A Month and a Day in the Life of Hermione Rogers

Thursday 24th November 2022

"Morgan H Stark - stop terrorising your mom and get your cute caboose out here - our guests have arrived," Tony called over his shoulder. He could hear his daughter's tottering footsteps and he turned back to watch Hermione and the boys walk down the path towards him as her portal vanished behind them. He couldn't recall which part of the world they'd come from but, judging by the unsavoury looks the three of them were giving the wintry weather at the eco-compound, it had obviously been a lot warmer than this.

As ever, Tony's emotions fluctuated at the sight of Hermione. There was a great swelling of love and affection - he considered her family, after all - but there was also pain. Being in Hermione's presence evoked old memories, shared experiences and their great failure. Four and a half years on, there was still no getting away from the grief and guilt that hung in the atmosphere between them and he doubted there ever would be.

Part of him dreaded the moment they would reunite (the weight of his emotions was always exhausting around her) but he was also strangely grateful. He didn't ever want to completely move on from the pain of what had happened. It would be an insult to all those they had lost if the day came when Tony felt no gut-wrenching remorse for the past. Spending time with Hermione was like some sort of neverending penance for how he had failed. He couldn't complain. It was deserved. He knew Hermione felt it too, even more strongly than he did, and far more frequently too. For the most part, out here with Morgan and Pepper, Tony was able to shut himself off from the trauma of the Snap for long periods of time. He had many little side-projects he worked on, sometimes providing assistance to Stark Industries or Stranger Enterprises, but it was hardly a full time gig. Whereas Hermione seemed to spend most of her waking moments trying to drive the ongoing recovery efforts as she ran their company tirelessly. And while Tony admired Hermione for adopting Jamie and Al, he was sure she must be reminded of her fallen friends and family every time she looked at them. He truly didn't know how she coped with it all. His admiration for her - her strength, determination, and everything she'd done for the people of the planet despite her personal losses - was beyond measure.

He was so fucking proud of her that his chest actually hurt at the intensity of it.

Hermione gave him a tired smile as she got closer and he swallowed his emotions down with difficulty. Man, fatherhood had really done a number on him.

"Happy Fansgiving!" a voice called near Tony's knee. He ruffled Morgan's hair and she grinned up at him. The greeting was returned by their guests and soon everyone was back in the warmth of the house - Tony finding himself wrapped in one of Hermione's firm hugs the moment she was through the door, not that he was complaining. She momentarily placed the tips of her fingers against his cheek and he felt a surge of love from her that left him speechless. He could only kiss the top of her head in response.

Morgan was scooped up into Hermione's embrace next, giggling and beaming as her 'auntie' gifted her with love too.

Tony showed Jamie and Al some of his latest child-friendly inventions while Hermione granted Morgan's wish to see various examples of magic. Pepper emerged from the kitchen bearing snack-sized pecan pies, still warm from the oven, which drew the children towards her like a magnet. Pepper's culinary skills had vastly improved since the first Thanksgiving Hermione had spent with them, and Tony had no concerns about tucking into his pastry. Still, he smiled wistfully at the recollection of happier, simpler times.

After changing the boys' clothes to something more befitting the weather, Hermione and Tony took the kids out onto the lawn where they could fly a few inches off the ground on the new broomsticks that Jamie and Al had brought with them from Kuala Lumpur. While they kept watch, Tony grilled Hermione about the spells cast on the brooms. He was always curious about magic whenever he saw a new item from wizarding kind - he had to see how it was put together (not that this was always successfully explained because, well, it was magic). Their conversation evolved into a discussion about how the spells differed on adult brooms and Hermione created a portal to bring her own full-sized model from home.

"No, Tony, I don't think attaching a couple of your old thrusters to the tail would make for an interesting experiment," she told him with an exasperated shake of her head. "That sounds like a recipe for disaster."

Tony opened his mouth to retort but Morgan came bounding over to them, dragging her broom behind her. "H'mynee, can you read me story?"

"Of course," she replied, looking pleased. "I love books."

"Oh, believe me, she knows," Tony said dryly. "She remembered from your last visit and takes the fact that she's partly named after you very seriously."

This seemed to please Hermione even more as she took the girl into her arms. "Well, Morgan Hermione Stark, let's go find you a book."

Tony's emotions battled with themselves as he watched her carry the young girl back towards the house. The thought of losing your child… No, he wasn't going to think about that. Today was a day to be thankful. Faces flashed before his eyes despite his best efforts. Wanda… Sam… Steve… Peter…

I'm sorry, he told them all. I'm so, so sorry.

Morgan waved at him from over Hermione's shoulder as they went inside.

Thankful.

I'm sorry.

Be thankful.

I'm so sorry…

A/N Um... Happy Thanksgiving?

Morgan H Stark is canon so of course I took advantage of that. :)