Elaine nodded.

"Yeah," she replied. "I was told to collect everyone. I just didn't want to interrupt while you were busy with Dummy."

Tony nodded and wiped his hands off (not that it actually did much good) before he walked with her out of the lab.

"So what should I expect from Kae?"

"She's thinking that she might just spend three days a week or so with the X-Men and see how that goes," Elaine said. "And spend the rest of the time here." She followed him up to the main floor.

Tony pressed his lips together but didn't say anything, taking a seat at the table.

Kae glanced around at everyone, only a little nervous, setting food out so they could all serve themselves.

Elaine noticed the tension at the table, so she did what she could to break it.

"So," she said. "I'm dragging Steve with me to my place for Christmas. Anyone else want to come?"

"Is that an open invitation?" Kae asked with a grin. "Because I'd love to go see your family again. I missed the chaos last Thanksgiving."

"We didn't have enough chaos of our own?" Tony asked.

"We can't have the same amount of chaos as the clan."

"Kae, you know the Clan loves you," Elaine said. "You're always allowed to come with me."

Kae grinned and nodded, very pleased. "You two should come too," she said, looking at Bruce and Tony. "It would be fun."

Bruce blinked.

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking between the girls. Elaine nodded.

"Of course," she said. She grinned. "The Clan is usually good about newcomers, it'll be fun."

"Should we bring them in too?" Kae asked with a grin, looking at Clint, Natasha, and Thor. "I bet your little cousin would love to meet her hero."

Elaine grinned.

"Alexis would just be over the moon about it." She looked at Thor. "You remember, I gave you the letter from my little cousin?"

"Ah, you speak of the small warrior!" Thor grinned. "I do remember! I would be honored to make her acquaintance!"

Kae grinned and looked at Clint and Natasha.

"We're in," Clint said with a grin. Natasha nodded.

Elaine looked at Tony.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Sure, I'm in." Tony grinned. "I'll find a place for us to stay while we're there. How many people will there be?"

"The Clan is typically upwards of thirty," Elaine said, taking a mental head count. She nodded. "Yeah, right around there."

"Alright. All ages I'm assuming?" Tony was already filing the information away so he could have Pepper advise him on what to bring. Not for a while yet, but he wanted to be somewhat prepared.

Because facing the Wrath of Pepper if he wasn't prepared would not be fun.

"Pretty much," Elaine replied, nodding. "The youngest is an infant or a toddler, and then, you know, my grandparents and all."

"Right." Tony added that to his file and did a quick search of her family (nothing invasive, just getting numbers and ages to add to the file) before he grinned.

"Well, this Christmas promises to be interesting. Where do they live?"

"About an hour outside of the city proper," Elaine said. "You're more than welcome to bring Pepper, if you like. That is, if she doesn't already have plans."

"I'll have to check with her." Tony made a note to do that, and to find a good hotel to rent out probably a floor for all of them. "Since we're making it a party, think Thor can bring Jane so he'll stop pining?"

"I don't see why not," Elaine said. Thor promptly brightened and grinned widely. "I'll have to let my grandmother know that dinner on Christmas eve should be enough for fifty or so," Elaine continued.

"I'll help cook," Kae volunteered. "I could probably make a few things ahead of time and take them over to be heated up again just before dinner."

Elaine nodded. Kae typically did that, so she knew it was fine.

"So now I have to warn my family that an extra ten people are showing up for Christmas." She grinned.

"Yup." Kae grinned. "You might want to warn them that it's the Avengers, too, so there's not too much of an upset when we get there."

"Oh I will," Elaine said, nodding. "No, I wouldn't blindside them with that one." She grinned.