Here's chapter 9! As promised, it's extra-long, which is why it took me so long to write it (sorry)! Please review!

InsaneKids159: Nick and Stella do need a ship name! The best I can come up with is Stick, though, which is kind of an unfortunate ship name. Thanks for reviewing!

FadingEcho12193: Glad you liked it! That was probably one of the funniest chapters in the story, although I have one in the works that might be funnier. Thanks for the review!

soccerstar0198: Thank you! Here's your update!

fabulous48: Thanks so much! I'll update as fast as I can, I promise!

So, no one told me if they wanted a re-cap of past chapters at the beginning of each chapter, so I'm just gonna do it until someone tells me not to. "Last Friday Night" Recap: Tony gets the team drunk, including Steve. Fury calls them to S.H.I.E.L.D. the next morning, and the Avengers struggle to remember the events of last Friday night. As a punishment, Fury sends Tony, the Avengers, and the Avengers Jr. on a camping trip.


Bellona liked camping. After all, she was a superhuman made of the elements, and here she was, surrounded by them. Her dad hadn't loved the idea, but she'd convinced him it would be good for the Other Guy. The Hulk hadn't come out in a while, and Bruce had started to get pounding headaches as his monster roared and fought to be released. Bellona suggested that maybe getting away from the loud, cramped city would help. Still, he wasn't pleased to be away from all his sciencey stuff.

Bellona, though, liked it. They were on a small island, surrounded by clear lake water. The whole place was forest, except for the small, rock beach and the clearing where they'd made camp. She was currently sitting on the beach with Chase, Nick, and Stella. Chase and Stella were skipping rocks, while she and Nick sat quietly on the beach. Absently, she wiggled her fingers, causing the water to splash and dance.

"That's really pretty," Nick commented. Bellona jumped. Nick Rogers hardly ever said anything. Sometimes it was a shock just to hear his voice.

"Thanks," She said, smiling. He smiled back, and her heart pounded in her chest. Oh god, he's so cute, oh god, oh god, oh god, She thought to herself, blushing. Nick had it all. Perfect blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, a gorgeous smile, and amazing muscles. And he was nice, too, when he talked. Bellona had never met anyone like him.

"Can you skip rocks?" He asked, jerking his head to Chase and Stella. Bellona smirked, and flicked her fingers. A rock lifted itself from the beach and went flying over the water, skipping three times. "Wow," He said, "nice." Chase hurled his last stone, and he and Stella returned to sit with Nick and Bellona.

"This is kind of nice," Chase commented.

"I think my dad's having an existential crisis, though," Stella added.

"Mine too," Bellona said. Stella looked at her.

"He told me not to come in his room because he was writing an apology letter to his lab for leaving it."

"He took commemorative pictures of himself with all his lab stuff like he was never coming back."

"He locked himself in his lab and cried for three hours."

"He ate all his meals down there, slept down there, and built himself a toilet down there so he would never have to leave his lab before the camping trip."

Bellona and Stella exchanged knowing looks, and said, in complete unison, "Science dads."

"I feel your pain on, like, a spiritual level," Stella said solemnly, "we should hang out sometime." Bellona's eyes widened. No one had ever asked her to hang out. She rarely left her apartment, and when she did, people called her "freak" and were scared to touch her.

"Seriously?" She gasped.

"Totally," Stella replied. "We can complain about our dads and go shopping."

"Go shopping? You actually want to go shopping?" Bellona practically squealed. She'd always imagined that having friends would involve going to the mall. It was something of a fantasy of hers, having sleepovers and walking the shopping center halls with her arms laden with bags, a friend on either side. She couldn't believe it might actually happen.

"Yeah! My dad has the worst taste. And it's kind of uncool to go shopping with a parent now, anyway, so shopping with Natasha is barely any better. We should totally go shopping, and then watch Mean Girls and eat chocolate," Stella said. Chase and Nick exchanged awkward looks.

"Gonna be honest here, I'm feeling kinda replaced," Chase admitted.

"Who needs 'em? We can go do manly things, like...football, and...watching football, and...sports!" Nick floundered. Stella and Chase laughed, while Bellona looked at Nick, slightly dumbfounded. On the whole, Bellona probably knew Nick the best, because Stella and Chase tended to buddy up and stick to themselves at training. And she couldn't believe shy, soft spoken Nick Rogers had just made a joke. Suddenly, Bellona felt something warm ignite within her.

"There's a fire going," She said bluntly, "we should head back. It's getting dark."

"How do you know there's a fire?" Nick asked.

"I don't know. I've just always been able to tell. When it's snowing, when it's raining, when there's a fire, I guess it's just kind of a sixth sense," She explained.

"That's really cool," He told her. She blushed and grinned like a total dork, no reply coming to mind. She was sort of kind of maybe developing a small/medium/huge crush on Nick Rogers.

"We should get going, then," Stella cut in, her voice sounding a lot less friendly.

"Yeah!" Nick immediately answered, "Do you, uh, want some help?" Bellona's smile faded. Stella giggled.

"With what?" She asked.

"Um, well, these rocks are kinda sharp, so, I could, um, carry you, or something…," Nick stammered.

"Stella can walk, thanks," Chase cut in, his voice cold and protective. And just like that, Bellona saw that warm, happy, laughing team from a moment ago disintegrate. They weren't a team anymore. They had only known each other a week, and already, people were ganging up on each other. Bellona liked Nick. Nick liked Stella. Stella liked Nick, and felt threatened by Bellona. Chase was best friends with Stella, and felt that Nick was going to replace him in Stella's eyes. And none of them really cared much for Bellona. She could never imagine any of them going into battle and trusting anyone else to have their backs.

Together, with Chase standing in between Nick and Stella, Bellona standing beside Nick, and Stella flashing threatening looks at Bellona, they traipsed back to their clearing. Clint was restringing his bow, and Natasha was polishing a set of knives. Steve was sketching a flower, while Tony sat with his head in his hands, staring desolately at nothing, looking like someone just gave him a puppy and then stole it. Bellona's dad had given up on the whole "no science" thing, and was currently examining some moss under a microscope.

"What if eyebrows were under your eyes?" Tony asked, sounding distant and aloof, still staring off into the forest.

"Tony...what?" Clint replied, shaking his head.

"What if you had arms for legs and legs for arms?" Tony said.

"What's up with him?" Chase asked, sitting down beside his father.

"He's going into science withdrawal," Natasha replied, not looking up for her knives. "At first he just kept spewing all these ideas he had for his suits, but then it just got out of hand."

"I have a lot of thoughts," Tony said absently.

"This is depressing," Stella sighed. Bellona sat down next to her father and started playing with the bonfire, making it grow drastically and then shrink to tiny, glowing embers.

"Stels," Tony said, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder, "go get your guitar. Isn't that what corny camping people do on corny camping trips? Sing corny campfire songs?"

"I don't think I know any campfire songs."

"Whatever. Just get it. It might help me feel less spiritually empty." Stella rolled her eyes, and ran off to her tent to retrieve her instrument.

"Moss is boring," Bellona's father complained, "I feel like a middle schooler learning how to use a microscope. I hate my life. I want to die. For the day. And then come back."

"Woah, that seems a bit drastic, doesn't it?" Bellona replied.

"I don't know. I don't question myself. That's what I have you for."

"I'm honored."

"Okay guys, time for campfire songs!" Stella announced, sitting back down on the log with a guitar resting across her lap.

"Play The Campfire Song from Spongebob!" Clint cheered.

"What's Spongebob?" Steve questioned.

"You depress me more than this entire experience," Tony replied.

"I don't know The Campfire Song, Clint," Stella said, ignoring her father and Steve. "The closest thing I know to campfire music is Imagine Dragons."

"What's Imagine Dragons?"

"Steve, just stop talking. At all. Forever. Just stop," Tony sighed sharply. Stella laughed, arranging her fingers on her guitar.

"This song is called 'Underdog'," She said, "and, I don't know, I just think it has a nice beat." She started strumming, and about a measure in, started singing.

Early morning, take me over

Father, father, father,

take me to the top.

The lyrics didn't make any sense to Bellona, but Stella was right, the song was catchy. She started tapping her foot in time, and saw almost everyone else doing the same. Except her dad, who had no rhythm whatsoever.

Early morning, wake me up.

Father, father, father,

this is not enough.

Stella had a beautiful voice. It was high, clear, and simple, something that floated through your ears and left you feeling good. Bellona liked the showy, vibrato, broadway singers just as much as the next person, but there was something about the simplicity of the way Stella sang that was easy to listen to.

Hey, that sounds like my luck.

I get the short end of it,

I'd love to be, I'd love to be the underdog.

Bellona felt like all of the Avengers and Avengers Jr. could relate to that. Her dad and the rest of his team had been called in when the world was desperate, and thrown into battle before they'd gotten the chance to even get to know each other. Immediately, they had to trust and rely on each other in a ruthless battle everyone expected them to lose. The stakes were high and the competition was rough, and the Avengers had definitely been the underdogs. As for the Avengers Jr., she was sure all of them felt like they'd been set up to fail. They were the children of the world's greatest heroes, how could they ever live up to their parents? The bar was high, and so far, they weren't doing a great job of reaching it. If anyone was an underdog, it was the Avengers Jr.

Early evening, settle down.

Father, father, father,

who am I to blame?

Early evening, hush me over.

Father, father, father,

are we just the same?

Stella, Bellona, Nick, and Chase could all relate to that line, "Father, father, father, are we just the same?" It was their universal struggle: not being the same. They wanted to differentiate themselves from their parents, but nothing they ever did seemed good enough. Something clicked for Bellona, then. Maybe the reason the Avengers Jr. struggled so much to be cohesive was because they were all so desperate to do their own thing. Working on a team just didn't come naturally to people whose life long goal was to be independent.

Stella played through Underdog, and then a few more folky Imagine Dragons songs, and then some über corny song called All I Want is You. It was basically a lot of metaphors like, "If I were a flower growing tall and green, all I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee." And then a few weird ones, like, "If you were a floor, I'd be a rug," and, "If you were a river in the mountains tall, the rumble of your water would be my call." Clint put his arm around Natasha and the two swayed as she sang, and Nick made eyes at Stella. Tony glared at Nick. Steve stared off into the distance, probably thinking about his lesbian ex-wife or that girl he'd known in the 1940s. Bellona's dad looked down at her, smiling warmly, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him just like she had when she was a child, cuddling with her daddy at night as he read her a story.

If you were a wink, I'd be a nod.

If you were a seed, well, I'd be a pod.

If you were floor I'd wanna be the rug.

And if you were a kiss I know I'd be a hug.

Bellona supposed this wasn't a song you were supposed to share with your father, but she didn't care. She didn't have anyone else to share it with, and there was no one in the world she loved more. And if he was a wink, she'd be a nod.

By the time Stella had finished All I Want is You, it was pitch black. The fire and the moon illuminated all their faces, and gave each of them a warm, reddish glow. It reflected beautifully off Natasha's hair, making her seem like a fire herself.

"One more?" Tony asked. The group nodded. "Play something slow," Tony requested.

"Slow? That's not very campfire-y," Stella pointed out. Tony shrugged.

"I know. But it's late, and slow songs are good for, like, sleeping and stuff," He replied.

"Not that you would know anything about sleeping, Stark," Natasha cut in. Tony rolled his eyes.

"I know a slow song, but it's kinda sad," Stella warned.

"Play it," Nick encouraged, speaking up for the first time during their sing-along. Stella raised an eyebrow. "I, um...your voice is nice," He muttered.

"Thanks," She replied, smiling. Bellona forced herself to act indifferent. If her liking Nick was going to get in the way of her friendship with Stella, she could stop liking Nick. She'd never had any girlfriends, but she'd always heard that you were supposed to put sisters before misters. So, Stella could have Nick. Bellona would take one for the team. Besides, Nick liked Stella, not her, anyway.

Stella arranged her fingers and started strumming four simple chords in a steady rhythm. Bum-da-da-da-da, bum-da-da-da-da, bum-da-da-da-da.

Hello, hello, anybody out there?

'Cause I don't hear a sound.

Alone, alone, I don't really know where the world is,

but I miss it now.


Natasha felt the song hit her like a punch in the guts. It was a song about being alone, and Natasha could relate to that. She could relate to wondering if there really was anybody out there. She could relate to searching for someone to talk to, and feeling like the world is empty even though you're surrounded by people.

I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming your name,

like a fool at the top of my lungs.

Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright,

but it's never enough.

Just my, echo, echo,

is the only voice coming back.

My shadow, shadow,

is the only friend that I have.

It was the day she'd found out Chase was on the way. She and Clint hadn't really been trying, but they'd stopped using protection, and last night they'd tried. So, she thought, just to be safe, she should take a test. She'd done this before. She and Clint had stopped not trying about three months ago, so pregnancy tests, while still a bit scary, were old news to Natasha Romanoff.

She remembered being the only one home. They hadn't lived adjacent to Stark Tower yet. They only moved there when Chase was four, after Pepper died, and Tony had called Natasha, begging her to move closer to him to give his daughter a mother. Clint had been out on some errand for S.H.I.E.L.D., and Natasha hadn't been called in for this one, so she stayed home. It was early in the morning, so she'd been somewhat happy not to have to go in. She'd had a lazy day, waiting until 10:00am to get out of bed. After breakfast, she went to the bathroom to take her pregnancy test. She didn't think that much of it while she was taking it. She thought of it as a routine part of her day, something she had to take care of before she could get on with the rest of her plans.

Then she saw the little, pink plus sign.

She'd taken three more tests before she believed it. Oh god, oh god, oh god, Was all she could think. This was her worst nightmare. She was panicking, hyperventilating, practically sobbing. Where was Clint? She needed him. Where was he? I can't raise a child, She'd thought, I can't be a mother. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't, I can't, oh god, I can't do this.

After taking a few deep breaths, she called Clint. She promised herself he'd be thrilled, and making him happy would help calm her down. His smile was the only thing that ever could.

You've reached Clint Barton. I'm probably out saving the world right now. You're welcome. Leave a message, and I'll call you back as soon as the earth isn't in mortal peril.

She'd lost it when he hadn't picked up. She heard the robotic voice of the answering machine, and it was so cold and so empty. Clint's voice wasn't like that. It was lively and warm and she needed to hear it. Where was he? What was taking him so long on his mission? It was supposed to be easy! Oh god, what if he never came back?

"Clint," She'd breathed, her voice cracking in the middle as she broke into a sob, "I-I need you to come home. Please, just come home soon. I'm okay, I just-please. I need you to come home. I...please."

Then she'd hung up, and stared out her window at the many New Yorkers traversing the street. How were they doing that? How were they just going about their daily lives, when Natasha's whole world had just stopped spinning? And how were there so many people down there, and not one of them could help her? She was surrounded by strangers. All around her were the thousands of people that lived in the city, and she just needed one of them. She just needed Clint, but he wasn't there. And she was so, so alone.

Just my echo, echo

is the only voice coming back.

My shadow, shadow,

is the only friend that I have.


Steve had never heard a song and felt that he could really relate to it. He'd never heard a song and been like, "Oh, yeah, man, this is my jam!" He'd never felt that he was listening to his theme song, that he'd lived the words the artist was singing. He liked music and all, he'd just never really read that far into it.

But this was different. As soon as he heard the words, "Alone, alone, I don't really know where the world is, but I miss it now," he was back in time, waking up in that room at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. He was staring, dumbfounded, at the streets of New York, and learning he'd slept for seventy years. He was being told that the war was won, and it was now 2013.

He was realizing that his world was lost in the past, and everyone he'd known and loved was dead.

And those lyrics, I don't really know where the world is, but I miss it now-he'd lived them. He'd gone under in a different time, in a different place, in a different world. Then he'd woken up, and even after everything had been explained, he'd searched frantically for the life and the people he'd known before. And he missed it so much. He was so lost here, so confused and out of his time. And even though for most of his life in the 40's, he'd been a scrawny, sickly, dorky kid with one friend to his name, he'd belonged. He hadn't nearly gone into shock every time he looked out his window. He hadn't been afraid to go to sleep, for fear of waking up with everyone gone again. And he hadn't been so lost.

It was the worst before the Avengers. At least then, he had people he trusted and liked to guide him through this new, confusing time. Before them, he was on his own to navigate the bright, loud, dizzying 21st century. He had no one to talk to, no one he trusted, no one who could help him. When he tried to talk to Peggy, all he could hear was his own voice, reverberating against the walls of his apartment. Just his echo, the only voice coming back. And he needed her so badly. And he could see her face so clearly as Stella sang.

You could come and save me.

Try to chase the crazy right out of my head.


I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name,

like a fool at the top of my lungs.

Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright,

but it's never enough.

Bruce had been out on the edge. He'd screamed at the top of his lungs. He'd pretended that he was alright, and it had never, ever been enough.

Bruce was a monster. He was an intelligent, calm, friendly scientist, but he was a monster. And what most people didn't was when that monster took control, Bruce was still in there. Some little part of him was still thinking, "I shouldn't break the entirety of New York City. That's not a good thing to do." And that part of him was always fighting, always screaming, always trying to get out. But, honestly, nerdy old Bruce Banner against the Hulk? Not even a fight. He always lost.

For a while, he'd let it weigh him down. He was always on the edge. Trying to avoid stress ended up stressing him out. He became a pressurized container of fear, a tightly wound rubber band ball, a grenade ready to blow. He hid himself from the world, because he could hurt them. He forced himself to be alone, where no one could get to him, and more importantly, he couldn't get to them. He hid himself places where sometimes he would scream just to hear a human sound. And then he would close his eyes, and pretend everything was fine. He would pretend everything was normal. That the Hulk was just a horrible nightmare that had never really happened. But just like Bruce Banner, even in Hulk form, always knew what the Hulk did was bad, he knew, in the back of his mind, that nothing was fine, nothing was normal, and his monster was very, very real.

That had been a dark place. And he was back there again when he heard Stella sing those lines, "I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name like a fool at the top of my lungs. Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright, but it's never enough."


Clint sat, watching everyone else watch Stella, and something seemed heavy in the air. Natasha had leaned farther into his embrace, and he tightened his arm around her. Bruce was staring into the fire, his eyes fixed on the flame, his shoulders hunched and his posture slumped. Steve was the opposite. He sat ramrod-straight, his head up but his eyes looking nowhere. Clint had seen this behavior from all of them. Natasha turned to him when she was upset. Bruce hunched in on himself when he was just tired of everything he had to go through. Steve's posture became more stiff and robotic when the past wouldn't let him go.

Clint knew why. This song was getting to them all. It was a song about being your own only friend, when the only voice you could hear was your own echo, and the only person with you was your own shadow. They could all relate to that. Hell, everyone in the world could relate to that. Everyone had felt alone. Clint had felt alone.

He remembered it clearly. They had just finished a grueling day of training, and were just gathering their things to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury had met them by the door, and he hadn't looked happy. Then again, Fury never really did, but this was different. Fury never really showed emotion, but this time, he'd seemed almost...sad.

"What's up, Sir Nicholas?" Tony asked.

"You don't need to come to training tomorrow," Fury replied. This shocked them all.

"What?" Steve was the first to speak, "But tomorrow's Thursday! We always have training on Thursday. And Friday. And Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday. And sometimes Saturday and Sunday."

"Thank you for listing the days of the week, Steve," Fury said, "but we've decided to reduce the hours that you have to come in."

"Reduce them?" Bruce asked, "To what?"

"Nonexistent," Fury answered, with a hint of what sounded like remorse in his voice. "The world hasn't needed the Avengers in years, and you're more than ready for anything when we do."

"We're not saying you guys aren't a team any more," Coulson spoke up, "we're just saying...um, you're not...necessary. We'll call you in when we need you, but as of right now, we don't."

"Harsh," Tony muttered. And it was.

Clint remembered going home that day, back when Stark Tower was Avengers Tower and they all lived there together, and going straight down to his room. He'd locked the door, sat down on his bed, and stared at nothing for a solid hour. It seemed like he'd just lost everything. The adventures, the daring missions, the epic battles, it was all over. They simply weren't needed anymore. And what was worse, Clint could see this crazy, dysfunctional family they'd developed falling apart. Steve was marrying that waitress chick in like, what, a month? This was exactly what happened to the Beatles! John married Yoko and then it all went to hell.

Clint knew that chapters of your life ended to make way for new ones. Of course, at the time, he hadn't known that this chapter was ending so he could marry Natasha, have Chase, and start a family. All he'd known was that this was the best chapter of his life, and he didn't want it to end. They'd had so much fun together, done so much stupid shit, and made so many memories. How could it be over? How could the world not need the Avengers?

They were his best friends. Possibly his only friends. They were everyone he loved, and he was going to lose them. It would start with no training hours. Then weeks would pass with no missions. Then Steve would get married and move out. Then Tony would marry Pepper, and kick the rest of them out. Bruce would go somewhere remote where he couldn't be found. Thor would go back to Asgard. Natasha would go back to being a normal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and live at the headquarters. As for Clint, he didn't know what he would do, or where he would go. He'd probably buy a crappy apartment and live there like a normal person. Alone. His own echo would be the only voice he'd ever talk to, and his own shadow would be the only other person there.


I don't wanna be an island,

I just wanna feel alive and,

get to see your face again.

Tony had never heard Stella play this song before, but she sang it like she'd done it before. He thought he knew why she'd never shown this to him. It hurt. This part, especially, hurt. She made quick eye contact with him as she sang these lines, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing, Pepper.

Tony remembered the day he found out she was gone. She'd been in hospice for a month, and he'd spent as much time with her as he could, neglecting everything else but Stella. Because deep down, he knew that when he lost her, Stella would be all he really had left. Pepper was asleep, as she'd been most of the time, and her heart monitor flatlined. The doctors immediately ushered Tony out of the room, but he pushed against them. He'd shouted and begged for them to let him stay, but then he heard Stella. His daughter let out a high, confused, terrified wail, and he immediately scooped her up into his arms.

"It's okay, Stels, I promise," He cooed. The doctor again pushed him towards the door, and he complied. He wanted to get Stella out of there.

"Mommy!" She'd cried, reaching out towards the door.

"Not right now, Stella," He'd said. "Mommy can't hold you right now."

"I want Mommy," She whispered.

"I know, I know," He replied softly, "so do I." Then they sat, and they waited. He held Stella in his arms and rocked her as she cried, promising her it would be okay, that he would make it okay. He knew he couldn't. But for her, his daughter, all he had left of Pepper, he would try.

The doctor came out fifteen minutes later. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Stark," He said, and Tony understood. Stella understood too, though she was only six. She was smart. And right then, he wished she wasn't. He wanted to tell her that Pepper was just sleeping, and that she was very tired, so she'd be sleeping for a while. He didn't want her to know that her mother had died.

He brought Stella home that night, tucked her in, and headed back to his own room. Surprisingly enough, he didn't try to drink the pain away. Pepper wasn't someone you could wash away with alcohol. Pepper was bright, warm, and permanent. Nothing he ever drank, smoked, or did could erase her. She was so perfect, and he loved her so much that it made him hurt.

He cried for a while. He curled into a ball on his side of the bed and cried. He couldn't see past that moment. He couldn't imagine ever getting over her and on with his life. And he was terrified. How could he do this without her? How could he raise Stella to be a happy, healthy, not-fucked-up kid without Pepper, who was considerably more healthy, happy, and less fucked-up than he was? He couldn't run a family. He didn't know how to take care of things! If he couldn't fill it with alcohol, he was kind of lost. And he didn't want to mess Stella up. She was all he had left, and he loved her. He wanted to give her the best life he could. How could he do that with Pepper gone?

Then Stella had toddled into his room and plopped a book down on his bed. It was D'aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. He'd always told her to stop it with the mythology crap, because none of it was real and it completely defied any type of science, but for some reason, she loved it. But he wasn't in the mood to read her a story, and he was about to tell her that, when she said, "In this book, when people die, they go down instead of up."

"Stella," He replied, his voice cracking and thick with tears, "none of that's real."

"In this book, the people all have to ride on a boat through a river of other dead people. And they ride past a giant three-headed dog. But I bet Mommy isn't scared at all," Stella continued. Tony laughed a bit.

"That's right. I bet she told it to sit and leave her alone," He said.

"Then some other people judge all the dead people to decide if they're good or bad. And the bad people get punished, and they have to push rocks and stand in lakes. The normal people go to the normal place, and they just walk around and do nothing forever. And the really good people go to the Elysian Fields," Stella told him. He was a bit shocked his six-year-old could pronounce "Elysian Fields". "They get to live in pretty houses and there's lots of rainbows and they have parties all the time. They're having a party now, because it's Christmas. Mommy loves Christmas." Stella never used past tense when talking about Pepper. She still didn't.

"Mmhmm. She always threw a big party here, and invited all these people I pretended to know," Tony said.

"Mommy's going to the good place, Daddy. She's going to see lots of rainbows, and it'll always be Christmas, just for her," Stella finished. "And she'll watch us. She's not really gone. She just had to go down to the good place early, so she could get her house ready for you." Tony lost it when Stella said that. He pulled her into his arms, held her tight, and cried.

And from then on, he knew he had to take care of Stella. He had to make sure everything was perfect for her, because that's what Pepper would have done. Stella was here for him, so he had to be there for her. He had to protect her and guide her and make sure she was happy. He wasn't sure if he was ready, but he would get there. He had to. And he knew that once he was done, once Stella was grown up and on her way, Pepper would have their house ready down in the good place. And finally, he would get to see her face again.


Stella knew her song was hitting home with everyone, but especially her dad. Everyone had felt some aspect of this song. They could all feel it. Stella, too. She'd lost her mother when she was six. She understood being alone. So, with Pepper's face in her mind, she finished her song.

I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name,

like a fool at the top of my lungs.

Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright,

But it's never enough.

Cause my echo, echo,

Oh, my shadow, shadow.

Hello, hello,

Anybody out there?