Chapter 3: "A New Deal"

Kate was glad to see Kari back in her studio, since she knew that more than anything was an indication that she was doing better. Kate was going to hug the stuffing out of James when he got back from his Stark Industries stuff, because ever since Kari got those watercolors, she'd been hard at work.

Kate poked in with some more coffee but didn't want to break into Kari's concentration when she was so wrapped up in her newest project. This one was a waterlily, though when Kate came closer to look at it, she realized that it was more the reflection in the water of the lily than the lily itself, sitting in the middle of a swamp.

It was technically beautiful, and Kate could see that it was a much closer look at one of James' pictures, which Kari had printed out and had nearby for inspiration.

Which was just further reason for Kate to want to hug that boy.

"Kari," she said to get her attention, and Kari looked up and smiled for just a moment before going back to work. "We're cutting the ribbon at the new Bishop Publishing building next weekend."

Kari finally stopped what she was doing, looking perfectly happy to hear it. "That's great," she said honestly. "I'm sure everyone will be glad to get back to it after that fire."

Kate nodded. "You're welcome to come too. The whole family — the publishing family and our family — is welcome, but I know you're still a little iffy about, you know, people."

Kari tipped her head to the side as she considered her mother before she let out a small breath and shook her head. "No, I want to be there."

Kate smiled and pulled Kari into a hug to kiss the top of her head. "I've told you I love you to itty bitty pieces, right?"

"Yes, mama, I love you too," Kari said in a put-upon tone.

Kate grinned at that and then reached over to skew the photograph of the swamp sideways. "Okay, I'll let you get back to your project. I know how it can be when you get in the zone," she teased.

Kari laughed and shook her head, giving her mom one more squeeze before she got back to her paints, though Kate's gears were already turning by the time she got back upstairs.

She still had to send off a few more emails to get everything squared away with the grand reopening, but right about the time she had a break in the business side of things, James got back with Howard, both of them grinning and joking around with each other before Kate seized James by the arm.

"I'm stealing you," she declared.

"Okay," James said. "But it's not stealing if I'll go along anyhow."

Kate beamed at him and ruffled his hair but didn't give away what she was up to as she all but glided up the stairs with James in tow until they got to her office. Though first and foremost, she was sure to wrap him in a serious hug. "Thank you," she said warmly.

"Um … you're … welcome?"

"You and your paints and pictures got Kari out of her funk, and I can't thank you enough," Kate explained, even going so far as to kiss his cheek.

He let out a breath at that. "Good," he said. "I was hoping that might work."

"She's painting right now," Kate said. "She's still quiet, and she's been talking to Jan a lot, but … you made a big difference, and I just can't thank you enough. That's my baby, you know."

"No, no, you already thanked me. That was more than what was needed," James said. "I'd do that anyhow."

"Yeah, but she's my baby girl, so I'm going to go ahead and claim mom privilege on this, mkay?" Kate said with a grin.

"Yes ma'am," James said with a smirk. "If you say so."

Kate shook her head at him, though she had a smirk of her own. "That's right. Keep that answer in mind, buddy boy, because you're gonna do something else for me."

James frowned at that, though. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Like you are going to share some of the amazing photography you've been doing, because it's criminal the rest of the world can't see how talented you are," Kate said.

"Wait, what?"

Kate was already moving to her desk to draw up a contract. "Come on, James. You're a world-class photographer, and you know Kari would write a beautiful forward about how you gave her the inspiration for some of her paintings. And besides that, you could use the good press."

"That … is a lot to unpack."

Kate waved a hand. "Then don't unpack, accept that I'm right, and let me publish a gorgeous book of your photography."

"This … seems like a second opinion thing," James said.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Oh sure. You'll work for Tony and Steve, but I need a second opinion," she said, though she was already texting.

"Um, I absolutely got a second opinion — and a third and fourth and fifth — about working with Tony."

Kate let out a little sound that sounded like 'pah' and waved her hand again. "So, obviously, you won't want to share the more personal pictures, but you have some, like, Planet Earth level photography here," she said, turning her computer to show him the contract she was drawing up, with some of the pictures he'd shared with the family pulled up as well.

"You're already picking the ones you want?" James asked in total disbelief.

"I'm showing you examples of ones that I like, but I know you hoard the best, you little punk," Kate said, the smile obvious in her voice.

James let out a little laugh at that. "Oh, come on, Auntie Hawkless …"

"You know I'm right," Kate said, leaning back with her arms crossed.

"Wait. You're being serious." He had finally turned to look at the text on the page.

"Um. Yeah." Kate gestured to her computer. "C'mon, James. The world deserves to be filled with beauty, don't you think?"

James didn't really get a chance to argue, though, when Kate's backup arrived in the form of Jan, who came waltzing into the office and grinned when she saw James. "Oooh, look! It's my favorite Young Avenger and young Avenger!"

James couldn't help but laugh as she made her grand entrance. "Are you the muscle?"

"Oh, yeah," Jan said, nodding seriously. "What's the problem here?"

Kate gestured to James. "He doesn't think he should get his photography published."

Jan raised her eyebrows James' way. "Why not?" she asked him.

He shrugged and gestured to Kate. "It's … not exactly new. Any of it."

"So your only objection is that you want to publish new stuff?" Kate asked with a grin.

"That's not what I said, twisted sister."

"Well, I think it's a great idea!" Jan said, beaming at James. "You always take the best pictures!"

James was shaking his head between the two women before the last of Kate's backup showed up, announced only by a pink poof of smoke before James found himself nearly tackled in a hug.

"Are you really gonna put your pictures in a book?" Kari gushed. "That's amazing!"

James was openly shocked as he looked between Kari and Kate. "You dirty little …that is cheating."

Kate beamed at him. "Is not," she sang out — and then stuck her tongue out to complete the picture.

But Kari wasn't paying any attention to the back and forth between James and her mom as she hugged him. "You should use that picture from New Orleans in the storm; it's one of my favorites!"

"I don't know that I'd be using anything, since you're mom is just … being ridiculous."

"I'm totally serious," Kate insisted. "I wouldn't joke about my business, James."

"Oh please," Kari said, beaming at James. "Please, oh please?"

"I don't know that I have enough that are good enough to show," James said, making a little face.

"Um, yes, you do!" Kari said. "What about the cherry blossoms you sent last spring? I was in love with the way you caught the wind just right. Or the silhouette of Chelsea at sunset on the beach? It looked like something off a Hallmark card!"

"Umm, I want to see," Kate said.

James looked her way for a moment before he glanced over to Jan and then Kari too. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"Not even a little bit," Kate sang happily.

"You know I can't sign anything without giving it to Pepper, right?" James said. "Part of my other contract."

"Pepper will totally agree with us," Jan said.

Kari nodded her agreement. "She so will. She'll help us pick out the pictures if you won't," she said, grinning widely at James.

"Oooh, girls night!" Jan laughed, pumping the air with her fist. "This is definitely happening now."

"I think she's had enough of my garbage to deal with lately," James said.

"Um, your photography is not garbage," Kate insisted.

"It's definitely not," Kari agreed. "It's amazing!"

"And have you seen that huge canvas Pepper has of Maria with the Iron Man helmet in her office?" Jan pointed out. "She's totally on our side."

He covered his face with one hand and let out a long, low sound. "You know what … fine. Whatever. Get her to figure it out, and you can do whatever you want."

"Great!" Kate beamed and clapped her hands together. "I'll send you the contract to sign as soon as I get back from Pepper's."

"I'll grab the drives," Kari said with a grin.

Kate beamed at that and pulled Kari over to kiss the top of her head. "Yes. Good. You are the favorite child right now."

"Are you three done now?" James asked. "Because I have to talk to my mother."

"Oooh, tell her hi from me!" Jan said, beaming at him.

"I won't take long. If you two want to do something … or if you're back for Kurt snuggles again…" James shrugged. "It's really just a heads up for her."

Kate grinned. "She'll agree with us; your photography is beautiful."

"Oh, come on, I already agreed, you don't have to keep building your army," James said as Kari bounced over to give him another quick hug that he of course returned automatically.

"I so, so do," Kate insisted. "Because I am the boss."

Kari grinned and kissed James' cheek. "Just… leave her. She's just excited."

"I'm cutting your coffee off," James warned as he followed her advice.

She shook her head and pouted. "Why would you be so heartless?"

"I just am," James shrugged with a smirk. "Don't you read the papers?"

Kari shook her head with a little smirk to match his. "No, I use them for paper mache."

"Pinatas again? Come on, Kari. There's only so much sugar this place can take — especially if you're fighting Annie for dominance," James teased before he got out of the office as Jan started to laugh.


It wasn't long, though, before James got the chance to put his photography skills to use again — this time with his niece and nephew. Matthew and Liliana were turning one, and of course, with Annie as a grandmother, that meant they had some incredible yellow cakes, one for each of them, with cupcakes all around for everyone else.

To everyone's surprise, though, it wasn't an immediate smash like they'd thought, especially considering Matthew's usual "fight me" kind of attitude with everything from people's shoes to table legs. Instead, Annie found herself hitting K in the shoulder when both of the twins sort of looked at the polished cakes suspiciously.

"This is so your fault," she said.

"They appreciate beauty," K said before she pulled Annie into a one-armed hug. "Give it a minute. There is no way that those two will stop there."

Annie let out a little huff, though she didn't have to wait too much longer. While Liliana was lightly running her finger over the top of the icing, not even scooping any up but just barely dusting her fingerprints, Matthew looked around the room to see that everyone's eyes were on him and broke into a grin that spelled all kinds of trouble.

A second later, the little boy had positively pounced onto his cake, a full body experience to tear into it. He wasn't even trying to eat it; he just wanted to destroy it, complete with his best, most intimidating growls.

"Oh yeah, those are your genes, Annie," K deadpanned. "Vicious and Southern."

Annie chuckled, but then, she laughed even harder when she saw the look Liliana was giving her brother. It was a dry sort of 'what are you doing' as Matthew smashed the cake into a pulp… and then turned to a crooked grin a second before she grabbed her own little cake and smashed it right into Matthew, completely covering him in cake.

Matthew blinked in obvious surprise, for the moment not sure how to respond, but when Liliana positively fell apart laughing at him, he pounced on her, covering them both in cake pieces the harder they laughed and snuggled.

Chance and Elin finally managed to wrangle them to the tub to get cleaned up — but Kari teleported over to James to look over his shoulder to see the pictures she got. "Please tell me you got that look on her face, because that was pure Elin," she giggled.

"Yeah," James said, snapping a picture of Annie and Scott as the two of them shared an entirely too-pleased look, half wrapped up in each other. "I got it. And the look on his face right before he attacked." He paused and took a few steps to the side, scrolling through what he'd gotten to see if he'd managed to catch the quick change in direction — and then smirked when he saw that, yes, he had caught the look on Annie and Scott's faces when Liliana destroyed her brother's cake smashing game.

Kari grinned over James' shoulder, though that just had Ariel curious to see why her aunt was giggling so much, and she tugged on James' arm. "Inna see," she sang out.

"Why?" James asked, turning the camera so she couldn't, just to get a rise out of her.

She tried to grab at the camera. "Inna see!" she whined. "Inna see what's so funny!"

James picked her up and let her settle in before he turned the camera for her to peek. "Shhhh. I don't like to show anyone before I'm done."

Ariel giggled and put her whole hand over her mouth. "Shhhh," she agreed.

"I have pictures of you doing the same thing," James told her quietly.

"Really?" Ariel's eyes were wide as she looked up at James. "Inna see!"

"Kari can show you. She knows where the album is," James said. "But you need to ask nicely."

"Puh-leeeeeeease, Auntie Kari?" Ariel asked, her eyes as wide as she could make them, which just had Kari giggling to herself as she picked up her little niece.

"Sure thing, silly girl," she promised. "Will you give James a kiss for letting you see his pictures?"

Ariel giggled and leaned as far over as she could to kiss James' cheek. "Thank you for letting me see your pictures!" she recited with a wide smile.

Kari grinned and snuggled her niece, sweeping off with her to go find her own cake smash pictures.

Not that James was left alone for long when the twins got back and one of the first things Matthew did was rush over to his uncle and attach to his ankles, growling and doing his best to take him down, since he loved his Uncle James.

James set the camera down to pick him up and toss him in the air. "You're getting old, little man."

Matthew grinned at him and hugged him around the neck. "Hi Jay!" he giggled.

"Did you enjoy your cake fight?"

The little guy grinned and nodded, giving James his best growl. "Fi-i-i-i-i-i-ght!" he giggled.

James smirked a little wider at him and then let out a nice, low, rumbling growl for him that Matthew felt well before the sound caught up, which, of course, had the little guy falling apart laughing in delight and trying so, so hard to copy it, though he was too young to pull it off.

And while James and Matthew were playing with each other, Liliana attached to Scott, climbing up into his lap and giggling at her brother's antics. "Silly, silly," she told Scott.

"Yeah, brothers are like that," Scott said, nodding along with a wide grin.

She gave him a look and shook her head slowly with a sigh before she snuggled in, absently patting his chest.

"I am never going to get tired of that," Annie whispered to K when she saw Scott with the little girl on his chest. "Just look at him."

"Which part?" K said quietly. "The look itself or the grin he's trying and failing to keep in check?"

"Yes," Annie said with a wide smile.

"It's a good look on him," she agreed. "On both counts."

"Oh absolutely," Annie said, leaning back where she was seated with a contented sigh. "He couldn't be happier. And I love it."

"Nice to have all of them looking so contented," K agreed. "You too."

Annie smiled at K. "I'm happy when my family's happy," she said. "Always have been. I'm just made that way."

"Pretty sure the best ones are," K agreed.

Annie just grinned and then couldn't help but wrap K in a hug. "We have amazing grandchildren, K. I'm glad I get to share them with you."