Prologue

Toni was humming as she set up the Little Mermaid for her date night with her babies. They had just finished watching Peter's favourite The Lion King and now it was Kat's turn. On the table were two bowls, one holding pick n' mix and the other sweet popcorn and three mugs of hot chocolate sat beside them. This is exactly what she needed after spending days if not months working on the Freedom Line for Stark Industries and her speech for the army demonstration in Afghanistan the following day.

She hated making weapons and the moment she had become CEO publicly the year before, at twenty one, she had started creating new things for the company which had took off like a storm such as medical and technology improvements, but like Stephen, her husband - who was a renowned Neurosurgeon - had told her she had to implement the changes slowly; especially as the old farts on the board hated that she was a woman.
"Mummy, is it ready?" Peter and Katherine asked eagerly, kicking their legs excitedly.

"All done my babies." Toni smiled, shaking her head to clear her thoughts and returning to her seat on the sofa between her babies under the blankets. She was supposed to receive the Apogee award tonight but she had already told them she couldn't make it as she had wanted to make the most of her time with her babies before she left, the only thing that would've made it better was if Stephen was here instead of being on-call. But she had a plan to make up for the lost time with Stephen when he returned home later tonight. "Ready Mis amores?"
"Ready Mama." Peter and Katherine replied, smiling brightly at their mother as they snuggled into her. Kissing their heads, Toni settled back against the sofa with her twins under each arm as she pressed play.

* * *

"Toni? Hey Toni!" Rhodey shouted for his little sister, her award clasped in his hand. He had been roped into giving the award in the hopes it would entice Toni to attend but he knew she wouldn't as she had explained to him a while ago that she wanted to spend it with her twins before she left and he couldn't say he blamed her.
"Mrs Stark is in the living room, Rhodey, but she asks that you keep it down as young Miss and young Sir are asleep on her." Jarvis informed Rhodey.
"Thanks Jarvis." Rhodey replied, taking the stairs up from the underground garage to the living room. Upon reaching it he couldn't help but smile as he saw his sister curled up with his niece and nephew, setting the award on the coffee table he offered her a teasing smirk. "Need any help, munchkin?" He teased, using the nickname he gave her at M.I.T.

"Hey honey-bear." Toni smiled, happy to see him as always. "Yes please. Can you take Peter and I'll carry Kat?"
"Sure thing." He smiled, easing his sleepy nephew into his arms who grumbled at him.
"No Uncle Rhodey." Peter grumbled, but he still snuggled closer to his uncle, getting a loving smile from his mother and uncle.
"Go to sleep, little man." Rhodey whispered, kissing the side of his head as he followed Toni upstairs where the kids, his own bedroom when he stayed over and Toni and Stephen's bedroom were located. "Hey Tones! Where's Stephen? On-call?"
"Yeah he got called into work at the last minute." Toni whispered, rolling her eyes. "And your room is always ready for you Rhodey, you know that."

"Mama we're not tired!" Peter and Katherine protested once Toni and Rhodey stood in front of Katherine's door as they wanted to have a sleepover, despite Kat's mermaid themed room Peter wanted to sleep over with his sister and Kat wanted to sleep in Peter's Lion King themed room with him, so Toni compromised: tonight they slept in Kat's room and while she was away they slept in Peter's room and when she came back they slept with her and their Daddy and her husband, Dr Stephen Strange.
"It's bedtime, Mis amores, and if you don't go to bed I'll sell all your toys." Toni told them, causing her twins to giggle.
"Can you tell us a story please, Mama." They asked.

"Once upon a time there was a Prince called Peter and his twin sister, Princess Katherine who went to bed: the end." Toni told them, tucking them in while Rhodes stifled a laugh.
"That is a horrible story, Mama!" They protested giggling.
"What do you mean? It's your favourite story." Toni told them pretending to be confused, smiling as her babies giggled. "Bedtime, I'll send Daddy in when he gets home, say goodnight to Uncle Rhodey."
"Night Uncle Rhodey. Love you."
"Goodnight mini munchkins, I love you too." Rhodey told them, kissing their foreheads.
"Sleep well my loves, I love you tons." Toni said tenderly, tucking them in and kissing them.

"We love you 3000, Mama." Peter and Kat said simultaneously, hugging and kissing their mother.
"Wow! Three thousand? That's crazy!" Toni said, stunned. "Now, I will sell all your toys if you don't go to bed." Toni warned them as they left the room, smiling as she heard them giggling.
"Night Tones, don't forget we're flying out tomorrow. So don't spend too long on the car or on the project with Hope." Rhodey reminded her in a whisper, hugging and kissing Toni's head.

"I won't." Toni reassured him. "I can't believe my babies are three in August." Toni said sadly, relishing the tighter hug Rhodey gave her. "Night Honey-bear, I love you."
"I love you too, Toni." With one last kiss to her forehead Rhodey headed for his room as his bed was calling him, as Toni headed to her bedroom to slip a tracksuit over her pjs, so she could work on the car until Stephen came home.
"J? Could you let me know when Stephen comes home please." Toni requested, as a plan to have a romantic lust-filled night with her husband forming in her mind.
"Of course." Jarvis' British automated voice replied.

"Also, can you pop me through to Hope, please J?" Toni added, as she looked over the blueprints on the project they were working on together while she tinkered with finishing the new Starkphone.
"Putting you through now, Toni."
"Thanks J."
A moment later Hope Van Dyne answered, causing a smile to form on Toni's lips at her best friend and sister, one of the ones who had been with her since before the worst moments in her life and a Godmother to her twins much like Rhodey who was their Godfather.

"Annie?" Hope's voice asked, confused. "What're you doing up? Wait, let me guess.... You came up with ideas while waiting for Stephen to come home." She laughed. Hope and Carol were the only ones allowed to call Toni 'Annie', as it reminded her too much of her Mama Ana and Papa Edwin who would always call her that while her mother Maria would always call her Toni or Antoinette; the trio had been so proud when she was accepted into M.I.T at thirteen, whereas, Howard had ignored her at best.
"You know me so well." Toni laughed. "Yes, I have ideas for the Quantum Generator to run by you..."

Once she was finished explaining her ideas Hope was left stunned at what Toni's mind could come up with despite knowing Toni since she was thirteen (the youngest ever admittance to M.I.T, and it was due to her skill that she had been admitted and not her name as she had applied under Ana's maiden name: Volkov), and she, Carol Danvers, James Rhodes and Stephen Strange were seventeen.

"That's perfect Annie! Reminds me of when you, me and Carol used to beat Rhodey and Stephen at everything in M.I.T." Hope laughed.
"Stephen hated it, especially when he lost the bet against Carol for how drunk Rhodey could get." Toni laughed. "I miss her." She muttered sadly.
"We all do." Hope replied sadly, wishing she was there to hug her little sister. "But I know she would be so proud of you, Annie. If Rhodey gets drunk tomorrow make sure to get blackmail." She added, cheering-up and distracting them both as they knew Rhodey still couldn't handle strong drinks and was a hilarious drunk.

"Oh I will." Toni teased. "Hope, while I'm away, could you watch the twins, please, when Stephen's at work. I've instructed Pepper to not under any circumstances take the kids to him, and to block all meetings if he tries to set anything up. Something just doesn't add up and I'll look into it when I get back." Toni explained, bouncing her leg anxiously.
Despite the calm tone, Hope heard the anxiety in Toni's voice that she tried to hide and she knew and trusted Toni implicitly so she would never discredit Toni's worries.

"Of course I will, don't worry." Hope assured her, smiling tightly when she heard Toni let out a breath of relief. She hated her sister being so worried and stressed. "Now, get some sleep. I love you."
"I love you too." Toni replied before they hung up, just as Jarvis announced that Stephen was coming up the drive. Smiling happily as she glanced at her engagement and wedding rings adorning her left ring finger and the many photos lining her desk and other parts of the mansion spanning the course of their relationship, starting from their meeting, the years as friends, when they started dating, their engagement, their wedding, and when the twins joined them starting from when Toni had a bump until a few weeks ago when the four went to Disneyland in Paris.

Pushing herself away from her desk she stood stripping out of her tracksuit as she went leaving her in the short pjs that showed off her figure and the many tattoos decorating her body; she had a Poppy on the calf of her right leg, the stem reading 'sister' which matches with Carol and Hope.
The second was in between her shoulder blades: a Sagittarius star sign - a bow and arrow with angel wings - which she got after her Mum died.
The third was on her left wrist: a Leo constellation for the birth of her twins.
The fourth was on the inside of her right arm starting at the wrist: name and date of birth of her children - Peter & Kat 07 - 08 - 2006.

And finally, the fifth tattoo she had was a Cancer constellation with 22 - 07 - 07 under her left collar bone to remember Carol. As she leant on the doorframe separating her workshop and the garage Dumb-E pulled her from her thoughts as he chirped at her holding out her clothes she'd cast aside.
"Good boy." Toni praised, folding them up and setting them in the seat of the car she was working on earlier, as Dumb-E went back over to U and Butterfingers chirped happily. A moment later Stephen's black Camaro rolled into the garage, the headlights highlighting Toni's form leaning sensually against the doorframe causing Stephen's mouth to go dry.

The anger that had filled him previously at a colleague evaporated and was replaced by love and lust for his wife as strong as a tsunami.
"Well don't you look ravishing, Querida." Stephen drawled huskily as he exited the car.
"Well, I was waiting for my husband. Thought we could have some time together before I leave tomorrow." Toni teased, slipping the strap of her Harry Potter short pjs down her shoulder slowly.
"He is one lucky man." Stephen commented, playing along as he took off his jacket throwing it carelessly to the floor.

"Hmm." Toni hummed, biting her lower lip while looking up at him under her thick eyelashes while biting back a smirk as she knew this always got him and soon enough she was rewarded with a groan from Stephen. "I make sure he knows."
"This arrival is what does it, that and coming home to his two amazing children with his beautiful wife, who is the love of his life." Stephen replied huskily, but his tone was full of love and happiness.
"We can always turn two into three." Toni commented, slipping off her pjs leaving the top and shorts to pool at her feet; a light blush adorning her cheeks as her husband looked at her bare form like a starving man and she was all that kept him going.

"Well, we better start then." Stephen replied, lifting her easily into his arms eliciting giggles from his wife until they were swallowed by his lips as he melded them together in every way possible, leaving them both with hardly any sleep and love bitten forms. Not that either cared too much, if at all.

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Spanish to English translations:

• Mis amores = my darlings.
• Querida = my darling.

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Author's note: DO NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM COMMENT UPDATE. There are other ways you can say whether you like this story or not. Commenting 'UPDATE' does not make me want to update, in fact it does the opposite.

Thank you Arcstark  for the banners.