No copyright infringement or small-talk intended.

(This chapter is inspired by some reviewers wanting more cooperation with the Avengers, by some others noting that geniuses aren't always getting along, and my sudden craving for some IronPepper or whatever they're called...)

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The unexpected had always been the expected when it came to Doctor (lately Master) Stephen Strange. As a direct consequence of this Christine was very rarely surprised by anything which happened in the large 'Sanctum' whenever she visited.

She had gotten used to Stephen's favourite garment getting up to mischief or hugging her enthusiastically (usually far less reservedly so than Stephen would), to there being takeout from Hong Kong on the dinner table, still hot, or that her former (and getting there once more) boyfriend left his body behind for sometimes rather long periods of time in order do who-knows-what.

Christine no longer raised an eyebrow to people from all over the whole bloody world suddenly appearing in the living room on a moment's notice or that there were sentient items in one of the upstairs lounges set in great glass display cases. She didn't question how Stephen could get himself (and her too, apparently) through glovy holes he made in the air or that his cloak made him float. But she was slightly surprised when she bumped into a well-dressed strawberry blonde on his doorstep, and it only took her half a second to recognise Virginia 'Pepper' Potts, CEO of Stark industries.

She was even more surprised however when said woman merely smiled at her and stepped up onto the steps leading to the front door alongside her, speaking as if it was all completely normal and they already knew one another, if vaguely. "You must be Christine? I am Pepper. Elice said we should just let ourselves in..." That, of course, was the moment when Stephen's cloak opened the door from inside in a flurry of read fabric, only to fly back indoors immediately, as if in a hurry. Christine disregarded that throught immediately. Cloaks weren't in a rush. Usually, anyway.

"Hello, Crimson," Pepper let Christine step into the enormous house first and then shut and bolted the door. "Have you seen everybody?" The Cloak swirled and started to fly at a comfortable pace up a set of stairs, as if leading the way. Pepper gave Christine a smile and made to follow. "I suppose that is our cue."

Still with a sense of surreality (and boy, did that take a lot these days) Christine followed the famous business woman upstairs, lead by the magical red cloak. Once they were up there, things only got weirder.

There were muted voices coming from elsewhere in the Sanctum, but lying on a thick carpet in front of a massive fireplace was Elice, entertaining a baby or small toddler with a selection of colourful finger puppets.

"Pepper! And Christine!" The young Icelandic doctor-to-maybe-be looked up and smiled at them, hearing their steps no doubt. The cloak settled on the carpet as well, seemingly curious about the child. "Stephen and Tony are upstairs - they've been arguing since midmorning. I suppose there are such a thing as too many geniuses for a task...? Anyway, Doctor Banner is up there, too, I don't understand how he can stand them both."

"Force of long habit, I suspect. Thank you very much for looking after Maria yet again, Elice. I am grateful," Pepper Potts moved to pick up the now eagerly babbling child, who was reaching her arms out for her.

"That's no bother. She's a lovely child - I suspect she got her father's smarts as well as yours, Virginia, but she doesn't seem to have picked up any of his attitude, as of yet, anyway!" Elice grinned. Christine suddenly noticed how much the Icelander had started to resemble Stephen in the way of snark.

The CEO and - more importantly - mother laughed. "I dread her teeange years already. I shall take her home. Do tell her father for me whenever he emerges that I am not counting on him for dinner." With that, Elice nodded her acceptance and said her goodbyes to the small daughter of two of the most influential people in New York, and the mother and daughter left.

"It might be a while until Stephen comes out of there," the comment made Christine snap out of her shock and look at the younger woman, currently busy cleaning up the toys off of the floor and carpet. "You're welcome to wait if you want to, otherwise I can tell him you called on him. He could always portal to yours later, you know."

"Yes, eh, I don't want to disturb. Was that really Virginia Potts?" she couldn't keep herself from asking after a second of hesitation.

"Uh huh," Elice seemed entirely unmoved, and only now Christine realised that there was a wide selection of toys in the room, as if a child came there often, as well as a very pretty toy box the younger woman with her blonde fishtail braid was currently filling up. "Stark has their daughter with him sometimes and then his wife picks her up if he lingers."

The younger woman was gracious enough to pretend not to notice anything amiss when Christine excused herself rather hastily, asking her to tell Stephen to drop by later. Because bizarre as many things had been ever since Stephen suddenly walked into the hospital bleeding, this was an entirely new kind of strange and she so needed some time alone to process this.

For once she was glad that it was almost midnight before Stephen eventually showed up.