''You're seriously booking that flight?''
Logan jumped in surprise as Drew stood at the doorway the next morning. She had been on his laptop since the early hours trying to make her decision, but after talking to her mother the night before and explaining that she needed some space, she knew that it was a good choice.
''I don't have many other choices,'' Logan sighed. ''It's not like this is how I wanted it to happen, but this baby is due in three days and I can't be here when it happens,''
Drew folded his arms, not seeing a good argument to put up against hers.
''You need to be with Tony,''
''I wish I could be, but it's pretty clear that whatever he's hiding from me is much more important than this,''
''Hey, that's not true. Whatever's going on with Tony, it's gotta be pretty big for him to not be here with you right now,''
''I know and that's what scares me. Tony's made a lot of enemies by being Iron Man, I don't know what he's gotten himself into and I know that he doesn't want me involved, but it feels like...like we're not as important,'' she tried to explained. ''Up until now me and Tony have been thinking of this family we're going to have and how perfect everything's going to be, and in one night it's like he changed his mind,''
''Logan...'' Drew shook his head.
''I know that most people didn't think Tony would ever settle down and that him getting married was going far enough, but I know him better than anyone and I believed that he wanted this, that he would always be here. It just hurts to know that after all these months he's been hiding something from me that's big enough to tear us apart. I don't want to do this without him, I don't even know if I can, but it's too late for me to try and fix that when I have a baby to worry about. A baby that's going to arrive any day now and I can't do it on my own,''
''But your mom's in Seattle, your life is here,''
Logan nodded her head, but there was no changing her mind. This wasn't the way she wanted things to go, but she was running out of time and options. She needed to be with family and since Tony had made it clear they couldn't discuss anything until he fixed whatever was wrong, she had to go.
Tony had worked from the moment he got home the night before to midday the next. The box that SHIELD had given him contained more than he thought, but there was still not enough inside to find a cure. He needed something strong enough to keep him alive and it just didn't exist.
The video that he found of his father had explained that there was much more to do with the arc reactor, but Howard didn't have the technology to do anything about it. That's why he had left it to Tony, because his father believed in him. As hard as it was to believe, it was a nice gesture considering Tony never thought his father would ever be proud of him. But nothing was coming to him. Tony had gone through his father's journals and books that he recorded all his work and findings in, but he couldn't find anything that stood out to him. He needed something to work with and he just couldn't find it.
''JARVIS did Pepper get that apology message I left?''
''Yes sir, but she did not reply,''
Tony thought as much.
''Guess I deserve that,'' he sighed. ''How's Logan doing?''
''She is well sir, currently arriving at Stark Industries,''
Tony stopped what he was doing, looking up at the screen in front of him. He had permanently attached a tracker to Logan's cell phone long ago after finding it useful when they were dealing with a crazy Obadiah years ago. Even when he wasn't with her, he always needed to know if she was okay, especially since she became pregnant.
''What for?'' he asked, his eyes analyzing the image which showed the tracker moving into the Stark Industries building.
''Unknown sir, Mr. Hogan is escorting her inside,''
To say that he didn't like the way they left things the night before was an understatement. Tony didn't like the fact that he had just walked away from all the questions she had and deserved answers to, but he couldn't explain anything to her without offering some hope. Until he could find a way to make sense of his father's work and understand how to make a suitable replacement for palladium, he couldn't involve her in this. But he couldn't be away from her when their son was born, which could have been any day now. If he didn't find the time, if he couldn't find the cure, he didn't want things to be like this.
Jumping up and changing his clothes, Tony took off in his car without thinking once again. All he could focus on was that Logan was at Stark Industries for some reason and that he needed to fix things with her. Just seeing her the night before wasn't enough, he needed to give her an idea of what was going on. Mainly, he just wanted her to come home. Not being with her for two days now was driving him insane, he couldn't do it any longer.
Logan sat in Pepper's office sipping an iced tea, her hand resting gently on her stomach as she sighed in discomfort. Her son had been moving around all evening and bothering her more than she ever thought possible. She wondered if it was because Tony wasn't around, if she wasn't the only one who craved his presence.
''Are you sure about this? You know you're always welcome at my apartment,''
''No, I couldn't do that to you. Besides, I need to be with family. If I'm going to have this baby without Tony being there, which is looking very probable, than I need my mom by my side,''
Pepper gave her a light smile.
''I understand, but I do think you should talk to Tony about it,'' Pepper advised. ''I know he's being an ass right now, but I know how much you and the baby mean to him,''
''He won't explain anything to me Pepper. He's hiding something from me and he won't tell me anything until it's over. But I can't wait that long. I can't stay here and do this on my own. I've never been a mother before, I don't know how to do this and I don't want to do it like this, but I have to,''
Pepper could see how worried Logan looked, but there was nothing the woman could do. She didn't know what was going on with Tony either, all she knew was that Logan was right. She needed to be with family, she needed people around her and although she had friends here, her family was Tony. If leaving to go to Seattle and be with her mother when she had the baby was going to help her than Pepper was going to do anything she could to make it easier.
''This will work out,'' Pepper assured. ''Tony would never abandon his family,''
''I know that,'' Logan nodded. ''I know how much he loves us, but this is the worst timing for him to be hiding things from me. We're about to have a kid, we have to be together and do it together and everything was so perfect until...''
Pepper tried to give her a light smile, but she wasn't sure how to comfort Logan right now. It was true, even to everyone else who didn't even know the couple, they had looked like a perfectly happy family for the past few months.
''I just don't know what he's keeping from me that's so important he would do this,'' Logan shook her head, trying not to become too emotional. ''I just have to do what's right for me and my son, I can't just think about me right now,''
''It's okay, you don't have to explain yourself to me, I understand,'' Pepper stood up, walking over to put a hand on Logan's shoulder. ''If you need anything, any help with getting there, just let me know,''
''I have it all sorted, but thanks Pepper,'' Logan stood as well, taking her time.
''When are you leaving?''
''Tomorrow, I have to go get some things from the house,'' Logan sighed.
The door to Pepper's office swung open, interrupting their conversation as an assistant rushed inside with a huff, looking frustrated and disappointed.
''I'm sorry Ms Potts-''
''Do you not see my name on the side of the building? I don't have restricted access,'' Tony complained as he walked down the hall, heading for Pepper's office.
Logan watched her husband push past the assistant and walk into the room, his eyes locking on her. He still had bruising around his neck and face, but he looked a lot better then he did the night before. Pepper looked between the two of them, wondering what was going to happen. Tony wasn't exactly Pepper's favorite person on the Earth right now and she was extremely glad that she was called out of the room for another meeting she had to attend. Pepper gave Logan a polite glance when walking away, being careful to avoid Tony.
With a roll of her eyes at the fact that even with the door closed and only them two inside the room Tony still couldn't say anything to her, Logan turned to pick up her bag but immediately remembered the problem she had. Having an enormous stomach did nothing to help having to bend. Rushing over, Tony picked up the bag and handed it to her, a soft smile on his face. However since they were still in silence and Logan refused to be the one to start, she began walking toward the door.
''Logan,'' Tony called out.
''Did you come here just to mess with me?'' she asked, turning to him and folding her arms.
''What? No, Logan I want to talk,''
''You want to talk? Like I wanted to talk to you last night and you just walked away?''
''I'm sorry, I didn't know what to say,''
''That's not true,'' Logan shook her head. ''You know what you have to say, you just won't tell me,''
''Logan, after everything we've been through, you should know that if I haven't told you something it's for a very good reason,''
''And you should know that after everything you shouldn't need to hide things from me,'' she argued. ''Especially things that turn you into the person I seen the other night,''
Tony hung his head low, ashamed of himself.
''I don't like that you saw me like that either,'' he admitted. ''But all my life that's the way I've dealt with my problems. Just like my father, I turned to alcohol,''
''But you can turn to me instead, you know that. What sort of marriage is it if you can't talk to me about things that effect you like that?'' she asked. ''I'm not made of glass Tony. Whatever you're hiding from me, it won't break me,''
Tony stared at his wife and her complete look of innocence. He knew how strong she was and how much she had been through, but hearing that Tony was dying and there was no cure for what he was going through would certainly break her. That was the whole reason he hadn't told her all of this time. It would absolutely break her.
''I wouldn't be so sure,'' he told her quietly.
Logan's expression changed, worry rising.
''What do you mean?''
Tony didn't answer her though, instead his eyes had locked on something hidden beneath a sheet in the corner of Pepper's office. The office used to be Tony's and there was a lot of his father's stuff in there, but Tony had overlooked it for so long that he was now completely entranced by it.
It was a 3-D model of the Stark Expo, but the way it was built and the image it was sending to him meant so much more to him. With the knowledge of the notes his father left in his journal, with Fury's words that Howard assured him the arc reactor wasn't complete, that there was still something else to do with it, Tony was finally seeing something that could possibly make sense.
''Tony?'' Logan grabbed his attention. ''There's no point talking if you're not going to explain anything to me,''
Tony turned to his wife, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
''I want to tell you, I do,'' he began, his eyes shifting back to the model. ''But...''
''But,'' Logan shook her head. ''But you can't, right? I'm getting really tired of you trying to apologize but still keeping so much from me,''
''I have something I need to do,'' he told her hurriedly. ''But once it's done, whether it works or not, I'll tell you everything,''
''Whether what works? Tony, what are you involved in?''
''Nothing, it's nothing, I just need a little more time,''
Logan laughed now.
''Time? Do you not realize that I'm supposed to have this baby, our baby, in three days? I don't have time for you to keep putting off your explanation,'' she shook her head. ''I don't have time Tony,''
''I know, but I promise you I will explain everything to you. Tonight, come back home-''
''No Tony,''
''Please,'' he begged. ''I won't keep anything from you. Just come back home,''
Logan thought for a moment. She didn't want to leave like this, she needed to talk to him and if he was going to explain everything to her, she could give him this one last chance. And then she'd be gone.