They had always wanted kids. A domestic life and a secret superhero life never really worked well together, of course, but Billy knew that they could handle it.
He never realized the hard part be adopting a baby, not the taxing double life of raising it.
They were gay couple in Brooklyn, both in their early 20s, and they just couldn't seem to catch a break. One adoption after another fell through, and the cradle and baby things were quickly collecting dust, and Billy was steadily losing faith.
Even Teddy, strong resilient Teddy, look sadder and sadder with each failed attempt.
"Maybe it's a sign that we're not ready." He whispered one night, staring at the ceiling blankly. He was shirtless, and the streetlights came through their windows and gleamed off this sheen of sweat on his chest. Before, there wouldn't be talk after they made love, at least not heavy talk like this. But it seemed that things were changing quicker than Billy knew how to handle.
"Maybe it's a sign were going about this the wrong way." It's the only answer he knows anymore.
"Billy, remember Wanda and-"
"Not like that, T. I've learned my lesson upending reality. Surely, someone can pull strings for us. Stark, Coulson, hell even Kate. We need some help with this." What's the point of having big, important friends or being a part of the Avengers you can't call in a favor or two?
It sounded like a bad idea and that good idea all at the same time. Because Teddy wanted to raise a child with Billy, had always wanted nothing less, it was his dream for them. But he also knew that when Billy got my dear, he didn't back down and give up until it happened, no matter the consequences.
He wouldn't be his mother, though, he had learned from all the mishaps of his powers, as well as her mistakes.
And he was getting a baby, for Teddy and for himself.
Of course, saving the world came first. Time traveling supervillians were the worst, especially when they came equipped with alien armies and super weapons. Billy could hear the battle vaguely of the tried to focus enough magic to zap any enemies and avoid his teammates. They had been at this all day, and night was slowly falling. They were all exhausted, and the performance was showing it.
'Think of a spell, Billy, come on.' He scanned the battle, seeing Teddy fighting alongside Kate and some of the older Avengers.
'I want the bad guys to freeze, I want the bad guys to freeze.' He wished desperately, feeling the magic flood through his veins from that deep place inside of him, near his heart or his magic rested.
And freeze they did.
Giant, alien popsicles.
'Too literal, magic.' Billy thought shrewdly, but it got the job done, so he landed, bruised and exhausted, but proud.
Because, while the spell didn't work exactly as he had planned, it had worked out in a relatively safe way.
He knew how to celebrate the small victories.
In the end, no strings had to be pulled to find a child, but instead to skip the lengthy adoption process. One battle leaves a baby girl orphaned, and Tony automatically hands are over, promising to take care of any legal problems.
She was tiny, barely over six months old, and by some odd twist of fate, her name is Faith.
Being a parent, they discovered, was exhausting and fulfilling and hectic all at once, but there never been happier. Faith had strawberry blonde hair and sea green eyes, and she seemed more beautiful with every day.
In hardly no time at all, she was taking her first steps, and saying her first words. And it's spectacular, and beautiful, and they've never been closer.
While being a superhero couple and parents was hard, they managed and they loved it.
Being official Avengers, and leading figures in the LG BT community led to a fair amount of hate enemies. They never had a problem managing it before, as well as shielding Faith from it. When she had come home from school, upset because classmate had told her that her parents were sinners because they are both male, that explained calmly and kissed her and eased her mind. They learned early on that it was best to remain level headed, especially because she always seemed to know when they were frantic or upset.
It worked until their little girl was put in danger.
Radical leaving villain group held up her classroom and kidnapped her, punishing Billy and Teddy for 'sullying her with their sins.'
They killed her, bloody and brutal, on camera and release it to the media, demanding it be played or else they would make sure there would be more killings. They put her body in a box and had it mailed to their house, impossibly small and bloodied, a reminder of mistakes they had made.
Rage, despair, depression, all cycling for hours as the world froze and simultaneously sped up around them.
He could fix this. This is why he even had powers. If he couldn't save his baby, his sweet little Faith, he didn't deserve to have them at all.
He focused and wished and prayed and used every amount of magic he had in his body into his wish.
When he finally opened his eyes, she was there, but distorted. Tainted. Wrong. He had messed up. Her face was wrong, and the gleam in her eye was evil, no trace of sweet Faith, who ran around the house playing Vikings with Teddy, or who saved spiders, or who smiled so openly.
"Billy." That was Teddy's voice. Teddy, the love of his life, who was seeing their daughter, and he would understand. He had to. He would know what Billy was time to do, he would be rejoiced even at this broken part of Faith.
"Put it back, Billy."