Okay, I think I'm finally over the worst of my illness and will hopefully be back on schedule now! I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Permission to be

Penny stared down at the phone in her lap, reading and rereading the last message. From Harry. "Please just tell me you're okay."

Okay was a generous term for what she was. It had been four days since Helen had put her on bed rest. Four days during which she'd been stuck at the tower, in her bed in the guest room. Four days of sleep, thanks to the pain meds, and almost mind-numbing desperation to get up and walk around. Which she would have done had Mr. Stark not instructed Friday to get him every time she was up for longer than would reasonably take to use the bathroom. Apparently, that was ten minutes, as she'd learned when she'd attempted to walk around the bathroom with the door shut just to get some of her excess energy out, and Friday had informed her that if she did not go back to bed, the AI would be forced to alert Mr. Stark to her possibly peril.

Or something like that.

Either way, she had spent the majority of each day in that bed, not quite pouting, but something close. And yes, she knew that she was lucky to be alive. She knew that she was lucky that the infection hadn't been bad, and that she would be allowed out of bed at all soon. But she was still irritated. It wasn't like she had to spend her time in bed sleeping, though. There was a TV and, strangely enough, a Playstation in the room. She wasn't sure exactly why Tony Stark had a Playstation in his guest room...then again, maybe it came standard in all of his guest rooms. There were also plenty of books to choose from on the bookshelf, and Mr. Stark had told her to have Friday call him if she wanted to read something else.

Friday was better than Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu combined, with a database of TV shows and movies, some of which were still in theaters. She had her laptop and her phone...generally, she had everything she needed to entertain herself. Not to mention the fact that she wasn't always alone. Natasha popped in every day to ask how she was, or to sit with her and just talk. Not about her secret identity or the lies she'd told...just...normal stuff. Like what TV show she was watching or the books she'd read. In return, the woman told her a little about her life in Russia and her move to the US.

May stopped by after work or made sure to video chat when she couldn't. Ned video called her too since he couldn't come over, telling her about the upcoming party at Liz's house. MJ leaned over his shoulder and assured her that she wasn't missing anything. Sophomores like them weren't invited anyway. For some reason, thoughts of Liz turned to thoughts of Harry that Penny had to continually shake off. She'd really liked Liz...but she'd never gotten to know her, not really. Sure, she was really pretty, and she seemed nice...but then she thought about Harry who had danced with her in a crowd of scientists and who always called her by her full name….

And who might have gotten her shot.

The others stopped by her room too. Helen came by every day to check on her. Thor snuck her a whole box of girl scout cookies once with a glass of milk, and, surprisingly, stayed to talk for a little while. Clint came in, and the two talked in sign language, him correcting her when she slipped up. Sam poked his head in once or twice, asking if she needed anything...asking if she was alright. When she assured him that she was and that she didn't need anything, even though she was bored to tears, he came on in anyway, kicking his feet up and asking how the hell she'd thought she would keep Spidergirl a secret. He hadn't been mean about it though...more amused, and she'd found herself smiling a little when she told him about her split-second decision to pretend to be deaf.

"You didn't think maybe being mute might be easier to pull off?"

"He was standing right there!"

Sam chuckled at that, and then he told her Avengers stories until she was nodding off.

But the one who spent the most time with her, by far, was Mr. Stark. Despite what she knew must be a busy schedule, he was in her room every morning to bring her a breakfast of eggs and toast with sausage or bacon. And he didn't just drop it off. He brought his own breakfast too, sitting in the chair beside her bed, and the two would discuss updates to her suit or AI between bites of food. And then...he stayed. Usually, for an hour or two, and for the first day or so, she was drifting off by the time he left, eyelids too heavy to keep open. But as the days passed, she found herself more and more awake, probably because Helen was weaning her off the pain meds.

He came by in the evenings too, bringing dinner and conversation. There was always something in his eyes when he looked at her...when he chuckled at something she said or listened to her discuss her own ideas for the suit or AI or just the school she was missing. He cared about her. Not just Penny Parker. Not just Spidergirl. Both parts of her. It was a lesson she felt she was going to need to learn over and over because it was just so improbable. Why would he care about her? She was a nobody from Queens. A kid who'd randomly gotten spider powers and who had done a pretty sucky job of being a superhero.

This was something she made the mistake of asking the night before, eyes drooping from her last dose of pain medicine for the night...she was pretty tired, and her brain was foggy, so she might have used that exact phrasing. For the first time, Mr. Stark's eyes had gone dark, almost angry, and he'd shaken his head.

"That's not true, kid. None of it. You aren't 'nobody.' You're a hero, same as any of us. Hell, better than most of us."

Penny had wanted to argue, but she'd been so tired, and the last thing she'd been aware of had been a hand brushing some of her hair back, then resting on top of her head.

"You're gonna be great, kiddo. The greatest hero this place has ever seen. And I can't wait to help you get there."

When she'd woken that morning, she had wondered if she'd dreamed that part. Surely Mr. Stark, The Tony Stark, Iron Man himself, wouldn't consider her a real hero. But she'd been too shy to ask, and when he'd arrived with her breakfast, the two had gone on as normal.

This was her last day of bed rest in the tower. The next day, Penny would be going back home. Helen had already told her that the day before...she'd have one last check up and May would pick her up that evening. Ned was thrilled, and couldn't wait for her to get home so he could visit. Mr. Stark had mentioned that she'd be back for her internship, so at least she hadn't lost that. She had a feeling that they'd be talking more about the whole superhero thing she did. It would be a few more days before she was cleared to be Spidergirl again, which was what bothered her the most. May hadn't brought it up, and Penny had been too scared too.

What if May wouldn't let her be Spidergirl anymore?

Figuring that she'd rather think about Harry than entertain that possibility, Penny turned back to her phone. Mr. Stark had left a few minutes ago, and her phone had buzzed with the message from Harry. "Please just tell me you're okay."

Sighing, she dropped her head against the wall. And then she tapped his name, holding the phone up to her ear and listening to it ring only once before he answered, her stomach in a knot. "Penny?" He answered, sounding breathless.

"Hi." Her voice was cold, and she didn't mean it to be. Didn't mean to sound angry. She wasn't angry. Not with him. But...she didn't know if she could trust him.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Penny…" He started, but she cut him off.

"Did you do it?"

"Penny, I…"

"Did you tell your father that Spidergirl was in his office?"

"No."

"Because if you did…"

"I didn't!" He hissed. "Penny, I swear. I didn't tell him anything." Harry sounded anguished...desperate.

"And how am I supposed to believe that?" She asked, voice shaking. She hated that...hated the fact that her eyes were heating up and that her lips were trembling.

"Penny…" He whispered, pleading, and she closed her eyes, feeling the tears spill over. "You have to know...I wouldn't…"

Penny held the phone away from her ear for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She needed to stop crying. Needed to find out the truth. When she finally put the phone back to her ear, Harry was silent. When she finally spoke, it was in a whisper. "You know who I am...you knew that I was Spidergirl."

"I saw you drink the juice at the gala...the stuff that almost killed Stark."

"So you knew."

"I knew that you were Spidergirl."

"And then Norman knew that I was in his office."

"I know my dad's a bad guy, Penny. I...I've known that since I was a kid. Never understood why my mom would stay with him. And...when I thought he'd tried to kill Tony Stark and...and you...I wanted to help you. I wanted to help you catch him and make him stop. I swear...I suspected you were Spidergirl and I swear, I shut off the cameras in his office. He doesn't even know that I know how to do that. I shut off the cameras and alarms but I must have missed something. And I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry you got hurt and...I thought...I thought that you were going to die and it was going to be my fault and…"

Harry cut himself off, and Penny wiped furiously at her eyes. She didn't know if Friday was programmed to alert Mr. Stark when she was upset, but she wouldn't put it past the AI. Or him.

"If you blame me for this...I get it. I...I do. I understand. I blame myself for it too. But you have to know that it wasn't on purpose. Please...don't think that I'd do anything to hurt you. Not on purpose."

"Okay." She whispered, wiping her eyes again.

"Okay?" He asked.

"Okay. I believe you." Even as she said it, doubts flew through her mind. Was she being stupid? Naive? Was she making an idiot of herself, trusting him again when he could be the one hurting her? Still, the relief in his voice...the tears in his voice when he answered her dispelled them. For the moment anyway.

"God," he whispered, and she wasn't sure if it was meant as a curse or a prayer.

She liked Harry Osborne. She thought he was kind and funny and smart...and incapable of handing her over to his father to be killed. She just hoped that she wasn't about to be proven wrong on all counts.

"So...we might have to postpone the date." She offered, feeling a strange lightness in her chest. It was the way she'd felt around Liz...but more. More intense and more happy and just...more.

He gave a strangled bark of laughter. "Yeah...I think so too." There was a moment of silence, and then he spoke again, this time less sure of himself than she'd ever heard him. "Are you sure...that you still want to…"

"I'm sure," she told him, and it was true. She was sure that she wanted to go on a date with Harry Osborn...and just as sure that his father had tried to kill her...her mentor. Or...whatever he was to her. She would just have to deal with both of those things separately. He didn't ask her if she'd been successful in bugging Norman's office, and she didn't offer any information herself either. She would be careful, she decided. She had to be. Now that she'd been shot, she never wanted to do it again.

They talked for almost an hour after that...a little about the school she was missing and about Ned, who he wanted to meet. They talked about his own fancy private school and tutors...they talked about her internship and his work and it was all so easy. So comfortable, as if she'd known him forever.

Finally, though, her stomach started to growl, and he must have sensed that she needed to get off the phone. "Alright, Penny Parker. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Alright. I'm going home tonight...I can text you later?"

"Sounds good."

And, after exchanging their goodbyes, they hung up, Penny only marginally less conflicted than before.

She did go home that night, but her suit stayed at the tower. Mr. Stark told her he was doing repairs, but she had a feeling that he was keeping it as insurance, making sure she didn't go out as Spidergirl before she was medically cleared...and May-cleared.

Penny spent one more day at home, although she didn't have to stay in bed as long. Mostly, she hung out on the sofa with May, the two of them watching movies and eating and avoiding the one thing Penny wanted to talk about the most. She texted Ned and MJ too, assuring them that she was fine and that she'd be back in school on Monday. Ned had continued to email her the homework she'd been missing, and she'd been doing her best to keep up, despite the fact that Helen had had her on those pain meds that kept her asleep for the majority of a day. Still, her plan was to finish up as much as she could the next day, then get cleared by Helen on Friday when she went in for her internship.

Or sooner...sooner would be better. She didn't hold out any hopes, though.

She wanted her suit back. Wanted Karen back so she could listen in on those microphones she'd planted and figure out once and for all if she'd been right. But the odds of Mr. Stark letting her in on that were slim to none, she was sure. He hadn't brought it up, and neither had she...but, she thought as she sat on the sofa with May, she needed to. Needed to ask once and for all. He wouldn't stop her from being Spidergirl, she knew that much. But would he stop her from helping with Norman Osborn?

"Careful. I can see steam coming out of your ears."

Penny smiled a little. It was the first actually teasing thing that May had said to her in a while. It hadn't been fair of her to keep Spidergirl from May, she'd always known that. But what choice had she had?

"Penny for your thoughts?" May tried again, voice softer this time, but she was still smiling.

"I can't stop being Spidergirl."

For what felt like hours, but what actually had to be minutes, there was silence. A thick, heavy, frightened silence. Penny hadn't meant to phrase it quite so...confrontationally. But she couldn't help it. Couldn't bear to think of giving up this part of herself. The part that was brave and strong and...and a hero. Sort of. Something like a hero.

And then, May spoke, breaking that silence, gently but firmly. "I know."

Penny's head shot up as she gave her aunt a wide-eyed stare. But May only gave her a soft, almost sad smile.

"I know, baby. I...Tony and I, we've had some talks."

They'd had talks. Her and 'Tony.' Mr. Stark.

"I wasn't convinced at first. I...getting a phone call at work that my kid, my little girl, had been shot...god Penny…"

"I know...I'm so sorry…" She started, but May continued as if she'd never spoken.

"It was the worst moment of my life. I thought...I thought I was about to lose the only family I had left. My child." May took a moment, took a breath, then continued. "But he told me about the suit and the safety measures...and all the extra safety measures he was about to install. And...and he told me about what you've been doing. He told me that my little girl got superpowers in a freak accident, and then immediately used them to help people." Penny dropped her eyes, feeling her cheeks flush a little, and May reached out a hand to rest on her cheek. "I was terrified. And I was shocked. But I was also proud...so proud of you, baby. Your uncle would be so proud. Your parents would be so proud."

Hot tears filled Penny's eyes, spilling over, and her aunt moved a little closer to wrap an arm around her. "You're not going to make me stop?" She asked.

"I was. But...Tony convinced me to let you continue. With…" She held up a hand before Penny could speak. "With some rules. A lot of them. The first one being, you tell me when you're going to be going out on...whatever you call them. Superhero missions or…"

"Patrols?" Penny suggested with a tiny, hopeful smile on her face.

"Yeah. Those. You can't sneak out of this apartment. Not ever. I have to know where you are, okay?"

"Of course!"

"And you don't ever lie to me. Or Tony. He's putting more safety features in that suit so he can keep an eye on you, and he personally promised me, as did every other Avenger which, let me tell you, is an experience, that if you called for help, someone would be there. So if you need help or you think you need help or you even suspect that you might eventually need help, you call for one of them, you understand?"

Penny nodded so hard she thought she heard something in her neck pop.

"That means if you're hurt too. If you get hurt you call for help. No questions asked, okay?"

"I promise." It wasn't a total lie...she'd call for help if she got hurt badly enough. But she never wanted May to know about all the bruises...all the walls she'd been thrown into and all the cuts and scrapes that would heal by the following day.

"And you have to listen to Tony. Okay? He...he cares about you. A lot. I think...I think I was wrong about him."

Penny felt her eyes go wide but May continued, ignoring her reaction.

"The look on his face when he saw you...when he found out that you were going to be okay…" May gave a sad, faraway smile. "It reminded me of Ben."

Ben...Ben, who had been her uncle. Who had been like her father. So did that mean…

"He loves you, and I don't think he'll ever let anything happen to you if he can stop it. And that is the only reason I'm allowing this to happen." The woman hesitated, then gave Penny a sad smile. "He said you wouldn't stop. Even if he took the suit and tried to forbid it...he said that real heroes never stop."

Penny didn't answer. Couldn't answer. Not only because she didn't want to admit that Mr. Stark was right...that she never would have stopped.

But because he'd called her a real hero. More than once now. And she really liked the sound of that.

Thank you for reading!