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ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING
xiv. SECOND CHANCE
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TONY STARK WAS HAPPY. For the first time in a long time, for the first time arguably ever, Tony Stark was the happiest man alive. Not only that but for the first time in history, he was consecutively happy. There were no breaks in between that involved deaths, wars, and aliens. Tony Stark was a simple man with a simple life, and he was purely happy.
The foundations of his life had been composed of hardship and trauma. He was born into a world that would do nothing but try time and time again to tear him apart until he was nothing. His father viewed him as a disgrace despite being a child genius, his mother had always been just a little too emotionally blocked, and society as a whole observed his every move in hopes that he would fail to live up to Howard Stark's legacy. The world threw every weapon it owned at him, anticipating the day that Tony Stark finally crumbled in defeat.
There were times when he wanted to give up, to call it quits. Countless times. Too many times. He always wanted to walk away, yet he never did. Instead, he built suits and shields, he sacrificed his heart, he signed away his father's legacy to his personal assistant, who he later realized is the love of his life. He went from someone the world despised into the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist that everyone adored. He erased his father's legacy and created his own. He became an Avenger. He became a father, a friend. He became the universe's hero.
After persevering in wars that were once thought to be everlasting, he finally achieved happiness. It wasn't easy, God it wasn't easy. But he did it. He finally did it. While it didn't come without trauma, limitless anxiety, PTSD, and life-changing loss, the nightmares that beckoned his everyday life finally escaped back into his dreams.
Occasionally, Tony would ask himself: Was it all worth it in the end? Was it worth the trauma and the nightmares? Was it worth the fear that would never quite fade away? Was it worth losing your first child and one of your oldest friends? Was it worth losing the kid? Was it worth losing friends you'd known for years and came to consider your family?
Sometimes, it wasn't worth it. There was nothing in this world that could mend the rips in his heart after the amount of shredding it had endured. But then he'd see her.
"If you don't have to eat them, then why should I?" 5-year-old Morgan Stark whined, sitting at the table before her parents. She poked at the green vegetables on her plate with her tiny hand.
Tony shrugged and replied, "Because I'm already big and strong." He pointed his fork at the girl. "How are you and I supposed to tackle your mother in the mornings if I'm doing all the work?"
Morgan looked genuinely concerned by the question. Her brown eyes grew wide as she tilted her head to the side, her matching brown hair flailing over her shoulder. Morgan loved running into her parents' room at the crack of dawn and jumping all over their bed, so the question at hand was actually very crucial to her morning routine.
Tony couldn't help but smile at his daughter. Morgan had come at arguably the worst time in his life. It was right after the world had gone to shit. Tony had just lost Riley, Peter, and a majority of his friends. Not to mention that, but he had nearly died in space a plentiful number of times. A child was the last thing Tony thought he could handle, but as it turned out, his children were the best thing that had ever happened to him, even if he had lost his first one.
Morgan Stark was, in simpler terms, Tony and Pepper's second chance.
Morgan released a runty sigh. That was until a thought dawned on her. She glimpsed up at her father again while Pepper ate her lunch in amusement. "Wait a second," began Morgan, "I do all the work!"
"No way," he denied as Pepper's phone began to ring. The blonde shook her head at the two with a smile. Tony didn't notice the flash of panic that crossed her face as she read the caller I.D., forcing her to step away from the table to answer the call.
"Yeah, way!" Morgan argued. "All you do is sleep." She leaned her head back, pretending to snore. She tried to deepen her voice to mock Tony, "I'm Daddy! Go to sleep, Morgoona!"
Tony wore an expression of mock-offense. "I'll have you know I don't snore, young lady." He leaned forward in his seat, lowering his voice into a whisper, "That's all your mom."
She instantly grinned from ear-to-ear, laughing. "Mommy snores! Mommy snores!" she chanted.
Tony glanced up at where Pepper had been quietly talking into the phone. He had been expecting her to laugh or make a comment in response, but she looked incredibly tense instead. Pepper spoke in a hushed voice as if she didn't want to bring attention to her conversation. Tony wondered who it was. Judging the contorted look on Pepper's face that Tony recognized from over the years, it couldn't have been good.
Lowering the phone from her ear, Pepper glanced back at her fiancé. It was then when she noticed how he had been watching her intently. Pepper cleared her throat. "Tony," beckoned Pepper, her tone rather worrying. She looked frazzled. "Could you... Could you, um, come here for a sec?"
Tony smiled, not wanting to scare Morgan. He leaned toward her again. "She's probably mad I told you that she snores," he joked, causing Morgan to giggle. "I'll be right back. Eat your spinach, Popeye." He pressed a kiss onto the 5-year-old's head as she went back to eating, giggling happily.
Tony didn't have a second to ask what was wrong before Pepper revealed with a low voice, "It's him."
Tony paused, his smile fading. Pepper didn't need to say anything else. All he knew was that something was wrong. "What happened?" he immediately demanded. "Is she okay? What—?"
"He thinks she's ready," Pepper interrupted.
Tony could have sworn that his heart had stopped beating. Or, perhaps, it was beating so quickly that it didn't feel like it was working anymore. Tony couldn't tell the difference this far in the game. "She's... She's ready?" repeated Tony. The idea wasn't clicking in his brain.
"He thinks so," insisted Pepper. Tony ran a hand through his faded hair. "Do you think she's ready? I mean, she woke up three days ago. How is that enough time?"
"I don't know," Tony replied. "Steve and Nat know her just as well as we do, especially Nat."
"I don't know, Tony..."
"She's always been quick on her feet," Tony continued to try to reason. "Maybe she's really ready."
"But the question is are we ready?" she countered. "Are you ready?"
He didn't know how to answer her. After all, she had always been closer to Tony than Pepper, even if the relationship between the three was incredibly strong. Pepper knew that seeing her would impact him a lot, especially after these past five years. If Pepper was afraid of becoming an emotional wreck, then what would that make Tony? He'd be worse off than she was, which was really making a statement.
When it was revealed to them that Riley Stark had been located in Wakanda last week, the first thing they did was deny it. How was it possible? How was it possible in the slightest that Riley Stark had survived two encounters in space, both of which resulted in disappearing, only to show up in Wakanda in her 16-year-old body five years after the Decimation? It made no sense.
Tony remembered when they got over their initial shock and drove out to visit the comatose girl at the Avengers HQ (and crying, naturally, because there was no way this was actually happening). Every day for almost a week, they visited her for hours at a time. When they were informed that Riley had woken up that evening on the sixth day, Tony and Pepper refrained from going back on the seventh day. They could hardly imagine what she was going through, they could hardly comprehend their own shock. She needed time. To heal, to process, to get back on her feet.
Therefore, as much as it pained them, Tony and Pepper decided to wait. They wanted Riley to feel ready to see them, to come home, to meet her sister. They wanted to make sure she was prepared to some extent before dropping an entirely new life on her. It just wasn't fair to do something like that to Riley. She deserved all the time she needed, even if it was making Tony and Pepper antsy.
Waiting was torture.
After receiving the call from Steve, they dropped Morgan off at a family friend's home and rushed to the Avengers HQ. Tony was a nervous wreck. He'd spent five years grieving and mourning Riley, and now, she was suddenly back. She was really back.
He wondered what she would say when she saw them. Would she run to them with open arms? Would she hate them? That was his greatest fear. After all, they weren't by her side when she needed them, when she woke up, when she suddenly appeared in Wakanda. However, Riley wasn't their only priority anymore. Could she understand that? They hoped so.
Tony stood beside Pepper with his hand pressed against the curve of his mouth. They listened carefully as Steve spoke to Riley inside her room. Even hearing her voice caused both of them to grow incredibly uneasy and apprehensive.
"So about this blog," Riley said, clearly wanting to talk about something else judging by her tone of voice. "There's some stuff about Tony and Pepper, too." The parents tensed. "It says they have a kid now. Is that true?"
"Mhm," Steve confirmed cautiously. "Her name's Morgan. I won't lie, she's a cute kid."
Tony was a mess. He had no idea how Riley would react to having a sister, never mind missing out on five years of her sister's life. His mind was racing a million miles a minute.
"Morgan," Riley repeated. Tony was dying to see what her face looked like, for Riley had become rather expressive in recent years. Her face would tell him everything he needed to know. "They named her after Mom's weird uncle." Pepper smiled at how Riley referred to her as her mom. There was a pause. "I miss them."
Pepper sighed in relief as Steve insisted, "They miss you, too. They wanted to wait until you felt ready to see them again. Pepper said she didn't want to overwhelm you."
Suddenly, Pepper snapped her head toward Tony. "He said she was ready," Pepper whispered to Tony. "How would he know if she's ready if this is the first time she's hearing of this?"
"I don't know," Tony hissed back as Riley replied, half-listening at this point. He was more so alarmed at Pepper's realization. She was right. "Maybe he could tell she was ready?"
"We told him—"
"Trying to get rid of me already?" Riley jokingly asked Steve.
"I think we've learned that's impossible at this point," Steve joked. There was a pause as Pepper and Tony continued to worriedly whisper to one another. "You can come in now."
Without another word, Pepper turned on her heel and entered the room. It was clear that although Pepper was in a frantic disposition, all she required to do was see her daughter again. She had gotten this far without seeing her while knowing she was alive and awake. Pepper couldn't wait anymore.
Meanwhile, Riley was completely taken aback upon seeing Pepper Potts walk into her room.
"Riley?" Pepper called with a soft voice.
Riley felt her own heart's palpitations drum throughout her entire body as she shot upward onto her feet. Her brown eyes were wider than a bowling ball. "Oh my God," whispered Riley. "No way... Mom?"
It was all happening so fast. One moment, Riley was having a normal conversation with Steve, and the next, she was standing in front of her adoptive mother. Riley's body was moving faster than her mind was reacting.
Practically at the speed of light, Riley rushed toward Pepper, whose shaky arms had been outstretched. Riley threw her arms around her mother's body as tears threatened to fall out of her eyes. Pepper's hands went protectively around her oldest almost as though Riley was the oxygen she breathed, the light at the end of her personal, nightmarish tunnel.
"I thought I was never gonna see you again," mumbled Riley.
Pepper's hands moved upward, pressing against either side of the teenager's face. Pepper couldn't stop shaking. She leaned down just a bit to see her at eye-level. "Oh my God," whispered Pepper in absolute shock. "My sweet baby girl..." Pepper frowned, not even trying to stop the tears from leaking out of her eyes. "You're really here." She sniffled. "I'm so sorry. You don't deserve this life. You don't deserve any of it."
Riley's lower lip had begun to tremble uncontrollably. The emotions continued to pile up within her and she was growing incredibly overwhelmed, but she tried to keep her cool. "It's okay," she inspirited. "I'm back. I'm here. I'm... I'm sorry."
Pepper shook her head, pulling Riley in for another hug. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault, sunshine," Pepper insisted. "It's okay. It's all okay now." Riley tightened her hold on Pepper, clinging onto her for just a moment longer. That was all she needed. Just one more minute.
Now that she had a moment to absorb what was happening, new questions rustled in her mind. Why was Pepper here? Why now? Did Steve call her? Was Tony here, too? Was Morgan here? What had they been doing all this time? Were they still working? Was Pepper still the CEO of Stark Industries? Was Tony still Iron Man or did he work with Pepper at the company instead? Had they, instead, retired? Did Tony and Pepper finally get married, or did they push their wedding back because of newfound traumatic events? Riley found herself more and more desperate to catch up with everyone, especially now that she was realizing that anything could have happened in those five years that the anonymous blogger didn't know about.
For now, she pushed those inquiries to the back of her mind. She just wanted to bask in her mother's hug and enjoy what was in front of her. Her eyes squeezed shut, tears cascading down her face. She didn't care though. As long as she was here in Pepper's arms, she—
Opening her eyes, Riley sharply gasped, her gaze falling upon a face she thought she would never see again. She slowly lifted her head as it had been laying against Pepper's chest. She could only imagine how startled she looked. Pepper pressed a kiss onto the top of Riley's head as she took a step back for her daughter to fully see the person at the door. It was him. Tony.
Instead of desperately running toward him as she had with Pepper, she stared at Tony with glassy eyes and looked him over. He looked older, wiser. She supposed that made sense. He had seen his nightmares come to life and survived every single one of them. A true survivor. But on top of that, he looked... he looked... Riley couldn't put her finger on it.
Underneath all of the exhaustion and the wrinkles that came with age, there was something she hadn't seen in him ever. It wasn't the way he carried himself, nor was it the way he stared at Riley like he was about to have a full-blown mental breakdown. It wasn't the smile that twitched at his lips, either. It was, instead, a twinkle in his brown eyes. It was the twinkle of harmony, contentment. Tony Stark was at peace.
Her heart clenched, a bittersweet wave washing over her. Pepper had it, too. That look.
At the same time, Pepper and Tony had really taken a moment to assimilate Riley's appearance. Although they had pictures, videos, and even holograms of her to last a lifetime, there were aspects regarding her appearance that had completely slipped their minds.
Underneath the exhaustion and the puffiness of her eyes, there were scars all over her body. Some were faint, others were more noticeable. The most prominent one had taken form in the scar on Riley's left forearm from the Battle of Wakanda in which an Outrider bit her. It was her one of her more critical injuries in the midst of them all because the Outrider had chomped down on a major artery. Truthfully, Riley could have died had Thanos not healed her on Titan II.
Although Riley looked better than she had when she was discovered in Wakanda, there was something the couple recognized in her that they hadn't seen in themselves in a long time. Things like pain, guilt, and resentment were written across Riley's face in bold letters. Tony and Pepper had always hoped they'd never see those things again in the Stark family, not after finally healing and moving forward; however, now, the couple was seeing those emotions in their own child. It made them feel sick.
Finally, Riley walked toward Tony. She didn't move as quickly or as desperately as she had with Pepper. Instead, she moved sluggishly, like she was trying to find the courage to say something to him. What was she supposed to say? After all, she had blubbered like a baby when she saw Pepper, so what was she meant to say to Tony, of all people?
So, Riley didn't say anything. Instead, she reached out and wrapped her arms around him, her face pressed against his chest. She shut her eyes tightly once more, letting the tears come pouring out once more as her entire body shook. Slowly, Tony's arms went around the girl. This hug was different than the ones Riley was used to. She was so used to him being terrible at comforting others to the point where she'd tease him relentlessly about it. However, this time, Riley could sense the change. She felt secure and cared for. She wondered if Morgan was the reason for his newfound fatherly touch.
Hugging, Riley had learned, was good medicine. It wasn't something she got a lot of while growing up, so whenever she got one, it was usually from someone she had a strong connection with. Those moments seemed to be the ones she basked in the most, and right now, Riley never wanted to let go.
"I love you, Tink."
Those were the first words that finally fled between the two. Riley furrowed her eyebrows together when she heard them, her heart crawling up into her throat. His words echoed in her head over and over again. Like it was a spell, a chant.
"When I lost you," continued Tony, "I realized I never really said it to you. And that's not what you deserve. You're not supposed to be like me, you're supposed to be better, and how can you do that if your own father can't support you? You already have one shitty Dad and I—"
"I will kick your ass to Mars if you even think what you're about to say," Riley interrupted. Her threat was muffled due to her face being pressed against his shirt, for she didn't want to break away from his embrace quite yet. "I don't care if I just woke up from a coma. I'll do it."
Relief swarmed Tony. She was still the same underneath all of the tears and trauma. She was still his Riley.
"I... love you, too, Dad."
Tony was quick to continue on with his speech. "I'm sorry. I... I should've done more. I—"
"Did you forget what I just said already?" Riley interrupted. She leaned back in the hug in an attempt to glare at Tony. "I don't hate you. None of it was your fault."
Tony paused as they stood in their embrace. "If you interrupt me one more time, you're grounded for life."
"You can't ground someone who's legally dead."
"She's got you there, Tony," Pepper pointed out with a gentle laugh. Riley couldn't help but laugh, too.
Pulling away from her hug rather reluctantly, Riley glanced among her adoptive parents. She hadn't realized until then that Steve had slipped out of the room to give the trio some privacy, which was a shame because Riley considered him family just as much as Tony and Pepper were. She wished everyone was here with her.
"For what it's worth," Riley started to say, breaking the silence between the trio. She used the palm of her hand to wipe her tears, "I love you both."
They didn't know what would happen next. They didn't have the smallest idea of what they would do or say next. The impossible had occurred. The world was granting them mercy, and for now, all Riley could smile.
For now, that smile was all they needed.
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Riley's life for the next hour had become crying and hugging everyone she knew, whether she had known them for years or if she had met them just three days ago. Riley didn't care. She was so emotional that all she wanted to do was cry and hug people. Oh, if only the old Riley, the Riley who never showed her emotions, could see her now.
They spent the next hour talking. Just talking. All she wanted was to know what she missed out on. Her parents had lived for five years without her, so surely, they were busy with something.
They mostly talked about Morgan, though. Initially, Pepper showed reluctance when it came to talking about her technical firstborn, but that didn't last very long. Riley showed more fascination about Morgan in comparison to just about anything else. She was just so thrilled to be a big sister.
"All I'm saying is Riley Jr. would have been a perfect name for her, but fine, I guess Uncle Morgan is cool."
"What do you mean she solved Einstein's riddle? She's five! Jesus, Mom, what kind of prenatal vitamins were you taking? Fetal brain steroids? Wait, please don't tell me they make those now. Hey, are flying cars a thing, yet?"
"I'm sorry, can we just go back to how Morgan didn't crawl and went straight to skipping? Is that normal?"
"So you're telling me my little sister's favorite superhero is Wonder Woman? Is that a joke? No, no, don't get me wrong, comic book heroes are great, but we're goddamn Avengers! It'd just make more sense if—Oh, you were kidding?"
"I can't wait to tell her she's adopted. I mean, I know I'm the adopted one, but who cares? She's five!"
Now that they were spending more time with their daughter again, Tony and Pepper each noticed something about her that, alternatively, hadn't changed. After everything, Riley's radiance remained. The light inside never went out.
In reality, she was the same, just more experienced, wiser, and most of all, more beaten up. She understood things differently now, but she looked at the world as something she wanted to fix, just as she always had.
If anything, it seemed that getting thrown back into the world was exactly what Riley needed. She just needed familiarity, and while the Avengers HQ gave her some of that, it wasn't what her life looked like anymore. Riley's life for a year and a half had included going to public school, going out to coffee shops and pretending to be "cool and quirky" with MJ, hanging out with Tony and Pepper, and prank-calling Happy with Peter and Ned. Her life hadn't included solitude in an HQ for a long time, now—not since Tony recruited Riley for her one-time babysitting service.
Riley was listening to some story when she realized they were driving into the woods. Concrete buildings vanished in the distance the further Tony drove them. Last she checked, they lived in the city. Where were they going?
They soon pulled up to a quaint, extravagant cottage. It looked like something drawn straight out of a fairytale book despite its modernized appearance. It wasn't too far away from civilization, but it was certainly secluded. Trees acted as knights that protected the home from intruders. There was a lake not too far away that was perfect for fishing or swimming on a hot day. The wooden home was a perfect little bungalow to get away from the everyday struggles life had to offer.
"Where... Where are we?" quizzed Riley as Tony parked the car. "What is this place?" She glanced back at her parents as they sat up front. "Are you two about to kill me or something? Because I'd expect something more creative from you guys. Seriously, where are we?"
Pepper smiled at the girl. "Home."
Oh.
That made sense. She looked up at the wooden bungalow, realizing that this was where Tony and Pepper had spent the past five years. This was where Morgan had grown up, where she took her first steps and spoke her first words. This was where Tony and Pepper achieved the peace and happiness they deserved to bask in for the rest of their lives. This was where they dreamed of living after living through hell. This was where they had chosen to live their lives without Riley.
This wasn't right.
Tony and Pepper were happy. It took them five years to move on, to get to this wonderful point in their lives. They were living in a happy home living happy lives with their probably happy child. Sure, they weren't married, as it had been revealed they didn't want to get married with so many important people succumbed from the Decimation, but they were still happy. And naturally, Riley was happy for them. Everyone was happy for them. How could you not be? They had been through hell for more than a decade, and now they had finally settled down.
But something in Riley caused her to feel bittersweet once more. Because they had gotten their second chance to live a happy life, and they didn't need Riley Stark anymore.
Seeing Tony and Pepper settled in and accustomed to their new lives post-Decimation provoked another emotional rollercoaster within Riley. She was sorrowful, a little envious, but overall, incredibly thrilled for them. She knew from the bottom of her heart that if there was anyone who deserved a fairytale ending, it was her parents.
Point being, seeing it all felt like a total punch in the gut. It wasn't that Riley didn't want this life for them. She did more than anything in the world. It was more so the fact that if Riley reentered their lives like she was about to, she'd be sucking them back into a deep hole of misery. It was like Riley's existence would be a constant reminder of what happened five years ago. She just didn't have it in her to do that to her family. This, on top of the fact that Tony and Pepper simply didn't need Riley around anymore, was more than enough for Riley to make a decision.
"Maybe... Maybe I should head back," Riley announced after a moment. "Nat's been really busy and I offered to help her out earlier."
They were visibly taken aback. They turned around to face the girl as she stared at the home. "Wait, what?" Pepper asked.
"Yeah," Riley continued, frowning. "I should go." She took a step back toward the car. "I know Steve's been wanting to show me this support group he started—"
Tony had heard enough. "Riley Juniper Stark."
Riley flinched. She rubbed the back of her head, not wanting to make eye contact with the man as he stared at her with a hard gaze. Pepper furrowed her eyebrows together. "Ouch," Riley attempted to joke. "Gotta use the middle name, huh?"
"What's the matter with you?" softly wondered Pepper. "Did we say something to upset you?"
The hurt in Pepper's voice pained Riley. "I just..." trailed Riley. "I..." She couldn't tear her eyes away from their home. Their home.
It was all crashing down on Riley. After all, Tony and Pepper weren't just Tony and Pepper. They were two people who loved Riley unconditionally, caring for her like she truly was their flesh and blood. They were some of the first people in her life that treated Riley like a real person rather than damaged goods. They meant more to Riley than anything. They and the Avengers were Riley's second chance at being part of a true family. And she lost that chance the minute she destroyed the Infinity Stones. Riley couldn't bring back all of the heartbreak her parents once faced. They didn't deserve it.
"This isn't right," Riley finally spoke after a moment. "It's not fair to either of you. Think about it. If I'm here, I'm just a constant reminder of what happened."
Tony shook his head, walking toward her. "I just got you back." His voice shook. Fear hung off of his words. "I can't lose you again."
"Don't you see it? This is your life now!" Riley weakly declared. "You have a fiancé and a home and a 5-year-old daughter waiting for you wherever she is. You're finally at peace! You don't need me for that. You're finally happy! And if I'm here—"
"You know what, Riley? We are happy," interrupted Tony, inducing Riley to silence. "I thought I'd lost you three times: the first time you were transported back to Earth, the Decimation, and when we thought for a second you were still alive on Titan II. Three times, Riley. You can't even begin to understand the pain I was in. When I realized you were gone forever, it was the worst day of my life. I thought I'd never move on, that I'd never feel happy again. Did you know your funeral was just an empty casket? We never even got to see your body because no one knew where it was." He paused like he was about to cry. "But here we are, here you are, lo and behold, five years later. How could you think we don't need you here? You're our kid, you're my daughter." He sighed. "All I can think is how did I get so lucky to have two second chances? I don't know. I really don't know. But all I do know is that we are a family, and that will always include you. Do you understand me?"
Riley glanced back at the house. "But—"
"Do you understand me?" Tony cut in. Riley remained silent. "I won't force you to stay here, but... You can't live your life not knowing we care about you. It isn't right. It's not what you deserve."
Riley stared at the ground, sheepish. Why was it so hard for her to accept that she didn't have to be alone anymore? Wasn't this what she wanted all this time? Why couldn't she just run forward and embrace the life she'd always wanted with open arms?
"I'm sorry," Riley finally said. "I just... I think I'm just... overwhelmed." She took in a deep breath, mumbling to herself, "I can do this. Steve knows me. I'm ready." She walked forward. "I'm sorry. I've just... I've been waiting for something like this all my life and now it's here and I don't know what to do with myself."
"Well," Pepper gently said, "you can start with letting me show you around? And if you still wanna head back, we can do that no problem."
Riley slowly nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea."
Pepper smiled at the girl, draping her arm over her shoulders before guiding her away. Meanwhile, Tony merely watched the two as they headed up the steps of the porch.
Truthfully, Tony knew what Riley was going through. He had known her long enough and well enough to put the pieces together. He knew this because she had acted the exact same way when she first moved in with them after being officially adopted. She was scared, overwhelmed, and apprehensive when it came to having a true family. Sure, she had the Avengers and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but she had never experienced something like this before. That was why he and Pepper had always tried to go slow with the girl, especially since they didn't know how to be parents before Morgan.
But Tony also knew that she was strong. She was courageous. Sure, she got nervous from time to time, but Riley was only human. Soon enough, she'd be back to her usual self. Soon enough, Riley would be okay again. He was sure of it.
Tony had never been sure of a lot of things before he grew his family; however, this time was different. This time, he had Morgan, he had Pepper, and now, somehow, he had Riley again. There was no weight on his shoulders or a dark cloud over his head. He was at peace with the world and its strange mysteries, even if he still felt pain over what he couldn't have stopped. Things were different and now, Tony was sure that he could live the life he'd always dreamed of.
And, at least to him, a second chance like this was more than Tony Stark ever deserved.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
look i'm SORRY these chapters have been so slow and dragged out. i'm trying my best to show riley's character and her mental state (because she is so traumatized dude lmao) and her relationship with everyone and how it's changed throughout the book (and the potential prequel that's coming like really soon), especially with the original avengers. yall have NO IDEA what that prequel has in store for yall.
i thought it'd be interesting to see things on tony/pepper's end just for this chapter. it's kind of a sneak peek that yeah, shit sucks for riley, but she has nat and steve and rhodey and tony and pepper (and COUGH COUGH MORGAN SOON) etc etc etc. and it's gonna be okay! and she's gonna experience peace and happiness like the rest of the stark fam has! hell yeah! just at what cost? haha :(
also i know yall wanted riley and morgan to meet in this chapter. i know it because i also wanted it to happen here. however, this chapter is so ridiculously long (cough over 6k words) and i wanted to focus in on riley, tony, n pepper more than anything else just this once. so pls forgive me<3
anyways i know that i said these a/n's are annoying and long, so to make up for it, the next one will be worthwhile. i promise.
>:)