I Am Soul - Spider-Man / Peter Parker [2]

Chapter One - Five Years Later

I'm going to follow Tony on Earth chapters for now as it feels more poignant coming from him.

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Earth

FIVE YEARS LATER

Five years had passed since the disastrous snap that had taken so much from so many people. It was as clear as day to all that earth was still suffering from its loss. So many lives were taken, human and animal alike. Half the population of living creatures had disappeared into dust and the people who were left were still struggling with the reality of it all. And for many in Wakanda the snap was not the only thing that had taken their loved ones, the fight itself (before the snap) had stolen people too.

People usually adapted to such scenarios but so many couldn't, some couldn't aspect the truth, Tony Stark was one of them. A big part of Tony still wouldn't except his daughter's death. If anyone brought Maria up, he fell silent and angry. He wouldn't take her off his will, he wouldn't close her bank accounts, he couldn't do anything that he saw as removing her from the world. If he took her off his will, if he closed her accounts, then he was admitting that she was never coming back and it felt like he was trying to rid her from the world. Pepper had done as much as she could but she wouldn't force Tony to do such things, he wasn't ready and he already carried so much guilt on his shoulders for the entire fiasco. But he put on a brave face for his other daughter, Morgan.

In the five years since the snap Tony had been fortunate, for he had returned to his fiancé. He was able to marry the love of his life, six months after his return - though the big wedding they had planned had not occurred, neither wanted it like that when Maria wasn't with them, she had been the one who had been so ecstatic about the big wedding. They had had a small wedding with only close friends and instead of throwing her bouquet of flowers to a group of praying women she had taken the expensive array to Maria's grave.

A year or so later Pepper fell pregnant and Morgan was born. Tony was overjoyed to have another daughter. He treasured her, gave her everything he could except when she misbehaved. He raised her in Maria's memory and he made damn sure that Morgan knew her, her flaws and all. In turn Morgan had grown to love Maria, she was a smart girl who understood that Maria was no longer with them and that she was her older sister.

When Tony knew about Morgan, he decided that they needed to move out of the city, move away from the painful memories of his failure. Tony had given up the hero life and needed a new start. They had brought a house by a lake, a beautiful wooden house that was very different from the modern tech filled houses Tony was used to. The place was beautiful and calming. It was a little place of haven in a world of sadness, in world of grey.

They had lived there for just over four years and were happy, though Tony always felt something was missing.

It was an ordinary day for the billionaire with Pepper making lunch and wanting Morgan inside which Tony immediately volunteered to go and get the trouble maker. As Tony descended the couple of steps of his cabin, he headed towards a little rudimentary camp that he and his daughter had made together – she liked having her little house though she wanted a table cloth over it always. She was often outside; it was where she was happiest.

"Chow time!" Tony shouted as he neared the blue and white flowered print of the cloth that covered the house. Once he was close enough, he spotted the small chair that was just big enough for Morgan to sit down on. Taking residence on the chair Tony tried again to call his daughter but she didn't come out of hiding. So, Tony used the one line that would always work with his hungry child. "Morgan H. Stark. You want some lunch?" Finally, Tony heard movement.