stormsinafrica | Fill 3 Card 1: Pajama (Reply)

Before her Daddy died, Morgan had worn pajamas that were her favorite colors, or favorite cartoon characters, or had designs with her favorite things on them. She was a little girl who loved unicorns, fairies, and other things her mother had called whimsical. Morgan didn't know what the word whimsical meant, but she knew it was a good thing.

But after her Daddy died, Morgan still wore the same pajamas to bed each night. This did not change for the first few months after her Daddy's death, and it wouldn't change until one day when she went shopping with Mommy and Aunt Tina. As they were walking through a store, Morgan spotted something in the sleepwear department.

"Mommy, look!" Morgan said with excitement, interrupting her aunt.

Pepper gave her sister an apologetic look, then turned to her daughter and spoke in a gentle tone. "Morgan, sweetie, you interrupted Aunt Tina. It's important to be polite by waiting for your turn to speak."

Morgan looked at her aunt. "I'm sorry, Aunt Tina."

"It's okay, sweetheart," Tina said, smiling kindly at Morgan. "So what did you want to show us?"

"I just saw the neatest pajamas!" Morgan exclaimed, her face lighting up.

"Where are they?" Pepper asked.

Morgan took her hand, and led her back to the sleepwear department. They only had to backtrack a little way, and when they arrived at what she wanted to show her mother, she pointed to the pajamas. "Look at them! Can I get them, Mommy?" Displayed before the three of them was a pair of pajamas that looked like Iron Man's suit.

Tina looked at her older sister, and when she saw the tears in her eyes, she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. In the meantime, Pepper took a quick deep breath and nodded, "Of course you can have them, sweetie."

Morgan squealed with excitement.

Pepper smiled through her tears, happy to see her daughter excited again. "Okay, you need to try them on before we buy them." She took Morgan's hand and guided her towards the changing room.

While Morgan tried on the Iron Man pajamas, Pepper and Tina sat outside the changing room and talked quietly as they waited. Pepper opened up about how difficult it had been to help Morgan cope with her father's death while at the same time she was trying to deal with her own grief. "I just want to make sure she's happy," she concluded.

Tina gave her sister a sympathetic smile. "I know it's tough, Ginny, but you're doing a great job. Morgan is such a wonderful little girl." she said. "And those pajamas are sure to bring a smile to her face."

Pepper nodded, so grateful for her sister's support again. A few moments later, Morgan came out from the changing room, a great big grin.

"Look, Mommy, I'm a superhero!" Morgan said, striking a pose, "Just like my Daddy!"

Pepper laughed despite how much her heart was aching and hugged her daughter tightly. "Yes, you are, my little superhero," she said, feeling a sense of hope and joy in her heart for the first time since Tony's death.