Epilogue

Ava sat in the lab as she fiddled with the device in her hand. She was trying to improve the life on the new StarkPhone that Pepper had wanted to release by the end of the quarter.

The rest of the world didn't know fully what happened with the battle with Thanos. They didn't know that Toni and the others had travelled back in time to prevent it from happening. They didn't know that in another timeline half of them had died.

She had died.

She tried not to think about it. She saw the pain in her mother's eyes when she saw her and Harry, and she couldn't even imagine what it must have been like to have been left behind.

She saw the pain in Bruce's eyes when he saw her again, after having lost her.

But the world went on. The people went on. The markets went on. And so must she.

Maybe she was avoiding her feelings by throwing herself into work. It was nothing that Toni hadn't done herself hundreds of times.

Bucky had decided he wanted to go travelling. He didn't feel comfortable settling down in one place, and Sam had decided the two of them could go together and help out others in need. Steve wanted to stay home with Toni, given she was heavily pregnant, and it seemed like there would be more and more smaller groups going out with their growing numbers instead of sending out everyone each time.

She didn't begrudge him for it. Their relationship was over, and she knew neither one of them had any intention of getting back together after their last talk.

"Ava?" Bruce said as he knocked on the lab door, "You missed lunch."

"I was working," she said simply, as she saw him enter the room. He looked her over and looked as if he wanted to say something to her.

"Can we talk?" he asked her finally, and she sighed as she put down the screwdriver and looked at him. She owed him that much to at least pay full attention to whatever it was he wanted to talk about.

She had a good idea. She knew he didn't like settling down in one place for long. It made him antsy. And with Thanos defeated, she was sure he wasn't going to stick around for much longer.

"When do you leave?" she asked him, cutting to the chase. Because what was the point of prolonging it.

"Leave?" he asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you here to tell me that you're leaving again?" she asked, looking at him.

"What gave you the idea I wanted to leave?" he asked in confusion, "Ava I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here."

"Right," she said, not trusting herself to get her hopes up, as she looked down.

He sighed as he moved closer to her. He took one of her hands in his, "Can you look at me?"

She looked up at him, and he had soft eyes, "Ava, I know we all talked a little bit about what it was like surviving Thanos' snap. But none of us can properly talk about how painful it was to us. Toni was heartbroken. She spent weeks in bed and wouldn't get up. Clint became an assassin. Natasha tried to keep things together by throwing herself into Avenging. We all broke. For me, losing you was the hardest thing that could have happened to me. We were in the lab together, trying to help remove the stone, but I went out into the field to fight. I wasn't with you when you were dusted. You were alone in your final moments. You were terrified, and you called out to your brother and Steve to help you. Your voice haunted me for months. Hearing you like that, knowing how scared you must have been."

She squeezed his hand back. In a way, perhaps she had been one of the luckier ones. She might have died, but she wasn't left behind to live with the pain of being one of the ones who survived.

"I love you, Ava Carter-Sousa," he told her, "And I regretted leaving every moment that I was gone. Hulk and I had a long talk about running away from our problems, and we both agreed never to do it again. Never to leave you in pain like that. It was unbearable being away from you, for the both of us. The moment I had control over my body again all I wanted was to be back here with you. Losing you was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I'm not going anywhere, I promise you. And if you'll take me back, I promise to love you 'til my dying breath."

She trembled, and his free hand moved to cup her face.

Part of her wanted to tell him off. His leaving had broken her heart, and it had taken her years to recover from it.

But she loved him. She always had loved him. And she wanted to be with him.

"If you run away again, I promise I'll hunt you down and make you regret it," she said, shakily.

"I'd deserve it," he said freely, brushing her face with his thumb.

"I love you too, Bruce Banner," she breathed as she looked at him, "You're stuck with me for life, so you better have meant every word."

"I did," he promised her, and she searched his eyes to make sure he was telling the truth.

And when she found no dishonestly, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips, desperately and passionately. She threw her arms around him, and he kept one hand on her face and the other wrapped around her waist to bring her in close to him.

"I'm here to stay," he said, when they broke away, and she smiled up at him.

"Good," she said simply, before pulling him back in for a kiss. In all the days he'd been gone, she'd missed this. Missed him. And as terrified as she was about jumping back into a relationship with him, she knew this time would be different.

They had a lot of lost time to make up for.


Toni walked along sidewalk in the small town in Norway. She'd brought up the possibility of relocating the displaced Asgardians to a new home, and while several European countries had offered their support and aid for the refugees, it had been Norway that had been decided would host the alien settlers.

Norway was where they had the most history, and where Asgardians had often visited in the past. And well, how many other countries could say that ancient Gods from their old religions were real and had settled down in their modern country?

"I think they'll like it here," Steve said, as she looked at the town. She'd never been to Asgard, but she knew from both Thor and Loki that it had been perceived as grand. Still, the Asgardians had taken to the town, and she knew that they were going to be happy there.

"Lady Stark-Rogers," Loki greeted her warmly as she spotted her.

"How many times do I need to tell you that it's just Toni," she said with a smile.

"Of course," he said, "However a woman of your beauty and intelligence must be respected for the marvel she is."

She knew his flirting was harmless, despite his persistence.

"Brother, leave Toni alone," Thor said joyfully, as he approached them.

"Thor, you look well" she smiled. He had been doing a lot better since the end of the battle. She knew he'd suffered from some post-traumatic stress disorder, and he'd taken her suggestion to start speaking to a therapist, with Loki's support. He'd gone through a trauma with the death of his brother and many of his people, and even with fixing things in the past, it was hard to overcome.

"I have you both to thank for that," he said, looking between her and Loki, "If it were not for your support, I am not sure I'd have not drunk myself into a stupor."

"Thor," Loki started, sounding pained.

"No Brother," Thor raised his hands, "It is true. It was horrible, seeing you die in front of me. I know we have had our differences through the years, and have not always gotten along, but you have always been my little brother. It was devastating to see you die, and even now when I close my eyes, I see your body lying there. It haunted me for months after his snap. I thought I failed you."

"You never could have failed me," Loki told him gently, "I am not sure what I was feeling in the moments before my death in that timeline, but I can assure you that I never would have blamed you. You're right, we have had a rough relationship, but I'd like to think over the course of the last few years we've made amends and become more of a family."

"I'm glad you're doing better," Steve told him, "And that you both survived. Every day I'm grateful that we were given the chance to go back and make things better. Because that world where we lost was truly terrible."

He wrapped his arm around her, knowing that she was getting tense from the subject. Even now, it wasn't something she liked talking about. Even with therapy, it still terrified her that her worst nightmares had become a reality.

"So what's next for New Asgard?" she asked them both, "I imagine you're going to work on rebuilding your new country?"

Much like the Vatican was its own country within Italy, New Asgard had been given country status, despite its residence in Norway. And they'd need to build connections to the rest of the world while settling in and adapting to their new life.

"Thor has been wonderful in helping our people," Loki said, sounding proud of his brother, "He is going to make an excellent King."

"King?" Thor frowned looking at him, "What are you talking about, Loki? You're their King."

"Me?" Loki said in confusion.

"You've been their king for the better part of the last few years," Thor reminded him, "Why would that stop now?"

"I assumed because thing changed," Loki admitted, "The position was always yours, Thor. I was just handling it while you hunted down the Infinity Stones and fought with the Avengers. But now that we're here and the Infinity Stones are gone, I thought you'd want it back."

"Of course not," Thor said, like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world, "You're their King, Loki. I'm not going to take that away from you. You did an incredible job over the last couple of years. You were always meant to be a king. I'm not cut out for it. I'm a warrior. I could never sit on a throne and handle the day to day like you do. I would very much like you to keep the role, if you want it."

Loki looked stunned, "I…thank you, Brother," Loki said, "It means a lot to me that you think that I'd do a good job of it."

"For what it's worth, I agree," Toni spoke up, "Just being here over the last few hours, it's clear your people think very highly of you, Loki. I think you will do an excellent job guiding them and making a home here. And if there's anything you need when it comes to making connections with the rest of the world, let me know. We're here for you."

Loki smiled at her, as he kissed her hand.

"I appreciate the offer, Lady Stark-Rogers. Perhaps you'll allow me to escort you for a drink? The non-alcoholic variety, of course," he offered.

"Lead the way," she grinned.

"He knows I'm right here, right?" Steve whispered dramatically to Thor, and she laughed without looking back at her husband.


Toni screamed out in pain as Steve held onto her hand.

"Come on, Sweetheart," her husband said encouragingly, "You can do this. One more push. Then it's all over."

"That's what you said ten minutes ago," she yelled out, "What if another one pops out?"

"Darling, we knew it was twins," he said soothingly. "This is the last baby. I promise. Just push, okay?"

"I can't," she sobbed. "I can't push."

"You can," he said, as she tightly grasped his hand. "Just push, Baby."

She screamed out again, as she gave a final push, and she felt a sense of relief as the Doctor took the baby into his arms to clean second one off.

Steve kissed her forehead, as the doctor came back to place two little babies into her arms. A boy and a girl.

"I can't believe I gave birth to twins," she said, tiredly.

"You did an amazing job," he grinned, as he looked at his youngest children with nothing but love in his eyes.

"We should let the others see her," she said with a smile. Because as exhausted as she was, their family wasn't whole yet without bringing in the rest of the family.

"I'll let them know," he her tenderly, and she smiled as Steve brought in her Aunt and Uncle, cousins, Peter who had been watching Morgan, Pepper, Rhodey, Bucky, Bruce, and Natasha.

"Are these my newest grandchildren?" Aunt Peggy asked with delight as she looked down at the sleeping children in her arms, "Oh aren't they precious!"

Morgan peered over from Peter's arms at the sleeping children as she reached out to pat their face.

"That's right, Morgan," Peter grinned, "These are our new brother and sister."

Morgan clapped.

"What are their names?" Uncle Daniel asked, and she knew he was slightly misty eyed.

"This one here's the oldest," she said, looking at her son who'd been born ten minutes before his sister. "We're going to call him James Howard Stark-Rogers. Jamie for short. After the men in our lives who've been brothers to us both."

"Toni," Rhodey said, sounding choked, "I don't know what to say."

"I do," Bucky said gruffly, "It's a fine name. I'm honoured you would name your child after me."

"I'm glad you think so," Steve said looking over at her, "Because Buck, we'd like you to be his godfather."

"And Ava his godmother," Toni said, looking at her cousin, who squealed in delight.

"Of course," she said, said with an elated tone, as Toni handed over Jamie to her.

"And this one?" Aunt Peggy asked and she smiled.

"Margaret Maria Stark-Rogers," she said, "After my godmother who taught me how to fight for what I believe in. Meg for short."

"Oh Toni," Aunt Peggy said, tearing up. "I'm touched."

"There's no one else we would have rather named her after," Steve said, looking at his old friend with a warm smile, "You've been there for us both through the years, Peg, and we wanted to honour you by giving our child your name."

"Harry, we'd like you to be her godfather," she said to her cousin

"Of course," he said with a nod, and she knew he was trying to keep his face steady. She handed him Meg, as he looked at the little girl in his arms.

"Natasha, would you be her godmother?" Steve asked their friend.

"There's no one I would trust more to look after my daughter and teach her how to fight for herself like Aunt Peggy did for me."

"I don't know what to say," Natasha said, as she smiled at them both, "I'm honoured that you would ask. Clint's going to be so jealous that he wasn't asked."

"Yeah, if there's a waitlist for the next one, I'd like to be on it," Bruce teased, and Ava laughed at her boyfriend's antics.

"After these two, I'm not sure I'll ever have more children," she groaned.

"We'll see what we can do," Steve assured them both in a jesting tone, and she glowered at her husband.

"If you want any more children, Steve Rogers, you can have them yourself," she said sarcastically.

"Stark-Rogers, Darling," her husband corrected her with a grin.

"Do you think I can get them both to say Peter as their first words too?" Peter speculated.

"Oh no, Mister," she said firmly, "I will get them to say Mom first. And don't think you'll fool us this time. We haven't forgiven you for sneakily tricking Morgan to say your name. You're not gonna pull the wool over us twice."

"Yeah we have two shots now to get our names said first," Steve said just as seriously. "I will get Dada as one of their first words if it's the last thing I do."

"You're forgetting that I'm their cool older brother," Peter smirked, "I have an advantage.

She gasped, "What happened to the sweet kid I met all those years ago? He never would betray me like this."

"You raised me," he deadpanned, and Steve barked out a laugh.

"He's turning more and more into the two of you every day," Bucky said solemnly.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Steve teased his best friend.

"It is," Bucky said simply, "I remember having to save your behind more times than I can count growing up, Stevie. And Peter has your heart."

Peter beamed at that.

She looked around the room with a grin, as her children, all of them, were fawned over by various occupants in the room. It might not have been the most conventional of pregnancies, but they weren't the most conventional of families. All that mattered was that they'd won against Thanos. And they were together.

Her, Steve, their four human children, her three bots, her AIs, Vision, her cousins, her Aunt, her Uncle, her brother, Pepper, and all the other Avengers.


Toni rubbed her eyes as she looked over the simulations she was running. With the twins at five months old, they were just starting to sleep through the night, but if one of them woke up, they immediately woke up the other, and both woke up her.

She and Steve alternated between checking on them when they were awake, but it was hard to fall back asleep after. Morgan had just passed her second birthday, and her oldest daughter may not be old enough to take care of her younger siblings, but she certainly enjoyed toddling around with them.

And Peter. Well Peter definitely enjoyed entertaining his younger siblings.

"Toni?" she heard Harley say, as he entered the lab. "You wanted to see me?"

She smiled at him as he entered her lab. She had asked him and Abby if they wanted to come for a visit as they were on their spring break, Harley from College, and Abby from school. Peter had been ecstatic for their visit, and Abby certainly enjoyed seeing the younger children.

But there had been an ulterior purpose to her invitation into her lab that day.

"I did," she nodded, as she pulled up the suit's semantics onto the screen. It wasn't as flashy as her earlier models, and she'd substituted out the gold for silver.

"I like it?" he said in confusion, "But it doesn't look like it's fit for your body type?"

He wasn't wrong. While her suit was meant to go over her own body, the suit in question was definitely meant for someone with different proportions than her.

"Because it's not," she said simply as she looked up at him. "It's for you."

"What?" he asked in disbelief, as she saw his face fill with shock.

"You asked me once if you could have a suit," she reminded him. "But I told you that you were too young. I said the same thing to Peter once as well, before he'd gone and gotten bit by a spider. But you're nearly nineteen now. And if you want it, the suit is yours."

"Are you for real?" he breathed out, eyes widening.

"Yeah, I'd say I was," she said with a shrug, trying not to smile widely.

"Oh my god," he said, looking it over. "This is all I've wanted for so long."

"Don't think that this means that I still don't want you to get an education," she warned him, "You will be finishing your full schooling and having an actual career. But yes, if you want it, then I'd like you to step in as the newest member of the Iron family. Iron Boy."

"Excuse me, Boy?" Harley said, incredulously. "I'm a man. If anything, I'd go by Iron Man."

"Mm hm, whatever you say," she teased him. "Lad, perhaps? Iron Lad?"

He sighed.

"Why do you hurt me like this?" Harley pouted. "Peter gets to be Spider-Man. Why do I have to be a boy?"

"He named himself," she said with a shrug. "But as I'm the one naming my successor, I feel like I should have creative liberties when it comes to naming you."

"Successor?" he said sharply, catching her meaning. "Are you stepping down?"

"I am," she said simply, and he gave her a stunned look.

"You can't!" he protested, "You're a superhero! You saved the world against Thanos! If you hadn't been the one who snapped your fingers, then we all might have died. Again!"

"I know," she told him, "And I have no regrets about doing that. I'd do it again if I had to. But when I did that, I was fully aware that I might not survive the Snap. In fact, I was prepared for the fact that I would not survive."

"You thought you were going to die," he said flatly.

"I did," she said. "But I did it anyways. Because there was far too much at stake."

"So what, now you're just going to quit?" he asked, brows furrowing.

"Harley, you're older now," she told him gently, "So I can be more honest with you. I made the first suit when I was being tortured in a cave, and it was my only way out. I made the second suit because I realized that my company's weapons were being sold illegally to terrorists. And it was my duty to put stop to it. And I did that. Every single weapon that my company sold behind my back was hunted down and destroyed."

She took a deep breath, "Then the aliens invaded. Loki wasn't behind the attack, but someone else was. And they were going to come back one day. So I stayed as Iron Woman, fighting whenever needed, trying to prepare against it. And Ultron happened. I took a step back because I didn't want to fight every battle. I had a company to take care of. And then I adopted Peter, and I had Morgan. Being Iron Woman became more of an emergencies-only situation. Then Thanos came."

He was listening to her aptly.

"I did what I had to, to get all of you back, Harley," she told him gently, "And I don't regret it for a second. I would do the same thing over and over again if it meant having you all live. But I did it. Thanos is gone. The thing I'd feared was coming for years came and we defeated."

He nodded at that.

"I'm not a young woman anymore, Harls. I'm getting older and I have four kids, three of which are under the age of three. I'm not saying that I wouldn't suit back up if the world needed me, or if any of you needed me. But I want to step down. And it would be a waste of technology to let the suit turn to rust in my lab. If you want to do this, then I want you to take over for me. There is no one I'd trust more with the suit."

"I don't know if I can do this without you," he said, looking up at her.

"You won't be," she promised him, "I'll be by your side. I'll help you train in the suit, and I'll watch over you while you get a hang of things. And when you don't need to me then I'll take a step back."

"I don't know if I'd ever not need you," he admitted, "You've been a mentor to me for years, Toni. It changed my life to know you. You're like a second mother. And I'm glad you survived. I don't know what any of us would have done if we lost you."

"I'm glad I'm still here too, Kiddo," she smiled. "Now I have a prototype of the suit ready. What do you say you suit up and we go to the Compound and try it out? I know Peter would love to train with you."

"Sounds great," he grinned, and she smiled at him. She was making the right choice to take a step back, and she knew the world would be in safe hands with Harley and Peter.


Toni sighed contently as she sat on the sofa, legs propped up as she had a throw over them and a cup of tea in her hands. Her StarkPad rested on her lap as she looked over the latest semantics for the line of prosthetics she was working on releasing. It had been a long time coming, and with Bucky needing an arm, and Rhodey nearly losing movement in his legs, she wanted to get into the field more than ever to help those in need.

"The twins are down, and Morgan has been read to," Steve said, as he collapsed beside her on the couch, "Peter's off on patrol, so we have a bit of time to ourselves."

She grinned at that. She loved her children more than life itself. But she also enjoyed every moment of peace she could get, because they were far and few in between.

He wrapped an arm around her, and she leaned into him.

Since the defeat of Thanos, she'd found herself busier than ever. She'd needed to rebuild the Compound, get the Asgardians settled, have babies, and still manage to release a few new products for Stark Industries. There hadn't been a lot of time to rest, so she enjoyed the few moments of silence they had.

So much had changed over the last few months. Bruce and Ava had gotten back together, and while she'd given the man a stern talking to, she knew he was here to stay. She'd never seen her cousin as happy as she'd been with him back in her life.

And Pepper and Rhodey were expecting, much to Mama Rhodes' delight. She was about three months along already, and the age difference between Baby Rhodes and her own children meant that they'd be able to grow up together. She and Pepper had already planned playdates for her unborn child and her own children when they were old enough to do more than just lay there cutely.

Harry and Natasha had made no moves to further progress their relationship, but she knew that they were happy together. The two worked well together, often going on missions with just the two of them.

"I missed you," she said with a smile, despite knowing it hadn't been more than an hour since he'd left to get the kids down for the night.

"I missed you too," he admitted, as he pressed a kiss into her head. "Even with all the technology in this time, it still feels like I don't get to see you as much as I'd like."

"Do you ever miss it?" she asked him, and he looked at her in confusion, "Your own time? Because seeing it made me understand why you'd be so nostalgic for it all. There was a certain beauty in the forties, and you had a life back there. You had friends and family back there. But you had to leave it all behind."

"Sometimes," he said softly, "It was where I spent the majority of my life, Toni. It was where I was meant to spend my entire life. It was where I thought I would spend my life. I never expected when I crashed my plane in the ocean to be pulled out seventy years later in the future. I thought I was going to die. But I was given a new life here, a new life with you. I may not always understand how things work in this time, but I've tried my best to adapt and make things work. And I'm grateful for it every day, that I got a chance to have a life here with you."

"Would you ever go back?" she couldn't help but ask. Even with their life together and her knowledge of how much Steve loved her and the kids, she still worried. "We still have the knowledge of how to make the time travel machine. I could make it again if you wanted to and we could send you back to your own time, if it was what you wanted."

He looked at her and shook his head, "Toni, I might have been born and raised there, but I belong here. With you. With Peter, Morgan, Jamie, and Meg. With JARVIS, Vision, FRIDAY, DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers. With Bruce and Ava, Harry, Natasha, Bucky, Peggy, Daniel, Loki, Thor, Wanda, and Pietro. With Clint and his family. This is where I belong. Even if you made the machine again, I wouldn't go back. The life I have here might not have been one that I ever imagined having, but this is my home. And there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Her heart softened at those words. She knew he loved her and while she knew it on one hand that he wouldn't leave, it was reassuring to know that he was here to stay. How many things had to have happened for things to have turned out the way they did?

She thought about it in that moment.

She thought about how many moments throughout history had to come to be in order for them to be here together. In this moment, with Steve snuggled against her, in the present, despite the fact that they had been born in different times, and should never have met, If things didn't turn out the way they did.

She was a scientist. She spent her life in pursuit of creation, to make the world a better place. To make, to build, to create.

She studied theories her entire life. The theories that made up life all around them.

But the theories of the universe, the theories that had brought her here in this moment, to be surrounded by her family and everyone she loved so dearly, was by far her favourite.

It had brought her to Steve. It had given her their children, and their families.

"I love you," she said, and he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her lips. She sighed into him as contentment washed over her.

Everything was just perfect.


A/N: I just wanted to say thank you so much to every one of you for following this story. I can't believe it's been over two years since I started writing it, and it's been a wild journey. Five hundred thousand words later, we've reached the end of it. I knew it would be a huge undertaking when I started it, but it was a story I wanted to tell more than anything.

For those asking about covering Far From Home: I am planning on doing that in a new series I will be posting next week under the same series 'Observational Equivalence'. Toni's story ends here for the most part, however I wanted to leave the universe open for future one-shots and stories, given that there's always something happening in the marvel universe and I'd love to come back and explore those storylines.