Family Reunion, Part 2 (RP with iron_tony and sal_starkrogers)
Steve meant to stop Tony from leaving the room - there was no need for him to go - but he was distracted by the appearance of his shield. He could only think of one or two times when he'd been separated from it for so long, and each time had felt like a painful millennium. Even in the ice, he'd had his shield.
Opening the display case, Steve took out the weapon and slipped the leather straps over his arm, reveling in the feel of its weight. Then, taking it off again, he ran his fingers over the smooth metal surface for a moment before throwing it, with just the right amount of force, at the far wall. It bounced off the exact spot where he'd been aiming it and sailed easily back into his waiting fingers. Grinning in spite of himself, he slipped the shield over his shoulders and sat down again.
"You're smart to be suspicious," Steve said, turning to Sally, "But I hope you can trust me. I'd never support registration, and yet I'm here, with you, with my weapon in hand. I doubt Tony would have allowed any of those things to happen if his intention was to conscript you."
*
Sally had watched all this with, she eventually realized, her mouth hanging open. When he bounced the shield off the wall and caught it Sally couldn't stop grinning. Captain America.
She sat back down as he did. It was pretty much impossible to disbelieve him. Sally nodded. "Okay. I believe you. That, at least, you think that's true. But I don't get it, then. Why the special treatment? Why the scholarship, and the limo, and the big reveal that you're alive? It -- please understand, Captain." Sally leaned forward. On impulse -- intuition, the intuition that rarely steered her wrong when it came to other people -- she put her hand on his. "Understand, how, this doesn't make any sense?"
*
Trust Sally to ask the logical questions - questions to which no good answer could safely be given. What was the cover story Tony had suggested, again?
"First of all," Steve began, stalling, "the scholarship is not at all a part of any sort of 'special treatment.' You earned that fair and square, through your hard work at school. You're a brilliant young lady who deserves every academic honor you've been given."
"As for the rest," Steve continued, finally vaguely remembering the predetermined lie, "Tony and I have always remembered you." He turned his wrist on the table to squeeze Sally's hand, grateful for the comforting familiarity of the gesture. "Since that day at your apartment, when you were so lucky to survive. We knew you'd likely develop powers, so we kept tabs on you. I don't believe in registration, or forced underage superheroing activities, but Tony and I have both seen what happens to young heroes, young 'powers,' who aren't given the proper guidance." Images of a plane and a grasping hand floated into Steve's head, but he pushed them away; this wasn't the time to elide Bucky and Sally. "We wanted to make sure you'd be ok. We still do. But Tony... I suppose he figured that you wouldn't be all that likely to accept that concern from him."
Steve cringed at that; much as he understood (and even still, to some extent, sympathized with) Sally's suspicion of Tony, it hurt to know that she had such negative views of a man who, in another world, had been her father. "So I came, with my own concern," Steve finished, "And I was very glad to do it."
*
Sally sat for a moment. I suppose -- god, it's Captain America. Mr. Stark is really smart. But as much as she might think that Mr. Stark was being manipulative, she knew that there was no way Captain America would be pressured to lie or trick a teenager.
"Okay," she said. "Okay, I believe you. So, what do we do now?"
On whim, Sally tried something. *Mr. Stark,* she thought. Wondering if this worked at all, really. *You can come back in now.*
*
Steve and Sally weren't alone very long before she called for Tony. He wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or bad -- like with a jury, he could never remember -- but he came back in the room as soon as he heard her words in his mind. Steve and Sally were sitting across from each other, hands clasped. Well, that was good.
"So," Tony said, "we're all clear of ulterior motives. Are we ready for the next thing?" He looked to Steve for an answer. Tony was inclined to take the meeting as a success and get Sally back to regular life fairly quickly. They would have other chances to meet, and it would relieve her residual anxiety to realize that they meant what they said, that she wasn't a prisoner. But he wanted Steve to take the lead, at this point. He was the one who had been in hiding for much longer than he must originally have intended, and Tony was up for whatever it took to make him happy. And, if Steve was happy, there were better prospects for the hotel room, later.
Also, a nagging voice at the back of Tony's mind said, he wasn't ready to let Sally go just yet, either.
*
Steve jumped slightly when Tony returned, and quickly removed his hand from Sally's. For a second, he wondered if Tony had been spying on them; Steve wouldn't really put it past him, and if he hadn't, how had he known to come back? But then he noticed that Sally didn't look at all surprised by Tony's reappearance, and the puzzle fell together - she'd used her telepathy to call him in. Steve felt a surge of pride.
"Well," Steve said, gesturing to the catering on the other side of the table, "why don't we have lunch? I'm sure you must be hungry, Sally, and it'll give us the chance to discuss our training ideas, and answer any other questions that might come up."
*
Sally tried to not look either weirded out or full of herself when Tony came into the room. I just summoned Tony Stark. The effort it took to not giggle, or possibly pump her fist in the air yelling 'woo-hoo,' made her almost miss the conversation.
Almost.
"Lunch sounds great," she said. "After you, Captain." There was no way Sally's manners would let her step in front of Captain America. If anyone was the honored guest at this little meeting, it was absolutely him. "There are a couple obvious questions," she added as she stood. "Like, how is it that you aren't dead? And why, Mr. Stark, are you not bringing him out before the press like you did Spiderman?"
Sally blushed a little at the last question. "I know that sounds like I'm just giving you a hard time again, like at the banquet. I'm sorry; I don't mean to be. But -- " she looked up and met Mr. Stark's eyes. "But if there's a chance I've misjudged you, I'd like to hear it."
*
Steve grabbed a plate and began to place food onto it, not really caring what he grabbed - hunger was far from his mind. At Sally's question, he turned to face her; he'd always thought it best to make eye contact while speaking to someone, and in this case, he didn't even have to tell the sort of lie that would normally make him avert his eyes.
"I was never dead," Steve said. "The body that was shot was a robot. But the shooter had genuine ill intentions, and it's for that reason that I've been in hiding ever since, looking for a way to circumvent my enemies and, eventually, return." He knew he sounded like he was making a speech, but this was something he'd been rehearsing for months - the answers to the inevitable questions that would arise when he reappeared. "I never meant to mislead the American people," he continued, "but I didn't have any other options." He cast a sidelong glance at Tony, remembering that night at Wanda's when he'd offered to go back to prison. If he had, and SHIELD was as compromised as they both believed, he'd probably be dead in his jail cell right now.
*
Tony propped his elbows on the back of his chair, working hard to make it clear that he was totally casual and comfortable with this conversation. "I've supported Steve's decisions," he said, "and done everything I can to keep him safe." He spoke as though this settled everything. He wasn't going to turn this family reunion into a referendum on his decision-making -- whether it had always been the best, or not -- and he didn't think that Sally or Steve was inclined to push him too much, at the moment. "Right now, we should talk about what's next for Sally, and of course that all depends on her." Tony tilted his head and looked at her. "Sally?"
*
Sally frowned. It was exactly that sort of political weaseling that had made her dislike Mr. Stark in the first place. But this wasn't the time or place for that conversation, much as she wanted it to be. She was pretty sure that, if Mr. Stark had ever had serious ideals, he'd lost them somewhere. He'd probably say ideals like mine are impossible. Sally nodded slowly. Not in agreement but in resolve. Someday she'd show him that you could be powerful and have principles. But not just yet.
"I'd like to get back to campus, to start. My friends are going to do something upsetting if I don't and they can't get me on the phone. After today?" Sally looked back and forth between them. "I don't know -- I do not want to go to the Initiative training ground outside of Stamford. Is there another option? Maybe, working with The Order? Or something?" Of course she was going to train to be a superhero. That wasn't in question; only how.
*
Steve tried hard not to feel offended that Sally wanted to leave. What reason did she have to want to spend more time with two men she only knew from the media, who had practically abducted her, with very little explanation, to get her here? Besides, she knew he was alive now. There would be other opportunities to see her.
But he still couldn't help feeling a little hurt.
"I promise, we'll get you back to your school safe and sound in a matter of minutes," Steve said. "And Tony," he added, looking pointedly at the other man, "will ship you a new phone overnight. But as for the training - how do you feel about the X-Men? There are people there - particularly Ms. Jean Grey - who would be able to help you with your specific power set, whatever the extent of that power set might be. And they have a long history of training powered youths."
Steve wasn't sure just how safe Xavier's mansion was for children, these days or any days, but he did trust Jean, in a way that he didn't trust a lot of the people training new heroes right now. She'd known Sally; she'd been almost a mother to her. Steve had faith in her ability to help his daughter, and faith, given her history, in her willingness to do so.
*
Sally nodded. She'd seen the summit this summer at Disney on the news, along with everyone else. Seen the flyover with Mr. Stark and Jean Grey. The X-Men, they had some sort of special dispensation. They were legal, but not affiliated. That could work. "Okay. You'll tell her about me, and she'll be in touch?"
*
Steve's suggestion surprised Tony, but only for a moment. He wasn't especially keen on approaching Jean for a favor, with the way things stood between them; in fact, he had made a point of giving her the cold shoulder on a few occasions. Just to make sure she remembered where the power structure stood. But as he thought about it, he realized Steve had made a very sensible suggestion. Sally wasn't a mutant, but she was apparently a telepath. Jean would have a better idea than most how to approach her powers. More importantly, she had known Sally and had an attachment to her from the other world. Now they would just have to talk Jean into it.
Maybe Steve could talk Jean into it.
Tony smiled. "Of course," he said. "Now let's finish up here, and get you back to campus." Looking over her head, he nodded at Steve.
"I told you everything was going to be fine."
Opening the display case, Steve took out the weapon and slipped the leather straps over his arm, reveling in the feel of its weight. Then, taking it off again, he ran his fingers over the smooth metal surface for a moment before throwing it, with just the right amount of force, at the far wall. It bounced off the exact spot where he'd been aiming it and sailed easily back into his waiting fingers. Grinning in spite of himself, he slipped the shield over his shoulders and sat down again.
"You're smart to be suspicious," Steve said, turning to Sally, "But I hope you can trust me. I'd never support registration, and yet I'm here, with you, with my weapon in hand. I doubt Tony would have allowed any of those things to happen if his intention was to conscript you."
*
Sally had watched all this with, she eventually realized, her mouth hanging open. When he bounced the shield off the wall and caught it Sally couldn't stop grinning. Captain America.
She sat back down as he did. It was pretty much impossible to disbelieve him. Sally nodded. "Okay. I believe you. That, at least, you think that's true. But I don't get it, then. Why the special treatment? Why the scholarship, and the limo, and the big reveal that you're alive? It -- please understand, Captain." Sally leaned forward. On impulse -- intuition, the intuition that rarely steered her wrong when it came to other people -- she put her hand on his. "Understand, how, this doesn't make any sense?"
*
Trust Sally to ask the logical questions - questions to which no good answer could safely be given. What was the cover story Tony had suggested, again?
"First of all," Steve began, stalling, "the scholarship is not at all a part of any sort of 'special treatment.' You earned that fair and square, through your hard work at school. You're a brilliant young lady who deserves every academic honor you've been given."
"As for the rest," Steve continued, finally vaguely remembering the predetermined lie, "Tony and I have always remembered you." He turned his wrist on the table to squeeze Sally's hand, grateful for the comforting familiarity of the gesture. "Since that day at your apartment, when you were so lucky to survive. We knew you'd likely develop powers, so we kept tabs on you. I don't believe in registration, or forced underage superheroing activities, but Tony and I have both seen what happens to young heroes, young 'powers,' who aren't given the proper guidance." Images of a plane and a grasping hand floated into Steve's head, but he pushed them away; this wasn't the time to elide Bucky and Sally. "We wanted to make sure you'd be ok. We still do. But Tony... I suppose he figured that you wouldn't be all that likely to accept that concern from him."
Steve cringed at that; much as he understood (and even still, to some extent, sympathized with) Sally's suspicion of Tony, it hurt to know that she had such negative views of a man who, in another world, had been her father. "So I came, with my own concern," Steve finished, "And I was very glad to do it."
*
Sally sat for a moment. I suppose -- god, it's Captain America. Mr. Stark is really smart. But as much as she might think that Mr. Stark was being manipulative, she knew that there was no way Captain America would be pressured to lie or trick a teenager.
"Okay," she said. "Okay, I believe you. So, what do we do now?"
On whim, Sally tried something. *Mr. Stark,* she thought. Wondering if this worked at all, really. *You can come back in now.*
*
Steve and Sally weren't alone very long before she called for Tony. He wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or bad -- like with a jury, he could never remember -- but he came back in the room as soon as he heard her words in his mind. Steve and Sally were sitting across from each other, hands clasped. Well, that was good.
"So," Tony said, "we're all clear of ulterior motives. Are we ready for the next thing?" He looked to Steve for an answer. Tony was inclined to take the meeting as a success and get Sally back to regular life fairly quickly. They would have other chances to meet, and it would relieve her residual anxiety to realize that they meant what they said, that she wasn't a prisoner. But he wanted Steve to take the lead, at this point. He was the one who had been in hiding for much longer than he must originally have intended, and Tony was up for whatever it took to make him happy. And, if Steve was happy, there were better prospects for the hotel room, later.
Also, a nagging voice at the back of Tony's mind said, he wasn't ready to let Sally go just yet, either.
*
Steve jumped slightly when Tony returned, and quickly removed his hand from Sally's. For a second, he wondered if Tony had been spying on them; Steve wouldn't really put it past him, and if he hadn't, how had he known to come back? But then he noticed that Sally didn't look at all surprised by Tony's reappearance, and the puzzle fell together - she'd used her telepathy to call him in. Steve felt a surge of pride.
"Well," Steve said, gesturing to the catering on the other side of the table, "why don't we have lunch? I'm sure you must be hungry, Sally, and it'll give us the chance to discuss our training ideas, and answer any other questions that might come up."
*
Sally tried to not look either weirded out or full of herself when Tony came into the room. I just summoned Tony Stark. The effort it took to not giggle, or possibly pump her fist in the air yelling 'woo-hoo,' made her almost miss the conversation.
Almost.
"Lunch sounds great," she said. "After you, Captain." There was no way Sally's manners would let her step in front of Captain America. If anyone was the honored guest at this little meeting, it was absolutely him. "There are a couple obvious questions," she added as she stood. "Like, how is it that you aren't dead? And why, Mr. Stark, are you not bringing him out before the press like you did Spiderman?"
Sally blushed a little at the last question. "I know that sounds like I'm just giving you a hard time again, like at the banquet. I'm sorry; I don't mean to be. But -- " she looked up and met Mr. Stark's eyes. "But if there's a chance I've misjudged you, I'd like to hear it."
*
Steve grabbed a plate and began to place food onto it, not really caring what he grabbed - hunger was far from his mind. At Sally's question, he turned to face her; he'd always thought it best to make eye contact while speaking to someone, and in this case, he didn't even have to tell the sort of lie that would normally make him avert his eyes.
"I was never dead," Steve said. "The body that was shot was a robot. But the shooter had genuine ill intentions, and it's for that reason that I've been in hiding ever since, looking for a way to circumvent my enemies and, eventually, return." He knew he sounded like he was making a speech, but this was something he'd been rehearsing for months - the answers to the inevitable questions that would arise when he reappeared. "I never meant to mislead the American people," he continued, "but I didn't have any other options." He cast a sidelong glance at Tony, remembering that night at Wanda's when he'd offered to go back to prison. If he had, and SHIELD was as compromised as they both believed, he'd probably be dead in his jail cell right now.
*
Tony propped his elbows on the back of his chair, working hard to make it clear that he was totally casual and comfortable with this conversation. "I've supported Steve's decisions," he said, "and done everything I can to keep him safe." He spoke as though this settled everything. He wasn't going to turn this family reunion into a referendum on his decision-making -- whether it had always been the best, or not -- and he didn't think that Sally or Steve was inclined to push him too much, at the moment. "Right now, we should talk about what's next for Sally, and of course that all depends on her." Tony tilted his head and looked at her. "Sally?"
*
Sally frowned. It was exactly that sort of political weaseling that had made her dislike Mr. Stark in the first place. But this wasn't the time or place for that conversation, much as she wanted it to be. She was pretty sure that, if Mr. Stark had ever had serious ideals, he'd lost them somewhere. He'd probably say ideals like mine are impossible. Sally nodded slowly. Not in agreement but in resolve. Someday she'd show him that you could be powerful and have principles. But not just yet.
"I'd like to get back to campus, to start. My friends are going to do something upsetting if I don't and they can't get me on the phone. After today?" Sally looked back and forth between them. "I don't know -- I do not want to go to the Initiative training ground outside of Stamford. Is there another option? Maybe, working with The Order? Or something?" Of course she was going to train to be a superhero. That wasn't in question; only how.
*
Steve tried hard not to feel offended that Sally wanted to leave. What reason did she have to want to spend more time with two men she only knew from the media, who had practically abducted her, with very little explanation, to get her here? Besides, she knew he was alive now. There would be other opportunities to see her.
But he still couldn't help feeling a little hurt.
"I promise, we'll get you back to your school safe and sound in a matter of minutes," Steve said. "And Tony," he added, looking pointedly at the other man, "will ship you a new phone overnight. But as for the training - how do you feel about the X-Men? There are people there - particularly Ms. Jean Grey - who would be able to help you with your specific power set, whatever the extent of that power set might be. And they have a long history of training powered youths."
Steve wasn't sure just how safe Xavier's mansion was for children, these days or any days, but he did trust Jean, in a way that he didn't trust a lot of the people training new heroes right now. She'd known Sally; she'd been almost a mother to her. Steve had faith in her ability to help his daughter, and faith, given her history, in her willingness to do so.
*
Sally nodded. She'd seen the summit this summer at Disney on the news, along with everyone else. Seen the flyover with Mr. Stark and Jean Grey. The X-Men, they had some sort of special dispensation. They were legal, but not affiliated. That could work. "Okay. You'll tell her about me, and she'll be in touch?"
*
Steve's suggestion surprised Tony, but only for a moment. He wasn't especially keen on approaching Jean for a favor, with the way things stood between them; in fact, he had made a point of giving her the cold shoulder on a few occasions. Just to make sure she remembered where the power structure stood. But as he thought about it, he realized Steve had made a very sensible suggestion. Sally wasn't a mutant, but she was apparently a telepath. Jean would have a better idea than most how to approach her powers. More importantly, she had known Sally and had an attachment to her from the other world. Now they would just have to talk Jean into it.
Maybe Steve could talk Jean into it.
Tony smiled. "Of course," he said. "Now let's finish up here, and get you back to campus." Looking over her head, he nodded at Steve.
"I told you everything was going to be fine."