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Chapter 44 – Doctor Seuss Overdose

A bit later that morning, Samuel was cutting up vegetables in the kitchen. Tony Stark sat at the bar with a tablet in his hand looking over something. "Doctor Banner is in over his damn head." He looked back up at Samuel. "Is Karen still in bed?"

"It's only eleven. She's tired." Samuel told him.

There was a pop and the Doctor sat down next to Tony. "What are we looking at?"

Tony didn't look back at him. "Bonjour! I wanted you to see this to make sure."

Samuel laughed under his breath as he continued to cut up the vegetables.

The Doctor put his glasses on and looked over the figures on the screen. "What am I looking at?"

"Well, that. Tell me what it looks like to you. I don't believe I'm being a fool."

The Doctor rose his eyebrow at Tony. "Why are you rhyming everything?"

Samuel grinned. "He's had a Doctor Seuss overdose."

The Doctor smiled at Tony. "Really?"

Tony groaned. "I can't take it anymore. Now focus on what I called you for."

The Doctor chuckled as his attention went back to the screen.

Tony looked up at Samuel. "What are you cooking?"

"And see you didn't rhyme."

"Well, I don't do it all of the time." Realizing he had rhymed again, he dropped his fist on the bar. "Damn it. This is the reason I can't read Doctor Seuss."

Samuel grinned. "Makes you want to eat a goose."

"Or draw a moose?" The Doctor asked.

Tony groaned. "Both of you just suck, and you can kiss my butt."

Samuel grinned. "You missed your calling, Tony. You could have been a song writer."

He made two fists and growled. "Or a prize winning fighter."

Samuel laughed.

The Doctor tapped the screen. "This is Rose's dimensional cannon."

Tony nodded, "There are diagrams that someone scanned in."

"That is classified. How could he have gotten that information?"

"See, Sammy. It wasn't just my imagination." Tony grabbed some green peppers that Samuel had cut up, and tossed them in his mouth.

Samuel nodded, "Parts of it was classified, Dad. You're dealing with a smart guy. He must have figured it out."

Tony tossed some more green peppers in his mouth. "I thought you only ate take-out."

Samuel didn't take his eyes off of what he was cutting up. "I'm making Ratatouille."

Knowing nothing rhymed with that word, the Doctor looked back at Tony.

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "What?"

The Doctor grinned. "I didn't know you knew how to cook, Samuel."

Samuel continued to cut up the vegetables. "Yes. Arles is just better at it than I am. All of his vegetables would be the same and uniform."

The Doctor continued to look over the screen. "I'm impressed. Ratatouille is ambitious."

"Nah." Samuel told him as he turned on the cooker and put some oil in a pot. "Ratatouille is rather simple. It just has a fancy name."

Tony pointed at the screen. "All the same. What do you think about this?"

The Doctor sighed. "Well, I've already seen that he is going to leave. This would explain how he does it. And it's not a way I'm comfortable with. Why do you humans want to go poking shit with a stick?"

Tony tossed some more green peppers in his mouth. "You can just suck my dick. Why do you automatically jump to 'you humans?' This is him! I didn't do this." He looked back up at Samuel. "Are you planning on using cumin?"

Samuel laughed. "No more Doctor Seuss for you."

Tony held his hands out. "Pepper thinks I'm doing it on purpose-"

The Doctor pointed at him. "Ha! Nothing rhymes with that!"

Tony shook his head. "Whatever. See, Rose's theory had the same format." Realizing he had rhymed again, he groaned and shook his head.

Samuel began to cook the onions in the oil. Tony continued to eat the green peppers he had cut up. "What's going on with Summus and the delegation?"

The Doctor didn't look up from the screen and said absentmindedly. "Lots of waiting around. We don't know anything yet."

Samuel looked back just as Tony tossed the last of the green peppers in his mouth. "Damn it, Tony. Cut up another pepper."

Tony groaned and walked over to the fridge to pull out another green pepper. "Well, I'll do it better."

Someone knocked on the door.

Samuel sighed. "Thank goodness they didn't ring the doorbell. Karen is sleeping."

"As someone came a creeping." Tony laughed.

"I'll get it." The Doctor sat down the tablet and walked out of the room.

Tony glanced back at Samuel and became serious. "Karen alright?"

"Yeah. She's just tired."

"Hmmm. All of the stress with her admired."

Samuel nodded. "Well, probably."

Tony continued to cut up the peppers.

Samuel looked back at him. "Tony, I'm not going to lie to you. I know you know."

Tony didn't look up, "And she has that glow."

Samuel grinned.

Tony looked back at him. "I'm happy for you both. That's one lucky kid."

Samuel smiled proudly. "You didn't rhyme."

"Well, I don't do it all of the time." He smiled and tossed a piece of the pepper in his mouth.

The Doctor walked into the kitchen with a young student who looked completely in shock to be in such company he had found himself in. The Doctor sat back down at the bar and looked over the tablet again.

Samuel looked up. "Oh! Peter Parker. It's nice to see you."

Peter was speechless. "Umm. Doctor…Doctor Bennett. I'm sorry to bother you at home-"

"Ah, it's alright. I told you to drop by if you needed help with that." Samuel told him as he tossed some garlic in the pot and turned down the heat. "Do you know Tony and ….John?"

Peter nodded. "Umm. Yes, sir. Doctor Smith and I just met. Umm…it's nice to see you again, Mr. Stark."

Tony didn't look up from cutting the peppers. "School work. What's the problem, Parker?"

"Well, yes, sir. I was working on the chemistry project of mine that Doctor Bennett and I had talked about."

"Chemistry huh, Parker?" Tony held out the peppers to Samuel. "What do you think? This one or the one that is darker?"

"Both!" Samuel insisted. "Since you keep eating them."

Tony tossed another handful of green peppers in his mouth and nodded. "Good plan. So, Parker. Are you enjoying school, man?"

The Doctor pointed at the bar stool next to him. The nervous teenager sat down. "Yes, sir. It was a nice surprise to be on an island. This is a beautiful place."

Tony nodded. "Nice change of pace."

Samuel smiled, "Have you been out here all week, Tony?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's been nice and quiet. Pepper has put me on a diet."

The Doctor grinned and glanced up at him. "A diet?"

"Yeah. I want seafood for every meal. But, she says it's lost the appeal."

Samuel grinned. "I love seafood. Come over here and we'll eat it together."

The Doctor shook his head without looking up from the tablet. "You sound like Rose."

Tony looked surprised, "You don't like seafood, John?"

"No, I do not." He told him without looking up from the tablet. "But, it's equal because Rose will eat enough for me and her."

Tony nodded. "Then I need to call Rose and Sammy. How about you Parker?"

"Umm. Seafood?" He stammered.

Tony tossed some more green peppers in his mouth that he had cut up. "Yeah, dude."

"I've really never had any that I know of."

"Really?" Tony looked surprised. "Sammy, we need a seafood night. We'll bring Rose, Parker, you and me. But, I'm cooking. I make a great chocolate shrimp milkshake."

Samuel chuckled. "Sounds good."

Peter made a face of disgust. "Shrimp milkshake?"

The Doctor pointed at the tablet. "I need to talk to Rose about this, can I take this tablet?"

Tony nodded. "Sure. Let me know what she says."

The Doctor stood up. "Umm. Nice to see you again, Mr. Parker. Excuse me." They shook hands and then the Doctor walked into the sitting room to pop away.

Samuel pat Tony on the back. "Put all of those peppers in there that you haven't eaten."

Tony showed him the peppers. "And my status as the better vegetable cutter is unbeaten."

Samuel wiped his hands on a towel and sat down next to Peter. "Okay. What do you have?"

Tony listened as Peter explained a formula he was working on to Samuel. He couldn't help but be impressed. Samuel was patient and was able to help him rather quickly.

Peter nodded and smiled. "Oh, that would work. I hadn't thought about moving that variable to there. But, if I did that…I need to do, this." He wrote down a complex math formula and rubbed his head. "Well, I think."

Samuel pat his back and walked over to pull a few bottles of water out of the refrigerator. He handed one to Tony and one to Peter. Peter continued to work on the math equation just as the glass door opened from the deck.

Samuel smiled, "Well, look who has come to see me!"

Tony turned around to see Pepper and Soli walking off of the back deck and into the room. Soli ran over to Samuel and hugged him. "We've been walking on the beach!"

Tony complained. "Family breach! You ran right past me."

Soli laughed and ran over to Tony. He knelt down and hugged him tightly. Pepper stood beside of him at the cooker and looked in the pot. "What are you cooking?"

Tony stood up and smiled. "And hello, good looking."

She smiled and they kissed one another quickly.

Tony shook his head and returned to stirring, "I'm not. Sammy is cooking. I'm just stirring. Pepper, this is Peter Parker."

Pepper smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you. Are you a student at the school?"

Peter nodded nervously, "Yes, ma'am. I'm just working out this equation."

Tony pointed at Pepper. "That's the math quiz, I'll fully admit. You should let her look at it."

She sighed. "Still with the rhyming?"

He grinned, "And briony-vine and ivy wreath
Ran forward to his rhyming,
And from the valleys underneath
Came little copses climbing."

Samuel took over cooking. "And you wonder why she's making you stick to Doctor Seuss."

Tony tossed up his hand. "It has given me brain damage. How will I ever manage?"

Pepper groaned as he walked over to a very nervous Peter Parker, "He's doing that on purpose. Tony, stop being a pain."

Tony snapped his fingers. "Oh, I need to talk to Jane."

Pepper pulled the notebook over and looked at the equation. Peter looked like he might faint. After a bit, Pepper nodded. "Yes. This looks right. Wow. Did you do this?"

Peter was speechless. He could only nod energetically.

Tony grinned at him and sipped his water. "She has that effect on me, too."

Soli climbed up on the cabinet and looked into the pot. "What are you cooking?"

"It's called Ratatouille. Karen hasn't ever had it." Samuel informed him.

"Where is Karen?" Pepper asked.

"Having a lie in." Tony smiled. "Right?"

Samuel laughed, "Yes. She's catching up on some sleep."

Tony nodded. "I know she said she had problems with that when you were gone. She would stay awake until dawn."

Pepper pointed at Tony forcefully and whispered. "Stop it!"

He held his hands out. "I can't help it!"

Pepper continued to sit next to Peter Parker and shook her head. "He's been like this since we've been out here."

Sam continued to stir the contents of the pot. "Yeah, he said he's been out here all week."

"All week." Pepper smiled. "And it's been wonderful."

Tony grinned. "I want to stay out here next week, too. Do you have anything you need to do?"

Pepper rolled her eyes at the rhyming. "Just working. I can do that from here like I've been doing all week. Well, I have a meeting in New York, but I'll have to check when it is."

Peter Parker had found his voice. He cleared his throat. "You didn't do a honeymoon, Mr. Stark?"

Pepper looked surprised at Tony. "What is talking about?"

Tony teasingly threw his hands out. "Oh no, Sammy! The secret is out!"

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him. "Tony? What have you done?"

Samuel looked back at his uncle and grinned. "Pepper, it's been all over the news for what?"

Tony held up four fingers. "Four days. I think that's right. I've rather been in a haze."

Samuel laughed under his breath.

Pepper shook her head. "Hang on, Peter. Right?"

He looked like he might pass out where he sat. "Yes. Yes, that's me. I think-"

"Where did you hear this? Wait. What did you hear?"

Peter rubbed his sweaty hands on his jeans. "Ummm. Tony Stark's office announced that you two had gotten married-"

"Oh, God! Tony!" She groaned.

"You told me I could announce it! Who won the bet? I thought I could remember, but I forget."

Samuel laughed hysterically under his breath.

Pepper shook her head. "I can't believe this. You mean to tell me that everyone at work knows?"

"I hope." Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Unless they are some sort of dope."

Pepper covered her face and groaned. "Ugh!"

Tony smiled and sat down the bottle of water. "Sammy, can you keep up with Soli for me?"

"Need to flee?" Samuel looked back at him.

Tony laughed. "Pepper. Come on, let's go walk on the beach."

She rose her eyebrow. "Are you worried I'm going to kill you?"

Tony held out his hand. "Yes. And I only ask that you don't do it in front of our son."

Pepper shook her head in disbelief and took Tony's hand. She smiled warmly at Soli. "I promise that I won't kill him, Soli."

Soli smiled.

Tony mumbled, "Yeah, but you would be surprised what you can live through."

Pepper smacked him in the chest. "Don't tell Soli that!"

Tony pointed at Soli. "Today you are you. It's truer than true. There's no one alive who is you'er than you!"

Soli laughed. "Maybe we need to start reading something else, Tony."

Tony laughed as he put his hand on Pepper's back and they walked out of the glass door to the beach.

Samuel returned to cooking. He looked over, and realized he had almost forgotten that Peter Parker was still sitting there. "So, was there something else?"

"Umm. No, sir. I suppose I need to go. Umm. I should probably tell him that I'm sorry."

Samuel grinned. "It's fine. She was going to find out at some point. Right Soli?"

Soli jumped off of the cabinet, back to the floor as he laughed.

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Lance sat at a control panel of Lewis' ship's large control room. A map of the galaxy appeared on the main screen in the front of the room. Most of the lights were out in the room, so the map could appear brighter. He looked up, nodded and made some notes on a pad of paper he had. He looked back at his paper and rubbed the side of his head. He never noticed that Lewis walked in.

"Hey. I didn't know you were up here." Lewis smiled.

Lance sat back and grinned. "Oh, hey. Yeah, I've been working on something."

Lewis sat down and propped his hands on top of his head. "What you working on?"

Lance looked back at the pad of paper. "Ah. Just an idea I had."

Lewis smiled proudly. "Continuing Lovell's work."

Lance shook his head. "Nah. But, I should. What has you up here?"

"I just needed a quiet place to think. Lartius. This, negotiation."

"What's going on with that?"

"No one is saying anything. It's so strange. Summus and the delegation arrived hours ago, but they have had them waiting for Queen Kazimir in a room. Summus suggests that she's not there. He's giving it a bit more, and then returning to their ships."

"Where is she?"

"I have no idea. Maybe just….stalling the meeting? Maybe on her way here? I personally feel that she's there, and just don't find them important enough to speak to."

"The famous Summus doesn't demand her attention?"

"He's not told them who he is other than a representative of King Lartius. I think as soon as he lets it known who he is, he's going to be in a bit of trouble."

"A lot more than a bit." Lance agreed.

"Oh yes." Lewis told him.

"How are you with the….virus protocol order?" Lance asked.

Lewis sighed and rubbed his face. "Well, I knew when I did the Trials that I would have to do that at some point. Still didn't prepare me for it. Still, could have been worse."

"I have no idea how." Lance told him. "He was one of your apprentices. From the very beginning of his career."

"And that's why he wanted me to issue the order. And I suppose if I had to get an order to self destruct where I was, I'd want it to come from someone like….Summus. John. You."

"I couldn't do that." Lance told him.

"You could. Knowing that that one life would save millions. You could and you would. I have no doubt."

"I do. Which is why I'm in no hurry to do the Trials."

Lewis smiled. "And I do not blame you, dear brother. So. What are you working on up here? Where is Jane?"

"She's busy working on her photos. Like you, I came up here to have a quiet place to think."

Lewis grinned, "Yeah, old habits learned from our Papa die hard, huh?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah. Jane asked me about him this morning."

"What did she want to know?"

"How he died. I didn't tell her."

Lewis nodded. "In honorable service to his King, that's all that needs to be said."

Lance ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah. That's what I told her."

"Still don't want to talk about it?"

Lance shook his head. "I'll never want to talk about that."

Lewis crossed his arms. "One day, you might find that you do. And if you need my ear…."

Lance nodded. "Thanks, Lewis."

"What's your paper, then?"

"I'm trying to think of the most beautiful places in the galaxy. Places I want to take Jane so she can take photos."

"Oh! Good idea, Lance. Very good idea."

"I'm taking suggestions. John has given me a few."

Lewis nodded in approval. "So, you spoke to her about-"

"No. I asked her what she wanted to do with her life. This is what she told me."

Lewis rubbed his chin. "You guys need to work on your communication."

Lance laughed under his breath. "Oh, I know. I'm just starting here. None of these places are too terribly, far away. I could take her, be gone a few weeks. Then return for you and Arles. And then the next month, go back out. We could see so much."

"So, you've made that decision?"

"I'm putting my status on hold as a Quauhtin. I will pick it back up after she's gone. I imagine I'll need the distraction."

Lewis nodded as he rubbed his chin. "What does she say about this?"

"She doesn't know about it. I haven't told her. But, I don't think she would approve."

"Which is why you won't tell her."

"Yes. I don't want to waste a minute on something…stupid as this."

"A minute of honestly is rarely wasted."

Lance smiled at his brother. "That's true. I'll think about it."

"Think about it?"

Lance smiled. "Yeah. That's all I can promise now."

Lewis sighed and looked around the control room. "Well, for such a journey, you'll need a ship."

"Yeah. I was thinking about our first trip, maybe going to get the ship from Caihiri and repairing it-"

"Nah." Lewis waved the idea off. "It's too small. You'll need something where you can be comfortable. Something, you can really enjoy."

"Lartius suggested a royal cruiser."

"That would make you both a target to pirates. No way. Take this one."

"Your ship?" Lance asked in shock.

Lewis smiled. "Yeah. I really don't need it. I won it in a bet, so she'll bring you a lot of luck. Hell, I've never even named her. Take it."

Lance looked shocked. "Lewis? Are you serious?"

"Completely serious. She's yours. I'd prefer to have a smaller, faster speeder or something. Not this huge thing. She's fast, and has new engines. Remodeled suites, and a work-out room for training. It's not bad, but you may want to copy some stuff from John's ship over here. I'd suggest that football pitch for sure."

Lance grinned. "I'm speechless. Thanks, Lewis."

Lewis nodded. "My place is here. With the Prime Guard. Your place is with Jane. Go. Enjoy what time you have together."

Lance smiled and looked back at his brother. "I'll be back to help as much as I can with Arles. I promised that-"

"I'm alright, Lance. Completely recovered. And, I don't worry about you and my son. I see that he's already fallen in love with his Aunt Jane the noble Quauhtin. And she won't let you stay away from him too long."

Lewis laughed and looked around the control room, "That's true."

"Enjoy her. Both of your ladies." Lewis smiled. "And it's lucky to allow a woman to name a ship, so have Jane do it for you."

Lance smiled at his brother just as a beep sounded in the control room.

"What is that?" Lewis asked.

Lance sat up and looked at the panel he was at. "John's ship. Something is moving."

Lewis looked at the panel where he sat. "It's coming from the hanger. Poltious?"

Lance clicked on the panel. "Not Poltious. Tony Stark's ship. I thought he was on the surface?"

Lewis held his finger up. "John isn't sure."

Lance held down a button. "Hey, Stark. We see you moving here. Where are you going?"

Tony Tyler's voice answered. "Hey, Lance. It's me. Not Stark."

Lance looked at Lewis in surprise.

Lewis pressed the button. "Tony, where are you going?"

"I've got to go and finish this, Lewis."

Lewis snapped his fingers at Lance, who was already clicking buttons at the panel to engage the tractor beam to capture Tony.

Tony's voice came over the speaker. "I'll ring Stark later and explain. But, he'll understand."

Lewis whispered, "Tractor beam?"

Lance shook his head. "Stark has put a security scrambler on it. Damn it! We can't get it."

Lewis went back to the conversation with Tony. "Tony! I really think we need to talk about this, son. Power it down and we'll bring Pete up here."

"Sorry, Lewis. You know as well as I do, that's not my Dad. And I really don't have much to say that he'll want to listen to."

Just as he said that, the craft turned and jumped away into orbit.

Lance clicked a few buttons. "And he has a scrubber on it, too. Damn Poltious' little gadgets! There's no way to tell where he's going."

"Copy the visual and send it to John. He might be able to tell from the direction."

"And which Primus gets to tell Stark?"

Lewis groaned. "I fucking hate this assignment."

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