"C'mon Penny, keep up, we're gonna be late!"

Penny looked up from the pretty pink flower she had stopped to look at, captivated by the little ladybug crawling along its petals. It was rare to see that kind of flower in the town she lived in; it's color so vibrant and beautiful. She quickly plucked the plant out of the ground, the ladybug hanging on for dear life as she straightened up and ran to catch up with her brothers.

Luke was waiting for her a few houses down from where she had stopped, looking slightly annoyed, but Mommy told her that older brothers were supposed to get annoyed like that; it was how the world worked. Luke was eight years old, three years older than Penny and Peter, her twin brother—practically a grown up in Penny's eyes. Peter was holding Luke's hand, loosely clutching it as he fiddled with his Captain America action figure (Peter must have stuck the toy into his backpack without mommy seeing because they weren't allowed to bring toys to preschool).

Penny caught up with them, and she could feel herself smiling.

"Look, Lukey, look at the flower I just found!" Penny thrust her hand out to show her older brother, the ladybug surprisingly still holding onto the flower.

"That's a pretty flower, Penny!" Peter stared at the flower in awe. "And look at the bug on it!"

"Yeah, it is pretty," Luke agreed, "but you realize you just killed it, right? Flowers die after you pluck them."

Penny frowned, looking back at the flower. Was her brother right? Would the flower lose its color? She looked back up at Luke with sad eyes, and he in turn sighed.

"But it's fine, Pen. Just take it in for show-and-tell, okay? It's not a big deal. Now c'mon, we're gonna be really late now," Luke stuck out his hand, and Penny took it with her free hand.

Cedar Hill, Pennsylvania was a small town with a population of around 1,000 people, and it was pretty run down in terms of structures and buildings. The buildings were low and falling apart, and the sidewalks were beaten up and worn down to no extent. The people of Cedar Hill were generally poor, and some struggled to keep their businesses open, while others worried about payments on their homes. Most didn't even own cars, and if they did, it was old and close to breaking down. Penny's mommy couldn't afford a lot of clothes for them, so she had pink tennis shoes that were about two sizes too small now, and her clothes were hand-me-downs from a second cousin of hers. Peter was in the same boat, but they never, ever complained about it because they knew how hard mommy worked to make sure they were happy. Luke sometimes had things like new shoes or a fresh new backpack because his Daddy could afford it.

Luke had a different father than Peter and Penny—a man that mommy used to date, but they separated a few months after Luke was born. His dad, Mr. Watson, was really nice, and he and mommy were still great friends. Sometimes after preschool, Luke would take the twins back to his dad's house, where Mr. Watson's wife, Mrs. Watson, would give them milk and cookies, and sometimes they would even stay for dinner. Luke lived with his dad and stepmom half the time and lived with the twins and their mom the other half.

Finally, they made it to preschool, and after she and Peter each gave Luke a big hug, they walked into the front doors, ready for a day full of playing and learning shapes and colors. After the day was up, Peter and Penny pulled their tiny backpacks onto their shoulders and raced out of the building to where Luke was waiting for them.

"Luke, is third grade hard?" Peter asked Luke on their way home, his Captain America toy in his hand, flying around saving crime (even though Luke had told him many times, "Captain America doesn't fly, Pete," but it went in one ear and out the other).

"Nah, it's just like second grade, only we're now learning multiplication and division," Luke answered, side-eyeing the way Captain America was whooshing around in the air, soaring in the sky looking for the evil Loki.

"Is multi—mulpil—multi—" Penny struggled with the big word.

"Multiplication, Pen?" Luke laughed.

"Yeah, that—is it kinda like adding?" Penny knew how to add and subtract, but she didn't know multiplication yet. She and Peter both were smarter than the average five-year-old, "because your daddy is a very, very smart man," their mommy had told them, "and you two are going to be even smarter than him—I just know it."

"Kinda," Luke shrugged. "You'll find out when you're in the third grade. I hope you get Ms. Smith; she's so nice and pretty."

They were almost to their house, a small, one-story two bedroom house, with a lawn that was slightly overgrown and a beat up gray minivan parked out front, meaning mommy was home from work early. Excited to be back, the twins both let go of Luke's hands and ran towards the house, pulling open the screen door and rushing inside to their room.

Penny shared a small room with Peter, which was painted a pale yellow color and had blue and pink animals painted on the walls. They didn't have a lot of toys at all because they couldn't afford them, but Peter had his box of Avengers action figures, and Penny had her dolls, and a couple of stuffed animals. In the middle of the room was a full sized bed that they shared because there wasn't enough room for twin beds, but they didn't mind because the bed was big enough to fit them both comfortably. Penny tossed her backpack onto the bed and went back into the living room, Peter following her, and sat on the couch next to Luke. Luke was doing his homework on the coffee table, while Penny and Peter watched whatever kids show they could find on regular TV because they didn't have cable. After about thirty minutes, Penny realized that her mommy hadn't come out and asked her and her brothers about their day, like she usually did.

Penny slid off the couch and walked into her mommy's room in search of her mother. She wasn't in the bedroom, so Penny checked the bathroom and was surprised by her mother sleeping on the bathroom floor.

"Mommy?" Penny frowned, poking her mother's cheek gently. "Mommy, wake up; we're home from school." When her mommy still didn't wake up, Penny shook her shoulder with both hands, starting to feel a twinge of worry in her tummy. "Mommy, why won't you wake up?!"

Penny let go of her mother and raced out to the living room, tears threatening to fall.

"Luke, mommy's on the bathroom floor, and she won't wake up!" Penny cried out. Luke looked up from his math homework, raising an eyebrow because it was likely that his little sister was confused and hadn't tried hard enough to wake their mother up. So Luke stood up and pushed past Penny, walking into mommy's bedroom. Penny and Peter both followed him, standing by the bathroom door and watching as Luke yelled out their mother's name, sounding more and more panicked after every breath.

" Penny, Peter, stay here with mom, I'm gonna go get my dad!" Luke pushed through them and sprinted through the house, and Penny could hear the screen door slam shut as Luke left. Peter started to sniffle, and a few tears escaped his eyes, but all Penny could feel was numb. Why wouldn't mommy wake up? It wasn't hard; she did it all the time when she had to wake up for school.

Five minutes went by slowly, but soon help arrived. Mr. Watson called an ambulance, and the people in the white clothes put their mommy on a stretcher and raced her to the hospital. Mrs. Watson took Penny and her brothers to the hospital in her car, whispering soothing things to them as they all started crying. It was just so scary—what if something bad happened to mommy? What if Penny couldn't see her anymore? She looked out her window, tears falling down her face. From beside her in the car, Peter grabbed her hand, and he didn't let go until they got to the hospital.

For what seemed like forever, Penny and Peter sat with Luke and Mr. and Mrs. Watson in the hospital waiting room. Penny hated it there—the walls were too bright and bare, and it smelled funny. Mrs. Watson pushed things like picture books and toys that the waiting room had stocked just for this type of occasion, and helped Penny take her mind off of the endless anxiety she was feeling. It was just starting to get dark outside when Mrs. Watson whispered something to her husband, and when he nodded she stood up and gathered her things.

" Penny, Peter, Luke, come on, we're going to go back home and go to bed," Mrs. Watson said. Penny hadn't even realized how tired she'd grown to be, and she felt her eyelids start to get heavy. As if he knew this, Mr. Watson picked Penny and Peter up into his arms, carrying them out to Mrs. Watson's car and strapping them into their seat belts. With a quick peck on the lips, Mrs. Watson got into the car and pulled away onto the street, Mr. Watson going back into the hospital.

They went back to Luke's dad's house instead of their own, Mrs. Watson shaking them awake and pulling each child inside. Luke disappeared into his room to change and get ready for bed, and Mrs. Watson set up the couch in the living room with sheets and pillows. She put them in Luke's old pajamas and tucked them in, draping a blanket over their tiny bodies and kissing them each goodnight on the cheek. Mrs. Watson shut off the light, and Penny found it easy to slip into a deep sleep.

The next day, Penny, Peter, and Luke all skipped school. Any other day, Penny would be out of her mind excited to be allowed to stay at home from preschool, but she wasn't staying at home. It was another day of sitting in the hospital waiting room with her brothers and Mrs. Watson.

Penny was currently reading a book about a naughty kitten who was trying to get her owner's thanksgiving roast dinner—or at least, she was looking at the pictures because she couldn't quite read yet. In the middle, Luke sat beside her and offered to read it to her. Penny loved it when her older brother read to her because he would always give them time to study the pictures and make funny voices, so she eagerly nodded and handed the book to him, then curling into his side as he read the book aloud. Peter appeared on Luke's other side, intently listening to Luke read.

Halfway through the story, Penny saw a man in a white lab coat approached Mr. and Mrs. Watson. Mr. Watson stood up and shook his hand. After a moment, the doctor shook his head grimly, and Mr. Watson's shoulders slumped. Penny turned her attention back to the book, but she couldn't get the doctor's face out of her head.

"Are you sure it's fatal?" she heard Mr. Watson say quietly.

"I'm afraid so, sir. She'll be lucky if she makes it to tomorrow evening. I'm so sorry." with that; the doctor left, leaving Mr. Watson to fall back into his chair, his face in his hands.

"But… She—her kids—she can't leave them…" Mr. Watson whispered, his voice weird.

"What about their father? Do they have one, Derrick?" Mrs. Watson said.

"Yeah but… no one knows who it is. Mary wouldn't tell anyone," Mr. Watson sighed. "Dear god, how do we tell them?"

Penny felt with a sinking feeling that they were talking about her and her brothers.

"We just… do…" Mrs. Watson whispered shakily. "We tell the truth. That's all we can say."

Minutes turned into hours, and a very tired Penny was curled up on a chair, cuddling into Mrs. Watson's side as she stroked her hair.

"Mr. Watson, Ms. Parker is awake if you would like to see her," the nurse said.

"I'll stay out here, Derrick," Mrs. Watson said, her voice sad. "You take them."

"Luke, Penny, Peter…" Mr. Watson stood up, "we're gonna go say hello to your mom—she's awake."

Penny, rubbing her eyes tiredly, was pushed off of the chair gently by Mrs. Watson, and followed Mr. Watson to a room at the end of the hall. Mr. Watson opened the door to see Mary Parker laying in a hospital bed, pale and thin, and it hurt Penny to look at her mother, once so strong, like this.

"Mommy," Peter was the first to approach her, quickly walking over to the bed and grabbing a fistful of blanket in his little hands. He looked up at Mr. Watson, almost as if he was asking permission to climb up, and Mr. Watson lifted Peter onto the bed next to his mother. He did the same on the other side for Penny, and their mommy wrapped her arms around them both, pulling them close. Luke refused to move any further than the door, a look of horror in his eyes.

"Hi, my loves," Mommy whispered, her voice rough and weak.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Penny asked, looking up at her mother with wide, scared brown eyes.

"Oh baby… mommy's sick right now, and I don't think I'll be able to be around for much longer," Mommy's voice was sad but calm. What did she mean by not being able to be around them anymore? Had Penny done something wrong? Why was mommy leaving? Penny started to cry.

"I'm sorry, darlings… I wish I could stay, I really do," Mommy whispered. "But… I'll always be… right here…" Mommy pointed at Penny's heart, turning around to show Peter the same.
"I don't want you to be in here, I want you to stay," Peter pleaded, tears falling down his face.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. But I can't… I just can't…"

"Why, mommy?" Penny's heart felt as if it was physically breaking into pieces. Maybe it was.

"Just, because, Penny. Now, I need you two to remember that I love you both so, so much," her mommy said, "and when I'm gone, you two need to take care of each other. It's a scary world out there, but it's less scary if you have each other. Okay? Promise?"

"Promise, mommy," Peter whispered, holding out his finger to pinky swear, and Penny mirrored him.

They stayed like that for several minutes before the nurse gently told them that visiting hours were over. Mommy hugged Penny and Peter, and eventually Luke, but if Penny had known that would be the last time she'd ever embrace her mother, she wouldn't have ever let go.

But as her mommy always said, "that's just the way the world works."

Penny hated how the world worked.

It was 12:03 in the afternoon when Mr. Watson sat Penny and her brothers down and explained to them that their mother had died, and she couldn't come back ever. Mommy had been sick for a long time, but she hadn't been able to afford medical care, and that was why she died.

Penny was smart enough to understand what death was. She realized that mommy wasn't going to come back because she had fallen asleep and wouldn't ever wake up again. She didn't, however, understand where mommy was now, but no one really knows what happens when death occurs.

Penny cried for hours in Mrs. Watson's lap, wishing it was her own mommy's lap she was crying in, but she understood why she couldn't. After a while, Penny's eyes closed, exhausted from all the crying, and sleep started to pull her into its warm grip.

"What do we do now, Derrick?" Mrs. Watson murmured.

"I—I don't know. But I—Molly, I want to adopt them. I can't leave them to go into the system," Mr. Watson said softly.

"I know. I agree," Mrs. Watson sighed. "I would hate to tear them apart from Luke."

"I'll make a call," Mr. Watson stood up, and Penny heard footsteps retreat into the kitchen. Mrs. Watson continued to stroke her hair back, and Penny was able to let herself fall asleep, dreaming of her mommy.

Two days later was the funeral. Penny was dressed up in a black dress, her hair pulled back into pigtails with black hair ties, while Peter had on a black dress shirt and gray pants. Mrs. Watson held both of their hands as they walked down the aisle of the church towards the body, and Penny sucked in a painful breath of air when she saw her mom in the coffin.

Her mommy didn't look like she was sleeping—she looked dead, and she didn't even look the same, her smile seemed almost artificial. That image was seared into Penny's brain, and for once, Penny didn't cry. Peter was staring at their mother, his eyes wet, and Luke's face looked angry. Penny felt too numb to cry. Mrs. Watson tugged the twins away towards the pew, and they sat down to wait for the funeral procession to start.

(Now, Penny did not understand the fact that a man who she had never seen before started preaching about what a wonderful woman Mary Parker was. It seemed fake.
Not that he was wrong.)

Later, Penny gripped Peter's hand as they watched their mother's coffin get lowered into the ground, but she still didn't cry.

She wondered if her mother would be sad that she wasn't crying.

Then she figured her mother was probably sadder about being dead.

"Derrick, I need to go over Ms. Parker's estate and will."

Penny was in the living room the next day, home from school again, half paying attention to the kid's TV show that was on in front of her. Peter was sprawled on the couch next to her, and Luke was still in his bedroom. He hadn't come out at all today.

A meek but tall man had shown up at the Watson's door, and Mr. Watson has answered it before leading the man into the kitchen.

"As you probably know, Ms. Parker didn't have much to give, besides a few valuable pieces of jewelry and, most importantly, her kids," this made Penny perk up and listen. "Of course, Luke is your son, so you and Molly will be gaining full custody of him. However, the twins are a trickier subject, because their father is not around."

"Yes, Ian, Molly and I decided yesterday that we would like to try to adopt them," Mr. Watson said. Penny's heart jumped in her chest. Would Mr. Watson become her new dad?

"Well there's a problem with that. Ms. Parker stated who the father is in her will, and honestly, I'm kind of skeptical about it, because you know the kind of woman she was. She says their father is Tony Stark," the lawyer said.

"What? I mean, I'll be honest, I can believe it, but you can't seriously suggest that Stark will take in those kids anyways," Mr. Watson said in disbelief, almost chuckling at the very idea.

"Look, Derrick, legally, we're required to at least try to contact him and let him know that Peter and Penny are his kids," the lawyer stated, "however, if he decides he doesn't want them, I can't see what would stand in the way of you being able to take them in."

"I just… Ian, I may not know him personally, but from what I've heard and seen about him… there's absolutely no way he can raise those kids right. His lifestyle is no place for kids as young as they are. Please, Ian, is there no way at all Molly and I can't just take them in quietly? We really don't want to split them up from Luke," Mr. Watson pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Derrick, I really and truly am. And off the record—I agree with you. But the law is the law—there's nothing I can do to help you," the lawyer sighed.

"I… I understand. I do." silence. "So what happens now?"

"Well, I believe the first thing will be a social worker will be assigned to their case. They'll contact Stark, and if he says he wants custody, we pack up their bags and take them to New York," the lawyer said.

"God, New York… that's so far away—we're never going to see them again," Mr. Watson said, his voice so quiet Penny almost couldn't hear it.

"Again, I'm sorry. Just hope he doesn't want them, I guess. Damn, that sounded awful. Derrick, can they stay with you until we get everything sorted out?"

"What—oh, yes, of course. They're always welcome in this house. Always."

"Well then, good. Now, I need to go over a few more valuables she had—she split them up between the three kids."

Peter stirred from beside Penny on the couch.

"Pen? Are we gonna have a dad?" Peter wondered quietly, so it was apparent he had been listening in to the conversation too.

"I dunno," Penny shrugged. "I just dunno."

Thanks for reading :)