"Hurry up, Mama!" The little boy exclaims, squirming in his mother's arms. She chuckles, poking his side.
"We're almost there." Dahlia tells him. She senses Tony exiting his house as they reach the bottom of the porch steps. "See, Uncle Tony's right there."
"Hey, Freddie." Tony greets, ruffling his hair. "Can you do me a favor, kiddo? Where's Morgan?" He asks, knowing exactly where his daughter would be hiding but giving him an opportunity to practice his magic.
Dahlia chuckles as she watches her son squeeze his eyes shut, knowing it does absolutely nothing, especially considering he was born blind, just like her. They wait patiently as he focuses for a few moments before sighing.
"She's in her tent." He tells him, resting his head on his mother's shoulder, tired from using his magic.
"We'll wait here in case you need backup." Dahlia jokes, leaning against the railing of the porch.
"Thanks." Tony replies sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Don't roll your eyes at me." She scolds as he walks away.
"She always knows." He mutters under his breath.
"Yeah, because I know you, Tony." She replies, chuckling as he rolls his eyes again. She turns her attention to her son as Tony's footsteps fade away. "How did your magic feel this time?"
"Okay. Tired." Freddie answers. Dahlia kisses the top of his head, turning her attention to the driveway as a car approaches. Tony joins them on the porch, carrying Morgan, as the doors slam shut. Dahlia reaches her magic out, sensing Nat, Steve, and Scott. They approach the porch as Tony and Dahlia head inside to leave the kids with Pepper.
***
"No. We know what it sounds like." Scott scoffs after they explain everything.
"Tony, after everything you've seen, is anything really impossible?" Steve asks.
"Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale, which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition. Can we agree on that?" He replies, handing Steve a glass of water. "In layman's terms, it means you're not coming home."
"I did." Scott protests.
"No. You accidentally survived. It's a billion-to-one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull a...What do you call it?" He asks, handing Scott a glass of water.
"A time heist?" He answers, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, a time heist. Of course. Why didn't we think of this before? Oh, because it's laughable. Because it's a pipe dream." Tony scoffs.
"The stones are in the past. We could go back, we could get them." Steve says.
"We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everybody back." Nat adds. She looks to Dahlia, trying to see if they're at least getting through to her. Her face remains the same, but Nat knows her well enough that she knows the time heist idea has given her some hope.
"Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?" Tony argues.
"I don't believe we would." Steve replies.
"Gotta say it. I sometimes miss that giddy optimism. However, high hopes won't help if there's no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist." He says, taking a seat next to Dahlia. "I believe the most likely outcome will be our collective demise."
"Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel." Scott suggests, sitting across from them. "All right? It means no talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events."
"I'm gonna stop you right there, Scott." He interrupts. "Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back to the Future?" Scott scoffs. "Is it?"
"It's a movie." Steve quietly tells Dahlia, knowing she never would have heard of it.
"No." Scott tells him.
"Good. You had me worried there. 'Cause that would be horseshit. That's not how quantum physics works." He replies.
"Tony. We have to take a stand." Nat says.
"We did stand. And yet, here we are." He tells her.
"I know you got a lot on the line. Both of you do. You have a wife and daughter, and you have a son." Scott replies. "But I lost someone very important to me. A lotta people did. And now, now we have a chance to bring her back-to bring everyone back, and you're telling me that you won't even-"
"That's right, Scott. I won't even. I can't." Tony says. The door opens and closes and Morgan and Freddie walk out. Morgan rushes to Tony and he lifts her onto his lap. Freddie cautiously moves towards his mother, wary of the porch since the last time he was out here he knocked into the table. Dahlia smiles at him and lifts him onto her lap, brushing the hair from his face as he leans against her.
"Mommy told me to come and save you." Morgan tells her dad.
"Good job. I'm saved." He replies. He turns to the others. "I wish you were coming here to ask me something else. Anything else." He stands, stepping towards the door. "I'm honestly happy to see you guys, I just...Oh, look, the table's set for eight." Dahlia follows his lead and stands, shifting Freddie to her hip.
"Tony. I get it. And I'm happy for you. I really am. But this is a second chance." Steve says.
"I got my second chance right here, Cap. Can't roll the dice on it." He replies. "If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch." He heads to the door, pausing when Dahlia doesn't follow.
"I'll be there in a second, Tony." She tells him. The door closes and Freddie leans closer to his mother.
"Mama, who are they?" He whispers, loud enough for them to hear. They chuckle, amused at his attempted subtlety.
"These are my friends, Nat, Steve, and Scott. This is my son, Frederick Lokison." She introduces. He nods.
"I'm hungry." Freddie tells her, not caring much about the new adults and wanting to play with Morgan once they've finished eating.
"Okay, I'll join you once we're done talking." She replies, setting him down outside the door. She opens it and he runs inside to join Tony's family for lunch. She's not concerned about him running into anything, knowing he's been over here so much that he knows the Stark house almost as well as his own.
"What are you thinking?" Nat asks once she's rejoined them. Dahlia sighs, reaching up to touch the locket she always wears.
"I think it's a good starting point." She says.
"So, you're with us?" Scott asks.
"I didn't say that. I agree with both of you. I think we should try to bring everyone back, but I won't risk losing my son." She explains. "Let me know if you find a way to pull off this heist without changing the last five years and I'll be there."
YOU ARE READING
Lady Dahlia | Loki Odinson
FanfictionDahlia was adopted by Heimdall after being abandoned by her parents for being born blind. Growing up with Heimdall meant she grew up with the Odinson brothers. It was mostly fun, but also came with some challenges. Now that she's grown up, she must...
