fandomweekly | [#054] BRANCH OFF (The Avengers

Theme Prompt: 054: TIME TRAVEL
Title: Branch Off
Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Rating/Warnings: Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame
Bonus: No
Word Count: 989
Summary: In the end, she's just a little girl who wants her Daddy.

Tony heard the giggling the moment he stepped out of the door. He was on a mission, commissioned by his wife, to fetch their 4.5 year old daughter for lunch. He walked over to her tent, and had been about to call out to the little light of his life when he realized something that frightened him more than finally putting a name to the fear he'd carried for years.

Two voices were coming from inside the tent.

Two!

"What the--" he muttered, tapping the face of his watch. He waited until the gauntlet had enclosed his hand before taking a deep breath to calm his pounding. "Morgan, it's chow time! Come out here!" He hoped whoever was inside with his precious little girl wouldn't react in a rash way after being caught by trying to take her hostage.

The flap opened, and Morgan crawled out. When she saw her Daddy was wearing his, she held up her little hand covered with her mock gauntlet glove. "Where are the bad guys, Daddy?"

Tony blinked, then said in a calm of tone as he could. "Come over to Daddy, Morgan."

The little girl gave her Daddy a confused look then laughed. "Why, Daddy?"

"Just do it, sweetie. Please."

Morgan probably didn't understand why her Daddy was being so silly, but she went over to her Daddy anyway.

Tony picked her up, keeping his eye on the tent as he questioned her. "What were you and your friend laughing about just now?"

"Spi'er-man, Daddy!"

"Spider-man, huh?"

"Uh huh! Hannah tolded me a weally neat stowy bout Spi'er-man!"

"Oh, she did, did she?"

"Uh huh."

Tony kept a wary eye on the tent, but gave his daughter a kiss before he put her down. "Go have lunch with Mommy. Tell her I'll be inside in just a minute."

"Bye, Hannah!" Morgan said, waving at the tent before taking off.

Tony made sure his little girl was inside before he turned his attention back to the tent, raising his hand. "Alright, whoever you are, you can come out now! And do it real slow like! And I mean like a glacier!"

There was no movement from the inside the tent for so long that Tony thought that maybe he'd been wrong, that maybe he had imagined a second voice laughing. But then, there was some rustling from inside the tent, and he heard a female voice speak.

"I'm coming out, and I'm unarmed."

Tony raised his hand, ready to blast whoever emerged if she tried anything. He would defend his wife, always, but he would especially defend their little girl if this woman was here to hurt Morgan. "What the h..."

He'd expected a much older woman to come out of the tent. Instead a girl who couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen did, and he knew her. He knew her on sight, but how could this be? "Morgan?"

The teenaged girl before him smiled, "Hello, Daddy."

Tony closed his eyes, and counted to ten, sure he was hallucinating. Some much for those days being far behind me! When he opened them again, she was still standing there and she gave him a little wave. "This is not happening."

"Daddy, I need you to listen to me. I don't have much time. I told Mor... my younger self that my name was Hannah and I'm her cousin. What I didn't tell her is that I'm really from the future, and that I've come back to tell you something."

Tony plugged his ears, and started humming. "I am not hearing this! You're just a hallucination! From what I don't know because I don't do either one of those things anymore but you're still a hallucination!"

Two hands grabbed his wrists.

"DADDY, you need to listen to me because what I have to say will make the difference as to whether or not that little girl in there will grow up without a father!" She could see she had succeeded in getting his attention.

"What do you mean 'grow up without a father'? I'm not sick and I'm not planning on--"

"Exactly, Daddy! You're not planning on it but two days from now three Avengers will show up on your doorstep saying they have a plan to get everyone back. Don't listen to them, Daddy, or help them because if you do, I... she will grow up without a father. Promise me you won't help them."

"Wait, why are you here telling me this?" Tony inquired.

"I told you, it's because if you help them, Morgan, your daughter is going to grow up without her father. I know because where I come from, you helped them, and I lost my because you helped them.”

"But even if I agree to this… to doing what you ask me to do it won't change anything, sweetheart. I know how time travel works and changing the past doesn't change the future ever. You still won't get me back."

Morgan nodded. "Yes, I know that I can't change anything for me, but it doesn't mean I can't change things for some version of me. I can't have my father back but it'll help me to know that she will have you. Please, Daddy, promise me that you'll say no and stick to it! Please!"

He looked at her for a long time. "Okay, I promise."

"Do you swear?"

"Yes, I swear."

Her eyes looked into his for a long time. "Mean it. Oh please, mean it Daddy, because have no idea how lonely it's been without you in my life."

He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her. "I mean it, Maguna. I won't help them."

"I love you, Daddy."

Two days later when Steve, Natasha, and Lang showed up on his doorstep, Tony kept his promise. He said it wouldn't help them.

Then later that night after dinner, Pepper asked him to do the dishes.

He did.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I love fix-it fics, and that Tony doesn't die in this.

Yeah, I couldn't resist using the time travel prompt for this little ficlet. Poor Morgan wouldn't be able to erase the childhood she had without her Daddy but maybe like she said, she could make sure her younger self in another timeline might be able to grow up with Tony with her.

I have sorta have a fix-it fic posted already called Rest Stop. It's less than 10K and is only 3 chapters long/

Thanks for the comment :-)

Poor older Morgan! I admire her for wanting to make life happier for her other self, but I can’t help but wonder what the cost is in other ways. This is really interesting.

Poor older Morgan!

I know I feel so bad for her and for Pepper. I mean Tony's death broke my heart (I am such a Tony/Pepper shipper and I love him so MUCH) that I cry every time I watch Endgame!

I admire her for wanting to make life happier for her other self

Me too. She knows very well what it was like growing up with her Daddy, and if she can help another version of herself avoid that sadness, she wants to do it. It takes a lot to give her younger self what she never had or can never have no matter what she does.

but I can’t help but wonder what the cost is in other ways. This is really interesting.

I might have to continue this at some point. Might I say (LOL)! I have so many WIPs going on you know?

Thank you! :-D

[#054] BRANCH OFF (The Avengers | MCU)

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