FRIDAY

She could see that Dr. Banner and Virgil were struggling to pick up the downed man. On boss's signal, she moved the suit to lift Mr. Howlett up.

"Jeez, how much does he weight FRIDAY?" Boss asked.

"400 pounds, Mr. Stark." Her reply was interesting even for her. Even the boss's most heavy suit came to up to 420 pounds.

"Wow, how does he even move?"

"His mutant powers, maybe" Ms. Ross commented as they were walking towards the infirmary.

Dr. Banner shook his head. "No, He said that his powers were a supernatural healing factor and those claws. According to FRIDAY, his bones are covered by some type of metal. I think the weight is of that metal, and his body adapted overtime to carry the weight."

FRIDAY disagreed; the human body cannot adapt to carry double the amount of weight without any external factor. She was sure the answer was in his mutant powers. A mark 5 suit unfolded in the hall and picked up Mr. Howlett's blood lying on the floor in nanite slides. A detailed check of the few droplets of blood started before Dr. Banner could even start his diagnosis.

Just as JARVIS had finished scanning Mr. Howlett's body, FRIDAY had the answer. "Mr. Howlett's blood carries an exceedingly high level of metal in it. But none of his internal organs seems to show any adverse effect due to it."

Boss interrupted her in between. "Metal poisoning? How bad, FRIDAY? Is that's why he is unconscious?"

There was a strange tone in Boss's words, one which FRIDAY was having trouble recognizing. When JARVIS answered his question in a very soft voice, FRIDAY knew she was missing something here.

"The blood poisoning level is 91%, Sir." She saw Boss and Dr. Banner's eye lift to the ceiling. It seemed they too had noticed the hesitating tone in JARVIS's answer. A few seconds later JARVIS spoke again. "The percentage level of poisoning is continuously changing, Sir."

A heavy silence spread in the room. Boss's tone was now urgent. "How much time, JARVIS?"

"At the current rate of change, 1 year, 9 months, 12 days, 7 hours and 41 minutes, Sir."

Nela had to ask the question as everyone else in the room was stunned. "How, JARVIS?"

"The change is very minute, Ms. Stark. In a single minute, the level increased by 0.0000005% and decreased by 0.0000003%."

Dr. Banner came to the same conclusion as she did. "His healing factor. It is fighting a losing battle with the poisoning."

A sensor alarm caught her attention as Dr. Banner stopped speaking. She immediately addressed Boss and Boss lady. "Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts, Morgan is having a nightmare."

Boss, who had been studying the results of the diagnosis, immediately turned and left the room. Ms. Potts and Nela followed right behind them. Soon the room was empty as everyone except Dr. Banner and Dr. Ross left the room. Just as Boss entered Morgan's room, Dr. Banner addressed her.

"FRIDAY, can you model the serum's..."

PEPPER POTT"S POV

Everything else had fled from her mind after FRIDAY informed them about Morgan. She was nearly running behind Tony towards the residential area of the mansion. Tony's voice was abnormally neutral.

"FRIDAY, Is this the first time?"

The A.I. took a few seconds before replying. "No, Mr. Stark. It has been happening for 2 weeks..."

"Why didn't you inform us earlier?" Tony's voice had a well-controlled shiver of anger now. She knew what was going to happen if FRIDAY didn't have a valid answer.

"I consulted a specialist anonymously, Mr. Stark. He suggested..."

She ran to catch up as Tony's anger exploded. "God damn it, FRIDAY. You should have told us, not a random idiot. You..."

She caught his hand just as they entered the corridor in which Morgan's room was. Signaling Nela to enter she pulled Tony behind. His boyfriend was shaking as he tried to free his hand. She pulled him closer, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"Tony, you have to relax. Morgan may react to your anger. So please, calm down."

His deep breaths told him that he was listening to her. "Pep, FRIDAY...

"I know. But you can discuss it with her later. Right now, Morgan needs us."

After he had calmed down, she pulled him towards the room. Just before entering she addressed the now silent A.I.

"FRIDAY, don't tell about this to anybody."

"Okay, Ms. Potts."

The scene inside the room broke something inside her. She had expected a lot of things, but Morgan sobbing heavily in Nela's arms was not one of them. She noticed them as they approached the bed. Her reaction was explosive.

Morgan, with her eyes red and full of tears, pointed her small fingers towards Tony and started shouting. "You are not my Daddy. Daddy never came back. Mommy glowed. I want Daddy..."

Any further words were muffled as Tony stepped forward and took her in his arms. She could still head Morgan's demand for Daddy as the little girl put her arms around Tony.

"Shush baby girl I'm here, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, no one's going to take me away from you." Tony's voice broke a little as he rocked the little girl in his arms. She was still bawling into his shirt while clutching desperately to his neck.

Nela was singing softly as she curled into Tony's side, her hand resting gently on Morgan's back. Pepper paused in the doorway for a moment and after a moment of hesitation, she too joins the small family that is forming on the bed, quietly adding her voice to Nela's soft voice in the lullaby.

What felt like hours but was only a few minutes later, Morgan has finally calmed down and stopped crying, although she had not let go of Tony and was mumbling something to herself over and over. It was Nela who heard and understands her first.

"Am I a dream little sister? After all, if mom and dad are a dream, I must be one as well. But I bet you've never had a big sister that you could hug before and I bet you never even dreamed of having a big sister who can cry and laugh, tickle and hug, bleed and get matching broken bones. And I can do all those things. I am real, sister."

Within a few minutes of this comment, the combination of her crying fit, the emotional and physical exhaustion, and maybe knowing for the first time in weeks that she was truly safe, Morgan slipped into a restful sleep curled up warm and snug in her daddy's arms.

"From now on every time she has a nightmare you call me FRIDAY," Tony whispered in a quiet voice. He wasn't as cold or angry as he was in the hallway but there was a firmness to his tone that booked no argument. Pepper recognized it from older times, it was a tone that Tony took when dealing with underlings, or anyone else when they're being particularly obtuse.

Trying to shift Morgan's weight to lay her back down in bed just caused her to whimper and curl up tighter in his arms. In fact, anytime the three adults tried to move, Morgan would make a sound of distress. With the shared look, all three of them decided to give in for the night and curl up together in Morgan's bed. Thankfully, Tony had purchased her a Queen-sized bed that looked like it belonged in a princess's fairy tale, so while it was a tight fit for the three adults, they did fit.

After a few moments of quiet, she whispered tp Tony.

" What is with the smile on your face?"

"How could I not smile." Tony quietly replied,

"I'm currently curled up in bed with 2 of my daughters. The 3rd one is currently watching over all of us unless I miss my guess is probably going to start playing some relaxing white noise to help us fall asleep."

"But I'm not your daughter." Came the broken whisper as Nela replied to Tony's comment.

"Says who? Who says you're not my daughter? I know it's not me, it's not pepper, it's not Morgan Or FRIDAY. They see you As what my daughter, their sister. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise you point him out to me, I'll set them straight. I don't care if it's the board, a lawyer, a Reporter, or SHIELD, no one gets to say that you are not mine. Because you are. You're my baby girl just as much as Morgan is just as much as Friday is, you're mine to protect and love, you're mine in every little way that matters and in every little way that doesn't. It's funny I never wanted children because I was so scared of becoming my father. I was so scared of having a child and becoming an abusive alcoholic. That was the reason I never wanted to get married cause I never wanted a woman to look at me in fear. And yet curled up with my two children and a woman I hope one day be my wife I realize my fears were unfounded."

This was said in a fierce whisper as Tony moved one of his arms from just around Morgan to wrap it around Nela as well. Drawing her tightly into his embrace as Pepper slid an arm around the three of them from his other side. Nela seemed to freeze for a moment as if unsure of how to accept parental affection before she abruptly melted into the care of their offering. With Friday putting on a relaxing piece of classical music the three adults quickly drifted off to sleep. That night no one in that room had a nightmare.

Nela Was the first one awake the following morning though not by much. She was quietly marveling in the feeling of safety and unconditional love when she happened to glance over at Pepper and realize she too was awake. With a few unspoken words, Pepper manages to ask what she should order for breakfast and then quietly got her phone and texted FRIDAY to do so thereby Prompting FRIDAY to waft the smell of coffee throughout the mansion waking the adults who actually went to sleep and calling the ones who didn't to the dining room for breakfast.

BREAKFAST NEXT DAY

TONY'S POV

Carrying a laughing Morgan on his shoulders, he entered the dining hall along with Pepper and Nela. The last night's discussion had made him quite happy, and the feeling was still coursing inside him. Due to this, he failed to notice the nervous state of Bruce and Betty. It was Pepper's poking which finally made him pay attention to things around him.

While the immediate arrivals in the room looked normal, the ones already present were anything but. Bruce and Betty seemed to be vibrating in their seats while Virgil, Mordo, and Happy seemed to have an expression of awe on their face.

"There is something that I have seemed to miss. Mind filling me Brucie bear?" He ignored the snort from Betty but not one from Nela. "Hey, no making fun of your Dad. There is a rue on that somewhere, I am sure."

Happy's tone was filled with confusion. "Tony, why are you making Dad jokes?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but Bruce didn't give him that opportunity. The scientist jumped from his seat, throwing a file towards him. "Tony, we created a cure for cancer."

He looked down at the thin file in front of him and back at Bruce. His pause was long enough that Bruce got an irritated expression on his face. "Say something, you bloody genius."

His mouth opened on reflex. "Umm, Nice."

Bruce stared at him for a long time before throwing his hands in the air and marching out, Betty tagging along with him. "FRIDAY, tell him. I am going to get a bloody drink."

He would deny till his dying breath that the next words out of his mouth had a girly tone to them. "FRIDAY?"

The dimension traveling A.I.'s voice was also filled with excitement and amusement. "We obtained some more blood samples after you left the infirmary, Mr. Stark. Dr. Banner asked me to simulate the effect of serum on the blood. The results were not satisfactory. The serum was unable to reduce or nullify the poison."

"But that's impossible. The serum is supposed to solve any issues inside the body."

"I know, Mr. Stark. But it was unable to do with Mr. Howlett's blood poisoning."

Bruce chose that moment to enter the room. "The only reason we can think is the metal that is the reason behind the poisoning. Adamantium, if I am not wrong. Is there any element by that name in this world, FRIDAY?"

"No, Dr. Banner. I did perform a check last night. No mention of it was found anywhere."

"hmm. Anyway, when the serum didn't work, we decided to use the extremis. It worked, but not as we expected. FRIDAY, could you bring up the simulation."

A newly installed screen in the hall lit up.

"The extremis, instead of removing the poison, dissolved inside the blood. A few minutes later, the poison separated itself from the blood."

Bruce was looking at him with an excited expression.

"FRIDAY had some vials of extremis stored. We used one of them on the blood. The same thing happened. Tony, I think extremis sort of kick-started something inside his blood, most likely what James here called as his healing factor. This factor removed the poison from the blood, as it must have been doing inside the body. I think that that's what his body needs. To kickstart the healing factor once more."

FRIDAY answered the unasked question.

"We theorized that his healing factor, due to healing all his injuries through his lifetime, and the constant fight with metal poisoning, started to wither. Because even with all his mutations, Mr. James Howlett is basically a human, just with some different genes. There is only a limit at which anything natural can function."

It took him some time to go through the file and process everything. Once done, he looked up at Bruce.

"Okay, I understand everything you said. But how does it connect to a cure for cancer."

Betty answered his question. "The Nanites, Tony. The extremis will remove the current poisoning, but it will not do anything to stop the continued metal leaking from his bones. In a few years, he will be right back to square one. The serum, on the other hand, can do that. FRIDAY successfully simulated a way to use the nanites to coat his bones with the serum. We think that the serum can be modified to hold back a large part of leaking metal. If we are successful in doing that, the nanites can be used in the same way to treat cancer cells. Maybe we could modify extremis to do so. The cure would treat so many people..."

"No" Pepper's strong tone stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Pep..."

"No, Tony. Take a moment and think about it. You told me that nanites are difficult to make. And once a person has them how can they be removed? Can they even be removed? Or do they break down over time?. Think about how they could be used if the technology falls in the wrong hands. There is also the issue of Extremis. A.I.M is still developing it and we must look at that issue soon. If we go public with this then they can accuse us of corporate espionage. And from what FRIDAY has said while Maya might be willing to work with us there is no way that Killian would. So, then we must start looking at a hostile takeover of the company which will raise a lot of eyebrows unless we tell the world why and that will cause more problems. Not to mention the cost to treat people. You can't only provide it solely to people who could pay the amount needed for treatment, it will bring a lot of negative PR. That is even if you can get to pass the trials that the F.D.A. would put it through and the potential for it to leak out due to said trials. The board will never allow SI to bear the negative PR. In fact, they might try to turn things back on you making you look like the bad guy just so that it does not affect the company as a whole. You may be able to offer it with your personal fortune, but it would bleed you dry in a few years. I don't think you want that, given that you have two daughters to care for now."

Bruce's next words had a lot of anger in them.

"Ms. Potts, You are telling me that money is more important than human lives. You..."

Pepper was now in full CEO mode as he liked to call it.

"Yes, I am telling you that, Dr. Banner. I care about the lives of people. But I care more about the people who work for me and the people I love. I will not let a greater good harm Tony, Morgan, or SI. I am not a benevolent philanthropist. I am the COO of the largest multinational company in the world. As a scientist, you are only looking at the cure for a deadly disease. As a Business leader, Girlfriend of CEO, and a mother, I am looking at the effect that cure will have over things I will care about. So, No, the cure will not be released in its current form."

Bruce refused to back down, staring angrily at Pepper. He saw the ever-present suit in the room moving forward as Betty tried to calm him down.

"You cannot stop this, Pepper. I will not..."

Pepper hand lifted in the air.

"I know that, Dr. Banner. But I don't have to. You are forgetting that there is someone else who cares more about the Stark family and its things than the normal human population. And that someone has more than enough tools to stop you from releasing this information.

A deafening silence spread in the room as Pepper reminded everyone about the A.I.

Bruce visibly struggled for a moment before looking towards the projection.

"FRIDAY?"

FRIDAY took a moment to answer. "Ms. Potts is correct, Dr. Banner. The nanotech is not ready to be released in public. Extremis might never be known to the public in its current form until it becomes necessary in the future. We don't know what effect the use of modified extremis will have on common people. We may end up giving people superpowers. You see the side that says that there will be no more death due to cancer, while Ms. Potts sees the cost of offering this 'cure'. I on the other hand see the side that says this is a slippery slope that could be end up with SI and Mr. Stark being blamed for making superhumans. You have seen the damage that careless use of powers can so. And while we could still create a setup to cure people, the cost would be too large to bear even for SI, let alone a single person. I cannot allow any inheritance for Morgan to be sacrificed for people who would never care for her."

It struck him for the first time, that FRIDAY above everything else was a selfish entity in a way. She only cared about her core protocol and the things she considered important. Anything else didn't matter to her at all. That revelation was terrifying.

Bruce's words brought him out of his musing.

"Tony, you are the CEO, her boyfriend..."

He raised his eyebrows at the obvious attempt at divide and conquer.

"Pepper is my Girlfriend, Dr. Banner. She is the woman who has managed my everything for me for years, the woman who can be considered as one of the most powerful people in the world, the woman who has kept SI stable through everything I have put it through, the woman I trust more than anyone else. You expect me to override her?"

His anger started showing as he pressed on.

"Or are you suggesting that I override an A.I. who has made her sole mission to protect me and keep my daughter happy, just for a greater good? Are you forgetting what exactly I was known as once, Dr. Banner?"

He ignored the scientist as the man walked out of the room with a huff. Mordo too stood up from his seat.

"I will talk to the Doctor. He just needs to understand it from a different perspective."

Betty followed behind him but turned to look back.

"I apologize for what he did, Ms. Potts. He has lived his life in books and research, he doesn't understand."

Pepper waved her off.

"That doesn't excuse the sexism he just showed, Ms. Ross. Either way I don't care, just tell him to not repeat it."

Once both of them left the room, he gave a flying kiss to Pepper. Ignoring the gagging sound made by Nela, he addressed the almighty A.I.

"FRIDAY, mind telling me more about the cure."

As he and Pepper tried to get Morgan to eat her fruits, FRIDAY explained more about the cure for Mr. Howlett to them.