Legend's Apprentice

Family

I tugged Uncle Bucky's arm and drew him into the house, Aunt Emma following. Mom assessed them, Dad's face was guarded, and J looked fascinated. "Mom, Dad, this is Aunt Emma and Uncle Bucky. This is my mom and dad, Rose and Henry. And my little brother Jaimez." It looked like a standoff for a moment, but then my mom stepped forward and put out her hand. Good old mom.

"How do you do." She shakes their hands briskly. "It's a bit of a surprise to meet you. Alixzandrya hadn't mentioned meeting you before." She shoots me a stern look. "And when were you going to tell us, anyway?"

"When I was in college, probably," I muttered, shoving my hands into the pockets of my shorts. Dad rubs his eyes, then comes forward and puts out his hand. Looking from him to Uncle Bucky, there isn't much of a family resemblance past the hair. Then J bounds up. Just like a puppy. Who is trying to be cool about the whole thing. And failing miserably.

And I can admit to myself, but no one else, that I'm a little worried they'll like J better than me. He's more outgoing and fun than I am. It's mean of me, because he deserves to get to know them too, but to be honest, I liked having them to myself, which was selfish.

The parents let J pepper Bucky and Emma with questions for a bit. Bucky looks bemused and Emma unflappable. It seems it would take a lot to get her flapped, but then she's had years of dealing with Mr Stark, so J is probably only a minor nuisance. Then mom cuts in and asks how they met me, and I have to explain how I tracked them down. It was a neat bit of detection, if I do say so myself, and J says that he didn't think I was that clever. I cuff him amiably. Then the parentals take over the questioning. It takes a while, but they seem... ok with it all. The tension is a lot lighter, and while I know I'm not off the hook, at least everyone is pleasant. It's a relief not to have to keep this secret from my family, and Uncle Bucky shouldn't have to feel like he has to be kept a secret. Then mom offers iced tea, and Aunt Emma goes out to help in the kitchen. J stares out the front window.

"Who's that guy out there?" he says, fascinated. It's like he's five again. I look out. Mr Stark is still leaning on the fender of the Ferrari, poking at his phone, which, it must be said, is the coolest phone ever. I've seen him flick images from the screen to 3D projectors in some of the rooms of the tower.

"That's Mr Stark," I say wearily, and Uncle Bucky laughs. I smile at him.

"He's our ride," he says. "He heard that we wanted to see Alex's quilt and insisted on driving us down." My dad stands up and goes out, and we watch as he approaches Mr Stark and this time he puts out his hand, which Mr Stark shakes, so there's no apparent hard feelings. Then mom and Aunt Emma come back with the tea, and I note that there's one for Mr Stark too.

There's some chitchat, and Dad thanks Bucky and Emma for helping me get the job at Stark Tech. "Well, we didn't actually do anything," Uncle Bucky admits, turning his glass in his hands. "Nepotism makes things harder, I think, she'd have to work harder to show that she deserved to be there." Dad looks at his uncle with more approval.

"That was actually me," Stark says, and mom frowns. "I did the hire," he clarified. "She's a smart kid; Carolyn is very pleased with her work." He smirks.

"And yes, I have worked hard to show that I could have gotten the job on my own," I tell my dad. Then I look at Mr Stark, who has a faint kicked-puppy look on his face. "But it was a nice thing for Mr Stark to do." He looks smugger. After a rather awkward pause, conversation resumes and before long, Uncle Bucky shows the parentals a video he took of my dance recital and Mr Stark steps outside to take a call. Aunt Emma starts asking J questions about if he's looking forward to high school and how he likes football practice. J is noncommittal about high school (I think he's a little scared, frankly) but very voluble on football. I hear Bucky telling my parents about how a lot of their interns and lab assistants go to Midtown and says he's proud of my grades. They agree that I did very well, even with the addition of the job at the end of the semester. J sniffs at me and says he could do better if he wanted. This was a tactical mistake.