It wasn't looking promising.

Two more days had passed, and the strain was showing all around. Tony and Pepper were worn out. The stress of the situation and the constant worry had left them without appetites and they both were sleeping, poorly. Peter was fevered, and fussy because of it. With a binky in his mouth and his stuffed Ironman doll tucked in his hand, he whimpered even when he was asleep, as if plagued by pain or bad dreams – or both.

Tony and Pepper were with him, nonstop. They cradled the little body between theirs when they had him in bed, keeping him warm, and caressing his back, or running fingers through his curls while speaking softly to him about anything, and nothing. He'd hold one, or the other, and would occasionally murmur something to them, but with the pacifier in his mouth, it wasn't always understandable. When not in their room, they'd cuddle him and hold him, always making sure one of them had contact with him at all times. Always making sure he knew they loved him.

The others were still close at hand. Now, though, they were there for Tony and Pepper – and for each other. If Tony needed a break – either a call of nature, or because the hopelessness was rising up inside him and he needed to get away to hide it from Pepper until he had control again – then someone would step up and sit with her. The same for if Pepper needed to step away. The stress was incredible, but the Avengers were there to take up whatever burden they could.

Peter stopped eating that afternoon, and not even Natasha could coax him into more than a bite or two, before he simply turned his head away and had rested his cheek, tiredly, against Tony's neck. Stark had exchanged looks with the spy, and both of them were scared and not able to hide it, any more.

"I can keep trying," she'd offered.

Tony shook his head, and had gathered the toddler against him, taking the little hand and holding it against his bearded chin.

"It's alright, Natasha. I'll just hold him for a while," he'd told her. "We'll be okay. Won't we, Peter?"

The boy hadn't replied, but the little fingers brushed into Stark's facial hair and the ragged breathing slowed into a steadier rhythm as he did. Natasha got up, leaned over and brushed a kiss against Stark's forehead before she left, unable to sit still, any longer.

"Call me," she said, softly. "I'll be right there."

Tony closed his eyes and held his boy until Pepper returned, and then they'd just gone to bed, despite the early hour.

OOOOOO

"That has to be it. Do you agree?"

Wong nodded, leaning back in his chair.

"Peter says magic vibrates to him. No reason the relics can't do that, themselves, then. The chalice and the book start giving off vibes, the book becomes charged and the magical energy is released. It shatters against the metal of the chalice, hits the pendant and is magnified by the conductors."

"Then," Strange said, picking up the litany. "The sanctum senses an impending explosion of interdimensional potential – because of the nature of the chalice – and tamps it down – backlashing it to hold it in just this area. The blast hits the pendant again, and then hits Peter. And would have killed him, if the Mind stone hadn't taken steps."

"Yes."

"That's the answer."

"I agree."

Both men were exhausted, and the path that they'd been tracking was so convoluted that they had lost the thread several times and had been forced to backtrack, repeatedly. The table in front of them was littered with papers, books and scrolls, as well as stacks of notes taken in Wong's neat handwriting, and Stephen's less legible.

But they had it. They were certain.

"What do we do now?" Wong asked.

"We wait," Strange replied, rubbing his face and scratching his jaw, where he had several day's growth of stubble that he realized itched like crazy. "It's supposed to be up to the Mind stone and Peter, now."

They didn't get up, though. Instead, they leaned back, closing their eyes and took a deep breath. It wasn't a sigh of relief. That wouldn't come until they had things right, again. But it was a start – and they both knew they'd done all that they could.

OOOOOO

It happened so quickly it startled him, even as tuned into the Mind stone as he was, just then. Peter felt the stone suddenly turn its attention elsewhere – it did that a lot, so he didn't think anything of it – but then realized that the soul stone had pulled its awareness away from him, a little. It didn't hurt, but he thought that if he was back home it would have been extremely painful.

There was a surge, and then a memory flashed into his mind. Not his memory, though. An ancient memory, a creature that wasn't even close to human looking but held an aura of power that made Peter think he might have been a sorcerer of some kind. Like Strange, and Wong.

He didn't have a lot of time to think about that, though. The Mind stone was prodding him into action, and Peter couldn't have refused if he wanted to. He felt a build up of magical energies within himself, felt the Mind stone guiding him in how to use it, and felt the soul stone – which tingled, even on the Astral plane – holding close, as if it were waiting. Further from those two stones, he felt an echo of the others, and was amazed at the power they possessed.

The energy built for another long moment and then Peter uttered a word – he didn't know what – and suddenly felt everything pour out of him, compressed and then tightening, until he felt like he was going to implode, the power was so pure and so intense. He screamed, silently, and the white became incandescent until it seemed to be his entire world.

Then he felt a wrenching, deep within himself, and felt nothing.

OOOOOO

They'd dozed off. Holding Peter, and over him, holding each other. Tony on one side, and Pepper on the other. Both refusing to let Peter face whatever was going to happen alone. The toddler had fallen into a restless sleep, the pacifier had fallen from his mouth and he'd replaced it with his thumb.

He shifted a little, and Tony moved, reflexively, his hand going to the baby's back and rubbing it, tenderly.

"You're okay," he whispered, not opening his eyes. "I've got you."

There was suddenly a light – like a thousand candles that had no heat – and suddenly Tony and Pepper were both forced backward away from the middle of their bed to tumble to the floor on either side. Tony lurched to his feet, his tired mind screaming that something terrible must have happened and looking for the threat. Pepper took a moment longer to regain hers, and they both looked at each other, and then at the bed.

Where the toddler had been, there was now a much larger shape. The blanket obscured the body, but there was no mistaking the face. Tony surged forward, his heart making a glad leap, his hand going instantly to the sleeping form, and from her side of the bed, Pepper did almost the exact same thing.

"Peter!"