Tony and Victor returned to Victor's home. Upon greeting his mother, Victor said, "Mom, I'm tired. Can I go to bed?"
"Of course," she replied approvingly.
She was so happy to see him that she immediately embraced him in a firm hug. She held him for what seemed like forever, but finally, she let go. She stood up, looking down with tears trickling from her eyes.
"Go ahead, honey. Go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."
Victor nodded, looked at Tony, then turned and immediately went upstairs.
Guinevere, Victor's mother, was a striking woman—elegant in a way that made the room seem more refined just by her presence. Her raven-black hair fell in soft, deliberate waves, her light green eyes were rare—pale and piercing like mountain glass, always seeming to see a little more than people wanted to show.
Now, Guinevere turned to Tony.
"Thank you for saving him," she said.
"Of course. He's my son, after all."
"He's your biological son, but he's not your son. His father, Hugo Frankenstein, married me, knowing I was carrying another man's child. He was there when Victor was born. He gave everything to me and his child. As far as I'm concerned, that man—not you—is Victor's father."
"But you never told me I had a son!" Tony raged. "Why didn't you tell me? If you had told me, I would've been part of his life. I would have helped raise him."
"Tony, I don't know the man you are today, but back then, the only person you thought about was yourself. I didn't realize that until you disposed of me. You pursued me, convinced me, slept with me, and then abandoned me. Do you think I wanted that kind of man raising my son?"
"I thought you loved me," she said.
Looking down, whether Tony felt ashamed, annoyed, or angry wasn't clear.
"The boy thinks I didn't care about him," Tony finally said. "He resents me. Even though I didn't know about him, he treats me like I'm a stranger. But he's my son. I don't want that kind of relationship."
"Are you sure Victor's your only child out there, Tony? I'm sure if you looked, you might be surprised how many you'd find."
Guinevere laughed. It wasn't a cruel laugh. It was an attempt to ease the tension. Unexpectedly, Tony's eyes widened.
"Jarvis," Tony commanded. "See if I have any more children out there."
"I'll get right on it, sir," Jarvis responded.
Guinevere seemed surprised. "You don't know? I could see messing up once, but how many times did you—never mind, I don't want to know."
"It's not that I think there are more children. It's just... not knowing about Victor, I want to make sure. Most women, if they became pregnant by me, would have already come for my head, looking for money. But why didn't you?"
"I didn't need your money. My husband, Hugo, had plenty, and I had my own. I brought a small fortune, by Slovenian standards at least, when I immigrated to the U.S. So, between Hugo and me, we had quite a lot. He passed away not long ago and left me and Victor alone."
It was clear she was sad. Tony was quiet, observing her.
"I'm sorry. That must be terrible, losing someone so important."
"Yes. I suppose that's something you would know about, Tony. I heard about your parents, my condolences. Is there someone else in your life now?"
Tony shifted. "It's complicated."
"Oh, it's always complicated with you. But it always comes down to a simple choice. Is the person special enough that you're willing to give up your playboy ways?"
"I guess I wasn't worth it," Guinevere sighed, "But I was fortunate to meet Hugo. Even though I never told Victor about you, now he knows. Still, it won't change how he feels about Hugo."
"I'm not asking him to treat me like Hugo. I just want a chance to be his father. You're right, I didn't do right by you. But let me do right by my son. Please, help me."
"Help you? And why should I do that?"
"You called me when you needed help, and I came. Don't you know that I'll always come for my son?"
"Yes, but how are you going to build this relationship? Will you throw money at it like you always do, or will you put real effort into it? I don't want Victor hurt by you like I was. We're real people, Tony. You spend so much time in your lab that maybe you think your little AI is a real person. But he's not. We are.
You turned on me. You turn on everyone. You want people to run like programs, but we have thoughts, feelings, and goals. You can't take that away. I'd rather never see you again—and rather Victor never see you again—than for him to be treated like one of your toys."
Tony looked at her, emotion building. Tears welled in his eyes, but he held them back.
"I knew my father. It wasn't a great experience. But I promised myself that if I ever became a father, I'd be better than him. No excuses. Maybe what you said about how I treat people is true. But this is my son. Please, Guinevere. Help me."
Looking at this man who had once meant the world to her, she relented.
"I can help you, Tony. For Victor. But if I ever feel you're not treating him right, I'll cut you off. Do you understand me?"
Her piercing green eyes stared him down. He knew she meant it.
"I won't let him down. I've changed. Ever since that cave, I've changed. And you're right, I do have someone I'm serious about. But just like you, she demands proof. She won't take anything less."
"Good for her," Guinevere responded with a smile. "You want to know how to get close to your son?"
"Yes."
"It's actually quite simple. Your son is very much like you. More than I'd care to admit. He's not a womanizer, but he loves science."
"Science? What kind of science? He mentioned a few degrees."
"That's right. He's a medical doctor, physicist, biologist, microbiologist, geneticist... I don't know how many degrees he has. But he completed them all by age eight. Can you imagine that? That's almost half the time it took you. What were you, fourteen?"
Tony was stunned. "Is mechanical engineering in there?"
"No. He's been drawn to biology and chemistry. He's brilliant."
Tony thought. "Maybe that's why he was so interested in Bruce."
"Bruce?"
"Bruce Banner. He's the Hulk."
"The man who loses control and destroys half of New York?" she asked in panic.
"He's getting better. He's very patient. You have to provoke him physically or emotionally. I tested it—"
"You tested it? You poked the Hulk? Are you insane?!"
"Not often! Just... a little. We were on an aircraft carrier in the sky, I was curious and wanted to assess the risk."
"Tony, you've got to get this impulsiveness under control."
She paused, still watching him closely.
"Victor is the same way. When he gets an idea, he rushes into experiments without explaining them. He gets frustrated that I can't follow. Maybe you can help him. You're at least a little better at that. Though... no provoking Hulks when our son is around."
"I can help him. Tell me what to do."
"Well, if you want to get close to him, I have an idea."
"What is it?"
"Victor's frustrated. He has experiments he wants to conduct, but the equipment doesn't exist or is too expensive. I can't afford it all. We're millionaires, not billionaires."
"So, buy him a lab?"
"Not just any lab. He has designs, concepts, notes—pages and pages. He's been working on this since he was little. Help him build that lab with everything he needs, and that'll be a start."
Tony nodded. "I'll do it. But for a price."
She pulled back. "You wanted to be in his life."
"I do. But I can't be in his life if he's always calling me 'Mr. Stark.' I want him to call me Tony."
She chuckled. "I don't think that'll be too hard. He's not trying to be difficult. That's just eh way he is."
"Anything else I should know?"
"Yes. He's old-fashioned. More than Captain America, even. Victorian era old-fashioned. Always wears suits. Very proper."
"Victorian?"
"Morality, ethics, sensibilities—he's not one for modern casualness. Don't introduce him to floozies. He won't like it."
"He got along well with Natasha."
"Is Natasha a floozy?" Guinevere asked.
"The Black Widow? She likes to show off a little cleavage, but I don't know much about her dating life," Tony scratched his head. He had to admit, when he first met her his womanizing instinct kicked in. He hasn't gotten to know her very well, even as an Avenger, but she didn't seem like she dated.
"I wonder why he liked her," Victor's mother pondered.
She's... gentle, motherly. That's how she treated him after the rescue. She's twice his age." Tony started pondering something when he felt an icy glare from Guinevere.
"Got it. No antics."
"He's had his eye on a building for his lab. The Baxter Building."
"That's pricey," Tony commented.
"Yes. Too expensive for us. But it has the space, power capacity, and location. He updates the lab list for me, though I can't buy it. He has a top five, I'll give it to you."
"Give me the list. I'll see what I can do."
"The equipment needs to be cutting edge, I also have a list for the equipment. There are notes for equipment not on the list. I think he wants to build some of the equipment himself."
"I thought he didn't know anything about engineering," Tony puzzled over her revelation.
"I said he didn't have a degree in it, he doesn't spend much time on it. He's invented so many gadgets over the years, I think he has a mindset that "if I can build it myself and it doesn't slow me down, I'll do it." Guinevere smiled brightly. She loved talking about her son.
"That's my boy!" Tony was pleased, not a noob, it's a similar situation to Tony. If he found knowing something about another field helped him, he'd spend a few hours and learn it. He did it all the time.
Tony looked over the handwritten list, not an email, quick note, or anything, "Does the kid have a problem with computers?"
"No, he prefers writing, he even has a quill and ink."
"The handwriting is really nice," Tony complimented. He read the list and knew of some special equipment at SHIELD.
Tony was already planning. SHIELD had tech he could trade for. Maybe he could finally make those suits Fury wanted. If it brought him closer to his son, he'd do almost anything.