Chapter 7: "If You Give a Stark An Inch…"

Though James had been out of medical supervision a bit before Chloe, it took nearly half a day to program the new phone, since his old one had been incinerated along with his uniform after it had been contaminated, and it took him a little more time than he'd have liked to catch up with Alyssa after the news broke. And kept on breaking.

It had quickly turned into a long string of stories, all tied together — and with Iron Man involved, there was a lot more public outcry against the group that had hit them. But as soon as he was able, he gave her a call and set it up to at least go get coffee.

"So, I guess I see what the draw was for my brother," James told her after he explained basically what had happened. Including the parts the news didn't know. "That stuff … is pretty wild."

Alyssa looked wide-eyed as she nodded along. "That… that's just nuts," she said.

"The big difference is that I don't want to do it again," James told her.

"Oh, good," Alyssa said with a small smile. "I don't think I could deal with you like that — even if you say it was hilarious."

He smirked crookedly at her. "I didn't say it was hilarious. Chance did. But … he doesn't get many shots when we're off our rockers."

"He said Elin was arguing with nothing," Alyssa said. "I was getting texts. You know, the 'we're all fine here' texts."

"I was seeing people that definitely weren't there," James said.

"Who'd you see?" Alyssa asked, looking a bit more interested.

"Mostly the people that were close to us that died from the Apocalypse mess."

"Oh," Alyssa said. She blinked at him and then looked down again. "Well, it must have been nice to see them again, anyway."

He frowned and tipped his head to the side. "Okay, we'll go with that for the sake of argument and subject change."

Alyssa smiled up at him, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Sorry. I just… it's not fun to think of the losses that hang over your head all the time."

He pulled her in for a side hug and kissed the side of her head. "Don't worry about it. Dad said it did the same thing to him when he got hit with it. I'm pretty sure Akihiro had the same thing, but he's weird and likes it."

"Well, maybe he sees someone he actually likes," Alyssa offered. "Is there such a person?"

"One or two," James said. "That aren't here anymore, that is."

"That happens a lot," Alyssa said. "The, um, the fatalities."

"Well, he is eighty-something. I think."

"True," she said. She took a deep breath and then let it out. "But at least you're alright now."

He gave her a little smile. "I usually am," he pointed out. "How about you? Anxious about something in particular or … Kelly's okay, isn't she?"

"Oh, she's fine," Alyssa said quickly. "Me? I'm just… I am a ball of nerves."

"You want to grab it to go and take a drive?"

"That… might be good, yeah," she said.

He nodded his agreement, and the two of them made their order and headed out — not a word beyond the usual basic chit-chat until he got them out to one of the big, hidden lakes where he knew she wouldn't feel like she was being watched. Which was often a problem. But once they got there, he still didn't push.

When it was clear that she was feeling a little better, she finally said in a quiet sort of tone, "I don't know how you do this. It's just constant, isn't it?"

James nodded at that but kept just a bit of distance, since she was so anxious still. "It's been a long-running fight."

"Does it ever stop?" Alyssa asked. "Be honest with me."

He shrugged. "It comes in waves. There are lulls, but no. It doesn't ever really end. Yet."

Alyssa let her shoulders drop and shook her head. "I don't know if I can take that," she said quietly.

He watched her for a moment, then moved closer. "You don't have to, if you don't want to. I sure wouldn't blame you."

"I want to stay," she admitted, finally looking up at him. "I do. It's just that I don't think I can." She shook her head. "It's stressing me out. I think it's messing with me physically. I mean, you know I had that scare and… and when the news is bad, I almost can't even sleep…"

He was listening intently to every word, nodding along until he let his shoulders drop a hair. "If it's that bad, then it's not worth it. I don't want you losing it over my messes."

"No, no, no," she said quickly, looking up at him with her eyes wide. "It's not your — no, it's that — I can't handle all of it. If it's not people coming after you, it's people coming after your friends and your family and I'm probably still going to be upset anyway but-"

He leaned forward and gave her a very sweet kiss. "Not your monkeys. Not your circus."

"I wish it could be," she said. "I wish I was built for it. Because I really do like you."

"And I really like you too — but you don't have to do this. You've been pulling your hair out for months. It's okay."

Alyssa let her shoulders drop and then leaned over to put her head on his shoulder. "I'm really sorry."

"For what? We had a pretty good run, I think."

"Pretty great run," she said with a small smile.

He gave her a crooked smile. "Entirely accurate."

"I would still like to see you — as friends," she said. "I don't want to break things off entirely."

"Absolutely," James agreed. "You know I'll still show up when you ask me to."

"You are too sweet for words," she said, shaking her head. "That's just not fair."

"I … could try being a jackass, but … I'd rather not."

"No, I'd appreciate if you didn't," she agreed, wiping at her eyes a bit before she finally smiled up at him. "I know this wasn't what you were expecting out of a night out."

"It's okay," James promised. "You've been hanging on for my sake for a while, haven't you?"

She bit her bottom lip. "I just … it didn't feel fair to be upset when you're protecting people. Especially kids!"

"Doesn't make what you're going through any less important," James pointed out before he pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Come on … let's get out of here before the mosquitoes start up."

"And I'd be covered in red welts and you'll just… be handsome," she said, shaking her head. "Not fair."

"You know there's something against reporters stretching the truth," he said. "And selling themselves short."

She smiled at him and hugged him around the middle. "You're wonderful, James."

The two of them drove back to Salem Center, and it was remarkable how just getting that off of her chest had Alyssa much more back to herself already. But when they said good night and parted ways, James didn't head right back to the Institute. Instead, he headed north a few hours to spend some time clearing his head.

He didn't get back until a little bit before dawn — and when he came in, Sadie was getting ready to head into the city with a cup of tea in her hands. "You're up early," James said with a little frown, though Sadie simply shifted her whole body as if to say 'oh really'.

"I've got auditions this afternoon, and there's a whole … mess with making sure I have the right parts on my list of what I'm signing up for," she said.

"If you want a ride, I'm going in to talk to Stark anyhow," James said. "You know. After I get changed."

Sadie looked him up and down and wrinkled her nose. "Okay. But really, what have you been doing all night?"

"Lot of driving," James said before he stole her tea to take a sip.

She bit her lip and then took a step forward to give him a hug. "Okay, but … this is stupid. We're not both supposed to be single at once. That's just no fun for teasing."

"So, pick someone for me to haze," James said before he gave her a kiss on top of her head. "I'll be back in fifteen minutes. Can you wait that long?"

She nodded and lifted her tea again. "Have to get one more after this. You're safe."

Sadie was mostly quiet for the drive once they got going, and their discussion about the state of things was so abbreviated that anyone else listening in would have likely thought they were discussing something much less important. "So what happened?"

"She tapped out," James said, to which Sadie simply nodded her head.

"That … was probably the best-case scenario," she said after a moment, to which James paused and had to agree. After that, the rest of the trip was mostly silent until James got her coffee and dropped her off at the theater with a promise to stay in town until she texted him for a ride.

He made his way to Stark Tower to tinker — simply not in the mood to work in his own lab. And the view was a lot better in the tower. He'd only been at it for a couple hours before Tony came by to see what was going on — and of course, James didn't tell him the salient details, just that he wanted a change of scenery and wanted to test the new prototypes for the force field with the adamantium in play. He was sure it was a solid excuse, all things considered. Topped off with "And … Sadie needed a ride anyhow."

Howard had been watching the auditions at the theater for when Sadie would arrive, and he had to admit to being surprised that James dropped her off and not Kaleb. Though the overprotective big brother left, which meant Howard had a chance to talk to Sadie.

"Looking to be the next princess? A step down from a queen, don't you think?" he said with a smile, waving her way.

Sadie turned and let her shoulders relax slightly. "Well … can't be a queen all the time," she said with a shrug. "Though I might end up with the fairy role. Which … would be carrying over."

"You're just so light on your feet," he teased her, crossing the span to hand her a white rose. "For luck."

She smiled at the flower. "Is this going to be your signature move? White roses?" She lifted it up to smell it — clearly for the effect more than anything else — and gave him a little smile.

"It seems to be working for me so far," he said. "And then I can send them any old time, and you know it's me." He leaned forward and grinned. "Like a calling card."

"No matter what you're doing or where," she agreed.

"Exactly," he said, grinning wider. "Wouldn't want you to think I wasn't thinking of my queen when I'm off at some business conference in Beirut."

"While I'm on tour in Moscow, no doubt," she had to laugh. "Or Australia."

"I'll come see you at the Sydney opera house," he said. "And take you surfing."

"But just Sydney," she said with her eyebrow raised. "Roses otherwise."

He laughed and shook his head, stepping forward so that they were much closer than before. "I'll come to every single one I can," he said. "Pay attention."

She tipped her chin down and shook her head lightly. "I didn't realize you were such a ballet enthusiast."

"I'm coming around to it," he said. "Mostly because I enjoy seeing you dance."

"And there's the sweet coming out again," she said, smiling a little wider.

"I've been told it's a very good look on me," he said.

"It really is," she agreed. "I'm surprised more people haven't seen it." She didn't move when he took another step closer to her. "Why is that again?"

"I'm really more of a homebody, and I don't want to fake it for people that aren't worth it," he said with a shrug.

"So … you're faking it, then?" she had to tease.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "The fake sweet is more like my dad… more wine and stuff like that."

She nodded and gave his arm a little squeeze. "Then thank you. This is just what I needed."

"Hey, if you need anything, you know I'm your man," Howard said, dipping his head down to catch her gaze. "You alright? Any particular reason you needed more sweet - outside of your brother and sister going temporarily insane at my house?"

Sadie let out a sigh. "It's been a rough week, when you look at it like that. James is in a mood. Not bad, just … quiet."

"Well," Howard said, stepping forward as he slid his hands around her waist, "if you need a break… I can always arrange something relaxing."

"I might just," she said, nodding.

"Why don't we grab something to eat, then?" Howard offered. "I'll take you wherever you want when the audition is over."

She turned to look at the clock. "I peeked at the list; I should be called up fairly early."

"Gives us more time to relax," Howard said, smiling a bit wider. "I mean, not that we need all that time, unless you're the slow and steady kinda girl," he couldn't help but tease her.

She gaped at him, though it was purely in a teasing manner. "I might be. Especially if who I'm relaxing with is in a giant rush."

He nodded slowly. "I can do that too."

She was just about to give him a snappy retort when her name was called. "I can text you if you have other things to do," she said as she handed him the rose. The music was already starting up for her audition, though, so she didn't stick around to see what he was going to do before she simply headed out and started. And like before, once her dance was done, she gave the panel a curt bow exactly as Natasha had taught her and simply headed off-stage.

Howard was there to meet her, of course, and he couldn't stop the grin as he swept her into a spinning hug. "Let's go celebrate," he told her. "You'll be a princess in no time."

She gave him a little smile. "Let me change first, then we have at least until four."

He leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I could help?" he offered, still with that same playful smile.

"Maybe if I had a private dressing room," she said loftily.

"Won't be long now," he promised her before her spun her around once more until she had the rose back in her hand when he set her down. "I'll be waiting. To kidnap you. For relaxation purposes."

She started to walk off and gave him a quick glance over her shoulder on her way, and like every other time, she was fairly quick to return. "So, what kind of relaxation did you have in mind?"

"Well, it depends on how much you need," he said with a smile as he draped an arm around her shoulders on the way to the car. "Dinner, of course. I can set up something private if you prefer to be away from the crowd."

"I'll leave it to your discretion."

He grinned. "Something private, then," he said, already pulling out his phone. "And if there's something terrible you need consoling from, there's an excellent spa nearby — and I am not just saying that because I want to see you in a robe."

"That's really more Aunt Tasha's thing," she told him as she put her arm around his back.

"Then there's a tennis court back home," he said. "And there's always the possibility of just curling up together and relaxing…"

"You're assuming that my newly single and newly un-distracted big brother will just … let you take over on me."

"Hey, this was important information that I feel like you deliberately withheld from me!" Howard laughed.

She chuckled at that and tipped her head to the side. "Well, you knew he brought me here, didn't you? I figured you could fill in the blanks." She tipped her head back so she could look at him better. "You're smart enough, aren't you?"

"I was very distracted," he said, dipping his head down to hers. "I told you before; I just can't seem to get it together around you."

"I wonder why that is," she replied. "We might want to investigate this before it gets any worse."

Howard grinned at that before he darted forward and stole a kiss. "Yes, definitely," he said. "I'm in favor of exploration."

"It would be a slow exploration," she said, giving him as stern a look as she was able. "Since there is a mourning period that should be respected."

Howard closed one eye as he tipped his head at her. "Wait a minute," he said. "Sadie… how come tall and blue didn't come to your audition today?"

"Tall, blue, and handsome is also newly single."

Howard tried very hard not to grin too widely. "Oh really?"

"That's not very gentlemanly of you," she said before he could go too far with it. "That look."

"I should be ashamed," he said, though that just had him grinning wider as he stopped and turned her way, stepping into her with a little laugh. "I really should be."

"I did not do this for you," she had to clarify.

Howard nodded as he pulled his arms around her. "Let's go somewhere," he said. "So you can mourn."

She stared at him for a moment, both of her hands on his chest. "You're being terrible, I'll have you know."

He tried to stow the grin, though it wasn't working too well for him. "Yes, I'm very sorry. Are you heartbroken? You know they say there's a cure for that…"

"Lil bit heartbroken," she said, closing her eyes and turning her head slightly.

"He's lost the most amazing girl in the world," Howard said. "It's his loss."

"It was my fault," she said.

Howard finally dropped the grin and then shook his head. "Hey, no, I seriously doubt that somehow," he said. "The way you've held onto him?"

"I ended it, Howard, not him," she said. "So yes."

Howard watched her for a moment before he reached out to brush back her hair. "I really am sorry you're hurting," he said. "I'll make sure it's just us and a waiter. No one around to judge your newly-singleness."

She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh before she simply put her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. "I just wanted to warn you. That's all."

"Well, consider me warned," he said, then started to smile again. "But on the other hand, it might be nice to try a little danger. Girl like you could drop me like so much whatever on the side of the road."

Sadie pulled back a little bit but didn't let go of him. "What did you have in mind?"

"For today? I really am just going to take you to dinner," he said.

She nodded. "Then I'll tell James to go home without me."

He grinned at that. "Sounds like a plan to me," he said, then tipped his head and leaned in a bit so he was almost — but not quite — in a position to kiss her. "And then Saturday night… if you're available…"

"We'll see how it goes," Sadie replied quietly. "You know how I like to reserve judgment."

He smiled and leaned just the slight bit forward to kiss her. "I could convince you," he said.

"You can always try."

"I'd very much like to, yes," he said. "But I also promised to take you to dinner." He stole one more kiss and grinned. "But on the other hand… this is nice too."

"You act like you've been starved for affection," she said.

"Hey, give me a break. I've been waiting for a chance to really chase you without holding back. I'm excited, okay?"

She smiled and pulled him over to kiss him back. "Well, tally ho. I wish you luck."

He grinned at that and simply slid into her with one hand in her hair and one in the small of her back. "A late dinner, I think," he said. "Let me take you somewhere with a few less… pedestrians."

Sadie raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Alright. Since you're shy."

"Don't tempt me. My dad will never, ever, ever let me live something like that down. Ever. He'll be thrilled," Howard said, pulling her along toward the car with an almost manic grin.

She had to laugh at that. "Alright, let's see what you can come up with." She pulled her phone out and took a moment once they were in the car to text James before she turned back to Howard. "You're still grinning."

"I'm not going to stop; you've been warned," he said, grinning over at her for good measure.

"Suit yourself. I can figure you out well enough without the facial cues if you insist."

"I like to think I don't need to be subtle to tell you I'm interested," Howard said with a laugh as he pulled the car out to head toward a rooftop loft in the city — one of more modern places that catered to people with enough money to afford some privacy. "If I'd known you were single, I'd have pulled out all the stops for a night on the town."

"As if you're not already?" Sadie said with a little laugh.

"Well, a little bit," he admitted. "But I'm also trying to give you a bit of privacy and mourning." He couldn't quite help the tease at the end.

"I really did care for him," Sadie said. "A lot."

Howard stopped at that and bit his lip. "Sorry. That was callous."

"I just don't want to diminish him, that's all," Sadie told him.

"Sadie, you throw your all into whatever you're doing," Howard said more seriously. "I'm not surprised you do that in love too. That's just who you are."

"Family trait," she said quietly, though she moved a little closer to lean into him. "Just like how 'secret sweet' is a Stark thing."

"I'm… not that secret about it. At least I don't think I am?"

"Neither is he," she pointed out. "It's just not widely known for whatever reason."

"Well, 'Stark scandal' usually sells more newspapers," Howard said before he glanced her way. "I won't do that to you, though. No scandals for a queen."

"That's good," she said, nodding. "Because I'm entirely sure that for as touchy as James was - Dad would be livid. No one wants that."

"And I'm too interested in you to screw it up like that anyway," Howard pointed out. "All those months of adoration? I'd be an idiot to mess with that."

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Sweet."

Howard grinned to himself as he pulled up to the rooftop loft and turned so he could give her an actual kiss — that he pushed to last a little longer, leaning over the gear shift to grin into her mouth. "Yes, yes, I am."

She shook her head at him. "Are we going somewhere, or are you just …. Hitting every burrough to steal kisses?"

"See, now I want to do that," he said, still grinning, though he finally leaned back to let himself out and move around to open her door. "There's a view of the skyline that's perfect for sunset."

"I didn't realize you planned sightseeing," she had to tease.

"Hey, I'm pulling out most of the stops," he laughed.

She leaned into him once they were out of the car and let out a breath, relaxing just a bit. "I'm only teasing. I'm interested to see what it is you've pulled together so quickly."

"There may or may not be a personal chef whipping up a dinner as we speak," he admitted. "I 'borrowed' Dad's favorite chef."

"Is this a regular thing?" she asked. "Not judging. Just asking."

"For Dad? Usually when he forgets something important like an anniversary."

"I meant for you," she laughed.

He tipped his head for a moment and let out a breath. "One girl in Chicago, but she wasn't what I thought," he admitted.

"What was her problem?" Sadie asked, genuinely interested. "Must have been pretty bad, since you never breathed a word."

He halfway winced. "She, uh, almost walked out of the tower with some tech."

She looked horrified. "I can make her disappear. Or … someone can."

Howard shook his head and pulled his arm around her shoulders. "No, no. We are not talking about corporate espionage, exes, or any of that," he said. "I'm trying to impress you."

"How about instead of trying to impress me, you just … be you? I mean, bring your 'A' game, but still. You don't need to impress me."

He tipped his head. "Of course I do," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I was the one who left when we were together, so I'm throwing myself at your feet here. That's the whole point."

"What if the ballerina isn't as dramatic or high-maintenance as you thought?" Sadie had to ask. "Is that a dealbreaker?"

Howard grinned at her. "I don't think so," he said. "We'll have to see how it goes, right?" He gestured toward the elevator. "Take it as it comes?"

She nodded at that and followed his lead. "That's probably best. And we can practice something that I'm told is called … um … impulse control. Or something."

"I… have never heard of that," he said.

"I know. It totally sounds made up." She pulled a face. "But you know, I've been told it's a thing that needs work."

Howard thought about it for a moment before the elevator door closed behind them and he went ahead and pulled her into a kiss anyway. "Next time. I've been really patient waiting for you to come around, and I think that's plenty of practice."

She rested her hand on the side of his neck and nodded. "You did really well. Honestly."

He smiled and pulled her with him as the doors opened to the private loft and didn't wait too long before he started kissing her all over again.

Kari had just gotten back from Paris when her phone started to go off, and she couldn't help but wonder if it was another disaster like the last time, especially when she saw that it was Alyssa. Kari almost always got a text from her when something went wrong, and she tried to talk her friend down. But this time, it was something she simply wasn't prepared for.

Have you turned on the news lately? Because you should. The internet is EXPLODING.

What NOW? Kari had to ask. I just got in from the tour. I haven't seen anyone yet.

Let's just say James isn't the only member of his family making headlines for making out.

Kari raised her eyebrows at that before she teleported down to the game room to turn on the nearest television and flip to the news. And her eyebrows only went higher when she saw Howard Stark tangled up in Sadie in the middle of the street close by Sadie's theater.

"What…" Kari trailed off and then teleported to James' room… though he wasn't there yet. Or in the barn. Or in the lab. Or… anywhere.

Finally, she ended up just calling him. "Where are you?" she asked as soon as he picked up.

"Out," James replied. "Why? House on fire?" She could hear someone in the background speaking in low, quiet Japanese.

"Almost," Kari said. "You need to turn on the news."

"I'm … not exactly somewhere I can do that. Why don't you give me the cliff notes?"

"Umm. You … okay. Your sister is on the news. With Howard Stark. Kissing," Kari said, narrowing her eyes at the screen.

"Yeah, that was just waiting to happen," James said dryly. "Thought he was going to rocket out of the tower when auditions started."

"Aren't you, I don't know, I thought you would be more… something about this," Kari said.

"Not exactly happy about it, if that's what you mean, but seeing as she hated breaking up with your brother ... " James let out a sigh. "Hopefully, she won't be a total idiot. That's all I've got."

"Yeah, he wasn't exactly happy about the breakup either, even if he and Chloe are sweet," Kari said. "It took him completely by surprise — on both ends."

"Short story on that was that his scent was off for at least a month," James said. "It was over for a while. They just didn't know it. Pretty sure Charlie could nail it down better."

Kari let out a sigh. "Well, he wasn't just… dropping her. She is your sister, and I know the urge to be a protective older sibling is strong," she said, adding a bit of a tease into that last bit.

"Hard to protect them too much when they want to be dumbasses. At least when she saw it wasn't working out right, she ended it. It'll probably be a matter of time with this one too."

"And in the meantime, we'll tear our hair out over our siblings," she laughed. "Thankfully, Kade has no interest in dating. At all."

"Smart kid," James said with a little smile in his voice.

Kari leaned back with a smile herself. "Well, I'm glad you know about your sister. Maybe warn her not to make out with the heir to the Stark empire in public next time?"

At that, though, James swore under his breath. "You left that part out."

"This is why you needed to turn on your television? There are pictures," Kari pointed out.

"I'm not …" He let out a frustrated sound. "I'm not anywhere near a television right now. So I can't."

"Where are you, anyway?" she asked.

"Just … out."

"James, come on. It's me you're talking to."

"I'm … in DC."

"And you're not near a television?"

"Nope," he said. "Found a nice quiet spot."

"Scouting a spectacular date?" Kari asked with a little smile.

He let out a scoff of a laugh. "No. Definitely not."

"Well, that makes one Howlett not wrapped up in someone," Kari said. "I just saw Chance and Elin pass by with that look — and your parents are doing that thing they do?"

"Yeah, no danger of that here," James said.

"Well, come by my art studio when you're done so we can properly freak out over your sister the tabloid star."

"I'm really kind of just … getting a little breathing space."

Kari frowned at that. "James, what's going on?" she asked. "Aside from your sister."

"Nothing. Really. I'll text when I'm on the way back. If you're still around."

"I got a commission for a watercolor painting while I was in Paris," she said. "I'll be in my studio for, oh, forever," she promised.

"I told Scott I was going to be out for a few days, so I'll be by before forever hits. Promise."

"A few days?" she repeated, falling into concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm always fine."

"Okay, where are you? I'm coming there," Kari said.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am! When you're fine, it's definitely time to get involved."

"I'll talk to you later, Kari. Get to painting, slacker."

"You know I'm just going to be fretting about how 'fine' you are until I hear from you."

"I'm actually, honestly fine. As in the dictionary definition."

Kari couldn't help but smile to herself. "James, I'm glad that you're confident in your looks…"

He laughed at that. "Wrong definition."

"But no less true," she said, relieved to hear him laughing.

"Good night, Kari. Your ridiculous is working perfectly."

She laughed at that. "Good night, James."

James didn't respond as he hung up the phone and stared at it for a long moment while the low rumble around him continued. He wasn't ready to talk to anyone about this break up. At all. It was a lot to process - especially when he really had been falling for Alyssa. He should have known better than to think he could find someone that would work well with him on his first real shot at dating after Vanessa. Vanessa, who was on his mind more and more after the brush with heat where he had hallucinated all those they'd lost from Apocalypse berating him for his mistakes. Blaming him for their deaths. He needed less complications and simply to be alone.