XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 2 Chapter 2 - Photos and Pop

Samuel was cold. He looked around and found himself unable to see. He hurt everywhere and became frightened. Had he been taken? He pulled his arm only to feel it was chained to something.

"Are you finally awake, Sleeping Beauty?" A familiar voice asked.

Samuel's chest ached. He coughed and realized his mouth was dry. "Where are we?" He coughed.

Tony Tyler turned on a small light that was attached to the wall. It hurt Samuel's eyes, but the rest of the pain in his body quickly made him forget about it. "What happened?"

"Well, they just brought us in here a few hours ago." He told him as he ate something.

Samuel lay down on his back and concentrated on healing himself.

"They have been keeping you asleep with some….long ass stick with an electric tranquilizer. It's been days-"

"Days?!" He asked, and immediately regretted his outburst. Tony waved his arm in front of the arm band that had Samuel chained to the wall. It opened.

"I think it's been days. I really have no idea. You're not the only one they've shot with that damn stick. I'd like to ram it up their ass."

Samuel groaned and sat up. Tony helped him drink something that tasted like cold, chicken soup.

"There, that should help." He said as he helped him.

Samuel was hungrier than he had ever been. He began to feel better after half of the cup was gone. Tony helped him lay back down. "There. Rest, Doc."

"Oh, I hurt everywhere."

"Rest. It wears off." Tony told him.

Samuel's eyes adjusted to the light. "How long have you been here?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't know. A little longer than you have been."

"Days?" Samuel couldn't believe he had heard him correctly.

"Yeah." Tony nodded as he drank some more water. He looked around the room. "Granted, they only just put us in here. I think they were building it or something."

The room was small and held two small cots. There were no windows but Samuel could feel that they were on a ship and there was no planet beneath his feet. The only source of light was the bulb that Tony had turned on earlier. The floor and the walls seemed to be made of white rubber.

The tray Tony ate from held rather nice food to be for prisoners.

Samuel rubbed his face. His arms felt as though they weighed 50 lbs each. "They think I'm Soli."

"That explains a hell of a lot." Tony nodded.

"Is Karen alright?" Samuel asked.

"They only brought you in."

Samuel smiled, "That's good. They didn't get her. She got away. Arles has her."

Tony shook his head. "I don't know about any of that. You are the only one I've seen."

Samuel sat up carefully and looked at his own, dirty hand. It shook.

Tony noticed. "Let me help you, man. You're weak."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tony popped into his Penthouse. Arcite stood at the bar with his hands behind his back. "Oh! Tony. I was about to go fetch young Soli."

"Pepper!" He shouted. "Jarvis. Where is Pepper?"

Jarvis replied. "Pepper Potts is still in her office."

"Ah!" Tony clapped his hands together. "Good!"

Tony pointed at Arcite. "Take Soli to John's. The children are returning and he'll want to see them."

"Yes, sir." Arcite popped away.

He ran to the lift and took it down to the offices. When he walked through the offices, he was met with several more gasps and mumbles from people there than was usual. He ignored them and kept his eyes forward. He thought to himself. "Damn it. Don't people just….look at their phones or something instead of me?"

He opened the glass door to the main office. Pepper's secretary sat at the desk, quickly sprang up. "Mr. Stark. She's in a-"

He was already at the door. He smiled and shook his head. "I won't be but just a second."

He tapped on the door and opened it before she had a chance to say anything. He walked in and smiled. "Sorry to butt in!"

Pepper sat behind a desk with three men in suits, who sat across from her. They all stood up as he walked in and closed the door. The bright sunlight from outside showed through the windows. Exton stood in the corner with his hands behind his back.

"Tony!" Exton looked surprised. "What's wrong?"

"Ah. Nothing. I just, needed a bit of time with Pepper."

Exton nodded. "Oh. Sure-"

She groaned, "This is not the best time-"

"Ten minutes. Seriously."

Pepper looked back at the men. "I'm sorry. Could I please ask you to…"

The men smiled and happily gave them the room. Exton pat Tony on the shoulder as he walked past him.

Tony stood looking down at the floor and rubbing his eyebrow. As soon as the door closed he looked up at her and grinned, "I'm so good!"

She crossed her arms, "You found Sam?"

He sighed and sat down on the sofa. "No. John's on his way back. I'll figure that out, though."

She walked over and joined him. "So, what's so important that it couldn't wait?"

"Genie and Legate. Oh, remember I told you that they had something going on?"

"Really?"

"Karen told me they are engaged. Damn it, Pepper! I knew it! I have a radar for that sort of thing!"

Pepper laughed under her breath. "It's so much nicer seeing you like this than how you were last night."

He laid his arm on the back of the sofa and looked back at her. "I knew there was something going on. KNEW IT!"

Pepper turned and put her hands on his lap. "How was Karen?"

He sighed. "Better than yesterday."

"Did you tell her what I said? Don't give up on him?"

Tony looked back at her and took her hand. "I did. Did you cry this much when I was gone?"

She shook her head. "I don't even want to think about it. And that was before I told you how I felt."

He smiled at her. "You loved me then?"

"Sometimes." She smiled. "When you wasn't being a pain in the ass."

"So, only about 28% of the time, then?"

She grinned, "I believe that to be a gross over estimation."

He sighed and brought her hand up to his mouth to kiss. Something on the table caught his eye. He reached down to pick up the envelope. "What is this?"

Pepper pointed at it. "Pictures from that night. Right before we left for the Expo. I couldn't look at them."

Tony pulled the photos out of the envelope as Pepper looked away at the New York skyline. He flipped through them, pausing once he got to the photo of him and Samuel standing next to one another.

He smiled painfully. "Karen should see these."

"I really don't think she's ready to see them. I couldn't look at a photo of you for weeks."

He nodded and looked at another photo. It was of Samuel playing the piano with him and Pepper holding one another, as they looked on. "You didn't look at these?"

Pepper shook her head, "I am determined that I'm not going to cry today."

He slipped them back in the envelope and sighed. "Yeah. I'm not going to look at them all, either." He tossed them back on the table.

"How are you, after this morning and then visiting Karen-"

"Fine."

She looked at his face. "You forget who you're talking to, Mr. Stark."

"It was strange. Lance took me to Lewis' ship. They had…Timon and Aaron there. And we're not supposed to say their names, or anything. It's as if, they have just…..I don't know."

"It's their tradition-"

"I don't like it. Timon was a friend of mine. I didn't really know Aaron, but….Timon was something. I've never met anyone like him. I wish I had gotten to know him better."

"So, they don't mention them?"

"During the ceremony, no. I'm not sure what the belief is there, or if there even is one. Just, that's it."

She held his hand tighter. "Maybe you should be nicer to Arcite then."

He looked surprised at her. "I'm nice to him."

"You are always messing with him-"

"I made him breakfast this morning-"

"Oh my God! Green eggs and ham!"

He grinned and laughed under his breath. "That book you read to Soli was helpful to convince him into trying that."

She shook her head. "I'm glad he didn't eat anymore than a taste. That looked-"

He grinned. "Just like the book! Cooking with good ole Doctor Seuss. Soli thought it was great."

She groaned and shook her head.

"Sam being gone. This is completely my damn fault."

"Tony, it's not."

"I shouldn't have insisted he get up to sing-"

"Then, they would have Soli. Our Soli. And we'd be worried out of our minds about him."

"Instead, we're worried out of our minds about Sammy. Damn. I can't imagine what John is going through."

She told him quietly, "I know."

He sighed and shook his head. The momentary happiness he had felt about finding out about Legate and Genie's relationship had helped him forget about the huge problem that had been the only source of conversation and thought over the past few days.

Pepper gripped his hand tighter. "Did you talk to her about the grant?"

"I couldn't think of a way to bring it up."

"Samuel would have funded the entire thing himself-"

"No, I'm going to do that. This entire thing with UCLA, is just….let her be distracted a bit with that for now. It's the least I can do for her. Gosh. She's devastated."

"Had he proposed? Did you ask?"

"I did finally ask her about that. She said they are engaged. Yes. That's true."

Pepper shook her head. "That poor girl."

Tony rubbed his lip and looked away. Lost in thought.

Pepper looked back at him. "What's on your mind?"

He rose his finger. "That bracelet. I wonder how much it's changed over the years. Is there something in it that could help me find him?"

"It's worth a look." Pepper agreed.

He stood up and started to type something in on his bracelet. "I'll go back to Karen and get a copy of the program its running. That way I can look it over."

"Whoa!" Pepper insisted.

He looked up at her, "What?"

"You walked in here-"

"Shit. So you're saying I have to walk back out? Let me just….disappear."

She pointed at him, "Tony! Don't you dare."

He winked at her and popped away.

"Damn you!" Pepper complained.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX