Second Chances
Long after they left Evie, (back to human form) stayed on the porch stairs staring at the empty driveway. “You know if you wanted to chat, it would have been awesome seeing them freak out about a giant talking wolf.” She giggled as Tony plopped down beside her, “what’s my little witch got brewing?”
Evie shrugged, still pensive and melancholic. “Nothing just…” She paused, a small smile playing on her lips. “Man, it's been a long five years, dad… Nat’s hair looks great with the two tones. And Steve… He’s the same ol’ Stevie as always. It…” She sighed deeply, deflating a little. “It was good seeing them. Really good.”
He threw an arm over his shoulders and pressed her against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. “It sure was, so… what do you make of Scott’s idea?”
She sat up humming as she contemplated his question, already knowing it was loaded with more than it appeared. “I dunno. I mean, it's so far-fetched. Ridiculous, like you said. On top of that, there’s zero safety measures and no solid evidence to guarantee it could even work. A-and we have absolutely no idea what the repercussions might be for meddling with time. For all we know we might unleash some freak, god forsaken, space time monster that will punish us by locking us in a snow globe for all eternity. Plus we have mom, Morgan, and now Laura. It’s too big a risk… right?” She looked up to her dad.
Tony chuckled. “Right… Welp, come on. Your mother wants pasta, and Morgan only eats it if she sees you cooking. So, let’s get started.” Evie could stop the smirk from spreading across her face. “Well it's one of my many gifts over you; that of all the Starks, my cooking is the best.”
“Yeah right, or she’s just as picky as you were!”
After dinner Pepper was deeply engrossed in a book and Morgan tucked into bed after three stories and lots of cuddles, Evie descended the stairs to check on her dad. He was taking longer than usual to wrap up the dishes. She walked in on him having an issue with the sprayer, splashing the cupboard and himself in the mishap.
Evie ducked in a shadow when he glanced around for witnesses and proceeded to wipe down his mess when he stumbled upon a photo of both Starks and Peter that was set next to the portrait of her grandfather, Howard. The one where Peter is holding his Stark Internship certificate (upside down) proudly. The three of them making bunny ears behind one another.
“He really is worth taking the shot for, isn’t he…”
Tony jumped at the sound of her voice, nearly dropping the frame. “Christ, Geneveive. I’m putting a bell on you, I’m too old for you to scare like that. Want me to have a heart attack or something?” She giggled as she came to take the picture from him.
“Sparker…” She said fondly, a sad smile gracing her face. Heaving a heavy sigh she said, “god he was so damn smart, but such an adorable little nerd too. Annoying at times, yet you just can’t help but love him. I really do miss him…” She blinked away the moisture gathering in her eyes before giving it back to Tony. “He’s worth taking the shot for, isn’t he?”
As their eyes met, a wordless agreement was made.
A few hours later the two were elbows deep in his study, with Tony talking to the AI generating a holographic model of something the thing they’d been working on.
“I’ve got a mild inspiration, I’d like to see if it checks out. So, I’d like to run one last sim before we pack it in for the night. This time, in the shape of a Mobius strip, inverted, please.” Friday replayed, “Processing,” and Evie nervously chanced a glance at her old man. He was intently focused. “Right, give me the eigenvalue of that particle, factoring in spectral decomp. That will take a second.” He said as his hands interacted with the projection.
“Just a moment…” Evie second, handing him a jar of trail mix. “And dad, don't worry if it doesn't pan out. After we’re just kinda-”
“Model rendered.” Friday interrupted.
In a complete shock of amazement, the render comes back as 99.987% successful. Tony instantly falls back, bewildered by the discovery. A hand going to his mouth. While Evie stood frozen in place. Jaw on the floor. The two stared back with wide eyes at the model.
Milliseconds later they simultaneously blurt out, “Shit!”
“Shit.” The sweet innocent little voice from behind them made Evie cringe.
Her dad dropped his arms and swiveled in his chair to see Morgan sitting at the bottom of the stairs. She giggled when he placed a finger to his lips, shushing her. Whispering he said, “what are you doing up, little mess?” To which she replied, “shit.”
Evie interfered saying, “Nope. No, we don't say that!” Tony chimed in with, “that’s right, only mommy says that word. She coined it, it belongs to her.” Evie gave him a look disbelief while Morgan asked why they were up.
“Cause we got some important shit going on here,” their dad said and Morgan gave Tony a taste of the incredulous look Evie had seconds before. “What do you think? No, I got something on my mind. I got something on my mind and sissy was helping.”
Very innocently the little kid said, “was it Juice Pops?”
Both Tony and Evie exchanged knowing glances before he turned back to his youngest. “Sure was. That's extortion. That's a word. What kind do you want?” He got up, extending his hand for Morgan to hold as the eldest daughter held them sweetly in her eyes. “Great minds think alike. Juice Pops, exactly what was on…” He turned to look back to the model, then at Evie before heading for the kitchen, “my mind.”
The pair went to enjoy the frozen treat and she went to the dock facing the lake, quietly slipping out so as to not disturb Pepper’s reading. With her feet dangling over the edge her mind mulled over the potential meaning of her dad’s discovery.
“Time travel… smartest Stark alive titled just went back to you dad…” A soft breeze carried her words.
Trepidation about the uncertainty of it all enveloped her like a straight jacket. On one hand they had the possibility to bring all those snapped out of reality, back. But on the other hand, there was the risk of losing again.
They had been lucky, Evie couldn’t deny it. Her parents had survived, and as a direct result she gained the world’s most adorable little sister. Not only that, but thanks to their unconditional love and patience she had been nursed back to a healthier place. A place where she was able to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and carry on with the mission to help wherever she had been needed. After one thing led to another, she unintentionally ended up forming a team of her own while tearing down a sinister organization.
And in the aftermath of their downfall, she gained an adoptive daughter. Her beloved Laura. A little girl who came as a gift to cure her sadness and warm her heart.
Evie sincerely missed Peter, Sam, Wanda, and the others. There weren't many days when she didn’t think of them, after all the same day the world lost them, she lost her family. Loki and their son were gone. Forever.
Scott’s words echoed in her mind. Undoing Thanos’ snap would surely bring everyone back, except for them.
As much as she wanted to do the right thing and delete all evidence of what they had discovered, she knew she couldn’t. Evie felt unable to gather the strength needed to go back inside, wipe the board clean, and persuade Steve and the others to do the same. And it seemed Tony couldn’t either. The proof being him coming to sit at the edge of the dock with her.
“Hey there are. What are you doing out here, kiddo? Aren’t you cold?”
“Come on, dad. You and I both know this is perfect weather for me,” she gave him a bright smile. “You talked to mom, didn’t you?” Although it was posed as a question Tony knew it was a statement. Sheepishly he chuckled, “yeah, yep. She ugh… she gave me the thumbs up. Just… you know, more poetically.” She joined in his giggles, “mom has always been the sun for you, dad. And you’re the sunflower, always following her light…” He nudged her, “you’ll find the sun again, kiddo. I know you will. The proof is you finding that guiding light. Laura… She’s your north star, leading you out of the dark. And soon you two will find a bright and warm sun.”
As much as she wanted to, Evie wasn’t able to hold back the tears, choking on a sob she had tried to suppress. Tony shot up to meet her tearful gaze.
“Fuck…” She took a deep breath, trying to regain some composure.
“Dad, what’s wrong with me? I’m I really a selfish person? All I can think about is that if we actually do this. If we actually manage to bring them all back, every single last person. I’ll still be without them. And I love you, as much as I love mom… And god do I love those little buckets of rainbows, b-but-” Another sob came pouring out as Tony just held her tightly. He knew Evie’s heart was still fractured, mending ever since the day it fell apart five years ago. “But I can’t help it. I miss them… I miss him,” she sucked in some much needed air.
“Fuck I miss Loki so goddamn much. Ugh, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn't still angry! I know I shouldn’t be, but still. When I remember… It just makes my blood boil.” Tony gently rubbed small circles on her back as she unloaded years of tension. “Cause why? Why couldn’t I at least keep my baby? I never got to hold him, to kiss his little hands, or even see how he looked. To know if he had Loki’s hair or even y-yours… I just wish I had that last piece of him, proof that what we lived through was real. That our sacrifice hadn’t gone in vain.”
When she settled down enough they could hear the crickets over her sniffling, Tony maneuvered her so he could look into her eyes deeply. “You listen to me, Genevieve. Life has always loved to kick your ass and knock you down. Always. If anyone has never had any slack cut, it was you. But I know, I just know your dark cloud won't last forever, baby. We’ll live everyday with the pain of losing them, of losing the family you made out there beyond our stars. But Evie, we got our second chance. And now with this…” He gestured towards the house. “Promise me one thing, honey. Promise me no matter what, you'll move on no matter what, and with a smile. Okay?”
She nodded weakly, giving him a miserable smile. “Okay, daddy… I promise.”
Together they wiped away the stray tears with their sleeves before she settled back into his loving embrace, Evie remaining quiet as he gently rocked her, cradling her like when she was small and had woken up from a nightmare. And soon enough he was lightly singing to her like he did way back then.
“Smile, though your heart is aching. Smile even though it’s breaking. When there are clouds in the sky. You’ll get by, if you smile. Through your fear and sorrow”
He leaned down and sang into her hair, kissing her temple softly between each verse.
"Smile, and maybe tomorrow you’ll see the sun come shining through, for you…”
The next morning Evie was in the passenger seat of her dad’s Audi R8 as he was flooring it to the compound. Tony was relishing being able to drive like a bachelor again. Ever since Pepper had gotten pregnant it was always at or below the speed limit.
But not today.
The squeal of the tires had Evie laughing, holding on the grab handle to keep from slamming into her dad as he did the sharp turns. As they rapidly approached the entrance of the compound she caught a glimpse of Steve looking very concerned at the unidentified and manic driver coming in hot.
Tony slammed on the breaks as they got to the front entrance but missed Steve by a few feet. So as he reversed to meet him, Tony rolled down his window and kept a neutral face.
“Why the long face? Let me guess, he turned into a baby.”
Steve sighed defeatedly, “among other things, yeah. What are you doing here?”
Clearly he hadn’t noticed her yet. So she decided the best way to reunite with her old friend was by messing with him. Evie vanished into a blur of black smoke concealed by the car’s very tinted windows. Her dad ignored Steve’s question as he proceeded to get out of the car. “That's the EPR Paradox. Instead of pushing Lang through time, you might've wound up pushing time through Lang. It's tricky. Dangerous. Somebody should've cautioned you against it.”
Rogers, unfazed by his snarkiness, coolly replied, “you did.”
“Oh, did I?” Tony questioned, fringing like he did not.
Always the sassy diva dad…
“Thank God I'm here. Regardless, I fixed it.” He held up his right hand, a mysterious device strapped on it. “A fully functioning Time-Space GPS. I just want peace.” He boasted with faux humility, making a peace sign with his fingers. Steve smiled. He’d miss Tony’s sass too. Even if he’d never admit it. “Turns out, resentment is corrosive, and I hate it.” Her dad glanced around looking for her as Steve said, “me too.”
“We got a shot at getting these stones, but I gotta tell you my priorities: Bring back what we lost? I hope, yes. Keep what I found, I have to. At all costs. And... maybe not die trying will be nice.”
Steve stepped forward and put out his hand, “sounds like a deal.”
Tony took and shook Cap’s hand, the two friends finally burying the hatchet. And only then did he notice the furry black wolf creeping behind the unsuspecting Captain America. He smirked knowingly as he went for the trunk to pull something out. Stark fetched the shield, tipping it over so Morgan’s spare blanket and stuffed animals would slide off before handing it over.
Steve sighed heavily. “Tony I don’t know…”
“Why? He made it for you.” He told him, referring to Howard. “Plus, honestly, I have to get it out of the garage before Morgan takes it sledding.” Steve took it, fitting his arm into the shield.
“Thank you, Tony.”
As he went to close his trunk Tony threw over his shoulder, “will you keep that a little quiet? Didn't bring one for the whole team.” He hesitated for a moment to open a window for Evie. “We are getting the whole team, yeah?”
“We're working on that right now. You wouldn’t happen to know where Evie is, do you?”
Tony shook his head, “nope but ugh, let me see that again?” Steve handed him the shield as he pretended to inspect it. He then, without looking away from the object in his hands, jetted his chin in her direction where she was wound up ready to pounce, “try asking her…”
Steve spun around to see who Tony was talking about and was met with a full set of large, pearly white fangs. The giant black wolf was staring him down, growling menacingly.
“Uh, Tony, why—why is your wolf-dog here?” he asked, his voice almost shaky.
“Oh, that’s not my dog,” Tony replied nonchalantly.
“What?” Steve turned back for just a second to gape at him, but then darted away when he heard the wolf move. Then the enormous beast leaped through the air.
Steve froze, closing his eyes and bracing for the inevitable attack. However, instead of teeth sinking in or claws tearing at his flesh, he felt human arms and legs wrap around his neck and body, catching him in a massive bear hug that caused him to stumble back a step. When he finally dared to peel his eyes open, he was greeted by the warm brown irises of a long lost familiar friend. His body relaxed as he returned the embrace, squeezing her back in relief. Evie was positively beaming at him, eyes sparkling with glee.
“Stevie!”
“Kitten!” Placing her back on the ground he took her in fully. Aside from the short hair, Evie looked like the same girl he first met back in that gym years ago.
“Well, you mean pup, right Cap?” Tony teased, and Steve chuckled.
“Yeah I guess so, but it quite doesn't have the same ring to it.” Evie giggled, “it doesn't, no. But only you call me kitten so don’t go changing it.” He threw an arm over her shoulder as they all went inside ready to take on this mission by the horns.
“Man I’ve missed you… wait till the others catch sight of ya’.”