3 months old - Restless.
Morgan Hope Stark was a gift to Pepper and Tony. They were on the older side of parents being forty-three and thirty-nine respectively but that didn't matter to baby Morgan she loved her Mama and her Dada and her older brother Petey. Peter had been extatic to find out he had a baby sister, he'd always envied MJ and Ned for having someone else at home to be around and talk to and now he got to be that person for someone. Peter had been the third person to hold her after she was born, Pepper and Tony being the first two of course, he'd held the small bundle of joy in his arms, wrapped in a pale yellow blanket, She'd taken one look at him with her baby blue eyes, flecks of brown bleeding in and he had a suspicion they'd turn a similar chocolate brown to Tony's, and blew a spectacular spit bubble. Peter vowed there and then that his baby sister would be protected, no harm would come to his little ducky or God help the person that tried.
Morgan was the perfect baby, she never fussed unless she needed something and she slept soundly through her naps. That was until she was three months old, at that point Tony insisted she'd been possessed by some God awful deamon - 'She weighed 6lbs 6.6ounces Pepper, The signs were there from the start.' For some reason the youngest Stark did not want to settle, she would scream for hours and sometimes days on end refusing to eat or sleep for long periods of time. Pepper and Tony had tried every doctor in the whole of New York and even some outside it, they'd even ruled out teething after a while. Peter had still tried to visit them in the lake cabin upstate but there was only so may hours of screaming his enhanced hearing could take before it began to feel like his brain was going to explode.
"I don't get it May, she's perfectly healthy and she was good as gold as a new born, why has she suddenly taken up demon summoning reenactment?"
May spat her tea back into her cup and threw her head back laughing.
"She's a baby Peter, and when babys have big emotions and thoughts they can't communicate they scream. Think about who her parents are her brain is probably going a mile a minute."
"So she's trying to explain to us complex physics in baby speak?"
May laughed again.
"Yes maybe if you listen closest you might understand." She joked.
There was a pause, a hesitant silence that usually came when May wanted to say something about Mary and Richard or Ben.
"You did the same you know."
"I did?"
"Yeah, you were about five month old and for about a month you would just scream non stop, drove your parents batty. I honestly thought your Ma was gonna throw you off the balcony at one point for peace and quiet."
Peter stared at her in shock, he knew he hadn't been the most well behaved child but he didn't think he'd been that bad.
"Would explain my lack of common sense."
"Quite."
"How did they get me to stop?"
"It was Ben actually."
"Oh." Peter looked down Solemnly at the mention of May's late husband.
"Your Mom and Dad needed a break so they bought all 20lbs of you over kicking and screaming and Ben held you in his arms for about ten minutes and sang to you, that lullaby he always sang."
"Lavender blue, yeah I remember it."
"You were out like a light and you slept for hours, your mom cried."
Tony and Pepper looked like death that had been reheated in a shitty college microwave when Peter next visited. Neither had slept in two days and Morgan had barley stopped screaming to eat a few times. Tony had dark circles under his eyes and looked all forty-three years of his age. Pepper's usually neat hair was a ratted mess and she was still in her pyjamas from days beforehand. Peter let himself in using the key Pepper and Tony had presented him with when they bought the house, Harry had given him a lift upstate on the way to his meeting. He was hit with the harsh sounds of a screaming baby Morgan and a very dishevelled Tony trying to settle her in the open plan lounge.
"Hey Pete didn't know you were coming over?" The older man greeted warmly, smiling through his exhaustion.
Peter gave him a look of sympathy and gave a small wave to Pepper.
"Sorry, should have texted."
"You're welcome here anytime Pete, I just know her screaming can be a little harsh on the old super hearing."
Peter gestured for Tony to hand over his baby sister, the man gave him a raised eyebrow but more than happily handed over the screaming bundle.
"Hiya sweetie, shh, shh it's okay Ducky it's okay." He cooed gently but it did nothing to stop the crying.
He rocked her gently as he carried he up the stairs to her bedroom wrapped snugly in her yellow blanket, stuffed toy duck Peter had bought her, clutched in her fists.
Tony stilled when a few minutes later the constant crying stopped and he was met with the sweet sound of silence, his relief turned to concern and he shared a look with Pepper, both running upstairs to Morgan's nursery only to be stopped a few feet away by the soft sound of singing.
"...Who told you so, dilly, dilly
Who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly
That told me so."
Pepper slid down the wall next to the door and let the soft song lull her to sleep quickly, Tony however, hovered in to doorway watching Peter gently rock Morgan to the soft lullaby. Peter hadn't noticed him and of he had he didn't care because he kept on singing.
"Call up your men, dilly, dilly
Set them to work
Some to the plough, dilly, dilly
Some to the fork
Some to make hay, dilly, dilly
Some to cut corn
While you and I, dilly, dilly
Keep ourselves warm.
Lavender's green, dilly, dilly
Lavender's blue
If you love me, dilly, dilly
I will love you
Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly
And the lambs play
We shall be safe, dilly, dilly
Out of harm's way."
Peter then placed a now silent and sleeping Morgan into her cot and crouched down next to it so he could reach through the bars and hold her tiny hand with his finger.
"Why don't you have a good sleep now Ducky? Hmm. Mama and Daddy need their sleep too, especially your Dad he's getting old."
"Hey! I am not getting old!" Tony whispered so quietly that only Peter's enhanced hearing would pick it up.
"Yes you are." He mouthed back.
He gave Morgan's hand one more tiny squeeze and then followed Tony out into the hall way, picking up the baby monitor on his way. As soon as her door was pulled to a close Tony sweeped him up in a bone crushing hug.
"I don't know what magic you possess but thanks kid."
Peter smiled and hugged him back before looking over to Pepper who was fast asleep propped up against the wall.
"You both should get to sleep, you need it."
"I can't i mean the house is a mess I need to -"
"I'll clean the house." Peter cut him off.
"Just get some sleep."
Tony was too exhausted to argue so he scooped Pepper off and let Peter wonder down the stairs to face the state that was their house.