Billy walked through the double doors of Stark Tower, feeling anxious. Cap had called him a few minutes ago, saying it was urgent that he and Teddy get to headquarters right away. Teddy was on his way over from his job, likely taking a cab instead of flying to avoid ripping his good suit.
As he pushed the button on the elevator to the top floor, Billy sighed. It had not been a good week. The adoption agency had called earlier to tell them that Jenny, a pregnant 17-year-old, had changed her mind about giving them her baby. She decided against giving the child to a gay couple, just like the other two had.
He and Teddy had been married for three years now, and adopting was the highest priority on their list.
In the elevator, the TV monitor was showing footage of the Avengers' latest battle. It had been a doozy, and Billy himself was still reeling from it. That had been over twelve hours ago. Iron Man and the others had helped with the clean-up while the younger members of the team went back to their studies and jobs.
Finally the elevator pinged, signaling his arrival at the top floor. Billy stepped out and found most of the team circled around Cap, who was holding a purple bundle.
Iron Man spotted him and smiled.
"There you are! Took you long enough!" He said, waving Billy over.
"Well, I would have teleported if I knew it was that urgent. I just didn't think I had the strength." Billy replied, hurrying over to the team. His mother was among them, and she greeted him with a fierce hug before releasing him with a wide smile.
Billy quirked an eyebrow at her behavior, unaccustomed to such shows of motherly affection.
"I want to tell you that I'm so proud of you, sweetheart." The Scarlet Witch said, smoothing his hair.
"Um...thanks?" He said.
"Billy," Cap called over the whispers of excitement. "Can you come over here, please? There's someone I want you to meet."
Billy walked over to where Cap was standing to see a baby hidden in the soft purple bundle. Cap held her out for Billy to take. She had a small tuft of dark hair at the top of her head and she was staring at him with big green eyes.
"Wow," he said, holding her gently. She cooed a little at him, one of her tiny hands reaching out to grab one of the strings from his sweatshirt. "She's beautiful."
"She's yours." Cap said.
Billy looked at him, mouth gaping. It was a full minute before he was able to respond. "What?"
"The squirt's the daughter of one of the super villains we took down yesterday." Hawkeye chimed in, eager to explain the situation. "Scary lady. Had some kind of inter-dimensional warping powers." He accompanied his narrative with appropriate gestures.
"She was hiding the baby in her suit, of all places." Ms. Marvel said, clearly disgusted.
"Unfortunately, when we took down the super villain team, her boss was very disappointed in her performance...he struck her with some kind of curse. She gave us the baby right before she died." Cap said solemnly.
"That's awful..." Billy whispered. The child in his arms apparently had no idea of the tragic fate her mother had met.
"The poor thing." Ms. Marvel said, looking at the child. "She's barely a week old."
"We don't know who her relatives are, if she has any." Cap said. "And we suspect the girl will have powers like her mother, or even her father, if he was a mutant. No regular family is fit to take in this child."
"We know how long you and Teddy have been searching for a baby." Iron Man said with a smile.
Billy stared at the group of superheroes before him and back to the baby girl in his arms. It was a while before he could speak, with several false starts.
"I...I don't believe...Are you serious?"
"Dead serious." Spiderman commented, which was met with several glares from his teammates. Hawkeye muttered something about bad puns.
"So what do you say? Can you take her?" Cap said.
Billy could only nod, tearing up. His mother conjured a tissue and wiped his face.
"I never thought I'd get to see the day when I became a grandma." She said, kissing her son on the cheek and gazing at her new granddaughter. "She's going to be spoiled rotten."
Just then, a distressed Teddy came bursting through the doors. Upon seeing his crying husband, he rushed over and put a hand on the small of his back.
"What's wrong? Did somebody die? Why are you all smiling so creepily at me? Are you under a spell? Who's that?" He said, directing his final question toward the baby in Billy's arms.
"Our daughter." He replied, sniffling.
Teddy's jaw hit the floor. "Wh...Who's...When did...Are you serious?"
"Dead seri-" Ms. Marvel slapped a hand over Spiderman's mouth before he could finish.
"Yeah, Ted. She's ours. She's really ours this time, no false alarms or take-backs."
He sat stunned for a moment, and then huffed a disbelieving laugh. The smile on Teddy's face could have powered New York for three days straight. He kissed his husband and touched his daughter's face in awe.
"Well, what's it going to be?" A voice from the shadows called. Wolverine emerged from where he had been brooding at the back of the room.
"What's what going to be?" Teddy asked.
"Her name. What's her name?"
Teddy and Billy looked at each other, dumbfounded.
"Er..."
"Come on, you can't tell me you haven't got one."
"This did come up rather suddenly, you know." Teddy said. "Oh, crap, we don't even have a crib or diapers or formula...and how are we going to legally adopt her if she was a super villain's baby?"
Iron Man interrupted Teddy's worried ramblings. "Relax, kid. I've got you covered. Baby supplies and legalities. You've saved my ass enough times to deserve it."
Billy hadn't been paying attention; he'd just been staring at the tiny little bundle that was starting to look sleepy after her long day. She squirmed a little and yawned, closing her eyes and nuzzling the blankets.
"Sarah."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"What?" Wolverine asked.
"Sarah. That's her name." Billy said, tearing his eyes away from her and looking at Teddy.
Teddy smiled, a few tears running down his face, and nodded.
