A/N: This is the last part. Thanks for reading. Until next time!
"Hey, have you looked at the paintings on the wall yet?"
Morgan pulled back and shook her head.
"Then maybe you should."
"Why?"
"Just look," Pepper said, chuckling.
She went to look at the pictures her mother had on the wall in her office, didn't pay much attention to the first few pieces of artwork that caught her eye. But then she stopped, staring at a canvas hanging near the door.
"You know what this is?" Pepper came to stand next to her, her finger pointing at the name in the bottom right corner of the drawing. "Look what it says."
"My name." Morgan gazed at her mother, a little confused.
"It's a finger painting you did when you were just a baby." She led Morgan to another side of the office. "And this is a crayon picture of a fish living in the ocean. You drew that when you were one year old." Smiling, Pepper stroked her daughter's head, and then called her attention to another picture. The child's scribbled drawing showed a variety of flowers in a garden and a lake in the background. "You and Daddy made this together."
"The drawings are mine?"
"Yes, honey," Pepper answered. "I framed all of them and hung them on this wall. And they always put a smile on my face when I look at them, especially when I'm having a bad day."
"This is Gerald!" Morgan squeaked, as she spotted a 3D artwork.
Pepper laughed. "I wanted to do a lamb with you, but you insisted we make an alpaca, so I cut a basic pattern for an alpaca's body out of construction paper and you covered one side of the form with paste and then we put on the cotton balls." She scooped her daughter up in her arms. "Feel it. It's so soft."
Morgan patted the cotton, smiling from ear to ear as she looked at her mother. "Can we do this again?"
"Anytime, sweetie. You know how much I love making art with you." Pepper put her down. "Look around the office, see what else you like. If you need anything from your backpack, it's on the sofa."
Before sitting down at her desk, Pepper walked over to the bar and poured herself a glass of water. Walking back to her desk, she sat down and took a sip, and then began to assemble the papers into some kind of order whilst starting up her computer. She reviewed her emails, finding over twenty messages marked urgent—some people were far too liberal in their use of that little red exclamation point. She found but two actual emergencies. The other emails were just everyday, run-of-the-mill staff and customer panic attacks.
"Mommy, can I try this lipstick?"
"What lipstick, honey?" she asked, not looking up.
"I found it in a drawer and it's so pretty." She held out her hand to show it to her.
"Of course you can—" As Pepper looked up from her computer, she gasped at the sight of what she was seeing, and her eyes grew wide with shock. "No!"
"Why not?"
"This is... Oh my God!"
She took a deep breath, watching her daughter inspect the lipstick, captivated by its bright red color. Morgan touched the soft silicone flex tip that had so often given Pepper the perfect stimulation right where it counted. She noticed little lines crinkling Morgan's forehead, as the child tried to figure out why rubbing a small amount of lipstick on her finger didn't stain it like it usually did. Pepper carefully took it from her and put the cap back on.
"This was a gift from your daddy," she began to explain, "I take it with me whenever I have to go away for a while because of work. And when I miss Daddy too much, I put that lipstick on and I think of him. It makes me feel good."
Pepper bit her lip and traced the outline with her tongue. She felt like her forehead was reading No lie detected in illuminated letters. That mini vibrator had become a welcome addition to her cosmetics bag on long business trips, the sound of the whisper-quiet motor always drowned out by her loud moans. It had taken her a while to really appreciate her husband's small gift. Now she couldn't believe she had rolled her eyes at him at first. The disguised sex toy was a joke present, nothing more, but it was compact and portable—just what she needed when she travelled light—and it always made missing Tony a little easier.
"Do you miss me too when you're away?" Morgan asked, looking up, her eyes wide-awake but vulnerable, like a puppy's eyes.
Pepper let the lipstick disappear into the pocket of her coat that was draped over the back of the desk chair, then turned to her daughter and held out her arms, smiling. "Viens voir maman, mon bébé."
The child climbed up into her mother's lap, and Pepper enveloped her in a hug and rested her chin on Morgan's head. They sat that way for a moment, huddled together in silence, enjoying each other's comfort. Pepper closed her eyes and breathed in the perfume of coconut milk shampoo in her daughter's hair. She kissed her head, then put her face to the side of Morgan's face and brushed her lips across the soft skin of her cheek.
"I always miss you when you're not with me," she spoke, quietly, as to not ruin the moment. "When I'm here, in my office, I catch myself staring at the clock all the time, because I just can't wait to get home to you and Daddy."
Morgan turned her head to look at her. "Really?"
Pepper nodded, smiling. "You know, the very first time I had to go away on a business trip and couldn't be with you for a few days, I actually cried. You sat directly in front of the video camera when we skyped, on Daddy's lap, so I could see your beautiful face, and I started crying, because I missed you so much. I just wanted to hold you in my arms." She squeezed her gently, kissing her temple. "Like this."
Morgan giggled softly.
"You were so small."
"I'm a big girl now."
"You are," Pepper said, grinning. "But that doesn't change the fact that Mommy still loves to cuddle you." She glanced down as Morgan's tiny fingers touched her cheek and saw the sparkling brown eyes looking back at her. "I really love my work, and I love that I get to travel to so many beautiful places, trying to make a difference in the world, but getting to come home to you and Daddy is the best part of my job."
Without saying a word, Morgan gave her mother a long, warm kiss on the cheek, and Pepper felt consumed with a joy that was beyond human understanding. She would give her life for her daughter's happiness—Tony had done it when he had snapped his fingers to wipe out Thanos and his army, to make sure that their child had a future. He had survived, barely, and Pepper had spent day after day at his bedside fearing the worst. It had brought them closer together as a family, closer than ever. Looking into the eye of death had made them appreciate what they had so much more.
Pepper had always planned things ahead to be prepared rather than lived in the moment. She hadn't completely let go of the spontaneity of her girlhood, but she had learned to silence her spontaneous feelings so that she could behave in ways expected of her or ways that were appropriate. She had considered everything carefully and rationally to be successful in whatever endeavor she laid hands on, her mind always set on the goal. But ever since Tony had almost been taken away from her, she was trying to live more in the here and now, the present moment of life, and enjoy life as it came—much to Tony's liking.
Pepper's gaze fell on the framed wedding picture on her desk. The photo showed her and Tony, standing together closely embraced, her hands cupped around his face, his arms holding her waist, as they kissed. She was wearing a lace dress featuring feminine cap sleeves, and illusion neckline and an open-back, paired with a long tulle veil. He wore a black tuxedo with a white satin shirt, a lilac necktie, and black patent shoes. Both glowed with health and vitality, smiling blissfully into the kiss. But on a portrait meant for two there was an unexpected intruder, an unmistakable and prominent baby bump appearing on the bride. Pepper sighed contentedly. Some days it all still seemed like a dream.
"You look so beautiful, Mommy." Morgan, who had followed her mother's gaze, reached over and stroked the picture frame. "I love your dress."
"Thanks, honey," Pepper answered, smiling. Then she put her finger on the photo, right where her bump was, and said, "There's you. You were really excited that day, just like me and Daddy."
"How do you know?"
"Because I could feel it," she explained. "I was four months pregnant and there was a flutter inside my tummy, like when someone taps his fingers on a tabletop, and it didn't stop. It felt like I had butterflies in my stomach."
Morgan grinned and let out a soft giggle. She couldn't fathom the concept of birth—that she once fit into her mother's body—and she loved to hear stories about the time when she was still a baby, or not even born yet.
"Did you like it?"
"I loved it," Pepper said with a big smile. "It was the very first time I felt you move, and when I told your daddy, he started crying. We both did, because we were so, so happy."
"Can you have another baby?"
Pepper chuckled. She hadn't forgotten about the night Morgan had asked her if she could have a brother, and it looked like her daughter was thinking about that a lot lately. She still hadn't told Tony, but she felt like she knew how he was going to react to it.
"Honey..."
Pepper thought long and hard about an answer, tried to focus more on if she wanted one rather than if it was possible, considering her age—and as she did that, the answer became obvious. Yes. A hundred times yes. She would have all of Tony's babies.
"I love your daddy so much, and you're the living proof that we make beautiful babies—" she gently pinched Morgan's cheek, "—of course I can imagine having another baby with him. But, you know, your father and I are still coming to terms with everything that's happened, and I don't think now's the right time to—" She paused, noticing her daughter's intense stare. "Give Mommy some time, okay? The last few months have been really hard for me, and I'm just glad Daddy's still alive and—" She paused again, as she had to swallow the lump that had suddenly risen in her throat, and drew in a deep breath.
Feeling her mother's inhibition to continue, Morgan flung her arms around her and hugged her, wanting to comfort her. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She didn't mean to make her sad. She just loved the idea of seeing her pregnant, of becoming a big sister.
Pepper kissed her head and snuggled her, smiling through the tears she felt burning her eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for, baby. Sometimes Mommy gets overwhelmed thinking what if we had lost Daddy…"
"And you get sad?"
"Yes," she answered, "I have nightmares too, but then Daddy takes me into his arms and I'm okay again. I'm still healing, you know? It takes time."
Morgan nodded. "I'll help you heal," she said softly, squeezing her.
"You already do." Pepper sighed. "You're helping me a lot."
She glanced at the right-hand corner of her computer screen where a notification had popped up that the board meeting was about to start. They were going to talk about what could be the next big step for Stark Industries as the world was rebuilding itself after Tony's snap, and she knew it would probably take a lot longer than expected. But Morgan had insisted on being present, no matter how long it took and how boring it was, and Pepper was proud that her daughter took such a great interest in the company's day-to-day business.
"Can you please grab your toys, Morgs? It's time for our meeting."
Morgan slid from her mother's lap and went to get the things she had in her backpack that would help keeping her entertained while the grown-ups talked. Then she followed Pepper to the conference room. Pepper pushed open the door and held it for her, and Morgan walked in, letting out an amazed gasped at the size of the room, some thirty by fifty feet.
The west side was lined with large windows, similar to Pepper's office. Opposite the windows was a long table, stacked high with a lavish array of catered drinks, pastries and fruit. The dominant piece of furniture in the room was a large rectangular glass conference table with a chrome leg frame. Each section was fitted with a flip in-desk power module providing power, data, and multimedia connections. The table itself was set up classroom-style. There was a folder, a notepad, pens, and pencils at each seat.
At the south end of the room was a painting that covered the entire wall: the mural showed the company's logo at the top while items from the company's past were painted below, capturing the essence of a dynamic era of technology. Every item symbolized a different technological development in the history of Stark Industries. The painting was like a timeline of everything ever invented under the name Stark, from the arc reactor to the time GPS device.
"Look, Mommy, there's Daddy," Morgan squealed, filled with great pride to see her father's face painted on the wall, the face of the company. "There's Daddy!"
Pepper laughed softly, as she ran a hand over Morgan's head, her fingers combing her hair. Morgan threw herself down on a beanbag chair slouched in one corner of the conference room and arranged her things on her floor. When her mother offered her an iced orange juice, she took it and smiled, opening the small bottle and taking a sip. Soon the room filled with people and the meeting started, and Morgan tried to focus on every word that was said.
Three hours later, Pepper found her daughter curled up on the beanbag chair, snoring lightly. She bowed and nudged Morgan's arm gently, and the child opened her eyes and blinked.
"There you are," Pepper said, chuckling, "Were you asleep the whole time?"
Morgan shook her head. "I heard you talk about Malibu."
"So you've only been asleep for an hour? Wow, that's amazing!" Pepper grinned. "You listened to everything and didn't play with your toys?"
"I made notes."
"You did what?" Pepper asked confused, the surprise in her voice evident. Only then did she notice the small notebook in her daughter's hands where she had scribbled away.
Morgan had been keen on learning how to write and read from very early on, but contrary to what people might think she was capable of, being Tony Stark's child, she had difficulties with it. Pepper had tried to encourage her not to give up, to tell her she would get there eventually, but, as a mother, it had been extremely hard for her to watch her little girl struggle and become frustrated with herself. To see now that she had actually managed to write down a few words that were easily readable touched Pepper so deeply it brought tears to her eyes.
"You wrote... like... Words?"
"Look!"
Pepper crouched down and looked at the letters, then back at her daughter. A grin crept into her stunned expression and she clapped her hands together in glee.
"You did it, baby! You did it." Leaning forward, she smothered her daughter's face with kisses. "You did it, you did it, you did it."
Morgan started giggling uncontrollably.
"You're so amazing! I knew you could do it," Pepper squealed, as she pulled her into a hug, tears of joy trickling down her cheeks. "Aw, my heart! Mommy's so proud of you."
Morgan tossed her head back and laughed heartily, her arms wrapped around her mother's neck.
"We have to tell Daddy," Pepper said, sniffing back tears, and pulled away. "He'll be so happy to hear it."
They left the conference room and entered the hallway, Pepper carrying Morgan's stuff. Morgan walked with her head held high, a sense of pride overwhelming her. She didn't care if she still didn't write and read as well as other children. Her mother was proud of her and that was all that mattered to her in this moment. Knowing the things she did made her parents happy was a great feeling. She couldn't stop grinning.
"What are you smiling about?" Allie asked.
"I can write."
"You can write?" Allie smiled at the child whose big grin was quite infectious. "That's awesome! Won't be long now until you can help your mother with her paper work."
Morgan looked up Pepper, and Pepper smiled, telling her, "I could really use some help with that, little miss Potts."
The girl giggled at the mention of Pepper's maiden name, loving that her mother had actually listened to her before when she had asked her if she could be Morgan Potts today. And today was really exciting. She had so much to tell her father about. The memories she made at Stark Industries were truly unforgettable. If she could become a successful businesswoman like her mom one day, this is the place where she wanted to be. It was so full of love, and life, and exciting things. She understood now why the company was so important to her mother.
Lost in thought, Morgan flinched when the receptionist's phone rang. "Can I get it this time, Mommy? Please, please, please," she begged.
"Of course," Pepper replied, smiling. "Go ahead."
Picking up the phone, she said in a small voice, "Stark Industries, Pepper Potts' office, this is Morgan. What can I do for you?" The person on the phone said something and Morgan frowned, thinking. "I don't know if we can do that. She is very busy."
"Who is it, Morgan?"
Pepper grinned. She wasn't worried that her daughter could do anything wrong, say anything she wasn't supposed to say. Everyone kind of knew who she was; everyone could hear the voice belonged to a kid, so whomever Morgan was talking to had to know this wasn't a very serious phone call.
"When do you want to come here?" Morgan asked. "Hm." She crinkled her forehead. "You have to make an appointment with the boss." She paused briefly. "Like I said, she is very busy, Mr. Stark."
Pepper laughed softly. "Are you talking to your father?"
"Yes, I think two o'clock is okay," she said, nodding. Whatever Tony said next made her giggle.
"What is he saying?"
Morgan looked at her and grinned, not answering her but replying to her father instead, "Yes, the idea is great, but they need to be really pretty."
Again, her daughter emitted a soft giggle, and it drove Pepper almost insane to know they were talking about her, but not to know what they were talking about.
"Thank you, Mr. Stark. We like doing business with you. Goodbye," Morgan ended the phone call. She quickly glanced at Allie, who was making an amused face, then looked at her mother. "Mr. Stark arrives at two."
Laughing, Pepper shook her head. "Can you drop the act for a second, young lady, and tell me what you and your daddy were talking about? I know it was about me, but—"
"Yes, because you are the boss."
"Yeah, but why did he even call, and what do you mean, they need to be really pretty? Who needs to be really pretty? Did I miss something?" She looked at Allie, and Allie shrugged her shoulders, still smirking.
"Daddy told me not to tell you."
"Of course he did," Pepper replied, amused. "So he'll be here at two?"
Morgan nodded.
"That gives me enough time to bribe you," she joked.
"With juice pops?"
"With Mommy's love," Pepper answered, grinning. "I'll squeeze you like a lemon until you tell me." She put the things she was carrying down on Allie's desk and pulled Morgan into a hug. The little girl laughed, struggling to get out of her mother's hold.
"You don't really like surprises, do you?" Allie guessed, laughing.
"My husband's surprises usually give me a heart attack," Pepper said, chuckling. "Although the last time he surprised me was when he awoke from a six-week coma, so that was a really beautiful surprise." She gave a genuine smile, one of happiness, and kissed Morgan's hair. "Alright, Madam Secretary, time for lunch. Then we got more work to do. You can help me answering my emails and when we're done with that I can show you one of the labs, which is a lot bigger than Daddy's garage and has even more toys for you to play with."
Morgan shouted with joy and ran into Pepper's office. Pepper followed her and closed the door. They ate, they replied to emails together, and they spent several hours in the workshop where Morgan was given a tour of the department. As much as she loved being in Daddy's garage, watching him work and inventing all these crazy things, being at Stark Industries made her feel like this was really the place where all the magic happened, not just in the lab but everywhere else, too. She loved the people, the atmosphere and the feeling that whatever was done here impacted the whole world.
Five minutes before the clock struck two, Tony came into the lobby with a large bouquet of roses. The flowers were so huge and full that he couldn't see where he was going. He cursed, running into a few things and bumping into other people, as he made his way to the front desk. He lowered his arm to look at Ian, then his lips parted so a wide, toothy grin could be seen.
"Hi there, pal. I'm here to see my wife." The emphasis he put on the last word was ridiculous, and he could see how hard Ian was trying not to roll his eyes at him. "And before you ask... No, it's not her birthday and it's not our wedding anniversary," —again, Tony made sure to emphasize the word that tied Pepper to him— "I just like to surprise her every once in a while to show her how much I love being her husband."
"You don't need my permission to go see the boss, Mr. Stark," Ian said, faking a smile.
"That's right, I don't." Tony replied, chuckling. "I can see my missus whenever I want."
"Then please do." Ian's voice was a mix between an invitation and a plea. He couldn't stand to look at Tony's smug face any longer, but he also didn't want to come off as rude. So he forced another smile and gave him a nod of the head. "Have a nice day, Mr. Stark."
"Oh, I will," Tony answered, flashing his teeth in another big grin. "You wanna know why?"
No, I don't, Ian said to himself.
"Because today's beach day, and I will just lie back and admire the view." There was a dramatic pause, the look on his face leaving no doubt as to what he meant by that. "My wife in a bikini is..." Tony blew a kiss toward the heavens with a 'mwah' sound. "Bellissima!" Laughing at Ian's expression, he strutted to the elevator. He would never get tired of teasing that boy.
When Tony entered the hallway to Pepper's office, people chuckled at the sight of him, holding a bouquet that made him appear tiny. He bumped into a few more people before making it to the door. Then he waltzed in like he owned the place—technically, he did—and Pepper's mouth fell open.
"Where would you like these flowers, Mrs. Stark?" He couldn't wait to put them down. They were really heavy.
"Oh my God! Are these for me?" She couldn't even see his face.
Tony barely made it to her desk when he put them down. "Yeah, who else would they be for, Pep? You don't think I'm having an affair with your receptionist, do you?" He collapsed in one of the settees, and Morgan came to him, lovingly nestling in the crook of his arm. "Are these pretty enough?" The little girl nodded, grinning.
"So that's what that phone call was about?"
"Mostly, yes. I just asked your little receptionist here if I could drop by a bit earlier than planned, because I had a surprise for you."
"And this is the surprise?"
"That's part of it, yeah."
"What do you mean part of it?" Pepper frowned.
"Your daughter and I... I mean our daughter and I had a little talk and we figured we should spend some more time at the beach in the summer, you know, since we've been living in the woods for so long I feel like we don't even know what a damn beach looks like anymore. So I've been doing some thinking and—"
"Daddy bought a house."
"He bought—" Pepper stared at her daughter, then at her husband. "You did what?"
"It's just a small house, Pepper."
She gave a big sigh and leaned forward, the scent of the flowers conjuring up memories of their wedding. "Define small," she mumbled.
"Six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a pool and a few other, really small things," he said, stroking Morgan's arm as he spoke. "And a private beach... Or as I like to call it, a paparazzi-free picnic spot by the ocean."
Pepper raised her head and looked at him. "So you got me these flowers to win me over?"
"No, honey." Tony chuckled. "I got you these flowers because I love you." He smiled. "You're the world's greatest wife and an even better mom, and Maguna and I are really lucky to have you, so this is just a thank you." He paused. "I did think you'd be more excited about the house, though. Makes me a little sad that you ain't."
"Tony..." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, then smiled at him. "I... I'm not angry with you, I just want us to talk about these things first before we make a decision."
"I almost died, Pep. I want us to have nice things and I want us to have them now, not some day in the future. And an art studio is a very nice thing to have, don't you think? Especially for someone like you whose sooo into that stuff."
Pepper opened her mouth to say something and closed it again, furrowing her brow, as his words slowly sunk in. Seeing her mother's expression, Morgan giggled, eyeing her father who was grinning from ear to ear.
"Mm-hm. You heard that right," he said with a chuckle. "The place comes with a studio that has breathtaking views of the ocean, so you can actually see us down at the beach while you're working. And if you'd rather feel a soft breeze from the ocean to get your creative juices flowing, that's totally cool, because there's a deck directly outside the studio."
He knew about her passion for the arts, visual arts in particular, and how much she had used art as a form of escapism to shield herself from the harsh reality of countless setbacks on the long road of his recovery. Tony didn't really understand how she could find strength in art, but he knew it made her happy and that was everything he needed to know.
But the part of their cabin that Pepper used to work and make her own pieces of art was small, nothing like having an entire room dedicated to her passion. And he wanted her so much to have it. After everything she had been through, he wanted her to have a place to get away from reality—work, life, whatever—whenever she wanted to, even if it meant that he had to do without her for a few days.
Getting up from the settee, he said, "You can still say no, and keep the flowers, but Morgan and I would very much like for you to see it."
"She knew?" Pepper stared at her daughter, Morgan's cheeky grin reminding her so much of Tony's.
He laughed. "She's way better at keeping secrets than I am."
"Why are you telling me this now? Why didn't you wait 'til later?"
Tony grinned as he came to stand behind her. He slid one arm around her waist and nuzzled the side of her throat, planting little kisses that made her insides melt and her knees go wobbly. One hand moved to the bouquet of flowers, pulling out a small metal frame that Pepper had completely failed to see in the sea of roses.
"I thought you might like to hang this on one of these walls. Let Morgan pick a spot, considering she's the one who made it."
"She—" Pepper's eyes darted to her child. "This is yours?"
Morgan jumped off the sofa and walked over to her parents. "Daddy took me to the house and—"
"This is the first piece ever created at your oceanfront studio. That is, if you decide to say yes to my, um... proposal," Tony said, smirking.
As Pepper turned around the frame to look at it, she saw a sophisticated work of art. Morgan had hand picked seashells along the Hamptons beaches—imperfect shells that were typically overlooked, naturally shattered by the churning of the sea into shimmering fragments—and carefully cleaned them. Then she had assembled them into a flower-like work of art that was part collage, part mosaic, and part sculpture. It was one of the most beautiful pieces of art Pepper had ever laid eyes on.
"But it's not even my birthday," she whispered, feeling herself tear up. She locked eyes with her daughter. "Why did you do this for me?"
Morgan smiled. "I love you and I love to make you happy."
"This makes me really happy, my darling. You make me so happy," Pepper said, reaching around Morgan's shoulder and pulling her against her side.
As she stood next to her, Morgan leaned against Pepper's chest, feeling the weight of her mother's chin on her head. "Can we go to the beach house now?"
Pepper's voice was a little shaky as she answered, "I'd go anywhere in the world with you."
Tony wrapped his arms around Pepper and Morgan's body, his lips touching his wife's hair, a soft kiss. "So would I," he whispered, sighing deeply.
The love he felt between the two women in his life, and in his heart, moved him to tears. He was always overcome by emotions seeing them together like this. They were the perfect mother-daughter duo, their bond the strongest and deepest he'd ever witnessed. But he didn't envy Pepper for the relationship she had with their daughter, because he knew his bond with Morgan was just as special. No one could ever tear apart their family—not even someone as powerful as Thanos was capable of doing that.