Hat In Hand (October 1991)

It was the smell of the coffee that woke Isabella up. Her eyes slowly opened and she smiled when she saw Tony above her holding Serena and a cup of coffee. Could there be a more beautiful sight? She slowly sat up and pulled the sheets up around her as she gratefully accepted the cup of coffee.

She watched Tony with Serena for a while before she decided to bring up the topic of another baby again.

“Have you given any more thought to the idea of eventually having another baby?”

Tony didn’t answer Isabella, instead he rose with Serena and moved her to hr pack and play. He set her down and shifted several of her toys around. Serena began to grab for them immediately as if Tony was already out of her thoughts. He came back around to sit next to Isabella on the bed. The bed sheet was under her arms and it obscured her nakedness as she idly sipped her coffee. He could tell though there was nothing idle about her right then. Her ears were poised for listening and her eyes watching him. He shifted to take up a casual sitting stance.

“Well aren’t you full of surprises this morning. You know me Isabella, I’ve given several thoughts about having another baby. I’m just not certain we can do better than perfect,” he said as he leaned in toward her. “And she is perfect, like her mother,” He murmured as he kissed her cheek. “Even if I knew she would be a mutant I’d still not give her back. But knowing that the next baby we have will be...are you prepared to deal with that? And the downtime you’ll have to repeat? If you want an honest answer I would like to have several children with you but that doesn’t come without conditions,” He said. “Conditions im pretty certain you won’t want to entertain,” he said as he looked into her eyes. Beautiful, dark eyes. Her hair was down and a bit messy but he actually liked that. That and the way the sheet showed off her curves.

Isabella watched Tony with great interest as she waited for him to speak. She listened to what he said without interrupting him. She looked over at Serena as she played on the floor with her toys. She was happy and smiling and Isabella felt her desire for another child grow. However, at the same time her fears remained there for the life her children might have.

“My heart wants another child but my brain has fears of what their lives might be like.”

“Well didn’t you say the same thing about marrying me and yet, 3 years later,” he paused and mentally counted then nodded to himself. “You haven't tossed me to the curb yet,” Tony said and smiled though Isabella did not seem to think that was so funny. He turned her face to face Serena. “Look at her Isabella. Our little princess, Out of everything I’ve ever made, Serena will always be my greatest invention. We have the blueprint to make her a brother or sister, are you satisfied with just a single prototype?” he said as he looked at her and his eyes softened as if he wanted to kiss her too.

Isabella looked at Serena and then at Tony. She knew in her heart that she wanted another baby. They loved Serena unconditionally and they would love another child unconditionally as well. She looked deep into Tony’s eyes.

“No, I’m not satisfied with just one prototype,” she said with a smile. “However, I would still like to wait until Serena is a little older first.”

“Well I think I could agree to that but that doesn't mean we shouldn’t continue to practice,” he said as he leaned in and kissed her and slowly pulled the sheet down off of her body. Isabella no longer had the baby belly or the hips she had but he could still tell the differences in her body. Serena was awake but she appeared occupied for now. In any case Tony only wanted to wake Isabella up but he still touched her and made good use of his fingers.

Logan strained and pushed as he tried to lift 4000lbs. He had lifted 3800 but with difficulty. He growled and strained and managed to get the bar up an inch...two than dropped it hard. He panted as he sat up. Steve smiled at him. “Simply amazing Logan, remind me not to make you angry,” he joked. Banner passed by them and noted the weight. “I bet the hulk could lift that with his pinky fingers,” Banner boasted. Logan chuckled. He had only seen The Hulk on news reports but he definitely looked strong. “I met Jean Gray once,” Banner said. And the three men began to talk about the women that they lost...