Chapter Text
Maggie woke early and she shuffled to the bath to get ready for their early flight. She and Peter would be dropped in New Mexico while Tony would continue to the Malibu mansion for his own week of sciencing.
She had texted Darcy last night to remind her friend that she would be arriving today and Darcy had responded with a request to give Erik Selvig a ride if she would be willing since his flight would only be an hour after their arrival.
“Ahh, another scientist for Pete to fanboy with,” Tony had teased last night when she spoke with him about it. "I'm kinda jealous I can't go, now."
Getting the Stark boys up was always an effort of patience, gentle manipulation, and bribery. She had JARVIS wake up Tony while she got Peter up, dressed, packed, and to the table for breakfast in a record-breaking 20 minutes. JARVIS had managed to get Tony down the stairs in his pajamas at least, with the promise of coffee from Leo JR (the miniaturized version of Leonardo De Espresso) and some donuts from the shop around the corner that Happy had picked up.
Happy packed the car, he had eaten before the boys had wobbled down the stairs, and Maggie got Tony to go shower and finish packing after he stuffed his face with three donuts and a quad shot.
“I’ll prep you a to-go cup of the Brazilian blend if you go right now to get ready, Tony,” Maggie cajoled as she pushed him towards the stairs. He mumbled something incomprehensible as he staggered off in the direction of his room. The heavy metal poisoning was messing with his sleep schedule and making his caffeine more difficult to absorb.
“JARVIS, please reach out to Doctor Strange for suggestions on mitigating some of the symptoms of Tony’s reactor. It seems that it’s getting worse every day and he needs all his strength to work through the element.” JARVIS had taken the initiative to integrate into all of Tony’s homes in the last year so he could manage all the security and maintenance. Which they had appreciated because it made it traveling from coast to coast easier when the fridge was stocked, the sheets were freshly washed, and the house was clean.
“Yes, Miss. I’ll send an email since the Doctor’s schedule seems to be quite full lately.”
“Thanks, JARVIS. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“I believe Miss, you would have run screaming for the hills," JARVIS teased.
“Probably,” she admitted, “but Peter is adorable, so it probably would have been a few weeks.”
They got on the plane and flew to Santa Fe and where a car was waiting for her so she could drive the thirty minutes to Puente Antiguo. Tony gave her a hug, handed her Leo Jr, gave Peter a hug and kiss, and waved goodbye before getting back on the plane. “Have fun, you two! Name a star after me!”
“We’re not doing that type of space science, Dad!” Peter shouted over the plane engines. Tony just waved again, the stairs lifted up and sealed and the plane taxied off as they made their way towards the waving ground crew. They were ushered into the concourse and Maggie settled down in an empty grouping of chairs, piled their bags and the portable espresso machine on the floor, and settled in to wait for Doctor Selvig. They read for a bit from The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan while they waited and when Peter became bored, she sent him to the nearby kiosk to buy snacks while she connected JARVIS to get an update on Selvig's ETA.
"JARVIS? Are you there?"
"Of course, Miss," JARVIS replied smoothly from her phone
"Any idea on how much longer?"
"Doctor Selvig's plane should be landing within the hour and If you would like I can send him a text from your phone notifying him of where you and Master Peter are located."
"Thanks, and please," she replied before taking the snacks and her card from Peter. JARVIS had been learning to respect boundaries and ask permission before doing things lately. Especially after going over Tony's head and making the decision to make Maggie his sister without his permission first. Maggie was extremely grateful that Tony managed to place the blame fully on JARVIS and didn't resent her like she had worried about initially.
"JARVIS said we have a little bit yet," Maggie said as she gave him a few of the gummies and a banana to eat.
"Can I go play with the kids over there, then? They were in the line and told me that they were going to go visit their grandma in Texas..." Peter trailed off, the look on his face hard for her to interpret. She wasn't sure if he was upset about not having a living grandparent or the thought of visiting Texans.
"Sure, just be aware of the people around you and I must be able to see you at all times," She stressed, accepting the banana peel he handed her.
"Yes, Mmm...Maggie."
She hugged him and sent him off, people watching and chatting with JARVIS through the Bluetooth headphones that Tony had made for her. After a half-hour, she got up and started organizing and sorting some of their things before re-packing a few items. Peter, noticing her packing, scurried over from where he had been playing hopscotch on the tile with the small group of kids that had gathered from around the area.
"Maggie? Are we leaving?"
"Soon, but not quite yet. Doctor Selvig's plane is landing shortly and I wanted to be packed up by the time he deboarded. You have a little time to play. I'll let you know when we have to leave. Do you have all your stuff here?"
"Yeah," Peter replied before he gave her a quick hug around her waist before he ran back to play with his newfound friends.
She took her time packing up, switching a few things around, and just as she was tucking the last thing away, she heard a throat clear behind her.
"Ms. Stark?"
Turning, she found an older gentleman with greying hair in a sweater and jeans, a battered carryon, and a leather satchel over his shoulder.
"Yes, that's me, please call me Maggie. Are you Doctor Selvig?"
"Yes, of course, and please call me Erik," he replied before holding out his hand to shake. She shook it and motioned Peter over with the other.
“Erik, this is Peter. Peter this is Doctor Selvig,” Maggie said as she pulled Peter in front of her and placed her hands on his shoulders.
“Hi, Doctor Selvig!” Peter exclaimed excitedly as he grinned up at the scientist. "You teach Astrophysics at Culver University, right?”
“Uh... yes,” Erik replied softly, appearing lost for words, not expecting such a question from someone so young.
“We learned about dark matter and black holes at my afterschool science camp last semester. I also did a presentation on how to find black holes by how it interacts with the matter around it, for my science fair last year. When I was doing research, JARVIS showed me some of your research and I ended up using some of your papers as a source.”
The scientist stood there with his mouth open, shocked, definitely lost for words.
“Peter, I think you broke him," Maggie sighed, this tended to happen a lot around the boy and she had stopped being surprised by it. In fact, she was probably more disgruntled about the adults that continued to underestimate his intelligence. "Can you grab your bag so I can grab the Erik's and mine?”
“Are you those Starks?” Erik managed to ask after they had led him halfway to the car rental area. “You’re Howard Stark’s grandson and Tony Stark is your father?”
“Um… Yes?” Peter replied from the other side of the wide hallway while he pulled his roller bag behind him and ran his hand over the bumps on the wall.
“Are you his mother?”
“Oh, god no! I’m Tony’s sister!” Maggie replied in shock. “Darcy Lewis is my friend and she and Jane invited us down for science and site seeing, we’re staying at the Rancho Gallina. We’re here for a week or so and then we’re back to Malibu.” Why did he think she was Peter's mom? Did she look old enough to be Peter's mom!? Shaking her head she continued to lead her procession onward as Selvig muttered an apology behind her as he struggled with his information overload.
They weaved out of the secure area of the airport and followed the signs to the car pickup area, taking the hallway towards the rental area rather than the car park. Turning she noticed Peter was distracted and was heading the wrong way. "Peter! I need you over here!” Maggie shouted at her nephew. "You're going the wrong way!”
“Oh! I’m sorry!" Peter dashed over to them, dragging his suitcase that had tipped over on its side. Sighing and shaking her head in fond exasperation, Maggie reached down and placed it back on its wheels before taking Peter's free hand and leading them over to the service counter.
“I’m Margaret Skold and I’m here to pick up a car,” she told the man behind the desk as she handed him her ID. Erik seemed to shift at her name and he looked down at the ID when it was slid back across the counter to her.
“Here you go, ma’am. You have the blue Volvo XC60 in spot 25M,” he informed her as he handed her the fob after she signed the paperwork. “Hmm, it looks like it was a special request.”
“Yes, I wanted a Volvo with all-wheel drive since we might have to go into the desert for my friend's work," Maggie replied. "And Tony thought an Audi would be better... more like a hundred more a day and nothing but electrical problems once it got dusty..." she muttered under her breath as she pocketed the papers, grabbed her bags, and gave Erik a little push towards the exit. "Hand, bud," she said to Peter, reaching toward him. Turning back to the counter worker, she thanked him and then herded her charges outside.
“You are an interesting woman, Ms. Stark,” Erik stated from behind her as he trailed after them. His face was deep in thought, and maybe a little impressed, as he watched her manage all of them with little fuss and efficiency.
“It’s Maggie, Doctor, and umm... thank you...?" Maggie replied awkwardly as she tugged Peter and their bags towards the lined-up cars. Weaving through the rows, they found the blue SUV and she clicked the fob. “Ah! Here it is!”
They loaded all their bags in the back, Maggie checked the car over for visible signs of tampering before she popped the hood to check the fluid levels. Satisfied, she clicked the hood closed, made sure Peter was buckled in correctly, and got in the driver’s seat. She took a minute to adjust her seat and mirrors before turning to look at the bewildered Selvig and excited Peter.
“Everyone ready?”
The trip went pretty fast and with the town being small, they easily found the old gas station that Jane Foster had rented for her research. It was nicely remodeled, highlighting some nicely preserved historic features but promoting modern necessities.
“Maggie!” Was shouted excitedly from the open doorway before a dark-haired, bespeckled young woman came running out with her arms wide open. “You guys made it!”
“We did! We made good time since Peter and Tony got out of bed on time and Doctor Selvig’s plane was a little early.”
“Darcy? What’s going on?” A woman just a few years older than Darcy stepped into the wide-open doorway, dressed in jeans, a loose-fitting jacket, and riding boots.
“Maggie and Doctor Selvig are here!” Darcy replied as she reached Maggie and hugged her tightly, lifting her slightly off the ground.
"Oomph," Maggie complained, "let me down! The last time you did that you hurt your back."
"Meh, I've been working out," Darcy replied smugly as she let go and stepped back.
"And I've gained muscle mass since Nat and Clint put me through the Budapest Challenge," Maggie countered. "I may look less squishy, but I'm still heavy."
"Meh."
“Hey! I’m here too!” Peter pouted just behind Maggie, his attention-seeking Stark Gene making an appearance.
“Oh, sorry,” Darcy ruffled his hair briefly before he dodged away and hid behind Maggie all the while smoothing his hair down. “You are soooo cute!”
“Darcy, please stop,” Maggie chided as she pulled Peter closer to her side and bent down to whisper in his ear. “She gets overexcited just like you do,” she kissed his head. “But with her, it’s the pixie sticks. Remember when I told you about the effects of sugar on baby Starks? This is what happens when you eat too many.”
“Uhhuh, and the Red Bull,” Jane teased as she came down the stairs, “if you mix them it destroys brain cells."
“Aww, come on!” Darcy complained. “When did it become Pick on Darcy Day?”
“When you pick on the little kids, it’s a free for all,” Maggie teased her oldest friend before holding out her hand for the other woman to shake. “Hi, I’m Maggie Stark and this is Peter.”
“Hi, I’m Jane Foster." Jane shook Maggie's hand before tilting her head at Peter. "I heard you are here to learn some astrophysics and I could use an assistant that understands some of the technical jargon.” She smiled at Peter before shaking his hand as Darcy grumbled next to her.
“Oh... I just know a little... like take good notes and... um... help with equipment maintenance. Dad has me help with his Bots and I know some basic coding...” Peter stuttered in embarrassment despite him vibrating with excitement.
“Oh, I'm sure he's underselling his achievements," Erik spoke up, drawing attention to himself. "Peter was telling me about his science fair project that sounded more like a project from a pre-college graduate instead of a child under twelve. I’m sure he knows more than a little." Erik smiled fondly as he came over and hugged Jane. “It’s lovely to see you, Jane. How have you been?”
“I’m good and I’m so excited to show you the anomaly!” She looked so excited and started to talk fast with Erik as she dragged him into the building by his hand, leaving Maggie, Peter, and Darcy behind.
“Maggie, I’m hungry,” Peter said after a second of silence before he turned and wrapped his arms tight around her waist and gave her his puppy dog eyes.
“Hungry, I’m Maggie. It’s nice to meet you,” She teased as she leaned down, kissed his forehead, and hugged him back fondly.
“Maggie-!” Peter whined as he buried his head in her side.
“Ok, ok. Darcy is there somewhere we can get some lunch?”
“Oh, there’s a diner we go to all the time. They have the best cheeseburgers and curly fries...” Darcy tempted them with a knowing smirk, knowing Maggie's weakness for curly fries.
“How does that sound Pete?”
“Good! Do they have ice cream?”
“Yup, with fudge," Darcy replied with a grin, "and sprinkles!"
“Let’s go, Maggie!” Peter exclaimed as he pulled away and started dragging her back towards the car.
Maggie laughed and allowed herself to be tugged along. “What about Jane and Erik?”
“I’ll text her when we get there and bring something back if they want anything. Once Jane gets started, it’s a while before she comes up for air.”
“Ah, an adult genius scientist. I know that feeling,” Maggie sighed as she got in the car. “Promise me when you grow into your adult scientist body, you won’t forget about me, Peter.”
“No promises,” came from the backseat, “It’s genetic. I’m doomed.”
She laughed and they went and got something to eat.