Henry took the ear piece off the dashboard as he merged on the 405. Tony had spared no expenses to get him to LA. A dial pad appeared in the windshield and he punched in the AMA's number. He went through the usual prompts.
"Thomas Black speaking."
"Hi love," he said as the traffic slowed to a crawl. "How would you feel if I bought us a new car?"
"Hey Henry," there was a moment of hesitation, "do we really need one?"
"Probably not." He called up the GPS display. "But I was thinking of getting a Ferrari F430." It gave him real time traffic conditions. The highway was jammed way past the exit he needed. He asked it for an alternate route.
"What brought that on?" Thomas asked. Henry could hear him shuffling papers as they talked.
"Tony had one waiting for me when my plane landed. It's a marvelous model." The route highlighted itself on the windshield and Henry started looking for a gap to get into the right lane.
Thomas sighed. "You know I'm starting to think I should have gone with you to keep you safe."
Henry smiled. "You know, if you go to the airport right now you could be here in time for the sun set. Tony has a beach; a secluded, private beach. Imagine it, just you, me, the setting sun and nothing at all between us."
"You're incorrigible," Thomas said with a groan. "Just promise me you won't let him bribe you into joining his company. I couldn't handle a long distance relationship."
"You have nothing to worry about. This is just a consult for an old friend; I'll be flying back to you tonight."
"You'd better, it was strange enough waking up without you next to me."
Henry sneaked in through a gap barely large enough for the car. "You might have to go to bed without me, but I promise that you won't wake up alone this time."
"I'll hold you to it, Thomas said. "About the car, how serious are you?"
"Slightly."
"Then let's discuss it again when you're home."
"Ok. I love you."
"I love you too."
Henry put the ear piece back and pressed the button that made the roof retract. It was a warm sunny morning so he was going to enjoy it.
Fifteen minutes later he had finally travelled the mile separating him from the closest exit. He followed the GPS's directions at a leisurely speed, enjoying the sites and smells of the city. He reached the road that took him along the coast and followed it until Tony's house came into view.
Henry was still amazed at the size of it. Its curved forms reigned over the top of the escarpment. Tony had shown him the plans as soon as he'd finished them and the only thing he'd been able to think about them back then was what did one man need with all that space? Of course, the space had been used for some very memorable parties. But that had been when they were both younger.
The GPS guided him to the gate, which opened as he slowed down, and then to the entrance to the house. Henry was surprised, he'd expected to drive the car to the garage like the last time he'd been over. He turned off the car and got out of it. He didn't have to worry about the keys, this model was activated with a key code. He was halfway up the steps when he heard the car start; he turned and watched as it drove itself to the garage.
When he turned back Tony was standing in the doorway. He looked as suave as always in his white shirt and black suit. Unless Tony was elbow deep inside an engine Henry had never seen him dressed casually.
"Mac!" Tony exclaimed with open arms.
"Stark!" Henry responded in kind, climbing the last few steps and giving his old friend a hug. "That was a neat trick," he said afterward, thumbing over his shoulder.
"Thanks," Tony said as he guided Henry inside. "Everything on the property is mapped out in the car's computer, it even knows where its parking spot is. I figure that within the next year I'll have the optical avoidance system perfected and I can get it to drive on the roads. How was your flight?"
The entrance hall and large living room further in were warm but impersonal, The pictures on the wall were landscape paintings, all originals. There was a gas fireplace with fake logs. The bar at the back of the room only had a few bottles of alcohol. There was a grand piano in an alcove near the stairs going to the second floor.
It was very different from when Tony was a party animal. Now it looked like a proper place to hold a reception for stock holders and lawyers; which Tony had to do on a regular basis. Henry knew the rest of the house had a much more lived in look.
"It was good, but you really didn't have to spring for first class you know."
"Hey, I wanted to get my private jet to pick you up, but no, you're much too good for that."
Henry chuckled. "I like flying commercial."
"Don't you get tired of people staring and whispering behind your back?" They went up the stairs and Henry watched the water cascade down the wall behind them. That hadn't been there the last time.
"With Thor on TV every other half hour I don't look that imposing anymore."
Tony looked at him over his shoulder. "I meant . . . you know."
Henry rolled his eyes. "As you've noticed, I don't wear a sign that says: 'I'm gay'. And unlike you I don't have to flirt with everyone that attracts my attention."
"You can't blame him," a woman said as they reach the top of the stairs, "after all he wouldn't be Tony if he didn't."
"Pepper!" Henry said with a wide smile. He shouldered Tony aside and hugged her. "Still no luck in getting him to stop?"
"Hello Mac." She gave a theatrical sigh. "No, even saying yes when he asked me to marry him didn't put a stop to it. Did you know that he was hitting on my maid of honor during the reception?"
"I did notice," he replied solemnly, "but that's ok, I was hitting on his best man." He moved close to her ear. "And I think got further with him than Tony did with her." He said that in a stage whisper so Tony would hear it, when he pulled back he gave Pepper a wink.
"Wait, what? You hit on Rhodey?" Tony joined them in a few steps. "Please tell me you didn't bed my best friend at my own wedding."
Henry raised his hands. "That between me and him; anyway, you were busy enough that night, what did it matter if I did?" He sat down on the couch. The room was very similar to the one on the floor below, but about half the size, and the low table was covered with magazines, tech journals, finances, and even a Cosmo.
Tony didn't say anything. Henry recognized the look on his face from the times they had worked on problems together. He was probably going over every conversation trying to find a clue to if he'd slept with him or not.
After a full minute of silence Pepper started giggling.
Tony looked at her and then at Henry.
Henry chuckled. "Come on Tony. Even back then I wasn't suicidal enough to hit on someone in the military. Do you know what they did to guys like me back then?"
Tony visibly relaxed and Pepper wrapped an arm around him. "Yep, my husband flirts with pretty much every woman he meets. But that's ok, he doesn't actually do anything else with them." She gave him a light kiss just as the door at the back of the room opened.
A young girl walked in carrying a tray with four tall glasses. She was wearing a salmon coloured dress over a light beige skin tight body suit. She walked with deliberate slowness, making sure the glasses weren't jostled.
Henry moved some of the magazine out of the way when she got close to the table.
She put the tray down and straightened up, with a proud smile.
Henry smiled extended a hand toward her. "Hello Jennifer." She looked like a miniature version of her mother.
She took the hand. "Hello Mister McCoy."
"Please, call me Mac," he replied with a smile, "You're growing up to be a fine young lady." He added, to which she giggled.
She pickead up a glass and handed it to him. "I made it myself."
"What is it?"
"Lemonade."
Peppers knelt next to her daughter as Henry took a sip, He controlled his reaction as the overly sour taste hit his tongue.
"Honey, did Happy help you make it?"
Jenifer shook her head before handing a glass to her mother and her father.
Tony took a long swallow and smiled. "Yes, it is very good." He mussed her hair. "Can you take your mother to the kitchen and show her how you made it? Me and Mac need to talk."
Jenifer nodded and Pepper picked up the tray. Henry watched Tony looked at them as they left.
"You know. There was a time the only thing that would get a sincere look of admiration from you was a well designed engine."
Tony smiled at him. "My priorities changed." He sat down in the seat opposite Henry and drank some more of the lemonade.
"Can I be honest here?"
"Sure."
"I never thought you'd make it work. The marriage, being a father." He added when Tony raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't think I would either. That first year together was tough, but Pepper is the reason I'm alive. Even before I fell in love with her she was what kept Howard's shadow from strangling me, or the weight of the company from crushing me. She took care of me when I was drunk out of my mind and cleaned up the messes I made. And one day I stayed sober long enough to realize what she meant to me. So I drank until I had the courage to ask her to marry me."
"And she said yes."
Tony snorted. "Hardly. She told me to ask her again when I was sober. The thought scared me so much it took six month before I was sober again. Then she said yes. And I've been pretty much sober since then." He finished his glass.
"How can you drink that? I mean, no offence to your daughter, but even for lemonade it's pretty horrible."
"Through sheer determination not to give my daughter any reasons to think I don't love her. She changed my life as much as Pepper did."
"Yeah, I remember. I saw the highlights of the conference on the news. I don't think I remember the media going that crazy before you announced you were shutting down your weapon's division."
"Having a child changes your outlook on life. When I realized that one day she would ask me why I made something that killed, and that I couldn't come up with a real answer. I knew that I had to get out of that game."
"Having you didn't seem to have that effect on your father."
"Howard didn't want me or my mother. We were just window dressing for the corporate image that went with his success. He almost had a heart attack when he found out I was thinking of shutting down the division. Then he did have one when I told him I was selling that division to Stane. Even as he died last year Howard was still cursing my name."
"The move didn't' really affect your company that much." Henry commented, "The advances in medical research for humans and mutants more than made up for it. Then there's your automotive division."
"Yeah, but the amount of work involved was tremendous. Howard was only interested in the easy money, and that was in weapon designing."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments after that.
"Come on," Tony said as he stood, "I didn't ask you over to mull about my family. I need your help with something."
Tony lead Henry down to his workshop.
"Don't you ever clean this place?" Henry asked as he entered. The tables were covered with stuff. Two of them had engines in various states of assembly (or disassembly), one had something that looked like a leg prosthetic and the others, Henry couldn't even guess what was on them.
Tony went to the one table that wasn't occupied and ran a hand over it; menus appeared in the air. He watched as Tony navigated through them until he brought up what he wanted. Henry was impressed, he hadn't figured out how to make a hologram interactive yet.
Henry looked at the image hanging in the air. It was a body suit with cut aways and comments attached to them. It took him a moment to realize it was Jenifer's.
"Jenifer's suit isn't working properly anymore. It isn't keeping her warm when she uses her power. Since you helped me design it I figure you can help me figure out what's going on with it."
Henry nodded. He remembered the frenzied call from his friend four years ago, the story of the fire that had burned down Pepper's parent's house and how Jenifer had put it out by burying everything in snow. No one had known she was a mutant, but the real problem was that Jenifer wasn't immune to the cold she generated; her power had almost killed her.
Tony and he had spent a week working on a crude heat suit to make sure she didn't give herself frostbite by accident. And then half a year on designing the one she now wore. This one could sense her body temperature and adjust to maintain it within a comfortable range.
"What happened?" He asked.
"She's been complaining of feeling cold when she cools stuff down. I've looked over the suit she was wearing then, but I didn't find anything wrong with it. Then it happened again when she was wearing another one. I've examined all of them, but they are working exactly as we designed them to work." As he spoke Tony moved the virtual suit around, opening it, removing layers to show Henry what he had looked at and tested.
Henry watched until he started getting dizzy. "Tony, slow down. I can't help if I can't follow along."
"Sorry. Got carried away."
"I could tell. I'm surprise you don't have one of those that works life size."
Tony nodded to the back of the room. "Actually . . ."
Henry looked at where tony indicated. It was a glass room with nothing but a pedestal in the middle of it. He shook his head with a chuckle. "Ok, so we've established that you like working in virtual, but I'm much better with real world object."
"I can take care of that." Tony moved what looked like a muffler out of the way and opened a door. Out of it he pulled a bright pink body suit. "She decided that it was too pink for her to wear." He handed it to him.
Henry looked it over for a moment before looking back at Tony. "I'm going to need Jenifer in it."
"Do you really?" Tony asked with a worried expression on his face.
"Tony, you've looked the suit over. You don't make mistakes with stuff like that; this is where your genius is. If you say the suit is working as it should, then it is. That means that something must have changed with Jenifer. Mutants . . ."
"I know, I know," Tony interrupted him, "No two mutant power works exactly the same. Even though her power is like that skater kid that's been on TV they don't work the same way."
"Robert Drake, yes. His power over cold came with an immunity to it. He can lower his own body temperature to the point where he's almost ice and he doesn't feel it, while Jenifer's didn't. But more than that, Mutant powers can change over time. Jenifer is unusual in that her mutation kicked in when she was four, so it is quite possible that it is still evolving."
Tony opened his mouth, he looked like he was going to argue, but then closed it and looked away. He walked to the intercom and hesitated before pressing the call button. "P . . . Pepper?"
"Yes?" she answered after a moment.
He hesitated again before talking. "Can you bring Jenifer to my workroom? Henry needs to examine her."
A few minutes later Pepper and Jenifer walked in. Pepper looked worried while Jenifer was smiling as she looked around.
"Come on kiddo," Tony said as he patted the seat of a lager reclining chair, "I need you to sit here."
Henry's cell rang as Jenifer sat down. He checked it quickly, but didn't recognize the number so he let it go to his voice mail.
"Are there going to be needles?" She asked him as he stepped next to the chair.
"No," Henry assured her, "I won't need those. I just want to examine you and your power, if that's ok with you."
"As long as there's no needles. I hate needles." She said resolutely.
Henry set up sensors around her and the space he was going to use. He had Tony put some sensors directly on Jenifer, under the suit. When everything was in place he asked her to cool down a piston he placed on a table a few feet from her.
"How cold do you want it?" she asked him
"Just bring it to the freezing point for now."
"Ok, how fast?"
Henry was surprised at the question. "Not too fast, I just want to run a calibration test."
Henry watched the screen with the infrared display. Jenifer's temperature started dropping and then raising again as the suit compensated. As that happened the air between her and the piston became colder, and then the piston cooled down too.
"That's good, you can stop." The temperatures came back up to normal. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok. This is easy. I can get it colder, and much faster too."
"How cold can you get it?"
"I don't know, I don't have a thermometer when I practice."
"When have you been practicing?" Tony asked.
Jenifer shrugged. "Here and there."
He knelt next to the chair. "Why honey? You know you have to be careful now, especially since your suit isn't working as well as it should."
"Thor says that we have to practice so we can be good. Do you want me to show you how good I've become?"
"That's ok honey." Tony said.
Henry just had the time to pull Tony away with a curse. On the screen Jenifer had quickly gone from red down to deep blue before he'd pulled him away. Now she was almost black. The air around her shimmered as the humidity in it froze and Henry took a few steps back again.
Even at four feet away his breath misted.
The chair became covered with frost and moments later started cracking and then it shattered. Jenifer fell to the ground and the air in the room came back up to normal.
Henry rushed to her. Her skin was blue and she was shivering heavily. "Pepper get a bath ready with cold water! Now!" he added when she didn't move.
"What happened?" Tony asked.
Henry didn't look up from Jenifer as he checked her pulse. "Tony. I need you to get all the ice in the house and dump it in the bath." His voice was hard.
Once Tony left Henry carefully turned Jenifer over and unplugged the power supply to the suit. He then picked her up and brought her to the bathroom. Once Tony had dumped a bucket of ice in the water he lowered her in it.
"Shouldn't we try to warm her up instead?" Pepper asked.
"We can't do it too quickly. Otherwise the shock is what will kill her." He turned the hot water tap to a trickle. "I'm going to be in the hallway. If she stops shivering at any point call me."
He sat on the floor next to the door and rested his head against the wall. He took out his cell to call Thomas and was reminded that he had a message waiting.
"Hello?" it was a woman, the voice was vaguely familiar. "I don't know if you remember me but my name is Alicia Montrose. We met during Maurice's class. I need your help. I think something happened to Maurice. Please call me as soon as you can."
* * * * *
Henry looked up when Tony came out of the bathroom. "How is she?"
Tony leaned against the opposing wall. "No change." He closed his eyes and took a few deep breathes.
Henry was silent for a moment, looking at his cell. "At least we know her power won't outright kill her."
Tony's head snapped and he glared at him. "Won't kill her? What the hell do you call that?" he pointed at the door.
Henry had never seen his friend's face this contorted by anger, but he could understand it. He wasn't thinking like a scientist at the moment, but like a father. "Tony," he said calmly, "you saw what happened to the chair. I happened to glance at the monitor before it stopped working and the temperature around Jenifer was very close to absolute zero. The suit had no way to deal with that, if her power was going to kill her directly it would have done that then."
"Then why is she suffering from frostbite now?" Tony's voice was a mix of anger and worry.
"Because at this time her resistance to cold doesn't match her ability to produce it, but based on what she did when she was four and how it affected her, and what she just did I would say that it is improving. It's conceivable that she will eventually become fully resistant to her power."
That thought calmed Tony. "What are we suppose to do until then?"
"We work on improving the suit, on teaching her restraint. She's smart, after this she'll know to be more careful."
* * * * *
Henry quietly closed the door, careful not to wake Thomas. The sky was just starting to lighten and while his ability to see in the dark was no where near that of his lover, there was enough light coming in through the window for him to make out his sprawled form on the bed.
Henry hadn't expected to be back before sun up. Jennefer's condition slowly improved, but it didn't look like she would wake soon. He'd been about to call Thomas before he went to bed to let him know that he would stay longer than planned, but Tony insisted he went back home. Henry argued that he should stay, but Tony pointed out Jennifer body temperature was close to normal. Normal doctors could look after her now.
Henry had been too exhausted to argue long, and in the end Tony's driver, Happy, drove him to the airport, where Tony's private jet was waiting. Henry nodded on and off in the car and then slept soundly during the flight so that now he felt awake enough to last the day.
He smiled as he undressed, watching Thomas turn and throw the last of the sheets off his body. It was a bit of a joke between them that almost every morning Henry would wake up buried in the bed covers Thomas had thrown off during the night.
Henry climbed in the bed and laid next to his boyfriend, watching him sleep. He didn't' worry about waking him as he moved on the bed. Because of the difference in their body mass Henry had created a force absorbing gel and made their mattress out of it. He could jump on it if he wanted and Thomas wouldn't even feel it.
Henry gently ran a finger along Thomas' arm and his lover sighed contently before turning toward him and snuggling against the larger body. Henry kisses Thomas' forehead before wrapping an arm around him and pulling him a little tighter. With his own contented sigh he closed his eyes and waited for the alarm clock to ring.
