September 12th, 1990 — Cape Canaveral, FL
1:12 PM, EST

"So, how was your appointment, Gran?" Shelby asked over the phone as she finally got the chance to take her lunch break.

Time was flying by as the crew worked towards the Tenacity launch. If it wasn't space or endurance training or calculations, they were working on the actual rocket itself. It seemed that there was too much work to do, and not enough time to do it.

"Oh, it was fine." Her grandmother replied. "No good news, I'm afraid. But, I wasn't expecting any."

Shelby was becoming increasingly worried that something would happen to her grandmother while Shelby was in space. Though the launch was a while off yet, she couldn't help but consider what could happen. The doctors had told Gran that she still had years to live, but Shelby was always one to worry.

"Well, sometimes no news is good news." Shelby stated, trying to remain optimistic.

"That's true." The older woman replied. "How is your ... your work going? What are you doing again?"

Shelby cleared her throat. "We're prepping for space, remember?"

"You're going to space? Shelby, why didn't you tell me that?" Her grandmother said in surprise.

Shelby sighed, knowing that she had told the woman that many times. "Yeah, we're going up in 1992."

"1992? That's a long ways away. You still have to graduate, don't you?" The older woman asked.

"No, Gran. It's ... it's 1990. I've already graduated from MIT." Shelby responded.

"Oh. Right, right." She cleared her throat. "I was at your ceremony. I remember."

It was often moments like these that concerned Shelby the most, when the older woman became confused over things she definitely knew while having a conversation. She could be talking about a topic one moment, and the next she would not know what it was.

"How's your boyfriend?" Gran asked.

Shelby had finally told her grandmother about Adam after she'd called one day while he was over, and the older woman had heard a male voice in the background.

"He's good." Shelby replied.

"Is he an astronaut?" Her grandmother asked.

"Yes." Shelby answered. "He's very smart, Gran. He's English, you would like him."

They weren't technically exclusive, really, Shelby and Adam ... except for the fact that neither was seeing another person, and they both had feelings for each other. Whatever chemistry that had seemingly fizzled out had come back roaring, and they got along seamlessly.

They worked hard to keep their relationship free of work and no one in the office knew about it, except for Dr. Feldstein, of course. He was incredibly good at reading people, and he had noticed the change in atmosphere around the two budding astronauts.

"English?" Gran repeated. "I thought you said he was Chinese."

Shelby frowned, not replying to the comment due to her grandmother's illness. "He was born in London, but his family is originally from Singapore, and, yes, of Chinese descent."

"He talks with an accent, then?" She asked.

Shelby smiled. "Yes, he does." She looked up as her office door opened, and the man himself walked inside.

"He's handsome, I'm sure." Gran laughed. "Send me a picture of the two of you, would you?"

"Sure thing, Gran." The redhead laughed as Adam leaned against the wall with a knowing smirk. He knew they were talking about him.

"Is that your Nan, Shelby?" Adam asked with a grin. "I'd love to talk to her."

"Oh, he wants to talk to me? " The older woman replied, having overheard him. "Shelby, be a dear, would you?"

Shelby rolled her eyes and handed over the phone receiver. "Here he is, Gran."

"Hi, Nan, how goes it?" Adam replied, taking a seat on the edge of Shelby's desk.

Shelby couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, but Adam was chatting away to her grandmother, and that brought a smile to her face. She was finally coming back to the relationship she used to have with her gran, and she was happy about it. There were still some sore feelings and pain between the two, given the many harsh words the two had exchanged over the years, but things were slowly starting to regain a somewhat sense of normality.

Adam and Shelby's grandmother chatted for a few more minutes before Adam passed the phone back to Shelby. She said a few more words to the older woman before hanging up, knowing she and Adam most definitely had somewhere to be.

"I'm glad your relationship is better now." Adam said with a smile. "From what you've told me, it was pretty rocky while you were in college."

"Yeah, it was. I'm glad, too." Shelby gave him a smile before standing up. They had physical training today, something Shelby really didn't enjoy, but something undoubtedly necessary before they launched into space.

She was dressed in sweats, something that was uncommon to find Shelby in at any point in time. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her feet were clad in the unused running shoes she'd bought when she'd moved to Florida in hopes of taking up an exercise regimen, which had never happened. Underneath her sweat suit was a NASA-issued swimsuit, an ugly black thing with the logo plastered largely on the front. They'd been instructed to dress casually for the afternoon and to bring a swimsuit. There was little instruction on what they would actually be doing, but it definitely involved water.

She'd already gone through numerous physical and mental tests before even being accepted, making sure her body (and mind) could handle a trip to space. She'd passed with flying colors, as Shelby did practically every test she'd ever taken, and they were now onto training.

She was being trained physically today, but she'd gone through all sorts of training already, in between the long hours they spent working on the actual rocket. Medic training, astronomy, and even public speaking courses (in case they would ever need to perform a speech on the job) were required before any of them stepped one foot inside a space suit.

Shelby noticed that Adam was also in his swimsuit, his NASA-branded swims shorts were paired with a Manchester United FC t-shirt. He was very interested in soccer, or "football", as he called it. Shelby had tried to learn the teams and rules so she could watch with him, but she found watching a bunch of men kick a ball around on TV rather boring - no offense to Adam, or other fans of the sport.

"Ready, Red?" He asked as he opened her office door.

"Ready." Shelby replied, shutting off the lights and grabbing her office keys.

"You don't suppose NASA is giving us the day off and taking us to the beach, do you?" Adam joked as they walked down the hall.

Shelby laughed. "That would be quite the sight. Dr. Feldstein and Dr. Croft sunning themselves, enjoying strawberry daiquiris."

"Quite the sight indeed." Adam chuckled. "Though I'm not so sure I want to see it."

September 12th, 1990 — New York, NY
7:53 PM, EST

"Where are you going, Anthony?" Tony's mother asked as she peeped her head into his bedroom. "Out with Cassandra?"

"We're going to a party. One of her nurse friends." Tony replied as he tied a tie around his neck. It felt like a noose; he hated wearing ties.

Mrs. Stark nodded and walked over to her son, helping him straighten the tie. "Not quite like the parties in college, are they?"

Tony shook his head. What he wouldn't give to go to one last college-style, binge-drinking party. Cassandra would never approve though, and she certainly would not accompany him.

"No, Mom, they aren't." He replied as he bent down to tie the dress shoes that felt too tight on his feet. Maybe some day he would get used to wearing suits, when he would rise within Stark Industries. Until then, he'd still feel more comfortable in a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and a pair of grease-stained jeans.

"Your father's in the kitchen." Maria said casually, knowing her son and husband had gotten themselves into quite the spat at work earlier in the day.

Tony frowned and rolled his eyes as he fastened a watch to his wrist and grabbed his wallet and car keys. "That's nice." He muttered before attempting to leave the room.

His mother placed a gentle hand on his arm, causing him to stop. "Go talk to him, Tony. You two shouldn't bring an argument home." 

Tony gave her a look, but reluctantly followed her into the kitchen anyways. 

"Going somewhere?" Howard asked as Tony entered the kitchen.

"Out with Cassandra." The younger Stark replied, his voice laden with a slight tinge of anger.

"Hmm." Howard replied, looking down at the copy of the New York Times he had been reading before being interrupted. Tony braced himself for some snide remark from his father, a comment on how Tony shouldn't be doing such things. "Well, mind you're not hungover in the morning. I'll need your brain in prime operating condition."

A flicker of a smile appeared on both Stark men's faces, and Maria beamed at what appeared a decent resolution. "Have a good time, Tony."