Archive of Our Own ^beta

Morgan was hiding behind the sofa before she popped up and held her arm out. On her hand was a little glove that looked like an Iron Man gauntlet, part of a set she got for her birthday from Uncle Rhodey. “Stay back,” she giggled. “That’s an order.” When Tony crept closer to her, she held out her hand again. “Pew… Pew…” she said, ‘shooting’ repulser blasts at him. 

Tony stopped when she ‘got’ him. Clutching his hand over this chest, he laughed. “Oh no… the Mighty Morguna strikes again!”

Listening from the kitchen, Pepper couldn’t help but smile. Their lives had changed so much since their daughter had been born - at first, Pepper thought it would be hard to adjust. She had been so used to living a fast-paced life and being in charge of the company, that having a family didn’t seem like it was ever in her plans. But now as she watched her husband and their daughter, this felt right. She didn’t want anything else. 

She was chopping the last carrot when she soon heard glass shattering and a little voice in the background saying “Oops”. Putting the knife down, she went to check what happened, making sure no one was hurt. 

“What happened?” Pepper asked, then saw the remnants of the crystal vase her mother had passed down to her. Looking at her daughter, then her husband… she was not pleased. Morgan was going to hug her mom when Pepper stopped her. “No… no, I don’t want you to step on the glass. I need you to go outside please, so I can clean this up.”

“Sorry Mommy…” Morgan pouted as she ran outside to hide in her little tent. 

Tony sighed when he heard his daughter, then looked at Pepper. “It was an accident.” 

“I know, but this was my mom’s…” Pepper sighed as she grabbed the broom and dustpan. “It was her mom’s before that and I was hoping one day I could pass it down to Morgan.” It was a family heirloom. She didn’t mean to get so frustrated with her daughter, but this was something that couldn’t be replaced.

“I’ll finish cleaning up so you can finish lunch,” Tony said, kissing her cheek before taking the broom from her. 

Going back to the kitchen, Pepper looked out the window to see Morgan crawling into her little tent. She remembered when Morgan opened it for Christmas a couple years ago and it was still one of her favorite things. Turning to the stove, she worked on finishing lunch. 

Tony finished cleaning up the glass from the vase and went over to his wife, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “I love you,” he said, kissing her cheek, then smiled. “Lunch smells fantastic. I’ll go check on Morgan.”

Heading outside, Tony made his way over to where the little tent had been set up. “Chow time! Morguna…” He called out to her. “Morgan H. Stark. You want some lunch?”

Morgan’s little hand emerged from the tent, then she stepped out, wearing the helmet for a special suit he had been working on. “Define lunch, or be disintegrated,” she said, holding up her ‘gauntlet’.

Tony held up his hands, then looked at his daughter. “You should not be wearing that… it’s part of a special anniversary gift I’m making mom.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek before taking the helmet off. “How did you even find this?”

“The garage,” Morgan replied, smiling at her dad. 

“Were you looking for it?” Tony grinned when he saw that similar smirk on his daughter’s face.

“No, but I found it.” Morgan said, giggling when her dad picked her up about to carry her back to house when she looked at him. “Is Mommy still mad? I didn’t mean to break it.” She asked, referring to the vase. 

“Mommy’s not mad,” Tony told her as he walked back to the house. “She’s just sad because her mommy gave it to her, but it’s okay. We’ll just have to say sorry to her.” 

As they walked up to the house, Tony heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Turning around, he thought maybe it was Happy or Rhodey… but was surprised to see three other familiar faces looking back at him. 

“Who’s that?” Morgan whispered as she looked around, being shy. She had never met them before, but for some reason they looked familiar. 

Tony was silent for a moment before kissing his daughter’s cheek. “Why don’t you tell Mom we have some visitors,” he said, setting Morgan down and she ran into the house. 

“Mommy… Daddy said we have visitors!” The little girl ran over to her Mom, tugging on her sleeve. “Mommy!” 

Though, Pepper already saw who was there. She felt angry, wondering why the three were visiting after all this time… then she thought about the worst. However, it was Morgan that pulled her out of it. “What? Oh, yes… those are some of Dad’s friends from work.” It felt strange saying friends, because they hadn’t actually talked to them in years and she was certain Tony didn’t ever want to talk to them again. But here they were. 

“Who’s that?” Morgan got onto her step stool so she could look out the window. She saw the lady with the pretty red hair in a long braid. “She’s pretty.”

“She’s very pretty,” Pepper smiled when she heard her daughter. “That’s Natasha Romanoff, she’s an old friend of Daddy's. Now… why don’t you help me set the table?”

Morgan nodded, jumping off the stool and helped her mom with the table setting. Though, she noticed her mom was distracted and kept looking out the window. “Mommy? Daddy looks upset.” 

Pepper turned back to her daughter, smiling at her. “Why don’t you go get him? He looks like he needs some saving.”

The little girl nodded and went outside, crawling into her dad’s lap. “Mommy told me to come and save you,” she said, smiling when she felt her dad wrap his arms around her. 

“Good job, I’m saved,” Tony smiled, holding his daughter tight. Getting up with Morgan in his arms, he looked at his former team members. “Look, I’m glad to see you guys, I really am… but I can’t risk this. Table’s set for six. If you don’t talk shop, you can stay.”

However, the three left with a quick goodbye and Morgan hugged her dad again. “She had pretty hair,” she said, looking at him. 

Tony smiled, because his daughter had no idea what they had just talked about and her innocence about it all was so sweet. “She did have pretty hair, didn’t she?” He kissed her cheek before heading back inside. It was going to be a long day.

 ~ 

"Shit!” Tony covered his mouth when he looked at the hologram in front of him. How the hell did he just figure this out? There was no way he solved the problem of time travel. He had only intended to look at it, see what he could do. But then he looked at Peter’s picture earlier and dammit, he felt like he had to do something. They sounded certain they could try something and poor Natasha looked so broken. But time travel…? Pepper was going to kill him.

He was about to look into the details of the hologram when he heard a little voice behind him. “Shit.”

Turning around, Tony found his daughter sitting on the bottom step. “What are you doing up Little Miss?” He asked, wondering why Morgan took after him. When she repeated it again, he shook his head. “No, we don’t say that word. Only Mommy says it. She coined it. It belongs to her.” he said. 

“What are you doing up?” Morgan asked, peeking over at the hologram. 

“I’m working on important shit,” Tony chuckled, then saw the look on Morgan’s face, it was the same classic look she got from her mother. “But you’re supposed to be asleep. I’ve got a lot on my mind tonight.” 

“Was it juice pops?” Morgan said, getting up to look at her dad. 

Tony looked at the hologram once more before turning it off. “That’s extortion,” he told his daughter, but took her hand. “Come on.” 

He grabbed a juice pop for Morgan before bringing her back up to her room. Luckily Pepper was taking a bath and didn’t hear of them… because he knew he’d be in trouble later. 

“Will you tell me a story?” Morgan asked as she took the last couple bite of her juice pop before her dad took it. 

“A story? You just got three of them,” Tony chuckled as he tucked her back to sleep. “Once upon a time, Morguna went to bed. The end.”

“That’s a terrible story,” Morgan looked at her dad and smiled. Curling up with her teddy bear, she looked up at him. 

“Love you tons,” Tony said, kissing his daughter’s cheek as he tucked her in. 

“I love you, three thousand,” Morgan grinned up at him.

“Wow…” Tony felt his heart almost burst. How had he gotten so incredibly lucky to have this little girl in his life. Kissing her again, he went over to the door. “Three thousand? Now go to bed, or I’m selling all your toys.”

Closing the door to his daughter’s room, he went back downstairs. Pepper had returned from her bath and was now sitting on the sofa, reading something. 

“Not that it’s a contest, but our daughter loves methree thousand…” Tony smirked at his wife. 

Pepper looked at his smirk and laughed. “Oh does she now?”

“You were somewhere in the six to nine hundred range,” he said, realizing he had to tell her about his discovery. But he held it off for a moment. “What are you reading?”

“A book about composting,” Pepper told him. She wanted to continue to work on the garden that had just started thriving. 

“I think I solved it…” Tony spoke up, arms crossed over his chest, looking over at his wife. 

“And so we’re talking about the same thing…” Pepper looked at him, brows furrowed.

“Time travel.” 

That’s when Pepper put her book down. “Oh…” she said quietly, thinking about it for a minute. She knew they had gotten so lucky these past five years and if there was the slightest chance that Tony might be able to help get everyone back… then he had to go. 

But when he started rambling about how he should throw the plans in the bottom of the lake and go to bed, she shook her head. “Tony… getting you to stop has been one of the greatest failures of my life,” she looked at him. “Sounds like you can help a lot of people.”

“But I don’t have to.” Tony told her, looking at her with the damn puppy dog eyes that Pepper had fallen in love with all those years ago. 

“But will you rest?”

~

They spent that night together in each other’s arms, showing each other how much they loved one another. They didn’t get much sleep that night, afraid this could be their last night together. So as the clock ticked, they continued to love on one another until they eventually fell asleep.

When Pepper woke the next morning, Tony was already out of bed, showering and getting ready. Tying her robe around her waist after climbing out of bed, she went to start a pot of coffee and stared out the window, hoping this would all be worth it. She was incredibly proud of her husband… nothing would ever change that. 

“Morning,” Tony soon entered the kitchen, wrapping his arms around his wife from behind, kissing her neck. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Pepper smiled when she heard him. "Make sure you say goodbye to Morgan before you leave.”

“Already planned on it,” Tony told her.

The two enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee out on the porch, enjoying the serene moment. The calm before the storm before Tony soon went back inside. Putting his mug in the sink he soon saw Morgan coming downstairs. “Good morning, Mighty Morguna,” he grinned, picking his daughter up for a hug.

“Where are you going?” She asked, looking at him.

“Daddy has something to do for work… but I’ll be back soon.” Tony kissed her cheek.

“Love you,” Morgan hugged him, looking at him as she was lowered back to the floor. “Will you be home later?” 

“I’ll be home as soon as I can.” Tony smiled. “I love you three thousand, Morgan.”

After Tony left, Pepper came inside to get breakfast ready for her daughter. “What do you want to do today, Little Miss?” 

“Mommy, you’re still in your PJs,” Morgan giggled when she saw her mom in her robe.

“So are you, silly goose!” Pepper laughed when she heard her. “Come on, let’s eat some breakfast, then let’s see if Uncle Happy wants to hang out today.”

“Okay!” Morgan said, watching out the window as her dad’s car disappeared down the road. “Can we play in the garage?” She soon asked her mom.

~

It was a few days later when there was a knock on the door. Opening it to reveal a man wearing some kind of ancient garb, Pepper looked at him. “Can I help you?”

“Miss Potts, we need your help,” the man told her, looking like he was in a hurry. 

“It’s Mrs. Stark now… and who are you?” Pepper asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“My name is Wong… I was sent here by Dr. Steven Strange. The Avengers need our help,” he explained.

Pepper shook her head. “I don’t have a suit and I can’t leave my daughter.”

“Your husband needs your help,” Wong told her. 

Pepper shook her head, but knew that it was serious if he said that. “I have to get a sitter… and figure something out.”

Wong nodded, but looked at her. “You don’t have a lot of time, but we’ll make sure to count you in.”

Happy came as quick as he could and Pepper barely had time to explain what was happening, but she definitely made sure to talk to Morgan. 

“We love you, so much,” Pepper said, hugging her daughter. “I have to go help Daddy, but we’ll be home before you know it,” she told her. Pepper knew that was a bad promise to make, but she had to reassure Morgan that everything was going to be okay. 

“Mommy, you have to check the garage,” Morgan told her as she hugged her tightly. “I love you, Mommy.”

“I love you too, Morgan.” Pepper kissed Morgan’s cheek and let her run over to Happy, who promised to keep her safe. Making her way to the garage, Pepper checked inside like Morgan told her too. She rarely came in here, since it was Tony’s space, but what she found surprised her. 

There it was, another suit. However, it wasn’t like any of the suits she was used to making. This one was more feminine, like it was made just for her. 

Getting into the suit, FRIDAY greeted her.

Hello Miss Potts … running  diagnostics simulation now. Where are you headed this evening?

“Avengers facility… apparently I’m needed there,” she said, allowing the suit to start up. “Let’s go.”

This hadn’t been the first time she’d been in a suit, but it had been a long time. Soon, FRIDAY locked in the coordinates and Pepper was making her way to Avengers HQ, preparing herself for the fight of their lives. 

Everyone was there. Pepper didn’t recognize most of them, but she did recognize that familiar Spider suit from afar. She could see Tony giving Peter that hug he had been desperately hoping to give him these past five years, it was like his broken heart was finally being pieced back together. 

This fight was insane. Pepper hadn’t been this involved in anything before, and it was terrifying. Just as she thought they were getting closer to winning, something happened. Watching from afar, she saw Thanos take the gauntlet again… and she she thought this was it. They were about to lose everything. But then, she saw Tony and those shiny jewels on his arms. Landing on her two feet, she wanted to run over to him, stop this from happening, but she could only watch, frozen in fear.

“And I… am… Iron Man,” Tony looked at Thanos, then with no hesitation, snapped his fingers and everything went black.

Thanos and his army turned to dust… just as he made half of all living creatures turn to dust five years earlier. Everything was silent for a moment, then Pepper panicked. “Tony!?” She called for her husband. 

Rhodey found Tony first, resting against some debris. Then Peter was there next, sobbing as he found his mentor dying before his eyes. 

“Mr. Stark… we won!” Peter was hysterical. “Tony… I’m sorry.”

That’s when Pepper found her husband. She had known Tony for over two decades. She had known this was a possibility from the spot. Looking at Peter, she offered the teen a smile as she kneeled beside her husband. “FRIDAY?”

Vitals are critical, the AI announced.

Tony offered her a smile, knowing he was taking his last few breaths. “Hey Pep."

“Tony, look at me,” Pepper said, smiling back at him. “You are the strongest man I know… you’ve given me the best five years of marriage I could’ve ever asked for. I love you so damn much. But you can’t go yet. This isn’t your time.” She could see him fading and she put her hand on his cheek. “Tony, stay with me. Please don’t go.”

She was catatonic as some of the others worked to get Tony to safety. Honestly, she wasn’t even sure how it happened, but in less than five minutes, they were transported from the battlefield to a lab in Wakanda, where they began operating on Tony. She was sitting with Rhodey and the other remaining Avengers while they waited. Pepper refused to leave until she had gotten some word on how he was doing.

It was hours later before someone finally came to talk to them. “Mrs. Stark?” A young woman made her way toward them. “We had to amputate his right arm… and he’ll most likely be blind in one eye, but we were able to save him. I will say that he’s in a medically induced coma for the time being, but I anticipate that he will recover.” 

Pepper let out the breath she had been holding for hours and she was so relieved she started to cry. “When can I see him?” 

Shuri brought them back to the room where Tony was sleeping. Pepper thought he still looked half-dead, and she knew it wasn’t going to be an easy recovery, but she was so damn relieved that it didn’t matter now. Leaning down to kiss his forehead, she lingered for a moment. “I told you it wasn’t your time yet…” she whispered and looked at him. “I love you, Tony Stark.”

~

~ 

~

Epilogue: Six Weeks Later

“Are you Spider-Man?” Morgan looked up at Peter with curious eyes. “You’re in the picture my Daddy has. He told me lots of bedtime stories about you."

Peter looked down at the little girl who was holding his hand. When he learned that Tony had a daughter, he wondered what else he had missed out on in the apparent five years he had missed out on. Smiling at her, he squeezed her little hand. “I sure am. He really told you stories?”

“Yeah, like how you saved a family of duckies trying to cross the road,” Morgan smiled at him. 

For a moment, Peter had no idea what the little girl was talking about, but he smiled anyway. “Yeah I did. Made sure they all made it home safe and sound,” he told her. “So Morgan… what do you like to do here for fun?” 

Everyone was gathered at the cabin for Tony’s welcome home party. He had finally been released from the hospital, but his road to recovery was just beginning. He wasn’t strong enough for his new arm yet, plus, he was losing sight in his right eye and he was still badly burnt, but Tony was determined to recover for his wife and daughter. 

While Rhodey and the others helped him back to the house, Tony smiled when he could hear laughter of all the kids playing outside. Pepper wanted to be there with him when he was released, but Tony encouraged her to be home with Morgan when he arrived, wanting them to be surprised.

Pepper saw him from the window and went to open the door. “Hey honey,” she smiled, leaning in to kiss him gently. “I love you so much. Morgan’s going to be so happy to see you.” Even though she had prepared their daughter for this, Pepper was still nervous that Morgan would be scared to see Tony’s current state. 

“It’ll be fine, Pep…” Tony said with that trademarked smile of his. “Where’s our little Morguna?” 

Bringing him out back, Pepper smiled as Rhodey helped Tony into a chair and smiled when she saw the joy on Tony’s face when he saw Peter and Morgan running around the yard together. It took a moment, but Peter noticed them first, then knelt down so he was at Morgan’s level. “Hey… I think someone’s here to see you,” he said, tilting his head toward the porch.

Morgan turned to see who it was. “Daddy!” She squealed, running over to see him. Arms wide open, she didn’t slow down as she climbed up the stairs to see him. “Daddy!”

“Morgan, remember be gentle,” Pepper reminded her, but her worries soon faded when Morgan wrapped her arms around her dad. 

“I’ve missed you!” The little girl told him. “Mommy said you were in the hospital…” Looking him over, she could see he looked different. “You have an ow?” 

Tony chuckled, using his one arm to hug his daughter. “I do, but the doctor’s fixed me up and there’s nothing to worry about. I’m going to be just fine,” he kissed her forehead. “I love you, Morgan.”

Pepper smiled as she watched them, she soon caught a glance at Peter and waved to him. She was so glad to finally have everyone back. Everything was falling back into place.

Soon, Morgan and the other kids began to play out in the yard again, and while everyone else was mingling, Pepper sat beside her husband. It was going to take some getting used to, seeing him scarred and losing his arm, but Tony was alive and well… and she needed to remember that. Especially for what she was about to tell him. 

“Hey… how’re you feeling?” She asked him with a smile. “Do you need anything?” 

Tony shook his head, using his good arm to take her hand. “I’m fine. Everything’s going to be okay… I can’t believe that.” 

“Well, you better believe it,” Pepper smiled, gently squeezing his hand. “Because I have something I need to tell you.” Leaning in close so she could whisper in his ear, she smiled. “I’m pregnant.” 

To be continued...

AN: Thank you so much to everyone that's read and supported this story. It's not perfect, but it's definitely something that I've been wanting and needing to write since I saw Avengers: Endgame. I feel like as much as I enjoyed the movie, I'm equally disappointed with how the story ended for my hero and his family. So, I hope this story has brought some of you joy and the closure that you needed. I wasn't sure how I wanted to end this story, but I'm already thinking of a sequel... so this is where I leave you now. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart <3