined SI that included her schooling, she felt it wasn't as big of a deal as she had thought. So Maggie never asked and no one explained, but at the moment of unease, she felt relieved that she had them.
Passing through the turnstiles to the left of the oversized, glossy front desk in front of the main doors, Maggie noticed that the security checkpoint was empty, which had always been manned since she had worked here. In fact, she had a suspicion that since they were one of the USA's largest government contractors that made weapons of mass destruction, it was mandatory that the desk was supposed to be manned at all times. Chilled, Maggie pulled Peter tight against her body, shifted him so she could run if she had to, and quickly scanned through the glass wall and doors of the front entrance for their car. After a few seconds, Maggie registered a flash of headlights and an Audi pulled up. Moving as close to the glass as she could without leaving herself open for attack, she looked around again for the security personnel who were supposed to be on duty, and seeing no one, Maggie pulled out the pepper spray and made a dash for the heavy door. As she pushed through, movement to her left caught her eye, there was a person in an SI security uniform standing on the side of the building with the front desk clerk smoking. Startled she paused, the pepper spray held up towards them, her teeth barred and the child clutched in her arms, they both took a step back in shock.
"I should tell Mr. Stark when I see him that the security personnel left their posts," Maggie muttered under her breath but loud enough for them to hear as she rushed towards the car and the woman getting out of it. “Peter I need you to tell me if you know the lady driving, okay buddy?” Pulling his head up he turned and looked at the woman getting out of the car. “Do you know her name?”
“It’s Sophie,” he whispered shakily, having been frightened by Maggie's fear and protectiveness, staring after the two people scrambling back to their posts.
“You're doing really good buddy," Maggie assured him nuzzling the curls tucked under her chin as she strode towards the waiting car and got ready to slide into the car as quickly as possible. “Sophia Watts?” Maggie called out to the driver and the woman nodded at her in acknowledgment. “I’m Maggie Skold, and I was told you would take Peter and me to his home?” The woman nodded again before opening the door for Maggie and Peter closing it behind them and getting back in the driver's seat. Maggie buckled in Peter and then herself before shifting the bag to the floor, still holding on to the pepper spray in her shaking hand.
“It was unexpected to get a call this late, normally Happy takes care of things after 8.” The woman said in an attempt to break the tension as she glanced back at her passengers before maneuvering the car toward the main SI Facility's entrance and checkpoint. The car approached the stop point, the guards scanned their passes including the one that Sophia had for Peter. They were only delayed for a few minutes, most likely due to the procedures around Peter being taken off Stark Industries' property by someone other than Mr. Hogan, Ms. Potts, or Mr. Stark. There were rumors that Mr. Stark was so paranoid that the nanny he employed for his son wasn't allowed out of the house without an escort. This was understandable since Mr. Stark had been kidnapped multiple times as a child and until the last few years had been in and out of the tabloids for one thing or another. Maggie could see herself doing the same in the man's position, especially after the events of tonight.
“...It’s about a 45-minute drive to Mr. Stark's residence," Sophia murmured as she inched forward from the gates and entered the flow of traffic, her lips pursed as she drove, her hands gripping the steering wheel as she darted quick glances back at Maggie in the back seat.
"That's good to know," Maggie said as she nodded, forcing herself to relax, as she took Peter’s hand when he leaned into her. "Ready to get home and go to sleep, little guy?"
Peter hummed in agreement before yawning, laying his head against her arm as he fought back sleep.
The drive went swiftly, probably closer to 35 minutes instead of the predicted 45, and Peter spent most of it asleep on her shoulder. The twisty roads that led to the coast, his exhaustion from all the excitement and drama of his day along with the late hour had lulled him to sleep. Putting her arm around him, she gently pulled him closer so he wouldn't be disturbed by the sway of the car going around the curves of the road, almost surprised at her caring more for the comfort of this small child than expected. She liked kids and had enjoyed the few that she had met in her life but the trust that Peter had immediately put in her to make sure he was taken care of and safe made her surprised. She had always been leery about trust, having taken months of daily contact with her adopted parents and closest friend from high school before she had trusted them enough to believe that they would fulfill even the smallest promise they made to her. She wondered briefly for probably the millionth time that she must have had a very traumatic early childhood for her to suppress it completely since she had no memories from before she had been found that cold winter night. Nuzzling the curly mop of hair in her arms, she prayed that she could do everything in her power to at least prevent this one child from being hurt, even if she had to go against the great Tony Stark and lose her job and perhaps the promise of a nice career. As the car slowed and turned into a driveway, they paused briefly at the gates of a mansion at the edge of the ocean before entering the winding driveway and pulling to a stop at the front entrance. Maggie reached to unbuckle her little charge after unlatching her own belt, got out of the car, and pulled the sleepily protesting boy into her arms. "Shh," she soothed as she adjusted to the heavy weight of her backpack and the deadweight in her arms. Maggie bumped the rear door closed before stopping at the open driver's window.
“Thanks for driving us,” Maggie said as she nodded to Sophia, "I really appreciate it.” The woman nodded, to her and pointed towards the front door that now showed a lightened midcentury modern interior beyond it. Approaching the door, Maggie looked for a bell or knocker, but before she could press the backlit button, the door swung inwards at her approach.
“Please come in, Miss Skold, Peter’s room is up the stairs, third door on the left. If you could take him up and put him to bed, please, Mr. Stark will be with you right after.” JARVIS’ voice spoke from around them as if he was talking to her through an intercom.
“I’m sorry, JARVIS, but where are you? And why can’t you take Peter up? Wouldn’t it be better for a familiar face to put him to bed?” Maggie asked in a leary voice, stiff and alert, as she waited for a reply.
“Miss Skold, I am Mr. Stark’s AI and I am unable to take care of Peter in that way. Sir will explain everything to you when you come back down and I will direct you to him,” The disembodied voice replied.
A pang of grief hit with a jab, her breath hitching until she could force the feeling back into the box it had slithered out of, focusing on her surroundings to ground herself in the moment. Her adopted father had been fascinated with computers and technology and long followed the accomplishments of rising stars of the time such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and of course Tony Stark. She and her adopted mother had often listened to him rave about the newest things including Tony Stark's user interface, JARVIS, which turns out was less of a user interface and actually an artificial intelligence. Angry at herself for forgetting she easily found the stairs that led up to the next floor, passing an indoor waterfall and an abstract chrome sculpture as she carefully moved up the stairs with her precious cargo and found Peter’s room. Setting the boy down on the Star Wars blanket, she pulled off his light-up shoes and cardigan, Maggie gently tucked him into the bed, brushing his hair out of his face as he curled into the pillows and clutched a plush toy. The lights dimmed as she took a step back from the bed and exited the room, pulling the door partially closed, her eye caught on the R2D2 nightlight next to the door, matching much of the decor of the rest of the boy's room. She passed several pictures of Peter with a few familiar and unfamiliar people that she had seen with Tony Stark around Stark Industries from a distance or on the news or tabloids on the hallway wall as she retraced her steps back to the living room.
“JARVIS? Where can I find Mr. Stark? I really would like some answers right now," Maggie stated firmly as her eyes sought out some sort of camera or screen that she could direct her ire at the AI.
“I apologize, Ms. Skold, but if you take the stairs behind the waterfall to the lower level, Mr. Stark will answer your questions. We have already sent you something to compensate for this evening since we appreciate that you have gone above and beyond anything that was expected of you and we apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced this evening," JARVIS attempted to soothe, his stilted voice coming off as night quite human despite his efforts.
“What the hell...” she muttered under her breath, surprised but not that they would pay her for taking care of Peter and getting him home. She would have done it for any child that was lost or needed help and she could use the money to pay her student loans, but it just felt wrong. Sighing, she took off her heavy backpack, pocketed her pepper spray, Maggie trotted down the stairs that came out to an empty landing and another glass door but this one had a keypad. A man in a black t-shirt and dirty blue jeans was seated at a table in front of several computer screens and jumped when she knocked heavily on the glass. Waving at the boss's boss, she waited for him to let her in. Instead, this door swung open by itself allowing her to pass through and approach him.
"I would like some explanation on how a small child ended up abused and alone at Stark Industries late at night," Maggie stated, anger cursing through her at the entire situation. Mr. Stark flinched at her accusation, before looking her straight in the eyes. She could tell he was furious at the indirect accusation as his hands clenched so hard that his knuckles turned white before he caught himself, released his grip, and ran his hands through his greasy hair nervously. The dark circles around his eyes brought out the redness to them, his lashes still damp from most likely him crying. Maggie suddenly felt guilty for getting upset at a parent who obviously had been extremely distraught over their child being missing before she had called him. Maggie took a step back and held her hands up in an attempt to de-escalate. "I'm really sorry, Mr. Stark," she apologized softly. "I had something similar happen to me when I was younger and I was upset over the situation, please forgive me."
He cleared his throat and turned towards the desk, picking up something small to fiddle with. "I understand completely," he stated hoarsely. "I don't blame you for being upset about it." Silence fell between them as he continued to fiddle with the little item, which was a matchbox car before he moved towards a small kitchenette and pulled out two bottles of water, handing her one. “Peter was spending the day with his nanny, Ms. Goltz, she watches him when I have meetings or if I’m working on a project that’s too dangerous for him to be in the lab with me. They went out today and were supposed to be back around 6 p.m., but when they never showed up, JARVIS notified me, and we were unable to reach her. So until you called me, we had been looking for Peter for several hours. I don’t know how he ended up at SI and where that woman is at the moment, but I am so glad you found him..." Tony's voice choked off and he collapsed back into the chair he had been sitting in when she had knocked on the door. He took a drink of his water before he continued. "When you called me and told me you had him, I was so relieved, but then I…I…” he stuttered and couldn’t finish, the bottle crackling as he squeezed it in his distress and his breathing picked up.
Realizing Mr. Stark was most likely having the start of a panic attack, she moved so she was directly in front of him and in his eyesight. “It’s ok, Peter's safe,” Maggie reassured him and continued to speak to him for the next several minutes about mundane things such as her current bakery project, the weird coffee orders from R&D, and the number of shots of espresso Mr. Stane's assistant's assistant had daily. After a while, he calmed down enough that she felt he would be able to respond to a direct question. “Is there anything I can do for you, I can make you something to eat or call someone…” She trailed off, uncertain if she was overstepping.
He shook his head. “No, I’m going to be ok." He paused and ran his hand through his hair again. "I’ll get someone to come get you and take you home.” Getting up he went to his cell phone, slid it open, and selected a contact. “Hey, Happy.... yeah, Pete's home safe.... yeah, she's right here..." Tony glanced at her briefly before fiddling with the car again. "Sophia left already, so could you come and give his savior a ride home?” Tony held the phone away from his ear and Maggie could hear shouting from the other end. Sighing, Mr. Stark brought the phone close enough to shout at it. “Peter is fine! I’m fine! I need you here now, Hogan!” Mr. Hogan continued to shout and Mr. Stark ignored him as he slid the phone closed, ending the call and hanging up on his bodyguard and driver. Immediately the cell phone started to beep with an incoming call. With a sigh of relief, Mr. Stark answered it after glancing at the caller ID. “We’re fine Rhodey... yeah, one of my employees found him and brought him home... I'm way ahead of you, I already plan on charging and blacklisting Goltz when they find her if she had anything to do with this.” Humming the rest of his responses he bent till his elbows rested on the metal table top and he ran his hands through his hair again. “That’s a good idea, Rhodey!" Mr Stark laughed as he straightened, "That's why I kept you around, my Genius Platypus!” Laughing at something his friend said he gave his goodbyes and hung up his phone again. “J? Please tell me you informed Miss Potts that we found Peter?”
“Of course, Sir, she was the second person I informed after the police detective assigned to the case,” JARVIS's voice sounded almost offended that his creator doubted him.
“Good!” Mr. Stark suddenly faced Maggie as he set his phone down and clapped his hands, his mood a complete 360 from when she had first arrived. “I need you to come back here tomorrow… Actually, I can meet you at SI tomorrow with Pete... Probably be easier…” He muttered as he spun in his chair and faced his computer station, tapped his keyboard, and brought up the SI HR database. Typing in Maggie’s full name the system brought up all her information including her class schedule that she had given her cafe manager, her tax forms, and her performance reviews. As she watched, he flipped through her background check at a speed she felt was too fast to comprehend.
“Ummm… What's going on, Mr. Stark? I... I... have class till three tomorrow and I’m not scheduled to work...” she stuttered in shock as she observed him log into several government databases, most likely illegally, and search her name. Reports flicked past as he scrolled through her information... Her Jane Doe status, the FBI investigation, her high school test scores, her self-defense and weapon certificates, her dead family in a car crash... it was jarring and disturbing to see the measly bits of her life history flash across the screen, easily brought up by one skilled hacker.
“You’re almost done with your degree?” he enquired as he hacked into her culinary school database and her grades and teacher reports were brought up. She continued to read over his shoulder as she read that her favorite teacher was recommending her for additional training in France for her breads and her least favorite considered her pretentious and just another woman who thought she could cook.
“What the fuck...” Maggie muttered under her breath. "That sexist bastard!" Oops... did she say that out loud? Apparently so, since Mr. Stark raised a brow at her and gave her an amused grin. “Uhhhh, yes...?" Maggie cleared her throat. "Yes. It's my last semester before I apply for an internship and finalize my degree.”
“Excellent!” He swung back around to face the screen. Tabbing back to the SI database, she watched as she was re-classified as the ‘Personal Assistant to the Future CEO of Stark Industries’, he gave her a 50K pay raise (Umm WTF?!) and a budget. A budget! For what!? “For his cocoa and cookie obsession and whatever toys he wants when you take him to the zoo, planetarium, Disney, etc.” Apparently, that last thought had been out loud.
“Do I get a say in this...?” She mumbled in shock, thinking that this day was turning out to be one of the weirdest of her life so far and that was really saying something.
“Of course, but it’s highly recommended that you take the job," Mr. Stark told her as he continued to type manically. "Peter is the most important person in my life and you have shown to genuinely care about his well-being..." He continued to type for a few minutes as Maggie attempted to come to terms with this. After a while, he stopped and turned towards her. "I have watched all of the security footage of when you encountered Peter including tonight's when you were leaving SI. You knew something was off and reacted, which is something I look for in my personal security and Peter has lacked that." He sighed and crossed his arms before he fidgeted and ran both hands through his hair. "I'm going to be honest, Peter needs someone who he can connect to who is more than a bodyguard and nanny. He needs someone who cares about him as a person and won't dismiss what he says because he's a child or treat him differently because he's my child. He is highly intelligent and extremely precocious resulting in him needing someone who can keep up with him and I think that you are what he needs right now. He's responded better to you in the brief encounters he's had with you than the entire time he's spent with all the past caretakers I've hired to help me take care of him."
Maggie stared at him for a few seconds as she processed what the owner of the company she worked for just told her. "You can't be serious..."
"Extremely serious." Mr. Stark said firmly. "To show how serious I am, I want you to work with Happy to organize which self-defense and martial arts training you need to be up to his standards whether or not you take this job, and I will pay for it. If you want to learn how to knife fight and fence and it makes you better at protecting yourself and others, I will pay for it and all the knives and foils you need. I will also pay off all your student debt, give you a housing allowance, and set up a scholarship for your future schooling if you get good grades and recommendations from your teachers. When you complete your education, I will set up any job interview you need at any of the SI-owned restaurants..." He gave her a sharp smile, one that reminded her of that time she had seen someone call one of the lower admins a slur and Mr. Stark had come around the corner and immediately fired the offender. One which said he knew he was King and loath anyone who disagreed with his judgment.
"..."
"You know this is too good to pass up..." He taunted, already knowing that Maggie would do it, no questions asked despite all of the bribes and offers he gave her. It was because this was the man who had equally earned both the titles The Da Vinci of Our Time and The Merchant of Death. Anthony Edward Stark was one of, if not the smartest person on the planet and was swiftly becoming one of the richest because of his genius. Maggie also knew that he was a desperate father who loved his son more than anything he owned in the entire world and would burn it to the ground and salt the ashes if something ever happened to his child.
And Maggie was not an idiot, Peter was adorable and she had connected to him as easily as he had her. She would love to spend more time with him and if she learned how to feel safer in the meantime and get an amazing opportunity for her future at the same time, she would be stupid to pass this up.
"I'll do it," Maggie said with confidence, not knowing how much it would change her life.