Hey hey, guys. So I'm a total liar— I know I teased you with a MJ-centric chapter next, which I promise is still in the works, but with Spider-Man: Far From Home truly just days away, I kinda want to hold off until it comes out. I know she's going to be a prevalent part of this new movie, and I am just concerned that whatever I write will be incongruous to her canonical character development and render it immediately dated. SO, it's coming, I promise, I just want to make sure I get her voice 100% right first.

INSTEAD, I'm going to post something that nobody asked for - what a crowd pleaser I am proving to be, right? This is a long but self-contained story that I wrote truly on a whim - I got really excited about the OC I made in the previous deleted scene, David, and specifically his backstory about coming back to life as one of the "Vanished." Plus, I've visualized a very specific actor as I've been writing him, so this chapter is just me being completely self-indulgent. My apologies in advance to my Pepperony shippers out there - believe me, I know they are the ULTIMATE OTP, but once again, I wanted to explore how a family dynamic could change with the addition of Tony's A.I., especially with what he set up for Pepper's future in the previous deleted scene. What inherent challenges would there be, and how would someone new fit into their dynamic?

SO. Enjoy this OC-centric chapter if you wish - it's just a little experiment I cooked up. If not, feel free to skip it. MJ is next, I promise, and she'll be here just as soon as Far From Home graces us with its long-awaited presence!

Thank you again for your amazing feedback and continued support,

- JJJ

Darkness. That's all that David could see, followed by sudden, blinding white light. He squinted as he blinked, his eyes adjusting to his surroundings. He was laying face down on the navy blue carpet of the office he had worked in for seven years. He didn't understand—had he had a medical emergency? Did he pass out? He slowly pressed himself up into a seated position as he looked around. Had anyone even noticed that he had collapsed? Was anyone even here? As he slowly began to get his bearings, he noticed specifics about his surroundings—the layout of the cubicles all looked the same, but everything seemed…emptier. All the lights were off, save the streaming daylight that broke through the wall of windows on his left. With a hand raised to shield his eyes, he squinted as he looked down on the Manhattan streets below. His eyes widened as he saw a truly shocking sight—the streets were almost entirely vehicle-free. One of the world's most highly populated metropolitan areas was practically a ghost town. He continued to stare in amazement as he saw people slowly begin to stumble out into the streets.

"What the hell?" he whispered.

"Hello?" a panicked voice sounded from the back of the room. "Is anyone there?"

David's head swiveled toward the sound of the voice. He rose to his feet, seeing that he was not alone. The source of the cry had been Logan, a curly-haired intern who had just started with the company. They two locked eyes, as she stammered, "What's happening?" She raised a shaky finger as she pointed at him. "I saw…I saw you turn to dust."

His blood ran cold upon hearing her say this. The memory came flooding back to him. He had been on his way back to his cubicle from the copy machine when he first saw the office administrative assistant Tej vanish before his eyes. The sound of screaming quickly surrounded him, followed by a curious sensation. The last thing he saw was the harrowing image of his legs disintegrating under him as he fell helpless to the ground.

Now, his eyes caught another sight rustling from the corner of his eyes. There, at his side was Tej, his eyes the size of dinner plates. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

"I'm…not sure," David asked. He then called out to the rest of the office. "Is there anyone else here?"

Four more figures emerged. Now in addition to David, Tej, and Logan were Tara and Lou from accounting, Jose from HR, and Sasha from sales. The seven of them gathered around each other, all talking at once: "What's happening?" "Are you okay?" "Where is everybody?" "Are we dead?"

Suddenly, Sasha pointed towards the distant hallway. "Look!"

All their heads turned in the direction to which she was referring. There, they saw a startled cleaning guy with his mouth agape. He was frozen, his hand hovering in midair, holding one of his earbuds. He extended his index finger and started pointing at them emphatically. "You…you just…came outta NOWHERE!"

Tej took off towards the man, leading the others to interrogate him. "What happened?" he asked him. "Where is everyone?"

The man stammered, "I was here cleaning and all of a sudden there…there was a bright light and - poof! You just appeared on the ground!"

The seven coworkers shared another confused glance. The cleaning guy then asked them, "Y'all died, didn't you?"

"Oh my god," said a now-hysterical Logan, putting her hands up to her mouth, "We are dead, aren't we? This is death?" David put a hand on her shoulder to try to calm her down, though he himself had no idea what was presently happening.

"No!" the cleaning guy emphatically replied. "I mean…you did, but…you're back! It's been five years!"

"Five years?!" they each exclaimed amongst each other.

"It's 2023?" Jose gasped, putting a hand up to his forehead in disbelief as he closed his eyes. "My wife…she was pregnant. That means she had our son."

David's mind instantly flashed to his own wife, Diane. The two had been married for the better part of a decade. If this was all true, had she been mourning him for five years? Or maybe she had "died" as well. His mind raced as he struggled to think of all her possible locations she could have been on the day he had disappeared.

His thoughts were interrupted however, by Tara, who was staring out the large windows overlooking the city below. Thousands had now flooded the streets, congregating and scattering in haphazard patterns. "I think everyone who died came back," she whispered. She looked to the others, searching for answers. "Why are we back?"

The cleaning guy who had suddenly realized, "Wait…if everyone is back, then that means…" He frantically reached for his phone and unlocked it, pushing numbers rapidly. Pressing the phone to his ear, the man's eyes instantly filled with tears as he said, "Ma?" He then turned and walked away from them, overcome with emotion.

His success sent the other seven scurrying for their own phones. David's hands went to his back pockets, but found nothing there. Of course— he had never kept his phone on him while he worked in the office. He raced back to the cubicle that had once been his but found it entirely empty. In five years, they must have cleared out the personal items of anyone who had disappeared.

Walking back to the group, he nonverbally questioned if anyone had gotten through. Only Logan had, and was at present weeping over the phone with both her exceedingly worried parents. The rest had been unsuccessful. "I think the signals are clogged," Tej reported. "I'm getting zero service."

Sasha was beginning to panic. "I had two kids at home," she was saying. "I don't know if they made it or where they are. I have to get out of here!"

All of a sudden, the ground beneath them began to quake. The inhabitants of the floor all hit the ground to steady themselves, crying out in fear.

"What the hell was that?" Lou asked, his voice high with tension.

"I don't know," David replied to them all.

"Dad?" Logan was asking over the phone. "Are you still there? I'm here! We just had an earthquake—I don't know what's happening!"

Jose picked himself up. "Figures, doesn't it?" he asked sardonically. "We all come back to life just to get eviscerated by an earthquake."

David was unconvinced, however. "That didn't feel like an earthquake."

"Oh my god…" Logan was now saying. She put a hand over the microphone of her cell and raced back to the group, "My mom's saying that her emergency radio is reporting a UFO upstate that caused that shaking!"

"Another damn spaceship?!" Lou exclaimed. "That's what's causing all this!"

"We don't know that," Tej countered.

"Oh don't we? We got that donut-shaped one days before we died, now another one the moment we come back to life inexplicably?" Lou shook his head. "This alien shit is what's gotten us into this mess, mark my words."

Sasha was in hysterics. "I'm not dying again without seeing my kids! I'm getting out of here!"

David put up his hands to stop her. "Sasha, we all have got people we gotta find. Logan, Tej, Lou, all of us! I don't know where my wife is. We all want to get out of here, but panicking isn't going to help anything."

Tara, who was still looking out at the scene below, reported, "It's chaos out there. I don't know how any of us are getting out of here."

"We won't," David said, "Not unless we stick together."

"What?" asked Lou.

David elaborated, "We band together and push through. Let's figure where everyone's heading and make sure they get there. What d'ya say?"

The others were quick to agree. David interrupted Logan's call to ask where her destination was, but she informed the group that she was instead going to stay where she was, as both her parents were at present coming to retrieve her. Upon hearing this, the remaining six headed down the elevator. When the doors opened, they were greeted to the visual of innumerable people jostling together in complete confusion.

"Jesus Christ," Sasha said under her breath. "It's insanity out there."

They crossed the abandoned lobby to the looming glass doors, the only thing that separated them from the chaos outside. "Okay everyone," David instructed . "Let's all link arms. Hold tight to each other and don't let anyone break between you."

Jose turned to him. "How are we getting out of here?"

"There's an alley behind the building where I go to smoke," Tara told them. "We cross back there, that can get us to 89th street, which would be a little less crazy."

David gave his approval of this plan with a firm nod of his head. "That's when we'll split up. Tara, Lou, and Tej are heading North, while me, Sasha and Jose are heading South. Sound good?"

The seven collectively agreed to the plan, firmly linking arms in a tight line. Taking a deep breath, David kicked open the door, wherein the team was buffeted by a wind of incoherent noise. With Tara leading the way, the six began to make their way across the sidewalk, moving slowly, step by step towards the alley. David's eyes scanned the absolute anarchy they were witnessing: People pacing back and forth, trying to get a signal on their cell phones, careening into one another, grabbing at one another. One man in a suit was standing on a newspaper distribution box, reading from his phone. "—2018, half of earth's organisms vanished without any warning!"

Just then, a woman slammed into him. Her eyes wild, she balled up his suit jacket in her fists desperately. "Have you seen a man? He's about this tall? His name is Wayne - Wayne Parcell. He wears glasses?"

His senses overloaded, David could only shake his head and continue to forge his way with his group onward and away from her. The last thing he saw before they rounded the corner into the alley was a group of international tourists speaking to a haggard-looking man. "You died!" he was explaining to them. "We don't know why you're back, but you were dead!"

Finally within the alley, the six dropped their hold on one another and sprinted to the end of the alley and on to 89th street. They said their goodbyes as they split up, David, Tej, and Sasha heading South while the others sprinted North.

David's party kept close to one another. The first destination was the restaurant of Tej's uncle. His family lived together outside of Manhattan, and with the chaos they had just observed, unlikely was it that any public transportation was operating. The restaurant was his best bet.

Their trek was virtually wordless, as each individually fretted about their own fates. On their way, they passed others racing around them, trying to find their own ways back to lost loved ones. David caught sight of a young woman sitting on some steps weeping into the fur of her cat. So the guy on the newspaper stand had been right…all living organisms really had all vanished inexplicably, not just people.

"It's here!" Tej finally cried out. "My uncle's place is coming up on the right!"

Though they together increased their pace, Tej took off at a pace that the older David and Sasha couldn't keep up with. They slowed upon seeing him beat rapidly on the metal grate that had sealed the establishment inside. Then, after a minute, the grate lifted and an elderly man stumbled into the street in astonishment, hugging Tej close to him.

"C'mon," David said to Sasha. "He's okay. Let's get you back to your kids."

"You sure?" she asked, falling in pace with him. "Aren't you next?"

He was, but upon watching Tej reunite with his family, David now preferred to find Diane on his own. Anything could have happened in five years, and the thought of there being a witness to a potentially bad situation was enough to set him on any number of errands in order to avoid this fate. So, he lied to her, saying that he lived much further than he actually did.

As they made their way into a residential neighborhood, what had once been a scene of confusion and turmoil had now shifted into one of love and unity. They saw far more individuals now holding one another, having tearful reunions and loud celebrations.

Sasha said the words David was thinking: "What's going to happen now? The world went on five years without us. Now that we're back…what's going to happen?"

Bleakly, he replied, "I…I don't know."

Her eyes were fearful as she said, "Do you think we'll get to keep our jobs?"

His silence gave her her answer— he had no idea what the future would hold, or what the state of the planet would be. They were in an epicenter of confusion, and apparently a large-scale alien invasion was occurring within their own state as they spoke. Nothing was promised, not even the present.

All of a sudden, Sasha stopped dead in her tracks, looking up a small flight of steps that led to her house. She gulped. "This is me." Her eyes scanned the doorway, but she didn't make a move.

He laid a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Turning to him, she rapidly blinked back tears. "What if my babies are…?" Her voice cracked and trailed as she choked on her tumultuous emotions.

"It's alright," he reassured her, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "If we don't find them, then we'll keep looking, okay? We're gonna stick together, we promised!"

She nodded, wiping her eyes, then bravely scaled the steps. She rang the buzzer and waited. When the door opened, a teenage old boy answered the door. His face reflected shock, grief, and relief all at once as he whispered, "Mom?"

Sasha's brow was furrowed. "Dante?"

The boy burst into tears. "No, Mom. It's me, it's Aaron!"

"Aaron!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him tightly. "Oh my god, my baby! Oh, you're so big!"

David watched them from the sidewalk, breathing a sigh of relief at their reunion.

"Baby," Sasha cooed, pulling away from him. "Where's your big brother? Where's Dante?"

"I don't know, Mom," he replied. "You never came home. He and you never came back!"

She turned to David, her mind running through the possibilities. "Oh my god, he vanished too. He must have disappeared…in school. He's at school!"

David looked at her earnestly. "You want me to go with you?"

She stood, hugging her son close to her. "We can find him," she reported. "You go get your wife back. You gonna be okay?"

"Absolutely," he said, though that was far from certain. "What about you?"

She held Aaron tighter. "We're fine," she vowed.

Now on his own, David turned back northward towards his apartment. He now saw nothing but the path in front of him. His muscles were fatigued as he ran further, but he could not be deterred. The thought of Diane was the only thing pushing him onward. He had to know what had happened. As he grew closer to his building, David's run grew to a sprint. He felt his blood pulsating in his ears as grew closer and closer. Please let her be there, he prayed. Please.

Turning the corner and quickly scaling the six steps up to the lobby, he quickly punched in the door code from memory. A loud buzz granted him entry, and he yanked open the door forcefully as he pushed his way in. After slamming his hand into the up button of the elevator, he quickly scanned the mailboxes in the lobby. Room 405, Room 405… His finger hovered over the name on the label, and his heart plummeted. What once read "Boggs" now read "Lee." His panic was temporarily paused by the rickety elevator doors opening. He raced inside and pushed "4" easily a dozen times. As it slowly made its way up, David's mind raced. Maybe whoever this new tenant was knew Diane's whereabouts. Or, maybe she too had died. She certainly would come back to their apartment eventually to try to find him. Perhaps he could convince the current resident to let him wait for her arrival.

The doors opened with an unsettling clang, and David burst out of them like a racehorse, sprinting to the door marked "405." He knocked rapidly, his sides heaving from the physical exertion of having gotten here.

He tried to stifle his heavy breathing and listen for any signs of life on the other side of the door. Sure enough, he could hear a TV loudly blasting the news, which was doing its absolute best to cover the complete disorder that had been occurring outside. He knocked again, fearing that he hadn't been heard over the TV the first time.

He could hear a woman's voice within cry out something incoherent, followed by a man's voice in a lower tone. The TV was silenced, as David heard footsteps approaching the door and unlatch it. He was shocked to see a tall man holding a toddler on his hip answer the door. David quickly took a look at the interior surroundings of the apartment. From what limited view he had from the doorway, the interior to his home looked entirely different.

The man's face changed upon seeing David. He froze, his jaw tight.

David decided to speak first. Breathily, he said, "Hey, I'm so sorry about this but…I'm sure you heard about what's going on out there," he said, "And I used to live here. I'm looking for my wife? Diane Boggs? Do you know…maybe you bought this place off her, or was it abandoned?"

The man's jaw opened and closed several times, his mind racing of how next to proceed. He tightened his grip on his little boy with one arm, and with the other, he let go of the door and instead placed it on David's shoulder. "David," he said calmly, "I'm going to need you take a deep breath, okay?"

David recoiled from his touch. "How do you know my—" But his voice trailed upon looking further within his former residence. The door fell open, revealing a woman standing at the end of the hallway, her hands over her mouth as she sobbed.

She looked older, and her hair was cut short, but it was unmistakably her. "Diane?" he whispered.

As she shuddered with another sob, David caught the glint of her wedding ring—a ring that wasn't his. In horror, his eyes travelled back to the man standing in front of him, then to his son. No…their son. He closed his eyes as he thought to the name on the mailbox. Diane had survived. She still lived here. But instead of just David, here before him stood the husband she had replaced him with, as well as the child this new couple shared.

He felt as though he had been through a hurricane as he turned from the scene and stumbled back down the apartment floor's hallway. "David!" Diane cried, racing after him. "Please! God, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

His ears were ringing and he felt sick to his stomach. Still, Diane pursued him. "David!" she cried. "Please come inside! Wait!"

David….David!

"David!"

He suddenly opened his eyes to the cold darkness of night, leaving that horrible scene. From the right corner of his vision, a soft, golden light flicked on. He turned his head. Entering his view was Pepper, her long, auburn hair draping down like a veil as she leaned over him. Her eyes fraught with worry. "Wake up, sweetheart," she said, her voice soft yet direct. Now seeing that his eyes were open, she leaned over him. "You were having another nightmare."

He struggled to catch his breath as he sat up. "I'm sorry," he immediately apologized. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he said, "I didn't realize how frequent they were until living with someone else."

She drew close to him, wrapping an arm around him and resting her chin on his left shoulder. "What was it this time?"

He hesitated here. Gulping, he lied, "I can never remember. As soon as my eyes open—whoosh— it's gone." He turned his head toward hers. "I'm sorry this keeps happening. I can sleep somewhere else…"

She craned her neck so that her forehead pressed against his. "Not a chance," she said. "I'm used to this. It's fine."

He furrowed his brow. "Morgan?"

She shook her head. "Tony. He suffered from severe PTSD for the better part of ten years. After the snap…it was the worst I'd ever seen him." She nodded sadly. "It was almost every night there at the end."

He stiffened at the mention of Tony. None of this had been an easy transition for him. Over a year ago, this had all started because he had received an email from an unknown recipient. The signature on the email was that of Pepper Potts, a woman he had idolized ever since meeting her right when he began working the lobby cafe in the Stark Industries building. All of a sudden, this larger-than-life celebrity in her own right and far and away the most intelligent person he knew was inviting him for dinner at a fancy steakhouse he couldn't even dream of being able to afford. He had instantly agreed without a second thought, and had arrived to the steakhouse early. Every moment he sat at their table alone, he grew increasingly paranoid. His longtime coworker TJ had been privy to his long-time crush—was this his idea of a joke? Eventually, he had completely begun to spiral into thoughts of self loathing. Idiot, he thought. Why would Pepper Potts of all people ask you on a date?

But miraculously, she showed up. She was always stunning, but that night she seemed absolutely magical. She had appeared unnervingly on edge the entire night—hadn't she been the one to invite him? But after about fifteen minutes of painful small-talk, things finally began to run smoothly. When the date had ended, David had returned to his apartment unsure if what he had just experienced was a date. Maybe it was just a really formal work meetup… But the next morning, waiting in his inbox was another message from Pepper, thanking him for the lovely night and asking to do meet again soon. David marched to work with a spring in his step, preparing Pepper's drink early so that it would be ready the moment she typically arrived. However, he was crestfallen and confused to see her march straight past his cafe and into the elevators.

He finally decided to swallow his fear. This was his one and only chance to date the woman of his dreams, and he would damned if he would let that opportunity slip through his fingers. So, he sent an email to her, planning a simple date in SoHo, taking her to what he declared was the very best pizza in all of New York, followed by catching a movie. Pepper instantly and enthusiastically agreed via email, which only further confused him— Why was her behavior in person so divergent from her behavior digitally? Again, Pepper was late to their date, arriving the moment he was about to give up hope entirely. They again had a delightful evening, and Pepper had been grateful to him for giving her a sense of normalcy that she had once thought long-since gone. Outside the cinema, he tried to kiss her. When she backed away, he nearly turned and walked straight into traffic out of sheer embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry," she had stammered, grabbing his hands in hers. "I just don't think I'm…I just need time."

"No, no, it's cool," he reassured her, though he was red-faced and unable to look her directly in the eyes. Finally, he asked, "Okay, was I completely off? I think I'm assuming that this was something that you don't seem to be onboard for."

She sighed deeply. "No, I'm…it's difficult to explain," she said. "But you are a great person…and I do want to know you. I just need to go slowly."

I do want to know you, she had said. He was hoping for a more declarative statement of her affection, but this was still promising. In that moment, he vowed to stay at her side until the time in which she would finally be ready to take that leap.

From that moment on, their time together increased. Pepper would take her breaks and lunches in the cafe with him, and they began going out more frequently. A month in, they had drinks in his apartment. There, they finally were able to talk in depth about their previous spouses. David told her everything about Diane, detailing the aftermath of his discovery of her remarriage. It had been awful for Diane, who was wracked with guilt about the entire ordeal, although it had been entirely out of her control. Initially they had tried to be friends, as David never blamed her for what had happened, but that relationship proved too harmful for Diane. They finally agreed to cut ties altogether, pretending that their marriage had never happened, and tried to move on. But David had found it exceedingly difficult to do so. When Pepper talked about Tony, however, David could sense that there was still information she was withholding from him. He never pried, always aware of how fragile their new relationship still was. About twenty minutes into talking about Tony, Pepper began to cry. She spoke about her continued mourning despite the passage of over a decade, her fears for Morgan, and an ever-present sense of overwhelming guilt that hung over her every minute she spent with David. He remained silent and only held her, feeling it wiser just to listen. He could never fully understand her pain, no one could, but he knew at the very least, he could be there for her. She left the apartment that night without saying much else, and again David wondered if this would be the last time they saw one another. She clearly was still bereft about Tony, and the guilt she had spoken about, much like Diane had been, might have proved too much to bear.

He had gone into work the following Monday with that grim expectation, but was floored to find Pepper already outside his boarded up cafe, waiting for him and wringing her hands. "I need to allow myself to be open to change," she began, trembling. "You're a good person and I have feelings for you," she said, stepping closer toward him. "This is going to be a challenge for both of us, I think, but if you're willing to be patient with me, I'd like to try again with you."

They kissed for the first time there, in the deserted lobby. Three security guards who had been watching this love confession cheered for them, marking a jovial start to what would ultimately become a very pure and seemingly simple romance. Eventually, Pepper began inviting him out to the top secret location of her cabin home, where he reunited with Morgan after having gone years without seeing her. Morgan was enthusiastic about her mother's new boyfriend, much to David's delight and relief. They would spend hours playing board games, chatting by the pond, or investigating Morgan's work shed. There, she'd proudly show off new tech she was designing. He would listen politely, though she would be so impassioned about her work in the scientific field that she might as well be speaking an alien dialect as far as he was concerned.

One night, while the three were eating dinner, David started at a firm thud hitting the roof above them. Pepper and Morgan shared a startled look, and Morgan sprinted from the table without a word. It was too late, however, for in the dining room window, an upside-down Spider-Man lowered himself from the roof via a web into view.

David shouted.

Spider-Man shouted.

And that's how David accidentally discovered that Peter Parker was actually Spider-Man. Peter was unaware of David's existence, and therefore thought it wouldn't be a problem to stop by his friends' home unannounced. The entire ordeal quickly became something the four of them laughed over, though Peter insisted that it would be best to make David sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to preserve his secret. He thought this would be the extent of the awkwardness of this unexpected turn of events, but he was wholly unprepared when he was left alone with Peter when Morgan and Pepper left the room to clear the dishes.

Peter had watched them go, grinning widely. Once they were out of earshot, his expression changed and he pointed his finger right up to David's face. "Listen up," he said intensely. "You hurt them? You're gonna have me to answer to, pal. You got it?"

Though Peter was easily half his age, David was not about to argue with the radioactive, acrobatic billionaire he was currently being threatened by.

Months passed like this. There were inherent challenges to their relationship, but overall David spent the majority of his waking hours convincing himself that he wasn't dreaming. He had somehow landed the most amazing woman in the world, and in so doing grew closer to her daughter that he had always adored. He only prayed he wouldn't screw it up.

One autumn night, David had come to the cabin, as he had been doing with increased frequency. This time, however, Pepper and Morgan were acting erratically, snapping at each other, barely making conversation, and overall generating a disconcerting energy that was palpable. Eventually, he asked, "Okay, what's going on? Something's been off all night."

Pepper and Morgan shared another tentative glance. Finally, Morgan murmured, "We've got something we need to tell you."

They brought him to the black glass table that sat in the center of the living room. He looked between them, confused as to why they were so solemn over what he thought was just an ordinary coffee table. After taking a deep breath, Pepper laid her hand on the surface of the glass. A red light illuminated from the center of the table.

"Whoa-ho!" he exclaimed. "I didn't know that did that!"

But if he was impressed by just the appearance of the A.I. monitor, he was wholly unprepared for the voice that accompanied it.

"You guys sure about this?" Tony asked.

David jerked his head, looking between the girls. "It speaks?"

Pepper nodded solemnly, then laid a hand on his arm. "David," she said, her voice low and sorrowful, "If this changes things, I completely understand.." She turned back to the table, saying, "Go ahead."

The light on the table changed, projecting an image that made David freeze in shock. Before him stood a hologram image of Tony Stark. He looked directly at him, motioning with his arms as if to say, Yeah, it's me. "Hey, Dave," he said casually. "This is awkward, but…I'm Tony."

In equal parts shock and disbelief, David started to laugh. He looked between Morgan and Pepper, expecting them to break at any moment and tell them this was some sort of elaborate joke he wasn't quite comprehending. His heart sank when he saw that they were deadly serious. He shook his head. "I don't understand…" he said, "What is this?"

Tony, Pepper and Morgan each took turns explaining how the actual, physical Tony Stark had melded his consciousness with an A.I. and how Morgan had discovered it in the year previous. Tony told David that the emails between him and Pepper in the beginning of their relationship had been sent solely by him, as to push Pepper to actually deliver on her promise of remaining open to new possibilities. David mostly stayed silent, asking a few questions of clarification here and there, but primarily allowing for the family to explain themselves. After they had finished, they all sat silently, watching him intently for any clues about his response. But David was overwhelmed. He politely bid the three Starks goodnight, got in his car, and left.

He knew Pepper would be beside herself with anxiety over the future of their relationship given this information, and even though he hated that he couldn't provide her with the assurance from him that she so needed in that moment, he needed to get away from that scene. He had to process all he had learned. He was unnerved at the notion that his relationship had been tampered with by not only a computer, but also the intelligence of his girlfriend's ex-husband, who had silently been there watching them as he spent time with his wife and daughter in the home they built for themselves. This was also not to mention the fact that his girlfriend's ex-husband was none other than Tony Stark, the very reason he was still alive.

He spent hours in his apartment mulling this all over. At three in the morning, he finally dialed the cabin, thinking that if Pepper had fallen asleep, she just wouldn't answer. He was shocked to hear the phone pick up immediately, though no voice sounded on the other end.

"Pepper?" he asked.

He heard a sigh on the other end of the line. "No, man," Tony replied. "I'm sorry. It's…it's me. She just went to bed."

David tensed, uncertain of how to proceed. Tony filled the silence by saying, "Look… please don't let me stand in the way. The real Tony intended for this A.I. service to be a temporary thing. I can go away at the drop of a hat if I'm intruding."

"Sir, it's…unsettling, I'm not gonna lie," he replied, "But…if it's what she and Morgan need, then I'm not going to be the one to ask you to go." He paused. "I'm willing to make this work if you are."

Tony took another deep breath, then said, "I haven't seen her this pent up in years. I think she really loves you, and she's terrified of losing you. My purpose now is to serve them, and to see that they're taken care of. I'm willing to make this work because I see how much she cares about you."

That was all that needed to be said, and was to date the longest conversation the two had shared just between them. They had co-existed as an unconventional family unit for three months, and at the start of the new year, Pepper asked David to move in. This was the state of affairs he now currently found himself in— cohabiting with the love of his life, her deceased, omniscient husband, and the daughter they shared.

Back in their bed, Pepper squeezed his shoulders, sensing his discomfort upon mentioning Tony. "What is it?" she asked, knowing full well the answer.

With a large intake of breath, David straightened his posture, looked to her and smiled. "I think I just need some air. I'm gonna go take a walk. You go on back to bed."

As he stood, she asked, "Are you sure? You need anything?"

He shook his head, coming around to her side of the bed and kissing her forehead. "No, I've already kept you up enough as is," he insisted. "I'll be fine."

As he switched off her nightstand light, she said, "Don't be up too long."

"I won't," he promised, as he left out their bedroom door.

Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, David yawned as he walked down the hallway towards the stairs. He paused upon seeing a slight crack in Morgan's door. She never usually left the door open. Gingerly, he pressed his palm against it, slowly opening the door just enough to find that her bed was empty. He pursed his lips. Morgaaaan… he grumbled internally.

He went down to the ground level floor, upon doing so, passing Tony's A.I. light swirling idly above the black table. He silently passed it, hoping to remain unnoticed as he entered the kitchen. There, he put the kettle on and set to work procuring ingredients. After a few minutes, his drink of choice had been brewed, and procuring his tennis shoes as he walked with a steaming mug outside in the cold, March night air and out to the illuminated shed that was presently blasting hard rock. He knocked, and as soon as he did, Morgan cut the music. She hesitantly cracked open the door. "H-hey, David," she said weakly, her smile looking more sheepish than genuine.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked pointedly.

"…building?"

"At two in the morning?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"…yeah?"

"Should you be building at two in the morning?"

"….no?"

He sighed, then extended the mug through the cracked door. "Well, the least I can do is provide you with fuel," he said with faux-sternness. "Just this once though, okay?"

She happily accepted the drink, brewed exactly how she had told him she liked it. "Thank you so much!" she replied eagerly, taking a giant gulp. Wiping her upper lip, she asked just as he was beginning to take his leave, "Wait, why are you up so late?"

"Eh, couldn't sleep," he said simply.

"The nightmares again?" Morgan asked with concern. So Pepper had told her…

He gave a slight laugh. "Yeah," he admitted.

"You know, my dad used to get those all the time," she said. "I was really young, but I remember I'd wake up to the sound of him yelling." She shrugged. "Maybe you could talk to him about them." She cringed, "Oh wait…or is that…weird for you?"

He shook his head nonchalantly. "No, not at all," he blatantly lied. "I should definitely talk to him."

"He's always online," she said helpfully. "He'll be up now, if you still find yourself unable to go back to sleep."

"Yeah, maybe I'll do that," he said, though the sound of speaking to Tony tonight sounded like the very last thing on earth he wanted to do. He bid Morgan goodnight…or…good morning, as it were, and then headed back into the house. He slipped out of his shoes and was hoping to slink back to Pepper's bed unnoticed when he heard Tony say from the table, "So you're trying to play 'Cool Dad,' huh?"

Caught, David exhaled slowly out of his nose. Taking a breath, he began walking towards the table. "Whatdja say?" he asked politely.

Tony appeared seated on the couch, his hologram wearing his more casual, long-sleeved T-shirt attire MJ had designed. "Believe me, you're talking to a pro. Being the father figure to a kid that's not yours is kinda my speciality. You get to be 'Cool Dad.' The 'I'd rather you drink that beer as long as you're doing it around me' sorta guy."

David smirked, feeling himself tense up to the challenge. "I'm…not giving Morgan alcohol."

"Ah, but secret 2 AM lattes? The whole 'don't tell Mom' vibe going on?" He shook his head and shrugged. "It's fine. I see your play. And it's undoubtedly effective."

David was uncomfortable. "Look, if you want me to go send her back to bed…" he offered.

Tony held up his hands defensively. "I didn't say that—"

"—Because she is your daughter," David continued under him.

The two spoke concurrently. "—It's really more a personal preference—"

"—it's more up to you—"

"— you are an adult, aren't you?"

"—I'm not one to make that call."

The two men stared blankly at one another, simultaneously defensive and indifferent towards one another. Believing they were at an impasse, David was just about to turn to go back up the stairs when Tony broke the awkward silence with, "So, nightmares, huh?" He motioned for David to join him in the armchair opposite him.

He really didn't want to do this right now, but Tony only blinked at him expectantly. So, he meandered towards the chair and sat in it uncomfortably. He drummed his fingers against the arms. "Uh…yeah. Nightmares," he answered.

Tony pressed his fingertips together and brought them to his lips pensively, as though he was playing a therapist. "What about?" he asked.

David couldn't even bring himself to talk to Pepper about his dreams, let alone Tony. He tensed his shoulders as he said, "I don't really remember them."

"Liar," Tony swiftly replied.

David laughed incredulously. "Yeah?" he challenged. "You're telling me you remember all your nightmares?"

"Absolutely," Tony delivered right back.

Stepping up to the challenge, David asked point blank, "What were they, then?"

But Tony was unfazed. "My failings. All of them. Afghanistan, New York, Sokovia, Titan. It was just the constant reliving of those moments—watching the man that saved my life die in front of me, putting the bomb through that wormhole, losing control of Ultron…Parker… " He took a deep breath, letting himself move on from those dark thoughts. "Okay, your turn," he chirped.

"I really don't remember," he tried again.

Tony clicked his tongue skeptically. "C'mon now, Boggs, I showed you mine, you show me yours."

Sighing in exasperation, David finally cracked. "Okay, fine!" he said. "I dream of Diane." He lifted his hands aggressively. "You happy? You like hearing that I'm dreaming about my ex-wife as I lay next to yours?"

"Not particularly," Tony countered, though his voice still carried little trace of anything resembling resentment. "But I need more specifics here. What sort of dreams?"

"It's just the same one," he replied, averting his gaze. "It's the memory I have of me waking up after you guys restored the universe." He looked up at the hologram. "Except while you all were destroying evil incarnate, the rest of us were wandering around wondering what the hell was happening and why everything was different all of a sudden. And you have people just as shell-shocked as you, looking directly in your face and telling you that you were dead…" He laughed, bitterly. "And then after all that, you return home to find that the life you wanted now belongs to someone else." Tony remained silent, processing these words as David vented them. Finally, David finished his thought with, "I just don't understand why I'm still harping on this when I've got a totally different life now. And in so many ways, a better one." Having realized what he said, David quickly offered a swift, "I'm sorry."

Tony furrowed his brow. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"It's…uncomfortable. Talking to you about my issues," he stammered.

But Tony continued to prod at him. "Why?"

"Because!" he exclaimed in exasperation. "Because I'm sitting here, opposite you talking about how great my life with your family is!" He shrugged. "I wouldn't be here if you hadn't died." He took a moment and considered this statement fully. "In…so many ways I wouldn't be here."

Tony took a deep breath and leaned back into the couch casually. "Yeah, Dave?" he said simply, "Your nightmare conundrum doesn't seem that inexplicable to me. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy," he explained. "You came home to discover that some other guy took over your life…"

"—and I feel like I'm now doing the same thing to you," David finished his thought. Tony only raised his eyebrows matter-of-factly, confirming that they were in agreement. David asked, "Is this weird for you? To have me here?"

"Depends on what you mean," Tony snarkily replied. "Do you mean that as in 'is it weird to have you here at two in the morning talking to me about bad dreams?' If so, yes. If you mean, 'is it weird to have you around at all,' then no."

Exasperated, David leaned forward. "I'm with your wife," he said. "That doesn't…bother you at all?"

"Nope."

"Not even a bit?"

"Not even."

David narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, you're full of shit."

"What?!"

Now grinning, he explained, "I may not have known you when you were alive, but I know for a fact that you'd sooner—" He choked on the word "die," which did not go unacknowledged by an amused Tony. He regained his traction with, "—you'd never be okay with Pepper seeing anyone else. If you're supposed to be his actual consciousness, then this is complete agony for you." When the hologram just stared blankly back at him, he prodded, "Well? Is it?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "I'm more intrigued by what there is to gained from me answering that question."

"You're deflecting!"

"And you're annoyingly insistent," he countered, shifting in his seat. "So I tell you that I'm riddled with jealousy. That every time I see you two together I think of at least twelve ways to kill you. To what end? So you can be the bigger man?"

"No, I—" David quickly stammered, suddenly feeling immense shame.

"To prove that you won?"

"No!' he insisted. "I…I just think I need to know where you stand. Because knowing that you're still here in some way…" His voice trailed. "Well, frankly it's—"

"Getting in the way," Tony finished. He took a deep breath. "Okay, Boggs, if it'll put your mind at ease, listen up because I'm only going to say this once." He looked at him directly as he said, "When you first started coming by the house, I thought I'd made a giant mistake, setting you and Pepper up. Not because of you, but because of the envy I felt at seeing her slowly starting to move on. Which was rather upsetting, because wasn't this what I wanted? Wasn't it me who suggested that she see other, real people? Then why was I reacting that way?" He closed his eyes briefly. "I am based on Tony's consciousness, you're right. But that's the great thing about being 'artificial.' You can alter what's getting in the way."

David's mouth fell open when he understood his meaning. "You manually shut down your jealous impulses!" he exclaimed. "Tony…"

He shrugged. "It had to be done."

But David felt awful. "Jesus, Tony," he said again. "I could have gone away. Neither of them need me, you know that, right? Pepper and Morgan would be more than fine without me here."

"Yeah?" he replied. "Imagine I wasn't in the picture. That I had died and stayed dead in all forms. Would you so quickly throw in the towel and go home? Or would you fight to the death to keep them?"

David didn't need to consider this for a moment. Immediately he answered, "I'd fight."

"Exactly," he said. "That's why what's done is done— bye bye ego." He shrugged. "You're a good dude, Dave. That's why I picked you."

David was flattered, but also unnerved by this comment. "Actually about that," he said, sitting back into his couch. "We were engaged temporarily in a rather flirty email chain, you and me," he mused. "Gotta say, it didn't feel great to discover that that was you."

Tony snorted. "I'm a tease, what can I say?"

David flinched uncomfortably, asking a question he had long wondered. "But," he asked, "And I mean, I guess that it doesn't really matter, because the end result is the same…was it just you that picked me?"

"Ah," he said in understanding. "You're asking if Pepper felt anything on her own without my interference." He cocked his head to one side. "Well let's just say this— I gave her hell about several guys clearly trying to cozy up to her. You were the only one she fought me over." He raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Methinks Potts doth protest too much."

David felt warmed by this information. He felt secure in his relationship as it was now, but had always secretly wondered about how it had come to be. It felt good to finally have some clarity about where he stood, especially in relationship to Tony.

"By the way, just between you and me," Tony said, interrupting this temporary relief, "She's thinking about inviting you to that benefit gala she's been talking about."

David was at first charmed by this, saying, "Oh!" in a tone that communicated how thoughtful and sweet he found this gesture. But then after a moment, the repercussions of such an invitation occurred to him. "Oh," he winced. "That would be the first time we'd be…"

"Publicly appearing together?" Tony said with click of his tongue. "Yep. Welcome to hell, pal."

"Oh God," David groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "See—this is what I'm talking about! I'm not cut out for this life! The tabloids are gonna rip me apart!"

"Cool your jets, Nervous Nelly," Tony said. "You'll get through it. You'll have their fifteen minutes of fame, then they'll throw you away when there's something else tasty they can chew on. That's how this works."

"But I'm not you," he said. "I'm not the playboy billionaire. I'm like…I'm like the guy who caters the event, not the guy on her arm!"

"Yeah? Well she needs you to be the guy on her arm," Tony said plainly. "And if you love her, you'll do it."

"Of course I-" He sighed, giving him an exasperated, sidelong look. "You know I love her. And I don't care about what they say about me, it's her! And you! This whole 'Stark' thing is going to blow up when someone like me suddenly enters the picture!"

Tony nonchalantly raised his hands. "You want me to get you a suit? I'll get you a suit."

"I don't need you to get me a suit," he hissed.

Tony winced again. "Actually, you really do. Have you seen the way you dress?"

From outside the house, Morgan watched the two continue their conversation. She had been crouched outside the living room window, huddled in her coat and kneeling on the porch, peeking within. She hadn't heard what they had been discussing, but had been reading their body language for the better part of fifteen minutes. She smiled as she now saw them emphatically gesturing to one another, in deep conversation that was most definitely still biting and snappy, but from David's genial expression, she knew that the two were at long last communicating efficiently and, what's more, getting along. She breathed a sigh of relief at this, settling down further into her place on the porch, resting her chin on the arm she had placed on the windowsill and closing her eyes. All was at peace.

...which was exactly why Morgan nearly leapt out of her skin when her father's voice sounded through the earpiece she had forgotten was in her ear. "Enjoying the show?" he asked.

She jumped, peering inside and seeing neither man within. She turned to look behind her, exclaiming "OH GOD!" when she found David was leaning against the front door frame, his arms crossed. "It's a little warmer inside, you know," he said.

Catching her breath, she said to both of them, "I didn't want to ruin such a beautiful moment!"

As David grabbed her hand to help her to her feet, Tony said, "Yeah? Well you still succeeded nevertheless. Consider this a moment ruined."

Now standing face to face with David, he asked her, "And you're heading...?"

"Back to the workshop?" she suggested hopefully.

"To bed," he said firmly.

"Oh-ho!" Tony said. "Look out, Morguna! Cool Dad's puttin' his foot down."

"Okay fine!" Morgan huffed, walking past David into the house. Tony's hologram reappeared in the living room when the had fully re-entered and shot an impressed look with David's expressed parenting skills.

"Actually," Morgan said from midway up the stairs, drawing their attention, "You guys know that you're both 'Cool Dad' to me, right?"

Both men were touched by this, looking only at her though they were extremely aware of the other's equal sense of pride at this comment by their daughter, or would-be daughter. Their responses, however, both erred on the side of humor and were delivered simultaneously.

"Yeah, nice try," said Tony.

"You're still going to your room," said David.

But Morgan knew the effect of her words on them. She turned to go to her room feeling satisfied and more fortunate than ever to have them both, when only a year ago, she had neither.

After making sure they heard her door click shut, David turned to the hologram, trying to think of anything that could succinctly communicate the many things he was grateful to him for. But Tony only shook his head as if to say, Save it. "See you in the morning, Boggs."

David smiled. "Night, Tony."

He reentered his bedroom that night feeling like a different man—a man with a sense of ease and self-assuredness that he hasn't felt since before the Decimation. He had thought that his days of knowing precisely where he stood had disappeared with the complete upheaval of the universe. But as he settled back down next to Pepper, everything felt right.

She stirred upon feeling his arm wrap around her. "That was a long walk," she murmured.

He drew closer to her. "Yeah, it was," he confirmed. "I worked a lot of stuff out." He closed his eyes. "I think we're gonna be okay."