Hey everyone!

Sorry, this took so long! For some reason, I had some trouble wrapping up this story, but I think I've got a good ending for it now, and I hope you enjoy it!

I want to say thank you to those who favorited and followed, it's incredible to get those emails :) And I specifically want to give some shoutouts to:

- the fantastically wonderful Ceggle143, I'm glad you liked that version of Peter, I had SOOO much fun writing that! I hope you enjoy this last chapter too!

- the amazingly outstanding Where The Stars End, I liked writing that revenge also. I'm glad it didn't seem to over the top. Hopefully, you like this last chapter too!

Also, I do want to warn you. I included some callbacks from other stories I've written in this loose universe. It's not anything necessary to the understanding of this plot or something that requires you to read the other stories to get, but the connections are there. It was just one of those things I felt like it was necessary to include to maintain consistency for myself.

Okay, that's all of the author's note I have for now so without further ado,

Enjoy!

Michelle stopped in front of Peter and Natasha, but her stomach turned sickeningly. She felt paradoxically nervous and confident. The disconnect left her staring at the ground with her shoulders pulled back. She could hear the sirens in the background and knew they needed to go. The plan, once they were gone, was for Peter to send the video into the station. But if they waited too long, the police were going to figure out exactly how much set up had gone into this arrest. Still, Michelle needed to say something before they left.

She studied her shoes for just a moment before she forced herself to look up, her shoulders slumping to compensate for her continued trepidation. Still, she caught Natasha and Peter's eyes and whispered, "Thank you."

Natasha smiled understandingly before she returned the sentiment, "You're welcome." She paused like she was going to say more, but the loud howl of speeding sirens forced her hand, and she hurriedly added, "Hold that thought." Then she took off down the alley.

Peter nodded self-consciously as he matched Michelle's palpable nervousness. And that discomfort tied his tongue. It was only when Natasha fled that he was able to shake off his hesitation. Peter's expression hardened before he stepped forward and wrapped his arm behind Michelle's shoulders. Pulling her close, Peter fired the web, and just before they were pulled upward, he whispered, "Always." Barely a few seconds later, they landed on the fire escape above them.

Peter knew the police would start looking as soon as they saw the webbing on Lucas's hands, so he swung a few buildings away before he carefully dropped onto the rooftop. He gently let Michelle get her footing and then, in a flurry of motion, tore off his mask. Only to awkwardly freeze again and watch Michelle. He was surprised by the look of serenity and composure on her face. It was something he hadn't seen for a while. But then it started to shift, and he was afraid his furious anger had disappointed her.

Michelle closed her eyes and breathed deeply, wrapping her brain around everything that had happened and letting herself believe it was over. But when she opened her eyes and saw the concern in Peter's twisting expression, Michelle's gut rolled again. Something was wrong. Peter looked horrified. She felt her expression slip from closure into anxiety.

When neither one spoke after a few tense moments, Peter murmured, "I'm sorry." The weight of his anxiety forced his gaze onto the gravel rooftop.

Michelle noticed the difference in his posture from just a few minutes ago. She rushed to ask, "Why are you apologizing?"

Peter's gaze snapped to her, but the insecurity was still in his tone when he stuttered, "I don't know. I just…feel like that was really dangerous and really...violent."

Michelle immediately started to shake her head, needing him to understand that nothing he had done was unwarranted, "No, you don't need to apologize for any of that. You protected me. Helped me. Why would you need to apologize for anything?" Then she softened her tone because the last thing she wanted to do was make him feel guilty, so she added, "I needed this, and you let me have it."

"But…" Peter started, still a bit unsure of where he was going with it.

Michelle smiled at him, understanding his irresistible urge to make sure she was okay. Her voice was quiet when she stopped him, "Please stop, Peter. It's okay. I'm alright." She grabbed his hands and met his eyes before she took a step forward. She pulled his hands up to her chest, "Whatever you think you did, I can promise you, you didn't. You don't deserve to apologize or feel guilty for anything. Without you…" She shuddered a bit and trailed off.

"I know." He answered softly.

"That's not what I mean," Michelle said gently. She continued the thought with a little more confidence, "Without you, I wouldn't have been able to face him. And I don't just mean tonight. You helped pull me back, and there is nothing you should feel guilty for." She observed him, seeing the anger shift to confusion and, finally, relief. Michelle smiled, "Let's go home."

Peter nodded and pulled his mask back on. He scooped her up and leaped off the roof.

The echo of the sirens died behind them as Peter swung to the Tower. He had been nervous about going back to their apartment for reasons that were not even remotely close to logical. But right now, the logic didn't matter. And he felt safer with his family, anyway. Plus, it was where they had decided to meet after the operation.

As they got within sight of the Tower, Peter ordered, "Karen, can you please send that video to the police?"

"Of course, Peter."

They swung in silence for just under five minutes; the only sound to break the serene rhythm was the wind that whipped passed them. When they got close enough, Peter dropped carefully onto the platform just outside his dad's newly refurbished private floor. He did everything he could to take the impact of their weight hitting the cement, so Michelle only felt some of the jarring impact.

Finally, in a place where he could breathe, Peter tugged off his mask once more and looked her up and down. When he didn't see any visible signs of distress, he hesitantly asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Michelle stepped up and kissed him on the cheek before she whispered, "I promise." Without waiting for him to catch up, she grabbed his hand and led him toward the door. Michelle felt lighter, safer than she had in a long time, and she was ready to prove that.

As the door slid open, the other Avengers were already arrayed in front of them, talking in nervous tones and hushed twitters. Natasha was still in her jeans and torn shirt, and the others were still armored. All of them were looking expectantly at the pair stepping through the sliding door, but it was Tony who spoke, "Are we good?"

Michelle, knowing the question was for her, smirked and nodded, "We're good."

The tension in the room slipped.

And then melted away as Clint dropped his bow onto the couch behind him. Tony's armor folded away, leaving the man in an inexplicably unrumpled t-shirt and jeans. In true Stark fashion, Tony clapped his hands together and said, "So, who wants a drink?"

There was another moment of bated breath before…

Michelle smiled. Actually smiled for the first time in a long time, and she squeezed Peter's hand a little tighter as she let go of some of what she had been holding onto bottled up inside her chest. She wasn't totally okay. She knew the memories would keep bubbling back up, but, for now, she felt better, and that was something to celebrate.

She was met with a chorus of yeses as Tony turned to the liquor cabinet. Michelle turned toward Peter and whispered, "I'm okay. I promise." She smiled at him, letting him see how serious she was.

Peter watched her, looking for any sign of deception, but when he didn't see anything, a hesitant smile slipped across his face. He took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against hers, "Are you sure?"

Michelle leaned forward and kissed him. When she pulled away and pressed her forehead back against his, she was smiling.

Peter nodded; his eyes still closed when he said breathily, "Okay."

She pulled away from him and tugged him toward the others. Michelle wanted to feel comfortable, and while she would have preferred it to be fewer people, these were the people who had helped her, and she wanted to thank them.

They stayed up for a few more hours.

It was subdued but enjoyable as they told stories and tried to keep the conversation off what had just happened. Intermittently, Tony, Peter, and Natasha stole glances at Michelle, waiting to see if their new reality would hold. When it did, they relaxed too, finally falling into the same enjoyment the others had already found.

Eventually, the conversation slipped. It took longer for a new story to start after a lull, and the exhaustion was apparent in the room. They mutually agreed to get some sleep and figure out the implications of everything

in the morning. There were still enough rooms in the Tower for everyone to have some privacy. Peter and Michelle had the room closest to the living room, and as soon as they shut the door behind them, they crawled into bed, entirely spent. Michelle curled up into Peter's side and was asleep almost immediately.

It wasn't that easy for Peter.

He just kept replaying the encounter in his head.

And no matter what he did, he couldn't keep the pounding anger out of his veins. It was frustrating because he knew it was done. He knew he should be able to be thankful Michelle was safe and that the person who had caused all this was going to jail, but instead, he couldn't stop the frustration and the overwhelming anger.

Peter tried to force himself to relax.

But as he squeezed his eyes shut…he just couldn't stop.

Still, he didn't want to move because he was afraid he would wake Michelle up. So, he held her tightly for a while. Only when he was sure she was deeply asleep, Peter pressed a kiss to her hair and slipped out of bed.

He stepped out into the living room with a deep sigh of relief before he fell back into the couch.

It wasn't until he looked up that he realized Tony was sitting across from him.

Tony watched his son collapse into the furniture. He waited until Peter realized he was there before he asked, "How are you doing with all this?"

"Oh, you know, it happened…" Peter trailed off and tossed his hand, noncommittally into the air before it landed back in his stomach with a thud.

Tony gave him the side-eye and ordered, "Give me a real answer, Pete."

"I have no idea…" Peter said, trailing off for a few moments before he picked up the conversational thread, "I know people like that exist, I deal with them all the time, but it's never hit quite this close before." He looked up at Tony, "It's frustrating, you know. I can't do anything to prevent these people…to stop this stuff from happening…but sometimes I wish I could just end it all. Keep it from ever happening in the first place." He sat up abruptly but looked at the carpet before he confessed the real issue he was having, "I just…I don't know what happened. It wasn't me that did that." His voice lowered into a dangerous snarl, "I wanted to kill him, dad. I wanted to bash his head against the concrete until his skull shattered." He twisted his fingers hard in his discomfort, but the conviction in his voice didn't change, "Twice. I've wanted to do that twice now." Then he sobered and looked back up at Tony, "How do I deal with that? That's not me."

Tony's voice matched Peter's in ferocity, "It is when your family is threatened, Pete. We're blinded by people we love, regardless of how rational we want to be. And that's okay because you proved that when it comes down to it when you're actually given that choice, you stop. Every time."

Peter whispered, "I didn't once…" He dropped his head into his hands.

Tony leaned forward and pulled Peter's hands down so he could look him in the eyes, "Everyone is allowed to make mistakes, Pete. Learning from them is the hard part. And you've learned from every mistake you have ever made. That doesn't make it wrong to have the thoughts." His voice softened when he explained, "He hurt her, and that hurt you. You're allowed to be angry about that, and you're allowed to want to kill him for that, no one would have blamed you for it. But you stopped yourself. That's the hard part, that's the part you should be proud of yourself for."

Peter nodded gingerly.

But Tony gently offered, "If you can't be proud of yourself, just know that I'm proud of you. I'm immensely, unconditionally proud of you."

Peter met Tony's gaze with a soft smile before he squeezed Tony's hands and said, "Thanks, dad." He swallowed hard before he continued, "For everything. You don't so much to help me, to help her, and I don't know that I've said thank you for that."

Tony smirked at him, "You don't have to thank me, kid. That's what I'm here for. I've got your back."

They stared at each other for a few moments before Tony pulled away and settled back into his chair, crossing his legs and saying flippantly, "So, does this mean I'm going to get my assistant back?"

Peter snorted at the question but still nodded. He had never really been an assistant. He bit his lip before he shot back, "Why because you've been lost without me? You never could remember your social security number."

Tony looked up in mock horror, his voice wavering to match, "Oh god, have you been talking to Pepper again?"

Peter smirked but didn't press it. They slipped into a comfortable silence, broken randomly as they settled on thoughts about their various projects. It didn't take long then until Peter started to nod off, and Tony followed quickly after.

Some noise somewhere in the Tower woke Tony up a few hours later and realized that Peter was still asleep on the couch across from him. Carefully, he knelt beside the sofa and shook his son's shoulder. When all he got was a grumble, he tried again, urging, "Pete? Pete, I think you should try sleeping in your bed."

Peter groggily complied, stumbling to his room and crawling back into bed. Michelle immediately rolled into his side, and he sighed contentedly as he drifted back off to sleep.

They started fresh the next day.

The optimism was nearly tangible as they started to compile what they had, and Tony contacted his lawyers, getting them to work on whatever civil case was coming in case somehow the DA managed to lose the criminal case. Not that Tony allowed for even the possibility of that given who he hired.

Starting with their efforts, it took nearly a month for the DA to build the case. It was airtight within the first week, but given the caliber of the defense team, there was a level of care that went into ensuring there were no surprises for the State of New York. Michelle knew she would have to testify, but she felt better knowing they were on the surer footing. Not to mention the video evidence they had from Natasha's performance, which was enough without her testimony.

On the first day, Michelle was there, and Peter was at her side, where he, unsurprisingly, stayed for the entire trial. Not once was Michelle on her own, although Peter was careful not to speak too loud whenever Lucas was within earshot. Peter didn't think the man would remember his voice, but it was better to avoid the possibility.

The only time Peter was not in the room was when Spider-Man had to testify. It had been a trick by the defense to try and trip up the prosecution, but Peter used one of Natasha's voice modulators and had a very public fight with his boss outside the courtroom before the trial started, so he had a reason to leave before Spider-Man showed up.

And if anyone had figured it out, it would have felt like a family prank to get dad out of the room so he could dress up as Santa. But that's because it was Tony's idea and he might have stolen it from exactly that situation. It meant Michelle was alone for a day, and a couple of random ones after that to keep up the story, but it kept Peter's identity secret.

The trial was grueling, but, in the end, Lucas was found guilty on all counts with a potential sentence of up to twelve years in prison.

Tony and Pepper had invited Peter and Michelle to the cabin for a few days to decompress after the trial ended. Pepper knew how exhausted they were, and she guessed, rightly, that it would help to get away from the city for a few days. It helped.

And it gave Michelle a chance to have a conversation she had been thinking about for a while.

Michelle dropped lightly onto the couch next to Tony. She watched Peter, Morgan, and Pepper playing with Legos for a few moments as she gathered her courage, giving her mind time to question why conversations, serious conversations with Tony were one of the few things that never got easier. When she finally steeled her resolved and looked up at him, he was already staring at her. Michelle's eyes widened in surprise, and she swallowed hard before she said with more authority than she felt, "Tony, can I…uhh…can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." He intoned, turning a little more fully toward her.

But Michelle's gaze flicked across the others in the room. She was nervous about this becoming a witnessed conversation.

Tony got it and stood, gesturing toward the office just off the living room. Michelle nodded and gracefully slipped toward it, knowing he would follow.

As he trailed behind her, Tony was reminded of the last time he was in a room with an obviously motivated, but nervous, Michelle. He was a bit apprehensive about it because he was pretty sure he knew what she wanted to say. Still, he ensured she had full control of the room. He pulled the door closed behind them and turned toward her, giving her his full attention.

Michelle swallowed back her anxiety at tense silence in the room. She coughed a few times to buy herself just a few more moments before starting with conviction, "I need to thank you."

Tony's response was immediate and visceral, "No, you don't. I didn't do anything."

Michelle shook her head, appreciating the contradiction because it meant she was right. She pushed with more confidence, "You are the humblest conceited person I have ever met." This was precisely what she had expected, so she kept going, "I do need to say something because you helped him. If I wasn't for you, I don't know what would have happened. I sure as hell wasn't fighting for myself; he was the one fighting for me. And I know he didn't do that on his own. He was able to do that because he knew you were there." She swallowed hard before she continued, "I need to thank you for that."

Tony recognized her conviction, and it was incredibly humbling, so he tried to change the subject. He watched her thoughtfully before he quipped, "I'm really glad you're on our side, and that you're not particularly fond of my suits. Because dammit if you wouldn't be terrifying."

Michelle scrunched her nose at the deflection. She couldn't let him do that. She needed him to understand. Her voice was commanding when she directed the conversation back, "Stop, Tony, please, I need you to acknowledge what I'm saying."

Tony smirked, "I don't need to, though, MJ." When her eyes narrowed like she was going to argue, Tony hurried to keep her from saying anything. His tone was rueful, even if his words weren't, "Sorry, but it's true. It makes me uncomfortable to be thanked for helping my sons. I'm always gonna protect them, regardless of what that entails." He tossed his hand toward her and added, "And that goes for you too." When he realized what he said, Tony winced at what he almost admitted. But Michelle didn't react particularly to that, so Tony let out a slight sigh of relief.

"Fine," Michelle said with a bit of a huff, "Well, I'm still telling you thank you because you're part of the reason why I've been able to work through everything that's happened." Just to firmly communicate her thanks, Michelle lurched forward and hugged him tightly. It was more natural than the last time she had hugged him, but it was still genuine appreciation. Tony returned the hold, wrapping his arms around the younger woman's shoulders.

When Michelle pulled away, they acknowledged each other for a moment. Tony laid his hand on her shoulder for a thoughtful moment and, with a soft smile, admitted, "I'm glad you can put up with him."

Michelle smiled, but she couldn't help but drop her eyes to the ground at the thinly veiled praise.

Once she had to deal with the praise long enough, Tony softly said, "What do you say we head back out to the living room?"

Michelle nodded and headed for the door. When she stepped over the threshold, she looked up and caught Peter's gaze and smile. She returned the sentiment, watching as he turned back to the Lego spaceship he and Pepper were building with Morgan.

It was only a few weeks after the end of the trial when Natasha finally made it back to her room at the Compound. She had been in the city for the better part of the month at the UN's special commission on international violence against women. Meeting with heads of state was never a stress-less situation, and it was one she rarely enjoyed, but, in this case, at least it seemed mostly worth it. Yes, there was still some pushback from people she would rather deal with in less official channels, but for the most part, the commission was moving in the right direction. Plus, Michelle had been at the meeting. So had Okoye and Nakia. The three of them had made the frustrations bearable.

Still, she breathed a sigh of relief and rolled her shoulders when she entered her space.

As she flicked on the lights, she noticed a wrapped box on the bed. Curiosity got the better of her, and she fell onto the mattress, pulling it toward her. Carefully unwrapping it and opening the lid, she audibly gasped when she saw a new set of pointe shoes. Her eyes unconsciously flicked up to her old, wore pair still hanging on the edge of a chair. She couldn't bear to throw them away, but she also hadn't had time to grab new ones. She had needed to replace them for a while now, but the only person she had mentioned that to was…Natasha dug through the box and finally found the card that had slipped behind the tissue paper. Flipping it over, she realized it was from Peter.

I knew you wouldn't accept them any other way. Thank you. For everything.

Natasha smiled softly at his kindness. She would have helped regardless, but the gesture was appreciated. She slowly turned the pointe shoes over in her hands. They were beautifully made, and she had the distinct urge to use them.

Shrugging off the last of her exhaustion, she snapped them up as she left.

A few months after the trial ended, it was a beautiful day, and Peter and Michelle decided to wander the city. On their way back to their apartment, Michelle's gaze locked on the entrance to the park where Lucas had attacked her. It had been a place she and Peter had avoided since her attack. They had always taken the long way home. But something about today made her want to try it. For whatever reason, Michelle felt like it was time for her to do this and prove that it wasn't going to hurt her. It helped that Peter was with her.

Without warning, she slipped her hand into Peter's and tugged him gently toward the entrance they usually avoided.

Peter had been talking about an award Morgan had won at school for his science project, and Michelle's sudden motion caught him off guard. He looked over at her in surprise before his gaze snapped up to the entrance and then shifted back, "Are you sure, MJ?"

Michelle didn't say anything. She just directed him with a little more insistence.

Peter followed apprehensively because he could feel how tightly Michelle's fingers were wrapped around his. For anyone else, it would have left one hell of a bruise. But that was the worst pressure. The farther they walked, the more her apprehension melted away, and toward the exit, it was actually an enjoyable walk.

As they came to the gate on the other end, Peter leaned over and quietly asked, "Do you feel better?"

Michelle nodded contemplatively before she slowly responded, "I do, actually." She looked up at him and continued with complete conviction, "Thank you for that. Thank you, for…everything, Peter. I don't know that I couldn't have done this without you. I think I would have been stuck in that place for the rest of my life, constantly trying to figure out how to hide it from the rest of the world."

Peter nodded and offered with a soft smile and a quiet conviction to match hers, "You could have done it without me." He watched her with loving confidence and murmured, "But I'll always see you."

Michelle wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into his chest a fraction of a moment before his arms closed around her back. She whispered into his shoulder, "Thank you." She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of happiness and safety.

Peter kissed her hair and held her tight in return.

Michelle pulled back from him enough to lean in and kiss him deeply. He had been letting her set the pace on anything remotely intimate, and she appreciated it. She smiled against his lips when he leaned into the embrace. Usually, neither of them were ones for public displays of affection, but, right now, it was necessary for them.

When they broke the kiss, both were smiling. They slipped back into a tight hug and stood for just a few moments, reveling in quiet contentment before they headed home, hand in hand.

Alright, well, that's it for this fanfic! For those of you who read to the end, thank you so much, and I hope (as I always do) that this last chapter wasn't too sappy or over the top. I will admit, that is one of the hardest balances for me.

Hopefully, it worked and feel free to let me know what you thought in the reviews.

I hope you have a wonderful day/night and stay creative!

-Lily