Happy Sunday!

I wasn't sure if I'd post this week or next but I am having a good Story 6 so I figured I'd go ahead. I hope you enjoy xxx

Pepper sat on the closed toilet seat and stared at the white stick in her hand. The blue line remained clear, even though she had thought she'd blink it away, like popping a soap bubble.

She was going to have a baby.

For the first time in the six weeks since their terrible loss, she felt a wave of pure joy. She couldn't believe this was happening. They'd not been trying, but this miracle had happened anyway.

She placed a hand over the abdomen and searched for a sign of a bump. There was none, which made sense as she estimated she was just under ten weeks. But there was a life growing under her hand, a new son or daughter was in there now, growing, alive, her child.

She felt am immediate wave of guilt that she was thinking that way when she already had a child, but sense quickly caught up. Peter would be happier than anyone to have a little sibling, and he wouldn't want his absence to tarnish this incredible moment.

She closed her eyes and sent a word of love to him, wherever he was, and hoped he would somehow know she was thinking of him, loving him, missing him and wishing he was here to share her happiness.

"I'm going to have a baby," she whispered, and then her voice rose "I am going to have a baby!"

She laughed and jumped to her feet, her head swimming at the change in position and the excited thumping of her heart. She placed a hand on the wall and scolded herself. She had to be careful now; she was carrying a new life.

She raced to the door, eager to tell Tony.

Suddenly, she stopped short. Did he already know this was coming? Was this something that had already happened to him or was it a shift in the timeline? It had to be something new. If he knew, he would have told her, perhaps unwillingly, but surely he would have slipped over the two years he'd relived with her.

A second question came: if he didn't know, would he be happy?

Steve told her he was coping better this time around that last time with the loss of Peter, but still, they had lost their son and would not have him back for five years. No amount of preparation had eased Tony's pain of holding their son as he drifted to dust in his arms and Pepper's pain for not being able to say goodbye. Peter would be happy to be a big brother, she knew that without doubt, but would Tony be ready for another child? Would he be able to share the joy she was feeling, or would he feel like they were replacing Peter?

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she thought it over.

No matter how he was going to react, she had to tell him.

With less eager steps, she left the bathroom and rode down in the elevator to the lab where he was working on more tech to help the survivors of the Snap.

She scanned her handprint and the door clicked open. The music was loud, but Tony told Friday to turn it down before he turned to greet her. She was holding the test stick up her sleeve, wary of how he was going to react, but then she caught sight of his face and she knew he had always known.

For the first time since Peter died, the shadow of pain had left his eyes and he was fighting a beaming smile. He knew what was coming as he'd lived through this moment before and, it appeared, he was happy about it.

With a wave of heady relief, she said, "You knew and didn't tell me?"

Tony bit his lip and whispered, "Show me?"

She held it the test stick out to him. He took it with a shaking hand and stared at it. Tears sparkled in his eyes, and she panicked, maybe he wasn't happy, and then he threw the test into the air and whooped. She hadn't seen him this elated until they'd heard the odds were in Peter's favor, that he was going to be Worthy.

He swept her into his arms and kissed her firmly on the mouth and then smattered her face with kisses. "I'm sorry," he said between kisses. "Are you angry I didn't tell you? I didn't want to spoil it for you. I wanted you to experience it all as it happened."

"I'm not angry," Pepper assured him. "I'm grateful. Thank you for letting me experience it all like this."

Tony pulled back and then bent to kiss her stomach. He whispered something that she couldn't hear it. It dawned on her that this was the first time he was speaking to their child in months—years if he hadn't seen them when he was temporarily sent back to 2023. How had he done it? She didn't think she could have borne it.

"How did you cope without them?" she asked.

Tony straightened up and blew out a huge breath. "I can't even put into words how much I missed them. I saw them briefly when Peter sent us back to 2023 while he was fighting Nemesis, but I missed them every single day. It was only that I was here for Peter that made it possible." He grinned. "Pete knew."

"He did?"

Tony nodded. "I told him. Well…" His smile faded. "In the end, everyone knew. Obviously, Steve, Bucky, and Nat knew because they were there with me in 2023, then Clint found out when he was taken there, and then, right at the end, when Peter and Bucky were bound, I slipped up and said their name. After that, there was no point trying to hide it." He stared into her eyes, worried. "Do you hate me?"

She cupped his face in her hands. "Tony, I could never hate you. I would have liked to be able to tell them all myself, but you did something incredible, coming here and not telling me so I have this experience." She kissed him and asked, "How did Peter feel about it?"

Tony beamed. "He was so excited about being a big brother. And in 2023… God, Pep… I think he's the only person that loves them as much as we do. He's the best big brother anyone could ask for. He loves them so, so much." He winced. "You know I told you Ross kidnapped him in 2023 and had him tortured?"

"Yes."

"Well, he wasn't kidnapped as much as he snuck away from us to go to them willingly. Our child had a gun pointed at them and Peter knew. He was told they'd die if he didn't go, and so he went. And then… He has so much power in 2023, Pep, but he refused to use it to save himself because the Stones couldn't guarantee he would be able to save our child, too. He went through hell to protect them."

Pepper felt tears prick her eyes at the future suffering of her son. "You say them," she said. "But are you going to tell me if it's a boy or girl?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to? I can tell you absolutely everything about them from the color of their eyes to their favorite food, or you can experience it all for yourself."

Pepper didn't even have to consider when he phrased it like that. "No, I only want to know one thing—are they healthy?"

Tony beamed. "They are. Healthy, happy, and perfect."

Pepper felt a deep-seated relief, and she placed her hand over her stomach, imagining the baby beneath her hand, growing healthy inside her, to be in her arms in only a matter of months.

Pepper fixed her eyes on the monitor, and Tony squeezed her hand. Even though he had been through all of this before, he showed true joy in each step of her pregnancy. He was even happier today as they were having the sixteen-week scan which would reveal the gender to her if she decided to know. She hadn't decided if she wanted to yet. Though Tony already knew whether it was a boy or girl, along with absolutely everything else about their baby, she wanted some surprises.

The picture appeared, and Pepper was struck by how much more defined it was this time. She could see an actual baby instead of a small shape with pearls of a spine and the thrum of a heartbeat. She could now see its nose, a perfect snub, the closed eyes, the tiny hand which was cupped under its chin.

"Do you want to know the gender?" the sonographer asked.

Pepper looked at Tony, who was grinning fit to burst, and she decided she did want to know. She wanted to have a better mental image of their baby growing into a child.

"I do," she said.

"Okay." The sonographer adjusted the wand on Pepper's stomach a little, then said, "It's a girl."

Tears sprang to Pepper's eyes, and she looked to Tony for confirmation. "A girl?" she asked. "Really?"

"I'm positive," the sonographer said, but it was Tony's confirmation she needed.

"A girl," he said.

Pepper laughed and tears of joy slipped down her cheeks. Tony wiped them away and kissed her.

"I'm going to give you a moment alone," the sonographer said, then slipped out of the room.

Pepper stared at the image of her daughter on the screen and felt a wave of overwhelming love for her.

"That's our daughter," Pepper said. "She's right there."

"And right here," Tony said, touching her stomach.

"What's she called?"

"What do you want to call her?" Tony asked in return.

Pepper shook her head. "No, you get to decide—or tell me. She's already living and breathing to you, and what if I choose a different name? That would be wrong." She cupped his cheek in her hand. "What is our daughter called?"

Tony's eyes teared and he said in a tone of reverence, "Morgan."

"Morgan," Pepper said. "That's perfect." She looked at the image of her daughter on the screen and said, "Hello, Morgan. I'm your mommy, and I love you so, so much."

Tony kissed her then pulled back and said, "We should get married."

Pepper frowned "You don't want to wait for Peter to be back?"

"No. We tried to do it with him, and it turned into a nightmare. This time Morgan can be with us, at least in a way. Besides, I can't wait any longer to make you my wife."

"We'll have to start planning," Pepper said. "But… If Peter can't be there, I want it to be small—just our close friends and family."

Tony beamed, and she thought that was a piece of his future slipping into the present. "I know exactly where we should do it."

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

Tony nodded. "I've been working on something for a while, ever since Peter… Well, I was thinking it would be nice to move out of the city and create a family home for Morgan to grow up in, for Peter to come home to when it's all over."

"You've found a place?" Pepper asked.

"No, Pep, I'm building us a place." He kissed her hand and painted pictures with his words. "It's in the forest, right beside a lake, where Morgan can fish with Rhodey and swim in the summer. It's more a cabin that a house, and it's got…"

Pepper listened to his words, wondering if the picture he was building in her mind matched what he was going to make, and she decided it didn't matter. Tony was so happy about this, and that meant it would be perfect for them.

She and Tony, Morgan and Peter, would have a perfect home together.

So… A little more in the life of Tony and Pepper. I know you're probably missing Peter, but he's on his way, I promise. Although this isn't part of the main story, there's very little plot progression, there's some important moments coming.

Until next time…

Jadey xxx