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Pepper blinked as she stared at the test in her hands. Two solid blue lines. There was no denying what it meant. Honestly, she didn’t even think it was possible that this would happen at her age, but then again… life was unpredictable and this was one of those moments. Starting a family hadn’t crossed her mind since that jog in the park with Tony months ago. She didn’t think they’d even want to start a family after everything that happened… then again, this wasn’t really a planned event either.
“Pep?” A knock on the door shook her from those thoughts. “You okay in there?”
Heart pounding, Pepper opened the door to reveal the test in her hand. “Not exactly…” she said, eyes glossy with tears.
Tony’s eyes widened when he saw the test, but he looked at Pepper and saw the worry in her eyes. Pulling her in for a hug, he held her close. “Hey… it’s okay,” This is everything he’s ever wanted. Well, that is until everything happened. But they’d figure this out. “Pep, it’s going to be okay.”
She couldn’t believe it. Hearing Tony, the one who was beating himself up over the snap, tell her that it was going to be okay, Pepper wasn’t sure what to think. Hugging him back, she let the tears that were stinging her eyes fall down her cheeks, letting a couple sobs out as he rubbed her back. “I’m scared.”
“Pepper Potts, scared? The same Pepper Potts that’s taken care of me the past how many years now?” Tony leaned back to look at her. Though, he could see the fright in her eyes. They hadn’t exactly discussed having kids since that one day, but there was one thing he was certain of. “Pep… you’re going to be a great mom. You’ve practically taken care of me for as long as we’ve known each other. It’s going to be okay.” Kissing her cheek, he held her close again. “I love you."
“I love you too,” Pepper closed her eyes, holding his words to heart. The past couple months she had been giving him the pep talks when he needed them, but she really appreciated this one. She was honestly a little surprised with how okay he was with all of this… but maybe he was just keeping it in for her.
Pulling back from their embrace, Pepper held up the test and Tony laughed. “It’s not like we were really trying… but we weren’t not trying either.” Shooting a look at her husband, Pepper sighed, which caused Tony to laugh again. “Sorry, I’m just keeping it real. Look, we have a nice place here, we can raise our child with no one coming to bother us. I’ll be here with you every step of the way.”
“But what if there’s a way to fix all of this?” Pepper looked at him, knowing that there might be the chance that one day Tony would have to put the suit back on.
Tony shook his head. “Nope, I told you. I’m done with that… which is why we can focus on this,” he placed his hand over her flat stomach. “I’m committed to you and this life we’re building together, Pepper. I don’t want you to worry about that.”
“Tony…” Pepper tilted her head, looking at him. “I’m always going to worry about you. You should know this by now.”
Smiling when he heard her, Tony leaned into kiss her again. Of course he was super worried and scared inside. How could he welcome a child into the world that he failed to keep safe. A world where families were broken after losing loved ones. People would think he was selfish for doing that. And yet… he was still really excited for this new human being that was going to be half him, half Pepper. He’d never truly deserve it, but it was beautiful.
“Come on,” Tony took Pepper’s hand, squeezing it gently. “We have some people to call.”
~
Morgan H. Stark was born on a warm spring night. Seven pounds, eight ounces of pure joy, and the apple of her parents eyes. Although, on this particular morning, a few days after they brought her home… the newborn was being particularly fussy.
Standing over the bassinet, Pepper sighed before reaching down to pick up her baby daughter.
“Hi baby girl…” Pepper scooped Morgan up, moving to rest the baby against her shoulder. Rubbing the baby’s back, she kissed her cheek. “What’s troubling you so?”
Gently bouncing Morgan as she tried to calm her down, Pepper brought her over to the window that looked out over the lake in their backyard. Mornings used to be for sleeping in, enjoying breakfast and coffee in bed when Tony was too lazy to get up. Now, mornings and nights melded together by the new constant in their life: Morgan.
“FRIDAY, will you get Tony up here please?” Pepper asked the AI. Even though the cabin was more rustic than any of the other homes they had lived in together, Tony made sure it still had most of his tech.
Downstairs, Tony was nursing his second… no, third cup of coffee. Being up at odd hours of the night shouldn’t be new to him, yet, with how often Morgan had been up the past few nights they’d been home, he was exhausted. But, he wouldn’t change it for the world. The moment Morgan had taken her first breath in this world, his whole world changed. He may not have been able to save it the last time, but he’d do his damn best to make sure Morgan the best one he possibly could.
Boss, Miss Potts is requesting your assistance with Little Miss Stark, FRIDAY announced.
Smiling, Tony poured a fresh cup of coffee for Pepper and added a little milk before heading upstairs. However, he was quiet as he entered the room. The sight in front of him was enough to take his breath away.
Still standing in front of the window, Pepper now held their daughter in her arms, gently swaying her as Morgan stared up at her mom. The baby was quiet, her dark eyes focused solely on her mother. Pepper smiled down at her, singing a small lullaby. The sun was just beginning to rise over the lake and illuminated mother and daughter in a warm glow and Tony felt his heart swell just watching this tender moment.
“You summoned me?” He spoke quietly, hoping not to startle Pepper and risk upsetting Morgan now that she had just calmed down.
“I did,” Pepper looked over at Tony and smiled. “I thought I needed your help calming her down, but then I started doing this and it seems to be working.”
He could tell that Pepper was exhausted, the dark circles under her eyes were more prominent now than ever before, but Tony couldn’t believe he was married to the most beautiful woman in the world. “Well, you’re doing a great job with Little Miss.”
“Thanks… I think,” Pepper chuckled when she heard him. “Little Miss?”
“Yeah, FRIDAY called her Little Miss Stark, but I think she looks more like a Little Miss Potts.” Tony grinned at her. Putting Pepper’s coffee on the bedside table, he then went over to his wife and daughter, resting his chin on Pepper’s shoulder. “You know… I’m sure I could make something that can tell us what’s she’s thinking about.”
“No…” Pepper smiled. “I think that’s perfectly fine staying one of life’s greatest mysteries.”
“You really wouldn’t want to know? Come on, think of how life-changing it could be,” Tony kissed her cheek. But when Pepper rolled her eyes, he smiled again. “Want me to take her so you can drink your coffee before it gets cold?”
“Maybe I should start drinking iced coffee, then we wouldn’t run into that issue,” Pepper laughed again, still gently swaying Morgan in her arms, watching as the baby’s eyes slowly started to shut as she got sleepy.
The world might be broken, but Pepper couldn’t help but think at how incredibly lucky they got. Even if this wasn’t necessarily planned, she knew they'd do anything for the little girl currently asleep in her arms. Right now, this was perfect.
Fin.