Random Wanderings (Abby Stark/Polaris)

[lorna]

Lorna bit her lip slightly as she caught sight of the tear that fell down Abby's face. If they'd still been alone and out in the city, she probably would have taken the girl in her arms to comfort her but alas, they weren't alone now and it was really her father's place to do the comforting. Lorna was just the woman who happened to be there at the right time and now her duty was fulfilled.

Abby claimed that she wouldn't be able to do the stuff Lorna could but the woman doubted that very much. The girl was probably the type that could likely fly past her in the field if she ever had the notion of learning it. Again, insecurity flared in her but she held all it all inside, buried. It was a lesson she'd learned early in life and no matter how old she got, Lorna figured she'd always suffer from it.

When Tony offered to get her a hand up in the job market, pride made her want to tell him no, that she was capable of getting a job on her own. Which she probably was but Lorna was also a realist. She knew the economy sucked at the moment and that jobless rates were high. She could always stick with the X-Men but it wasn't exactly a paying position. At least, not enough to support someone for very long.

“I...thank you, Mr. Stark,” she finally said as her shock over his offer began to wear off. All she'd done was bring Abby home, he didn't have to pay her by offering to help her get a job.

Or by giving her dinner.

Lorna had completely thought that the soup was for Abby and the steaks for him so her eyes grew wide again as he presented her with a plate full of food and silverware. She squirmed again as Abby looked to be on the verge of tears but was grateful when Tony took it upon himself to try to comfort the girl. It was what Abby needed. No one would replace her mom but her father would come in pretty darned close if he allowed himself to. It looked like he wanted to be there for the girl.

She could leave them knowing that he would help Abby in the healing process.

Lorna smiled slightly when Abby awkwardly called Tony “dad”. It was strange. In a way, she, herself, might have a father out there who she'd never known about but at least Abby's dad was a hero. The man that a few people had already insinuated was her own was a well known terrorist, no matter if he'd come back to the mansion to help them. Magneto would never, ever be able to fit the role of father that Tony could. It was yet something else that made her feel bad.

After several bites of the steak and about a quarter of the soup, Lorna set the silverware down and stood up. “I think it's probably time for me to go,” she told Abby as she slipped her jacket on. “You have my number, please call if you need anything. I think you are going to be okay here, though. Just a gut feeling.” As she spoke, she walked over to the girl and leaned down to give her a brief hug. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

Standing, she looked over at Tony and added, “Thanks again for everything, Mr. Stark. Can I have a word with you before I leave?”

She gestured toward the door to indicate that she wanted it to be a private conversation.

[safetytronic]

Abby sort of melted into her father’s hug that he had given her after placing the silverware before her. It meant a great deal to her that he had hugged her when she needed it the most. She smiled at him slightly, but was still a bit sad and it showed. What she really needed was to get her mind off of her mother, or she knew she wasn’t going to make it…

”It’s alright Abby I’m here for you don’t worry about a think okay?”

She looked back at her father and nodded her head, not sure what to say. Then he knelt down to her level and started to wipe her eyes making sure that she didn’t cry. She then gave him her sad smile, and let him pat her head before sitting down next to her. Her immediate reaction was to lean into his side and just draw comfort from him as long as he was there. She didn’t even listen to what he had told Lorna.

“I think it's probably time for me to go, You have my number, please call if you need anything. I think you are going to be okay here, though. Just a gut feeling. Take care of yourself okay?”

Abby looked up as her friend announced that she was leaving and put on her coat. She got up and walked over to her without saying a word. She looked at her friend for a moment, and then threw her arms around the woman. ”Thanks for everything. Let’s stay in touch.” She finally answered and then let her go, before returning to her seat and began to slowly eat her food.

”Thanks again for everything, Mr. Stark. Can I have a word with you before I leave?”

She looked up at that, and knew that it was about her. She didn’t say a word and waited on her father’s response before continuing to finish her meal.

[TONY STARK]

Tony smiled at Abby who sort of got comfortable from the hug he was giving her to calm her down. The whole ordel with her mother and the kidnapping of her must have been a lot on the little girl. And honestly it must have been tough to learn the person that was there for you the entire time had suddenly been taken away from your life forever. Though Tony would never be able to feel that feeling, for his dad was never truly there for him. He'd sent him to boarding school and never really looked back on it. But even finding out later that he did actually care for him it really didn't make it better. But at least he could be there for Abby the way his dad wasn't with him. He'd make sure that he didn't make the same mistakes as his dad did with him.

He took notice that Abby was still sad, but then again he didn't expect her to feel better all of a sudden just by a hug. Oh no far from that. He knew that he would have to be there, comfort her as much as he could and as much as she wanted him there. He smiled at her when she started to eat slightly. At least she didn't lose her appetite and is eating. He then noticed that Lorna needed to go, he nodded a bit at her decision. Tony sat back a bit as Lorna spoke to Abby about if she needed her she could call her. Then Abby getting up and hugging her and stating that they could stay in touch. Which was good in his book seeing as right now Abby needed friends.

Tony quickly turned his head to Lorna who asked him that she needed to talk to him. He raised a brow a bit as she pointed to the door slightly hinting that it should be in private. Nodding he petted Abby's head as he got up from the couch and walked to the door. He opened it for Lorna and held it long enough so she could walk through and meet him in the hall way. "So what would you like to talk about Ms. Lorna?" he asked smiling at her.

[lorna]

Lorna was surprised when Abby came to her and flung her arms around her. Her eyes grew a bit wide for a split second before a smile crossed her lips and she hugged the girl back. Leaning her face down into Abby's hair, she whispered, “Anything at all, just call me. I'm less then an hour away.” She didn't add that was when she drove. If she flew, she could be there in minutes, if that long. It was something she indulged in every now and then but only at night when no one could see her. Lorna enjoyed her secret life and wasn't going to jeopardize that for anything.

Abby went back to the couch and kept eating so Lorna asked Tony if she could talk to him for a minute. She knew that Abby would know it was about her and that was fine. Tony could tell the girl everything she said later, if it wasn't already being recorded in this weird, but super cool, house.

Luckily, the man agreed and he followed her out the door and into the hallway just outside the elevator. She was actually getting anxious to be going home as it had been a long day and she was emotionally exhausted after her conversation with her aunt and uncle.

Lorna blushed a bit as he called her “Ms. Lorna”, a name that usually only the students called her. At least it wasn't “ma'am” or something else that reminded her she wasn't a teenager any more. “First of all, thanks again for the meal and everything. You really didn't have to do that,” she started.

“Abby said something to me earlier that has me a bit worried. She blames herself for her mother's death. While I don't know the details, and don't need to know, it is never the fault of a thirteen year old when her mother dies. However, she really is beating herself up over this. She told me that you didn't know about her until recently and while I don't want to step on toes, I just need to say this. She needs some professional help, Mr. Stark, and she needs you to be there for her. You are her best hope right now,” she told him. While she'd seen this type of grief before and sort of knew what Abby needed, she wasn't going to tell him how she knew it. That would be telling him who she was.

That was all she was going to say, though. The ball was now in his field and she only hoped that he continued to be the supportive father that she'd caught a glimpse of back in the penthouse. Holding out her hand to shake his, she added, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Stark.”

She would leave and Lorna figured that once she stepped onto that elevator, she would be out of their lives for good. It was sad in a way. She was growing fond of Abby and would genuinely miss the girl.

[safetytronic]

Abby watched as her father and Lorna stepped out into the hall and close the door behind them. She finished her food, and cleaned up her place. Making up her mind she picked up her purchases and headed for the stairs that led up to her room. ”Jarvis, tell Dad that I’m in my room.” She instructed the AI and continued on her way. She had planed on working on her project, but when she had got there her plans had changed. She just sat down on her bed, covered her face with her hands and cried some more. If her father had come to check on her, then she would be in that position crying for the loss of her mother.

[TONY STARK]

Tony went to the elevator and stopped there looking at Lorna and smiled at her. She was very beautiful and seemed to blush when he called her Ms. Lorna. He wasn't going to call her anything else to make her feel older then what she already was. He stood there knowing fully well that the talk was going to be about Abby. He just wondered what about Abby that they would talk about. Tony guessed it would most likely be about her and her mother. Or at least something relative to the situation at hand which of course he felt bad for. He knew if he would have gotten the message earlier he might have saved her form the explosion. Which reminded him to give a copy of the tape later on to Abby so she could have something of her mother to remember by. Though he did have to do some editing on the tape to make sure she didn't see the ending of it. Which he knew would dramatize her even more then she is now and they don't need any more of that right now.

Tony took in what Lorna had to say which was pretty much what he had expected. He knew that Abby must have been blamming her self for the demise of her mother. But he couldn't get enough proof and wasn't going to confront her about it with out any. At least Lorna told him and he was able to think of a proper way to help her. Though getting professional help was going to be the last resort. He didn't want Abby to feel as if she was a psycopath for caring deeply about her mothers death. He thought he could simply help her by making a funeral for her mother and let her come to it every now and then. That should ease the pain a bit, and then possible help her in other ways as well. "Thank you Ms. Lorna I'm please that my daughter met you when she did. It's nice to know that I'm not saving a world full of people who wont even leaned out a hand to someone in need of it".

As she handed out her hand so he could shake it, he grabbed her hand lightly and kissed it softly. He looked into her eyes and knew that he might not be able to see her again. So he decided to take the chance and try and get to know her a bit more. "Hey I was wondering if you'd like to get coffee sometime. I'd like to get to know you a lot more and it seems that Abigail grew a bit found of you. If you don't want to I completely understand Ms. Lorna but there's something special about you that I can place my finger on". He smiled and looked into her eyes waiting for her answer to his proposal.

[lorna]

Tony seemed to listen to what she had to say regarding Abby and Lorna knew that was about all she could do. He was the girl's father, it would be up to him to take it from there. She only hoped that she had given the man a look at what Abby was going through. She was luckier then Abby. Lorna had lost her parents when she was still much too young to know them. If she lost her aunt or uncle, though, it would hit her very hard. She couldn't fathom the pain and knew that whatever it was she'd feel, that was what Abby was going through.

“No, not all of us are unteachable. I tend to be in the business of saving children anyway. I wasn't going to let anything happen to Abby,” she told him with a smile. If only he knew about all the children who lived at the mansion just an hour north of their current location.

When Lorna put out her hand to shake his, she assumed her time with the Starks was at an end. Even if Abby wanted to contact her, she highly doubted that Tony Stark would want his daughter to be hanging around a stranger when there was already so much media attention on the girl. Not to mention the other things she'd heard, things about private detectives. In comparison to that, Lorna's life with the X-Men seemed rather mundane.

However, instead of shaking it, he drew her hand to his lips and brushed them across the back. Again. And again, she flushed slightly and felt her heart rate begin to accelerate. What was it about this man that was so disarming? Beyond the obvious good looks and charm? The way he studied her eyes captivated her and it was all Lorna could do to keep in mind that to him, this was likely a game. Maybe to see if she was really worthy of saving his daughter after all.

When he asked her to go out for coffee, a hundred different things ran through her mind. Things like, is there someone else here he's talking to? Did Tony Stark just ask me on a date? Would he still be interested if he knew what she was? As she thought, though, a realization came to her, one that she knew was correct and made much more sense then the idea that New York's most eligible bachelor was asking out a freaky haired mutant. He wanted to talk more about Abby. In a way, Lorna was relieved. It meant she could just be herself. Sort of.

With a bright smile, she replied, “Sure. That would be nice. I'd like to see Abby again as well. She's a bright girl even if she makes me feel rather inferior in the knowledge department.” It was the truth although Lorna was starting to not get as disturbed by it. Abby couldn't help her brilliance just as Lorna couldn't help her hair.

Her smiling dimming slightly, she decided that before she did see either of them again, they had to know something about her. Something important. “I think I had better come clean, though,” she added, hesitating slightly. Her only hope, though, was that Iron Man was a hero. He likely wouldn't be as bothered as most would by her admission. “I'm a mutant, Mr. Stark.”

[TONY STARK]

Tony looked to Lorna and smiled as she responded to his statement of him saving the world and people are at least helping one another. It was good that Lorna saved people for a living. Knowing that she was part of the X-men made it clear that she was one of the good guys. She was beautiful and he wanted to at least get to know her more. He didn't know why but she had something about her that caught his attention. Tony didn't know whether or not it was that she was different or the way she cared herself but she captivated him. He wondered what she thought about him asking her out. The way she seemed to think she must have thought that it was maybe something about Abby. He did want some advice on Abby but in truth he just wanted to get to know her better then he does now.

As Tony looked as she flushed to him kissing her hand again and smiled deep into her eyes. She seemed to be taken away from him asking her out to coffee. And it seemed as if she had billion from billions of thoughts running through her head. He also thought and wondered whether or not he was being pushy. He also wondered if he wasn't her type at all the rich type. Tony waited patiently when he got the answer that she would love to. He'd wonder if she thought that it all was about Abby and decided to let her know it wasn't. But before he could Lorna started to talk again. It seemed that she needed to get something off her chest and thought it was her being a mutant.

"It's alright Ms. Lorna I know your file came into my head and I know you work for the X-men. I don't mind and I'm pretty sure that Abigail wouldn't mind either. Any way your very beautiful whether you were normal or a mutant wouldn't matter to me. I asked out Lorna Dane not a mutant or a human right". He told her with a smile as he got a bit closer to her. "So how about tomorrow at eight o'clock am if you'd like or we can go for another time?" he continued.

[lorna]

He didn't even bat an eyelash when she told him the truth about herself. Was it the hair? Had that given her away? Most people assumed she dyed it and she let that assumption stand. Lorna didn't think that Abby had figured it out the time they were together and she'd not been alone to say something to Tony if she had. So how had...?

A file. He'd called up a file on her. In a way, she felt a bit violated but she pushed that aside in the light of the reality of the situation. She couldn't blame him, in all honesty. He was filthy rich and she could have been anyone out to blackmail him or get to him through Abby. The thought disgusted her but it was the reality of the world they lived in. One thing did bother her, though. She thought that her identity was a secret but if he worked with SHIELD, then that would likely explain that.

“Oh,” she said, her surprise still on her face when he told her that it didn't matter if she was human or mutant. Lorna supposed in his line of work, he dealt with all sorts so being a mutant was likely nothing more then being a Jew or being Asian to him. That was good. If only the rest of the world was so forward thinking, they wouldn't have so many issues in their lives and all their children would be safer.

“Thank you,” she added as he told her she was beautiful no matter what and then he moved even closer. Her fingers actually tingled as she could sense the suit within his body through her powers and if he touched her at that second, he would likely feel a very faint, very subtle and possibly pleasurable charge go through him and she wasn't even trying this time. It was the metal from the suit.

Her flush grew brighter upon his closing the space and when he clarified that he was asking her out for coffee, not her and Abby, her face showed her surprise again. She really did suck at hiding her emotions. Absolutely captivated by him, she finally replied, “Sure. Eight tomorrow sounds good.” Did she have a class then? Lorna wasn't entirely sure at that moment and somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she would likely find a million reasons to cancel on him. It was in her nature to start doubting once her mind cleared.

[TONY STARK]

As Tony looked at Lorna she seemed a bit surprised what he didn't even move a muscle when she told him he was a mutant. Though it was understandable no one should have known. Most people would have guessed that she just dyed her hair green and accepted it. However Tony worked with a lot of different kinds of people, it comes with the territory as you work with SHIELD. Though he did feel bad about pulling up her file. She must have felt like he didn't trust her but it was all in the sake of making sure Abby was okay. And it was nice to be able to know someone without having to ask awkwardly. And it seemed she didn't mind as he guessed she had a rational mind. Which was good because that was one of the qualities he looked in a women. And mutant or not she was still very beautiful and very interesting.

When Lorna replied to him saying it didn't matter that she was a mutant or not he smiled. She must have been surprised seeing as most people would have been freaked out or something. But he wasn't most people. For god sakes he had a arch reactor stuck to his chest that glowed like a flash light and kept him alive. If that wasn't a stand out feature he wouldn't know what was. And in his line of work you couldn't be judgmental. Heroes come from all corners of the world and they all go for one thing. And that one thing was trying to help the people of the world because they saw that they can do just that. And Lorna was no different, she was helping her people and the people of the world in her own way. And for that he would be happy to take her out and get to know her more.

As Tony moved in closer she thanked him for the compliment of saying she was beautiful no matter what. He smiled at her as he looked down to her. Grabbing her hand lightly he looked into her eyes and smiled. "No problem but you don't have to thank me for something that is true Ms. Lorna." Then Lorna face grew surprised again as he stated that he was asking her out not her and Abby. When Lorna accepted his date offer her looked back into her eyes and smiled deeply. "Thank you I'll meet you in front of the mansion. A Chauffeur will pick you up and drive you here were we can begin our date. I'm looking forward to it". He picked up her hand that he was holding on to and kissed it softly smiling at her.

[lorna]

To say she was completely entranced by the entire situation would have been an understatement. Lorna honestly had only asked to speak to him alone because she had wanted to talk about Abby. She had absolutely no idea that the Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man given the suit she could feel within him, was going to ask her on a date. Things like that just didn't happen to her.

Until tonight, apparently.

He lifted her hand again and the charge that had been sitting there on the tips of her fingers transferred into him with a tiny green spark. She hadn't had that sort of loss of control of her powers since she first manifested them. Her training with Ororo and the Professor had taught her much and while she knew she was far from being in league with someone like Magneto, she was still capable of controlling herself.

Tony played dirty, that was all there was to it. It was as if he knew she would probably be finding a reason to cancel so he took care of all the details. Like making sure a driver was picking her up at eight in the morning which meant less time for her to change her mind. Not that she really wanted to at that very moment. He was too good looking for his own good and he likely knew it. Hell, if she had his reputation, she'd probably know it as well.

Lorna almost asked if he knew where she lived but then realized how stupid that would have been. He'd read her file, for heaven's sake. He probably knew her blood type and that she liked ice skating and that lavender was her favorite scent. It made her feel a tad uncomfortable but then she likely could have found all the same information on him at any Tony Stark fansite on the internet.

“I'll be ready,” she finally replied to him, locating her voice that seemed to get lost every time he looked into her eyes like that. “Tell Abby good night for me, please,” she added, hoping that thinking about the girl in his apartment would help clear her head.

Pulling away from him, Lorna moved to the elevator and stepped inside, looking up as the doors closed in front of her. “Good night, Mr. Stark,” she added as they slid to a close and the elevator began to move.

[TONY STARK]

While Tony held onto her hand it seemed to give him a slightly but good shock running through his body. He didn't jump at it but guessed it was a side effect of Lorna's powers. Tony of course didn't mind it, he would have guessed something liked this might have happened. And if not sooner then later, and he would have gladly stepped up to the plate for it. She also seemed a bit flushed and happy which of course he was happy to see her that way. And with all the things he was throwing at her he hoped that she wouldn't cancel on him. He really did want to get to know her and if she didn't then he would have to accept it. Though he could try every means to be able to get the date underway. Although the final decision of course was up to her. She was free to deny him and he would gladly accept it and be on his way. However he still hoped that she would remain friends with Abby if she did. She was her only friend in the city and she was a nice women to watch over Abby if he needed it and of course if she was free to.

He then heard her say she would be ready and continued on to say for him to tell Abby goodnight for her. "Of course Ms. Lorna, I'll see you tomorrow beautiful" he told her as he watched her walk into the elevator doors. As they closed she told him goodbye and he smiled at her looking into her eyes before they closed. "Bye Ms.Lorna can't wait to see your beautiful face in the morning" he told her. As the elevators closed he walked over to his door and opened it. As he walked in Jarvis told him that Abby was in her room. He then decided that he would tell her that he was going to get a memorial done for her mother. Along with telling her the Lorna said goodnight. Tony then went to the bar and started to drink a little before putting the bottles away and walking upstairs.