Author's Note: I don't know why I'm doing this to myself, but here I am starting another story when I should be finished the others I have. But I saw Civil War today and I've kept this idea in my head for a while I had to try.

~The American Dream~

Chapter 1: One Step In the Right Direction

December 16, 2010

As a young woman sketched on her notebook before her commute, her grandfather sat across from her grumbling about something. She didn't take too much time concentrating on it knowing it would lead to a rant. Meanwhile her grandmother was busy making breakfast for everyone singing her usual songs in Spanish over the crackling radio.

Her lip twitched as she watched her beloved grandmother dancing to the salsa music playing over the radio as she turned over the scrambled eggs on the pan. Teresa Holmes was much as lively as the music that played. Her black hair (that she denied that she dyed) was primly pinned back against her olive skin, to keep it away from her cooking. Her short stature made up for it with a graceful nature; there was never one step she took without a purpose and that was admirable. Tess always considered her grandmother to be so beautiful for her age. She looked younger than her eyes, but her brown eyes showed wisdom and the light crinkles which gave away her age. This was the woman that had taught Tess everything she knew. She was named after that very woman and she was proud of it. She was a woman that took pride in her home and both and her husband tried hard to get her family what they could. As she began to yell at the boys to keep it down, Tess knew it was a normal Thursday morning.

In the madness of her home, there was nothing but noise, to them it signified life. If it wasn't loud music, it was yelling from their grandmother to keep things clean. There was always a mess in the house: if it wasn't from the junk that her brothers brought from their sport games, it was the junk that her grandfather brought Tess to play with. That was her favorite thing: the so-called junk.

Tess wasn't her usual nineteen year old; she enjoyed tinkering with things and her grandfather was always a supporter for her weird interests. She was never interested in sports (she wasn't that coordinated nor had enough strength), those were the things her two brothers excelled at more than anyone out there. Her oldest brother, Jaime was helping her grandfather at the auto shop they owned. Her middle brother Thomas was attempting to get his AA in business, and as for her, she mulled over applications: job applications. Her dream school was MIT and she knew it would never pay for itself. Even with financial aid, she knew it would be impossible. Her dream was to be just like-

"Can you believe a man has so much power?!"

…And there it was. Her brown eyes looked up curiously from her notebook to take in her grandfather. He was as american as you got; a Vietnam veteran with a strong moustache over his thin lip. He was conservative, blue collar, and yet somehow married the woman that brought life into his home. Michael Holmes was never to marry a person outside his race, let alone an immigrant who barely spoke the language. But as he explained over and over again to Tess, it was clear to him that despite their initial language barrier not to mention color barrier they managed to make a happy home thirty years later.

That is except for now as he read the paper. Tess fought back a smile.

"What do you mean grandpa?" Tess asked.

"This Tony Stark man!" the old man pointed angrily at the Times magazine he held in his hand.

Why Tony Stark Will Save the World

Tess looked brightly at the magazine trying not to look too enthused as she grabbed it from her grandfather.

While he began to rant about the so-called rich playboy, she read over his accomplishments. Sans the bad press and sleeping around, Tess hoped to be as wealthy as the man in the magazine. Despite his braggadocious attitude, she admired his brain. As he was moving away from the destructive weapons and more towards renewable energy she grew more and more interested in what he did. Her eyes scanned the page all the more. He was a famous alumni of MIT, and someone she wouldn't mind working under.

"Are you listening to me my heart?"

"Yes grandpa, I am" she murmured before putting the magazine down. "You're right, he's not the best influence, but you have to admit, he could do a lot of good out there. Imagine what he could do to the countries that need clean energy? I mean look at Iron Man! It'd be amazing."

"He won't do it, you know why?" the old man asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

Tess shook her head confused, but her grandfather merely smiled and grabbed her chin, to lift her head a bit more.

"Because you will do that. You hear me? You're meant for something bigger than this"

Tess smiled brightly at her grandfather. Money never came easy to the family of five; there was always enough to pay the bills and rent, but never for expenses like college or even a car. Her dream was to get them a house, a good one that they could retire and enjoy their last years. Her grandparents were forced to raise three children after their parents abandoned them, and for that reason, Tess knew she needed to one day make it all worth it, their sacrifices would have happened for a reason.

"Stop that" her grandmother swatted her husband. "You do what you want to do darling, and the rest will fix itself out" as her grandmother kissed her forehead, Tess chuckled. They only wanted the best for her. "So where are you off to today?"

"Oh!" Tess immediately showed them the paper where she had circled items. I'm planning to look into Manhattan today, so I'll be gone for a bit. Hopefully I can get into something good you know?"

"That's good, something to keep you busy"

As she nodded the dining room soon grew smaller as her larger brothers came in and began to eat. They took so much space in the small dining room. Jaime was a former quarterback so he was built but taller than most. He had their grandfather's green eyes that were filled with mischief, and while he wasn't the brightest, he was good with his hands. Thomas in the meanwhile was shorter than his older brother, but stockier with the same eyes; he was smart in his own way and dreamed of one day getting out of Queens. And while everyone ate and passed the eggs and toast, Tess firmly looked down at her options before joining them in conversation.

….

Once their food was eaten, Tess found herself waving goodbye and heading out her door. She managed to look at her reflection once more through the window making sure everything looked in order. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, keeping her wavy hair in place. Her black-rimmed glasses rested perfectly on her nose as her chubby cheeks peeked under. She tried to be as professional as possible, hoping to look older than she was. But the truth was that she had very little experience. Other than high school, her life rested on solely her designs for tinkering and whatever she could help her grandparents on.

"Are we done looking at ourselves?" a voice said.

Jumping she turned to see her boyfriend looking amused about scaring her. She laughed before kissing him softly. Benjamin was a perfect boyfriend; that's what she told herself because there was no other words that would describe him. He was on his first year at NYU, studying criminal justice and he was determined to get himself out of Queens. They had been together since they were tweens and they had stuck it out till now. He supported her greatly, but was displeased at her not bothering to apply anywhere for college.

"You ready to head out? The subway won't wait for us"

"Right!"

Both walked side by side, him with a backpack filled with textbooks, and her with a purse that held nothing but copies of her resume and her notebook filled with never ending ideas. As they squished themselves into the train, they knew that they had only this moment to chat before they went on their separate ways.

Tess was glad she had him in her life. He was a handsome guy; his eyes were a bright blue, and his hair was a messy jet-black hair that he desperately tried to slick back but failed miserably. He was tall and lanky, but perfectly complimented her shorter and fuller body. She could never call herself skinny; she was medium.

She had medium length hair, her body was medium height, and her features as she thought were also medium. Average was all she was. She had brown hair, brown eyes, in a world full of people that shined with uniqueness. She never quite understood why he was still with her when they were better people around, but she would never say it aloud.

"My stop is coming up" he said sighing.

"Okay, be safe, don't fall in love with someone smarter than me okay?" she smiled.

His only response was to squeeze her hip and a kiss to her forehead. As they said their goodbyes, she was once more alone. She needed to get a job today; she couldn't be the only grandchild without anything going for them. She had a plan: save money, apply to MIT, graduate, and somehow in that growing up earn money to make something out of herself. How to get there was a mystery but her path had to be clear at some point right?

As her stop came, she quickly got out and tried to get herself ready before starting the long trek through the tall buildings hoping one would be hiring fresh faces. It was eight in the morning and she was determined to get something good. She knew that something good was coming her way. It just had to.

Eight hours later…

She wanted to cry. Wasn't the saying that when one door closes another opens? Then where the hell was that open door? She had done six interviews, and in each of those, the door slammed on her. She was told she was too young, too unprepared, or too fresh to even be considered for a position. At this point fast food looked like the best option. Her feet hurt, her resumes were crinkled in her bag and she was hungry. Wasn't there some luck out there that could come her way?!

As she was glum over her misfortune, a limousine did a quick turn, splashing the drainage water on her only clean outfit. She cried out in disgust for not only was she dirty, but her bag fell open and her resumes were soaked to the bone. As she closed her eyes and counted to ten so her tears wouldn't rise.

"Look a bit put out there, don't you?" a voice said.

"Well, my resumes are swimming towards the drain, I guess I'd be a bit put out!" Her voice was slowly rising.

She was so pathetic and she knew it, especially since each of those copies cost her ten cents at the library. Bending down she tried to see which ones could survive with a dry under the sun. Cursing under her breath she wondered if she could ask Ben to print some for her while in school.

" Oh? Looking for a particular job?"

"One that pays?" she muttered annoyed as she made a noise of disgust as a wet rat went into one of the gutters. She was about to give up but as she opened her bag she noticed that her notebook was no longer where she had left it. As she began to frantically dig her hands into the water the voice continued.

"Are those papers really that important?"

"Forget the papers I'm looking for-"

"For this?" the cheap spiral blue notebook popped into her peripheral vision and she was quick to turn.

Never in her life did she think she would see the man in front of her: Tony Stark. The billionaire playboy/genius was in the flesh, and holding her notebook. He was handsome in a sort of "I-have-lots -of-money" sort of way. And as she looked at him she knew he was probably wearing Tom Ford and something that cost probably what three months worth of rent was for her family. Meanwhile her outfit consisted of what one cufflink probably cost him. It was embarrassing and mortifying, especially when she didn't even bother to fix herself.

"Let's see here" he began to read the wet resume on top. "nineteen, fresh out of high school, volunteered at animal shelters, worked at an auto shop? Interesting. And what do you expect to get from this?" He threw the paper away. "What's in the notebook that matters to you?"

"It's mine!" she cried out much like a petulant child. As he moved away from her, she didn't quite know if it was because of keeping the notebook away, or the stench that the water had left on her.

"Feisty, but you didn't answer my question" he waggled his finger.

"It's my ideas book" she said embarrassed. "I write ideas, goals, just…things that keep me sane."

"Huh, cute" he shoved the notebook her way, no longer interested in it. "You know? I like you. You got spunk. Come by Stark Towers tomorrow morning. Oh, and sorry about the whole" he moved his fingers around the mess his limo had made on her.

As he turned to walk away, she stood there gobsmacked. As she hugged her possibilities book against her chest, she replayed what he read in her head.

"W-wait! Mr. Stark!" she called out rushing his direction.

As he turned around with such suaveness she stopped walking and looked anxious.

"Is this a joke? Please tell me it's not, I really need this." her desperation was palpable.

He shrugged.

"We can always use a receptionist or whatever. Just come in tomorrow less….dirty and ask for Pepper Potts, she'll figure out something. She always does."

"You don't even know me! Or my name?"

"I was just going to put 'Sewage-girl' but I guess a name would be better."

"It's Tess" she said excitedly. "Tess Holmes, and I'll be there bright and early Mr. Stark, I promise"

As she looked so brightly at him, Tony stared at her briefly before nodding and walking off. There was her door. This man had opened the door for her dream without even realizing it, and she was not about to mess it up. At this moment, nothing mattered. Not the sewage water that made a squishing noise in her shoe, not the fact that she had no other clothes to wear for tomorrow that were deemed professional. All that mattered that was for a brief second Tony Stark acknowledged her and gave her a job.

She cried out in glee before actually beginning to cry. While the people of Manhattan kept to themselves and their tight schedule, an nineteen year old cried in the streets in excitement of what her life was taking her. It was such a baby step, but it would mean a paycheck that she could give her grandparents.

December 17, 2010

Tess checked herself one more time turning around in the bright yellow dress her grandmother had given her. It belonged to her mother; a taboo topic in their home. While her grandfather refused to even have her name mentioned in the home, her grandmother refused to throw some things away, such as the dress. Tess never knew what to think about the woman that somehow left everything behind including her children, but at the moment she was just thankful her grandmother had been so sentimental. Plus whoever her mother was, she had some style, enough for her to have dresses that she could now wear to work.

Pushing her glasses up, she smiled at herself. Her grandparents were so proud of her for getting a job. Even her brothers had begrudgingly praised her before getting back to video games. This was one step before being the success she knew she was destined to be.

"Darling, you're going to be late!" Her grandmother warned.

"Right!" Tess squeaked before kissing her grandmother's cheek, throwing a thick coat on and her boots to rush off to meet Benjamin.

…

"So you have no clue what you're doing?"

In the usual routine, Benjamin and Tess held on to their dear lives on the train as it filled with people. She knew that he had every right to be skeptical, but she didn't want him to ruin this for her. This was her opportunity to maybe have a stable income and one day she could show Mr. Stark and invention she had successfully built. 'Baby steps, Tess' she chastised herself.

"No, but Miss Potts will be helping me figure that out" she replied giddy.

"Baby….it could be anything" he said uncomfortable. " You know? He's a playboy and all and well…"

"Don't say that!" she interrupted him, her cheeks flushing. "He promised me something but not that. I would never do that"

"Don't I know it" he muttered to himself before earning a swat from her.

His frustration in her fear of intimacy had sprung that unwarranted comment and it was mortifying for her to hear. She knew that she had to eventually…but maybe not so soon? He knew he was frustrated but she would never just do that no matter how long they were together.

"I'm sorry-" he began.

"This is your stop" she replied frustrated herself.

He didn't even bother to kiss her goodbye and she didn't bother to say anything about it. This wasn't a day to mess up, instead she wrapped her winter coat tighter around her as she waited for her own stop to come up.

…

The building was even more beautiful up close. She tried not to be too obvious to her shortcomings, but this was astounding. Even walking in the building was fabulous with all the lights and modernist designs. She held her binder close as her satchel hung carelessly on her side. Her admiration was cut short.

"May we help you?" a security guard said.

She jumped slightly and felt her cheeks flush at her missteps. Gripping the notebook tighter against her chest, she cleared her throat.

"Yes, I'm looking for a Miss Pepper Potts?"

"Name"

"O-oh, Tess Holmes sir"

"You're not on the list" he was quick to reply.

"B-but Mr. Stark hired me yesterday" her voice showed her nervousness, "h-he said he would put me on the list and Miss Potts would take care of the rest!"

The desperation in her voice was clear, and she tried not to wince at hearing it, but she needed this job and bad. For a brief second she wondered if this was all a prank by Mr. Stark, just making fun of a kid trying to grow up.

"You're not on the list kid, maybe another time" he waved her off.

Before he could even walk away, she found herself growing a spine and take the iPad from him. He protested but she scrolled hoping to find something that had some relation to her. Nothing.

"I know I'm hired. He promised me" she said louder, "I demand to speak to Miss Potts, because I did not do this commute just to be dismissed!"

Before she made a scene, a glamorous Tony Stark strolled into his building with a strawberry blonde beside him. She was clearly telling him things and he was listening half heartedly as they headed towards the secure area.

"Mr. Stark!" Tess yelled.

"No autographs, sorry kid"

"Mr. Stark it's me!" she rushed over much to the protests of the security guard. She never deemed herself as a running, but there she was in her boots hoping to catch the elusive man who promised her a job.

"You?" he took of his glasses and lifted his brow curiously. "And you are…"

"Mr. Stark, you hired me yesterday" she said her shoulders sagging, and her eyes dimming at his dismissive attitude. "You told me that I had to come in this morning to talk to a Miss Potts about what I could do! I-I'm here" her voice softened.

"You hired her?" Pepper Potts said curiously. "And you don't remember her?"

"You're sewer girl right?" he said suddenly. "Oh yes, she's hired, just…forget to tell you I guess. Take care of her okay? Figure out what she can do, and those reports….they can wait…till next year"

Before Pepper could protest Tony was off doing whatever he did. Pepper sighed before turning over to look at Tess who looked so grateful for this moment. The girl was young, that was the first thought that Pepper had before taking all of her in. She had to admit that the girl was not a usual hire from Tony and she genuinely wanted to work.

"Okay, shoot: what kind of experience do you have?"