Conceiving The Idea Of Conceiving (March 1990)

Laura had invited Isabella out to lunch at the Italian bistro that she knew Isabella liked. Being in a family of Italians, Laura had been trying to get some of her Italian recipe’s right because Luca loved Italian food which he might being one himself. She was dressed in a light purple fall coat and wore an off white sweater and blue jeans and black boots with a shallow heel. She was ravishing with her hair long like it was and her large, soft, nut brown curls that framed her face perfectly. She leaned in to Isabella and hugged her.

The waitress came over and brought them waters with lemon. “Anything I can get you at the bar?” She asked and Laura spoke up quickly. “Nothing for me thank you,” she said. Normally Laura would get a glass of white wine when they ate here but not so today. After Isabella told the waitress what she wanted she departed to give them time to look at the menus. Laura’s skin look immaculate, almost glowing and her mouth was a nearly constant grin when she looked at her menu.

Isabella had been so busy lately that she hadn’t gotten to spend as much time with Luca and Laura as she would have liked. So when Laura invited her out to lunch that day she eagerly agreed. She loved Laura like a sister and couldn’t wait to catch up with her on things.

Isabella stepped into the restaurant and smiled as she approached Laura. The two women hugged and she took a seat. Isabella was immediately struck by Laura’s appearance. She was always beautiful, but today she was practically radiant. When the waitress came over to take their drink orders Isabella was surprised when Laura didn’t order anything from the bar like she normally would. Isabella ordered a glass of white wine and glanced at Laura several times over her menu. She then put her menu down and looked directly at her with a smile.

“Ok so when are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

Laura hadn’t said anything to anyone but Luca but she wanted Isabella to know first. “I’m pregnant,” she said excitedly. Luca’s injury still allowed him to get erections and have sex with Laura but he lacked feeling there. Everything else worked just fine obviously. But that wasn’t something that was talked about. Most people just assumed he couldn’t get an erection or ejaculate. Laura did ‘things’ to arouse his body and the rest took care of itself.

Isabella was rather stunned but that quickly gave way to excitement and happiness for her sister-in-law. “Oh my God! That’s amazing Laura! Congratulations!” She said as she hugged her again. She truly was very happy for her. Luca and Laura had been through so much and they deserved this. Of course those feelings Isabella had buried away about wanting to have a baby cane bubbling up again, but after her experience with discussing having a baby with Frank she was terrified of having that conversation with Tony.

“How far along are you?”

“Almost 2 months!” Laura said excitedly but then her expression changed when she saw the look in Isabella’s eyes. Without thinking she reached over and put her hand on Isabella’s. “Are you alright Isabella?” she asked. “For a moment you had ‘a look’ and it worried me. It’s not about Luca is it? Frank and him are still hanging out but,” she began than paused. “But I overheard them talking once…” She said and then bit her lip and looked a bit worried herself. That or she was worried how Isabella would take what she had to say. “They were talking about some guy named Markus and a gang from Chicago. When I asked him about it Luca was evasive. Frank was as well,” she said but the fact that she was bringing it up now spoke volumes as to what she likely actually overheard.

Laura was worried that Luca was involved in some way to all of the gang members that have been murdered. Her mind knew Luca couldn’t be at fault for anything involving their deaths but she also knew that Frank could be though she didn’t know him to be a violent man. Frank was her friend as well and he often helped with things around the house that Luca couldn’t do. Frank was like family to her but her heart knew something was going on to.

Isabella listened to what Laura had to say and she could tell how worried Laura was. To be honest, she was worried herself, but she knew Frank well enough to know that he wouldn't do anything that would put Luca or Laura in danger. He was protective of the people he cared about.

"I wouldn't be too worried about it Laura," she told her reassuringly. "Frank cares about you both and wouldn't put Luca into danger."

She was quiet a moment before looking at her again. "How is Frank?" Isabella still didn't know that Frank had been at her wedding...nor did she know that Frank often followed her and protected her.

Laura still felt uneasy about all of that but she nodded and decided to let you go. “So I guess you and Frank are...friends? When I saw him at the wedding I have to say it surprised me,” She said and unconsciously felt at her belly when the waitress came. When they gave her their orders she left them alone again.

“I do miss being able to have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee,” Laura said. “Herbal tea just isn’t cutting it,” She said. “Do you plan on having children? Tony seems like he’d be a great father,” Laura said.

Isabella blinked at what Laura said. “Frank was at the wedding?” She seemed extremely surprised and shocked. “I didn’t know that. Did he tell you why he was at the wedding?”

Laura’s eyebrows drew up and her face took on a look of surprise and her hand moved up to cover her mouth. “Oh my god, you didn’t know? He was in a suit and everything...I’m sorry, I thought you knew,” Laura said with a wince. “He didn’t tell me anything but obviously he still wants to...Maybe be a part of your life?” Laura suggested but she wasn’t certain of that. “You could just talk to him Isabella...for me too…” She added and it was clear that she meant wanting to know about Luca’s involvement in all of this Gang stuff.

Laura had no idea Frank and Luca were working together to find and execute as many known gang members as they could. Though Frank was careful to only go after those that hurt people it was still murder and Luca being involved would not go well with Laura and Isabella would know that.

Isabella's heart broke to think of Frank sitting at the back of the church alone in a suit. Despite everything that had happened between them she still loved him and cared about him. She took a sip of her wine to calm her emotions and then looked at Laura. She reached out and took her hand when she could see how upset she was at herself for mentioning that Frank had been at the wedding. "It's alright Laura. I'm actually glad to know. I will try to talk to him if I can. I'm not sure he really wants to see me...at least not after our last talk went." Laura would remember that had been when Isabella had told Frank she was getting married. Frank had been extremely harsh in his words towards her and his accusations that she had cheated on him with Tony.

Laura wanted to change the subject so she went back to what she had asked earlier. “So...you and Tony? Have you thought about having children Isabella? I could see Tony as a dad but does he see himself as one...thats the real question I suppose. “There’s no question about you. I could see you with several children and being a great mom,” Laura said just as their meals came. The waitress asked if they wanted anything more and then left when they said they were fine.

Isabella hesitated a little before answering Laura's question. "Yes, I've thought about having children for a while now. Actually, I first brought up the topic to Frank and that unfortunately didn't go very well. I'm rather nervous about bringing up the topic to Tony. I'm afraid he will react the same way Frank did. I think Tony would be a wonderful father, but he seems to be holding onto issues he had with his father and I'm afraid that maybe he's gotten into his head that he will be the same kind of man and father as he was...which isn't at all true."

Later that night Isabella prepared a nice dinner for Tony. It was just going to be the two of them and so she prepared Tony's favorite meal and dessert. She had a very nice red wine and had lit some candles. Tony seemed a little surprised, but pleased. They sat and talked pleasantly for a while before Isabella decided to carefully broach the subject. Tony was holding her hand and lightly caressing the skin with his thumb as he looked at her and she could see he was relaxed and happy.

"Tony, there is something that I wanted to talk to you about." She almost chickened out but she took a breath and forced herself to continue. "I wanted to discuss the idea of us having a baby."

The food was magnificent and the way Isabella looked, with her hair styled the way she knew he liked it made him consider skipping dessert and going straight to sexing her up right here and right now. It was the look in her eyes that made him hold back though. He knew something was on her mind and now the meal she had prepared. The meal, the wine and the candles took on a completely different meaning. She wanted something from him but he could not guess what that could be.

After she had come clean to him he tilted his head as if he were uncertain what Isabella was just then. Ofcourse he knew but he was trying to ascertain her general mood because if he didn’t know better he’d say she looked...nervous? Apprehensive? He couldn’t be sure.

“Ok so, this isn’t one of those talks you have with me ‘after’ something has happened? You’re not pregnant...are you?” he asked just as Apprehensively. The telling part of what he said was that there was no excitement in his voice at the prospect only the apprehension which meant that laura was right. This was going to take some convincing if not possibly a little manipulation as well to get Tony to see the right of it. It wouldn’t be the first time Isabella had done that to him. Tony could be closed minded sometimes and she still hadn’t changed his mind about Steve, who had become one of her good friends.

Isabella could hear the apprehension in Tony's voice and see it in his eyes. This conversation was likely not going to go as she had hoped, but she felt there was still a chance to turn it around. Tony just needed a little, gentle convincing.

"No, I'm not pregnant," she reassured him. "I just wanted to talk to you about the possibility of us having a baby. I think now might be a good time. The expo is over and things have calmed down. Wouldn't you like to have a baby?" She gave him a genuine smile. "I think you would make a great father."

Harsh memories from his childhood began to bubble up from the long forgotten depths of Tony’s memory. Fleeting moments, pleasant ones with his mother. Other moments not so pleasant with his father. He was dismissed and set aside by his father more times than not in lieu of his father’s projects. The hurt, the pain of that still lingered in his mind though only dully now. Tony was well aware that he spent far to much time in his lab. To much time in his lab and also in his suit. They both risked their lives on occasion and he didn’t feel that that was a very stable environment for a child.

“So you are basing that assertion on...what exactly?” he said. He could tell this wasn’t just an idle conversation regardless if his wife wanted him to think that. But he would not sugar coat his thoughts on this. He didn’t think they were ready to give anything up. He had paused to let her speak but then broke in before she did.

“So you’ll be fine with me going out alone?” He said plainly. A point she had made in the past. She ‘hated’ it when he went out without her especially when her medical abilities had likely saved his life more than once already.

Memories of her conversations on this topic with Frank began to flash before her eyes. She could almost hear his voice instead of Tony's. She pushed those memories away and focused on Tony. "I would be grounded for a while, but not forever. You could work with Steve until then. I think we could make this work," she told him honestly.

She then paused and took his hands into her own and looked into his eyes. "Tony, you are not your father. You're not Howard Stark. You're Tony Stark. You are a different man than he was and you are a different man than everyone expected you to be. No one ever expected you to settle down and get married, but you did. You proved everyone wrong...including yourself. You are such a loving, considerate, and thoughtful man. Your father made mistakes with you...but I know you well enough Tony to know that you would not make those same mistakes with our child." She reached out and gently caressed his cheek with one of her hands as she continued to look into his eyes. "One of the reasons I married you Tony was because I knew you would make an incredible father one day. Even if you don't see it in you, I do."

Refusing Isabella wasn’t even in it. Tony rarely refused her anything. He wanted to believe her and the way she spoke to him and touched him made him believe she did think he’d make a good father. Doubt was still there though it warred with the love he saw in her eyes for him. That and the love he felt for Isabella as well. Tony turned his face and kissed the inside of her palm then shifted to look back into her eyes.

“Isabella, all I needed to know is that its what you really want. I will not say no if it will make you happy,” he said honestly. Again likely not what she probably wanted to hear exactly but he did not say no. And if what she said was true than it would be as she said. He hoped it would at least.

Isabella looked at Tony and into his eyes. "It is something I want, but I want you to be happy as well Tony." Tony would be able to see that she truly meant what she said. "Your happiness is important to me Tony because I love you."

Tony enjoyed gambling to a degree. Not as an addiction, but as a source of entertainment. Winning money felt no different to him than acquiring it by any other means. The entertaining part of it was what he enjoyed. And beating the odds.

“Then lets just leave it to chance. Roll the dice and see what happens,” He said as he pulled her toward him. He lifted up her short cut dress so she could straddle him. “You’re not wearing any panties wife,” he said approvingly and then saw the look in her eyes and the way her mouth curled into a hopeful smile. “What’s going to happen tonight, what I’m going to do to you...doesn’t count,” he said in that way he did when he was going to do very nasty things to her. He’d do them when she was off the pill as well but tonight he felt...uninhibited.