Hiya folks! My muse didn't abandon me!

So have a nice, big chapter!

Enjoy!

Chapter 21: Tony is the King of Denial

Tony ignores the subtle ache that blooms to life in his chest at the sight of Steve hugging Aunt Peggy, far too used to it because of the arc reactor (he's ignoring the fact that at this point his body hasn't ever had an arc reactor shoved into it, so his chest shouldn't even be aching in the first place).

Steve deserves this.

Aunt Peggy deserves this.

His stupid feelings can get over themselves.

And besides, Aunt Peggy has been happily married to Uncle Daniel for nearly thirty eight years now, she had Lewis and Carmen with him (the fact that both of his cousins are at least ten years older than Tony hasn't deterred them in the slightest from taking him under their wings), and raised her nephew Harrison when her older brother died unexpectedly. She has grandchildren, although they're all babies or toddlers at the moment (it's going to be really odd the first time he sees Sharon now given that he's worked with a grown-up her and she's only three).

"Brat, you still haven't explained anything," Lewis hisses.

Tony wraps an arm around Evelyn when she jerks again. "Lewis, either dial down the threatening tone, or don't talk," he warns, thankful that her battle shields don't make a second appearance. He can appreciate the level of work she put into being able to use them (they were very much a learn on the job sort of thing, and her anger and frustration over not getting them right quickly clued him (all of them, really) into the fact that magic, of all things, was something that also had to be learned and taught, not just something you knew as if by magic (Evelyn and Loki had not been overly impressed when he'd pointed out that little tidbit)), but they still tend to freak him out a little bit (but then again he's still warming up to the whole magic shtick for all that he plays at being okay with it). Even more now that she's so tiny.

Uncle Daniel interjects himself when Lewis puffs up like an offended cat and before Tony can shut him down (he'd really rather not have to do that, but Eve is family just as much as Lewis is, and right now she needs his support more than his cousin needs answers). "Son, I know you can see just how much your hostility is harming the young lady plastered to Tony's side." Tony's a bit impressed by how steady his uncle's voice is, especially considering the battle shield display just moments ago. "Calm down before you say something you'll regret later."

Tony can almost visibly see Lewis swallow his next set of words. Still, he'll take a mulish expression over having to shout his cousin down, because he's ninety nine percent certain that's what would've happened if Lewis kept pressing. "Hey Jar—" He chokes on the name, suddenly regretting naming his first full fledged AI after his father figure (maybe this time he'll actually be able to tell Jarvis that (but that would also require him to be able to talk about feelings and just, urgh)). Evelyn peeks up at him with concern as he awkwardly clears his throat and tries again. "Edwin, do we have any of the tea left? Eve didn't really get to enjoy it earlier, so another pot should be made if we don't."

Ana is the one who answers. "We do still have some tea. I'll just go prepare another cup." She kisses Edwin's cheek, walks over so she can run her fingers over Tony's cheek, then disappears off to wherever they left the tea pot.

Tony can hear Steve and Aunt Peggy talking in hushed voices, but he elects to continue to ignore them until they're done (his chest still hurts somewhat and he's ignoring that too). "So...explaining things is gonna take a bit."

Uncle Daniel raises an unimpressed eyebrow. "I figured as much after the young lady's reaction to Lewis."

Tony shoots him a skeptical look. "Yeah, about that. I figured there would be a lot more freaking out about it."

Uncle Daniel's unimpressed expression persists. "Anthony Edward Stark, your Aunt Peggy and I have worked with SHIELD for just over forty years now. I realize that Howard has been insistent at keeping you away from them, and for rather good reasons, but you're a smart boy. You know what we do. World War II brought to light a culture previously hidden, but we left them alone because they've left us alone for centuries now. Given your lack of surprise, I'm inclined to think that you've known about them for a time as well, and that is worrying to me."

"So if I told you that I'm Heiress Evelyn Rosalie of House Potter, you'd understand the significance?" Evelyn pipes up.

Uncle Daniel blinks rapidly, eyes dropping to where she's still pressed up against Tony's side. "I was under the impression that Heiress Potter had black hair and a lightning bolt scar on her forehead. You have neither."

"I was born with this hair color, sir, and it changed because of what happened the night my parents were murdered," Evelyn throws back. "It reverted back to normal when my scar was dealt with nearly a month ago."

There's a sharp intake of breath, and Tony doesn't think he's ever seen Uncle Daniel so pissed off before (upset and disappointed, sure, but this is serious). "Are you telling me that no one thought to look you over before now?" he demands indignantly.

Tony feels Evelyn's shoulder rise and fall. "You should probably just assume that anything you've heard about me since that night is incorrect, sir. While he might have meant well, as far as I know Dumbledore never checked back in on me after he left me on my aunt's doorstep, and my relatives weren't overly thrilled to be saddled with a freak to care for."

"Doorstep…?" Uncle Daniel trails off in horrified silence (Tony's very much in agreement on that front, and while he might not be able to start planning anything for her former Headmaster, he still has so much to work with for her aunt and uncle (he just has to make sure he's sneaky enough that she doesn't catch on because he has no desire for an annoyed Evelyn to be pointed his way and she's already said no)).

"That explained exactly nothing," Lewis states flatly.

"Lewis, darling, mind your tone," Aunt Peggy scolds as she and Steve walk back over to join them. Tony finds himself blinking at Steve when the man settles himself beside Tony and Evelyn instead of sticking with Aunt Peggy (he's happy about that, but confused nonetheless). "We will explain this more in depth, but there's no reason for you to be rude." She extends a hand to Evelyn. "Margaret Sousa, but you may call me Peggy."

Evelyn takes it. "Evelyn Potter, and it's Eve for me."

The slight widening of Aunt Peggy's eyes is the only tell Tony can spot for surprise. "Well, you are quite a ways from home," she comments. "Your guardian has authorized this trip?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

Aunt Peggy doesn't look all that impressed with Evelyn's answer, but surprisingly she doesn't press the issue. "And how exactly did you and Tony meet?"

"Work," Evelyn states blandly, and Tony snorts out a chuckle before he can stop himself.

Aunt Peggy refrains from saying anything more as Ana comes back into the room carrying a tray with a pot and multiple teacups on it in her hands. She ends up pouring a cup for everyone and no one refuses her when she presses said cup into their hands, not even Tony (if nothing else, he can give his to Evelyn once she finishes with hers (and he's not going to pass up a chance to let Ana mother him, even if he prefers coffee over tea)). Once she's finished doing that, she settles beside Edwin and looks beseechingly at Evelyn.

"Heiress Potter, may we have the truth about how you three met?" she requests. This earns her a sharp glance from both Aunt Peggy and Uncle Daniel.

Evelyn hums happily in the back of her throat as she takes a sip of tea. "Mrs Jarvis, because of how much you mean to Tony, I'd be more than willing to go into extreme detail. However, that would take far too long, and I have no desire to talk that long anyways, so I will give you a bare timeline." Her cup clinks softly as she sets it down onto its saucer in her lap. "Please simply hold any questions until I've finished." Her shoulders rise and fall as she inhales and exhales deeply. "In 1981, my parents were murdered by a madman who thought that the purity of one's blood ought to be what determines a person's worth. He tried to kill me as well, but for various reasons he instead only managed to destroy his body, leaving him as little more than a wrath. I was then taken to my mother's sister, who despite despising me and everything I represented, took me in. This year I discovered that my relatives have been lying to me about numerous things for ten years. I discovered that I'm a witch, my parents weren't the drunken wastes of space my aunt made them out to be, and that there's a whole magical world hidden away that I'm a part of."

"Magical—" Lewis sputtered, only for Aunt Peggy to silently lay a hand on his leg. He subsides, but is a mixture of confused and pissed off and indignant.

"My apologies," Aunt Peggy murmurs. "Please continue."

Evelyn inclines her head. "1991 is also the year that HYDRA will send the Winter Soldier out to assassinate Howard and Maria Stark, leaving Tony to take charge of Stark Industries after the new year." Both Aunt Peggy and Uncle Daniel jerk, but neither say a word. "In 1994, I'm entered into a magically bound tournament against my will that ends with Lord Voldemort, the madman out for my blood, regaining a body. For four years he terrorizes Great Britain. Finally, in 1998, I face him in battle for a final time and manage to kill him." She takes another sip of tea. "Everything's relatively calm for the next eleven years, so to speak, until 2009 when Tony is kidnapped by the Ten Rings terrorist group. He's held for three months before he manages to escape, but he ended up having to build an arc reactor and insert it into his chest to protect his heart. It's later discovered that Obadiah Stane set Tony up to die so he could gain control of Stark Industries."

Oh great, he'd forgotten that with his parents being alive, that means that Stane is too. That's certainly a reunion he isn't looking forward to (and judging from the way Steve's tensed up, the super soldier isn't going to let Tony out of his sight for a good, long while. Whoopie. There's nothing like having a paranoid super soldier following your every step).

"In 2010, Thor Odinson is cast out of Asgard and down to Midgard in a mortal like body, stripped of his abilities, as punishment for attempting to make war on Jotunheim. His brother, Loki Odinson, is left with the Asgardian throne as their father, Odin Borson, falls into an enchanted sleep. During this time, Loki discovers that he is actually of Jotunheim, a people Asgard defeated just over a millennia ago and use in their stories to scare children to behave, and is not truly of Odin's blood. It breaks something in him. Thor, on the other hand, learns the humility he previously lacks, and is able to return home to Asgard. There, the two brothers fight, and in the process Loki ends up falling from the Bifrost and into the space between the Realms. He's not heard from for two years." Evelyn takes another sip, seemingly unaffected by the stunned disbelieving expressions on everyone else's faces, but Tony knows better. She's keeping her voice very steady and using almost no infliction. She's separated herself from the narrative for all that she plays a significant part later on.

"In 2011, the Valkyrie is discovered off the coast of Greenland with Steve Rogers frozen inside it. He's thawed out, woken up, and introduced to a world where seventy years have passed by with him none the wiser." Here she reaches out a hand to touch Steve momentarily, most likely as an apology.

"In 2012, Loki surfaces again, but with an army known throughout the Realms as the Chitauri behind him. Using an artifact known as the Mind Stone, he gains control of both SHIELD personel and the artifact that called him to Earth, the Tesseract." A murderously devastated (Tony's rather impressed with the combination) expression flashes across Aunt Peggy's face briefly before she wrestles herself back under control. Uncle Daniel takes one of her hands and intertwines their fingers together. "Tony and Steve are both part of a group of people that Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD, has put together. They are called the Avengers. They manage to contain the Chitauri invasion to just Manhattan, but Tony ends up having to direct a nuclear missile through the portal being used because it was shot in an attempt to contain the invasion threat to just the island. Thor Odinson, who'd been alerted that Loki was alive and on Midgard, helps with the invasion and once it's dealt with, takes both Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard. It's not until the dust has settled that we discover that Loki has been partially under the control of the Mind Stone as well. For some people, that particular fact mattered little." Here she pauses, blowing absentmindedly at a lock of hair hanging over her face. "When Loki is sentenced to an Asgardian prison cell, I'm plucked from my home in England by Hela Lokidottir for reasons unknown to me and placed in the cell with her father. We're stuck in there together for a year and a half until another artifact that hasn't been seen in over five millennia surfaces. It wakes a race of beings that have been asleep for just as long, waiting for said artifact to reappear again. Loki and I fight off these beings alongside Thor, preventing them from using the artifact to suck all the light out from all the Realms. Unfortunately, they're able to start the attempt, and in the process knock all the Realms out of alignment. However, we aren't aware of this until Alfheim collapses in 2015. Loki and I stumble back to Midgard and start working with the Avengers in an attempt to save the Realms from utter destruction. We don't succeed. 2017 sees Vanaheim collapsing, taking with it Thor as he stands in descrution's way so more people might be saved. 2018 is when we lose Tony and Steve, and Nivadelir is lost to us as well." She draws in a shaky breath. "Loki and I are the only ones who last until 2020. By then Asgard has fallen as well, leaving only Midgard and Niflheim as the remaining Realms. I'm dying and Loki refuses to accept that as my end, our end. So, because we have nothing left to lose, he casts a spell on me powered by his soul and sends mine back to my beginning. I wake up underneath wreckage of the stairs I slept beneath until the age of eleven, having blown them to smithereens because of the surge of magic produced by my soul merging with my past self. From there I made my way back to Asgard, where we used what means we could to recover Steve. After we found him, he and I returned here to Midgard and came to see Tony."

"But Tony didn't remember any of this until you came," Ana says, confusion evident.

"You believe her story?" Aunt Peggy interjects. Tony can't tell if she believes it too, and is just testing the waters, or if Aunt Peggy truly doesn't believe anything of what Evelyn just said (he hopes she believes it, because he's not sure what he and Steve will do if she doesn't).

"Peggy, I was born in the magical world," Ana states, although she's anything but calm. Her hands tremble as she sets her cup of untouched tea down on the side table. "I left it as a child because those with magic are not always kind to those who are born without it, even more so if they share blood, but that doesn't mean I forgot any of the lessons and warnings taught to me. The magic Heiress Potter is describing at the end is not something one delves into. Not for any reason. True Soul Magic extracts a price, a price you are never able to choose but always able to pay. It was studied for years in an attempt to discover how the price was determined if only to better harness the power one could wield, but no one ever succeeded, and finally it was tossed aside as a lost cause. Not even most Dark Lords would dare to try and use it. That is how dangerous the magical world views it."

"Wait a goddamn minute, you all are talking about magic and gods as if they're real!" Lewis erupts.

"Son, while I can't speak to the gods portion of the tale, I can assure you that magic is real," Uncle Daniel says firmly. "They are a very much need-to-know only sort of people, and you haven't ever been in a situation yet that necessitated your knowing, so we've kept you in the dark."

"We tend to try and avoid non-magical folk," Evelyn offers. "While the witch trials never really dealt with any true witches or wizards, most magical folk would rather stay hidden away than risk another one of those, particularly since it could potentially sweep the whole globe nowadays given the level of communication you all have. And while some refuse to believe just how far non-magicals have come in terms of warfare, the fact that you outnumber us is heavy on their minds." She fixes Lewis, who has a mulish expression etched into his face, with an unimpressed look. "But I doubt words will do much to convince you." She sets her tea cup and saucer down. "Tony, your tea." He passes his own untouched tea to her. He sees her wordlessly vanish the liquid, even though Lewis can't see that. Then she taps the cup and the design flashes blue, then green, then purple, then back to its original red. "A basic color changing Charm." The tea cup and saucer suddenly become a squirming kitten. "Inanimate to animate Transfiguration." She reaches across the table and dumps said kitten into Lewis' disbelieving hands. He gawks at it while it meows at him and headbutts him for attention. "You can pet it. It might not be an actual kitten, but it'll behave like one."

"You retained your progress, then?" Aunt Peggy inquires, looking expectantly at Evelyn.

She inclines her head. "I did. Everything I learned in the previous timeline I can still, strictly speaking, do. However, there are some things I really shouldn't attempt before I grow up again, as it strains my current body." She huffs out a wry sounding chuckle. "Unfortunately, war instincts don't think of those particular things. It'll be an interesting learning experience, these next seven or so years."

"Heiress Potter, the kitten?" Uncle Daniel requests politely but firmly. Lewis, when Tony glances at him again, is staring almost catatonically down at the feline (Tony doesn't laugh, but he feels like it. His introduction to magic had been during an alien invasion, so he hadn't really had much of a freak out (no, it's more of an ongoing freak out that generally only rears its ugly and annoying head whenever Evelyn or Loki do something that they haven't discussed and it makes his science oriented brain hurt because he can't prepare for something he doesn't know is coming)). Steve, however, is the one who reaches out his hand and coaxes the kitten off of Lewis' lap (because of course he is). It happily tumbles into the man's ridiculously large palm, purring contently when Steve strokes a few fingers down its back. Evelyn lets him do that for a few moments (the sight is ridiculously endearing, Tony doesn't blame her for basking in the sight for a little bit) before taking the kitten herself. A tap of her finger and the kitten returns to the cup and saucer it'd originally been. "Thank you."

"My head hurts," Lewis mutters, scrubbing a palm over his face.

"Welcome to life with a Potter in it," Steve says blandly. "Although, you've probably had plenty of practice already, knowing Stark."

"You implying something there, Capsicle?" Tony drawls, happy to fall back into their usual banter (he needs a touch of normal right now, even if it's 'arguing' with Steve (he ignores the fact that some days, their banter could be classified as flirting. He's doing a lot of 'ignoring' shit today, and he's going to just go right on ignoring that too)).

"Just that you can be a trial on some days."

Placing a hand over his heart, Tony feints hurt. "Wow Cap, why don't you tell us just how you really feel about me."

Steve just gives him an unimpressed look. "Tony, I am perfectly happy having you on my six anytime we're out in the field. We made you second in command for a reason. You are almost selflessly kind, one of the bravest men I know, loyal to a fault, and you have a tactical mind that still impresses me to this day, but you also own being an absolute shit. You and Clint and Eve had a prank war at one point that encompassed the entirety of the tower for god's sake."

Evelyn giggles at the reminder of that hilarious and glorious week, and Tony grins in response (it distracts him from his burning cheeks because seriously Steve?). They had managed to rig just about every inch of the tower that week, and FRIDAY had been an absolute darling by catching everyone's reactions on video. It'd been a much needed break (well, for him, Clint, and Eve it had been), not that many of the others on the team had thought so when they kept getting caught in the various pranks.

"Tony, darling, am I to understand that you've fought with Steve?" Aunt Peggy asks.

Tony checks himself before the stunned disbelief he faintly hears in her voice makes him say something sharp and biting (while he knows that Aunt Peggy is always in his corner, that doesn't mean he hasn't displayed his ability to be an absolute asshole to her before (it earned him one of her disappointed looks, and he tries very hard to never be on the other end of one of those again)). This Peggy hasn't seen him become Iron Man. At this point in his life the first time around, he'd've questioned it too.

"If I may?" Evelyn offers softly, holding up a hand while looking expectantly at Aunt Peggy. She, of course, doesn't quite understand what Evelyn's offering (Tony does, because Evelyn is poised to snap her fingers, and that's usually what she does when she's pulling up a rather complex memory to display), but she inclines her head regardless.

So Evelyn snaps her fingers, and the manor room melts away.

They reappear on Nidavelir (that's a nasty punch to the gut) just before the fighting truly began.

Tony hears himself drawl, "Well, that's unpleasant." He turns his head, along with everyone else, to see what remained of their team by then.

No Thor or Banner. Instead they have T'Challa and Doctor Strange (Tony still isn't sure about the two different kinds of magic. Evelyn's attempted to explain the difference, but it makes his head hurt too much) with them. The Prince of Wakanda had joined their merry band of misfits after a meeting of the United Nations about a year after the Sokovia shitfest, and Doctor Stephen Strange (Tony still giggles sometimes over the man's name) after Vanaheim had fallen.

Natasha and Clint are side by side, subtly leaning on each other for those last few minutes before they have to separate in the field (they might never've married, but Tony's pretty sure they would've if Nat had ever allowed it (the Black Widow didn't like having weaknesses, and agreeing to marry Clint would've made a big one splashed all over the world given the scrutiny they were under by that point) and Clint was willing to take whatever Nat was willing to give (of course, in Tony's humble opinion, they already had a target on them, so why not grab happiness while they could? (he ignores the hypocrisy of his own refusal to talk to Steve even now))).

Wanda and Pietro are doing similar (the terror twins took a while before they warmed up to him, but Evelyn apparently takes her training as a shrink very seriously. She made them do countless sessions with her (and Tony's still impressed she managed that in the first place and really doesn't want to know the how of that equation), and the end result was both apologizing to him for blaming him for something that was most likely Stane's (and possibly HYDRA's) doing (he tries not to think about the HYDRA portion, it hurts too much on even the good days)). He'd wondered for a while at Evelyn's decision to save Pietro back in Sokovia, but the following years showed just how much he kept his sister balanced (Tony shudders to think of what could've happened if she hadn't been there to do that in the end).

Evelyn is beside Loki, the two of them doing who knows what as they maintain and manipulate the portal that'll be delivering all the fighters who will be joining them on Nidavelir. Only now, with hindsight, does Tony see just how exhausted both of them are. Very few people have the power and the skills necessary to open portals between the Realms, and that's just brief openings, only long enough for a few people to pass through before closing again. Evelyn and Loki made it a habit to keep the portals open for however long they were fighting, or until the Realm they were attempting to defend collapsed, as that greatly helped evacuations. They apparently hid their fatigue better than Tony realized (and he's a master at hiding behind masks).

That leaves him and Steve standing on the ledge of the cliff they're up on, getting a quick survey of the lay of the land (it's a depressing sight, the line of Chitauri and Dark Elves spread out across Nidevalir's surface (he wonders faintly how the evacuation when, given that he didn't survive this fight to see the results)). Steve's obviously all suited up, shield strapped to his back and expression hard. Tony, on the other hand, while he has the nano-tech suit deployed, has the helmet off so his weathered face is on display.

"None of this has ever been pleasant, Iron Man," Steve murmurs.

Tony scoffs (and it's ridiculously weird hearing his own voice like this). "Yeah, well, this might just trump Manhattan if we aren't careful."

"Then we'd better make sure that doesn't happen," Steve says calmly, clapping a hand on Tony's shoulder (Tony still swears that he could feel the heat of Steve's skin between the layers separating them(and if that isn't a bad premonition of what's to come, Tony doesn't want to know what could be)). "Loki, Potter, are you both ready?"

"As we'll ever be, Cap," Evelyn states (her ridiculously good mask is in place, none of the exhaustion from just moments ago is on display at all).

Steve inhales deeply before letting it all out in one big whoosh. "Then let's get this show on the road. Iron Man, care to do the honors?"

Tony's cocky grin is quickly covered up by his helmet materializing via nano-tech. "Cap, it would be my genuine pleasure." The repulsors fire up, and he lifts into the air. An explosion of noise rises up from down below, as they'd made sure to keep out of sight. Tony gets to watch himself fly out into the middle of the field and launch two missiles. It's as they hit bottom, big flashes of light temporarily blinding everyone, that the memory fades away (he's glad Evelyn didn't make him watch Steve die again (he doesn't think she'd ever be that cruel, not to any of their teammates)).

"Oh Lord," Aunt Peggy whispers hoarsely, clutching at both Uncle Daniel and Lewis.

"That was the fight we lost Steve and Tony in," Evelyn states flatly. "It's what we could face if we screw up again."

Oh great, Evelyn's reached that level of done. Talking about all of this probably didn't help in the slightest.

"And that's probably enough for today," Steve interjects, placing a hand on Evelyn's arm when she twists to glare at him. "Eve, we have twenty years until the Convergence. The Aether isn't going to show up until then either. We have nothing to worry about on that front. Right now you need to be more focused on England." He gingerly takes her tea cup from her and puts it down on the table. "Let us worry about prepping for that for now." He holds up a hand when she goes to protest. "I'm not saying you can't help, but I've listened to you rant about English politics enough to know that they'll require your full attention. That's your task for right now. If we need your help over here, we'll ask for it. Can you do that?"

They stare at each other for a few moments before Evelyn huffs out a sigh. "You'll look for the others, right?"

"Eve, I can guarantee you that they're first on the list of priorities."

"Then yeah, I'll focus on England for now."

Honestly, I don't mean to keep putting Howard off, but apparently he still hasn't managed to make an appearance! Hopefully everyone will cooperate and he can make his big debut next chapter. Fingers crossed.

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