Glasshouse

Pride

Pride

Margaret Stark groaned loudly and tried to stretch her arms over her head as she pulled back her covers to get out of bed. She felt tired and sore all over. Yes, she often worked long hours and didn't get enough sleep, but a week with a toddler was a special kind of exhausting. She felt a new kind of appreciation for her own mum having five kids... and Katie with her twins.

She cast a careful look inside the cot next to her bed. Junior was breathing calmly, his mouth wide open and his left hand buried in his curly, black hair.

She felt a sudden glimmer of hope. If Junior was still sleeping, she might be able to grab a quick shower all by herself!

Content that Morgaine, her A.I., would alert her, if something changed, Margaret scurried out of bed and almost ran into her en-suite.

A shower all by herself! Without Junior sitting in the shower with her, potentially slipping on the wet floor and breaking his little neck! It was the most glorious thing that had ever happened to her.

She gave herself 10 minutes of bliss, not only washing her hair, but finding time to condition it, before she slid into her bathrobe and walked back into her bedroom.

Junior was awake now, sitting upright in his cot and watching her intently. Apparently he hadn't felt the need for crying yet.

"Morning, Süßer, all awake?"

Junior looked a little skeptical, before he raised his arms towards her and said "Up, Aunty Em, poopoo."

Of course. Well, now that she was clean, it was only fair to make sure her nephew was too.

Half an hour later, Margaret was still in her bathrobe, watching Junior eat his morning porridge and puree, while she did the same, when Morgaine interrupted her.

"Miss Stark, Mr Yinsen is here to see you."

"What?", Margaret sighed. She had the week off, damn it. But of course that was the danger, if you lived at work.

She had known Yinsen for far too long to be ashamed of the toys strewn around or her relative state of undress.

"Let him in.", she therefore decided and didn't bother to get up. He'd find his way into the living area and Junior had stopped eating, his eyes carefully scanning the door.

"Finish your breakfast, Süßer.", she told him calmly, but Junior ignored her, his eyes still glued to the door. Yinsen walked in with his normal quiet and careful step.

"Good morning, Mr Stark, Miss Stark.", he smiled at them, standing at a respectful distance. Margaret assumed that was due to the suspicious look Junior was giving him. As if he was telling Yinsen to back off. Now.

"Morning, Yinsen.", she replied and took another spoon of breakfast, "May I offer you a cup of coffee?"

"Thank you, but no. I am sorry to disturb you this early. Especially since you have the day off, but... have you looked at the news this morning?"

"Morgaine gave me the basics. Like every morning."

"Ah, but no gossip, I assume?"

"No. I specifically told her not to. I don't much care for gossip.", Margaret told him gloomily, not much caring for where this discussion was going. Or why it was Yinsen exactly, who came to talk to her. He was the head of R&D at SI's headquarter. Gossip about a member of the Stark Family wasn't anywhere near his responsibility. "Junior, your breakfast.", she reminded the two-year old, who was still looking at Yinsen with what Mama liked to call the Starkian Death Glare. Yes, he had certainly inherited that. Along with the stubbornness that came with that.