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Thought I should post this so I can find it later. Unedited.
“So, should I ask who wore who out first?”
Pepper Potts glanced up from her laptop as Dr. Lisa Cuddy stepping into the living room, then Pepper twisted around to look at Tony Stark, who was sprawled across the couch fast asleep; one hand resting protectively over his eight month old son Nathaniel -- who was also fast asleep; curled up on his father’s chest with one little fist gripping the edge the Arc Reactor. Pepper smiled at the two then turned back to Lisa.
“I think they both went down at about the same time,” Pepper said in a quiet voice.
Laughing softly, Lisa settled in one of the chairs by Pepper. She pulled off the high heel shoes she was wearing and rubbed her feet. “How long ago?” Lisa asked.
“An hour or so, I think.”
“Really? They‘ve been out that long?”
“Amazingly enough, yes they have.” Deciding a break was in order; Pepper set aside her laptop and picked up her mug of coffee. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked.
Shaking her head, Lisa answered, “No, I’m fine. All I want right now is to get off my feet.”
“Long day?” Pepper sat back in her chair, making a face as she sipped the lukewarm liquid in her mug.
“Not long, more like too much to do. I feel like I spent most of the day running from one end of the conference center to the other.”
“Oh, I know how that goes. Is tomorrow going to be…” Pepper’s Tony radar went off and she turned to look at the couch.
The CEO of Stark Industries was slowly turning his head then suddenly his whole body twitched. Tony’s eyes flew open and his hands instinctively moved to cradle the baby on his chest. Pepper bit back a grin as she watched the slightly awed and surprised look that appeared on Tony’s face as he waited to see if his movements would wake Nathaniel.
It had come as a complete and utter surprise to both Pepper and Rhodey to discover Tony was going to be a father. It wasn’t until a few days before the birth-- when Tony was practically bouncing off the walls and Rhodey was threatening to staple him to the floor and gag him if he didn‘t explain what was up-- that Tony finally told them the whole story.
Pepper had actually been impressed by how much Tony and Lisa had thought things through. By donating his sperm instead of doing things the traditional way, Nathaniel and Lisa were spared the media storm a child of Tony Stark’s would produce; and since Tony had made Dr. Lisa Cuddy his doctor two years earlier, no one except a select few knew the real reason behind his presence at Nathaniel’s birth.
It also meant no one blinked an eye when Tony invited Lisa, Nathaniel, Dr. House and Dr. Wilson (the rest of Tony’s ‘medical team’) to stay at his place during the medical conference at which Lisa was a keynote speaker.
When he was sure Nathaniel was going to stay asleep, Tony looked in their direction and said, “Hey! Sorry, didn‘t hear you come in.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s because you weren’t supposed to hear me come in.”
“Ah.” Tony yawned then asked, “So how was your day?”
“Busy. Yours?”
Tony looked as Nathaniel and smiled. “Busy.”
Pepper leaned towards Lisa to whisper loudly, “He actually changed a diaper today.” Before Tony could stop her, she grinned and added, “Of course, he had to call in Rhodey for backup because he had no idea what he was doing…”
Tony glared at her. “What? It’s not like anyone left me a manual.”
“They don’t come with manuals, Tony,” Lisa pointed out.
“Why not? They should. The last thing you want to do is mess around with something this fragile.”
Smiling, Lisa turned and asked Pepper, “Rhodey actually knows how to change a diaper?”
“Yes.” Pepper gave Lisa an amused look. “Apparently his sister made sure he knew how in case he did any babysitting for her. According to Rhodey, it was worse than basic training.”
Lisa laughed. “Ah.”
“So what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Tony asked.
“More seminars. I’m hoping to take a break at lunch to do a little sightseeing, though.”
“Great! I can show you around!”
“Oh no.” Pepper pointed a finger at Tony and said firmly, “Tomorrow is the M.I.T. commencement speech. I am not rescheduling that speech again.”
Tony raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, gonna have to. I said I’d keep an eye on Nathaniel--”
This time Cuddy was the one to point a finger at Tony. “No. You are not using our son as an excuse to get yourself out of your commitments, Anthony Edwards Stark.” She gave him a look.
“Uh…” Tony paused, then obviously changed his mind about whatever it was that he was going to say and instead said meekly, “Yes, dear.”
Pepper smiled. Oh yes, Dr. Lisa Cuddy was the perfect woman to raise Tony‘s child.
The look Lisa was giving Tony turned curious. “You must have really worn him out.”
Tony shook his head and looked down at Nathaniel. “No, I think it’s more the hum of the Reactor. He seems to like that.”
It was Pepper’s turn to be curious. “It hums? I never noticed that.”
“That’s because I’ve never been able to get you to curl up on the couch with me.” Tony carefully shrugged his shoulders. “Rhodey says it hums when you put your ear against it.”
“Well, he would know.”
Tony grinned. “Yep.”
“So, should I ask who wore who out first?”
Pepper Potts glanced up from her laptop as Dr. Lisa Cuddy stepping into the living room, then Pepper twisted around to look at Tony Stark, who was sprawled across the couch fast asleep; one hand resting protectively over his eight month old son Nathaniel -- who was also fast asleep; curled up on his father’s chest with one little fist gripping the edge the Arc Reactor. Pepper smiled at the two then turned back to Lisa.
“I think they both went down at about the same time,” Pepper said in a quiet voice.
Laughing softly, Lisa settled in one of the chairs by Pepper. She pulled off the high heel shoes she was wearing and rubbed her feet. “How long ago?” Lisa asked.
“An hour or so, I think.”
“Really? They‘ve been out that long?”
“Amazingly enough, yes they have.” Deciding a break was in order; Pepper set aside her laptop and picked up her mug of coffee. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked.
Shaking her head, Lisa answered, “No, I’m fine. All I want right now is to get off my feet.”
“Long day?” Pepper sat back in her chair, making a face as she sipped the lukewarm liquid in her mug.
“Not long, more like too much to do. I feel like I spent most of the day running from one end of the conference center to the other.”
“Oh, I know how that goes. Is tomorrow going to be…” Pepper’s Tony radar went off and she turned to look at the couch.
The CEO of Stark Industries was slowly turning his head then suddenly his whole body twitched. Tony’s eyes flew open and his hands instinctively moved to cradle the baby on his chest. Pepper bit back a grin as she watched the slightly awed and surprised look that appeared on Tony’s face as he waited to see if his movements would wake Nathaniel.
It had come as a complete and utter surprise to both Pepper and Rhodey to discover Tony was going to be a father. It wasn’t until a few days before the birth-- when Tony was practically bouncing off the walls and Rhodey was threatening to staple him to the floor and gag him if he didn‘t explain what was up-- that Tony finally told them the whole story.
Pepper had actually been impressed by how much Tony and Lisa had thought things through. By donating his sperm instead of doing things the traditional way, Nathaniel and Lisa were spared the media storm a child of Tony Stark’s would produce; and since Tony had made Dr. Lisa Cuddy his doctor two years earlier, no one except a select few knew the real reason behind his presence at Nathaniel’s birth.
It also meant no one blinked an eye when Tony invited Lisa, Nathaniel, Dr. House and Dr. Wilson (the rest of Tony’s ‘medical team’) to stay at his place during the medical conference at which Lisa was a keynote speaker.
When he was sure Nathaniel was going to stay asleep, Tony looked in their direction and said, “Hey! Sorry, didn‘t hear you come in.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s because you weren’t supposed to hear me come in.”
“Ah.” Tony yawned then asked, “So how was your day?”
“Busy. Yours?”
Tony looked as Nathaniel and smiled. “Busy.”
Pepper leaned towards Lisa to whisper loudly, “He actually changed a diaper today.” Before Tony could stop her, she grinned and added, “Of course, he had to call in Rhodey for backup because he had no idea what he was doing…”
Tony glared at her. “What? It’s not like anyone left me a manual.”
“They don’t come with manuals, Tony,” Lisa pointed out.
“Why not? They should. The last thing you want to do is mess around with something this fragile.”
Smiling, Lisa turned and asked Pepper, “Rhodey actually knows how to change a diaper?”
“Yes.” Pepper gave Lisa an amused look. “Apparently his sister made sure he knew how in case he did any babysitting for her. According to Rhodey, it was worse than basic training.”
Lisa laughed. “Ah.”
“So what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Tony asked.
“More seminars. I’m hoping to take a break at lunch to do a little sightseeing, though.”
“Great! I can show you around!”
“Oh no.” Pepper pointed a finger at Tony and said firmly, “Tomorrow is the M.I.T. commencement speech. I am not rescheduling that speech again.”
Tony raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, gonna have to. I said I’d keep an eye on Nathaniel--”
This time Cuddy was the one to point a finger at Tony. “No. You are not using our son as an excuse to get yourself out of your commitments, Anthony Edwards Stark.” She gave him a look.
“Uh…” Tony paused, then obviously changed his mind about whatever it was that he was going to say and instead said meekly, “Yes, dear.”
Pepper smiled. Oh yes, Dr. Lisa Cuddy was the perfect woman to raise Tony‘s child.
The look Lisa was giving Tony turned curious. “You must have really worn him out.”
Tony shook his head and looked down at Nathaniel. “No, I think it’s more the hum of the Reactor. He seems to like that.”
It was Pepper’s turn to be curious. “It hums? I never noticed that.”
“That’s because I’ve never been able to get you to curl up on the couch with me.” Tony carefully shrugged his shoulders. “Rhodey says it hums when you put your ear against it.”
“Well, he would know.”
Tony grinned. “Yep.”
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