ＳＬＡＴＥ ◼ STEVE ROGERS◼

ＯＮＥ ＨＵＮＤＲＥＤ ＦＩＦＴＥＥＮ

"Does it get any easier?"

A small breeze was blowing off the lake beside the Stark house, whipping the bottom of Lottie's black dress around her legs. She tucked her arms further into Steve's suit jacket, watching her feet as she walked along the edge with Peter Parker at her side.

Only an hour or so had passed since the funeral. Pepper invited everyone to say, throwing a small, intimate party for them all. She said it's exactly what Tony would've wanted, for them to celebrate his life instead of mourn him. Lottie knew it was because she didn't want to be alone quite yet.

"Not right away," Lottie answered the kid's question with a shrug as they moved back toward the house. "When I woke up, I thought everyone I ever loved was dead. Steve, Peggy, Howard, even my mother. Once we defeated Vanko, I mourned. But you know what helped me through it?"

"What?"

"All of them," Lottie nodded her head toward the house, her hand reaching out to hold Peter's. "The pain never goes away, it's always going to hurt. Pepper, Nattie, Tony...they all made it easier. You aren't going through this alone, Peter. We're all right here, we aren't going anywhere. Every single one of us is ready to listen."

"Thank you," Peter's voice came out in a whisper. Lottie let go of his hand, her arm trailing up to hold his shoulder in a side hug as the ascended the stairs of the house.

On a bench right outside the front door, Morgan Stark was cuddled into Happy Hogan's side. Happy looked up, sharing a smile with Lottie as she approached them with Peter under her arm.

"What were you talking about over here, little miss?" the smile on Lottie's face grew brighter as she looked at Morgan. The little girl looked up at her aunt with a bright smile.

"Cheeseburgers!"

"Happy used to tell me stories about how much your dad loved those," she told the girl, sharing a fond look with Happy as they reminisced on the night that he told her the story of Tony coming home from Afghanistan. Lottie let go of Peter, quickly pushing him forward. "Why don't you let Peter join you? You two can share some stories about your dad."

"You're Petey!" Morgan let out a giggle as Peter knelt down in front of her. "Daddy used to show me pictures of you."

Peter's nervousness faded away instantly at the comment, a fond smile crossing his lips as he placed a hand on Morgan's little leg. Lottie took a step back, grinning as tears welled up in her eyes, seeing Tony's two favorite kids together.

"Oh yeah? You're dad and I were really close. There was this one time that he had to save me from a lake..."

With a fleeting smile shared with Happy, a smile that screamed comfort to the pair, Lottie turned away and entered the house one again, leaving Peter to have his moment with the small piece of Tony that was left.

The house was bustling with people. Peter Quill was in the corner, talking to Wanda and Scott. Wanda caught sight of Lottie from the corner of her eye, shooting her a smile as she continued to walk.