A/N: Anybody still here? I really hope so! As you might have suspected working and graduate studies didn't allow me any free time. To be honest with you
it barely allowed me enough time to study, prepare and sleep. Anyways, work's over for almost a year and I can return to my leaisure writing which I've
greatly missed! To any of you who might still be interested, thank you for your patience! To any new readers welcome abroad. Remember to read through
the disclaimers and warnings on 1st chapter's A/N so that you are not unpleasantly surprised by the non-canon content and various changes in terms of
characters ages and storylines. Anyways, done with my mumbling. Enjoy and please review!

PS: A big thanks to Ullswater for working as a beta on this!

"So, absolutely no chance?"

"None whatsoever."

"But I've repented thoroughly, truly and deeply! I've been a model prisoner! I worked for you, did chores, studied my eyes off and trained my butt off." Peter paused and then continued more quietly, "Not to mention you almost... you know... my butt off..."

Tony peered at the persistent youth through his sunglasses slightly amused, "Are you embarrassed to say the word Pete? Come on, now! It's spanked. I almost spanked your butt off. And, yes, you are 100% right on every little part of your speech. But as the model prisoner you claim to be, you're gonna serve the rest of your sentence, as agreed, without further complaints. You're on lock-down until Tuesday and there is no way I'm letting you off a minute earlier."

Peter threw his head back frustrated. He expected as much if he wanted to be honest with himself, but he hadn't missed a comic-con weekend ever since he learnt of their and Ned went every single year and this year even Mary Jane would join in, and he'd miss it.

Tony felt a pang of guilt for the kid. He had indeed worked hard for the duration of his stay with him to earn back his trust and prove he had realized the how wrong his actions were. But he had still assigned him a week of grounding and going back on his word during the very first punishment that he had doled out to the young man, he'd lose the game before it even started. He owed the kid integrity and consistency.
"Cheer up kid, it's Friday, no school for two days, a lot more time for training."

Peter looked up at that. "Do I have to do even more chores and stuff?" He asked gloomily.

"No, Spider-dude. I'm happy with your diligence and how seriously you dealt with the matter, so even though I am not lifting your restriction, we'll focus on your training some more during the weekend and even try a couple of scenarios together to find a rhythm between us before we get out in the field. How does that sound?"

Peter's lips split into a grin without his consent. "Cool!"

"Cool? Wow! And I thought Comic-con was cool."

"Yeah, well... You're ok too."

"Flattered, kid... Flattered!"

As the ridiculously expensive car they rode in came to a slow stop in front of Peter's school, Peter threw his backpack on one shoulder and scooted towards the door. "See you later Tin-man."

"Laters Spider-kid"

The silence on the other line made Tony tap his pen anxiously. If this didn't end well, Peter would be one angry, sulky teen. And angry, sulky teens with superpowers were not a good combination.

"I just don't know... do you honestly think it's a good idea?"

"My dear May, I wouldn't propose it if I didn't. For better or worse Peter has found himself with these powers and he needs to learn how to control them, and himself with them. He needs to learn to tame his super-hero syndrome in order to live a long healthy and fulfilling life. If we don't offer him a context to do his thing in a subtly controlled environment he will keep doing it unprotected and will be endangering himself. He needs a little more freedom, more discipline and someone to teach him."

"I just feel so worried..."

"I understand that, but I am afraid that if we don't offer him the context to practice with safety and backup, he'll just keep going at it secretly and obsess over it, forgetting school and everything else. He is lucky to have people able and willing to train him. But we need your consent for that."

"And school will still be a top priority?"

"If he knows what's good for him it'd better be. I was clear and adamant about that bit. The kid has an incredible mind. I won't allow him to not exploit it."

"Ok, then, I guess. I am signing the document and sending it to you, Tony."

Throwing his pen in the air triumphantly he answered, "You won't regret this May. I promise I'll do right by him".

"You'd better!" said the brunette woman. "I've missed him."

"I can imagine. Well, he'll be all yours before you know it."

"I have a very busy weekend with work anyways, so maybe it's better he won't be home alone. Anyways, kiss him for me and let him know I agreed."

"Sure thing May. It was nice talking to you!"

"Bye, Tony."

As soon as the call ended, the man hopped on his feet releasing a triumphant howl as he threw his hands in the air.

"Now, that's a mature reaction!"

His head snapped towards the familiar amused voice and his face lit up. "Pepper! I didn't expect you till… Yeah, well, who am I kidding? I had no idea when that conference was supposed to end and I won't pretend I did."

Pepper shook her head as she walked to him lacing her hands behind his head. "Ever the romantic!"

"Just the way you like me, babe!"

"So, I take it young Peter is your protege now." She concluded evenly.

"Yep! Just got aunt approved!"

Pepper looked at him and couldn't help but smile warmly at his excited eyes. She had not seen him as happy for a long time. Clearing her throat she continued with the more pressing matter at hand. "So, Peter will be with us today too?"

"Nope! He is with us till Tuesday. Today is only Friday." The man answered while breaking the embrace and moving to his laptop screen to check if the signed document had arrived yet. Glancing at the thoughtful eyes of Pepper he probed, "Why do you ask?"

"It's, Cap. And he's not alone." Pepper answered in a serious tone.

Ned and M-J looked at him with disbelieving eyes.

"Come on man, I am sure you can get May to change her mind." Ned said in an almost desperate tone. "It's the Comic-Con!", he added almost whispering the words.

M-J rolled her light blue eyes before talking in a more indifferent tone, "Relax, Ned. It won't be the end of the world. We can all hang out after Tuesday and do something together."

"Yeah!" Peter agreed eagerly, happy to hear the girl proposing spending time together on her own. "I am sorry, Ned. But I really screwed up. There is no way I can get her to let me out."

Ned looked at him pointedly before clearing his throat and answering, "Well, what if you'd sneak out then? Meet us there, creep back in…"

Mary-Jane snorted sarcastically at that, as she reclined on her elbows and stretched her jean-clad legs over the grass of the school yard, "Yeah, piece of cake. You just jump off your fourth-floor balcony, right?"

Ned laughed awkwardly at that but kept his gaze on Peter. "Right, stupid idea!"

Peter glared at him discreetly before repeating, "I can't sneak out this time, Ned, trust me!"

The other boy's shoulders slumped at that but he nodded defeated.

Mary-Jane smiled a bit at Peter before nudging Ned with her shoulder, "Cheer up, Ned. I know I am not as cool as Peter, but then again, imagine all the kids in school seeing the two of us, alone there…"

Ned's face lit up at the implication, but he had little time to answer as Peter sprang to his feet hastily covering his head with the hood of his dark-blue oversized sweater.

"Gotta go guys. May sent someone to pick me up, I don't wanna make them wait."

Ned and Mary-Jane glanced up at that, but did not comment it. They had a couple of questions regarding their friend's whereabouts and weird pickups from school this past couple of days, but they had decided to not ask him yet, in case he wanted to share the information with them on his own.

"Bye, Dude." Ned told him lazily.

"Bye, Peter. See you on Monday!", M-J said a bit more cheerfully.

Peter waved to both of them and ran from the spot of the schoolyard the three of them were sitting at, towards the gate and around the corner of the school building, where Tony's car was waiting for him. When he opened the car's door and threw himself into the comfy back seat, he was surprised to see Tony inside too.

"Hey there.", the man said.

"Hey! I didn't expect you'd be here! Did you leave headquarters early? Is everything ok?", Peter asked suspiciously, as he got the hood off his head and made himself comfortable for the car ride.

"Everything's fine." Tony answered evenly. "So, I got a bit of a surprise for you. Well, three of them to be accurate."

Peter's face lit up. "Comic-Con?"

Tony laughed beside himself, "Let it go, kid! No Comic-Con, no!"

"Then what?"

"First things, first! Your aunt agreed and signed the contract. Our deal is officially May-approved!"

Peter howled excitedly at that throwing his fist in the air enthusiastically. "Yes!"

Tony smiled at his enthusiasm and continued. "W also got guests! Oh, and Pepper's back! So you get to meet her too."

Peter was still smiling but seeing Tony's face turning more serious he asked a bit worriedly "Guests? Who? Family of yours?"

"Kinda… Look before I let you in on this, I need you to not tell anyone! I mean it, Peter! Our guests are in a bit of a situation. Things are on the way to being safe for them, but they're not yet. So, top secret stuff, agreed?", Tony asked seriously.

Peter sat up in his seat and took a couple of seconds. Before his mouth opened to a big round 'O'. "It's Cap, isn't t? I knew it! I knew it!" He whispered excitedly.

Tony nodded but he kept his serious look on. "Pete, I am not kidding. They're not in the clear yet. I need to trust you that you won't say a thing. Got it?"

Peter's face turned serious too. 'Sure thing, Tony. Who's they, though? Isn't Cap alone?"

Tony shook his head as he shouldered off his jacket and removed his sunglasses to get a bit more comfortable. "Nope, he's with Wanda Maximoff. You might remember her from Germany."

"Cool! She has awesome powers!" Peter said excitedly.

"Yeah, and from what Pepper told me she is the main reason Cap tried to smooth things out. I am working on getting him out of the hole he dug himself into and will probably make it of. He has taken Wanda in, her being only sixteen and all. He wants to offer her as a normal a life as possible and they're both tired from all the hiding."

Peter nodded. "I can imagine." Then a thought crossed his mind and he shifted uncomfortably. "Do they know about me?"

Tony smiled reassuringly at him. "They know you are my protege Super-teen. So your reputation is pretty safe and cool and all."

Peter smiled broadly at that. "Thanks for that Tony."

"Yeah, well. Wanda is already way too beautiful and cool, I couldn't make things any more difficult for you than they already are…" he had no chance to continue teasing as a rather heavy school bag was thrown emphatically to the spot right next to him. Laughing loudly he reached forward and ruffled the kid's hair.

"So, how was school, kid?"

As the three adults discussed things quietly in the living room sipping their coffees, Peter and Wanda watched them from the kitchen island. Peter still found it a bit hard to believe that he'd be sharing the same home with Captain America and Wanda Maximoff for the next few days. He stole glances at her and captain interchangeably, not at all used to seeing them dresses in regular clothes. Captain wore a dark green t-shirt and jeans, while Wanda was wearing black leggings and an oversized burgundy sweater. seeing her like that took Peter by surprise. Her outfit during the battle always reminded him the comic-book sorcerers that often appeared in his favorite comic-books, while this girl next to him, seemed like a next-door teenage girl, bored out of her mind.

Wanda was lost in her own thoughts. She found it hard to believe that Tony would manage to do as he had promised. She looked over at Peter and contemplated if he would be interesting enough to hang around with. Making her decision she cleared her throat. "So, give me a Tour?", she asked in an even tone.

Peter looked at her a bit startled. It was the first time she talked to him after they greeted each other when he and Tony came home. "Sure…" He answered, his voice pitching a bit, which made him flush and look away from the girl. He rose from his seat and called back to her, "Follow me!"

Wanda stood from her stool and quietly and walked behind Peter glancing over at the adults. None of them even seemed to notice them, as they kept going over papers and plans. As the teens left the kitchen and the living-room behind them, Peter moved towards the dining-room and made sure Wanda was close-by. "So, this is the dining-room. We usually eat in the kitchen, but I guess now that there are five of us we'll start eating in here."

Wanda's absent-minded, "Mhm" was the only answer, as they continued walking towards the corridor.

"That door over there is Tony's office and the two doors left and right are bathrooms." Peter explained but sensed she wasn't exactly in a mood for discussion, then again he didn't understand why she had wanted him to walk with her around the house. Still, he started climbing the stairs and he kept pointing at various doors indicating rooms and bathrooms. Then smiling he waved for her to follow him to the spacious area of the play room. "Come over here. This is sort of the highlight."

Wanda seemed a bit more intrigued at that and smoothly walked towards the door Peter kept open for her. She stepped inside to the spacious comfortable room, filled with screens, it also contained a number of video game consoles, a pool-table and a chess-table, a bookcase, and a large television in front of a sofa and a few armchairs.

"Wow!" She commented.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. On the bookcase, there are books, movies and a large number of video games to choose from. On the first floor there is also an indoor pool, a gym and in the garden, there is an outdoor pool as well." Peter added hoping for some more interaction with the girl.

"Sounds nice." She said in an even tone. "So, how long have you been living here?" She asked.

"Just a couple of days and I'm staying until Tuesday. Then I'll go back to my own home."

"Oh!" Wanda seemed a bit surprised. "Sorry, I thought, you lived here permanently. I heard your parents…", her voice trailed off after that not sure how he'd react.

Peter shook his head reassuringly when he saw how awkward she grew. "My parents are dead and my aunt takes care of my now."

Wanda didn't press the matter anymore. "So, it's been a while since I went, well anywhere really, and I would love to get a coffee and walk around a bit at the you like to join me?" She asked in the same even, distant tone.

Peter cleared his throat awkwardly at that and couldn't decide what to mention first. "I thought you and Cap are not to be seen outside, yet? Isn't that what Cap told you downstairs when you guys were filling me in?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But nobody will be suspicious of me because they believe we're still on the run. Plus if you were with me, nobody would even bat their eyes twice. I am sick and tired of being locked up." Wanda said her voice now sounding tired and hoarse.

Peter could really feel for her, but he knew that leaving the house was out of the question for both of them. "Look, unfortunately, I cannot leave the house till Tuesday, cause I'm on lock-down. I screwed up a couple of days back and I can't go anywhere until Tuesday… And I'm pretty sure Cap won't be happy if you leave the house without informing him and before it's safe for both of you."

Wanda shook her head and smiled. "Pete, you're sweet and all but I don't need you or anybody else sweating over my safety. I've been on my own for quite a few years, now. I am trying to get Steve to understand it too but he is so hard headed… Anyways. I'm going outside to check out the garden and all if anybody asks. If you change your mind, follow me and we can take Steve's car to the city."

"What if someone recognizes the car?" Peter tried, getting really uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"They're fake plates, Peter. We're not stupid!" Wanda answered in a bored voice.

Peter's mind started racing as she slowly got up and started moving towards the stairs. He had to find a way to change her mind. He couldn't let her jeopardize Cap's and her own safety, but he couldn't get himself to rat her out to the adults either.

As the two of them, with Wanda now leading, passed in front of the living room again, Tony looked up at them. "Everything alright, kids?"

"Yeah!" Wanda said. Peter looked at surprise at the girl. Her voice sounded cheerful and sweet all of a sudden. She was smiling at Tony charmingly as she continued, "Peter told me about the gym and the pool and I thought we could take a walk around the garden and get some fresh air."

Tony nodded and glanced at Steve, who smiled at his ward warmly. "Sure, you go ahead. Just remember to stay within the property's grounds."

"Of course, Steve. See you!" She answered and she walked leisurely over to the next staircase.

Peter followed her numbly feeling his face flushed and not knowing what he should do. When Wanda turned towards the entrance to the garages he whispered after her, "Wait! Tony's AI might let him know that you left with Steve's car!"

Wanda turned at that. "Might?"

"Well, probably. I mean, she does inform him of anyone who is coming in the property." He explained quickly hoping that would be the trick.

"Yeah, that seems reasonable. When someone comes in, it will let them know. But I'm going out. Hopefully, it will be fine."

Peter stared at her disbelievingly. "Hopefully? What about when you return? How are you going to come back in, without them knowing?"

Wanda rolled her eyes losing her patience, "Honestly, Peter, I don't give much of a shit, if they'll know or not. Steve was kind enough to offer me his protection and he is always sweet and nice, but he needs to understand that I do not need to be babied over. I am more than capable of protecting myself and honestly so are you. You wanna stay here, make sure you don't lose brownie points with Stark? Be my guest! I, am going out!"

Peter's temper rose at that. "Brownie points with Tony? That's what you think I worry about right now? The government wants you and Cap locked up more than it wants anything else right now, Wanda. And you wanna risk all that for a walk in the city?"

The girl opened the door of a dark blue Citroen angrily, her blue eyes darkening a bit. "For the last time. Nobody knows the car, nobody suspects we're here, Tony is halfway through clearing shit out for us and if you'd come with me, I'd risk nothing."

With that, she sat in the driver's seat and ran her fingertip over the sensor that communicated with the car's ignition. The vehicle started rumbling quietly and the girl slowly drove towards the now opening garage door.

Peter, cursing under his breath ran the few steps to where the car waited and slid in the front seat, slamming the door.

Wanda stared at him and her face slowly split into a smile. Turning her eyes back to the road she told Peter reassuringly, "Trust me, you won't regret this."

Peter chose not to voice his thoughts of the contrary, as he secured his seat belt and shrunk as low down as he could in the car seat.

A/N: So that's it for chapter 4. I am already working on chapter 5, which will hopefully be uploaded within a week or so. Till then please review and let me know of your thoughts. Have a great week everyone!