"Say that again," said Tony, still not sure he heard the words that came out the mouth of his Asgardian teammate correctly.
"That child is my nephew. His mother was my sister and we just learned of her horrible fate."
"This is going to get very complicated," said Pepper.
"I need to take him with me to Asgard to protect him."
"That is not going to be agreeable to me," said Tony. "You have no proof of what you say, but I do have proof of my next words. He is my son."
It was Thor's turn to be shocked.
"How is that possible. I have met her husband before. You are not him."
"Like Pepper said, this is going to be complicated. You said your father wanted to speak with me. Do you know why?"
"He would not tell me. He simply told me to retrieve my nephew and that he would speak with you."
"Then tell him to come and see me himself. Harry is not leaving this house. I know you can kick my ass, but I will fight like hell for that boy. Do not make me fight you."
Thor looked into Tony's eyes and could see the conviction and fire burning in them. Thor knew that he would bring a fight that would be legendary, but he also saw the anger that was starting to fuel that fire in Tony's eyes. Had his father known of the situation and failed to tell him.
"I will return to Asgard and speak with my father. I have a feeling you will be seeing us soon."
"Next time give us some warning. And preferably during regular business hours."
"I shall see you soon Stark," said Thor. The giant man walked out the front door and was gone in an instant. That once again left Pepper and Tony alone.
"I take it you didn't know about that," said Pepper, still trying to wrap her head around everything that had just transpired.
"She seemed to leave that little detail out. If Lily was Thor's sister, that would have made her Asgardian royalty, which means…"
"That your son is also royalty. Is nothing ever simple with you?"
"Apparently not. And it now seems like I am about to enter a custody battle with Asgard. I'm not sure if even my lawyers can handle this."
"Let's try and get some sleep. I have a feeling that we are going to have a long day tomorrow, and if Harry is like any other baby, he will be awake soon and hungry."
Tony followed Pepper to the bedroom where they had placed Harry. They were surprised to see the little guy asleep still, but in Tony's bed.
"That's not where I put him, I swear," said Tony.
"Harry disappeared from his crib and reappeared in your bed," said JARVIS in a hushed tone.
"And you didn't tell me this earlier, why?"
"You were in the middle of a rather important conversation with Thor. I kept watch and made sure that he was in no danger."
"Ok. Great. This kid is going to cause me to go gray quickly if he keeps doing stuff like this."
Tony and Pepper got ready for bed and slowly climbed into the bed, each of them taking a side of Harry. Harry woke up briefly to crawl over and lay on Tony's chest. Pepper watched as Tony fell asleep with his son lying on top of him. God help the poor soul who tried to take Harry away from Tony. It would take all of the Avengers, as well as all of SHIELD to stop the rampage that would soon follow.
The next morning, Tony woke up to Pepper and Harry no longer in the bed. He jumped out of the bed and rushed into the kitchen to find Pepper feeding Harry breakfast.
"You were passed out and he was getting hungry, so we let you sleep. Phil brought stuff for Harry."
Tony looked around and saw many different boxes filled with everything a growing child would need. How had Coulson been able to get all of this stuff in a manner of a few hours? Tony really did owe the guy. He looked over at Harry and smiled as he saw the little boy devouring his eggs and pancakes. The child was happy as could be, not understanding everything that had happened to him in the last twenty-four hours. Tony noticed that the bandage was removed from Harry's head, and there was a clear scar in the spot where he had been bleeding. The shape was very odd as it had taken the shape of a lightning bolt. Things started to have Tony worried that Thor was somehow behind things, because he was the god of thunder what do people associate thunder with. Lighting.
"So, what all do we need to do today," asked Tony, not sure where to start his new life.
"Breakfast. We start with breakfast. After that, we work out a plan. We also need to be ready for a random visit from Asgardians probably," said Pepper, sliding a plate of food over to Tony. "And you need to spend some time with Harry. He needs to get used to you. Well, us actually. It was hard this morning. He looked at me and called me mama."
"You do kind of look like Lily. I can see why he would make that assumption. So, bonding with a baby. What do you know about it?"
"Nothing Tony. I have never been a mother. It wasn't even part of my five-year plan."
"Great. Doing this from scratch. That should be fun. Pepper, are we in over our heads?"
"Probably, but that seems to be when you do your best work. When your back is against the wall, you always find a solution."
"Yeah, but that is usually something I can fix with tech. This is a human being that does not need repairs. He needs parents. And he will need people that know about magic. I know very little about it. You know nothing about it."
"Tony, we will figure this out together. You are a brilliant man, and even though you usually don't show it, you have a loving heart. You just seem to like to hide it by acting like a giant man child."
"It's my coping mechanism," said Tony with a smirk. He and Pepper finished breakfast and began going through all of the things that Coulson had brought them. After sorting through all of the toys, clothes and basic necessities, the couple had another surprise visitor.
"Tony, are you here," said a voice that Tony was not ready to hear. It wasn't someone he disliked. Quite the opposite, it was someone who he had leaned on for advice for most of his problems that were not science based.
"Bruce, this is probably not a good time," said Tony, running to meet the man before he made his way into the living room.
"Tony, I know this look. Something happened. How bad is it?"
"I think my new favorite word is complicated. I'm still trying to come to terms with what is going on."
"How bad can it be?"
It was at that moment that Harry popped into Tony's arms out of nowhere, causing Bruce to jump back. Bruce looked in confusion as the baby laughed as he laid his head down on Tony's shoulder. The kid then looked at Bruce and giggled.
"Ummm… Please explain."
"Yeah. Not something I was planning on revealing to people yet as it is not a simple story. It also just got more complicated recently. Quick version. This is Harry, he is my son, but not an accident. Yes I knew he existed, his parents died, now he is here with me. His extended family just became a lot more interesting, and his parents were people who could do real magic."
"Short version doesn't help a lot."
Before Tony could say anything else, the all too familiar sound of the Bifrost opening shook the house.
"And here comes the more interesting stuff. Wonderful. Bruce, I may need back up from the other guy."
"Why? What issue could you see coming from Thor?"
"Thor is not the problem I see."
"Stark, I have returned and I have brought my Mother and Father as well."
"Wonderful. Let me just get Pepper and we can sit in the living room and chat."
"Bruce, this is not something that concerns you, you should leave.," Thor said to the unassuming scientist.
"Yeah, no. Bruce stays. No offense but I don't know your parents and I don't trust anyone I don't know, especially with what is on the line here. Bruce stays."
"You suspect trouble with us," said Thor's mother Frigga as she approached the door.
"I always expect trouble."
"Wise. I see no reason why someone close to both of you should not be able to stay."
Bruce had never felt so lost before. Things were happening around him and the answers he had already gotten were causing more confusion. He followed Tony into the living room where the three Asgardians also followed. Tony handed Harry to Pepper and motioned for everyone to sit down.
"Alright, so before we start this, does anyone need anything to eat or drink," asked Pepper.
No one said anything. The tension in the room was palpable. Tony was starring down Odin, Thor's father, and Odin was starring down Tony. Thor was also starring at Tony, while Frigga was watching Pepper with Harry.
"So, since no one is saying anything, and I have no idea what is going on, how about we start with that. What is going on? Tony, please explain first," said Bruce, trying to get the conversation going.
"Sure, why not. I have a feeling this is not the last time I am going to have to explain all of this."
Tony then explained how he had met the Potters, what he had done for them, and what had happened for Harry to arrive at his house. Odin looked furious, but Frigga looked happy. Thor was somewhere in the middle with his emotions.
"So, Mr. Odin sir. How does this fit in with you and your family?"
"The woman known as Lily Potter was my daughter Lillian, Daughter of Odin, Princess of Asgard."
"My first question is, how did she end up on this planet and why did no one know" asked Tony?
"She wanted to explore the worlds we are sworn to protect. She de-aged herself and lived the life of a mortal of Midgard. It was during this time that she met the man who she chose as her partner. She refused to leave him. We kept an eye on her but gave her space. She was not as rebellious as her brothers," explained Frigga.
"So you had no idea what we had agreed upon?"
"Not until Thor told us about your claims to be the true father," said Odin.
"I am not giving up Harry. I don't care if I have to go to war with all of Asgard. I made a promise to your daughter, and I have the legal proof that I need."
"He needs to be protected," growled Odin.
"And he will be," said Tony, not backing down from the monarch. "If you want to see how protected, we can start right now."
"What is wrong with you two," said Bruce, not caring who he offended. "I actually see a rather intelligent solution to all of this, but neither of you are engaging the logic part of your brains."
"Have care how you speak to me…" began Odin before Frigga cut him off.
"No, you should listen to this man. He is wiser than you give him credit for. I can see that he is not taking the side of anyone but the most important one."
"Do you read minds or something," asked Bruce.
"Something like that, but not deep thoughts. You are projecting your emotions and the other entity is actually in agreeance with you. Must be my grandson's effect on you."
"She's not wrong. Big guy is getting agitated with how you two are approaching this. I know, its odd for him to be rational. Harry is Tony's son. That we can all agree on. He has given evidence. You claim that Harry's mother is your daughter, which why would you make that up. It doesn't make sense. That means you are all his family. Tony will not want to give up Harry, and if you try and rip a child away from his parent, even if he just came into the child's life, the Hulk is not going to allow it. He is rather protective of kids."
"A noble quality," said Frigga. "I see one option that will be best for this situation. Harry is to stay here with his father. We do request that we have access to him as often as possible. We will keep his lineage a secret for now, at least here on Midgard, as to keep him safer from possible enemies. We would like to bring him to Asgard sometimes, just so he can understand his mother's lineage properly. You would of course be allowed to accompany him."
"So far, I am in agreeance," said Tony. Odin still looked infuriated. "What concessions do we need to allow for?"
"I would like to have an Asgardian warrior assigned as his guard and mentor. She will educate Harry about Asgard and it's history, as well as train him in defense."
"You want me to allow some random person to live with us?"
"Of course not," said Thor, finally speaking up. "I do believe I know who my mother is thinking of. She was my sister's best friend and protector, even though she seemed to fail at the second part."
"Yes, I am speaking of Genevieve. We will need to question her about how this tragedy happened, but she would be the best solution. She also happens to have a child Harry's age. And she is a practitioner of the wanded magic that Harry will come to learn. She will be an excellent tutor."
"Harry will also have the best education because look his father is. Tony is a genius, and with all of our smart friends, there will be nothing Harry won't be able to learn."
"He will be able to make his own choices," said Pepper. "We will not force anything onto him."
"You are not married and have no say in my Grandson's life," said Odin, once again, growling as if he was trying to intimidate her.
"I am the woman who is marrying Tony. I am the woman is accepting of the fact that Harry is not mine by birth but will be raised by me and Tony as if he had been born from me. I am choosing to be a part of his life."
Pepper's rage was starting to push through. Hulk was ready to jump in and stop her from causing any issues that could threaten Harry.
"She reminds me of Lily," said Thor, a sad smile on his face. "She had a temper when provoked. Kind of like you father."
Odin sat in silence as he looked at Pepper. He had not realized how much she reminded him of his daughter. He looked at his wife, who was now holding their grandchild. There was no denying that the boy looked like Stark, but his eyes were definitely his mother's eyes.
"I need a few moments alone with my wife," said Odin, as he stood up. Frigga handed Harry to Thor, who seemed too excited to be holding a baby. He was not sure how to hold something so small and fragile. The two elder Asgardians stepped outside to talk.
"Pepper, you have more courage than most people in all the nine realms, standing up to my father like that. Very few people had ever been able to do so, one of which was my sister."
"What was she like," asked Pepper. "Tony only has a few memories of her. What was she like a person?"
"Kind. Her heart was that of Mother's. She loved everyone, and tried to see the best in everyone. But, as I said, she had Father's temper. Loki would prank everyone, but never her. He feared her. It may have been due to the one time he did play a prank on her, she turned him into a woman, which he was stuck as for a few years."
"Wow. That is an image I do not want in my head," said Tony. "Bruce, what did Frigga mean by you and the other entity agreeing and Harry's effect?"
"Not sure. As soon as the big guy sensed him, Hulk felt calm. Calm, but on edge. Ready to fight if he had to."
"Able to soothe a savage beast. Impressive," said Thor. "I will say, if anyone were to threaten Harry's wellbeing, he has the best guard imaginable."
"Thor, before we go on any further, I need to ask you something, and I need a very straight answer. How did you find out that Harry was with me, and how did you know that his parents were dead?"
"Father told me. He was told by Heimdall. Why do you ask?"
Harry took Harry from Thor and revealed the scar on his head. "This is how he came to me last night, except it was open and had blood pouring out of it. I saw him this morning, and the scar was that shape."
"You suspect me of this?"
"Odd coincidence that he arrives here and soon after, so do you and his scar takes that shape."
"It was not Thor," said Odin, walking into the room, his face a bit calmer. "The monster that did this is dead, or at least mostly dead. I have people searching for clues about his whereabouts. I can understand your coming to such a conclusion, but it is as you just stated, a coincidence. Now, I have agreed with my wife to the terms that were laid out by my wife and yourself Mr. Stark. You do need to understand that Harry is not going to be a regular child. He is going to have more energy, more power, and will live longer than any others in this realm."
"As long as he outlives me, I am ok with that. I will find somewhere for your Asgardian guard to live close by to us. You said she had a child, so I assume that she has a husband who probably has a job."
"He does," said Frigga.
"Then I will find a way to get him employed over here. How often are we needing to get him to Asgard?"
"At least once every other month, if possible. That may be more difficult once he starts his proper education, but for now I feel like every other month is fair."
"Unless it interferes with something we have planned, I can agree to that. I can also find a place here for you to stay at to come and visit him here. We can even make it an Asgardian Embassy if you would like."
"We can hammer out the details soon. For now, I must return to Asgard. Frigga and Thor are going to find Genevieve and determine what happened, and then they will return to you to discuss what they have found."
"Ok. Well, Pepper and I are going to bond with Harry, and I guess I can have JARVIS start looking for property for me to buy to build new homes," said Tony. "And, I truly mean this from the bottom of my heart, I wish this was not the way that we had met. I wish that Harry had not met me yet. That would mean that your daughter, his mother, was still alive."
"Thank you," said Odin. The King of Asgard walked outside and was gone as soon as he stepped out.
"Wow," said Bruce. "And to think, all I came over for was to get some coffee and borrow a few tools."
"Well, I hope this is the last of the surprises for a while," said Tony.
"Don't jinx it like that," said Pepper.