Been a while on this one, huh? Many apologies. But just know, your support and patience is so appreciated. I hope you enjoy this.
Tony turned the bottle of chocolate syrup upside down over the top of his daughter's glass of milk, and squirted a hefty amount into it. She watched him do this with an eager smile, and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, smiling to himself in amusement at her.
They were seated together at Marilynn's kitchen table, after an adventurous day spent on the farm. She'd taken the children for a ride on the horses, to feed the cows, to tend the garden, all of which they enjoyed thoroughly. And then they ended the afternoon playing in the front yard on the tire swing as the adults visited on the front porch – with Marilynn sitting in her rocking chair, and Tony and Pepper lazily swinging back and forth on the bench swing. Tony had laid his head in Pepper's lap, and she was gently stroking his hair as a soft breeze blew to cool down the late afternoon heat. They chit-chatted for a while, as the sound of the children's happy laughter drifted over the air. In a word, it was bliss.
Later on, Marilynn had had errands to run in town, and Pepper had decided to go take a quick nap before dinner, leaving Tony, H.A., and Ginny to themselves until Marilynn returned. H.A wanted to spend some more time out in the barn with the horses- he'd always had an affinity for the animals- so Tony bid him goodbye, warning him to stay out of trouble, and he and Ginny treated themselves to a hearty helping of chocolate milk to round out the afternoon.
"Think that's enough?" Tony asked his daughter, as he righted the bottle of syrup. She nodded.
"It's more than mommy uses," she stated.
Tony chuckled. "So it's enough, then? Ah, maybe just a little more," he teased, giving her glass another quick squirt. The little girl giggled.
"Okay. That's plenty, Daddy," Ginny told him.
"Okay," Tony said, picking up a spoon to stir the mixture.
Ginny laid her head on her arms as she eagerly watched the syrup slowly mix with the milk, turning a rich, dark brown.
"There," Tony said, setting the spoon down. "Oop! One more thing! I almost forgot!" he said, jumping up from out of his seat to go to the walk-in pantry.
Ginny frowned and turned to watch her father as he disappeared, and soon reappeared carrying a bendy straw. "A kid can't have chocolate milk without one of these," he stated. "I think it's a law, or something."
Ginny giggled and Tony grinned, slipping the straw into her glass, and then taking his seat beside his daughter again. He proceeded to mix his own glass of chocolate milk, and Ginny patiently waited for him before she took a sip of her own.
Once he was done, he raised his glass. Ginny raised hers, and they clinked them together. "There we go. Cheers, baby," he said.
"Cheers, Daddy," Ginny said, grinning, and they each took a big swig of milk, Tony downing half the glass in one gulp, and Ginny taking a long pull from her straw. Then she set her glass down, and began to blow bubbles with her straw.
Tony pretended to be startled at the noise, and Ginny giggled. "What on earth was that?!" he exclaimed, with a knowing smirk and wide eyes.
Ginny laughed out loud. "It was THIS!" she explained, pointing to her straw.
"It was what?" Tony asked, leaning in to examine the glass and the straw, and feigning confusion.
"It was the STRAW, Daddy! I blew bubbles! See? Watch!" she cried, taking the straw into her mouth again to demonstrate.
He watched intently as she blew more bubbles in her glass, and then he gasped again. Ginny giggled sweetly, covering her mouth with her hands at how funny it was that her dad was amazed by her trick.
Tony chuckled, and grinned in adoration at his daughter's face, her bright blue eyes a mirror-image of Pepper's, and never failing to melt his heart, just like Pepper's eyes always had.
He leaned over to plant a tender kiss to the top of her head. "I love you, baby," he said.
"I love you, too, Daddy," Ginny said, before drinking some more of her milk.
Tony rested his elbows on the table, and picked up his glass, taking another big gulp to finish it off. He smacked his lips, and examined the inside of the glass before setting it back down, and scrubbing a hand over his mouth to remove any remnants of a milk mustache from his upper lip. Then he stretched out his legs under the table, crossing his ankles and folding his arms, content to just sit there next to his little girl as she finished, too. He found he always liked having these little moments alone with each of his children. And looking down at her, being so small, and sitting in such a big chair, he wanted to make sure he remembered this moment for a long time to come.
"So. Tell me," he said finally, as he gazed at his daughter. She was in deep concentration, watching the level of milk in her glass lower with each big sip from her straw. "Today was pretty great, huh?"
Ginny gulped and nodded, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye briefly before turning them back to her glass.
"What was your favorite part?" he asked her.
Ginny let go of the straw, and furrowed her brow in thought. "Ummm," she said, as she pondered it. "Riding the horses," she said finally.
"Yeah?" Tony said. "You liked that, huh?"
Ginny nodded. "Molly's nice," she said.
"Yeah, Molly is nice," Tony agreed, speaking of Marilynn's old mare quarter horse, who couldn't be a more gentle creature.
"I like feeding her oats," Ginny said. "Her teeth are big."
Tony smiled. "They are," he said, nodding. "And that's kind of like her treat. Kind of like how you get to have chocolate milk," he told her.
"Grandma said it was a reward for being such a good pony," Ginny replied.
"Yep. And you get chocolate milk for being such a good girl," he told her.
Ginny smiled proudly. "You think I'm a good girl?" she asked, trying to sound innocent, but clearly not wanting Tony's praise of her to stop.
He chuckled, and nodded. "Of course, I do. You know that," he said.
Ginny's eyebrows raised, and she gasped. "Then, can I have a baby sister?" she suddenly asked, her voice very hopeful. "Oh, please, Daddy! Can I? Please?"
Tony spluttered, taken a back by her very random request. "Uh...okay, I thought most kids asked for things like a new toy, or a puppy or..."
"Mommy told me she thought it was a good idea," Ginny said, trying to plead her case.
"Oh, she did, huh?" Tony said, smirking at her.
The little girl nodded emphatically. "She said she thought it would be nice if I had somebody to play with. Somebody who's not H.A," she explained.
"Uh-huh," Tony said, nodding slowly in thought. "But, honey, you're a big girl. And if we did have a new baby, there would be several years difference between the two of you. Are you sure you'd want to play with somebody so much younger than you?"
Ginny brightened. "I would love to play with a baby!" she cried. "Are you serious?"
Tony laughed at her impetuousness. "Honey, babies aren't dolls. I think you're thinking it would be like..."
"No, I wouldn't! I promise! I would help feed her! And change her diaper! I'd give her a bath! I would be a big helper! You'd see!" she pleaded, interrupting him.
They stared at each other for a moment, and then Tony sat forward. "Okay, answer me this, then," he said. "What if the new baby was a boy? What would you do then?"
Ginny made a face. "Bleck. No boys. Just girls," she replied. She finished the last of her milk, and attempted to blow bubbles in what was left in the bottom of the glass. But she wasn't succeeding, so she frowned and sat back in her chair.
"Well, what we'd get is what we'd get, I'm afraid," Tony explained regretfully. "If we did have another baby, it very well could be a boy. That's the chance you take, honey."
Ginny frowned, and crossed her arms. "Okay, never mind, then," she said softly, in defeat. "I just want a baby sister, that's all. I'm tired of being the baby."
"Okay, I see," Tony said nodding in understanding. "But you know what? You're not a baby. You're just the youngest. There's a big difference."
Ginny shrugged. "I guess," she said reluctantly. "I'm just tired of being too little to do stuff."
"But that'll pass, I promise. Every day you get bigger and bigger," he told her, putting his arm over the back of her chair, and looking back down at her. "I can't believe how big you already are, actually," he said, his voice a bit forlorn.
Ginny looked up at him, and Tony smiled lovingly at her in return.
For a moment, they were both quiet. Then Ginny climbed up on her knees on her chair to face her father, and threw her arms around his neck.
Tony smiled in surprise, and wrapped his arms tightly around her middle. "What's this for?" he asked her.
Ginny pulled back, and gently kissed his cheek before peering into his eyes. "You're a good daddy," she said.
Tony smiled. "Thank you, baby. Oop! I mean, big girl," he said, correcting himself. They both chuckled.
Then, Ginny suddenly yawned. "I'm tired," she said.
"I think I know the solution to that," Tony said. He scooted his chair back, and took her into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. Ginny laid her head on his shoulder as he carried her out of the kitchen and up the stairs toward the bedrooms. Once he reached the room she was staying in, he walked in to lay her on the bed. Ginny climbed under the covers, and he tucked her in.
"Thanks for the chocolate milk break, daddy," she said sleepily.
"You bet, honey," he said, lovingly stroking her hair. He planted a soft kiss on her temple, and Ginny closed her eyes. "Sleep tight, little sprite. I'll wake you up when dinner's ready, huh?" he told her softly.
Ginny nodded, and Tony left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Then he went down the hall to where Pepper was napping, and eased himself on to the bed to lay down beside her. She moaned happily as he spooned against her, and she snuggled into his arms.
"Where are the kids?" she asked sleepily.
"H.A's in the barn. Ginny's taking a nap, and your mother's gone into town to run errands," Tony told her.
Pepper rolled to look over her shoulder at him. "Really," she said mischievously.
Tony smirked mischievously back. "Yep," he said, nodding knowingly. "Why? Is there something you have on your mind, Mrs. Stark? A way we could pass the time, perhaps?" he asked, smirking, and waggling his eyebrows flirtatiously at her.
Pepper chuckled, and rolled over the rest of the way. "I'm sure I could come up with...SOMETHING we could do," she replied, her voice suddenly smokey. She toyed with the front of his t-shirt, and Tony moaned in approval, as he bent to kiss her lips.
"You know, your daughter just informed me you think she should have a little sister to play with," he said playfully, when the kiss broke.
Pepper chuckled. "Oh, she's working you on that, too, huh?" she said, knowingly. "Funny, she told me the same thing about you the other day."
Tony chuckled, too. "Oh, really," he said.
Pepper smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir. But no boys, though. She's staunchly against having another brother," she said, matter-of-fact, and then smiled.
"Yeah, she mentioned that to me, as well," Tony replied.
They both laughed this time, and Tony bent down to kiss her lips again. "Well, maybe we should just show her, and you let me knock you up again, hmmm?" he joked.
Pepper giggled. "Yes, that's the reason to have another baby," she teased back. "Perfectly rational."
Tony shrugged. "I see no issue with this, and everybody wins," he argued.
Pepper scoffed. "Easy for you to say! You don't have to wake up puking every morning, or get fat, or have swollen feet, or..." she began.
"Eat everything in sight, or cry all the time. And the gas! God! Don't get me started on the all of the..." Tony interjected, but Pepper made a face in disgust, and held up a hand to halt him.
"Please. Don't remind me!" she said. "And I think just for those reasons alone, we should quit while we're ahead," she said.
Tony worked his jaw, and then reached down to grasp one of her hands in his, interlacing their fingers. "Yeah, but there was never a time when you were more gorgeous. Hormonal outbursts and flatulence, aside. I...'" he admitted with a smirk. Pepper chuckled. Then he paused to consider his words before he spoke again. "I...loved you being pregnant," he said finally, and gave her a bashful smile.
Pepper smiled back at him in adoration. "So did I, if I'm being honest," she said fondly.
Tony looked at her curiously. "Yeah?" he asked hopefully.
Pepper nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "And there's nothing like that 'new baby', smell, anyway. I have to admit I do sometimes miss the kids being so little."
"Yeah, me, too, actually," Tony admitted. "So...should we maybe...think about...possibly...at least stopping the...prevention of any future..."
Pepper chuckled at his stammering. "Let's...think about it," she said resolutely. "Fair enough?"
Tony nodded in agreement. "Fair enough, Potts. Here's to maybe, possibly, considering, in the future..." he said. He paused, looking deeply into his wife's eyes. He exhaled slowly. "Making another baby," he finished with a sweet smile.
Pepper smiled lovingly in reply. "Hear, hear," she said softly in agreement before raising her head to kiss him tenderly.
Tony furthered the kiss, moving to hold his wife in his arms as they spent the next hour, quietly, tenderly, making love, before the house once again sprang back to life, and the bustle of making dinner and enjoying the evening as a family took precedent.
Tony had been standing at the kitchen window, looking out onto the dew-covered pasture that next morning, with a coffee cup in hand, when this moment had suddenly come to mind. He'd recalled the conversation with Ginny, just before she'd died, about whether or not he and Pepper had thought about having any more children. He remembered he'd answered that they hadn't really talked about it. But, for whatever reason, this memory resurfaced, and he'd regretted telling her this now. He knew it was inconsequential, but a small part of him felt guilty for telling her anything different than the truth. Stop it. Don't do this to yourself, he told his subconscious. And he refocused his attention on the pasture outside to bring his mind back to the present.
"Mornin', darlin'," he heard Marilynn chime as she entered the kitchen. "Coffee's on and strong, I see," she noticed, grabbing herself a cup from one of the hooks on the underside of the cabinet above the coffee maker.
"That it is," Tony replied, grateful for the timing of her entrance, serving as a perfect distraction from his previous reverie.
"Let me fix you some bacon and eggs, hmmm?" she offered.
Tony turned around to look at her, with an eager grin. "Oh, you know I won't turn down an opportunity to eat bacon," he teased.
Marilynn chuckled. "Some how I guessed it," she replied, moving to retrieve a frying pan from a cupboard. "Where's the younger of you two hooligans?" she jokingly asked, while she searched.
Tony smiled at her teasing him, and nodded toward the stairs. "Sleeping, still, I imagine. That kid could sleep all day if you let him," he said.
"Ah, he's getting to that age, I'm afraid," she said, igniting the gas burner, and turning to the refrigerator to retrieve the bacon. "I remember when the girls were in the...oh, what do they call it these days... the 'tween' years?" she asked. She waved a hand in dismissal. "All I know is, you would have thought I was raising a team of weight-lifters. Eat, eat, eat, sleep, sleep, sleep. Constantly buying shoes, pants. 'Mom, I can't wear those clothes we got last month. They're too small'. Oh!" she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "It was all we could do to keep up with how fast they were growing! You watch, Mister! That boy of yours will give you a run for your money. Mark my words," she warned.
Tony chuckled. "He already is," he replied. "But in other ways, too. Like, he's just so...independent. You know? Sometimes it's hard to take. It doesn't seem like he's old enough to even want to be that independent. Let alone be allowed to be. But what do you do? I can't exactly stop it. And I wouldn't want to anyway, I guess."
"No, you wouldn't," Marilynn agreed.
Tony gave her a smirk. "Plus, he's a Stark. So, he was doomed from the start," he joked.
Marilynn laughed, but they were soon interrupted by the sound of a loud door slam. "What the..." Tony said. They both looked at each other, and then Tony hurriedly set his coffee cup down on the table, and they both ran upstairs.
The door to H.A's room was wide open, and the bed was empty, but noises of H.A upchucking in the bathroom could be heard from behind the bathroom door.
Tony bolted to it, and tried to open it, but H.A. had locked himself inside. Tony rapped on it loudly. "H.A? What's going on? Why did you lock the door?" he asked frantically.
"I'm fine, dad. Go away, I'm just..." but H.A's words were interrupted by another bout of heaving into the toilet.
"Damn it! Open this door!" Tony barked.
"I'm fine, dad!" H.A barked back.
Marilynn interceded. "Let me talk to him, honey," she offered. Tony surrendered, and stepped out of the way as she knocked softly on the door. "Darlin'? Look in the medicine cabinet. There is something in there to help settle your stomach. A nice swig of that will do wonders. I promise," she told her grandson.
A moment went by, and they heard the toilet flush, and the faucet turn on. "The pink stuff?" they heard H.A ask, his voice muffled from behind the door.
They both looked at each in relief. "Yes, darlin'. The pink stuff," she answered, with a smile.
They waited for a moment longer, and then saw the door knob jiggle. H.A appeared, his face pale and damp with sweat. He looked exhausted. "Thanks, Grandma. That's better," he said, wearily.
"Hey, buddy," Tony said. He felt his son's forehead. The boy was definitely feverish, he determined. "What's this about?" he asked.
H.A shrugged weakly. "I woke up feeling sick to my stomach," he answered.
Tony rested his hands on his son's shoulders and looked into his eyes. They were red rimmed, blood shot, and the pupils were dilated. Not to mention, the dark circles that were hard to miss beneath them. Tony frowned. "You sure that's all that's going on?" he asked cautiously.
H.A sighed in exasperation. "Dad, I told you," he said. "I'm fine. I just have a bug or something."
The boy pushed past his dad, and trudged back down the hall. He practically fell into bed, and pulled the covers up around his head.
Tony and Marilynn followed him into the room, and Tony pulled the covers back from H.A's face. "Hold up. Let me look at you," he said.
H.A glowered at his father. "Dad, come on! I just wanna sleep," he begged.
"Tony," he heard Marilynn cautiously say behind him, and his insides froze instantly from the tone of her voice.
He slowly turned around to face her, and saw she was holding a, small, orange prescription bottle. "I found this sticking out of his suitcase just now," she explained.
She held it out to him, and he took it from her, quickly reading the label, and then his eyes darting to his son, wide in alarm. "Percocet?! What the hell are you doing with this, H.A?! Where the hell did you get this?"
H.A had sat up as soon as his grandmother had discovered the bottle. "Dad, I..." he stammered.
"Are you hooked on this stuff?! Is that why you're sick?!" Tony demanded.
H.A just looked at him, speechlessly.
Tony huffed, his nostrils flaring, and his jaw set. "Boy, you'd better start talking, or I'm gonna..." he seethed.
"It's for my head, alright?!" H.A blurted out in defense. "It's the headaches, Dad! Now, I've got 'em, too," he confessed, his voice faltering as the emotion of the moment broke his resolve. He swiped bitterly at the tears suddenly forming in his eyes.
Tony was instantly taken aback, and shook his head in denial. "No," he gasped, as the shock of H.A words knocked the breath out of him.
Marilynn clapped a hand to her chest, and squeezed her eyes shut. "No, Lord. Please! Not another one!" she begged the heavens.
H.A went on. "I found them in the medicine cabinet at home. I tried taking the normal stuff. Honest! But it doesn't work! Not anymore! I just..."
Tony, didn't let him finish. He briskly pulled his son to him, wrapping him in his arms protectively, and trying to keep his composure. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked softly.
H.A pulled back to look at his father, his cheeks now stained with tears. "I'm sorry, Dad! But I just couldn't do it! I didn't want you to worry! We've already been through enough!" he explained.
Tony put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "H.A, you should have told me! How long has this been going on?" he asked.
H.A hesitated.
"Answer me," his father pleaded in desperation.
"Since...a few weeks after Ginny's funeral," H.A revealed reluctantly.
"Oh, Good Lord!" Marilynn gasped in horror.
Tony stared into his son's eyes, working his jaw as he tried to process what was happening.
"Dad, I'm scared," H.A murmured.
Tony took a deep breath, and swallowed hard. He hugged his son tightly again. "It'll be okay, buddy. I promise. I'm not going to lose you, okay?" he assured him.
"I don't want to die, Dad! I don't!" H.A begged desperately, his words muffled in his dad's embrace.
Tony tried to put on a brave smile. He shook his head, and pulled back to cup his son's cheek. "And you won't. Okay?" he said, looking deep into his H.A's eyes. "For now, just get some rest, and we'll get through this. I promise."
H.A studied his dad's face for a moment for reassurance, and then relented and nodded weakly. He laid back down, and Tony covered him with the blankets. He lovingly tossled his son's hair, and H.A gave him a weak smile. "I love you, buddy. We'll figure this out. I swear," he whispered. H.A just nodded, and soon dozed off.
Then Tony turned around to face Marilynn, who's eyes were glassy with tears. "Uh, can I talk to you in the hall for a second?" he said, trying to sound brave though his voice was trembling.
Marilynn nodded in agreement, and they left the room. Tony closed the door behind them, and she instantly flung her arms around his neck, and began to sob against his shoulder. Tony lost his composure, and squeezed his eyes shut as he embraced his mother-in-law. But hot tears escaped from beneath his eye lids and trickled down his cheeks.
"Oh, honey! What, in heaven's name, are we gonna do?" Marilynn asked hopelessly.
Tony pulled back to look at her. "I...might have an idea," he began. "It's a long shot. But it's the only shot we've got."
Marilynn remained silent, but searched his face for answers.
"Before we came here, I stumbled across something about an experiment my father was working on with another scientist. It was about time-travel," he began. "But the notes are incomplete. So there's no real way to know how far they got for sure."
Marilynn looked at him quizically. She shook her head. "Time travel?!" she asked.
Tony nodded. "I know my dad must have thought there was something to this. Otherwise, he never would have given it a second glance," he assured.
Marilynn frowned. "But how does this help us?" she asked.
Tony went on. "After our conversation last night, about how both Cal and his brother mysteriously died young, I couldn't shake the fact that the doctor's blamed some kind of genetic defect on it, but never really proved it. And I say it's time we find some real answers as to why people in our family keep..." but, he quickly halted his words, suddenly aware he was probably still within earshot range of H.A, and didn't want him to overhear their conversation.
He lead Marilynn a few more steps away, and lowered his voice. "I'm sure you understand, I have to do everything in my power," he said. "If I can finish the experiment, and manage to go back to before Cal and his brother died, I can try to find a way to stop this thing before it ever started. I can save them, Marilynn. And Pepper. And Ginny, and..." Tony flicked his eyes to the door of H.A.'s room, and swallowed hard.
Marilynn nodded emphatically in agreement. "Of course I understand, honey! But where in the world are you going to start in all of this? Trying to finish the experiment could..." She hesitated, glancing from Tony's gaze to H.A's door and back again. "I hate to say it, but you may not have that kind of time, darlin'," she said regretfully.
Tony nodded. "That's precisely why I'm trying to track down the man my dad was working with. I'm hoping upon hope he's still alive, and has any information about how far they actually got. Any input I can glean from him could shave a lot off of the learning curve."
Just then, Tony's phone rang in his pocket. He jerked it free, and saw it was JARVIS. He looked at it wide-eyed for a moment, wondering if this is what he'd been waiting on. Nervously, he answered. "Yeah, J, what's up?" he said anxiously.
"Sir, I believe I have a viable lead on Dr. Guierre," he explained. "I've discovered he's been living in Montreaux, Switzerland, under the name Sven Mueller since around the time of your parents' death."
Tony closed his eyes, and smiled gratefully. Marilynn gave him an expectant look. "Thanks, J! I knew I could count on you." He hung up, and grinned, closing his eyes in a moment of gratitude to the heavens before opening them again to look at his mother-in-law. "Looks like the mission to save my family has officially begun," he said hopefully.
Marilynn sighed heavily in relief. "You've found him," she said, with a grateful smile.
Tony nodded triumphantly. "We found him," he replied.