Redefinition (RP for starspangledcap)

[iron_tony]

*OOC -- Yes, finally.

Tony didn't make up his mind right away.

After he heard Sally's speech at the awards banquet, after he met the girl and her mother at the reception, he knew he would have to talk to Steve. But nothing had changed, really; the cirumstances that made their meeting in person a foolish risk were the same as ever. Tony

Comments

rethread

[iron_tony]

"All right --" Tony clenched his hands together over his knee, and wished this didn't feel quite so much like a mission briefing. But then, he was comfortable with those, and Steve was a good listener when he wanted to be

Re: rethread

[starspangledcap]

Steve nodded, slowly, from his side of the couch. He was beginning to see where Tony was going with this, but he didn't dare guess, for fear of being wrong.

"Yes," he said. "It's a blank slate that isn't."

[iron_tony]

"Right -- exactly --" Tony leaned forward, his body language showing more excitement than he intended but -- just maybe, Steve was getting it

[starspangledcap]

Steve's forehead wrinkled. "A story?" he repeated. "She wasn't exactly controlling our actions. She doesn't know us well enough to have formed everything that happened in that world with her mind."

[iron_tony]

Tony considered for a second then said, "Right, you're right. Correction. She was more of the -- head writer on some massive collaborative project. She created the broad outline, but both times she used a powerful telepath to tap into our minds. Everybody, both times got something they had -- maybe not wanted, but speculated about. The first time around, from what I've been able to gather, my parents were alive, and you never got frozen in the ice." He couldn't help smirking a bit as he said, "And from what I can tell, you and I never met each other. So, possibly, that was our first choice."

" But for whatever reason, the second time it happened, there were the two of us, and there was Sally. And Sally. Look, please don't think I'm crazy, but after meeting her today, I really think -- I think you and I and Wanda, working together -- I think we invented her."

[starspangledcap]

"Invented her?" Steve's eyes widen. "If you met her, surely you could tell that she's a real person. Flesh and blood. And that baby we failed to save was certainly real."

Steve didn't remember anything about Wanda's first world, so he didn't address Tony's first statement. But from what he could tell, that world had been created from surface thoughts - the desires they'd always consciously assumed they'd wanted, easily accessible to a telepath as strong as Xavier. This second world, on the other hand, was created from the desires they'd never dared articulate - hidden desires that only a Phoenix could find, but desires that, nevertheless, were even more cherished.

If anything, that second world had been the first choice.

[iron_tony]

"Oh, she's real now. There's no question about that. Sally Stetins has a life and a family and -- believe me -- a personality. And yes, of course, that child really existed in this world, and in a sense they're the same person but -- the question is, what's the surface writing and what's the palimpsest. You think it's a coincidence that this girl who grew up in Minnesota is a scientific genius, wants to go to MIT, and idolizes Captain America

[starspangledcap]

Steve took a second to let Tony's words sink in. "So you're saying - you're admitting - that, in some way, because of the alternate universes, because of this palimpsest theory, this Sally is still our daughter?"

He tried not to sound too hopeful.

[iron_tony]

"I'm saying -- " Tony began cautiously, not sure what hopes he was stirring in Steve; not sure what hopes he wanted to stir. "I'm saying that Sally is a character that you and I helped Wanda to invent. See, I had this dream about you and me -- sort of a metaphor for our relationship with the Avengers, and once Wanda and Jean got in my head, it got taken a bit literally. You -- you've got the guilt thing, and the baby who died in that attack was a living symbol of that. Then, Wanda, who wishes we would get along -- and who thinks imaginary babies solve everything -- so --"

He shrugged. "I'm saying all that came together, and we invented that world, and Sally was part of it. And I'm saying she's real now and that, beneath the surface, she's the same girl we raised." He coughed. "As our daughter. Now. You know what this means?"

[starspangledcap]

Steve felt a warm glow beginning to spread over him. Finally, Tony was admitting it. Finally, things were making some sort of sense. Steve shifted over a bit on the couch, turning toward Tony with his whole body, instead of just his head, and tried to hide his smile.

But Steve still didn't know what sort of caveat Tony was about to make. "What does it mean?" he asked, trying his best to sound simply curious.

[iron_tony]

"Well, if we're her parents it means we owe her -- something. I haven't really worked out everything it means but -- I think it means more than stalking her workplace or even giving her money for college. Especially because --"

He cleared his throat again. Steve looked so damn happy, and for a moment Tony didn't want to say the next part. He had a feeling Steve wouldn't like it.

So he moved closer, put his hand on the edge of the couch, in the general direction of Steve's shoulder, but not close enough to touch. "Especially because, in the current circumstances -- considering what else we know about Sally -- it's kind of embarrassing we've both overlooked this part."

[starspangledcap]

Steve's eyes clouded again. Something about the tone of Tony's voice sounded foreboding, but he wasn't sure what he meant. "What have we overlooked?" he asked.

[iron_tony]

"Steve --"

And now Tony's hand moved, and he was touching Steve's shoulder, looking straight into those bright blue eyes.

"Sally Stetins is a power."

[starspangledcap]

Steve's shoulders tensed under Tony's hand. He'd suspected Sally had powers in this world, when he'd visited her at the Hot Topic. But that hadn't been confirmed.

"We don't know that for sure. Just because she had powers in the other world doesn't mean she has them here - Madame Hydra hasn't been there to activate them."

"And even if she does-" Steve's eyes turned cold. Could Tony really be thinking of treating their daughter like he'd treated his friends during the war? "She's not a vigilante. She doesn't have to register, under the modified SHRA."

[iron_tony]

Tony drew his hand back and slammed it against the top of the couch. "Jesus, Steve did I even say that word?"

[starspangledcap]

"No." It was true; Tony hadn't. Steve let out a sigh, relieved that Tony wasn't thinking of shipping Sally off to the Negative Zone. "I'm sorry," he said, and he met Tony's eyes again to show his honesty. "But what are you suggesting we do about her - unconfirmed - powers?"