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The funeral of Tony Stark was full of emotions. Jane felt truly sorry for Pepper and especially for Morgan. It almost broke her heart. Almost.
She was there with Darcy. They had remained close friends after stopping working together. Darcy was the only one who knew Jane's secret, what really had happened between her and Tony and how long it had went on. How close they had really been. And how much she loved him.
Jane had always known that the other woman never gets the guy. And yet.
"I'm leaving for Norway tomorrow," she told her best friend on their way back to the Tower, "to continue my research". It was nothing special. Really.
"Oh, already, how long are you going to stay this time?" Darcy asked.
"I don't know. Maybe I'll stay for good."
"And you're telling me this now. I'm gonna miss you so so much!" She hugged her like it was the last time she ever saw her.
"I'm gonna miss you too," Jane whispered.
"I hope you have a decent assistant." Darcy teased a tear in her eye.
"Oh, I think I have a decent one," Jane answered with a happy smile.
* * *
After a long flight and an hour's drive she parked her car in front of a small in villa the woods. A robot opened the door for her an another carried her packs inside. The third one took her coat.
A man who had only one eye and one arm lied in the large bed. He didn't turn his head but his eye followed her every movement. She kissed his almost immovable lips.
"How was it?" the man was able to whisper.
"Sad. Everyone was there. I have videos of all the speeches. Do you wanna watch them now?"
"No." She could see him turning his head a bit.
"Are you sure you want to do this to Pepper? She is your wife. And to your daughter?! She's gonna miss you enormously." But Jane didn't say you could still go back.
"I do." She didn't miss the double meaning of that sentence. "I want Morgan remember me as the omnipotent dad who carried her everywhere and had all the answers, not some drooling cripple to worry about and who can't even get out of bed. And Pepper has other things to worry than my health, too. I want her focus on the company. The world needs her more than I do."
"And when you feel better, you'll go back to them." Jane was a pragmatist, after all.
"No. There would always be another mission. I would disappoint them again and again. They don't deserve me."
"But I do?" Her voice had a lighter tone now.
"You'll have me if you want me. I checked the article you were working on and added some remarks." He pointed at the new Stark Pad on the bedside table.
She lied next to him and took the pad. They lied there quietly for some time, enjoying the warmth of each others' bodies. She read his comments and made some new remarks, he watched the video of his own funeral.
Dummy brought them fish soup for dinner. They sat on the bed and ate. Then she remembered!
"Oh, here's something for you." She gave him an envelope. "Fury had already finished your new ID. Congratulations, you're Swedish now. You moved in the US as a toddler and forgot your mother tongue."
Tony looked at his new passport amazed. "Eddard Brandon… Stark? You named me Stark?"
"Well, since you didn't want to choose the name yourself. Why change more than it's necessary?" Tony rolled his one eye. "Hey, it's a common name here, from an ancient royal family line. Darcy loved to tell me stories about Starks in Northern European history. They had a crucial role in many wars. Your first names come from Medieval kings."
"Well, I guess I can still live with being a Stark." She saw he was more satisfied than he wanted to show. "And no-one knows about this, no-one else but Fury?"
"I didn't tell anybody, not even Darcy. And I don't think Fury will tell anybody either. He sees it's best for everybody that agent Coulson can comfort Pepper without the burden of information."
He smiled for the thought. "They will be fine, they will be just fine." He drew her close.
"And so do we," they whispered in unison and united their lips.