IMPORTANT! Maybe? – I put a poll up on my profile. I want to know if you think I should have the events of Iron Man play out in 2008 like its was originally planned in the MCU or if I should use their altered timeline and have it happen in 2010. I have it planned out either way, but was curious what you all thought.

A.N. – I know that all aquariums are not equal and I have no idea what the London aquarium was like in 2003. All I have is pictures and youtube videos to work with so sorry if I gloss over it and its fanfiction so yeah.

- So, this might possibly be my last update until July. There is a lot of stuff going on in June like my brother's wedding and I don't think I'll have time to update. As always, thank you for reading and apologies for any mistakes. Creative criticism welcomed ^_^

Story Title: RIPPLE EFFECT

Chapter Rating: K+

"speech"

'thoughts'

Chapter Seven ( Tuesday July 1st)

There was no sleep for Tony that night, or at least not very much. There had been too much that had not been spoken about but for once he knew that he couldn't push just yet. For the moment the Dursleys had the upper hand. Tony was working on rectifying that. He didn't like letting someone else hold all the cards preferring to either level the playing field or tipping the odds into his favor. While Tony still wasn't sure what he was going to do about the boy or what kind of father he was going to be, he knew that he didn't want to be a long distance one. It would have been only a step up from having the kid sent to boarding school as his own father had done to him. J.A.R.V.I.S was running several different searches for him to enlighten him to all options available to him.

"Compilation completed," J.A.R.V.I.S's voice interrupted the man's musing. The a.i. had been running since Tony and Pepper had entered the hotel when he had given it parameters to search for when digging up information. His mind had been going over that he had been told and not told. Petunia hadn't been very subtle that there were gaps and such missing from her story. Just to see if what she had told him was true and to find out everything else he could, he'd had his a.i. looking into the matter.

"Let's see it."

Soon, he was looking through electronic pages of information gathered by J.A.R.V.I.S on his tablet that had him itching for his complete system at home. Even with all his tinkering there was only so much space available on the electronic device. As it was, there was quite a bit of interesting and relevant (for Tony,) information. Looking through the data he was caught up in the mystery wanting to solve it. It seemed that his hunch was correct about more than just Lily having been drafted when she was eleven. There were others whose records disappeared after age eleven never to resurface while others upon becoming a legal adult emerged from wherever they had vanished. Sometimes it ran in families while others appeared to be random. There wasn't any discernible pattern that he could see at the moment.

"Child soldiers?" He wondered with a furrowed brow. It wasn't an unheard of concept from history and while countries would deny it, some still embraced the practice but kept it hidden from the masses. The question was, which were the ones that washed out of the program? Those that disappeared or those that now looked to have civilian lives? Sleeper agents perhaps? From what he could understand and theorize with what little he'd been able to learn last night Lily had been recruited to fight some sort of cult. A cult whose leader had targeted Lily's husband and by extension, her.

On the couch with the pad in hand was how Pepper found him and had to call his name a few times along with, "We'll be late," in order to get his full attention rather than a distracted, "Hmm?"

Seeing her boss blink up at her, she sighed and gave him a mug of coffee. He gave a smile of appreciation as he downed the dark beverage. A quick shower and change of clothes later they were in the car heading for the aquarium. Pepper let him know it would take them about two hours for them to get through the aquarium.

"Is that calculating an adult or a preschooler?" Tony wanted to know. At that, his ginger assistant seemed stumped not happy with the fact that she was. She had looked the information up knowing he'd want to know how long he'd have to be stuck looking at fish. He cracked a smirk at her expression while he hoped that it wouldn't take as long as he thought it might and didn't want to factor in cranky hungry ankle biters into the mix.

Not knowing how to act around young children, Tony wasn't sure what exactly was expected of him. Last night he hadn't really had to do anything but build things with legos so not much interacting there. Today would be different. He'd be exposed to the kid all day and vice versa. The last time he'd been around kids that age had been when he'd been that age.

In answer either to his question or from reading what he was thinking, Tony appreciated when the woman spoke up stating, "I'm sure it'll be fine."

Edward was really excited for this trip, his giddiness showing with the way he kept bouncing on the balls of his feet and his megawatt grin. Both he and Dudley loved when they got to use the underground with either of the Durlseys. It was an adventure and they got to see more than their small trips to and from school or the grocers. Today was extra special though and so it was hard to sit still.

Dudley was excited about the sharks while Edward wanted to see everything! If pushed if he had a favorite he had to say he liked the octopus. When he told his cousin that an octopus could kill one of his beloved sharks, Dudley got upset which resulted in an argument which almost turned into a shoving match before Petunia put a stop to it by digging her nails into their ears. She threatened to take a cab home and forget the whole thing, causing Edward to panic both boys knew that she would do it too. Despite having to put aside money for them to come because it had been something both boys had wanted to do for months.

They had sulked for a bit but Edward's dampened excitement sparked back to life when he saw Tony and Pepper. Waving and grinning, he was nearly bouncing again on the step. He knew that both Uncle Vernon and Ms. Pepper had said that Tony would be here and Tony had promised, but he hadn't really believed until he saw them heading in their direction.

"Tony! Ms. Pepper!" He called out excitedly. His stomach was all squirmy like it had been yesterday but now he could relate it to how he felt when he'd first started kindergarten and again before his team had a game. He was nervous and excited and happy. Ms. Pepper smiled and he felt himself returning the smile with a beaming one of his own.

They small group entered the building starting down the path the boys' head turning to take in the murals as they walked. Soon enough they were starting the exhibition and Tony found a small being latched onto his leg. Edward was looking down at the glass at their feet that they could see through where the sharks and fish were swimming. Dudley had made an excited noise and had wanted to lay down to see into the tank whereas his cousin wanted to move away from it. All the boy could think of was what if it broke? Dudley was a bit put out that his mom was keeping him from really looking and ushered them past the walkway. Edward while breathing a bit easier absently kept a grip on his adult safety line. Petunia had a firm hold on Dudley so he wouldn't run off or get lost in the crowd.

The tight hold on Tony's pants gradually lessened but never let go as they explored the area with Pepper hiding a smile at not only the sight of her boss whom was trying to keep a straight face and not groan learning there were fourteen zones. This would be a practice in patience and trying to keep the boredom out of his expression and tone. The one thing he could find going for this place was that the lightening was a bit dimmer than he expected it to be. The shrieking children? Not so much. Thankfully the two ankle biters he was stuck with weren't screaming at ear piercing decibels.

The children liked the warped glass so they could see the fish magnified at the beginning of the trip. They also liked when they were able to stick their hands in the water and touch the starfish and anemones. There was the typical giggles at the squish and gross factor on some of them. Thankfully Edward had let go of Tony before he went and stuck his hand in sea water and hadn't reattached himself to the man. Petunia had the boys stop at the stations meant for the children to make keepsake art pieces which she then put in her over sized purse which held the brochure they'd been given at the admissions desk.

There were so many kinds of fish that neither boy had ever seen before or even Pepper for that matter. She was actually peering in the tanks too and pointing things out for the boys if they happened to miss something. When they had gotten to the octopus tank Edward was in his element. He watched fascinated as it moved about and chatted with Pepper telling her everything he knew about the creatures. She listened with an amused smile as he stumbled over his words as they came out quite quickly in his excitement.

The jellyfish had been a bit hypnotizing and the boys were whispering back and forth as they pointed at different ones and giggled. They loved how the different lights made the jellyfish looked even more pretty and alien.

Dudley enjoyed looking into the huge many storied shark tank. A hammer head shark had swam past them and the blond tugged at his mother's shirt asking, "Did you see that!"

"Is that supposed to be a whale or a dinosaur?" Tony asked tilting his head as he looked at the fake bones in the tank interested despite himself.

Edward enjoyed the stingrays and had even startled away from the glass in surprise when one swam straight up it in front of him. He'd bumped into Pepper's legs who'd been behind him looking as well. Giving a sheepish smile, the boy went back to peering in the glass then giggled as another stingray went by. "Lookit the face!"

To him, it looked like they were either smiling or frowning and it was funny to look at the undersides. Glancing up at the redhead, he babbled about how he learned that they were related to sharks. Dudley hadn't believed him so they naturally had to find an employee but Tony had already looked the information up on his phone and had been surprised his kid was right. Dudley had just grunted like his father and had gone back to marveling at the tanks and trying to find the biggest shark he could. Petunia spotted a turtle to point out to her nephew who smiled in thanks as he pressed as close as he dared trying to see.

When they went through the glass tunnel where the sea surrounded them, Tony once again found Edward attached to him. This time at least it was just his hand as he pressed close even as his wide eyed gaze was darting around with his mouth hanging open in a bit of mixed fright and awe. They were once again faced with the large shark tank with larger sharks in them.

"Why they got rock faces?"

"Hmm?"

Edward pointed at the large stone face in the tank. When told it was a replica of the stone faces of Easter Island, the boys furrowed his brows in confusion. He didn't ask what a replica was even though he had no idea what that meant. Something more interesting caught his attention. "Like Father Christmas?"

"What?" Tony had no idea where that came from.

"Santa. He gots Lapland. Do the Easter bunnies have an island?" That made sense in the boy's mind. The only other thing he could reason why it was called Easter Island was that it was Easter all the time there. Maybe it was? Lapland had to be kind of Christmasy all year since that was where Santa lived.

"Uh, sure." Tony dredged up half vague memories to recall the culture differences between the United States and Europe. "Just like him. The bunnies live on Easter Island."

Nodding, Edward didn't see the man's mouth twitch in amusement as they moved on to the next tank. The boys amused themselves and annoyed Petunia by trying to make fish faces every so often. Then they were in the rain forest section and the younger boy was pointing at the turtles. He liked them as did his aunt. Dudley was disappointed that the piranha weren't like in movies and shows. Edward however was interested to learn that some of the piranha actually ate fruit and nuts. Fish were weird!

Dudley had exclaimed happily and pointed with enthusiasm at the crocodile or alligator that he could see. "Mummy!"

What outing wouldn't be complete without a souvenir? The artwork they made didn't count in the boys' opinions. Pepper had volunteered to buy them something as a late birthday gift for Dudley and well, you couldn't just leave one kid out could you? It stopped Tony spoiling the kids as Petunia had stated that they only get one item only. Edward being the picky person he was took longer to decide on his present then Dudley who opted for a hooded sweatshirt. The shirt's hood was rimmed to look like a shark's mouth. Finally Edward decided on an octopus plus that was nearly as tall big as he was. Petunia already knew it would be living on the boy's bed.

When Edward had to pee, Petunia looked as if Tony had stated he was going to kidnap the kid when he stated he'd take him. He'd noticed how she had kept an eagle eye on them throughout the whole tour as if she'd expected them to run. Mentally he had snorted at that since he would get his kid back legally not by stooping to sneaking the kid away.

Tony had grumbled to Pepper when they'd had to walk from the parking lot to the aquarium and almost did so again when it was finally time to leave the place. This time they were accompanied by the small family. They were being treated out to lunch and Tony's only stipulation was no fish which made the boys giggle and their accompanied adult frown while Pepper was split between amusement and annoyance. Tony happily treated them to Sticky Fingers the only restaurant he actually knew and was relieved to see still stood. It let the kids experience an American menu and had Petunia frowning. She didn't particularly care for the menu and resigned herself to messy children and was thankful she had brought a spare pair of clothing for both boys. There were also wet wipes that would see plenty of use.

Both boys found enjoyment when Pepper forced Tony to get his cheek swabbed firs to show Edward what they wanted. The boy had made a face and quickly drank some of his water afterwards. Pepper had put the vials in her purse to send to take to the labs later. When Petunia asked him how he'd even known about the restaurant, his reply of, "Lily," had caused a silence. At the mention of his mother's name, Edward had looked up. "My mum?"

"Yup. Thought a bit of home would do me good." Tony's head tilted slightly as he recalled, "That was our third date?"

Tales about the kid's mother helped pass time until their food arrived. Then it was eating and jokes until the boys had to be helped clean up.

The subject the adults hadn't broached while they'd been in the company of the two children, was in the forefront of all of their minds. It wasn't until after Tony had once again descended the stairs after putting his kid to bed (the reality of which still hadn't quite sunk in yet) that anyone dared to broach it. Vernon had come home not long after they had actually. After a recount of the day it was surprisingly Petunia who inquired once again what the man's intentions were towards her nephew. She wanted to know if he was going to be taking him away from the only home he could really recall. While not anything near a professional in the minds of children, she did remember what it was like to suddenly not have her sister around anymore. While Dudley would still have his parents to help him with the adjustment, Ned would be with strangers in a strange environment. Not to mention, they still didn't know what kind of parent Tony Stark would be. Showing up and buying the boys a couple of presents and spending a bit of time with him didn't a father make. The man hadn't been around to see Ned have a tantrum or test boundaries. In a sense, he was behaving himself while the man and his assistant were around.

The subject was something he was sure that Pepper had tried to talk to him about before when she'd said that the kid looked happy in the picture he'd been sent. Tony had wanted to verify it for himself that it was true and it appeared that it was. While he knew that the best thing would likely to leave the kid where he was, that would be the safe thing to do. That would be Pepper's argument he was sure, yet the thought of leaving the kid here just seemed inherently wrong. He'd already missed out on five years of the kid's life. Some of it he was rather glad to what with the teething, diaper changing, and sleepless nights.

"Well, I plan on getting my name placed on his birth certificate where it belongs," Tony replied sitting back on the chair crossing his legs. J.A.R.V.I.S had already been at work on that. He wasn't worried about getting slammed with child support since he hadn't been already plus he'd already planned on setting up an account for the Dursley kid as a thanks for taking care of his. "And getting the kid a passport. That should take like, what, a week?"

In reality he knew it would take closer to about six to eight weeks unless one wanted to fork over more money to expedite the process. He was quite sure that neither of the Dursleys knew this and if they did, knew from his reputation that he wouldn't blink or think twice at tossing some money around to get his way. They didn't have the money or resources as Tony did for a custody battle that they would lose. It wasn't as if it would be hard for him to get Edward into the United States as the kid had an American parent. Even if the biological parent aspect didn't get the courts to rule in his favor the fact that he had more than enough money and space for the kid would have.

"You'll not be taking him away from us." Vernon stated with narrowed eyes and cheeks reddening missing how the other man's eyes went hard at that. No one told him what he could and couldn't do let alone keep something of his away from him. "Watch me."

"You don't have any -"

"I have every right."

A nasty smile crossed the older man's face as he asked, "Why don't we let the boy choose?"

At that, Tony's eyes narrowed further. He was not going to put that on his kid. To force someone to choose between their family members? That was a no brainer to cause anger and resentment later along with a lot of unresolved issues. There was a reason that you had to be twelve before your input was considered in custody battles. Before the two men could start arguing and threats to be made, Pepper stepped in. "What about a compromise?"

There was a look of betrayal that flashed across Tony's face before he schooled it to neutrality. He would give the woman the benefit of the doubt rather than immediately fire her and look for a replacement. Good help was so hard to find after all. So he listened as she outlined the plan for the Dursleys and Edward to come to Malibu for the last month of summer. That way they could all get used to each other and then when it was over they could broach the subject again with Edward to come to some kind of more permanent solution.

"I don't see why we have to pussyfoot around this," was his irritated response. "The kid's in danger here right? You said something of the effect last night. Lily was specifically targeted as was her husband. If either of these cults or organizations come calling, he won't be where they expect."

"They'll find him," came the soft voice of Petunia who had actually been considering the man's deal. She had seen the flaw he didn't because she hadn't told him what he needed to know. She'd kept quiet because she hadn't known how to bring it up nor how the man would react. Petunia herself had acted very negatively when told about her sister having magic and knew there were others that were adverse to her nephew's ability. To have the boy out of the expected path would have been the safest thing for him, but the old wizard had even stated to Vernon that he would be back in six years for the boy. It wouldn't matter where Ned was if they were so determined. Stark was also a futurist would he be able to accept there was something such as magic that existed?

"Perhaps, but it'll take them years -"

"They'll know if he doesn't come back at the end of August."

"The blasted cat woman," Vernon spat. Petunia had told him about the woman being at the post office then not a day or so later and they had that old wizard knocking on their door.

"What?" They knew there was a spy living in their neighborhood?

The Dursleys exchanged looks before Vernon went to get them all something stronger than tea. When he returned and poured them all drinks, Petunia sighed and stated, "We might have omitted a few things."

Tony's head was reeling by the end of the explanation which he was skeptical about. A society that had segregated themselves away and kept to archaic rules and traditions. Gave him the unedited story as she knew it about the whole magical affair and why Lily had been targeted. Then there was something about how the wizards had already decided that the kid was going to their school. About how Lily had been approached and that the headmaster had already been to see Edward and would be seeing him again when it was his time to attend the school.

"I never agreed to that."

"They won't care. There's something you should see." Getting up, Petunia motioned for them to stay there as she went and retrieved Lily's letters. Maybe he would believe the words of a dead woman if he couldn't believe hers. Back in the living room she handed the box that contained the letters over to the man. "They're letters. Take them, read them, but please, return them. There isn't much left of her except for Ned and he's a right to those."

Taking the box, Tony stood and decided it was best that he leave to think about the unbelievable story he was told. He didn't believe in magic. These people might have deluded themselves into thinking that was what they wielded and they were wizards, but magic was just science that hadn't been proven yet. He'd scan the letters and have J.A.R.V.I.S comb through them and authenticate the writing.