"Sometimes the worst goodbyes are the ones we never get to say."
~Morgan Stark

~~~~~

~Prelude~

Morgan allowed her eyes to close, the lids resting gently upon her chocolate orbs as she lay silently on the grass, feeling the weeds crumple between her fists. The night air swarmed calmly around her, engulfing her in a sense of calm, tranquil silence that allowed her mind to be at ease for once in a long while. 

When her eyes were open, the glittering stars above shone down upon her delicate features, illuminating the soft expressions of her face and lifting her spirit to the sky. When they were closed however, they unlocked dangerous doors that left her chasing down their darkened hallways, trapped in her own mind as she effortlessly tried in vain to find her way out. Her brain was a complicated thing, caught somewhere between heaven and hell in a place where no child's mind should be. Her spirit was torn between the last smile she'd seen draw across her father's face and the heavy weight of sadness that now resided in her heart. 

Youth daunted the little girl, and she felt too weak to openly express what she was feeling; too frail to enunciate the words that echoed within her head for days on end. Her mother was worried, but for once Morgan didn't have the heart to speak up, to reassure her that she was okay.

Because really, why lie?

The soft sound of the crickets chirping rattled inside her ears, as a cool breeze blew sluggishly through the air, taking its time in combing through Morgan's knotted brown locks. Goosebumps stretched across the length of her arms and legs, tickling her olive skin like a feather. 

The sudden chill caused her eyes to peel open, unveiling the starry sky that shone bright with never-ending fury, the crescent moon painted in as if to compliment the tiny balls of fire.

"It's beautiful out here," Peter remarked from beside her, tugging his hands through his identical brown hair.

Morgan offered a small smile, an expression that had recently felt unfamiliar. "My daddy used to tell me that when someone went to heaven, they became a shining star in the sky, and that that was where they lived forever," the girl whispered, voice barely audible.

When her friend gave no response, she decided to continue, her words moving freely on their own, pouring directly from what was left of her shattered heart. "And every night before I go to sleep, I look up at the sky so that I can see daddy too, and it's kind of like he's tucking me in for bed."

 Peter remained silent, so Morgan tilted her head to the side, capturing sight of his silhouette that was just barely kissed by the light in the night sky. She studied him for a moment - his hands tucked behind his head, as he eyed the sky with no visible expression; the way his lips appeared to be pressed thinly into a straight line, his dark eyes virtually invisible in the darkness. 

Morgan, at first, had been confused at the lack in Peter's emotion - the way he shut down at all mentions of Morgan's dad and the way he shuffled his feet when he walked, his shoulders hunched over and a frown stretched across his face. Yet, over the last few weeks she had begun to realize that she probably walked that way too; that her smile had been contorted into a frown much like his own and that her shoulders could seldom carry her upright - the same problems he faced had slowly become her own. Soon enough - their mourning became a sense of understanding - a revelation of shared feelings that had caused the two to grow closer, both feeling a similar sense of grief in a time of great loss.

"That's amazing, Morgan," he finally whispered his response, sounding shaky and fragile. The girl raised an eyebrow, unsure of his weak answer that sounded as though there was an untold story masked behind the words. She remained silent.

Morgan allowed her eyes to take in the sight before her  as her eyes fell once more upon the stars - the glittering white dots that had been splattered seemingly carelessly across the sky - yet according to her dad, each and every one of those people had once been a hero - someone worth remembering that had earned their place among the fallen.

She knew her dad was up there, somewhere. Though she couldn't quite comprehend all that he'd achieved, or just what it was exactly that he'd done, she understood the gist - the fact that he had to leave, and the fact that he was gone. Forever.

She didn't know why he'd left, turned his family away when perhaps they had needed him the most. Perhaps, she thought, it was something that she would never understand, even as she grew into adulthood. Or maybe, age is what it took - maybe someday she'd realize his sacrifice and learn to respect it, like everyone around her seemed to. 

Either way, there was no getting past it presently. The wounds were still to fresh, the cuts still too deep to do much of any healing. 

"You know what I like to imagine?" she asked suddenly, her brain rattling off one of her latest thoughts that had since become the foundations for belief in her father's words.

"What's that?" Peter answered, tilting his gaze to meet her own.

"I like to think that that star," she paused as she pointed to the most absolute brightest star she possibly could, having memorized just exactly where it was and where it fell every night. ". . . that's my daddy's star. He's the brightest one, because he's the biggest hero," she concluded, her voice  bordering the edge of joy and sadness. Which was which, she could never seem to tell.

Peter chuckled softly, his chest falling and rising suddenly as the deep sound escaped him. "I agree," he added thoughtfully. "Your dad was the most amazing person I ever knew. He was very special to me, you know."

"I know," she responded without missing a beat, having remembered what her mother had told her just previously about the relationship between her father and Peter. "Mommy says that he was like a dad to you, just like he was to me."

Peter was quiet for a moment before he glanced back over at the girl, and although she couldn't see him clearly, Morgan could sense that he had a grin on his face. "Your mom told you that?"

"Yeah," she spoke in response. "She told me that he loved you, and that you loved him, just like me and Mommy did. And I believed her because he used to talk about you all the time." 

"Really?" he spoke, sounding surprised as he suddenly sat up straight, looking down at the tiny Stark.

"Uhuh. He told me that you were the best at fighting bad guys, and that you were smart, and brave, and strong, and nice."

Peter laughed heartily, seemingly in shock, as he ran his hands through his hair for the second time. Morgan joined him in sitting up, propping herself up on her elbows as she tilted her head curiously at the teenager. "You seem really surprised," she remarked, curious as to why he reacted in such a manor. Her father had always talked about Peter Parker, the Spiderman from Queens who loved getting into trouble behind Iron Man's back. 

Peter's gaze fell to his lap as he twiddled his thumbs, what appeared to be a nervous habit of his. However, all trace of joyful shock had escaped his voice when he spoke next. In its place, stood guilt and sorrow.  "No . . . it's just . . . I never thought he . . . I didn't know your dad had loved me."

Morgan glanced briefly at the grass before her eyes stumbled back to his face, eyeing him as much as she could through the shadows. She wasn't sure of what to say - she may've been wise beyond her years (according to her Uncle Rhodey), but she was still only four and a half - it was hard to understand someone else's feelings when she could merely understand her own. So, she said the only thing that she felt would make him feel better. "Daddy was right, though." She paused and waited for his head to lift, but when it never did, she pressed on further, taking a deep breath. "Because you are smart, and brave, and strong, and nice. I've never seen you fight any bad guys, but I'm sure you're amazing at that too." 

Morgan smiled when Peter's laugh sounded again, this time more of a happy-sad sound. He inched closer to the little Stark and pulled her tightly into a hug, burying his much larger head into her small neck. "Thank you, peanut," he murmured against her neck, his warm breath causing her to shiver against the frigid night. 

She patted him on the back, managing to squeak over his shoulder, "you're welcome Peter." 

When they pulled away from each other, Morgan stood to her feet and tip-toed to the edge of the hillside, her very favorite spot by her house. She glanced over the tall grass, peering past the big oak tree and watched as the moon reflected its milky light upon the water, the liquid glistening with white fluorescence that rippled outwards in small waves.

The silence that hummed around her welcomed her toothy smile, as her eyes skimmed the water and her soul began to swell with a feeling of love. She missed her dad, that she knew for sure - she always, always would; but so long as the stars were there to guide her, so long as her family was there to support her, she would live to make him proud. 

After all, everything would turn out just the way it was supposed to. 

~~~~~

Peter Parker PoV

Peter watched as Mr. Stark's daughter - his very own flesh and blood - ambled slowly towards the edge of the hillside, glancing out over the water with passion in her eyes and hope etched into her smile. 

He smiled as he watched her happily, the silhouette of her miniature stature almost seeming to glow brighter than the stars as she stood, gazing out over the water. 

Parker glanced up to the stars, his chestnut eyes capturing the wonderous light of their beauty. He found the star Morgan had pointed out to him, the brightest one in the sky, and quietly whispered, 

"I'll protect her, I swear, as if she were my own." His vision blurred as tears were suddenly in his eyes, clouding his sight. Yet somehow, that same star was just about the only thing he could make out through his waterworks. "I promise," he reassured, a stray tear finding its way down his cheek. "I promise on my life, as long as I'm here, she'll be safe." 

~~~~~