No language can express the power, and beauty, and heroism, and majesty of a mother's love. It shrinks not where man cowers, and grows stronger where man faints, and over wastes of worldly fortunes sends the radiance of its quenchless fidelity like a star. ~Edwin Hubbell Chapin

As he looks at the woman in front of him Peter Parker knows that she is what has been missing from his entire life. She is the missing piece of him that has long been hollow and lonely and dark. Yes he loves his Aunt May and he will never trade her or his Uncle Ben for anything. But this woman is the one who gave birth to him and has only been in his life for around seven months. But time is all relative and slowly but surely she has worked his way into his life and she has become one of the three most important people in his life.

The woman who raised him and loves him and has done her best by him: May Parker.

The girl turning woman he loves and the one who broke down his walls: Gwen Stacy.

The woman who gave birth to him and gave him up and helped him face his fear and finally have the courage to choose Gwen; Pepper Potts.

Here he was in his Spider-man costume, and let's face it; it was made of spandex., with his mask off and covered in wounds and blood from the Green Goblin and protecting Gwen and his mother and Jane Foster. The Avengers has found him and were prepared to take him into their custody because of an earlier skirmish that had resulted when he was one his way to save the ones he loved. And now he was fully prepared to face the consequences of his actions. But it seemed someone else was not ready to let him be taken.

Pepper Potts was standing in front of him with her left arm spread as if to protect him and on her right arm was a repulsar ray much like the ones on the Iron Man suit. He knew with his advances hearing that is was on due to the vibrations and that her stance she was desperate to protect him.

Pepper Potts was covered head to toe in soot, dust, blood (some of it her own and some of it not). She appeared calm as she stood in front of her son with her right arm raised prepared to take out any of the nameless SHIELD goons in front of her with Nicky Fury at their helm. She did not seee Tony or any of the other Avengers but she knew they had to be close. Peter has fled from the Oscorp building and had brought her to the tower only to find a trap waiting for them. And he had been prepared to surrender but something inside of Pepper snapped.

She appeared calm and logical but on the inside she was panicking as they tried to move to take away her son. She had just been tortured and held captive and was missing Tony like a wound in her soul. She has been apart from him and Peter for almost seven days. It was seven days too long. But she could not let them take her son. She knew she was bordering on the verge of hysteria but she could not let them take her baby.

She had only had him back for seven months after not having him for seventeen years. She could not lose him. SHE WOULD NOT lose him again. And even as she felt her knees begin to shake she still stood tall and true. They would take her son over her dead body and their own.

"Mom.." Peter began to say just as Fury said, "Miss Potts.." but the pair were interrupted by Tony Stark blasting through a window opposite of them with the Hulk and Thor following him and the rest coming through the opening elevator.

Tony threw off his mask as he approached the woman he loved who was standing in from the teenaged Spider man aka Peter Parker his intern and one whom had rescued Pepper.

"Pepper. What are you doing? You need to put the ray down; someone could get hurt."

He watched tears fill her eyes but the closer he came the further back she drifted towards Parker,

"No Tony. They want to take him." She half way sobbed as she continued, "I can't let them take him."

"Pepper he nearly killed an agent to get to you. I understand he saved you but he needs to be taken into.."

"NO!" the desperation and sadness in her voice shocked him as she continued on saying something that shook his world to its very core and yet made perfect sense. "They are not taking Peter, Tony. They are not taking my son! No one is taking my boy!"

And suddenly months of behavior and the bond between the two and their facial expressions and heart raced through his mind. And it was then Tony Stark made a choice. He loved this woman who was obviously in shock and close to falling apart. And that meant he had to choose a side. It was a no brainier. He would always choose hers.

Quickly walking towards her Tony put his own armored hand into her right and laced their fingers together. He then wrapped his other arm around her and whispered fiercely into her ear. "I will always protect you Pep." he then drew back and smirked looked deeply into her blue eyes which were looking for something in his own. "And now I guess that includes your eight legged spawn."

Pepper blinked up at him through her tears and smiled shakily. He then squeezed her hands before he turned and while keeping them hands laced moved to face Fury. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Thor and Hulk move to stand beside him. Thor adored Pepper who never lost her patience with him despite all of the things he broke and Hulk loved Pepper is seemed ever since the time Bruce had Hulked out in front of Pepper in the lab and she had petted his head and called him adorable.

Tony then said to Fury, "If you want the spider you have to go through me."

Thor then bellowed, "Comrade Tony is right in this matter. The Spider Man has saved my beloved Jane and is the offspring of the Lady Potts. You shall not take him while I still breathe." he then lifted his hammer threateningly for emphasis.

Hulk simply gave everyone a stink eyes that even made Tony a little queasy and rumbled "Squishy spider Red's. Hulk like pretty Red. Hulk protect Red. Hulk Smash if try to take." he then bared and growled his own teeth.

Peter Parker watched all of this with amazement and awe. But the other part of him; the analytical park asked; how had it all come to this?