Chris looked at the clock on his desk and sighed. He was waiting for his newest pilot, Geoff, to return from delivering a shipment before he could head home. During his wait, he was finalizing expense reports and invoices to collect payments. Chris had gotten through a number of papers when he heard an alarm on his phone.
"Friday, can you patch Mick through?" he asked once he saw it was his son's AI alerting him to something.
"One moment, Major Summers."
"Major Summers," Mick said over the sound system. "There is an increase in Scott's heart rate, bordering on unsafe levels. His blood pressure is rapidly rising-"
"Where is he, McKinley?" Chris asked as he jumped up to gather his things.
"He is in the Tower."
"The Tower? And he's that distressed? What's going on?"
"Mr. Stark is asking to video chat," Friday said.
"Put him through," Chris said, sitting back on his desk and looking at his computer. Tony's face quickly popped up on the screen.
"He's ok," Tony said.
"What the hell is going on?"
"She went to the press, Chris. It's all over everywhere."
"What are you talking about?"
"Pepper. She's informed the press about us."
"And that's what's causing Scott's distress?"
"He's watching the breaking news and hearing what they're saying about…"
"I'm only after the money," Chris realized, wiping a hand down his face.
"Just proof no one does their research anymore. My PR team is getting on my case about making a statement, but I need to know how you'd like to handle this."
"I have nothing to hide about our relationship, Tony. If you do-"
"I don't," Tony said quickly. "But they're going to dig into everything. I'd understand if you wanted to walk away to protect the kids."
"I'm willing to sit down with them if you are," Chris said. "If we cooperate, then they're more likely to adhere to our requests to leave our kids alone, right?" Tony blinked.
"Do you mean that?"
"Mean what? I'm sorry, Tony. No one's really been interested in me like this before. I don't know how this works-"
"You said 'our kids.' Do you mean that?"
"That's one of the few things in this life that I'm confident about."
"You'll need to get home quickly, Bear. And you likely won't be going to the office anytime soon. Pete'll be pulled from school for a bit until this calms down. Honestly, I'd suggest just getting out of the state for a while."
"And we can't go home," Chris said. "They'll look there- Shit. My parents are going to be hit with calls, aren't they?"
"It's very possible. I'm sorry, Chris. This is my fault."
"I'll take you however I can get you, paparazzi and all, Tin Man. We can talk about taking the kids away and staying until after Christmas or New Years. I'll see if my parents can join us, and obviously Bruce and Rhodey are welcome to join us."
"I'll get working on some ideas. Anchorage and Malibu are both out for certain." Chris heard the low hum of a plane.
"That's Geoff. I need to see to him and then I'll head home, T. Tell Scott to turn off the news."
"I will. Please get home safe, Bear. And if the paps are there by the time you leave, it's 'no comment' until we send out a joint statement."
"Got it," Chris said. "I'll see you soon." He switched off the computer and stood up, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair. He put several folders and papers into his messenger bag and then closed and locked his door.
"Major Summers!" Geoff, a young, dark skinned man greeted as he jumped out of the plane. "The delivery went well and they'll be contacting you for another job soon."
"Great. I'm glad to hear it, Geoff. You're taking off next week to head home, right?"
"Yes sir. My mama would drive up here and skin both me and you alive if I missed my Granny's eighty-fifth birthday."
"I'm fairly certain if my mom found out that I made you miss it, she'd be waiting her turn behind your mom." Geoff laughed and started checking over the plane to make sure the flight hadn't caused any damage.
"Everything alright, Major Summers?"
"Hm? Oh. Something has come up and I'll be working from home until after Christmas. I'll let everyone know. I'm going to leave you and Meredith in charge-"
"Me, sir? I'm the newest pilot-"
"And you're great at your job, which is what I'm looking for. I'm dreading my father's visit to check on how things are going because I have a feeling he's going to try to get you to join him in Anchorage."
"That won't happen," Geoff said, waving Chris off. "New York to Virginia is one thing, but Alaska to Virginia? No way."
"I'm glad to hear that, son. Finish up here and then drop the checklist off in my box. I'll either send someone to collect it or-"
"I'm happy to scan it and email it to you, Major Summers."
"I appreciate that, but that's an extra step I won't ask of you. You just make sure you get home safely and-" Chris looked at the door of the hangar as he heard voices getting louder and louder.
"Major Summers?" Chris eyed the plane and walked around it.
"Plane's good," he said. "I'll sign off on it. Get your things together, Geoff."
"What's going on?" Geoff asked as he grabbed his things from the cockpit.
"Someone decided to leak some private information about me to the press, and apparently they find it intriguing enough to bother me at work. If they reach out to you-"
"I won't answer a number unless it's saved in my phone."
"Good lad," Chris said. He and Geoff went to the door and Chris took a deep breath before opening it.
"Mr. Summers! Mr. Summers! Is it true you and Tony Stark are in a relationship?"
"Mr. Summers, over here! Have you adopted Tony Stark's ward as well?"
"Mr. Summers! Is it true you have a plan for a surrogate to carry yours and Tony Stark's child?"
"Mr. Summers-" Chris made sure Geoff made it to his truck safely before he climbed into his own car and slammed the door shut. He closed his eyes and gripped the steering wheel.
"He's worth it," Chris muttered to himself.
"Would you like me to drive, Major Summers?" Mick asked over the speakers.
"Normally I'd say no, but I believe my nerves are shot right now."
"Please buckle up and I will get you to the Tower, sir." Chris buckled his seat belt and Mick took over the car's computer system.
"How's Scott?"
"He is still distressed. Friday is not allowing news channels to play on the floor."
"Good. I'll have to thank her." Chris rubbed his head as a tension headache started making an appearance. "Would you mind letting Tony know that I'm on my way home?"
"He is aware, Major Summers." The rest of the ride was relatively quiet. Chris breathed a sigh of relief when the car pulled into the private garage under the Tower. Friday had already sent the elevator down and Chris grabbed his bag before hurrying in.
"Thank you, Friday," he said, leaning against the cool metal wall. The elevator shot to Tony's floor and Chris stepped out.
"Dad!"
"Daddy!" Annie cried, pushing past Alex. "Daddy, Mr. Tony won't let us watch the TV even though they're showing your picture! He said if I asked again, he'd send me to bed!"
"Ok, baby," Chris said, kissing Annie's temple. "Daddy's here now, alright? You don't need to watch the TV to see me."
"What happened?" Alex asked. "You guys have been careful so something like this doesn't happen!"
"Someone told," Chris said.
"One of Peter's friends?"
"No," Chris said quickly. "I'll talk to you, Scott, and Peter in a few minutes. For now, I need you boys to pack a suitcase. I don't know where we're going, but Tony and I agree that we need to leave until this dies down a bit."
"Yes sir. Come on, Annie. Let's go pack some clothes and some toys for you to take." He and Annie left and Chris went to his and Tony's room. Tony was pacing back and forth while yelling into the phone.
"T," Chris said. Tony spun and dropped the phone to his side before kissing Chris.
"I'm trying to reserve a place in Hawaii, but with Christmas in two weeks, there's next to nothing available."
"Hawaii?"
"Sparky wants to try surfing. There are few places where you can do that in winter."
"Then let's take a trip in the summer," Chris suggested. "Right now, it's more important that we're as inconspicuous as possible."
"Got it," Tony said. He brought the phone back up to his face. "Scratch Hawaii, Kel. Look for a private island anywhere. I don't care about the price, just make sure there's room for twelve people. Same time frame. Send me the flight plans and information in one hour." Tony hung up and dropped his phone on the bed.
"Benefits of money," Chris said.
"Your dad can do stuff like that, too, you know. Money does talk," Tony said as he moved to the closet to pull out suitcases.
"He's happier putting it away to make sure his grandkids won't struggle."
"Yeah, well, until Peter, I never had an option like that."
"I know, T. I didn't mean it like that." Tony turned.
"Are you doing ok? Or is this too much-?"
"I can handle what they say about me," Chris said confidently. "But if they say anything about the kids, I can't guarantee I won't go off on them, and I'll likely embarrass you."
"By protecting our kids? Impossible." Tony started shoving clothes into the suitcases, mixing his and Chris' things. "If it gets to be too much, Chris, I'll understand-"
"Are you trying to get rid of me, Tony? Or is this your defensive nature coming out to protect yourself so that I don't hurt you?" Tony flinched and tried to hide it with a grin.
"Am I that obvious?"
"Only because I know you." Chris sat on their bed and watched Tony pack for them. "How can I help?"
"The kids need to pack-"
"Already told Alex. He's helping Annie and I'm sure he'll pass the word along. And if not, then Friday, would you mind?"
"Your children have been instructed to pack, as have Dr. Banner and Colonel Rhodes."
"Thanks, Fri," Tony said as he went into their bathroom to pack their toiletries.
"Are they alright, Friday?" Chris asked. "How's Scott?"
"Scott is much calmer after speaking with Dr. Banner. He is assisting Gabriel with packing. Annabeth is packed and Alexander is packing his clothes. Peter is sending messages to his teachers asking for work as he will not be in until after the holidays, but is otherwise ready to go."
"So they shouldn't need us for a bit," Chris said.
"No, Major Summers, I would say not."
"Then unless there's an emergency, Tony and I are not to be disturbed for half an hour."
"Understood, Major Summers." Chris got up and locked the bedroom door.
"Any update on where we're going?" Chris asked as he finished rebuttoning his shirt. Tony threw on a T-shirt and looked at his phone.
"Looks like… Ambergris Cay."
"Oh, yes, I know exactly where that is," Chris said, rolling his eyes.
"Bahamas. Kel says there's a private runway and we'll be able to land no problem."
"Mmhm. And passports? My kids don't-"
"I had them done forever ago," Tony said, waving his hand. He pulled on a pair of pants and ran a hand through his hair before he realized Chris was glaring at him. "What?"
"Don't you think that's something you should have talked about with me?"
"I like to travel," Tony said impatiently. "I like to just drop things and go. I want you with me for some of those times, and occasionally, I want our kids with us, too-"
"And I understand that reasoning, Tony, but you should have talked to me about-"
"I did. It's not my fault you don't remember."
"T-"
"I said I wanted to take Annie to Scotland one day so she could stay in a real castle, and you said 'she would love that, Tony. We just have to get passports for the kids.' I said it'd be done in the morning, and you kissed me and we went to sleep."
"You spoil her," Chris said, rolling his eyes.
"I do. She's got a billionaire wrapped around her pinky and she knows it. She might not fully understand it, but she knows her Mr. Money will buy her anything her heart desires." Tony crossed his arms. "Are we done fighting now?"
"I'm sorry I didn't remember, and thank you for doing this."
"Unfortunately, it's too short notice for my pilot. You'll have to fly us."
"I can do that."
"We won't be able to join the Mile High Club-"
"Tony."
"Go call your parents," Tony said, smirking.
"Thank you, Tony. I really… Thank you."
"I told you. Long haul, Bear. That means I protect you and the people you love." Chris gently kissed Tony before pulling out his cellphone. He dialed his mother's number and waited.
"Chris? Is that you?"
"It's me, Mom."
"Oh, my baby boy. The news has gotten a hold of your relationship and they're saying such horrible things about you!" Deborah started crying and Chris rubbed his eyes.
"I know. Tony… His ex fiancée and former CEO found out and went to the press. They don't realize how much I'm worth on my own, but… We'll be releasing our own statement soon and Tony's promised to help protect the kids. We're going to be flying out soon to get away from New York. And since Anchorage and Malibu will be the next places they look, we-"
"You said you would come home for Christmas. You promised me, Kit. I-"
"Ma, I… We're going to the Bahamas. Tony has an assistant who found a place for us to rent for the next several weeks."
"Weeks?!"
"And there's a room for you and Dad." There was a pause.
"He made sure there was a room for us?"
"Of course he did, Mom. He's just trying to protect me and the kids right now and get us away from the limelight. It's only a matter of time before they track you and Dad down, and it'd be safer if you were with us." Deborah sniffed and Chris could hear her moving around.
"I'll have to pack. I- Oh, Dad's walking in. Phil! Chris said Mr. Stark has sent along an invitation for us to join them-"
"I'll say," Chris heard his father's voice. "He sent his plane ahead to take us." Chris narrowed his eyes and turned to Tony.
"What?" Tony asked with a mischievous grin.
"Too last minute for your pilot, hm?" Tony winked and grabbed their suitcases.
"Hustle up, Bear," he said. "Let's get going." He smacked Chris on the seat of his pants and left the room.
"Chris?"
"Yes ma'am?" he said, smiling at the door.
"He seems to truly care for you."
"He does," Chris agreed. He cleared his throat. "So we'll see you guys in the Bahamas. I guess we'll figure out a way to bring Christmas presents over. I'm sure Tony's already got that planned out."
"Then we'll see you soon, son. We love you."
"Love you too, Ma." Chris hung up and fondly shook his head as he turned off the lights.
