Chapter Text
Chapter 23
Stephen tapped the table with his thumb as he waited, watching as Tony tried to fix Morgan’s hair, both of them growing annoyed as time passed. He flinched as the doorbell echoed around the penthouse, and Tony smiled his thanks as Stephen got up to answer it.
‘I’m trying to do it like you’ve shown me, but the girl in the picture has different hair to you. If you don’t like it, then you finish it.’ Tony’s aggravated voice followed him down the hall.
‘Is this going to get you in trouble?’ Stephen asked his guest, standing aside after he took her coat.
‘Yes, but I won’t let him take my son from me again.’ Maria looked over her shoulder at the closed front door, and Stephen saw it for what it was, remembered his own mom looking like that after one of his father’s drinking binges.
She was scared.
‘You must think the worst of me,’ Maria whispered.
‘I know how it feels to grow up with a controlling father, know how my mom felt trapped in her mating. It’s not for me to judge, but I know the constraints it places on you, how shackling expectations can be.’
‘I’ve tried to leave him so many times.’
He could barely hear her words, but he saw the shame bending her shoulders, scented her terror.
‘Everything okay, Stephen? You’ve been-’
Tony’s voice strangled in his throat.
This wasn’t quite how he’d wanted this reunion to go.
‘Mama?’
‘I…Tony, it’s been-’ She took a step forward, her hand reaching out, before she snatched it back, as if she couldn’t dare.
Tony took a few stumbling steps forward, clutching Stephen’s sleeve for support, unable to believe what he was seeing.
‘Stephen,’ he whined, his emotions in freefall, clinging to his constant.
‘Bambino, I’m so, so-’
She didn’t finish what she was saying, her arms suddenly full of a shaking, crying omega.
‘I’ve missed you so much,’ Tony wheezed out. ‘I’m sorry I ran away, that I didn’t send any letters. I was so ashamed, I felt-’
‘Don’t you ever apologize for what happened. I should’ve been stronger, should’ve tried harder searching for you.’
‘Gemmin?’ Morgan’s tiny voice sounded behind him, and he reached back for her, cupping the back of her head as she wrapped her arms around his leg, peeking around.
‘Everything’s okay, Daddy’s just feeling a bit sad. I’m going to take them both to the park, give you some space,’ Stephen told Tony, wanting to give them room to reunite properly, to say whatever needed to be said without little ears overhearing.
‘Wait!’ Tony gasped out, drying his eyes and taking a step back. ‘Mom, this is Morgan.’
Maria crouched down, arranging her delicate chiffon skirt as she looked at Morgan.
‘Hello, Morgan.’
‘Are you one of Everly’s friends?’ Morgan asked.
‘Beverly is my mom, who Tony has been taking care of,’ Stephen clarified.
‘I’m not, but I’d like to be, if that’s okay with you?’ Maria asked, a tear slipping down her cheek as she smiled.
‘Course! Everyone needs friends, Daddy always says so.’
‘You look just like your daddy,’ Maria told her, reaching out to stroke her face with the back of her finger.
‘You look like Daddy too,’ Morgan frowned, gripping Stephen’s leg harder.
‘Morgan, this is my mummy,’ Tony tried to explain.
‘But you said it was only you and Morgan,’ she tried to understand.
‘He’s right, darling, Daddy didn’t lie, it’s just that I…I.’ Maria faltered, her lower lip trembling.
‘We had a big fight,’ Tony explained, getting to his knees beside them, his hand on Morgan’s shoulder. ‘A very big fight and Daddy didn’t want to talk to his mummy anymore.’
‘No, no don’t,’ Maria begged, looking heartbroken. ‘It wasn’t Daddy’s fault, it wasn’t your fault, Tony.’
‘Did you both say sorry?’ Morgan interrupted, looking between them both. ‘You need to say sorry properly and why you’re sorry, and then you can be friends again,’ she explained, completely serious.
‘Morgan, that’s why we need to give them a bit of space, so they can say sorry to each other. Shall we take Beverly to get some ice cream?’
‘It’s okay, pumpkin, go with Stephen and I’ll explain when you get home. Take some bread for the ducks, we forgot last time.’
That sealed the deal, and she went to fetch it.
‘Stephen, I-’
‘We’ll talk later.’ He put a stop to Tony’s rambles, scenting him in reassurance. ‘Call me if you need me.’
***
Despite Stephen giving him the space of his penthouse for their chat, his mom had suggested they go out instead, meet on more neutral ground rather than somewhere he found safe. He’d protested immediately, but silently he’d been grateful for the suggestion, asking his mom to wait while he called Pepper from his bedroom in a panic.
How had Stephen spoken to her without Howard knowing? How had she gotten away?
Following her into a coffee shop, he hesitated, unsure what the etiquette was in dealing with long-lost mothers.
‘Go take a seat,’ she told him.
Perhaps she was just as nervous as he was.
He stared at her as he waited, scared that she’d disappear between blinks, that his father would fly into the store in a rage. Tony could feel his heat pulsate in his fingertips, his vision blurring the longer he sat there, waiting.
‘I ordered a coffee for you, is that okay?’ she asked, wringing her hands as she sat down. It was a trait he’d inherited, and he reached over the table to stop her.
‘More than, I love coffee.’
‘Yes, I remember. Even when you shouldn’t have been drinking it.’ She’d aged a little in the years they’d been apart, a touch of grey peppered through her hair, but she was still the same mom who’d read to him at night, the same woman he’d adored, and he felt a pang now as he looked over the table at her.
‘I missed you,’ he blurted honestly.
‘A day hasn’t gone by where I haven’t thought of you. Where I hadn’t thought about trying to find you. Thank you,’ she thanked the barrister as he brought over their drinks, smiling at Tony’s pleased noise at the carrot cake she’d ordered.
‘You set up Carbonell Care,’ he said, not sure if it was a question, feeling awkward, unsure what to say, how he could compress what had happened to him over the last few years.
‘I did. After you left home.’ She closed her eyes at his flinch. ‘I hated the way your father treated you, how he pushed you to take over the business, and when you presented…’
‘That wasn’t your fault, Mom.’
‘I should’ve left him,’ she seethed into her mug.
‘Back then, I didn’t understand why, why you stayed with him, why you allowed yourself to be unhappy. Beverly, Stephen’s mom, the woman I take care of, she put it in perspective for me. Abusive relationships aren’t easy to leave, especially if they wield the amount of power Howard does.’
‘I should’ve done more, should’ve protected you. When I think about the life you’ve lived, looking after your daughter all alone-’
‘That’s why you set up the charity, not just as an act of defiance. You were trying to help others.’ Tony understood.
‘I forgot how perceptive you could be.’ Reaching across the table, she left her hand palm up for him, relaxing as he took it. ‘Your father has always had control over the finances, my life. The small act of defiance was…’
‘Liberating? I’m proud of you. I know it’s something you’ve always wanted to set up, your dream. I’m glad he didn’t ruin it.’
Howard would’ve ruined her life in other ways though.
‘Mom, are you okay? Do you need help? I can’t stand the thought of you living like this any longer.’
He expected her to wave him off, to reassure him, instead she went very still, her lips pursed together.
‘You were always the carrot dangling before me. Do as you’re told, and I’ll tell you where Tony is. Sign over Carbonell Care or make Justin representative and I’ll show you a picture of them both.’
Tony had long suspected that Howard was using him as a way to control her, had coerced her into staying with him by using her love for her son. It had nothing to do with wanting to keep her by his side out of romantic feelings.
Howard Stark needed to control everyone and everything around him, took pleasure in the suffering of others.
‘I never wanted Howard to ruin your life. My selfish desire to see you today might cost you,’ she whispered, gaze downcast.
‘He can’t hurt me anymore. I have a family, Mom, friends who care about me. I don’t know if you know, but those prosthetic braces of Stephen’s research-’
‘I know you helped him. Stephen was adamant I knew that.’
Tony felt a rush of warmth.
‘There isn’t anything Howard can take from me, not anymore. I still want you to be a part of it, whatever life I have left.’
‘I want that too, bambino, more than anything.’
‘We’ll figure it out. Carbonell Care, Howard, you’re not alone, Mom. Do you want to see some baby pictures of Morgan?’
Her eyes sparkled at the prospect, and she leant forward in her chair.
‘Before you tell me all about Morgan, how about you ask that redhead alpha to come join us?’
‘What redhead?’ Tony played dumb, his resolve crumbling at her look.
‘The protective one a few seats over.’
‘Can’t get anything past you. Pep? Come join us,’ Tony called, shifting over onto the seat beside him and waiting for her to sit. ‘Mom, this is my best friend Virginia Potts, Pepper as I like to call her, or Auntie Pebbles.’
‘Pleased to meet you,’ Pepper said kindly, gaze checking over Tony first before turning to face his mom. ‘You okay?’ she whispered to him.
‘Yeah, I’m good, I’m great,’ he said, knowing he meant it.
It wouldn’t be resolved all at once, but this was a huge start.
***
He hadn’t expected Tony to be out the entire day, and he found himself pacing the hallway beside the front door. Morgan was asleep, and his mom was reading in her room, leaving him alone with his worries, the minutes dragging past.
Hearing the ping of the elevator outside the penthouse, Stephen plastered himself to the front door, trying to see who it was through the peephole.
‘I’m fine, asshole,’ Tony called, peering straight back.
Opening the door, Tony’s name on his lips, Stephen fell back as Tony launched himself at him, squeezing him so tight that his ribs ground together.
‘Is everything?’
‘I don’t know how to thank you,’ Tony mumbled into his chest, thumbs digging into his back.
‘This is thanks enough,’ Stephen whispered, returning the hug and resting his cheek on the top of Tony’s head. ‘Come on, have you eaten?’
‘Yeah, but I wouldn’t say no to coffee. Is Morgan?’
‘We put her to bed together. Well, I say I did, I supervised and told Mom when it was past bedtime. Morgan did let me read her a story, though,’ Stephen told him, taking him by the hand as they walked to the kitchen.
‘And how many did she squeeze out of you?’
‘Five.’
Tony snorted.
Stephen busied himself with the coffee machine for a few moments, pulling a bag of chips out of the cupboard as he moved, giving Tony some space.
‘I think…I think she might be thinking about leaving him,’ Tony whispered.
‘Your father?’ he asked, trying not to show his emotions, trying to stay neutral.
‘Yeah. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but…Oh God, I hope she does it,’ Tony breathed out, sitting on a stool at the kitchen island and putting his face in his hands.
‘The fact that she’s considering it is positive. I can’t begin to imagine how it must feel for her, being trapped like that.’
‘Something similar to how Beverly felt,’ Tony mumbled. ‘Sorry.’ He wrenched his face free of his hands. ‘That was shit of me. I didn’t mean to-’
‘I know what you meant,’ Stephen reassured, bringing the drinks and snack over.
‘It was like no time had passed between us. I showed her all of Morgan’s baby pictures, talked about my part-time jobs, and how I met Pepper. We went for dinner after the coffee shop shut. It was like-’
‘You had years’ worth of information to tell her?’ Stephen said with a smile.
‘Exactly.’ Tony fiddled with his drink.
‘What’s wrong?’ Stephen encouraged, recognizing that look.
‘Stephen, I need to talk to you about something.’
Holding his breath Stephen waited, forcing himself to relax, telling himself that Tony needed him now.
‘Mom, she…she mentioned something about using the charity to fund a new medical center, a facility that would specialize in bionics and augmentation.’
Did that mean that the braces would-
‘She was impressed by our research, thinks it could help a lot of people.’
‘Which it would,’ Stephen agreed, hardly daring to hope, to dream.
‘Mom wants me in charge of the project.’
Stephen felt his lips part, watching his omega before him, searching for a hint of emotion.
This would be a breakthrough for Tony’s career, a second chance for him to do something he’d wanted. He could invent, build new things, chase the dream he’d abandoned.
But Stephen couldn’t help but feel like he was being left behind.
‘As in?’ Stephen said instead, holding himself back from touching Tony, needing to hear him say it.
‘As in, the head of bionic research and augmentation. God, I always knew I’d take over the family business one day, but I never thought…I never thought it would be like this.’
‘I want to scream in excitement for you, but I can’t tell if you’re happy or not,’ Stephen told him, trying to peer down to see Tony’s face, his fingers trembling as the moment dragged on without him having a clue to Tony’s mental state. Should he act happy on his behalf? Concerned? Did he need to reassure?
‘I’m ecstatic,’ Tony whispered.
He looked anything but. Tony was shaken.
‘It was expected that I’d take over Stark Industries, but I wasn’t interested in the politics of the business world, the military side. I wanted to invent, to create something that would make people’s lives better. This way, I can.’
‘Tony-’
‘Stephen, I can finally do it.’
His voice broke, and Stephen reached over to take hold of his shoulder, hating to be the one to douse his happiness in cold water, but he had to ask.
‘What about your father and Justin Hammer?’
‘Mom signed a prenup before they mated. She isn’t entitled to anything of Howard’s, and he isn’t either.’
‘He never expected your mother to do anything with her life,’ Stephen nodded in understanding.
Holy shit, this could work.
‘I don’t know how she managed to set up the charity without him getting involved. Knowing him, he probably didn’t think it would amount to anything, so it wasn’t worth his attention. I can’t believe she managed to make her dream come true, that she created something that was her own.’ Tony was gazing down at his hands, still stuck in a state of disbelief.
‘Justin won’t be an issue. He was only made representative because my father was trying to gain leverage, promising her a picture of me and Morgan if she did it. He needed a spy within, had to keep tabs on her, had to try and control her.’
Tony suddenly remembered his coffee and took a sip from it, meeting Stephen’s gaze and then averting it again.
‘Regarding Justin sniffing around me, I think that might be solved by a mating bite.’
Stephen’s mind flat-lined.
‘I…what?’
‘Honey,’ Tony began, taking a deep breath for courage before he took Stephen’s hand. ‘I don’t want to presume, I know any hospital would be happy to take you, but I was wondering.’
‘You want me to work for you?’ Stephen spluttered, wanting to go back to what Tony had just said.
Mating bite.
‘No, with me. If we’re going to do this, if you still want to be mates-’
‘I do,’ Stephen interrupted, shutting that doubt down immediately, brushing some of Tony’s bangs back as he waited for him to finish talking.
‘Work with me,’ Tony breathed out, tilting his head into the touch. ‘I can design, invent, imagine, but you’re the surgeon, my brainstorming partner, the one who can make my thoughts a reality.’
‘Well, I am in between jobs at the moment,’ Stephen pretended to consider, laughing at the slap to his arm. ‘What about Morgan?’
‘I spoke to her this morning. Seems she might have been harboring a secret wish for us to become mates for a while. She told me that the tooth fairy had answered her prayers.’
‘Should I be concerned that she’s praying to the tooth fairy?’
‘It’s better than the pirate on the cereal box she prayed to for a new bike. Oh shit!’ Tony exclaimed, looking horrified. ‘What about Beverly?’
‘What about her? She’ll be happy for you?’ Stephen asked.
‘Who’s going to take care of her?’
‘This is probably a good time to stop eavesdropping,’ his mom called from behind the kitchen door.
‘How long have you been out there?’ Stephen sighed, hopping down from his stool to open it for her.
She wheeled in without an inch of shame, crossing her arms and looking at them both.
‘I think it’s high time you boys and I had a chat about my care.’
‘Beverly, you know that-’
‘You want to move out?’ Stephen guessed.
‘I want some independence,’ she amended, meeting his gaze. ‘We, the three of us, have tiptoed around the idea, but we’ve never sat down and discussed it. Grab me some chamomile tea.’
Tony didn’t move.
‘Please,’ she amended, smiling to soften her abruptness.
‘Mom, you know you’re always welcome here. Even with me and Tony becoming mates, it doesn’t mean-’
‘You’re both the same, the pair of you, I swear,’ she sighed, folding her arms over her chest. ‘I don’t feel pushed out. It’s something I’ve been considering for a while. Thank you.’ She took the tea from Tony, resting it on the arm of her chair as she thought. ‘Stephen, bringing me here after my accident wasn’t the right thing to do.’
‘Mom, I-’
‘Darling,’ his mom stopped him. ‘I know your heart was in the right place, but neither of us really wanted this. I was punishing you, and you were trying to control the situation.’
‘I needed to know you’d be okay,’ he whispered, leaning into Tony’s supportive touch.
‘I know, and I’m sorry, for all the heartache I’ve caused you, my stubborn temper. I don’t feel forced out, and good luck trying to take Tony and Morgan from my life, but I would like my own space, my own friends.’ She looked at Tony now. ‘You made me want a life that’s mine.’
Taking her tea from the armrest, Tony passed it to Stephen as he knelt on the floor beside her.
‘You made this possible,’ he told her, voice thick.
‘I didn’t do anything,’ she told him, eyes wide as she stared at him.
‘You gave me and Morgan a chance where no one else would, gave us the opportunity to get back on our feet. Even in the depths of your grief and pain, you saw something in me that made you fight for me as your carer. Thank you.’
She opened her arms for him, and he fell into them, locking his hands around her middle as he burrowed his head beneath her chin.
‘That’s what friends do, right?’ Hesitantly she scented him. ‘I’m happy you got your mama back in your life, that you found happiness in Stephen. You’re going to do great things, Tony Stark.’
‘I found you too, Everly. You can never have too many mothers. I found my family.’
Family. Stephen liked the sound of that.
Epilogue
‘Another late night?’ Stephen called to the security guard slumped over the desk, grinning as he snapped to attention, spinning on his heel before he realized who it was. Flipping him the finger, Bucky stretched his arms above his head, taking the cup of coffee Stephen was holding once he’d finished yawning.
‘Your omega’s still got it,’ Bucky teased, sitting on the edge of his desk as he waggled his eyebrows at Stephen.
‘You’re lucky I’m such a tolerant alpha. Allowing you both to go out dancing until the early hours? What will people think of me?’
‘Pssh, as if you could control Tony. Still on for darts tomorrow?’
‘As long as our patient in room two doesn’t try to scale the side of the building again. Keep a close eye on them tonight for me, would you?’
Stephen knew for all their teasing and posturing towards each other, Bucky wouldn’t falter at his post. Stephen hadn’t been too sure about Tony’s insistence they hire him as their head security guard, nervous about having someone from Tony’s club days in close proximity, but Stephen had seen how good it had been for Tony to have the alpha in his life.
The icing on the cake was the knowledge that Stephen had made someone’s life a bit better, that through the stable income, Bucky had also been able to leave The Sanctum, had returned to a life in the daylight rather than being a jewel of the night.
‘Bucky!’
They both turned at the sound of scampering, and the alpha’s face split into a huge grin as he got down on one knee, opening his arms wide and falling to the ground in a heap as Morgan tackled him to the ground.
‘You’re getting stronger every time I see you!’
‘You’re so silly, Bucky,’ Morgan giggled down at him. ‘Did you bring Alpine with you today?’
‘No, my horrible boss won’t let me… but! I took a new video for you! Would you like to see it?’
Nodding, Morgan settled in his lap, waiting patiently.
‘Should we be concerned that your head of security is sprawled on the floor with an eight-year-old in his lap?’
‘No more concerned than Tony trying to sneak Alpine the cat in here without telling any of us. Any trouble?’
‘None at all. We had a picnic with Beverly and the horses. I don’t think you’ve got too much longer before she starts asking you for a pony.’
Shaking his head, Stephen took Morgan’s backpack from Pepper.
‘I’ve been asked to pass on the reminder that you won’t forget dinner at the weekend.’
‘Haven’t forgotten the last few, and I’ve got a reminder on my phone.’
‘We both know it isn’t you that gets caught up in work.’ It wasn’t a reprimand, Stephen could see the gleam in Pepper’s eyes as she looked up at the ceiling, the way her scent curled with pride. ‘He told me what he was working on next, a binary augmented system?’
‘Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing,’ Stephen corrected. ‘A holographic interface that will allow a patient to recreate their most traumatic memories with the use of holograms. Giving them a safe space to-’
‘Look at you, smitten with your little genius,’ Pepper said with a smile.
‘One of his many talents.’ He heard the unspoken, her awe that he wasn’t intimidated by Tony’s vision, his intelligence. Stephen knew how alphas thought, how they didn’t like to have their pride threatened by someone perceived as weaker than them.
Like an omega.
Stephen would rather have his pride in tatters than have Tony’s creativity stifled.
‘I left you something back home that might help with his moods,’ Pepper said carefully, brushing a kiss to his cheek before calling goodbye to Morgan.
‘Bye, Auntie Pebbles! Thank you! And I won’t tell Daddy about the candy.’
‘Can you pretend you didn’t hear that?’ Pepper hissed.
‘Heard what? Come on, Maguna, we need to go rescue Daddy.’
Both Bucky and Morgan whined in disappointment at that, pointing to the screen with the cute fluffy white cat.
‘If we have time later, and Bucky isn’t busy, then maybe we can look at some more videos of Alpine. Thanks again, Pepper.’
‘It’s my pleasure. Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got a date with a hot bath and a glass of something bubbly.’
‘Bye Auntie Pebbles, bye Bucky. Daddy Gemmin, can we go out for hamburgers for dinner?’ Her hands were slightly sticky as she took his, incriminating evidence of the candy Pepper had already snuck her.
‘I don’t see why not. That might tempt Daddy into eating something.’
‘Is Daddy still poorly?’ Morgan whispered, walking with him to the elevator.
She was recalling this morning when Tony had been vomiting in the bathroom, and he shot a heated look over at Bucky, the alpha looking down in guilt. Stephen knew Tony had overdone it, but he didn’t want to limit his omega’s fun, wanted him to spend time with Bucky, even if that did involve dancing. It was a passion of theirs, and he trusted Tony, but the omega didn’t always know his limits.
Just like the green around the gills alpha.
That’ll teach Bucky to drink to excess.
Morgan hummed in the elevator, bouncing up and down on her feet, and Stephen looked at the blue inverted pyramid logo of Carbonell Care printed beneath the buttons of the elevator. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe that Tony’s ideas had resulted in this building, that he’d been a pioneer in the medical robotics field.
Stephen had moved away from the limelight, and Tony had stepped into the role easily, dazzling and catching attention with his sharp suits and quick wit, charming the nation as an omega sweetheart, changing the lives of their patients.
Not once had Stephen envied him. He missed him at times, the life they had before when they lived in his old penthouse, but Tony shone with a light from within, something he’d been missing from before, and it made him radiant.
Howard Stark had taught Tony everything he knew without meaning to, and Tony had expanded on that knowledge, had sought the very people Stark Industries had turned away because of outdated ideologies. He’d secured investors who weren’t alphas, treating everyone working for him with the same respect and understanding, regardless of gender.
Justin Hammer hadn’t been the thorn in their side Stephen had anticipated. One quick drink with Bucky had been enough to set things in motion. Natasha had used every tool at her disposal to make that alpha’s life a living hell, slapping him with so many lawsuits from her omega workers that it had made the national news.
Hammer had been dropped as the Carbonell Care representative. Howard Stark didn’t have much of a choice, not with his own very public dissolution of his mating and the stories worming their way out of the woodwork considering his treatment of his wife.
Stephen felt vicious pleasure at the memory.
Perhaps the most condemning evidence was from a Doctor Bruce Banner. The Stark family doctor who had given very damning evidence regarding Howard’s methods of trying to rid his omega son of his pregnancy.
Stephen had held Tony a little tighter that night, overcome with the need to watch him sleep.
It had been Banner who had gone to help Tony when he’d been in labor, keeping it secret from everyone, wanting to help the young man he’d watched present as an omega and then suffer under the hands of his father.
He finally had the missing piece of the puzzle, and Stephen had wanted to bring Banner to work with them here, but the alpha had disappeared after a tearful phone call with Tony.
Loose ends had been tied, but Stephen wanted Howard Stark to lose more, to have his life destroyed around him. He’d lost all footholds into Carbonell Care, had lost the control he held over his mate and child, but it didn’t feel like enough.
Stephen wanted him to suffer.
Life wasn’t fair. People with money always seemed to squirm their way out of lawsuits and criminal sentencing, but Tony had gotten everything he wanted.
Maybe that was enough?
Tony was in his lab as always, crouched over his computer, half-chewed pen in his hand, and Stephen watched him, still astounded that Tony loved him.
‘Daddy?’
He jerked up at the sound, his smile huge as he saw them both, opening his arms out for Morgan.
‘Careful,’ Stephen warned her out of instinct more than anything.
‘How are you feeling?’ Stephen fretted, scenting Tony’s cheekbone, hands resting on his slightly swollen stomach, tenderness in the touch.
‘Better. You were right. I pushed myself too hard. It wasn’t Bucky’s fault,’ Tony was quick to say, almost daring Stephen to blame his friend. Placing his hands over Stephen’s on his stomach, he sighed heavily. ‘I still think I have the body I used to. Imagine if I’d been drinking?’
‘Hello baby,’ Morgan cooed, nuzzling her nose into Tony’s stomach. ‘Is she hungry?’
‘She?’ Stephen questioned.
‘We both think she’s a girl. You are, aren’t you?’ Tony spoke down to his stomach, hand on the top of Morgan’s head.
There was no scientific way to be certain yet, they hadn’t wanted to find out on the scan, but Stephen only wanted the child to be healthy, didn’t care about lineage or family lines living on.
‘Can you give me a few minutes to finish up here? The patient down in room four was feeling a bit uncomfortable-’
‘Wong’s already on it but thank you for letting me know. I need to go through my notes for tomorrow’s operation, anyway. Does that give you enough time?’
‘Plenty, thank you.’
Stephen stepped through the holograms of the laboratory, not understanding what any of them meant, settling himself in the small corner of the room that was given to him and Morgan. They were only allowed to touch things in this designated space, and Stephen watched as Morgan carefully picked her away across the lab, sitting in her chair beside Stephen as she pulled out her notebook and pens from the drawer.
As he checked through his emails, he felt the weight of Morgan’s head in his lap, and he absentmindedly placed his hand on her head as he looked up to watch his mate. He hoped Tony wasn’t overdoing it. He’d suffered from bad morning sickness, had only just started feeling more like himself, and Stephen felt the familiar stirrings of grief at the idea of Tony having to go through this alone for his first pregnancy.
Tony turned his head to the side, and Stephen saw the silvery scar of his mating bite.
‘Daddy Gemmin?’ Morgan whispered. ‘Why do you scent sad?’
‘I wish I’d met you and your Daddy sooner,’ he whispered, stroking over her hair.
‘Do you…do you wish you were my real sire?’
Her question gutted him, and he wrenched his gaze away from his mate, staring at the young girl in his lap.
‘Sweetheart…Why would you ask that?’ He struggled to understand, casting his mind back to see if he’d said something hurtful without thinking, if her behavior had been any different towards him.
‘The new baby will have two parents, but I-’
‘Morgan, you know I love you as if you were my own.’
They’d sat her down when they’d first discovered they were pregnant, and she had been happy for them, excited about being a big sister, but there were small moments like this where she went quiet, lost in her own thoughts.
He felt himself panic, not for the first time, that they hadn’t been spending enough time with her, that they hadn’t prepared her for this, that they were moving too fast.
‘Do you love the baby more?’ Morgan asked, small fingers twisting in his pants.
‘No, never. Hey, look at me.’ Switching his computer off, he moved in his chair, lifting her under her armpits so she could sit in his lap. ‘What we have, what you and I have is unique to us. That can’t be replaced, but we can add more people to love. That doesn’t mean I love you less. It’s scary, having a new baby in the family. I was a big brother, and I remember being really scared when Beverly had a new baby.’
‘Everly had a baby?’
‘Yes,’ he answered patiently. Countless times they’d explained this. She knew who their mothers were, could understand they had parents too, but Morgan couldn’t quite seem to grasp that any of them had ever been young.
‘When Donna was born, I hated her.’
‘Daddy!’ Morgan gasped, slapping her hands over her mouth, shocked.
‘But after a while, I grew to love her. She was my friend, my family.’
‘Can I meet Donna?’
‘No, sweetheart. She died a long time ago.’
‘Is Daddy’s baby-’
‘No!’ Stephen quickly reassured, putting a stop to her spiking fear. ‘No. Donna died in an accident. That’s why we have to be careful and listen to what our parents tell us, so they can keep us safe. What I’m trying to tell you is that it might seem scary now, but a new baby brother or sister is a wonderful thing.’
‘And you’re still my Gemmin?’
He smiled at that, scenting her affectionately.
‘That’s never going to change. Morgan, I might not be related to you through blood, but that’s why we had that ceremony, remember?’
‘Morgan Stark-Strange,’ she recited proudly.
‘Exactly, that proves to the whole world that you belong to both of us. This baby doesn’t mean I don’t love you just as much.’
She seemed happy at that, throwing her arms around his neck and he squeezed her back just as tight.
‘Hey, you done?’ he asked as he watched Tony pad over.
‘No, but if I don’t stop now I never will, and after throwing some serious dance shapes on the floor last night, I need a night off. What do you feel like eating, Maguna?’
‘Burgers!’
‘You sure you’re going to be able to fit those down after all that candy you scoffed.’
‘You told!’ Morgan accused Stephen, jabbing him in the chest.
‘He didn’t need to. I can scent it all over you. If we go for burgers I expect you to eat it all, salad too, deal?’
‘Half.’
‘All of it.’
‘Half and some cucumbers.’
‘All of it and no cucumbers.’
‘Deal!’
Tony offered her his hand to shake, and she did so without question, leaping down to her feet and dragging him towards the elevator.
‘Wait a second, wait pumpkin.’ Tony planted his feet, waiting for him to catch up. Leaning down, Stephen accepted Tony’s chaste kiss, the nuzzle of his nose. ‘I don’t think I’ve had my quota of kisses for today.’
‘Eww gross,’ Morgan gagged, rapidly hitting the button for the elevator.
‘That wasn’t what you said the other day when we saw that boy you like…who was it? Austin? Aiden?’
‘Aaron,’ Stephen answered, laughing at the furious blush on Morgan’s cheeks.
‘I’m going to go live with Nonna,’ Morgan muttered, folding her arms over her chest.
‘Sure! You can help her knit all those baby booties she’s trying to break the world record with. Shall I call her for you?’ Tony teased, taking out his phone.
‘Daddy!’ Morgan stamped her foot, her laughter shining through her mood.
Stephen took a mental snapshot of this image, his mate and daughter laughing about Maria, who up until a few years ago had been absent from their life. From this angle, he could see the slight swell of Tony’s stomach, evidence of their bond, their family.
‘You coming, Stephen?’ Tony called, holding open the elevator doors.
‘Come on, Daddy Gemmin! Burgers!’ Morgan shouted, stretching out her hand.
He never could’ve imagined that through the twisted painful bonds he and his mother had been entangled in, their misery and awful coping mechanisms, something as beautiful as a new family could be forged.
The End
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