Search for the Soul Gem

Chapter Thirty-Nine

     "Miss Scaffer, are you busy?" JARVIS's voice broke the silence, causing me to jump violently at the sudden sound. "Sorry miss."

     "You just about gave me a heart attack J," I said, letting out a deep breath. "What do you need?" I asked, drawing my attention back to the computer screen in front of me. Tony had shown me to an office and told me that Fury had pulled some strings with the University to allow my return. I wasn't told what had been said between Fury and the University but I'd received a phone call from my department chair about returning to work. 

     "Mr. Stark wants me to bring you up to him if you are not busy," JARVIS said. I rolled my eyes. 

     "And If I am busy?" I asked. 

     "He said to come anyway," JARVIS said. I laughed. 

     "Of course he did," I pushed myself up from the desk with an amused sigh. "Alright J, lead the way," I said. 

     "Go to the elevator, he's on the 64th floor. He said he will meet you at the elevator," JARVIS said. I made my way out of the glass office and down the hallway line with smaller, no less glassy, offices. Whoever's office it was that I had taken, must have been someone very important. All these offices had nothing to do with the Avengers and were far enough away from all the dangerous people that Tony felt safe for me to be alone. It was also far enough from the labs for him to be able to breathe. 

     When I came out of the long hallway, I came out to a large room filled with cubicles. People buzzed here and there, floating on conversation. Just passed all the cubicles was the elevator. I pressed the up arrow and waited for the doors to slide open. It wasn't very long before the doors slid open. Once inside, I pressed the button for the 64th floor and waited. 

     "What does Tony want?" I asked, leaning back against the railing and watching the numbers tick up. 

     "I'm not sure Miss," he replied. 

     "You're lying, aren't you," I said. He didn't reply which gave me my answer, "You totally are. You've picked up bad habits from Mr. Stark I see," I said. 

     "Mr. Stark doesn't lie," JARVIS defended. 

     "Then who'd you pick up the lying from?" I asked as the doors slid open to reveal Tony. He was standing there with his hands buried in his pockets, wearing a suit that probably cost more than my apartment. 

     "Who's a liar?" he asked, his mouth quirking up into a smile. 

     "JARVIS," I said and pushed myself off the back wall and out of the elevator. 

     "JARVIS?" 

     "He's covering for you again," I said, breaking a smile. 

     "That's my boy," he said. I rolled my eyes. 

     "What do you need Tony?" I asked. 

      "I can't just invite you down to see you?" he asked. 

     "You can, but you don't," I laughed. 

     "You're right, I usually come to you," Tony said, offering out his arm to me. I rolled my eyes again and took his arm in mine. We started down the hall. 

     "What did you ask me up here for?" I asked. 

     "I wanted to introduce you to someone," he said. 

     "Introduce? To who?" I asked. 

     "It's a surprise," he said. 

     "Well, I'm glad that you dressed up for the occasion and didn't tell me," I said. He cast me a sideways look and smiled.