(3) Vulpes Infernum (T. Stark) **On Hiatus**

Chapter Two

Tony drops onto a chair in his workshop, Spencer is sleeping, the house is quiet, almost anyway. The baby against his shoulder is the only excuse he currently has to be awake. Tony doesn't mind. He likes spending time with his boy. He doesn't get to bond that much with him when Trinity is more demanding of attention and Serenity requires more attention, poor Ryder is stuck at the bottom. He's a good boy. Quiet.

"Jarvis, wake up, come on, buddy" Tony pushes with his foot and his chair scoots closer to the computer, Ryder settled against his chest, rather happy to sleep against him.

"What can I do for you this evening, sir?" Jarvis asks. Tony hums a little.

"Research on hellhounds and kitsune, anything you can find" He answers and then lets out a breath. He can make sure he is well informed enough to look after his wife. She's done enough for him the last year, he can do this for her. He's awake with Ryder anyway. And this truth does affect his children. They are part hellhound and kitsune too. They need to know all of this stuff to be prepared for what it means for them.

........

Ryder is asleep by the time Tony sets him back in his crib. Serenity sleeping in her own next to it. Tony touches Ryder's cheek and then pulls back from the crib before he rubs at his eyes. Tired himself now. It's been a long few days. He sniffs at the air a little and then pokes his head out of the nursery. Something is burning. But it's 3 am and everyone else is in bed. Sam and Dean leave the guest bedroom with their own frowns. Tony points into the nursery.

"We got them" Sam assures him as Tony heads down the hallway back towards his and Spencer's room. That's where the smell is coming from. The entire room is ablaze. Fire everywhere. He rears back and coughs a little, eyes straining through the smoke to look for Spencer.

"Spencer!" Tony shouts. Spencer wakes, sitting up abruptly, she looks around to find her bedroom is on fire and Tony is in the doorway, wide-eyed. She lifts her hands to find them wrapped in flames too. This is coming from her. "Come on, honey, we gotta get out of here...." Tony warns her.

"No, wait" She argues. And then concentrates, feels the fire at her fingertips and then pulls in her mind, pulls the flames back, and just like in her mind, the flames are doused in the room till they are out completely. "I'm sorry" She whispers and looks at Tony. She knows what this means. What she could have done. She could have killed them. Hurt them. Her children. Tony shakes his head and moves closer to her. "The kids?"

"Your brothers have them" He assures her as he helps her from the ruined bed. They are going to need to get the decorators in here to fix this.

"Tony" She whispers. "If I can do this...."

"We'll talk about it, but let's just go downstairs...." He keeps hold of her hand as he leads her out of the burnt-out bedroom. They are very lucky it hadn't spread. That it didn't leave the bedroom. But Tony could have been in there and she knows that too. She could have hurt him.

........

Spencer sits, curled up on the couch with a blanket around her as she processes what she's just done. She's literally almost set her house on fire with her family inside. Her brothers. Her husband. Her children. She really could have killed them all without ever thinking about it. Without even realising it.

"Pepper's arranging for someone to come over and fix it all up, it's not a big deal" Tony crouches in front of her. "No one was hurt..." He assures her.

"This time" She argues. "What if it happens...and I have a hold of one of the babies....or Trinity...I could really hurt them"

"Spence" Tony counters and shakes his head. "Look, you were untouched by that fire, which means...that they might get that from you...."

"None of them have shown any sign of anything like this" She points out. "What if they're not like me? I could really hurt them, Tones..." He touches her shoulder and gives her a small smile. "Maybe I shouldn't..."

"Okay, no" He stops her, knowing exactly where she is going with that. "They're your children and you are still a great mom, this doesn't change anything" He leans closer to her. "Don't take yourself away from them because you are scared.....Spencer, you're the bravest person I know" He taps her chin. "If you hide from this, if you run away....and they are just like you, then what does that teach them?"

"That it's a bad thing" She whispers. He's right. She can't hide from it. She can't run from it. She needs to lead by example for her children. If they are the same as her. If they have inherited from her. Then she has to show them that there is nothing wrong with being this creature. This hybrid.

"And it's not" Tony assures her and then kisses her head. "You're smart, and resourceful, and insane, and badass, and protective, and a fantastic mother....and yes, you are also a hellhound and a kitsune, and that's new and very, very weird" She nods in agreement. "But what you are doesn't take away who you are" He touches her cheek. "I'm going to check on the bambinos, you gonna be okay?" He asks her, she shrugs. She has no idea what the answer to that question is. He stands and rubs her shoulder before he leaves her alone. Spencer runs her fingers through her hair and leans back with a sigh. She then sits up and glares at her hand, then has to lean back a little as a flame erupts in her palm. No pain. She can feel that it is warm, it's fire, of course, it is. But it's not burning her at all. Like she's immune to it now. She curls her fingers and the fire disappears. She hums a little and then straightens her fingers up, fire erupting again. Well, Castiel was right. Fire is clearly her thing now.