XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 51 - Chapter 51 - Tony's Treatment Plan

Samuel had popped back from Florida after bringing Karen's parents to their island home. Karen was presently taking her parents on a tour of the new flat, while Samuel finished frying some shrimp in the kitchen. Henry the Schnauzer sat on the floor watching his every move with his tail wagging.

Samuel smiled at Henry. "Do you like shrimp?"

Henry barked at him and panted.

"You know, I used to have a dog when was a boy."

Henry stepped back and barked again.

"No, I don't remember if he liked shrimp or-"

Had he just understood what Henry had said? Samuel stopped speaking to Henry and shook his head. "I'm going mental. I'm pretty sure of it."

Henry watched as Samuel poured the shrimp onto a plate with a bowl of cocktail sauce. He took a few seconds and arranged it as a nice appetizer.

"Ah. There." He smiled, pleased with his work.

The doorbell rang.

Henry jumped on all four feet and barked.

"Come on then, Henry." Samuel told him as he walked into the sitting room and opened the door.

The Doctor and Rose were standing there, holding baby Samuel, with huge smiles on their faces.

"Hi!" They said at the same time.

Henry barked at him.

Samuel shook his head. "It's alright, Henry. I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting you. Come in."

Rose kissed his cheek in greeting. "We were in the neighborhood and wanted to drop by."

Samuel rubbed his hands together and smiled. "Well, I'm glad you did. Umm. Everything alright?"

The Doctor bounced on his feet, holding the baby, and pointed at Henry. "Do you see the dog?"

The baby looked down at Henry. "Don, Da. Pleze."

"No." The Doctor told his son. "Samuel has to stay up right now."

The adult Samuel pointed at the baby. "He speaks?"

"Well, don't you?" The Doctor teased. "Is it a good time?"

Samuel didn't want to be rude. Especially, with his Mum. "Well, Karen's parents are here and-"

Rose smiled. "I've never met them."

Samuel looked surprised, "You haven't?"

"No." She smiled. "Well, not her Mum. Do you want us to leave though-"

"No!" Samuel told her quickly, knowing that to tell her the truth would be rude. "Umm…"

Karen walked down the stairs just then with her parents.

Anne was telling her, "Karen, I just love this place. It's so….ummm…."

Rose finished her sentence. "Lovely! Yes, I love it, too."

Karen's Mom looked like she might faint. "Good Lord. It's Rose Tyler."

Rose smiled, "I'm sorry, we haven't met yet."

The pair of ladies shook hands. It was clear that Anne was in a bit of shock.

Samuel rubbed his eyebrow. "They were in the neighborhood, and decided to drop by."

Karen smiled. "Well, I'm glad you did. Stay for dinner with us."

Baby Samuel held his hands out to her and babbled.

The Doctor smiled, "Karen. Her name is Karen. Try to say it."

"Ren." Baby Samuel said and held his hands out to her.

Karen took him in her arms and smiled. "It's nice to see you Samuel."

The baby clapped his hands. "Don, Ren. Pleze."

The Doctor pointed at the baby. "No down. Not now."

The Lieutenant laughed and shook the Doctor's hand. "This is a pleasant surprise. It's nice to see you both."

The adult Samuel pointed towards the kitchen. "I made some appetizers if anyone is interested."

Rose walked with a very stunned Anne into the kitchen with the Doctor and Lieutenant closely walking behind.

Karen looked at Samuel and asked quietly. "Why didn't we think to invite them?"

Samuel groaned. "Because my blood pressure was already high enough."

The baby babbled.

Samuel shook his head and looked surprised at him. He pointed to himself. "I'm Samuel."

The baby babbled again.

"Yes, I know that's your name, too-"

"Wait. You can understand him?" Karen asked.

Samuel stood looking stunned at her. "I really think I'm going mental."

"But, your Dad can understand him, too. Maybe, it's just something you are getting from him-"

"It's never worked before." Samuel told her quietly.

"So, is this when I tell you that something odd…"

"Noted." He told her. "But, at least I have a witness now. It's not just something going on in my head."

She rose her eyebrows and bounced on her feet. "I really feel like there is something about this in those letters."

"I promised I'll read them. I'll read them. As soon as we're….parent free. I don't want to get them involved in this."

She kissed baby Samuel on the cheek.

He laughed and kissed her back.

Samuel put his hands on his hips, "That's my girl, Samuel."

The baby wrapped his arms around Karen's neck. "My Ren."

Karen held the baby's head and laughed. "Jealous of yourself."

Samuel groaned, "Come on. Let's get through this."

They walked into the kitchen to join their guests. Anne sat at the bar with Rose, both eating the shrimp that Samuel had just finished.

"Samuel, did you make this?" Rose asked him.

Samuel nodded, "Yes, ma'am. Just now. They may be hot, so be cautious."

"They are wonderful." Anne smiled.

"Yes. Samuel, they are gorgeous." Rose agreed.

Samuel went over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine. "Wine, anyone?"

Karen pointed at Henry, who seemed as interested in the baby as baby Samuel was in him.

Rose smiled, "And little Samuel can walk. Even though, I haven't seen him do it yet."

The Lieutenant held his hands out to the baby. "Would you like to see me?"

Baby Samuel babbled.

The Doctor grinned, "His name is John."

"Don." Samuel repeated.

"No. John." The Doctor said slowly as he helped the adult Samuel with the wine. "You're supposed to be speaking English, son."

"Well, John is hard for a baby to say." Rose told him.

The Doctor held his hand out to the adult Samuel who was standing beside of him. "Please tell me you can say, 'John'."

Samuel laughed and poured his Dad a glass of wine. "I can. Although, I hear Arles have some problems with it."

"He does?" The Doctor asked in surprised.

Karen giggled, "Samuel."

Samuel laughed. "Nah, he doesn't. Samuel. Listen to me. John."

Baby Samuel held his hands out to the Lieutenant. "Don."

The Lieutenant smiled and took the small boy in his hands. "John. You'll get it, Sport. Now, do you want to see that dog?"

Baby Samuel clapped his hands. "Dog Don! Pleze pleze!"

Anne held her hand to her chest. "That is the most adorable thing I've seen in years."

The Lieutenant sat on the floor and put the baby on his lap. He helped him gently stroke Henry's face and back.

The Doctor sipped his wine. "He likes to pull hair. Samuel, don't pull the dog's hair."

Baby Samuel laughed, "No, Da!"

The Doctor nodded and looked beside of him at the adult Samuel. "You're not drinking?"

"I don't really drink."

"You don't pull the dog's hair, either do you?"

"Not normally." Samuel grinned, "It's been a long time since I was around a dog."

Henry became excited, and began to run at top speed through the house.

Karen laughed, "He only does that with Samuel. He's crazy!"

Baby Samuel laughed loudly and clapped his hands together. "Dog, Da! Wook!"

The Doctor smiled, "Daddy sees the mad dog."

"Karen, what would you like to drink?" Samuel asked her as he handed Rose and Anne both a glass of wine.

"Some of that blue drink?"

Samuel clapped his hands together. "That's what I want, too. Yes, ma'am. Right away."

He walked over to the food replicator.

The Doctor leaned on the cabinet, "So, John. Navy instead of Torchwood, huh?"

"When you've done this as long as I have…"

"Oh, I get it. I'm trying to get out of Torchwood myself." The Doctor grinned.

Anne smiled, "He did consider it. But, it came back to his men. The friends he has."

"Yeah. We're rather in it together." The Lieutenant agreed. "That's what makes me re-up each time."

Rose nodded, "Oh, I get that. That's the reason I'm having such a hard time leaving Torchwood. It's just a, unique thing."

"Like a family." The Lieutenant agreed.

"Yes. Exactly." Rose told him.

Henry ran back into the room and slid up to the Lieutenant, causing him to laugh. "Henry! You are insane! Calm down."

Baby Samuel laughed loudly.

Anne shook her head. "Henry was never like that. And then, he met Samuel. Now, anytime he sees him, he comes completely unglued."

Karen laughed, "Seriously. He's crazy."

Baby Samuel clapped his hands as he continued to play with Henry and sit in the Lieutenant's lap. "Da! Dog!"

The Doctor smiled proudly. "I see the dog."

The Lieutenant pointed at the Doctor. "Instead of 'Da', can you say 'Daddy'? I bet you can."

Baby Samuel looked up at his Dad. "Da...deeeeeeeeeeee!"

Everyone laughed as Samuel sat the blue drink down in front of Karen and sipped his own.

Anne smiled, "Your son is adorable."

Samuel bowed, "Well, thank you, Anne."

She slapped the air towards him, "Oh, you know what I mean."

Karen sipped her blue drink and laughed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pepper typed a code into the wall, and the door opened to Tony's workshop. As soon as she walked into the room, she heard the moans of a woman. The very loud moans of a woman.

She put her hands on her hips and looked at the screen on the wall. "Are you watching porn?"

Tony had his back turned to the television and seemed to have all of his attention on some small device he was working on that sat on the desk in front of him. "It's helping with the Doctor Seuss problem."

She rose her eyebrows at him. "And you didn't rhyme."

He glanced up at her and smiled. "I had to fill my head with something else."

"Oh my God." She laughed and turned off the porn. "I can't believe you."

He sat back on the chair and held something under a magnifying glass. "Soli sleeping?"

She sat on the edge of the desk and crossed her arms. "We were watching Indiana Jones again and fell asleep on the couch."

He didn't look up from what he was working on. "Just leave him there. Don't try to carry him up the stairs."

"You don't carry him up the stairs." She insisted.

"Beds are made for sleeping."

"I slept on the couch many nights when I was a kid."

He sat back and looked at her. "Slept on the couch?"

"Yeah. Didn't you?"

He shook his head. "No. Dad would wake me up and tell me to take my sorry ass to bed."

Pepper watched him continue to work on something.

"Slept on the couch. Slept with your Grandfather, did you ever sleep in your own room?"

She smiled, "Of course I did."

He stopped and looked back at her. "Seriously? Is this….something strange that I'm missing?"

"He feels safe if he is falling asleep up there in that huge room. That's what matters."

"So, this is normal."

"Tony. Normal is-"

"No. Seriously. I'm not trying to be a pain in the ass. I want you to tell me if it is. I know that my old man didn't like me, and I don't want him to think I don't like him."

"He doesn't think that. You tell him how much you love him every chance you get. Why would you think that?"

He groaned and sat what he was working on down on the desk rather harder than normally would have. "It's, just a bad day. I'm sorry."

"Still haven't heard anything about the ship?"

He shook his head and sighed.

She asked softly. "And her birthday?"

He nodded. "Mom would have been 84 today. And she would have loved being a grandmother."

Pepper smiled, "I think she would."

Tony ran his hands through his hair and propped his feet up on the desk. "I'm getting nowhere with this."

"What are you working on?"

"Ah. A tracking device for the ship. I put three suits on it, and the ship is preventing me from seeing them, too."

Pepper grinned at him. "You did too good of a job."

"I never thought I would have to find her from an idiot kid." He complained. "I'm so pissed that I can't even think straight."

"He told Lewis he would call you-"

"And I'll bet my left nut he don't!"

"Can we not, bet that?"

He grinned and rubbed his face. "You like the porn."

"I do not like the porn." She insisted.

He laughed and sat his feet back on the floor. "Oh, you do. It is giving you ideas-"

"Oh, shut up." She rolled her eyes.

He continued to laugh as he spun around in his chair, took the remote, and turned back on the porn.

She stood up and shook her head. "I'm going upstairs."

"Why?"

"I'm not watching that-"

"Hell, I am. It's my treatment plan."

She grabbed the remote and switched it off. "Tony-"

"Oh, shit! It's not a skit. I can't help it. It's legit. Turn back on the porn, I even made some popcorn. I hope you would join me, my little flea, right here. You can get on your knees-"

"Stop!" She insisted. "Oh my God. Watch the porn."

She turned it back on.

Tony laughed at her. "See. And I've stopped rhyming. It's a great treatment plan. Works just that fast."

She groaned, "I'll be upstairs, in the office."

"Love you." He smiled as she walked out of the workshop.

She pointed at him. "Find me before you do any…'self medicating'."

He gave her two thumbs up. "That's the plan!"

She laughed under her breath as the door closed and she walked up the steps.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX