MS3T2 Torn Between two Worlds (April 1996)

The remained of the weekend had been pleasant. On Saturday night, they had snuggled up on the couch together to watch a movie and then had slept in some on Sunday morning. Sunday, they had gone grocery shopping and then had gone into the city for the day. Isabella had noted the license plate number and make and model of the car that had been parked outside of their house and planned to investigate it on Monday. 

On Monday morning the headline of the newspaper read: Tony Stark Escapes Captors; Found Alive. Isabella couldn't help but smile as she read it. She forced her mind to shut out the horrific memories of what had happened to her after Tony had escaped. The office was abuzz with the news about Tony Stark and Isabella stopped by Mr. Whiteside's office. "So, I see that they found him."

Mark waved her in and he shut the door behind her. He had a concerned look on his face. As she came in she noticed someone else was in the room. A large older man stood up. Isabella knew him as Obediah Stane. "Is she the one Mark?" He said as he stepped up to her. "Yes Mr. Stane. Isabella Castle, this is Obediah Stane. Tony Stark's CEO. Obediah's plans were completely ruined do to this woman. He was very curious as to how she knew where Tony was.

"We all want to thank you Miss Castle on your timely information," Obediah said as he moved up and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked at her breasts and her body briefly. "You must be...a remarkable woman. How do you know, Tony Stark?" He asked plainly.

Isabella hated Obediah with every fiber of her being. He had been the reason that she and Tony had been captured and that she had been repeatedly raped and tortured. He was the reason she continued to have nightmares about what had happened. He was the reason Tony had almost been ruined. She hated him so much that even having him touch her made bile rise up in her throat. 

She didn't want to raise any suspicions in him so she let him touch her. However, having him look at her like he was...like she was some kind of piece of meat...made her angry. She had to force herself to calm down before she responded to him. "I don't know Mr. Stark." It wasn't exactly a lie. The Isabella she was supposed to be in this life had never met Tony Stark before.

Obediah smiled politely and shifted to take a puff on his cigar. He took his cigar into his fingers and then put his arm around her. "Well I'd like it if we did a Press Op with you Isabella. You and Tony. It makes for good press and could even help you in several ways," Obediah said. He was suspicious of Isabella from the start and he wanted to see them together. This seemed like a good way for that to happen.

"I know Tony would want to meet the woman that essentially saved him. I mean, not in the physical sense. Your information led the Air Force right to him," He said and he glanced at mark.

"It would mean alot to this office and the Director Isabella. It could really help out your career," He said.

Isabella hesitated. She wasn't certain what Obediah's game was here, but she knew there was one. She also knew Frank was going to freak when she told him about this. That, and meeting the man she was married to and in love with in another life was going to be strange. However, she couldn't exactly say no. That would look suspicious. 

"Ok...I'll do it."

The two men smiled and Obediah took his leave of them. mark congratulated her and himself for taking such a great risk to trust her. He promised that if she needed a favor that she had earned one from him. Obviously he benefited from her success. Maybe moreso than she would.

As she left his office Renee suddenly appeared. "Heard you were up here, what's going on? Are you...in trouble?" She asked in a low voice.

Isabella stepped out of Mark's office and looked over at Renee as she approached her. "No, I'm not in trouble. Listen, again I'm really sorry about lunch on Saturday. To be honest, I had a hunch about where they might find Tony Stark and they found him. They want me to do a press op with him." She then thought about the strange car parked in front of their house. "Hey, could you do a favor for me? There's been this car parked outside of our house with two guys in it for the past few days. Could you check it out for me?" she asked as she pulled out the piece of paper with the license plate number and make and model of the vehicle.

Renee was ecstatic about the news. But her excitement shifted to concern when Isabella gave her the license plate number. "I'll look into this. It's probably not even involving you but just to be safe, I'll check it out," Renee said. They talked for a little while longer and then Isabella had to get to her duty station. She did have to do 'some' work today.

Later in the day she was contacted by phone by the office's human resources department. They gave her the spiel about how to behave during press releases though Isabella had been in front of cameras and reporters before as an Agent. The Press Op was scheduled for Tomorrow afternoon after Stark gets out of the hospital.

Frank had to work a bit over and he called her before she left that she'd have to pick up James from school or asked her to have her mom do it if she needed to stay.

Isabella had expected the phone call from HR. It had been a while since she had been in front of the camera before, but she remembered what to do and not to do. However, she knew they needed to remind her so she listened patiently. 

A little while later Frank called her to say that he was going to be late getting home and wouldn't be able to pick up James. "I should be getting out of here on time today so I will pick him up." She paused a second before deciding to just tell him. "So this morning I met this guy who works for Mr. Stark. The reason they found Mr. Stark was because of information I provided them on Saturday. That's what I was working on. I had a hunch about where they should look for him and they did and they located him. They want to do a press op with Mr. Stark and me tomorrow. I couldn't say no so I just wanted to let you know that that was happening."

Frank listened to Isabella and did not interrupt her. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have understood that. Its no wonder you had a dream about the guy if you were working on something involving him. You could have just told me Isabella. We're a team. You can always tell me anything. You know everything about me. My past, everything. Every sordid detail. And...I know, you still married me," Frank joked. "I think it was the first time we had sex that sealed the deal," He said talking dirty to her so she'd blush at work. "You didn't expect me to go down on you but after the car bj, I wanted to show you I was into it," He said. "You haven't asked for that lately, is it that you don't like it or you just never think of it? Or are you over the foreplay already?" Frank asked her.

Isabella was trying hard not to blush, but Frank always knew what to say to make her face turn beet red. She was glad she had a private office and the door was closed. She smiled a little. "How about we talk about that later when I'm not at work. Although I know you well enough to know that that's the reason you're talking about it." She glanced at the time. "I have to go, but I'll see you at home."

When she arrived with James there was a Red Jaguar in the driveway. "Ooo, Nana's car! Nana, Nana!" James exclaimed. As soon as she stopped the car James was wanting out of his carseat. SHe ran up the front steps and waited impatiently for Isabella to open the door. Once she did he ran inside calling for her.

Elena was on the couch and she hugged James warmly as he moved up onto her lap. "Ohhh I missed you," Elena said. When Isabella came in she noticed right away that her mother looked...older than she remembered. Older and more frailer. Much thinner as well like she wasn't eating much. From the smell Frank was home, his car must have been in the garage and he started up dinner.

He slid back from the stove to look at her. "Hey there hotness, just getting a head start on supper," He said then ducked back. Frank worked hard every day at work. Worked on their home, helped clean, cook, did yard work, read stories to James, made crazy, passionate love to her and managed to get his clothes into the hamper every time. He was romantic, affectionate and respectful to her.

"I just brought over some flowers for the table," Elena said as James showed her his newest drawing. "Oh my, that is very nice James," James's drawings were very good for a 12 or 13 year old. He could look at something and be able to draw it from memory. He was gifted in that way.

Thankfully, Isabella had managed to get out of work on time to be able to pick up James from school. He chatted nonstop on the way home about everything he had done in school, but as soon as he saw the Red Jaguar in the driveway he became very excited. Isabella did not recognize the car, but at this point that didn't mean anything, but clearly from what James said it belonged to her mother. James couldn't seem to get inside fast enough and he darted over to hug his grandmother. Isabella was shocked by how her mother looked. She did not look like the same woman she knew from her world. She looked...older and much thinner. She wondered if she was sick.

She could smell dinner cooking in the kitchen and she gave Frank a smile when he stuck his head out to greet her. She looked back over at James and her mom and she couldn't help but smile. Memories of her parents and brother holding Serena for the first time came back to her and she found that she greatly missed Serena. She hoped she was alright. "So how's Dad?" Isabella asked, not realizing that her father and brother were dead in this life.

Elena took what Isabella said in stride. Everyone knew she went to see him often. Him and her only son. "Oh, he's alright. I put new flowers on his grave and you're brother's. They keep knocking over the pot I put there. I'll have to find a different one with a wider base I think," Elena said. She smiled but there was a sad, forlorn look in her eyes as she looked at Isabella. There was a great deal of sorrow there. Sorrow and loneliness. Her mother had always been a rotund, full-bodied woman. Unlike her daughter but now, she had flabby skin and her color seemed off as well,.

Isabella just looked at her mother for a moment. What she said hit her like a ton of bricks in the pit of her stomach. She grappled with something to say. "...I'm sure that would work," she finally forced herself to say. "Would you excuse me for a minute?" She left the living room and walked to the bathroom. She stepped in and closed the door and locked it behind her. She then leaned back against the door as she fought back tears. Her father and brother were dead?! She had so many questions: How did they die? How long had they been dead? Did they die at the same time? However, she knew she couldn't just ask her mother or Frank. She loved her father and brother very much. Her entire family had always been close. Her father had been a wise, loving father and her brother had been someone she could always talk to. Now...now they were just gone. 

She finally got herself under control and wiped away the few tears from her eyes. She flushed the toilet to make it seem like that had been the reason she had come in here and then she washed her hands. She took a deep breath before she walked back out to the living room. "Mom, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Already asked and answered!" Frank said from the kitchen. Her mother smiled and chuckled and waved off his comment. Frank loved Elena and the feeling was mutual. They got along very well especially when Italian food was involved, which it often was. "James...homework!" Frank said from the kitchen. "Awww!" James complained and looked up at Isabella for some help from her on having to go. "Momma, do I gotta!?" James asked but her mother chimed in. "Hurry and get it done James then we'll play a few hands of Uno, would you like that?" She said. "Oh boy!" James said and ran off with his backpack.

Elena looked at Isabella. "Is...everything alright? You seemed upset before," she said.

Isabella looked at her mother. "I'm sorry. It's just been a long day and I guess just thinking about Dad and Luca being gone still affects me." She hated lying to her mother, but she couldn't exactly tell her the truth either. "I'm fine though. Would you like something to drink?"

"I would..something..wine would be lovely," she said but Isabella had the sense she was about to say something else. "I'll get it, you two just relax," Frank said. Elena smiled warmly at Frank. "Thanks Frank! " She said with a smile. Elena sighed. "Hard to believe its been 2 years since...,since they were taken from us. And from what I hear, crime is even worse these days. You know, I always took comfort knowing that Luca worked so hard to put scumbags like the ones that killed him and your father away. If only someone could have stopped it..." She began but shook her head and wiped a few tears from her eyes. She reached for Isabella's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I know I was harsh with you after..but...but I was angry. Angry that the police didn't do more..." She began than shook her head again. After her father and Luca were killed, Elena had a falling out with Isabella. She blamed her and the police for letting it happen. They didn't speak for months until Frank had tricked them into going to the same restaurant one evening. They made up and forgave one another there.

Isabella had no memory of the death's of her brother and father...no the aftermath of it all, but clearly they had been murdered. Just the knowledge of that upset Isabella even more, but she kept those emotions hidden from her mother. She gave her mother a little smile and squeezed her hand back. "It's alright. I understand. You had every right to be angry." She accepted the glass of wine that Frank brought out and she looked at her mother. "To Dad and Luca," she said and raised her glass and clinked it with her mother's.

That night after Frank made love to her and she had come back to bed, Frank folded her up into his arms. He was gentle tonight. More than usual and it didn't hurt like it usually did. Frank is very large and if he was rough or she wasn't wet enough, she felt it. This time though he went slow and easy and there was alot of eye contact and kissing and pauses for him to touch her.

Frank sensed that something strange was going on with Isabella. He hoped it wasn't serious, like. 'I'm leaving you' serious but the moment you thought it could never happen...it did...sometimes. And so, he wanted her to remember tonight. Remember that he wasn't just muck and muscle. He was a man...her man. Her husband. Frank had always thought that they'd have more children. Isabella was so great with James and so he decided to just lay his feelings out there for her to digest.

"I think its time we thought about having another baby," He whispered into her ear. "I'm going to be promoted soon and that means more money for us. Significantly more. Not as much as 2 salaries but...but enough for us to make it for a few years. I'm not sayin I'm not happy. I just think another boy or girl...I think it's time," Frank said softly as he kissed her neck.

Isabella's mind was just filled with how different life was for her in this life versus her old life. Here she lost her father and brother, but she didn't have to deal with the stresses of running Stark Industries and Stark Tower. However, there she had Serena...but here she had James...and the possibility of having another child. That opportunity had been taken from her in her old life, and though she was content with just having Serena, here she had the option. 

She closed her eyes as she felt Frank's lips against her skin. Despite the fact that Frank was a big, tough man he could still be so tender and gentle. She opened her eyes after a moment and she looked over at him and she smiled. "I think that is something we could talk about."

Frank smiled as their eyes met. He kissed her tenderly on the lips. "Well, we could have you go off of bc and then...we just see what happens," Frank said as he smoothed her hair back then rubbed the back of her neck. "I love you so much Isabella," Frank said as he kissed her one more time then he settled back in their usual sleeping arrangement. His hand shifted to take her left breast into his palm.