Avengers: Altruism [N. Romanoff]

6. Parent Trap

CHAPTER 6
Parent Trap

22 October 2008

Claire stood on the chipped pavement with her hands stuffed in her jean jacket pockets, clutching at her phone as she felt the vibrations travel up her arms. Instead of taking notice of who was trying to get a hold of her, she stared down the curb at a beautifully aged woman, trying to memorise every noticeable feature.

A greying blonde lock fell into the wrinkled eyes, and got flicked away by a shaking hand. The woman smiled at a friend that walked by with a wave, and refocused her attention to the black device in her hand.

"Miss. O'Connor!" a high pitched voice called out, breaking Claire's attention from the aging woman.

"Mrs. Dally," Claire smiled kindly at the mother, taking the two steps up to her plain door.

"I've been so excited to meet you," the mother of the birthday boy brought in Claire's hand for a shake, trapping Claire with both of her hands enclosed around hers.

"So you've told me," the quiet hypnotist smiled, waiting patiently for the excitement to pass.

"Darrel has been bouncing since yesterday! He couldn't believe at first that I had managed to book you!" Claire looked past the woman and into the house, staring at a glass chandelier spinning the light above the white staircase, clearly knowing why she had accepted the job in the first place.

"I can't wait to meet him," she politely replied instead.

"Well, come on in! I have a perfect table for you to set up on, chairs surrounding so that we can all get a peak of Miss. O'Connor!" she clapped her hands together, widening the door entrance enough for Claire to push her case through the gap.

"It's Doctor, actually," Claire absentmindedly corrected, staring up and down the photo framed walls.

"Oh, right... of course," Mrs Dally pulled a sour smile, clearly bitter at the thought of such a young woman holding such a prestige title... and working parties. "Your field?" she asked, trying to hold the intellectual conversation.

"Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy, abroad study," Claire prided her education she had received from SHIELD, enough to keep it a secret from the world.

Mrs Dally nodded along, pretending to be well informed of the tertiary education, when in actual fact she was only considering whether her son was in the right Middle School or not.

As Claire followed slowly down the hallway, she felt the vibrate of her phone go off against her body once more, regretting the moment she pulled it out and stared down at her mother's familiar picture and smile.

"Would you like to take that?" Mrs Dally asked.

"Oh, um, no thank you. I'm all right," Claire pressed her thumb down on the red outlined decline, and threw it into the jean pocket once more.