Chapter 6: Home

After half the world turns to dust, her fiancé somehow makes it back.

Tony, her Tony, is still alive.

-line break-

She brings him back to the lake vacation house. At that point, it was little more than a cabin. What's the point of a vacation house when neither of them ever take a vacation?

It was secluded, and somewhere she had been able to stay, away from the rest of the world. After half of the planet turned to dust, she was still waiting to see if Tony could pull off a final trick, and make it back home to her. Just one more time.

Him walking off that spaceship was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

Sometimes it still leaves her breathless, how grateful she is that he's still here, with her, and they managed to create this beautiful little girl that's in her arms.

Morgan's all the best parts of both of them.

She's holding Morgan close when he gets the call.

He's sitting across the room, officially working on some schematics for the suit, but she knows he's really watching both of them.

He does that sometimes, just drinking them in, assuring himself that they're both real.

It would be creepy if she didn't do exactly the same thing.

It's Natasha.

"Stark, it's me. Everything's a mess, Barton's still M.I.A., Thor won't leave his room, and we need all hands on deck to do everything we can. I need you to just move back into the compound for a little while. We really need your help here."

Natasha doesn't sound at all like herself, but then she's practically taken the state of the modern world on her shoulders in taking over Shield since the Snap.

Pepper's shoulders slump, just a little bit, not enough for anyone to notice if they weren't looking at her as closely as Tony is in that moment.

But she gives him a look, and a wave to go ahead.

She'll be alright. She always is. He needs to go where he's needed. She's accepted this.

She almost misses his reply in her thoughts. She's planning out his accommodations closer to the compound, and how exactly she and Morgan will shuttle between here and there.

"Nat, that's gonna be a no."

Pepper's head snaps back up even as Natasha's answer comes back, half outraged, half understanding.

"No?"

Tony nods his head once, emphatically, "No. I'll help out as much as possible, and come down when I can, but I'm staying here with my family. I'll be sending you some suits to help out in the meanwhile, but the answer is no."

Without waiting to hear Natasha's response, Tony ends the call.

He looks at Pepper, and Pepper looks at him.

He nods again, then looks at the tiny, sleeping, beautiful person in her arms.

"I'm home to stay. I'm right where I need to be."