Strange was correct. It wasn't that hard to drive a snowmobile.

By the time that Ned was feeling well enough to stand on his own two feet and bundle up and go out into the fresh Montana air, Peter, MJ and Stephen had all made multiple tracks in the virgin snow of the meadow, racing around on the snowmobiles with increasing confidence. Ned joined them, and Polly took him out and taught him how to drive one, too, and by the time he was adept enough to feel confident, he was also feeling much better and was close to his usual cheerful self.

Clint waited to make sure that he wasn't needed, and then he closed up the Quinjet and he and Nick left, snow swirling around the jet as it took off.

The rest of them gathered in the 'terminal' for a minute before they headed for the cabin to get last minute instructions and to decide who was riding with whom on the way – and for a safety lesson while they were in the wilderness – although the cabin was hardly defined as roughing it. Jim took control of the impromptu meeting, with Tony standing beside him to make sure the kids understood that this was important information.

"So, we'll stick together," Jim told them. He was a grizzled fellow, tanned and wrinkled but with no sign of softness in his lean frame. "We had some heavy snow the last few days, which will make for a good time this weekend. But it will also make it a bit more precarious when we're going up any hills – which we will be. Try to stay in the tracks ahead of you so we don't cut any new snow that we don't need to cut. You guys will be fine."

"Tell them about the wildlife," Tony said.

Jim nodded.

"The snow will probably bring some wildlife down from the upper meadows, so you should get a chance to see plenty of them this weekend. Don't try to get close to them, okay? The elk and deer probably won't let you, anyway, but the bison you might see aren't afraid of people, and they're fairly ornery and a lot faster than they look. Enjoy them from a distance."

"Are we going to see wolves?" Ned asked, excited.

"They're out there, but they're shy. If they see you first, they'll keep clear. Mountain lions, too. The bears are usually in their dens by now, but there is always a chance of the occasional straggler, so just watch out for them, okay?"

Natasha had elbowed Peter playfully when Jim mentioned bears, and he rolled his eyes, rubbing his side almost automatically, even though the scars on his side were barely a few white lines along his ribcage by now.

"Just keep an eye out and you will all be fine."

"Any questions?" Tony asked, looking at the kids.

He was well aware that the adults would be careful and were smart enough to make sure they didn't get eaten by something. The kids, on the other hand, needed to be reminded that they weren't in the city, and the dangers out here were a lot different. Peter had gotten a taste of that when they'd gone camping earlier that year, but it never hurt to be recapped. He wanted them to have fun but wanted to make sure he brought all three of them home, too.

The three teens all shook their heads, and he smiled at their excited expressions. He was excited, too. It was going to be great.

Pepper had a bag of digital cameras in her possession and before they all bundled into snow boots, gloves, coats and hats, she handed each of them a camera and told them she expected pictures of everything – even if it seemed too mundane to be interesting.

There were eight snowmobiles. Polly had one and was going to lead them to their cabin. Jim had one and was going to take the rear of their little cavalcade to make sure there weren't any stragglers. Pepper took the controls of one, with Tony riding pillion behind her. Natasha and Strange took one, with Natasha relinquishing the controls over to Stephen, who tried to hide it, but was eager to give snowmobiling a try. Steve, MJ, Peter and Ned all had their own machines, but they were also carrying the travel bags for the group. All the items that Clint and Fury weren't delivering in the crate.

When everyone was ready, they headed out.

OOOOOOO

There was something to be said for careful planning, Tony decided, as he snuggled right up against Pepper's back, his arms wrapped around her as she drove them along the tracks left by Polly's snowmobile. A glance behind him showed that the others were all doing exactly what they'd been told, following the tracks. He knew Peter was directly behind them – he couldn't see his face because of the helmet he was wearing, but he recognized the coat the boy had picked out – and the other kids were lined up behind him, with Natasha and Stephen after them, Steve (with Jack snuggled warmly under his coat) and finally Jim bringing up the rear.

The ride was exciting enough for them without being dangerous, and he was feeling pretty impressed with himself – even though Pepper had really done all the work getting things organized. It wasn't the first time he'd taken credit for something she accomplished, he knew, and probably wouldn't be the last., if he was honest with himself. Which he was – sometimes.

As they passed through a heavy stand of tall evergreens, steadily climbing higher, Polly suddenly raised her arm and slowed gradually to a stop with the others stopping as well. She gestured toward a small opening in the trees and it actually took Stark a moment to realize what he was looking at. In amongst the trees was a small group of bison. Impossibly large and imposing, Tony wasn't the only one to stare at them. He looked back and saw Ned gesturing excitedly, even though he wasn't saying anything.

Polly allowed them a few minutes to look, and then started out again and the others followed dutifully. Aside from the bison, they didn't see any large wildlife the rest of the way into the cabin – and really, they didn't see all that many little creatures, either. They would be told later that many of the smaller creatures were burrowed in dens or holes of their own, warm and comfortable and waiting for a change in the weather.

Twenty minutes later, they came up to a final clearing, dominated by the cabin that they were going to be staying in that weekend and Polly stopped her snowmobile out in front at the bottom of a retaining wall that was obviously a parking lot in the summer, but at the moment wasn't being used for any vehicles. Instead, there was the metal crate that held all of their supplies, the snow in that area blown almost clear by the jet's engines being so close. The others all came to a stop as well, parking the snowmobiles in a neat line without actually planning on it.

Ned pulled his helmet off, staring at the place, clearly impressed.

"Wow."

Tony had to admit that he was impressed, too. The pictures didn't do the place justice.

The place was huge. Buried under a layer of snow that gleamed in the late morning sun, there was a small staircase leading up to a huge porch that dominated the front of the house. The roof was slanted, and a huge chimney rose from it. There wasn't any smoke coming from it, but the place didn't require a fireplace for heat – only to provide ambiance. There was electricity and every room had its own thermostat, Tony knew. The porch seemed to wrap around the entire house, and the view of the mountains and the trees was incredible no matter which side of the house they were standing at.

"We checked the house this morning," Jim told Stark. "Everything's in order. We'll be back to guide you guys out Monday morning."

"Thank you."

"Have fun."

Polly and Jim left then, then, and they all gathered near the crate. Steve had taken Jack from under his coat, but was still holding the puppy firmly in his arms.

"How do you want to do this, Pepper?" Tony asked, aware that she was much better at organizing than he was.

"Let's go inside, choose our rooms and then unpack everything once we know where it's going. Then we can make some lunch and start looking around."

He nodded and looked at the others.

"You heard the woman. Let's check the place out. Find the room that suits you – but Pepper and I have dibs on the master suite."

They had set the whole thing up, after all. Fair was fair.