A Balancing Act (July 2012)

Ultimately Gambit agreed and needless to say the trip home was far more civil than anyone would have thought otherwise. Peter sat away from Serena as Gambit sat next to her on the plane. By the time they landed at the tower Gambit and Serena decided that she would move out of her room at the mansion and stay at the tower. He couldn’t stop her from seeing Peter and he would call on her as well.

After Peter and Gambit had departed it was just the 7 of them in the tower once again. Logan was making Natalya a chocolate shake and he asked Serena if she wanted one. He spooned out the chocolate ice cream into the mixer and added the chocolate milk and chocolate syrup. As the first one began to blend he looked at Serena who sat at the table.

“You look tired...I thought you’d have gone back to the mansion with Gambit…” He said as he passed her the first shake and started on the second one. “You two not getting along? Has this thing with Nyx messed everything up?” He asked.

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Tony laid in the bed and waited for Isabella to join him. She had her nightly routine and she hadn’t even come out of the bathroom yet. After she did she put cream on her body before bed. “Ok, can you please tell me whats going on between Serena, gambit and Peter? It was like a refrigerator in the jet on the way back,” He said.

For now, Serena would not be wearing her engagement ring, although the wedding had not been officially called of. She had spoken to Peter and he had thankfully understood. They would still spend time together and work in the lab and she would get to know him better. She had moved out of the mansion and was back in the Tower. Things were slowly starting to calm down and get back to normal after the Nyx incident.

Serena had just gotten settled back into the Tower. She walked into the kitchen to get a snack and found Logan there. Natalya was back in their room. Ever since whatever Soran had done to her she had seemed to retreat back into herself a little more. Serena was worried about her and she knew Logan was too.

She was grateful for the chocolate shake and she took a sip. She looked at him when he asked why she wasn't at the mansion with Gambit. "It's a long story, but we're stepping things back a little. The engagement hasn't been called off, but I'm getting to know Peter as well."

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Isabella was glad to be home. She was tired and was just glad that Serena was alright. She stepped out of the bathroom wearing her black lace nightgown and sat on the edge of the bed to put on her body cream. She glanced back at Tony when he mentioned the mood in the jet on the way home.

"I spoke to Serena and she told me that Peter told her everything and then kissed her. Gambit saw the kiss and flipped out and nearly punched Peter. Serena apparently has put a pause on her engagement to Gambit...but not called it off entirely. She told me she wants to get to know Peter better."

“And, how do you feel about that? Now that you know everything. He’s not young like Serena, not mentally anyway. And I heard about the altercation in the lab. Shuri had tried to convince Peter to stay and work with her. I think she has a ‘thing’ for Peter but I knew when she told me he wouldn’t stay. He has too much history with Serena I think and he wants what he lost. I can definitely relate to that,” Tony said.

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“Well fall isn’t very far away. You can enroll, get your Master’s out of the way and work with Peter. I don’t see any Gambit in that though,” Logan said as he filled the metal cup with ice cream with an ice cream scooper. What Logan didn’t say to Serena was that he doubted Gambit was going to just hang out and wait for Serena to come to her senses. “I’m just glad we got you back in one piece,” he said. “I think I’ve had all I can take of those...monsters,” he said angrily then poured the chocolate milk in and then added the chocolate syrup. He turned and made the shake then placed the metal cup of water under the mixer and cleaned it. He poured the shake into Natalya’s favorite cup and then added a straw into it and turned back to Serena.

“If you’ll excuse me, Natalya has a craving,” he said with a smile but Serena would see a tightness around his eyes. Logan was putting on a good face which meant Natalya was not in good shape at all.

Isabella thought about Tony’s question for a moment before responding. “To be honest I think she’s better with Peter and I think she’s realizing that as well. Peter has more in common with her than Gambit does. I think Serena’s main attraction to Gambit is sexual and while that is important one needs mental compatibility as well. Serena likes to be challenged and I think Peter can offer that to her.”

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Serena knew that Logan was right, that she was probably going to be spending more time with Peter than Gambit. She was actually excited about going back to school, and although Gambit had encouraged her to go back and finish her degree she would not be able to talk to him about her school work the way she could with Peter.

She looked at Logan and saw that Logan was tired and likely wasn’t sleeping well. She could see how worried he was about Natalya.

“How is she?” she asked softly.

“Compulsion is a nasty thing. It made her ‘want’ to do the things she did to this Soran or Soren. She remembers everything and was violated by it. By him. And then there is the guilt of feeling as if she had betrayed something by doing the things she did,” he said as he looked down at the shake. “All we can do is pick up the pieces and continue on,” he said with a shrug then headed away from Serena toward his room.

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“Well, Mrs. Stark, it appears we agree on something for a change,” Tony said as he continued reading the science journal he held. He really liked that lacey gown she wore but was intentionally not looking at her to see if she noticed that he wasn’t.

“So, in the fall she’ll go back to school, finish her masters, fall in love with Peter and give us grandchildren to spoil,” Tony said as he turned the page. “The thing is, now that ‘Peter’ is completely here now, I mean the ‘other’ Peter, he might not want to do the things ‘this’ Peter was doing. I’ll have to have a talk with him about that,” Tony said.

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Steve held Kate close. Since Soren she had been decidedly...off when it came to intimacy. They had not had sex since it happened and she wore unrevealing clothes to bed as of late. Steve was not one to push but he missed the old, affectionate Kate. Who was usually hitting him up for sex more often than it was the other way around. Steve was watching a baseball game between the Yankees and the Sox. Even with the AC on it was still usually fairly warm in their room and they almost always just slept under a sheet. Steve just had on his boxer shorts, what he usually slept in and he had a large tumbler of ice water next to him on his bedside table. He was rooting for the yankees tonight because they were ahead of his Dodgers right now. A yankee batter hit the ball far and Steve shifted slightly when the center fielder caught the ball. “Awww, dang,” he grumbled. “So close,” he said. His right arm played with her hair as she lay half onto his well muscled chest. They had both taken showers and he had that fresh, clean smell that she liked. He wore the aftershave she bought him last Christmas, a sign that he was really hers but she had to have known that the moment he proposed to her.

Isabella glanced over at Tony and took note that he wasn't looking at her at all. He was looking down at his science journal and didn't even glance up at her. She had worn the nightgown he liked for a reason and she didn't like that she wasn't getting the attention she wanted. She finished applying the cream and she laid down and curled up next to Tony and began to lightly kiss his ear and jawline.

"Let's not think about that now," she said softly with a caress in her voice. "Let's think about...other things."

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Kate lay close to Steve in their bed. The tv was on and Steve was watching the baseball game. Kate was too, but she found it difficult to focus on it. She knew Steve missed the intimacy of their relationship and she did as well, but she couldn't stop this guilt that she felt. It went to a commercial so she took the remote and muted the tv. She sat up and looked at Steve.

"I'm sorry I've been a little...distant lately. It's just that after what Soran did...I just feel...guilty. I know I shouldn't...but I do. I can remember everything."

In an instant Tony tossed the journal and attacked! Isabella’s excited scream made him chuckle as he kissed her. A while later she had the blue sheet up just above her breasts and her nightgown and panties were tossed onto the floor near the bed. She drank thirstily from a glass that held ice water on her nightstand. The sheet clung to the dampness of her body as her chest heaved to catch her breath. Tony laid with the sheet down at his waist. He was panting still from the exertion and his chest, shoulders and forehead glistened with sweat.

“In case you were wondering if I still desire you…” he said as he smiled. He had really pulled out all the stops just now so that Isabella remembered who she was in bed with. This had something to do with how she knew her and T’Challa’s relationship made Tony jealous. He also thought she liked it when he was jealous.

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“Well, why don’t you go get that apron and we’ll make a few new memories with it,” he said with a smile. “I thought you were very sexy in it but I think you’re sexy in everything,” he said as he looked at her. “I want to help you get past this so whatever you want to try, I’m game,” Steve said honestly.

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Logan closed the door behind him and moved to the couch and handed Natalya her shake just the way she liked it. Thick, with a chocolate overload. He liked chocolate, but not that much of it. She was watching some crime show but Logan wasn’t all that interested in it. He thought it was comical at times though he thought she liked the interplay between the main characters more than anything else. That twinge of romantic tension. Logan sat right next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She tilted up so he could get a bit closer and then leaned back against his arm. She held the shake and sucked on the straw until she tasted the, cold, smooth chocolate of the shake.

“So, I guess Serena is going to be getting closer to this...Peter Parker fellow,” Logan said. “She’s still engaged to Gambit I think but I doubt Gambit’s going to put up with this for very long,” Logan said. “She asked about you, they’re all concerned for you Natalya,” Logan said. “I am too,” he said softly as he looked at the tv.

Tony could still surprise Isabella and tonight he had. He had not pulled out all the stops in bed the way he had tonight in a long time. She had quite enjoyed it and she found she was still trying to catch her breath even a few minutes after it was over. Tony knew exactly what to do to her to make her go crazy in bed and he had pushed all of those buttons tonight. She grinned over at him and then she moved to lie down with her head on his chest. She had begun to suspect that perhaps Tony was jealous of T’Challa and how close she was with him.

“No one could ever make me feel the way you do Tony,” she said, stroking his ego a little.

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“I don’t think I ever want to see that apron again,” Kate told him. She settled back down against him and lightly ran her fingers over his chest. “Just give me a little more time. I’ll get back there, I promise.”

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Natalya was grateful for the chocolate shake and she accepted the glass from Logan. She took a sip as Logan settled in next to her on the bed and put his arm around her. The shake was cold and very chocolatey...just the way she liked it. She had a show on, but was only partially paying attention to it. She glanced at Logan when he told her about Serena getting closer to Peter.

“Wow, I would not have pegged her as one to play the field, but I guess she needs to figure out what she really wants. Better to figure that out now than to get married and realize you made a mistake. She is still young. I think she and Gambit were rushing into this.”

“Well you’ve seen Peter, he’s a geek. Serena though, she’s just a geek inside. Gambit...is not a geek. But women like him...alot,” Logan said. “I actually threatened him when he dated Serena. I told him if he broke her heart that I’d break his into a million pieces,” Logan said. “And here we are, Serena breaking ‘his’ heart. That’s gotta hurt the ole Ego,” he said. He leaned in and gently kissed Natalya’s cheek. He shifted up his hand and rubbed the back of her neck. It was warm even with the AC on and he lifted up her hair and blew on her neck that was damp from sweat. He then leaned in and gently blew on her neck and then kissed the back of her neck where it gave her goosebumps. He smiled when he felt her skin prickle. This was one of the ways he had gotten Natalya to relax at his touch. Consequently it involved giving her something she enjoyed to eat or drink like a shake or ice cream or brownies and then he’d touch her or kiss her and try to ease her back into physical touch...and more if she let him.

So far she had not talked to him about what happened with Soran but he hoped she would, some day. She felt guilt from what happened, as if she had violated what was between them no matter what Logan told her. Because in that moment when she had been compelled, she wanted Soran and whatever that wanting led her into she did not say.

The next morning Serena got up and dressed in some workout clothes. Her energy had fully returned and she wanted to get back into daily workouts. She worked out for about an hour before going back to her room and showering. She dressed and then went out and made herself a yogurt parfait for breakfast. Peter was going to be coming over to work with her in the lab. This was their way of starting to date. Serena was still confused about all of her feelings for both Peter and Gambit. She felt pulled in both directions. Although she felt like she had known Peter for many years, that was ultimately just a feeling. She had no other real memories of their other life together.

She had just finished her breakfast when Peter arrived. They walked down to the lab and were alone in there together. "So, what did Gambit say to you after I left?" she said, referring to the blowout in Wakanda.

Peter wasn’t nervous, not exactly but he also didn’t want to alienate Serena. He had to remember that she was still quite young and will want to do things younger people did. He had already gotten over their age difference. Well, mental age difference. He looked and felt like a much younger Peter which he was. But inside he held the experiences of a much older Peter. And the memory of Serena’s death and how she died. That haunting event he doubted he’d ever be able to forget. And so he was here, now, ready to get to know Serena all over again. And love her to the best way he knew how.

Peter looked at Serena. “Do you really want to know?” He asked. “You know...guy stuff,” He said trying to be cool about it. Gambit had said alot and none of it was very nice. But he had heard threats before. He had no fear of the man. Peter hopped onto one of the stools at the workbench and leaned back onto the bench and rested his arms on it to look at her. ‘What do we talk about…’ He wondered. He had decades of experiences that he couldn’t just unleash all at once upon her. And he wasn’t certain he should say much about the future at all.

“So your powers, energy absorption and dispersal, it wasn’t really a mutation, you were altered inside your mother’s womb. Like I was altered by an irradiated spider. But...despite what you might think, my body can’t produce webs. That was created by science,” he said. “Would you like to help me make some and test it out?” He asked.

Serena was still trying to figure out how to talk to Peter. This situation was unlike anything she had ever experienced before and it still felt unreal to her, although she knew it was very real. Serena was physically attracted to Gambit, although there was something about Peter that drew her in as well. He wasn't quite as ruggedly handsome as Gambit, but he was not unattractive either. It was really his eyes that drew her in. Every time she looked into them she felt safe and loved. It was a strangely familiar feeling.

She wanted to press Peter for more information about what happened between Gambit and himself, but she decided against it. She figured that Gambit had threatened Peter, but Peter didn't seem fazed by it. She had to keep reminding herself that although he was in the body of a 21 year old, mentally he was far older...old enough to have twin teenagers.

Serena looked at Peter when he talked to her about her abilities. He knew more about her than she did and in a way that both frightened and intrigued her. Serena did have a very curious, scientific mind after all. She was interested in helping Peter create some of his webbing and they cleared off a work area.

"So...in this other life...how did we meet?"

Peter chuckled. “We went to school together. You asked to go to Midtown High and your parents wanted you to have a normal high school experience. You didn't really notice me until you dated my best friend at the time, Harry Osborn,” he said as he began looking at all the chemicals in Tony’s cupboard while Serena got a Bunsen burner and glassware. “Ofcourse I was insanely jealous, you were just the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I was too shy, too much the geek though,” He said as he brought over the chemicals.

Serena was surprised to learn that she had gone to an actual high school in this other life. She had not set foot in a real classroom until she went to MIT. Up until then she had been taught by private tutors. She began to wonder how that could be so different from one timeline to the next, but one small change could have altered everything.

Serena got out the Bunsen burner and glassware as she listened to Peter. "Well, clearly something changed between us since we ended up married," she said as she got out two safety aprons and two pairs of goggles.

“Well, you were the popular one. You didn’t do sports or band or cheerleading and yet the other girls looked up to you and wanted to be in your posse. You and I were in the advanced classes together and on the debate team and the trivia team. You were usually the smartest kid in our classes but silently...I was ahead of you in several,” He said with a smile. “You were very competitive and took it personally when you didn’t always beat me,” He said. “At first you didn’t really like me because of that but, once we were selected for Osborn’s AP science course in his lab we became lab partners and that was that. Working together, like we are now,” He said as he put the beaker over the bunsun burner. “Gave us a chance to get to know one another. Obviously you knew about your powers by then but you didn’t tell me until you found out about mine. The spider that bit me was from Osborn’s lab. It made me really sick and then the next day my body was...different. You became suspicious and to trick me into letting you touch my stomach you kissed me. The kiss lasted a bit longer though than we both expected and then we just grew closer and closer after that,” He said.

Serena couldn't help but smile as she listened to the story Peter told. She was still very competitive, but that was mostly because she had been privately tutored for most of her life. She was also still trying to find herself as a scientist. She wasn't her father and she knew she would never be her father, but she could be her own person. Although she would never admit it to him, she was mentally intimidated by her father.

"Was it difficult leaving your children?"

He measured in several of the chemicals and then turned down the burner to just simmer and set the timer. He sighed at the question and all the joy he was feeling, doing this with her vanished at the question. “What happened...it changed me. All the joy that I felt was gone. You were everything to me...my best friend. We knew one another so well and we were Avengers as well. Your father built you a suit and you were called Solstice. Solstice and Spiderman,” He said trying to step away from her death. He didn’t want to think about that.

Serena could see Peter's mood change and the happiness faded out of his eyes. She suddenly regretted asking that question, but she couldn't take it back now. She listened quietly to what he said and she could see just how much he had loved her. She reached out and gently touched his hand. As she did she could feel memories bubbling up to the surface, but they didn't break through.

"It's so strange. I feel like I have memories of us, but I know they aren't exactly mine. There is more this strong connection I feel to you...a bond."

Peter froze when she touched his hand and he briefly closed his eyes. Her touch...there was so much that it meant to him. Serena had this soothing way about her. The 8 years without her had been horrible. That and having to be there for their kids. His heart burned for Serena, he had missed her so terribly that the pain was too much to take sometimes. He shifted his hand so that his fingers intertwined into hers. He took her hand and shifted it up to his face. He closed his eyes and he lightly touched her hand to his face. He felt her knuckles and her palm on his cheek. He felt her fingers and then her fingertips on his lips. He kissed them and then kissed her palm softly. He opened his eyes to see her looking at him.

Serena felt Peter's hand shift and his fingers intertwined with her own. Her heart started to beat a little harder as he lifted her hand up to his face. The way he felt her hand upon his skin was extremely intimate. She felt her face flush as he began to kiss her fingertips and then her palm. His kisses were soft and gentle. They made her knees feel weak. The entire act was unlike anything she had experienced before. As Peter's eyes opened they met her own. She looked into his eyes for a moment before they both seemed to make a decision. They both stepped towards each other at the same time and he took her face into his hands and kissed her. She closed her eyes and kissed him back.

Serena’s lips were soft and warm and lovely. He remembered her lips, and remember how she loved to be kissed. His lips kissed hers softly, first the top and then her bottom lip until finally both of her lips. But always softly, always gently, never rushed or hard or rough. He shifted slowly into her and his left hand shifted to the back of her waist while his right hand shifted under her left arm and drew her hair back away from her face as he kissed her. He felt how strong and fast her heart was beating and it made his own increase. Serena was warm and alive and wonderful. And then the timer went off…

He smiled as they shared one last kiss and he felt her lips curl into a smile as well. Together they removed the beaker from the burner and diluted the mixture. He asked her for a pressurized container and she found one for him. She helped him pour the mixture into the container and then they sealed it up. “Well, now its just waiting game, do you wanna go to Ricco’s? Get a shake and a burger?” He asked.

The kiss made Serena's head spin. It wasn't an overly passionate, hard kiss...but the kiss of a man who truly loved her and wanted to make her happy. It was the best kiss she had ever experienced. She didn't want it to end...but sooner than she wanted the timer went off. They shared one more kiss before they stepped back from each other and got back to work. Serena somehow managed to get herself back into the mindset of working and as they poured the mixture into the pressurized container and sealed it she couldn't help but smile. It was a nice feeling being back in the lab again and working. The thought of Ricco's made her smile grow even more.

"I would love that," she said before stepping up to him again. They shared another long kiss before slowly and reluctantly pulling away.

Peter decided to hold Serena’s hand as they walked to the burner joint. The burners ar Rocco’s were greasy, the fries crunchy and the shakes, thick and yummy. Peter ordered his usual and then ordered her favorites as well which brought a smile to her face. After the food came they found a small table outside. He made a small puddle of ketchup and, as he knew she used to love, he dabbed a bit of ketchup on the end of the first french fry and he fed it to her.

“My Parents died when I was young and my Uncle Ben died while I was in the sixth grade and that left just my Aunt May. I worked small jobs, delivery, whatever I could get and hold up as a small time crime fighter AND manage my classes and you as well. Quite the balance act if I do say so myself. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our daughter’s name is WIllow may, and our son’s name was Ben Anthony,” He said. “Willow looked alot like you mother but was alot like me and Ben looked like both of us and was definitely a momma’s boy,” He said as he fed her another fry and then kissed her again playfully.

Serena smiled and let Peter hold her hand as they walked down to Ricco's together. Serena's smile grew even bigger when Peter ordered exactly what she liked. They found a small table outside in an area where they got some privacy. She grinned when Peter fed her the first fry and then settled back in her chair to eat her cheeseburger. She looked over at Peter as he told her about their children. She still couldn't imagine herself with twins. She loved the names though, especially knowing the meaning behind them.

"So, we were parents...Avengers..." she said between kisses. "Did we do anything else? Anything involving science or technology?"

He loved how free Serena was with her kisses. And he loved to kiss her as well. “We started off in wave theory but we quickly shifted into micro technologies. Based on your father’s arc reactor designs, we developed the first micro arc, a tiny nanobyte powered with a microscopic arc reactor. We built them into alot of our technology. Our suits, even in our bodies. They allowed you to resist far more amounts of energy and expel alot more as well. With your suit and those inside of you, you were able to convert almost any kind of energy. Take it in, store it or expel it. The new medbeds used them as well. We nearly revolutionized the medical field. The nanos could remove cancerous cells, harmful diseases, all sorts of things for almost no cost,” he said and chuckled. “Insurance companies hated us and hospitals loved us,” He said in between kisses. He couldn’t stop kissing Serena and it seemed she couldn’t stop kissing him.

“So maybe we could start with that, if you wanted. You designed one of the most complex algorithms and installed it into their programming. Those little buggers could seek out damaged cells, diseases and learn by doing because of your work,” He said as he smiled at her and then kissed her yet again. “God, I hope you don’t mind me kissing you. I just can’t stop myself,” He said with a laugh.