Chapter 8. Story Time

One year later, Tony was sitting at his favourite spot by the porch, trying to read an engineering magazine with some new interesting articles in it. It was a hot summer evening and he was getting bored. He was thinking about getting inside the house in search of some cold beverage, when his six year old daughter started tugging on his leg.

"Daddy, tell me a story, please? I'm bored! And you promised!"

She started jumping up and down in excitement. Morgan loved when her Daddy gave her all his attention. She could stare at him making faces, his hands moving so fast and the tone of his deep voice so calming.

Tony stopped reading and stared at her over his yellow sunglasses. Big brown puppy dog eyes staring directly into his heart. Damn.

"Oh... Did I, now?" He teased his little one.

"Yes! Tell me about the day you brought Gerald home. You know that's one of my favourite stories! Please, Daddy? Please?" The little girl pleaded, still draped around his right leg, all big eyes and a sweet smile on her face.

"Oh okay, Morguna. Who could say no to that face!" He smiled and caressed his little daughter's cheek with tenderness. "Come here, you little mess."

Morgan made a face, feigning offense, but obeyed her dad and slowly climbed into his lap. Tony took off his sunglasses, left the magazine open over the table and secured his daughter, all draped over him.

"Well, I'm gonna start from the beginning. You know that this happened during the decimation years…" He pointed towards the countryside in front of them, going on and on into the horizon. "All this land was already ours, but the house wasn't still like it's today, because a lot of rebuilding had to be done to make it into a home, to build Gerald's barn, the greenhouse... Our home, like we know it today, existed only in your mom's and my dreams and thoughts... Same as you, who were still inside Mommy's womb, getting bigger and bigger..."

Morgan stared at her dad in awe, totally fascinated with him and his words, not missing a single detail of a story she already knew to heart... Tony tickled her belly softly, and she started giggling like mad.

"Hahahahaha… Daddy, please stop!" Morgan continued to giggle. "Keep going with the story!"

Tony stopped, kissed her on the cheek and kept speaking in a dreamy voice.

"Okay, okay, Little Miss, It all went like this... Your Mommy and I were at the Ecologic Grocery Market and she went to buy some tasty carrots, when I suddenly heard a growl. I looked towards the sound and an alpaca was being dragged around the place, and its owner wasn't treating it well at all. The poor animal was trying to get free from its captor. It stopped in its tracks and didn't move. It was obvious it didn't want to go. And the man was gonna hit him in the ass with a wooden stick in order to make him walk towards its cage…"

"And then you saved it!" Morgan cut him off, excited.

"Of course I did. I saved Gerald from his horrible destiny. I couldn't leave that alpaca be appalled by that horrible farmer."

"Of course not! Poor Gerald!" Morgan agreed.

"I went towards the man and offered him an obscene quantity of money, and I signed him a check right there. He accepted. I got the rope he was tied up to and I got to the place I thought your mom was waiting for me."

"And then Mommy saw Gerald for the first time… Hahahahaha" Said the little girl who couldn't hold back her laughter anymore.

"Yes, and she wasn't happy…" Tony kept telling her. "She kinda wanted to kill me for bringing another thing we didn't need into the house... Those were /her/ own words... but I persuaded her with my innate charm."

"She told me that you slept on the couch for an entire week because of this, Daddy…" Morgan kept giggling uncontrollably.

"Hey!" He protested. "Well, that's true… But over time, your Mom got attached to Gerald. And now, she won't admit it, but she loves our pet dearly."

"He's from the family" Morgan agreed "We all love him."

"Yes, we do."

"He's another Stark," She added, smiling. "Gerald Stark"

Pepper had left the house then and had listened to the last part of the conversation, got to the porch and sat right next to them.

"He's not mine at all… He's yours and your Dad's and you both promised to take care of him."

"Mommy, we do!" She said getting serious.

"And maybe he needs a little discipline to stop getting his nose into my homegrown vegetables," Pepper added, directed only to Tony this time.

"Pep, you know I try, but he has a very strong personality…" He explained.

"Oh, does he? Mmm... He remembers me of someone I know, then" She teased him. Tony smiled at her, knowingly. "And what were you doing all secretly here?"

"Daddy's been telling me the story of how you got Gerald home." She explained proudly.

"That story, again?"

"It's her favourite, you know that." Tony clarified.

"Oh, I see," Pepper added. "Has your father told you that we needed to hire a horse transport on the spot because there was no way that an adult alpaca could be put in a two place sports car to bring it home? And that it was a nightmare? That I had to talk with all the farmers and sellers in the market so they could give me the phone of someone who could help us? That we stayed there for hours until the transport arrived? That I was six months pregnant at the time?"

"No…" Her daughter stared at her in awe. It was adorable.

"Of course not," Pepper teased. "He always forgets about the dirty details."

"But we saved him from a horrible life!" Tony added, offended.

Then, Pepper stared at both of them, lovingly.

"Yes, we did. And that's what I love most of you, Tony" She caressed his cheek and kissed him in the forehead. "Your big heart, and yours too Little Miss" She said while tugging at Morgan's shirt.

The child threw herself into her mother's arms then, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek with love.

"You're the best, Mommy! I love you so much!"

"And I love you too, my Baby" Pepper said, hugging her back.

Tony then joined them in the hug. "Come here, you both"

Gerald stared at them from his spot in their land and he looked like he was smiling, if alpacas could do that.

"Gerald Stark" is obviously a nod to "Bernard Stark" the flamingo pet Howard Stark had in his gardens. Edwin Jarvis had to take care of him in the "Agent Carter" TV series (if you haven't seen it, do it. I loved it). The Starks have funny stories with their pets.

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to derivedfromstrong, an awesome writer and my wonderful beta, because this wouldn't even exist without her altruistic help. You are the best :)

Thanks to rebelmeg because of this phrase: "canon is only fanon with money" that gave me the strength to finally put my ideas into words.

I have no money, but sure as hell I have the will to make my favourite characters ever JUSTICE.