It was sunset when Tony parked his car outside the cemetery. The sky was a deep red colour and the clouds seemed to melt into the horizon as he stepped out of the drivers side and locked the doors, taking off his glasses to look up at the sun disappearing over the city behind him.

He hadn't heard from Sasha all day and while that was usually normal, he almost always received a text from her letting him know what time she'd be home or if she had to work late.

Marriage had been a dream for Sasha and Tony Stark. They'd flown back to New York City a couple of days after their elopement and after somehow keeping it a secret long enough to pull together a small gathering, they celebrated with all their closest friends.

When asked where she'd like the party to be held, Sasha insisted on O'Shea's. She'd called up Robbie and asked to hire out the place for a night, but making sure to tell him that all the regulars were invited too, not wanting to deprive them of their local haunt.

Nerves chipped away at the couple as they wondered how their friends would react to their news, only the way they watched everybody's eyes light up and cheeks glow pink with happiness made their previous worries seem almost laughable.

Sasha usually hated being the centre of attention but on that particular night, answering streams of questions about their decision to get married wasn't so bad. In fact, she loved talking about her wedding, feeling a heat rise in her chest whenever she recalled that special night and the way Tony had made her feel.

Looking back, Sasha was glad everything worked out the way it did, knowing she wouldn't have changed a thing. Part of her did feel bad about not sharing the moment with the people who meant most to her, but they more than made up for that with a get together in O'Shea's with a hefty tab behind the bar.

It was a relaxed evening with people from all walks of life mixing. The O'Shea's regulars were in deep conversation with Clint and Natasha for hours, while Sasha's co-workers eventually joined the party after they'd finished up work across the street, wasting no time in mingling with superheroes and civilians alike.

Tony and Sasha left the party in the early hours of the morning incredibly drunk but equally happy. It felt like their lives were complete now the secret was out, like everything they'd been fighting for had finally fallen into place, like they could just live.

And that's exactly what they did. Four months down the line and they had never been happier. Sasha had moved into the Stark Tower with Tony officially and although she did miss her old apartment on Billionaire's Row and having her own space, she certainly wasn't short of places to go in Tony's home if she needed a little alone time.

They seemed to work in perfect harmony, falling in love with each other all over again as they embraced the new chapter of their lives together, knowing that finally, nothing was going to get in their way. They had won.

Tony strolled through the cemetery with a bunch of red roses in his hand, a shade that matched the horizon. The day didn't feel real and as he continued to make his way along the gravel pathways, disturbing what felt like should've been an eternal peace with the soles of his feet, Tony wondered how the universe could create something so beautiful in the sky after it had caused him so much pain.

Then, he realised, that there was beauty to be found in even the darkest of places.

He read the names on the headstones, knowing most of them from memory by that time. It always made his heart burn a little if he'd noticed that a grave had wilted flowers left on it or if it had been unattended for a while, occasionally stopping to tidy it up himself if he had the time.

He spotted Sasha when he was a little way down the path. She was sat on the grass in front of her brother's headstone, knees pulled up to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs, hands clasped together. He couldn't tell from the distance whether she was happy or sad, but the fact she hadn't called or texted made Tony assume it was the latter.

He almost felt bad for intruding, wondering whether he should perhaps turn around and give her the space she'd clearly come out there to have, only it was too late.

Sasha turned her head when she heard a soft scuffle of gravel not far away. She looked up, her stomach sinking when she saw her husband with a bunch of flowers in his hand, looking beautiful with the glow of the rising moon and warmth of the setting sun.

He paused for a moment before walking towards her, placing the flowers down against the headstone beside a bunch of white roses that Sasha had evidently lay when she'd arrived.

She said nothing, Tony simply taking a seat on the grass beside her, mirroring her position though turning his head to look at her while she kept her eyes firmly fixed on her brother's name.

"Thought I'd find you here. Got worried when I hadn't heard from you."

"Sorry," she said quietly, "Just needed to talk, I guess. It's been a long day."

"Yeah?" Tony raised an eyebrow, laying an arm across Sasha's shoulders and pulling her into him, kissing the top of her head once.

She nodded in response, continuing to hug her knees while her head rest on Tony's shoulder, silence lingering for a short moment.

They were alone in the cemetery, except for the birds tweeting in the trees and light breeze blowing through their leaves. It reflected how they'd felt for the past four months, living in their own perfect little world.

Tony wasn't sure whether to pry or not since Sasha usually ended up telling him what was wrong eventually anyway, though her silence made his heart beat far too fast and mind begin to spin, overthinking the smallest of things and worrying like he hadn't done in the longest time.

There had been nothing for the newlyweds to worry about since their marriage, feeling like they were living in a fairytale most days. Not a single tear had been shed from either of them, nor had there been an argument over anything that wasn't what to have for dinner or to watch on television.

As Tony squeezed his wife's shoulder, however, he felt that something was different, that something had changed.

"I need to tell you something, and I'm not sure how I feel about it."

Tony swallowed once, drawing in a hard breath as Sasha spoke quietly. She didn't move, staying perfectly still in his grasp, her eyes not leaving the headstone just a few feet in front of them.

"What is it, honey? Is it work? Y-you thinking about getting a new job or something? Relocating? Because if you are then we-"

"I'm pregnant."

"What?"

Tony instantly regretted his response, though it came from a gut reaction and as he cursed himself internally for blurting it out like that, he quickly realised there was in fact nothing else he would've known to say.

"Please don't make me say it again."

Sasha sounded on the verge of tears as she forced out her words, clearly swallowing a lump in her throat and blinking back salt in her eyes, breathing shallowly as her shoulders rose and fell out of time with everything else.

Her clear dismay ripped away the part of Tony that felt ecstatic. His reaction may have sounded like it was from a place of shock, which it was, however it was the most happily welcomed news he'd ever heard, instantly feeling a flutter in his stomach and a softening of his heart, as if any and all tension had melted away.

Tony took a breath to compose himself, desperately trying to find the right words to say. His heart was telling him to kiss his wife with passion and love, shout from the rooftops that he was going to be a father and be excited that he could fall in love with Sasha all over again as he became blessed enough to watch her become a mother. Only her continued silence dragged a dark cloud over the sunshine in his soul, levelling out his mind for him.

"A-and you, you're not sure about this why? It's fine, but I thought we wanted this one day, right?"

Sasha and Tony had had countless conversations about their future, daring to dream about a picket fence type of life a million miles away from New York City and it's bright lights. They'd talked of a life with a son and a daughter, imagining what it would be like to be parents and find parts of each other in their children.

It had all been a fantastical notion, something a colourful thought that had acted as a motivation for both of them on even their darkest days. Happiness had always been the end goal for them, living a life filled with love and safety for them and any children they decided to have.

Sasha had never shied away from the topic, either. There had always been a glimmer in her eyes whenever Tony talked about their future and wrote children into the storyline, feeling a burning desire inside of her to bring a piece of him into the world, a piece of them into the world. To the couple, there was nothing more beautiful than having even more of the one person they loved more than life itself to cherish.

"I know we talked about it. But that was it, we just talked about it. This is real now, it's happening and I'm scared because I don't think I was made to be a mother, Tony."

The pregnancy was unexpected but Sasha had had her suspicions for a couple of weeks. She'd done well at pushing them to the back of her mind, though when headaches and nausea made it difficult for her to get through her day at work, she bit the bullet that had been sitting between her teeth and took a couple of different tests, each one of them displaying the same result.

"What do you mean? You'd be an incredible mother, why would you say that about yourself?"

Sasha rarely talked down about herself though when she did, it sparked a fuse inside Tony that made him seething with anger, hating that she could think about herself that way when all he saw when he looked at her was golden.

She sighed quietly, still being too afraid to look her husband in the eyes. Part of her knew that Tony would've jumped at the chance to be a father, that he would be over the moon about the news, though her first instinct was to worry that he'd resent her for it, that he'd run a mile and their perfect world would come crashing down on top of her.

"Some people are put on this Earth to be mothers. They're kind, warm, nurturing, tender. They care about people, they're welcoming and feel like home, they have the time to love and to raise, they have the right soul. I-I don't feel like I have that. My entire life is work, I barely have time to see you in the evenings when I get home and I'm always so exhausted, I don't think I have the patience, I don't feel like I'm motherly enough, you know? I've always been told how cold I am, how intimidating and standoffish I can be. How can someone like that be a mother?"

Tony chewed on his lip as he listened to Sasha. She was speaking both her mind and heart and it hurt him to hear, despising how she would reduce herself to believing she wasn't capable of anything and everything the way he knew she was.

"Honey, would you look at me? Please?"

She didn't want to, scared of seeing disappointment in his dark eyes that would only fire the guilt she already felt even more. His slight tug on her shoulders, however, coaxed her from staring straight ahead and forced her to sit upright, pulling away from his grasp so she could look at him properly.

Tony's heart shattered as he saw just how fearful Sasha was. Her blue eyes were drowning in worry and her cheeks pale, helplessness wallowing across her face that almost choked him up, though he knew he had to be strong for her.

Reaching out, Tony took her hands inside his own, feeling the cool metal of their rings against each other's skin. He loved seeing the stack of two rings on Sasha's fingers, feeling as though he'd never get tired of the satisfaction he felt at being able to call her his wife.

"I want you to listen to me when I say that you are the kindest, most loving, selfless person I have ever met. I've never known anybody to love like you love, whether that's me or our friends. You're generous, passionate, comforting and to me, Sasha, you are home. I feel safe when I'm with you and you need to know that I don't remember a time when I've ever felt safe before, but you, you give me that feeling with just one look. Now we don't have to do anything you don't want to, but I know that our child would be incredibly lucky to have you as their mother. Together, we can figure it all out, when we took those vows it tied us to each other for life, and no matter how alone you might feel, I will always be by your side to help you, help us, get through it."

Sasha's bottom lip quivered as her eyes filled with tears again, looking up at Tony as her hands squeezing his, wanting to feel him for her own reassurance. She never felt like she had to lean on anybody for help before meeting him, but the truth was, Sasha was far happier knowing she could lean on Tony for help, learning over time that two together was always better than one alone.

He stared at her with a frozen heart, not daring to breathe as he waited for her to say something. Knowing the way that Sasha hated surprises, Tony wasn't shocked at her nervousness surrounding the discovery, though to him, it felt like a gift.

Sasha swallowed, turning her head to look at her brother's grave. It made her stomach drop to think about her child never getting to meet their uncle or their grandparents, but it made her even more uneasy to think about how angry they'd be at her for depriving herself of something so special just because she was afraid.

After all, that had never stopped her before.

"C-can we think about this at home? Talk it over?"

"Of course."

Tony let out the breath he'd been holding in when Sasha parted her lips, smiling lovingly at her and taking her face into his hands, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.

He pulled her to her feet and watched her tap a kiss from her fingers to Phil's headstone before snaking an arm though his, clinging to his bicep as they headed out of the cemetery.

They walked together in silence, Tony not wanting to disturb the cogs that he knew would be turning manically in Sasha's mind. He loved the idea of becoming a father, but he wanted Sasha to love it too. Part of him feared that she would decide it wasn't their time, though as they walked arm in arm, he stole a glance down at her and noticed that her hand was resting lightly on her stomach, gently rubbing back and forth subconsciously.

The sight made his heart bleed in the best way, almost making him weak in the knees as he continued to look down at her, lost inside her own beautiful mind.

"I'm down there." Tony said once they reached the sidewalk, cocking his head down the street to where his car was parked.

Sasha pulled out the keys to her Lamborghini and unlocked it, nodding silently at him before reaching up onto her tiptoes and pecking his lips, giving him a small smile.

Tony smiled back, placing a hand on her cheek and brushing his thumb against her skin. He could tell that a weight had been lifted from her shoulders by the way her eyes had brightened and her smile had grown. There was hope, acceptance and love floating around in the pale blue he loved looking into so much, and as he kissed his wife once more, he felt it on her lips, too.

"I'll see you back at home, Tony. I love you."Sasha said, kissing his cheek before walking around to the drivers side door.

He just nodded, staying stood on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets while she got into the car.

"I'd say race you back to New York but uh, you're precious cargo, honey. I love you too."

an;;
ahhh the throwback vibes in this chapter really make it full circle I'm crying I love them sm
I hope you enjoyed this chapter angels!!!