Saving Grace

Ninety Six

He expects pain — more than he was already feeling — but the release, the relief of knowing that it's done, it's over, he's done it, gives way to a sort of... weightlessness.

And the battlefield gives way to a sea of red.

It's a soft red, surrounding him, and it's dark wherever he is. It's as if he's standing in about an inch or two of water, though his feet don't feel wet.

And amidst this water is a chair. A single chair, with dark wood legs and back, but the cushion is white. Soft-looking. There's an arrangement of blue and gold flowers on the back.

On it, a photo is propped up. A photo, Tony sees, of him. It's from not too long ago, taken at home, in the living room. It was his last birthday, when Grace painted him a realistic family portrait to hang up in the house. It was resting against his legs as he sat on the couch, but it's cropped out, leaving only his smiling face and a bit of the background.

He starts to walk forward, to inspect it closer, but suddenly, she's there.

Grace, wearing light blue pajamas, her hair down and a bit messy, is crouched next to the chair, not seeming to see him, though she looks at the picture. She just sits for a moment, and Tony looks at her, wondering, confused. She looks... older.

Finally, she speaks, though to the picture. "Hey, Dad. I know we haven't talked in a while..."

Tony clears his throat. "Maybe from your perspective."

She turns abruptly to him, surprised. "Dad?"

He smiles. "Hey, sweetheart."

She stands, walking over to him, looking at him in amazement. "I... All the times I've done this... you've... you've never... well, talked back."

It hits Tony, what she was doing. Talking to his picture. Just like she'd done with Peter...

Tony sighs. "So I really am going to die, aren't I?" Her smiles falls, and she nods. He shrugs. "Can't say I wasn't expecting it."

"I..." She steps forward then, hugging him tightly. "Gosh, Dad, I've missed you so much."

He rubs her back comfortingly, rocking her back and forth a little. "Hey, I know. But there's no reason to cry. This was the only way. And I-I'm glad I got to save the world in the process. I'm glad I was able to save you. And your mom, and Happy, and Morgan, and Peter, and Harley, and — well, everyone." He pulls back to look at her face. "How are they anyway? You've got to be, what, twenty five now?"

She smiles a little. "Twenty seven."

"Wow." It's almost a whisper.

"And we're great," she says, answering his question. "It's been hard, of course, but... we're sticking together. We're healing. There's still a Tony-shaped hole in our hearts, but... we're healing."

Tony chuckles a little. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Morgan misses you a lot. And so does Mom."

He sighs. "Yeah, that's the bad part about all of this..."

"Yeah, it really sucks," she replies, nodding with a small laugh.

They're quiet for a moment, then he clears his throat again. "Well... I'm assuming you're still with Peter?" he asks, slightly changing the subject.

Grace rolls her eyes and chuckles. "Of course I am, Dad. There's nobody else I'd ever be with. Not even now that I can go out and meet new people."

Tony laughs. "I figured as much. You guys were always so grossly in love with each other."

Grace smiles widely. "You know, that's kinda the reason I even talked to you again today..."

He raises a brow, and then she tells him something that validates everything, that assures him that it was all worth it, and brings tears to his eyes.

"I wish I were there," he says, happy but with a hint of regret.

Grace shares the same tone. "I do, too. But I guess a picture will have to do."

"Who are you talking to?" a voice asks, and Grace turns around quickly. Tony sees Morgan — much older than before — holding a flashlight pointed towards the ground.

"Morgan..." her dad says, and she sees him, dropping the flashlight. She runs to him, hugging him immediately.

"You're back!" she exclaims, and it sends a pang of guilt and hurt through his chest.

He shakes his head. "No, Maguna," he corrects gently. "I'm just here to say goodbye." She frowns, and he changes the subject, asking her about something else. She sasses him, of course, and then tells him everything that's going on, talking quickly, trying to fit it all in, smiling all the while. That smile lifts Tony, reassures him once more that it was all worth it.

And then somehow he knows that it's time; there is no more time, and he will have to say goodbye. For the last time, for the two of them. The second to last, hopefully, for himself — to Grace, at least. He hugs her again, kissing her forehead. "I love you, sweetheart."

Grace knows it's time too as he pulls away, and he can tell her heart is aching. "I love you, too, Dad."

He hugs Morgan for the last time, kissing her forehead, too. "I love you, pumpkin."

"I love you, too," she replies, eyes filling with tears.

And then he is back on the battlefield, watching the dust float through the air.